1.5 million have pre-ordered Battlefield 3 ? analyst Pre-orders of Battlefield 3have hit 1.5 million, Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia has noted in a recent industry note ? that?s up from EA?s own estimate of 1.25 copies earlier in the month ?* with the Back to Karkand multiplayer map pack seen as a considerable incentive. ?This $15 to $20 value should be a big incentive for customers to pre-order BF3,? Bhatia says.All in all, ?management remains optimistic that the title has potential to exceed sales of its predecessor [Battlefield: Bad Company 2], which has sold through 9.5 million units life-to-date,? he wrote, expecting review scores to be at at least 80.He continued: ?The combined marketing dollars for BF3 and Call of Duty: MW 3 could reach $100 million this year. :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: That VideoGame Blog » 1.5 million have pre-ordered Battlefield 3 — analyst
House of Kratos working on new, open-world game? A job listing for a senior level designer posted over at Gamasutra reveals that God of Warstudio Sony Santa Monica (via) is working on a new intellectual property.?The Sony Santa Monica Studio is hiring for an unannounced new IP!? the job description exclaims, later also mentioning ?open world? game development experience as a plus.That?s little to go on, but it may be another piece of the puzzle; past listings have sought people with online, and even first and/or third-person shooter and vehicle combat experience. Make of it what you will. :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: That VideoGame Blog » House of Kratos working on new, open-world game?
Viacom suing Harmonix for ~$131 million Last we heard Guitar Hero and Rock Bandcreator Harmonix was suing Viacom. Now, the tables have turned.According to a document obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Viacom is suing Harmonix shareholders for about $131 million.According to the document, earn-out payments made to Harmonix were miscalculated when Viacom and Harmonix aligned in 2006. All things told, Harmonix shareholders made $149,770,149 from the merger, and Viacom wants $131,827,980 of it back.Here?s an option, give me the $131 million and I?ll call it even. Good? Great. :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: That VideoGame Blog » Viacom suing Harmonix for ~$131 million
DXHR DLC 5hrs long, depending on playstyle Deus Ex: Human Revolutions? Missing Link DLC is quite the whopper, offering nearly as much gameplay as some full games, it?s been revealed.Eidos Montreal?s Tumblr Blog delivers the news, saying: ?The Missing Link is approximately 5 hours long, but as always that varies depending on your playstyle and completionist urges.?Plenty more sci-fiying to do come October then.Catch a trailer for the content here :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: That VideoGame Blog » DXHR DLC 5hrs long, depending on playstyle [video=youtube;IYL-G-VjYc8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYL-G-VjYc8[/video]
Mass Effect movie based on ?a completely new story? We haven?t exactly been swimming in details as far as the mysterious Mass Effectmovie is concerned. Legendary Pictures? website has thrown a few drops of water our way though. Just a few.First off, the flick will focus on the doings of male Commander Shepard, as we all probably expected. Second, Normandy pilot Joker will not be played by the character?s voice actor Seth Green; the two don?t exactly look alike. And finally and most substantially, the movie will not follow any storylines from the games. Instead, what we?ll see on the big screen will be ?a completely new story.?What could go wrong? :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: That VideoGame Blog » Mass Effect movie based on “a completely new story”
Epic not working on new Unreal game Epic may well be more known for theirGears of Warfranchise these days than their Unreal Tournament beginnings, but the company isn?t the kind that forgets where they coming from.That said, dev pres Mike Capps has confirmed that the team isn?t currently working on any new Unreal Tournamenttitle.*?Unreal and Unreal Tournamentcontinue to have a huge influence on the studio here, even though we?re not currently working on anUnrealIP project,? Capps stated in an interview with Forbes (via).Given that Epic are currently working on five different titles, it?s a shame to know that this once-popular series isn?t among them. The last game in the franchise, 2007?s Unreal Tournament III, is probably the last example of arena-based multiplayer that can be found on PS3 and 360. We?d like to see more. :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: That VideoGame Blog » Epic not working on new Unreal game
Dead Space 3 logo, art spotted [video=youtube;AFJ4NZFRqII]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFJ4NZFRqII[/video] Let?s face it, more Dead Spaceis coming. Dead Space 2quickly outsold its predecessor as critics and fans alike received the sci-fi horror title with much praise. There?s just no reason for EA notto continue the series. And here comes possible first evidence that they indeed are.A glimpse of a Dead Space 3logo and art have been spotted on an Israeli TV show which was touring EA?s Redwood Shores-based Visceral Games studio, the developer of the franchise: That?s the extent of the excitement I?m afraid, but enough to get us all hot and sweaty. We love us some Dead Spacearound these parts.What does EA have to say about the spotting? Nada: ?We don?t have any news about the Dead Space franchise at this time.? :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: That VideoGame Blog » Dead Space 3 logo, art spotted
