Got Game Entertainment LLC today announced that "RHEM 3", an intricate pure-puzzle, first-person adventure game for PC and Mac has gone gold. In this third installment in the popular "RHEM" series, the adventures of brothers Kales and Zetais continue in a labyrinthine world of hidden rooms and secret passages, strange vehicles and odd machines. Featuring non-linear gameplay, non-violent story, and mind-bending puzzles, "RHEM 3" opens the door to a new journey of mystery and adventure this February. The game makes its retail debut at $29.99 (USD) and is rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB. "RHEM 3" finds you in … Continue reading RHEM 3 Goes Gold →

Turbine Inc. today announced the launch of the latest free content update for subscribers to DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE (DDO), The Thirteenth Eclipse. This major update to DDO brings new open landscape regions, an increased level cap, and more monsters, spells, magic items, and traditional dungeons. DDO is based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS franchise of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), under license to Infogrames Entertainment S.A. "The Thirteenth Eclipse offers an enormous amount of content for DDO players," said Kate Paiz, Senior Producer of DDO. "We are really excited with how … Continue reading D&D Online Expands →

Leading Eastern and Central European publisher 1C Company today announced the development of its new World War II strategy game Men of War. Men of War is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Soldiers: Heroes of World War II and Faces of War and is scheduled for a summer 2008 release around the world. Men of War takes place in Europe during the height of World War II. The story unfolds across three different campaigns played out through the eyes of Soviet, Allied and German soldiers. Each campaign has its own structured timeline bringing a different story of the war … Continue reading Men of War Announced →

Grab your parrot, raise the gang plank and ready the cannons with Pirates of the Burning Sea (PotBS), the hotly anticipated online PC game where players can clash on land and sea. This new title from Sony Online Entertainment LLC's (SOE) Platform Publishing label, and Flying Lab Software LLC (FLS), is available today at participating retail outlets worldwide and as a digital download through www.station.com and www.direct2drive.com for a suggested retail price of US$49.99, with a monthly subscription fee of US$14.99 plus applicable taxes. "After years of hard work by our top-notch crew, we are thrilled to announce players can … Continue reading Pirates of the Burning Sea Launches →

Thousands of passionate GiN readers have cast their ballots to choose the nominees for the Game Of the Year Awards. According to GiN columnists Chella Ramanan and Todd Hargosh, 2007 was an incredible year for gaming, producing more excellent titles that at any other time in recent memory, making the job of finding just a few nominees in each category all the more difficult. As such, even being nominated is a huge honor. Like a caucus, the top vote getters in each category have advanced to the final vote process. Nominees had to garner at least ten percent of the … Continue reading GiN Game Of The Year Nominees Announced →

Computer and video game software sales reached $9.5 billion in 2007, 28% over the previous year, and set a new record according to final data compiled by the NPD Group and announced today by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). The industry's economic impact is illustrated further through data showing that Halo 3, the best-selling title of 2007, took in more revenue in its first day of sales than the biggest opening weekend ever for a movie (Spider-Man 3) and the final Harry Potter book's first day sales. "The video game industry set the pace over all others in 2007, with … Continue reading ESA Says Game Industry Now Worth $18 Billion →

Harmonix, one of the world's leading developers of music-based games, and MTV Games, part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), announced today that individual instrument peripherals for Rock Band will start shipping to U.S. store shelves beginning on February 12th. "The release of standalone instruments allows Rock Band musicians to enjoy the full Rock Band experience, including drum, microphone and guitar head-to-head modes, creating a whole new level of competitive fun," said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder, Harmonix. "We're also delivering a stand-alone wireless guitar solution for all versions of … Continue reading Stand-Alone Rock Band Instruments Going On Sale →

GCS Game World and Valve announce that S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky will be available for digital download worldwide exclusively on Steam (www.steamgames.com), a leading online platform for the distribution and management of PC games. The official prequel to the Survival FPS game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is currently slated for simultaneous release on Steam and at retail outlets later this year. "Steam has introduced S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to many thousands of new fans all over the world," said GSC Game World's CEO Sergiy Grygorovych. "We chose to deliver the digital version of the game exclusively on Steam because of its proven success not … Continue reading New S.T.A.L.K.E.R. To Be On Steam →

Telcogames Limited, the leading European mobile games distributor, today announced that Juan Montes has been appointed as chairman of the board. Montes joins Telcogames with a long and well established pedigree in console and mobile video games. His previous roles have included; Vice President of Software Development for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), Vice President & CTO (EMEA) Mobile Content & Solutions for Motorola (NYSE:MOT) and MD Europe for Jamdat (acquired by Electronic Arts NASDAQ:ERTS). Montes extensive experience includes six years at SCEE where he was instrumental in the launch and establishment of the Sony PlayStation platform in Europe, the … Continue reading Juan Montes Is Chairman Of Telcogames →

By William Jackson GiN editor at large The big guns of the gaming industry are targeting online subscription services as a way to boost revenue and promote brand loyalty, according to a recent analysis by In-Stat, a high-tech market research firm. Last year was a good one for video game makers, but the hardware side of the business is costly, not to mention fiercely competitive. But game console customers also are proving to be good online customers as well, and the study predicts major growth in the subscription market. "The primary differences among Nintendo's, Sony's, and Microsoft's online efforts are … Continue reading Online gaming subscriptions a growth market →