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GameNews.com.au
:: a resource for the Australian game industry :: Since 25 March 2003
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Gamenews Weekly monitors the pulse of the Australian video game industry, helping to keep you up to date with the news that matters.

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FORWARDTRACK: Current

KEY: U = Up, D = Down
(#) = Weeks In, N = New, R = Reentry

Top Ten Game Rentals
Week ending 27 April 2006
Gameplay.com.au

1. Ghost Recon 3: Advanced War Fighter (Xbox 360) U1 (4)
2. Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360) D1 (5)
3. 50 Cent Bulletproof (PS2) U5 (2)
4. Driver: Parallel Lines SE (PS2) D1 (3)
5. Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion (Xbox 360) U5 (2)
6. Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360) D2 (5)
7. Quake 4 (Xbox 360) D2 (5)
8. V8 Supercars 3 (Xbox) D2 (9)
9. Tomb Raider Legend (PS2) N
10. The Godfather (PS2) D1 (5)

Top Ten Game Rentals
Week ending 20 April 2006
Gameplay.com.au

1. Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360) (4)
2. Ghost Recon 3: Advanced War Fighter (Xbox 360) U5 (3)
3. Driver: Parallel Lines SE (PS2) U7 (2)
4. Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360) D2 (4)
5. Quake 4 (Xbox 360) D2 (5)
6. V8 Supercars 3 (Xbox) D2 (8)
7. Black (Xbox) D2 (8)
8. 50 Cent Bulletproof (PS2) N
9. The Godfather (PS2) D3 (4)
10. Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion (Xbox 360) N

Top Ten Game Rentals
Week ending 13 April 2006
Gameplay.com.au

1. Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360) (3)
2. Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360) (3)
3. Quake 4 (Xbox 360) U1 (3)
4. V8 Supercars 3 (Xbox) D1 (7)
5. Black (Xbox) (7)
6. The Godfather (PS2) U1 (3)
7. Ghost Recon 3: Advanced War Fighter (Xbox 360) U2 (2)
8. V8 Supercars 3 (PS2) D2 (7)
9. Black (PS2) D1 (6)
10. Driver: Parallel Lines SE (PS2) N

Top Ten Game Rentals
Week ending 6 April 2006
Gameplay.com.au

1. Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360) (2)
2. Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360) (2)
3. V8 Supercars 3 (Xbox) (6)
4. Quake 4 (Xbox 360) U4 (2)
5. Black (Xbox) D1 (6)
6. V8 Supercars 3 (PS2) D1 (6)
7. The Godfather (PS2) U2 (2)
8. Black (PS2) D2 (5)
9. Ghost Recon 3: Advanced War Fighter (Xbox 360) N
10. Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows (Xbox) D3 (3)

BACKTRACK: March 2006

Game Review Sites

US Based Review Sites
Gamespot.com
Gamerankings.com
Videogamereview.com

Australian Based Review Sites
NewGamesWeekly
Gamepower.com.au
ABC - JJJ
C-Net.com.au

Your preferred site not listed? Let us know using the Gamenews.com.au feedbackform.

Australian Game
Developers Conference 2005

To be held 1-3 December 2005 at Federation Square, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA. See www.agdc.com.au for further information.

Game Developers Association of Australia Newsletter

Edited by Gamenews.com.au editor Tim Richards.
GDAA Newsletter.

Gamenews.com.au Q&As

MARK THEYER, of TheyerGFX - 4 Oct 2005 see Oct 2005

PETER GILES, head of AFTRS Digital Media Dept - 27 July 2005 see July 2005

TOM CRAGO, CEO of Tantalus Interactive - 17 May 2005 see June 2005

LEE LISTER , co-organiser of Pro Evolution Soccer 4 game playing league SEUCLAN - 13 May 2005 see May 2005

EVAN WALLACE and MARK BUSANI, co-owners of GAMEPLAY ONLINE PTY LTD - 28 April 2005 see April 2005

GONZALO FRASCA, Computer Game Designer, researcher at the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copenhagen, and founder of Ludology.org. - 22 March 2005 see Jan-Mar 2005