Former Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk Dev Neversoft Creating an FPS Job listings at Neversoft's website have revealed the company is at work -- or soon will be -- on a first-person shooter. As noticed by GamerZines (via Eurogamer), there are multiple positions related to FPSes at the jobs area of Neversoft's website. These include network programmer, senior concept artist, senior level designer, senior technical artist, level designer, and Windows PC platform lead engineer. None of the listings reference anything specifically, though they do mention that employees would be working on "our new FPS." It was reported last year that Neversoft was looking to hire for a new "action shooter" game. :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: Former Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk Dev Neversoft Creating an FPS
PS3 Gets Battlefield 3 Expansions Early Competitor Call of Duty offers its DLC first on Xbox 360. Electronic Arts has announced it's aligning Battlefield 3 with the PlayStation 3 in a similar fashion to Activision's Call of Duty arrangement with Xbox 360. Microsoft revealed a deal with Activision last year that will see all Call of Duty DLC released first on 360 through 2012. At least for this one game in the series, EA will do the same with Battlefield 3, but on PlayStation 3 -- all of the game's expansion packs will come to Sony's console a week early. A week may not be as substantial as the one-month gap that we see with the Call of Duty DLC, though it is nevertheless a period of exclusivity the 360 won't have and Sony can tout. :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: PS3 Gets Battlefield 3 Expansions Early
Demon's Souls Multiplayer Will Stay Online Until at Least 2012 The online servers have been extended once again by Atlus. Yet again, Atlus has decided to extend the deadline for the shutdown of Demon's Souls online multiplayer servers. The game will now remain online at least until 2012, the game's publisher announced today. Since being released on October 6, 2009, the notoriously-difficult RPG has had its servers extended several times, and with good reason -- the online portion of the game is quite unique as it allows you to invade other players' worlds and attack them, see how they died, and more. This functionality is also present in its spiritual successor, Dark Souls, which comes out next month. It was used to punish pirates and those who got their hands on early copies of the game in Japan when developer From Software sent out a max-level enemy to murder early players. CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE Demon's Souls Multiplayer Will Stay Online Until at Least 2012
Weekend Deals: Company of Heroes and Lots of Sega Steam is having a big sale on every Sega product on the service, with prices ranging from 50-90% off what you'd usually pay. There were too many individual deals to list below, but of particular note is the Sega Collector Pack ($79.99, down from $576.52), the Sega Genesis Classics Collection ($7.49 from $29.96) and Alpha Protocol ($2 from $19.99). Alpha Protocol is a very flawed game, but at this price it's definitely worth picking up if you're willing to work around its issues by doing things like attempting to avoid letting enemies detect your presence. Steam is also offering all of the Company of Heroes games on the cheap. They're some of the best strategy games to come out in years, and to be able to get the CoH Complete Pack for $9.99 is a steal. :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: Weekend Deals: Company of Heroes and Lots of Sega
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP We often hear brief mentions of the tax benefits granted to videogame developers in Canada -- it's no coincidence that so many companies have opened up locations in Toronto and Montreal. A recent New York Timesreport on tax breaks for videogame developers prompted a decidedly negative piece on the subject from Canadian publication Maclean's. This in turn has led to a fairly in-depth piece from Capy's Nathan Vella explaining why these tax breaks are handed out and the positive effects they can have. :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: Indie Dev Defends Tax Incentives for Videogame Developers
Team ICO Working Hard to Make The Last Guardian's Level Design Unpredictable The Last Guardian no-showed the Tokyo Game Show last week, much to the chagrin of fans desperate to see something new from Team ICO. Fortunately, the remastered HD versions of ICO and Shadow of the Colossus will be out in just a few days, on September 27. While there doesn't appear to be a great deal of new footage of The Last Guardian in the collection, there is a roundtable discussion with the developers that reveals what's keeping them busy right now. "As much as possible, the level design shouldn't seem too functional or rational," explained director Fumito Ueda. "It has to seem like a natural part of the atmosphere and the world, like it's been like that forever. :demonangel: CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: Team ICO Working Hard to Make The Last Guardian's Level Design Unpredictable
