Inc Gamers

Pandemic Studio To Be "Relocated"

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:00:00 UTC

EA has confirmed to IncGamers that Pandemic Studios will not close, but will rather be "relocated" to the EALA Playa Vista facility.Reports earlier today suggested that the studio would close today, with 200 job losses to the studio.Holly Rockwood, an EA spokeswomen, said this was part of EA's initiative to cut $100m USD and 1500 jobs announced last week.Rockwood also confirmed that the move will indeed "result in the reduction of roughly 200 positions at Pandemic."But it's not the last of Pandemic Studios. Rockwood said EA is committed to the Pandemic brand and franchises and that a "core team of Pandemic developers will continue development on Pandemic games with a focus on quality, cost management and schedule integrity."Pandemic has already suffered one closure, with the Brisbane offices of the studio closing earlier this year after losing the Batman film adaptation rights.Leaving Pandemic will be co-founders of the studio Andrew Goldman, Josh Resnick and Greg Borrud and the "core team" will report to the Playa Vista GM Sean Decker.With The Saboteur just around the corner, the pressure to deliver will be weighing heavy on the team's mind.As for the 200 who will be shed from the studio; EA has said it will "offer severance and outplacement assistance" to all eligible employees.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Dated For USA

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:00 UTC

Konami has issued the US release date for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
The game, a re-envisioning of the very first Silent Hill game, sees Harry Mason searching the deserted streets of Silent Hill for his daughter Cheryl, and Americans will be able to take part in the search on 8 December on Wii, and a little later on PS2 and PSP.What's different this time around? For starters, there's a psych profile feature that rearranges the game world based on how you play, which apparently even bases things off, say, the first thing you look at when you walk into a room. More interesting still is that there's no combat. While you're still going to be chased by nightmarish creatures, you can't fight back.Which sounds fantastic to me, but then I do like my horror games. If you fancy some more details on what you can expect from the game, have a look at this news item, and check out our video interview while you're at it.Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is due out in the US on 8 December on Wii, with the PSP and PS2 versions "following shortly." We've been told that we can expect it over here in February.

IncGamers Podcast 6/11/09

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:00:00 UTC

The regular end of week podcast discusses all the Modern Warfare 2 controversy from the past week, the new game addiction clinic that's opened in the UK, will the next Blizzard MMO be heading back to the Warcraft universe and much more. The team also discuss the games they've been playing including Torchlight, Heroes of Newarth, EA's Winter showcase, Mass Effect 2 and other gaming delights. Don't forget the regular bullshit story of the week and the the Special Needs forum post of the week! Tune in now! Show 23 (6/11/09)

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Activision Blizzard Results Better Than Expected

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00 UTC

Activision held their quarterly conference call last night which revealed better than expected results.Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft were hot topics in last night's conference call which revealed that Activison Blizzard surpassed their $700 million quarter projection. The company's net revenues were $755 million.Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, was keen to highlight that "the Guitar Hero franchise was the #1 best-selling third-party franchise in North America and Europe. We continued to see strong sales for Call of Duty World at War and associated map packs, which year to date have sold more than seven and half million units".Activision Blizzard are continuing to do well in the harsh economic climate and with Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Tony Hawk Ride, Guitar Hero, DJ Hero and World of Warcraft all top titles for this holiday season, the company has a strong line-up.

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Infinity Ward's community manager, Robert Bowling, has not excluding the possibility of the developer working on a new IP.

Known primarily for its contribution to the Call of Duty franchise, and more recently Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward seems to do no wrong and is one of Activision's strongest brands. While Activision's Bobby Kotick has expressed a wish for annual releases of the big franchises, Infinity Ward has not commented or committed to this.

Bowling said in an interview with Devlop that "[i]f [we] do want to do something else, then we will do it. We don't feel tied to making Call of Duty games. We never worry about the future too much. Right now we wanted to make a sequel, so the entire team is hands on deck for making Modern Warfare 2."

While not hinting on what other type of games the developer would like to work on, it's certainly worth keeping an eye on this developer after MW2 is released.Of course, and as always, we've contacted Infinity Ward for further comment, and will keep you posted as and when we know anything.

