Press Releases

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 6, 2008 — xaitment GmbH, one of the leading developers and service providers of artificial intelligence for the games and simulation industries, announced today that they will begin work with Factor 5 for the implementation of xaitment’s AI system in the developer’s yet-to-be-announced multi-platform title.

Factor 5 was founded over 20 years ago in Cologne, Germany. Now with their head office in San Rafael, California, Factor 5 is recognized as one of the most important independent and privately-owned, multi-platform development studios worldwide. The company is responsible for creating many highly-successful games, including the “Star Wars® Rogue Squadron®” series, “Indiana Jones®”, the classic “Turrican®” and the PlayStation®3-exclusive “LAIR”.

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Something is wrong with Nintendo Press site. So instead of the normal press release, I will just tell you what today’s VC releases where in America. As soon as I can get my hands on the press release I will post it here.

• Operation Wolf (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
• Columns III: Revenge of Columns (Sega Genesis, 1 – 5 players, 800 Wii Points)

Step into two very different types of action this week. Either battle the bad guys to save hostages and preserve freedom or bury your opponents with magical jewels. Whatever you fancy, you’ll need to be ready for a challenge: strategize as a fearless hero or manipulate special jewels to raise the crush bar. How do you plan to win today?

Two new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

OPERATION WOLF™ (NES®, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Use of Tobacco and Violence, 500 points): A group of desperate terrorists is keeping hostages in their jungle fortress. As a member of the elite tactical squad Operation Wolf, you must invade their hideout, destroy their operations, and get the hostages out alive! Maneuver through a series of missions and fight off soldiers, patrol boats, helicopters, and more. The further you progress, the more enemies you’ll have to defeat and the harder they’ll try to stop you in your tracks (going so far as tossing knives and grenades at you or wearing armor). Each area along your path ends with a boss battle where you’ll have to find and exploit each boss’s particular weakness. To top it all off, your weapon options are also limited, so you’ll need to conserve ammunition and grenades. Operation Wolf is said to be the most valiant and capable unit in the military-can you save the hostages and win the day?
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Disney has shipped 3.8 million units of “High School Musical” themed video games worldwide

BURBANK, Calif. – (January 30, 2008) – Disney Interactive Studios announced today that the newest video …
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Legendary Designer Masaya Matsuura and Artist Rodney Alan Greenblat Bring First Marching Band Game Exclusively to the Wii^TM System

(BRISTOL, U.K., January 31, 2008) – March to the beat of your own drum as Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced Major Minor’s Majestic March for the Wii™ home video game console. Developed by NanaOn-Sha, Major Minor’s Majestic March marks the return of the creative team behind the renowned PaRappa the Rapper franchise-legendary game designer and multimedia musician Masaya Matsuura and famed New York artist Rodney Alan Greenblat.

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EDISON, N.J., January 30, 2008 – Mama just keeps on cookin’! Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced that the award-winning Cooking Mama franchise has reached sales of 1.6 million units in the United States. Franchise titles include: the original Cooking Mama game for Nintendo DS™ that launched in September 2006 and has sold more than 1 million units; Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Wii™ console that launched in April 2007; and Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends that released pre-holiday in November 2007.

“The success of Cooking Mama has been akin to catching lightning in a bottle,” said Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco. “A unique concept, iconic main character and gameplay execution that fully utilizes the stylus and Wii Remote™ have proved to be a winning combination. We appreciate the continued support from all of Mama’s fans and look forward to launching the fourth title in the franchise later this year.”

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Publishing partnership prepares Easter edition of Girl Gamer for Bliss and Mizz readers

30/01/08– Future, the special-interest media group – has announced the second issue of Girl Gamer, the UK’s first games magazine for girls, produced in a unique publishing partnership with Panini.

The title is an extension of Future’s fast-growing Official Nintendo Magazine – and the second issue of Girl Gamer will be included FREE with Easter issues of Panini’s monthly title, Bliss – aimed at 12-16 year old girls and the fortnightly Mizz – targeted at 10-14 year old females.

With a print-run of 340,000 copies, the 32-page Girl Gamer will once again champion female focused product on the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles for girl gamers aged 10-16 years old.

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Eidos Interactive, one of the world’s leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, is pleased to announce MONSTER LAB, a brand new RPG action game for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

MONSTER LAB is set in the eerie world of Uncanny Valley where the evil Baron Mharti rules with a cruel hand. The player takes on the role of an apprentice scientist who must perform a vast array of intricate experiments to create their very own monster from over 100 million possible monster part variations on offer. Taking control of your monster, the player can then explore the land; searching for ingredients to make more monster parts, hunting out other monsters to defeat in combat, uncovering quests to embark upon or simply competing in the numerous mini-games available.