Play Uncharted 3 at an AMC theatre, get an early copy Live in San Francisco, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles or Washington DC? Want a chance to play and (own) Uncharted 3 nearly two weeks early? If so, you might be interested in an upcoming event at your local AMC Theatre.From October 18 through 20, AMC theatres in the five cities listed above will be hosting a special event, during which fans will get a chance to play Uncharted 3in 3D on the big screen. General admission is $25, but those who spend $60 on the "premium pass" will also get an early copy of the game. :demonangel: HIT THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: Play Uncharted 3 at an AMC theatre, get an early copy - Joystiq
PlayStation 3 Owners ?Not Getting Less Of A Game? With Battlefield Battlefield 3 looks absolutely staggering on PC. The game looks decent on the PlayStation 3. But in a recent interview with EDGE magazine, producer Patrick Liu insisted that console owners are not drawing the short straw, with Battlefield 3 every inch comparable to its PC counter-part on PS3.?[Console owners are] definitely not getting less of a game,? Liu said. ?It has the same amount of destruction and the same amount of visual fidelity.?The console versions of Battlefield 3 support less players online, and subsequently include smaller maps. Liu explained that this is all designed to improve gameplay balance. :demonangel: HIT THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: DICE: PlayStation 3 Owners ‘Not Getting Less Of A Game’ With Battlefield 3 - PushSquare.com
Ubisoft?s Rocksmith To Support Co-Operative Play With Seperate Cable If you?re keen on rocking out with another, err, rocker, then Ubisoft?s got your back. The publisher?s announced a new 1/4?-to-USB cable compatible with its real instrument-only music title, Rocksmith. The cord will retail separately for $29.99.The game?s due out on October 11th on PlayStation 3. :demonangel: HIT THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: Ubisoft’s Rocksmith To Support Co-Operative Play With Seperate Cable - PushSquare.com
EA Cites FIFA As An Example Of How It?s Stolen Market Share There was a time not too long ago when Pro Evolution Soccer ruled the digital football roost. Not anymore. FIFA is an absolute monster in almost all of the territories it is released, with PES struggling to maintain market-share. EA believes its upcoming Battlefield 3 has the potential to claw back market share from competing shooters in the same way.?One of my favourite sayings is ?Rome wasn?t built in a day?,? EA publishing executive Jens Uwe Intat told MCV. ?We might not do it Day One, but we are going to take a decent amount share from Activision. In broad numbers, Activision has 90 per cent of the shooter market, and we want to see that go down to 70. I would be even happier if they were left with 60 per cent. :demonangel: HIT THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: EA Cites FIFA As An Example Of How It’s Stolen Market Share - PushSquare.com
Rage requires 3 discs on Xbox 360, 8GB install on PS3, tolerance from fans Rage will span three discs on Xbox 360 and require an 8GB install on PS3, id Software creative director Tim Willits has confirmed. It was rumored that Rage would have a large install and multiple discs on 360, but it seemed as if id was leaning toward a slim-and-trim two-disc set, stating that a separate multiplayer disc-swap would be "fail." id didn't have to pick a disc number for the PS3 version of Rage, effectively utilizing the Blu-ray drive to hold all of the game's 8 gigs, something that Willits seemed very pleased about: :demonangel: HIT THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: Rage requires 3 discs on Xbox 360, 8GB install on PS3, tolerance from fans - Joystiq
First Dead Space 3 Details Leaked - Report Unlike its predecessors, Dead Space 3 will reportedly feature scenes less like the one above and more like something out of Lost Planet. Electronic Arts has yet to officially announce the game, but after the success of Dead Space 2 and EA's interest in establishing DS as a big franchise, it's inevitable. An Israeli news show recently showed footage of an EA office where a Dead Space 3 sign could be seen, and now a source has filled Siliconera in on the first details about the next game in the series. Rather than be set on a spaceship, Dead Space 3 takes place on Tau Volantis, an icy planet that Isaac crash lands on. He finds he isn't the only survivor on the planet and learns that Ellie Langford is alive and has left for another location with a group of people. Isaac eventually meets a new character named Jennifer before facing enemies that were called "the hive mind" by the source. :demonangel: HIT THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: First Dead Space 3 Details Leaked - Report
BioWare ?looking for the right way to deploy? new Jade Empire As it is with the future of its more recent Mass Effectfranchise, BioWare is also ?looking for the right way to deploy? a new Jade Empiretitle, it was revealed at the Eurogamer Expo over the weekend. With no mention of this since 2009, we were starting to get worried.?We?ve been talking a lot about that actually on and off over the years,? co-founder and CEO Ray Muzyka said.?It?s an IP, it?s a setting that we?re really passionate about, and we still are. Both Greg [Zeschuk, fellow co-founder] and I were big believers in the IP.?We?re just looking for the right way to deploy it.??You never know,? Muzyka added. ?We don?t have anything to announce on it right now, but it is a franchise that?s near and dear to us.? :demonangel: HIT THE LINK 4 MORE :demonangel: That VideoGame Blog » BioWare “looking for the right way to deploy” new Jade Empire
