Leading casual game publisher Alawar Entertainment, Inc. and developer iSquared Games are announcing that Hyperballoid HD is now available in North America. The addictive brick-breaker, a PlayStation 3 exclusive, can be downloaded via the PlayStation Network for the low price of $5.99. "We're very excited to bring Hyperballoid HD to North America," says Kirill Plotnikov, Alawar's vice president of publishing. "The positive response to our European launch showed that our combination of casual gameplay with a slick visual style is a natural fit for the PlayStation audience." Putting a next-gen spin on an arcade classic, Hyperballoid HD has one hundred … Continue reading Hyperballoid HD Comes To PS Network →

While the Government quibble where to make the next cuts in education, BLAZE have made cuts of their own by announcing their "Chie for Children" netbook. This amazingly cheap netbook is aimed at helping to provide our children with a head start in the necessary computer skills, that are essential in today’s world of IT and computing. The Chie Netbook is a stylish, budget, netbook PC, designed especially for 6 to 14 year olds. The netbook has a full Qwerty keyboard and trackpad mouse, exactly like the ones you would find on larger laptop computers. Unlike previous children’s "computers," this … Continue reading Blaze Announces Netbook For Kids →

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced today the acquisition of Turbine, Inc., the largest privately-held online gaming studio in North America, further strengthening Warner Bros.’ position as one of the industry’s fastest growing, full-scale games publishers. "Turbine is a leader in online entertainment and a strong strategic fit for Warner Bros. as we continue to broaden our games portfolio and development capabilities," said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. "Turbine’s renowned online game development and publishing expertise will help us develop additional online product offerings, while also providing us with new and innovative ways to market and communicate … Continue reading Warner Bros Acquires Turbine →

With a substantial addressable market, estimated at 40 per cent of the world’s population, and strong games retail growth from many of its individual country markets, emerging market opportunities within the PAL sales region are of increasing commercial interest to games publishers. The latest report from Screen Digest – ‘Emerging Markets for Video Games’ – provides analysis of the retail games hardware and software opportunities in Greece, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and the Middle-East as a whole. This latest research from Screen Digest shows emerging retail markets in the PAL region were worth a total of €1.9bn including … Continue reading Report Shows Emerging Markets Getting Ready For Games →

The curtain rises today in Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse with the premiere of the first episode, entitled The Penal Zone, on PC, Mac, and PlayStation Network, exclusively for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system. Telltale’s landmark series returns for the biggest, best looking, most bizarre installment yet as the dog and rabbit detective duo battle an onslaught of fearsome villains bent on acquiring the source of Max’s newfound psychic powers. With new episodes releasing monthly, season passes are available now for the full five game series for $34.95. The PC and Mac version can be downloaded at … Continue reading Sam & Max: Devil’s Playhouse Ships →

For the third consecutive season, ASTRO Gaming, creator of premium video gaming equipment for professional gamers, has been named Official Licensed Headset of Major League Gaming (MLG). Starting this year, the award-winning A40 headset and the patent-pending Dolby-powered ASTRO MixAmp, a stand-alone amplifier that seamlessly blends voice and game audio in surround sound, will be co-branded with MLG. The professional-grade A40 Audio System delivers an unparalleled gaming experience providing gamers with crystal clear, lag-free communication for a critical competitive edge. During the 2010 MLG Pro Circuit, tens of thousands of the world’s top professional gamers and talented amateurs will compete … Continue reading Astro Headset Named Official MLG Gear →

2K Sports announced today the final results from its official Major League Baseball 2K10 season simulation, which crowns the Philadelphia Phillies as World Series champions in a projected 4-1 series victory over the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies' double-play combination of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley proved to be too much for Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon and the Red Sox, with Rollins taking home the World Series MVP award. The simulation also predicts American League division championships for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers, with the Boston Red Sox obtaining the AL Wild Card. In the … Continue reading MLB 2K10 Predicts Phillies World Series Win →

A new multiplayer map has been released today for the international FPS hit S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. It is the first of three new maps that are to be released over the next few weeks. The map, named 'close combat' is a compact game location featuring a warehouse of containers in the Jupiter factory locale. The map is designed for dynamic play with use of close- and medium-range weapons. An interesting touch about the map is availability of one store per two teams for selling picked-up items in TDM (team deathmatch) mode. Gamers can install the map using a special … Continue reading S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Gets New Map →

2K Games announced today that XCOM,the re-imagining of one of gaming’s most storied and beloved franchises,is currently in development at 2K Marin, the studio behind the multi-million unit selling BioShock 2.Currently in development exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC, XCOM combines the strategic core of the groundbreaking franchise with a suspense-filled narrative and distills it into a tense and unique first-person shooter experience. "With BioShock 2, the team at 2K Marin proved themselves as masters of first-person, suspenseful storytelling, and with XCOM they will re-imagine and expand the rich lore of … Continue reading 2K Announces Rebirth Of XCOM Series →

Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC-the largest publisher of science fiction in the world-and Visceral Games, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced Dead Space: Martyr (A Tor Trade Paperback; $14.99; July 2010), the first novel based on the award-winning Dead Space videogame franchise. Dead Space: Martyr delves into the back story of the fiction including the history of the Church of Unitology, the discovery of the enigmatic "Black Marker" and the mysteries behind an alien artefact of unknown power. Dead Space: Martyr will be available in July 2010 at select retailers worldwide. When … Continue reading Tor Publishing Dead Space Novel →