A federal district court in St. Louis, Missouri has found that members of the BnetD project violated Blizzard Entertainment's End User License Agreements (EULAs) and Battle.net Terms of Use (TOU), as well as the provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that prohibits the circumvention of anti-piracy technology and trafficking in such technology. "We consider this ruling to be a major victory against software piracy," stated Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "By ruling in our favor on every count, the court is sending a clear message that creating unauthorized servers which emulate Blizzard's Battle.net servers is … Continue reading Blizzard Wins Anti-Piracy Server Case →

Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today that FIFA STREET is scheduled for release next year under the EA SPORTS BIG brand. The game is being produced by Electronic Arts Canada, the studio which also is home to the industry-leading FIFA Soccer videogame franchise. FIFA STREET is a highly-anticipated combination of arcade action blended with the culture of freestyle street soccer. By removing the rules from the simulation soccer experience, FIFA STREET exposes the heart of the world's beautiful game, on-the-ball flare and individual style. Leading this movement are the worlds top professional players, showing off their skills and individual style … Continue reading FIFA Street Gets Release Date →

The Adventure Company today announced that WANTED: A Wild Western Adventure for Windows is now available at retailers across North America. "With the recent cancellations of Sam & Max 2 and Full Throttle 2, we thought it important to give adventure gamers what they want and what we think is noticeably missing from genre – humor," said Byron Gaum, Product Manager for The Adventure Company. Trotting on horseback through the countryside, Fenimore Fillmore happens upon a farming community in trouble. John Starek, a greedy rancher, has set his sites on the town and won't stop until he takes over the … Continue reading Wanted: Wild West Adventure Ships →

The U.S. Army announced today that as a result of the growing interest in America’s Army as a training and homeland defense platform within government, America’s Army game team leaders will play a prominent role in the upcoming Serious Games Summit. The conference will address the use of interactive gaming technology in non-entertainment sectors. The conference will be held Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 18-19, 2004 in Washington, D.C. Leaders from the America’s Army game team will be featured presenters and panelists in sessions that cover top line design, production, technology, and assessment issues related to the use of games in education, policy, … Continue reading Army Heading To Serious Games Summit →

Legendary industrial/metal music guru Al Jorgensen of Ministry creates the headlining soundtrack to Activision’s highly anticipated PC game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines(tm). Inspired by the dark, menacing undertones of the game, Ministry’s track, "Bloodlines," is one of several popular songs that can be heard in the game, which takes fans into the sinister vampire underground society of modern day L.A. The complete lineup of songs for the game includes: Aerial – "Pound" Chiasm – "Isolated" Daniel Ash – "Come Alive" Darling Violetta – "Smaller God" Die My Darling – "Needles Eye" Genitortures – "Lecher Bitch" Lacuna Coil – "Swamped" … Continue reading Ministry To Headline Bloodlines Soundtrack →

A New Media Writers Caucus has been formed by the Writers Guild of America, west to address the professional needs of writers working in this area of entertainment. "There are now three major categories of screen-based entertainment: TV, movies, and games," said WGAw secretary-treasurer Patric Verrone. "We feel that new media writers and writer-designers deserve the same support and recognition that the guild offers other professional screenwriters." The Caucus launch party will be held on October 14, 2004, at 7 p.m. at WGAw headquarters: 7000 West Third Street, Los Angeles, including a demonstration of the online New Media Writers Directory. … Continue reading Caucus Forms To Support Game Writers →

Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today that soccer stars Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Morientes, and Oswaldo Sanchez will serve as the North American spokesmen for FIFA Soccer 2005, scheduled for release this fall under the EA SPORTSâ„¢ brand. The FIFA Soccer franchise, celebrating its 11th season this year, introduces Sanchez and the entire 18-team Mexican League for the first time to the game. "Becoming a FIFA cover athlete is an incredible honor," said Sanchez, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico. "I love EA SPORTS, especially the FIFA franchise. To think that my likeness is in the game, and that all the great … Continue reading Soccer Cover Athletes Announced →

Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading software industry publisher and developer, announced today that Mortal Kombat: Deception, the latest entry in the company's best-selling Mortal Kombat franchise, has shipped for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. The game will be backed by the most extensive marketing campaign in Midway's history. The multi-million dollar marketing support for Mortal Kombat: Deception includes television, cinema, print and online advertising, innovative point-of-purchase materials and specialized events. "Midway, along with the millions of MK fans around the globe, is extremely excited about the release of Mortal … Continue reading Mortal Kombat Ships →

Available in retail outlets worldwide beginning this week, Activision Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Tony Hawk's Underground 2 catapults players into an all-out skating blitzkrieg led by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk and Bam Margera, the star of MTV's "Jackass" and "Viva La Bam." The game delivers a hilarious new story mode and a classic mode that features signature Tony Hawk's Pro Skater goals and levels, as well as more customization and moves than the skate gods could dream of. Conquering sick terrain, wreaking havoc and pulling off mischievous pranks on and off their boards, players are sent on a crazy adventure and … Continue reading Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Ships →

CDV Software Entertainment today announced that Codename: Panzers, Phase One for PC has invaded North American retail store shelves. Codename: Panzers offers gamers an unprecedented real-time strategy experience focusing on key battles of World War II. Developed by Hungarian studio Stormregion, Codename: Panzers, Phase One thrusts you into the fast-paced battles of World War II with 30 missions split into three campaigns. Whether played in war-torn towns, bleak mountain landscapes or treacherous swamps, Codename: Panzers offers real-time combat with stunning 3D graphics. Create your combat force from over 100 finely detailed units: a flame-throwing squad, a Soviet "Stalin Organ" rocket … Continue reading CDV Releases Codename: Panzers To US →