“Monster Lab will offer a wealth of fresh ideas to both Wii and DS players,” said Fabien Rossini, Global Brand Controller, Eidos. “These include gesture based combat, a compelling on-line fighting and trading system and total customization of the player’s monster.”

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Pre-Release Demo Now Available for Play at Retail Locations Nationwide

EDISON, N.J., January 28, 2008 – Providing Nintendo DS™ fans with the ability to try before they buy, Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest will be featured in approximately 10,000 Nintendo DS™ Download Stations at major retail locations nationwide this January through May. Eco-Creatures is the only game of its kind that promotes environmental awareness by tasking players with defending the unspoiled forest against dangerous industrial encroachment.

“We are excited that Eco-Creatures now joins the ranks of Cooking Mama, Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends and Cake Mania as a phenomenal game launching with the support of a great demo available through the Nintendo kiosk program,” said Gui Karyo, Executive Vice President of Operations, Majesco. “We are confident that anyone who tries Eco-Creatures will be compelled to pick up the full version once it ships and help save the world from ecological disaster.”

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For the first time in history, Guinness World Records offers the definitive guide to all gaming records, facts and figures in Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition 2008.

Hitting store shelves …
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Advance to victory.

Meteor storms, earthquakes and tidal waves devastate the Earth, causing 90 percent of the world’s population to perish. The sky has been blocked out by ash, yielding little sunlight. In a world ravaged by a domino effect of catastrophic events, those lucky enough to survive are divided into warring factions fighting to drive the direction of a new civilization.

As the CO of an army you must defeat the enemy army by either destroying all their units or taking over there HQ building, although dependant on the stage there could be further rules of victory. Each stage brings a new map, and challenge, as the CO of the army you will need to take control of your units and understand there strengths and weaknesses in order to attack the enemy efficiently.

Strategy fans will rejoice over the long-awaited inclusion of Wi-Fi play, which adds depth and re-playability. Use Nintendo WiFi Connection and battle against a friend halfway across the world, or use the map editor to create, trade and battle on your own custom maps.

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Version 2 of the Wii Opera SDK has been released today, opening the door for homebrew Internet Channel homebrew programmers who wish to delve into 3D game design.

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Among the hallmarks of the Destroy All Humans franchise are weapons and Crypto’s mental powers. If you’ve played either (or both) of the previous games, you know the weapons in the games are exotic, over the top, and often just plain hilarious. And the second game offers a good number of weapons the first one didn’t. So when it came time for our team to begin designing Big Willy Unleashed, we wanted a whole new way to play the game and still remain true to the franchise.

What better way to do that than to offer even newer weapons.

Time-Tested Fundamentals

The first two games (taking place in the 50s and 60s respectively) have shown that when it comes to destroying all humans while simultaneously harvesting their DNA, it’s always the “right tool for the right job.” Even in the modern era of ‘70s, the flying saucer’s Death Ray is just about the best thing around to rain down pain and terror from above, just like it did in prior decades. The Sonic Boom is still the weapon of choice to send enemy tanks a message of “greetings from outer space.” And nothing still says “take me to your leader” like the Quantum Decontructor, the ultimate weapon for any Furon invasion for turning a thriving metropolis into a smoldering redevelopment zone.

But wait, that’s not all!

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Friday 25th January/…System 3 has announced that its upcoming racing simulation, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, will be heading for the PlayStation®2 this spring. The announcement comes ahead of a special issue of Official PlayStation Magazine, which sees Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli taking pride of place with a special wrap-around cover and Ferrari-branded packaging framing a world-exclusive preview.

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is System 3’s labour of love – a re-creation of Ferrari’s own racing series, which sees both professional and amateur drivers taking to the world’s most famous race tracks in 430 Challenge race cars. Developed by racing game specialists Eutechnyx, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli draws upon the developer’s years of experience with racing titles and includes a uniquely magical touch from GP2 driver Bruno Senna, nephew of F1 legend Ayrton and technical consultant on the game’s handling.

Previously announced for PLAYSTATION®3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli on the PS2 will match the PS3 version in terms of game features. 50 expertly-modelled Ferraris are available, along with the full complement of Ferrari Challenge series tracks, exquisitely balanced handling, remarkably lifelike opponent AI and the most comprehensive custom vinyl editor yet seen in a PlayStation racing title. With online multiplayer for up to 8 racers and System 3’s innovative Card Challenge mini-game also included, Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli’s PS2 incarnation proves itself to be no poor relation to its bigger cousin and is in prime position to become the definitive racing experience for the platform.

