GameNews Headlines September 2006

* Vivendi Games Buys Secret Lair Studios and Studio Ch’in [30 Sept 06]
* Buena Vista Buys Third Developer: UK's Climax [30 Sept 06]
* [NG] Retail: Separate Guitar Hero Controller [30 Sept 06]
* [NG] Oblivion Coming to PS3 and PSP [30 Sept 06]
* [NG] Melbourne Cup Challenge: 26 Oct [30 Sept 06]
* US: Wii Makes Toys ‘R’ Us Hot List [29 Sept 06]
* Nerf Wireless Accessories [29 Sept 06]
* [NG] Wii Games List [29 Sept 06]
* [NG] Doom Now on Xbox Live on Xbox 360 [29 Sept 06]
* Microsoft and Peter Jackson Deal: Studio, Halo [28 Sept 06]
* Victoria: NickVic3Gi Details Announced [28 Sept 06]
* Victoria: Digital Media Fund Internship Session, 4 Oct [28 Sept 06]
* [NG] Microsoft: Halo Wars, Stronger Partnerships [28 Sept 06]
* [NG] Xbox 360 External HD DVD [28 Sept 06]
* Fun Burger Announces Pocket English; Seeks Partners [27 Sept 06]
* L.A. Noire Picked Up by Rockstar Games [27 Sept 06]
* [NG] F.E.A.R.Demo Now On Xbox Live [27 Sept 06]
* Simulynx: Oil Rig Simulator [26 Sept 06]
* [NG] Wii Details: 7 Dec 06 [26 Sept 06]
* War World Headed to Xbox 360 [21 Sept 06]
* Activision Off to Great Start [21 Sept 06]
* The Games Wizards Bought by GAME Group plc [20 Sept 06]
* Richmotion - Latest Beta Released [17 Sept 06]
* Knives Out for Industry Re IT Skills Shortage [13 Sept 06]
* Researchers Use Games to Analyse Human Behaviour [12 Sept 06]
* BBC Reports Infogrames Share Suspension [11 Sept 06]
* BigWorld Tech Adds Vivox Voice Solution [8 Sept 06]
* EA Canada - Article on New CEO [8 Sept 06]
* Pitching to Female Gamers [8 Sept 06]
* OZ Release of PlayStation 3 Delayed to March 2007 [6 Sept 06]
* Game Dev Article in SMAGE [5 Sept 06]

Dissecta Events: Check the Next Event Here

Industry
Vivendi Games Buys Secret Lair Studios and Studio Ch’in
Vivendi Games has announced it has bought US based Secret Lair Studios and China based Studio Ch’in. Vivendi notes that the Studio Ch’in purchase "is subject to the approval of the Government of the People's Republic of China under Chinese Law, and Vivendi Games is in the process of obtaining such required approval. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed." Vivendi says the purchase "positions Vivendi Games’ Sierra Online division as a key publisher of Xbox Live Arcade titles." Vivendi indicates the studios strength's lie in PC and online development, necessary capacities for the development of Xbox 360 Xbox Live Arcade. For the press release, click here. [30 Sept 2006] [top]

Industry
Buena Vista Buys Third Developer: UK's Climax
Buena Vista Games (part of the Disney group) is buying UK based Climax Racing (MotoGP; ATV Offroad Fury) with the deal expected to conclude early next month. Climax reportedly has 100 employees and is expected to add between one or two new titles per year to BVG's development capacity. The deal is reported in this article, which also states "Disney is reducing its dependence on licensing deals with outside producers and developers, who currently make most of its video games, Hopper said. THQ Inc., for example, has the right to make video games based on the next four movies from Pixar animation studio." [30 Sept 2006] [top]

From Newgames.com.au
[NG] Retail: Separate Guitar Hero Controller
Activision says a "limited number of the Guitar Hero SG Controllers (without the game disc) have shipped to retail outlets nationwide for a recommended retail price of AUD$69.95. Read the full news item here. [30 Sept 2006] [top]

From Newgames.com.au
[NG] Oblivion Coming to PS3 and PSP
Ubisoft says it will co-publish The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on PS3 in March 2007 and The Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion for PSP in autumn 2007, with Besthesda Softworks, in Europe and Australia. Read the full news item here. [30 Sept 2006] [top]

From Newgames.com.au
[NG] Melbourne Cup Challenge: 26 Oct
The release date for the horse racing videogame, Melbourne Cup Challenge, will be 26 October, Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty Ltd said yesterday. Read the full news item here. [30 Sept 2006] [top]