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Infinity Ward Considering New IP

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

No Doubt Sues Activision

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:00 UTC

No Doubt is displeased by the way the group members' avatars are used in Band Hero, judging by pending legal action aimed at Activision.No Doubt is "mortified" that their Band Hero avatars can be made to perform the songs of other artists, according to band manager Jim Guerinot.In a statement given to Rolling Stone, the members of No Doubt confirmed that they had begun legal action "and are seeking an injunction and damages.""No Doubt agreed to place avatars containing their name and likeness performing three No Doubt songs in the upcoming Band Hero game," reads the statement. "Without the band's knowledge or approval Activision turned the group into virtual karaoke players by having them perform over 60 additional songs by other musical groups. Additionally Activision allowed the groups character [sic] to be isolated into solo performances of these cover songs and placed randomly in countless variations contrary to the agreement between parties.""Despite repeated requests by the band that Activision honor its contract Activision has refused claiming the necessary fix would be too expensive," concludes the statement.Activision's response, however, claims that "Activision has a written agreement to use No Doubt in Band Hero - an agreement signed by No Doubt after extensive negotiations with its representatives, who collectively have decades of experience in the entertainment industry."Activision's statement continues: "Pursuant to that agreement, Activision worked with No Doubt and the band's management in developing Band Hero. As a result, Activision believes it is within its legal rights with respect to the use and portrayal of the band members in the game and that this lawsuit is without merit."It sounds a bit similar to the Kurt Cobain case, which saw Courtney Love unhappy with the way Cobain's avatar could be used to perform the songs of other artists, and which got support from other quarters of the music industry - notably ex-Nirvana members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, as well as Bon Jovi.

IncGamers PodCast 30/10/09

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:00:00 UTC

The IncGamers team discuss all the hot topics in this week's podcast including the Modern Warfare 2 leaked video, Amazon pulling MW2 reviews, MW2 third person mode, news on the Splinter Cell Conviction sequel, Molyneux's picks for most revolutionary games in the past 20 years, Star Wars: The Old Republic and more. The team also discuss the games they have been playing including Torchlight, RaceOn, Left 4 Dead 2 and Champions Online. Oh! And don't forget the Special Needs forum post of the week and the bullshit story of the week. Not to be missed!Show 23 (30/10/09)

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First DJ Hero DLC Goes Live

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 UTC

Activision has announced that the first two DLC mixes for DJ Hero have gone live.Right now, the mixes are only available in a pack titled Extended Mix Pack 01, but they should be available on Xbox 360 and PS3's respective music stores right now. The mixes are as follows:"All of Me" by 50 Cent feat. Mary J. Blige vs. "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen"DARE" by Gorillaz vs. "Can't Truss It" performed by Public EnemyAlso announced is the David Guetta Mix Pack 01, due to go live on 24 November. This pack will contain remixes of Guetta's tracks, including the following:"When Love Takes Over" featuring Kelly Rowland"Sexy Chick" featuring Akon"On the Dance Floor" featuring will.i.am and apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed PeasYou'll not only be able to get those tracks singly on 24 November, but the two tracks in Extended Mix Pack 01 will also be availably singly on that day.DJ Hero launched across the UK today.

Konami Praises PES Revitalisation

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 UTC

Konami believes that Pro Evolution Soccer 2010's "revitalis[ation]" may have been the key to it topping the charts.
In case you missed it, Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 took the number one spot in the UK All Formats Chart this week, and Konami is happy.The company, speaking to MCV, apparently believes that the success of the game is down to the improvements made following advice of long-term series fans."We are delighted to see PES 2010 top the chart against some incredibly strong competition," said Konami GM Peter Stone. That's nice, isn't it? Konami admitting that FIFA is strong competition? Stone continued: "With the likes of Forza 3 and WWE Smackdown released on the same day, it is great to see our revitalised and much improved crowd-pleaser emerge triumphant." Oh. Never mind then.Still, Konami has every right to be happy - topping the UK All Formats Chart is no easy exercise. Admittedly, PES 2010 released on almost every platform under the sun while Forza Motorsport 3, in second place, was a 360 exclusive - but that's a damn big exclusive.We're not sure we agree with their reasoning, though. Major football games tend to do quite well over here, and while we did think PES 2010 showed signs of improvement, we also felt that FIFA 10 was probably a better game.

30 Per Cent Of Guitar Hero Players Are Female

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 UTC

Thought Guitar Hero was just for sweaty fat blokes with futile dreams of rock stardom?Well, according to Guitar Hero CEO Dan Rosensweig you’re wrong as he revealed nearly a third of the game’s players are – shock horror – ladies."A very large group really wants great guitar music, and they don't want us to confuse that,” Rosenweig told Gamepro.“And there's another group of people who love that, but also love to have more current music, more family music, music more popular for girls -- 30 percent of our players are already girls, and we want that to grow. One of the great things about having a franchise like this is you can really meet all kinds of consumer demand."Activision is set to release Band Hero next month which includes more tracks by female artists like Taylor Swift, Hilary Duff and KT Tunstall.

IncGamers PodCast 23/10/09

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:00:00 UTC

This week's podcast tackles the subjects of the Modern Warfare 2 server uproar, the 360 Blu-ray misquotes and more. Andy and Tim talk about the games they've been playing this week, including Forza 3 and Dragon Age: Origins, and there's the bullshit story of the week as well as the most inane forum post we found this week. Tune in now! Show 23 (23/10/09)

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