Category Archives: News and Industry Happenings

Portal 2 DLC Nets 1.3 Million Downloads

Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the early findings of the Portal 2 Perpetual Testing Initiative. Released just days ago, The "Perpetual Testing Initiative" has already resulted in the creation and publishing of over 35,000 user-created maps, collectively consumed via more than 1.3 million downloads. The Perpetual Testing Initiative allows players to easily create, share, and play Portal 2 puzzles. The Initiative comes with a simplified Puzzle Maker that allows that creation of mind-bending puzzles without ever leaving the game. The Puzzle Maker directly publishes … Continue reading Portal 2 DLC Nets 1.3 Million Downloads

Dishonored Set For October Release

Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced that Dishonored, the supernatural assassin action game under development at Arkane Studios, will be available in North America on October 9, 2012 and throughout Europe on October 12, 2012. Developed under the direction of co-creative directors Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith, Dishonored is slated for release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows. Dishonored is set in Dunwall, an industrial whaling city where steampunk- inspired technology and otherworldly forces coexist in the shadows. You are Corvo, the once-trusted bodyguard … Continue reading Dishonored Set For October Release

Stronghold 3: Gold Coming Soon

Firefly Studios today announced that Stronghold 3: Gold Edition will be released on 25 May 2012 for PC and Mac. This new edition will bundle the latest version of Stronghold 3 with a new ‘Blackstaff’ single player campaign. Stronghold 3: Gold Edition will also unlock all 12 historical sieges, previously only available through special editions of the game. Stronghold 3: Gold Edition mixes fast-paced real-time strategy, village sim gameplay and dramatic castle sieges with hundreds of enemies on screen at once. A keep full of fantastic features includes realistic physics, intricate castle and village design, story-driven gameplay and multiplayer combat. … Continue reading Stronghold 3: Gold Coming Soon

Blizzard, Valve avoid Defense of the Ancients Lawsuits

Blizzard Entertainment and Valve today announced a mutual agreement regarding concerns over the names of upcoming products. In accordance with the agreement, Valve will continue to use Defense of the Ancients [DOTA] commercially, including DOTA 2, while Blizzard will preserve noncommercial use of DOTA for its community with regard to player-created maps for Warcraft III and StarCraft II. "Both Blizzard and Valve recognize that, at the end of the day, players just want to be able to play the games they’re looking forward to, so we’re happy to come to an agreement that helps both of us stay focused on … Continue reading Blizzard, Valve avoid Defense of the Ancients Lawsuits

Eve Online Sends Its Players, Almost, Into Space

On Wednesday May 9th, the Skyward Sphere program reached new heights when a replica of the iconic EVE capsule, containing the names of all Eve Online players, was sent to the stratosphere with a weather balloon rig of suspected Minmatar origin. On board the rig were also three high definition cameras which were still filming when it was fished out of the lake it landed in. This video is preview is cooked up for the weekend from the retrieved footage. http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=T5VicNzqsQA Publishers: CCP

Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC Ready

Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX interactive entertainment products in the Americas, today announced that the final set of downloadable content (DLC) for FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 will be available tomorrow. These include two new episodes, ‘Snow’s Story: Perpetual Battlefield’ and ‘Lightning’s Story: Requiem of the Goddess,’ along with White and Black Mage outfits and ‘A Wondrous Wardrobe,’ which includes 16 different costumes for Mog, the moogle. About ‘Snow’s Story: Perpetual Battlefield’: Snow is engaged in battles at the Coliseum after being separated from his fianc’e, Serah. The episode also features a battle against the ‘Arbiter of Time,’ who … Continue reading Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC Ready

Tomb Raider Pushed Back Till 2013

Darrell Gallagher, Head of Studio at Crystal Dynamics, posted the following note about the pending re-boot of the Tomb Raider franchise, essentially saying that the game was pushed back until 2013. It was originally due out this year, around the holidays. The exact post follows: When Crystal Dynamics first set out to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise, there were two goals that we were extremely passionate about. The first was to create a modern Tomb Raider game that would surprise and excite gamers. The second was to make this the best game of our careers, something we would be really … Continue reading Tomb Raider Pushed Back Till 2013

Offspring Fling Releases To Steam

Independent game developer Kyle Pulver is proud to announce the release of Offspring Fling via the platform, Steam on PC (Windows) and Mac. The Mothers Day release includes a full campaign and an in-game level editor, currently discounted by 20%. Offspring Fling is a game about a poor forest creature that has misplaced all of her children. She’ll have to fight her way through over 100 levels of action packed puzzle platforming to get them all back home. There’s danger around every corner, but she won’t rest until her family is safe and sound. Offspring Fling features: – Over 100 … Continue reading Offspring Fling Releases To Steam

Hitman: Sniper Challenge Announced

Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX interactive entertainment products in the Americas, in association with GameStop, the world’s largest multichannel video game retailer, today announced HITMAN: SNIPER CHALLENGE, a stand-alone sniper experience exclusively in North America for GameStop customers who pre-order HITMAN: ABSOLUTION. The HITMAN: SNIPER CHALLENGE pre-order promotion will be available starting May 15, 2012. HITMAN: ABSOLUTION will be available on November 20, 2012 for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC. Developed by IO Interactive A/S, a Square Enix studio, HITMAN: SNIPER CHALLENGE is not … Continue reading Hitman: Sniper Challenge Announced

Four Expansions Planned For Akai Katana

Rising Star Games, Inc. today announced details on the four upcoming DLC packs for its shmup (shoot ’em up) arcade game Akai Katana. Set to launch on May 15 in the U.S., Akai Katana combines the spirit of adventure offered through a true side-scrolling experience with the adrenaline-filled gameplay of today’s bullet hell genre. Players are tasked with restoring peace and order to the world they once knew while taking on a tyrannical empire of bloodshed. The new DLC will include two Akai Katana gamer picture packs containing 10 gamer pictures each, and two theme packs for the Xbox 360 … Continue reading Four Expansions Planned For Akai Katana