Industry
US: Wii Makes Toys ‘R’ Us Hot List
MSNBC.com reports that the Nintendo Wii has made the hot toy list at Toys 'R' Us in the US, which seeks to rank the best toys each holiday season. It is the first time a console has made the list apparently. For the article, click here. [29 Sept 2006] [top]

Accessories
Nerf Wireless Accessories
This brief US article reports that "[US] Performance Designed Products, the maker of Pelican brand accessories... is working with Hasbro Inc. to develop a new line of Nerf video game accessories." Apparently first for the PS2. [29 Sept 2006] [top]

From Newgames.com.au
[NG] Wii Games List
Nintendo has published a big list of games expected before 31 March 2007 for the Wii. Read the full news item here. [29 Sept 2006] [top]

From Newgames.com.au
[NG] Doom Now on Xbox Live on Xbox 360
Doom has been brought back to life and is now available on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. Read the full news item here. [29 Sept 2006] [top]

Industry
Microsoft and Peter Jackson Deal: Studio, Halo
Microsoft Game Studios has announced a partnership with New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson "to herald in a new age of interactive entertainment that can only be realized on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live." Microsoft says the "first part of this long-term relationship is for Jackson, Walsh [Academy Award-winning screenwriter Fran Walsh, long time collaborator with Jackson from New Zealand], and team to bring to life two new interactive entertainment experiences exclusively for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. The first project is to co-write, co-design and co-produce a completely new and original chapter in the “Halo” universe in collaboration with Bungie Studios. The second project is an entirely original property from the team in New Zealand that will not only bring a whole new interactive story to life, but will also captivate new audiences that have yet to discover the power of interactive entertainment." As a result of the partnership Jackson and Walsh, together with Microsoft Game Studios, are creating Wingnut Interactive in New Zealand. [28 Sept 2006] [top]

Government
Victoria: NickVic3Gi Details Announced
Film Victoria has released details of a new funding program for mobile content involving the Australian operations of US based kids media group Nickelodeon; the program is called NickVic3Gi. NickVic3Gi is a joint Film Victoria and Nickelodeon Australia initiative to provide $50,000 to support the development of "3G mobile content for tech-savvy 10 – 12 year olds." The entities state they are "eager to encourage innovative projects and as such, have not limited the diverse array of application ideas that could be submitted. Mobile games, mobisodes, animated series, graphic stories or community building are just some of the formats Victorian creatives could utilise to develop their concept." The deadline to apply for NickVic3Gi is Wednesday 8 November 2006, and applicants must be Victorian residents. For the press release and guideline information, click here. [28 Sept 2006] [top]

Government
Victoria: Digital Media Fund Internship Session, 4 October
Film Victoria's Digital Media Fund will hold an information sessions for their Digital Media Internship (DMI) program on Wednesday 4th October, 6 to 7:30pm, in the Seminar Room, 1st floor City Library, 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. The DMI "enables professional screen industry practitioners and graduates to gain valuable on-the-job experience in a digital media company. Through their placement, the interns develop their craft and technical skills under the supervision of skilled personnel, as well as building their professional networks and experience. Host companies represent a broad range of screen-industry related production including game development, post production and animation." The session will include presentations by three host companies and one intern involved in last year’s program. Film Victoria invites digital media companies specialising in broadband, game development, visual FX, post production and animation to attend this information event to find out how they can benefit. For further information click here. [28 Sept 2006] [top]

From Newgames.com.au
[NG] Microsoft Announces Halo Wars, Stronger Xbox360 Partnerships
Microsoft Game Studios has announced Halo Wars, an "all-new real-time strategy game based on the legendary “Halo” universe and built exclusively for Xbox 360 by Ensemble Studios, the creators of the “Age of Empires” series." Read the full news item here. [28 Sept 2006] [top]

From Newgames.com.au
[NG] Xbox 360 External HD DVD
Microsoft has released pricing details for its upcoming Xbox 360 external HD DVD Player for Europe (199.99 Euros) and North America (US$199.99), which suggests to NewGames.com.au that the local price will be around the $265-$300 mark. Read the full news item here. [28 Sept 2006] [top]

Development
Fun Burger Announces Pocket English; Seeks Partners
Melbourne game developer Fun Burger has released details of “Pocket English,” a set of training modules and mini-games for mobile phones to help learn English. Fun Burger says "Pocket English makes learning fun and also improves the players memory by using a series of short mini-games including word-picture recognition, spelling and grammar puzzles...". The studio is seeking distribution partners for all territories as well as "publishing partners for the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS version of the game." Fun Burger says it can also easily customize the game for users who want to learn other languages such as French, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. Pocket English was developed with the assistance of Film Victoria's Digital Media Fund. For the studio website, click here. [27 Sept 2006] [top]