ANDREW WANG, ONGAMENET PTY LTD - 1 November 2004 see Oct-Dec_2004

CALEB SALISBURY, GAME ARTIST/DEVELOPER - 12 April 2004 see Apr-Jun_2004

ROSS MCRAE, DIMSDALE KREOZOT UNITED GAMES MANUFACTURE - 6 November 2003 See Jul-Dec

Heads Up! - Mobile Games - 25 June 03 See May-Jun

April 2006

* Into the Pixel 2006 Collection Online [29 Apr 06]
* Wontom, A New Mobile Game Company [27 Apr 06]
* Top 5 Indie Aussie Developers See 50% Staff Increase [27 Apr 06]
* Microsoft Buying Massive Interactive? [27 Apr 06]
* WCG Basic Players' Regulations [26 Apr 06]
* PS2 Price Drop in North America [26 Apr 06]
* E3 Expo Layout Announced [20 Apr 06]
* Destroy All Humans! 2 Announced [20 Apr 06]
* Auran to Reveal Fury Next Month [19 Apr 06]
* Halfbrick Develops Barnyard for GBA [19 Apr 06]
* Coverage of Tantalus Top Gear: Downforce Deal [18 Apr 06]
* No Appeal of Marc Ecko Game Ban [14 Apr 06]
* UK: Serious Games Conference, Late May [14 Apr 06]
* US Game Retail Association Mergers with Video Association [14 Apr 06]
* Tantalus Interactive and Kemco Deal [11 Apr 06]
* Sega Buys Secret Level [10 Apr 06]
* Strategy First Buys Assets of Malfador Machinations [10 Apr 06]
* Torus Sets Up Serious Games Company [7 Apr 06]
* Australian Game Developers Heading to E3 [6 Apr 06]
* Game to Help Young Cancer Patients Deal with Treatment Launched [5 Apr 06]
* Nintendo Annual Profit at 4 Year High [5 Apr 06]
* US: Violent Game Ban Law Knocked Down [5 Apr 06]
* Article on Future of Australian Game Industry [5 Apr 06]
* How to Get Permission for an In-Game Political Assassination [4 Apr 06]
* Ubisoft Acquires FarCry Assets; FarCry for PS3? [3 Apr 06]

Dissecta Events: Check the Next Event Here

Art
Into the Pixel 2006 Collection Online
The E3 Expo Into the Pixel Art Exhibition 2006 has released details of the collection to be on display this year, with about 15 striking pieces that can also be viewed online here. [29 April 2006] [top]

Development
Wontom, A New Mobile Game Company
A new Melbourne mobile application developer, Wontom Pty Ltd, says it is close to launching an interactive gaming product for Smartphones and Windows CE PDA devices based around the popular “Texas Hold’em Poker” game, called Wontom Multiplayer Poker. The game will be released at the E3 Expo in the US next month, and Andrew Heath, Director of Business Development Wontom and co-founder of Blue Tongue Entertainment which was acquired by THQ in 2004, says “the technology behind this title has been well developed and it is great to see the fruits of our labours in a commercial product” Heath said. The game utlises Bluetooth technology "to create a multiplayer piconet, enabling players with Windows Mobile/Windows CE smart phones, or PocketPC PDAs, to link up and play together in a social game of poker." For the Wontom website, click here. [27 April 2006] [top]

Industry
Top 5 Indie Aussie Developers See 50% Staff Increase
The Game Developers' Association of Australia says that the country's "biggest five companies, Krome Studios, IR Gurus, Team Bondi, Auran Games, and Torus Games" had "increased their hires by almost 50%, up from 335 developers this time last year, to 483 currently." Evelyn Richardson, President and CEO of the GDAA says "this is the best indication yet that the Australian industry is successfully competing in a tough global game market" adding "we still have considerable challenges ahead, making Government support in the form of investment attraction and growing our skills base absolutely critical." Evelyn says publishers at E3 looking to outsource the development of certain aspects of their games - or even entire games, will find that the quality of games developed in Australia is seen worldwide to be on par with U.S. development, commenting that "eight of the largest games publishers have their Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters in Australia, including Activision, Atari, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Sony Computer Entertainment, THQ, Take 2 Interactive and Ubisoft.” The local industry now employs well over 1,000 game developers reports the GDAA. For the GDAA E3 online materials, click here. [27 April 2006] [top]