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AUSTIN, TX – Steel Penny Games, an independent Austin, TX-based game developer, announced their acceptance into the Nintendo WiiWare developer stable, and is busy at work on an original IP title set to release in mid-2008. Steel Penny Games states that the upcoming title blends a challenging puzzle game with dramatic fantasy environments and appealing characters for an exceptionally satisfying experience. Other details about the upcoming product are not available at this time.

The company, organized in early 2007 by former Naughty Dog veterans Jason Hughes and Andrew Gilmour, joins the ranks of studios initially focused on digital distribution. Steel Penny Games president Jason Hughes described their strategy as “the modern equivalent of the garage method for an independent to gain a foothold in the industry-a unique opportunity WiiWare presents that we appreciate.” At Naughty Dog, Hughes was a senior graphics tools engineer, and Gilmour was a senior background artist.

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From fairways to ballparks, Nintendo will be making the rounds to sports events of all stripes this winter. Sports fans and families will get to check out the new Donkey Kong monster truck or try their hand at a variety of different Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ games. The selection for each sport will be different, so here’s a rundown of when and where to find Nintendo:

PGA events
Nintendo will have six interactive Wii units set up to demonstrate Wii Sports™ Golf and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® ‘08.

Jan. 24-27: Buick Open in San Diego
Jan. 31-Feb. 3: FBR Open in Phoenix
Feb. 9-10: Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Fla.
Feb. 14-17: The ACE Group Classic in Naples, Fla.

Seattle Mariners event
Jan. 26-27: Nintendo will be on hand at Safeco Field for FanFest to show off the Nintendo Fan Network, a free downloadable application that gives access to baseball-related content on Nintendo DS systems during Mariners home games. NFN users can access a menu of interactive options including: a live video feed of the game, scores from others MLB games in progress, player stats and team standings, trivia and word search games against other fans and the ability to communicate with other fans via Nintendo Fan Network messaging.

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Throughout 2007 the Nintendo DS and Wii have both seen strong hardware and software sales, as people of all ages across Europe embraced the pick up and play nature of the consoles and titles released.

The phenomenal interest in Wii, with its innovative Wii Remote and interactive titles, has lead to over 6 million consoles flying off the shelves in Europe since its launch in December 2006. The unprecedented popularity of the console has also seen four first party Wii titles; Wii Play, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Party 8 and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, each sell in excess of over one million units across Europe and provide complete entertainment for the whole family.

At the same time, the handheld Nintendo DS console has proved a firm favourite with all generations with titles from Animal Crossing: Wild World to Big Brain Academy and Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl truly providing entertainment to millions of Nintendo DS owners throughout Europe! Sales of the console have now broken the 20 million barrier in Europe, and the popularity of Touch! Generations titles such as the Brain Training series and Nintendogs have paved the way to ensure gaming has been bought to a whole new audience regardless of age, gender of previous gaming ability.
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• Third Quarter Sales Up 44 Percent to €450 ($625.81) Million, Outstripping Forecasts

• In 2007 Ubisoft Moves up to the Position of Third Leading Independent Publisher (In Europe and North America, Excluding Asia)

• Two New Franchises Created – Assassin’s Creed(TM) and Imagine(TM)

• 2007-08 Title Release Schedule Updated

• 2007-08 Targets Revised Upwards and Sales Guidance Raised for 2008-09

Paris, January 23, 2008 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, reported its sales for the third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2007.

Sales

Sales for the third quarter of 2007-08 came to €450 ($625.81) million, up 44.4 percent, or 50.1 percent at constant exchange rates, compared with the €311 ($432.50) million recorded for the same period of 2006-07. Sales for the first nine months of fiscal 2007-08 totaled €711 ($988.78) million versus €483 ($671.70) million in the corresponding period of 2006-07, representing an increase of 47.2 percent, or 52.1 percent at constant exchange rates.

Third-quarter sales outstripped the guidance that was raised to €410 ($570.18) million on December 13, 2007. This very good performance was fueled primarily by the following elements:

• A further exceptional showing from Assassin’s Creed. In Europe, this was the best-selling game in 2007 for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the number 2 best-seller for the Xbox360(TM) system. In the United States, it was the second best-selling game in 2007 for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the number 3 best-seller for the Xbox360(TM) system (in units, based on data issued by market research firms such as NPD, Chart-Track, Nielsen and GFK).

• Excellent sales levels reported by our casual games including Fashion Designer, Babyz® and Animal Doctor for the Imagine series; Horsez®, Hamsterz(TM) and Catz® for the Petz® series; and My Word Coach from the My Coach series.

Games for new-generation consoles represented 84 percent of the Group’s sales in the first nine months of 2007-08, versus 55 percent for the equivalent period of 2006-07.
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