Development
L.A. Noire Picked Up by Rockstar Games
Sydney based Team Bondi's next generation period crime thriller L.A. Noire will be published by Take 2 Interactive's Rockstar Games, reports the companies this week. Team Bondi is headed by Brendan McNamara (The Getaway) and L.A Noire will be the studio's first title. Rockstar Games says the game is an "interactive detective story set in the classic noir period of the late 1940's. L.A. Noire blends action, detection and complex storytelling and draws players into an open-ended challenge to solve a series of gruesome murders. Set in a perfectly recreated Los Angeles before freeways, with a post-war backdrop of corruption, drugs and jazz, L.A. Noire will truly blend cinema and gaming." Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games, will become the games Executive Producer; Sam comments "Brendan and I have known each other for a long time, and to finally have the opportunity to work together on a game is exciting" with Brendan adding "the longstanding mutual respect and the combined experience between the two of us make this a great partnership." For the current game website, click here, for Team Bondi's website, click here. [27 Sept 2006] [top]

From Newgames.com.au
[NG] F.E.A.R.Demo Now On Xbox Live
A single-player demo for the FPS F.E.A.R. is now available via Xbox Live. Read the full news item here. [27 Sept 2006] [top]

Serious Games
Simulynx: Oil Rig Simulator
Expected to be ready in March, Simulynx is a serious game being developed in Canada that seeks to train "new workers for potentially dangerous work on an oil rig" according to this article here. The article reports Jim Parker, of the University of Calgary, stating "a serious game is a game whose value is in something other than entertainment." [26 Sept 2006] [top]

From Newgames.com.au
[NG] Wii Details: 7 Dec 06
"Nintendo have announced the Australian Release date for the Wii. We’re getting it on the 7th of December, at a suggested retail price of $399.95..." Read the full news item here. [26 Sept 2006] [top]

Development
War World Headed to Xbox 360
Speaking at Dissecta this week in Melbourne, Third Wave Games' Morten Brodersen revealed that War World for PC is headed for the Xbox 360. Details were few but Morten did say an agreement had been signed with a top ten publisher. War World for PC was created and self-published by Third Wave Games via the Internet in August 2005, and was quickly signed by LightHouse Entertainment in Europe for retail distribution. The retail version of War World for PC hits retail stores locally next week thanks to Stomp Entertainment. For the War World website, click here. [21 Sept 2006] [top]

Industry
Activision Off to Great Start
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy has sold more than 1.1 million copies across 8 platforms states Activision, after only one week on store shelves worldwide. The game was released 12th September and is obviously going great guns. It provides the company with a big success story as we move towards the end of the year and the competitive Christmas holiday season. [21 Sept 2006] [top]

Retail
The Games Wizards Bought by GAME Group plc
The local 22 store video game specialist The Games Wizards has been bought by UK based GAME Group plc. Martin Long, GAME Chief Executive, says "Australia is an attractive games market with good growth dynamics and offers the potential to develop our international business further alongside our existing growth plans." The Board of the GAME Group plc made the announcement overnight stating GAME has "signed an unconditional agreement to acquire the Australian video game retailer The Games Wizards (TGW) for A$3.8m (£1.5m). An amount of A$1m (£0.4m) of the consideration will be reinvested by management in the business for at least 18 months post acquisition." GAME describes The Games Wizards as a "specialist retailer of video and pc games based in Sydney and operating in the Australian market with 14 company owned stores and 8 franchises. TGW has an experienced management team that has operated in the local market for more than 10 years." The purchase marks the entry of GAME Group plc into the local game retail market, and Long comments GAME "will provide financial resources and expertise for a controlled store rollout." According to the UK press release, in the financial year to 30 June 2006 The Games Wizards reported sales of A$19.7m (£7.9m), losses before interest and depreciation of A$1.6m (£0.6m) and as at 30 June 2006 net assets of A$2.0m (£0.8m). For the press release, click here. For a Bloomberg report on the item, click here. [20 Sept 2006] [top]

Development
Richmotion - Latest Beta Released
Melbourne based mobile technology company ndWare has announced the latest beta release of Richmotion Live v1.00, a "technology suite that enables anyone to create media-rich, interactive content for a large range of mobile phones." The Richmotion Live release includes an easy to use PC editor, comprehensive user guide and various samples such as a football quiz, several animations and a short animated comic explains ndWare. At the press of a button the application "will compile your content into a stand-alone Java application which can be uploaded to a handset." Richmotion supports sound, animation and a variety of interactive elements. An evaluation beta version of Richmotion Live is available for download now, prior to the expected official release in October. For the Richmotion website, click here. [17 Sept 2006] [top]

