Tagged With: Game

Big Idea Productions, creators of the direct-to-video children's series VEGGIETALES, has teamed with interactive entertainment publisher ValuSoft, to create and distribute three new interactive PC CD-ROM games. Based on the VEGGIETALES series, each interactive game allows players to join their favorite VEGGIETALES characters including Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, to play games and complete projects. The first title, THE MYSTERY OF VEGGIE ISLAND, will be available on September 15, 2002.

Game developer The Collective, Inc. is working with LucasArts to develop and create the next INDIANA JONES game. The game is expected to release in fall 2002 and will be available on a variety of next generation console platforms and PC. The Collective's work on the recently released BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER game for Xbox sealed the deal for LucasArts said president Simon Jeffrey. "The Collective brings considerable technological and development expertise that will greatly benefit Indiana Jones, one of our most important brands," Jeffrey stated.

Three months after its North American debut, the Xbox video game system launched in Japan on February 22, 2002. Bill Gates was on hand to present the first Xbox sold, and many gamers camped out overnight in the Shibuya District of Tokyo to make sure they were among the first in the country to get their hands on a console. Xbox is now on sale at thousands of Japanese retail outlets, and 12 game titles are available including PROJECT GOTHAM RACING, TENKU, JET SET RADIO FUTURE and DEAD OR ALIVE 3. A total of 22 titles are scheduled to be available in Japan by the end of March.

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has announced the nominees for the annual Game Developers Choice Awards. The winners will be presented at the ceremony on March 21, during the Game Developers Conference (GDC), March 19 - 23 in San Jose, California. The Game Developers Choice Awards are peer-based, and game developers worldwide nominate those games and developers they feel are most deserving of recognition.

The nominees are:

Game of the Year

BLACK & WHITE (Lionhead Studios)

GRAND THEFT AUTO III (DMA Design/Rockstar Games)

HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED (Bungie Studios)

ICO (Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.)

MAX PAYNE (Remedy Entertainment)

Rookie Studio of the Year

Adrenium Games for AZURIK: RISE OF PERATHIA

Bohemia Interactive Studio for OPERATION FLASHPOINT

Croteam for SERIOUS SAM

Pseudo Interactive for CEL DAMAGE

Led by strong sales for its HARRY POTTER game franchise, Redwood City, California-based Electronic Arts (EA) reported a net profit of $132.3 million, or 92 cents per share, compared with net earnings of $88 million, or 63 cents per share, in the year-earlier period. Excluding goodwill and other charges, the company reported earnings of $147.1 million, or $1.03 per share. Revenue in the quarter was $832.9 million, up from $640.3 million a year earlier.

Video game publisher Activision will be adapting its successful property RETURN TO CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN for the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox video game systems. The PC version of the game has shipped more than one million units and topped sales charts worldwide since its release in December 2001. Activision promises that the next generation version of the game will feature unique design and technical modifications that take full advantage of each platform's advanced technology.

Square Electronic Arts FINAL FANTASY X game for PlayStation 2 was number one in U.S. sales across all video game software categories in its first week of release, according to NPD Funworld Video Game Data. FINAL FANTASY X shipped to retailers nationwide on December 18, just in time for the Christmas holiday. In Japan, FINAL FANTASY X was released on July 19, 2001 and sold through 90% of the 2.14 million units it shipped in the first four days. It is the first PlayStation 2 title to reach the 2 million unit mark.

Hoping the newly-released Xbox and GameCube game consoles create a game buying frenzy, Activision, Inc. has shipped all of its games for 2001 to retail outlets throughout North America.

Three games from the Walt Disney Internet Group are now available to users of the Sprint PCS Wireless Web including a game based on the current Disney/Pixar blockbuster film Monsters, Inc. and a game based on Disney's animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

In an attempt to reach a previously announced goal of making its online gaming unit successful by the year 2003, game company Electronic Arts (EA) said it will cut as many as 250 jobs at its EA.com division, reported REUTERS. The cuts represent about 1/3 of EA.coms employees. Electronic Arts employs over 3600 people worldwide and is the number one video game publisher in the U.S. The company is also the exclusive game provider to AOL. EAs first foray into the subscription online gaming arena, the five-episode suspense thriller MAJESTIC, launched online in August 2001.

Microsoft has downsized the capacity of the hard drive on its upcoming Xbox video game console and made it more family friendly. In a REUTERS report, Microsoft confirmed that the drive capacity will shrink to 8 gigabytes (GB) from the previously advertised 10 GB. Microsoft declined to explain why the change was made, only that the change was not due to manufacturing problems. This news comes on the heels of Microsofts announcement that the Xbox will be the first videogame console with a built-in parental control to restrict childrens game play based on ESRB ratings.