Development
Knives Out for Industry Re IT Skills Shortage
The ABC's new Lateline Business show took a look at the incredible IT skills shortage in Australia last night, commenting "Enrolments in school and university computer courses are still dropping off, particularly among females. But as computers and the internet become increasingly crucial to business, IT job vacancies have jumped around 30 per cent in the last year. Now there are fears the shortfall will place massive constraints on the Australian economy." In response explains the program, "the Federal Government has launched an IT career awareness program. It's funding a new website which provides profiles of successful IT workers, industry information and links to current jobs. The focus is on attracting staff to the public service, with promises of flexible hours and quality training." Finally Lateline Business went on to make the claim "Industry bodies blame the private sector particularly for failing to attract, retain and train IT staff. But the biggest issue, they say, is the industry's image problem." GameNews comment: given game development has a leg in the IT industry, it would be good to know which industry bodies are making accusations of this nature, what sectors they represent, and in what context and form the accusations are being made. In any event, one of the underlying themes coming through in the report for any one watching, and which can be read here, is a veiled blame-shifting exercise from 'industry bodies' who presumably have the industry's interests as a priority and can co-ordinate actions on big general issues like IT skills, to those companies making up the industry itself. Industry bodies and industry participants should be working together and sticking it to those others who have real ability to act on the issue, like the Federal Government; and this issue should have solutions already in place by now and not have been left untreated for so long (a career website for potential public servants is not a solution). [13 Sept 2006] [top]

Serious Games
Researchers Use Games to Analyse Human Behaviour
"The road less traveled doesn't stay that way for long, say researchers at Indiana University in Bloomington" begins this article, which goes on to explain "a group of researchers led by Robert Goldstone, a cognitive scientist at the university, devised a video game that multiple people could play at once over the Internet. The research appeared in the July/August issue of the journal Complexity. The players earned points for reaching several destinations on the computer screen, but each virtual step cost them points. A player lost fewer points when following a path someone else had blazed.... The result was a compromise between making a beeline for the destination and walking where others had stepped." [12 Sept 2006] [top]

Industry
BBC Reports Infogrames Share Suspension
"Shares in Infogrames, the French video gaming company that owns the Atari brand, have been suspended in Paris" reports the BBC in this online article dated 11 Sept, adding "Infogrames is expected to announce a restructuring, although the details remain hazy." [11 Sept 2006] [top]

Development
BigWorld Tech Adds Vivox Voice Solution
Online voice communication company Vivox Inc has announced a joint marketing agreement with Sydney/Canberra based MMOG middleware company BigWorld Pty Ltd, "and the inclusion of the Vivox Precision Studio integrated voice solution into the BigWorld Technology Suite." Integrating Vivox will allow game developers using the BigWorld platform to "integrate communications that allows players to communicate dynamically in groups or privately one-on-one within the game." For the press release, click here. [8 Sept 2006] [top]

Industry
EA Canada - Article on New CEO
Canada.com has a short article on the appointment of a new CEO for Electronic Arts Canada, Ron Moravek, providing some insight into the operations there which employs 1,600 development staff: "Moravek, who begins his new job Friday, is an Ontario native who graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University. He moved to Vancouver in 1990, working with FedEx for seven years before Alex Garden brought him aboard Relic Entertainment in 1998 as COO. During his nine years at Relic, he guided the company's growth from seven to 180 employees." For the article, click here. [8 Sept 2006] [top]

Gender
Pitching to Female Gamers
Detroit News online takes a brief look at the issue of attracting females to games in this article: "Game developers are aware that female players tend to scorn games of wanton destruction, preferring simulation games, which allow them to create worlds where the game play is more important than winning, or counting cadavers." [8 Sept 2006] [top]

NextGen
OZ Release of PlayStation 3 Delayed to March 2007
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe says the launch date for the PS3 in Australia is now in March 2007, not November this year. All PAL territories are affected, with the delay hitting Europe, Russia, Middle East, and Africa. Sony confirms launch dates for Japan (11 Nov) and North America (17 Nov) are unaffected. Sony explains "the revision of the launch date in the SCEE territories is caused by the delay in the mass production schedule of the blue laser diode within the Sony Group, thus affecting the timely procurement of key components to be utilised in PLAYSTATION 3." For the press release, click here. [6 Sept 2006] [top]

Development
Game Dev Article in SMAGE
The Age/Sydney Morning Herald online has a lengthy article on game development and whether it is a new art form, with local interviewees from Microforte and Team Bondi. For the article, click here. [5 Sept 2006] [top]

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