Monthly Archives: January 2009

VG247 has just been informed for a solid source that UK-based Criterion will not face redundancies as part of global EA restructuring.

Behind the scenes talk this morning put the outfit in the firing line for staff cuts, following large scale job losses in North America last night.

Heavy rumour is suggesting, however, that EA UK will suffer lay-offs, although details are yet to solidify.

Expect more on this today.

Electronic Arts has told videogaming247 that news regarding a release date for its free-to-play multiplayer shooter, Battlefield Heroes, will be announced “soon.”

“No release date confirmed as yet for Heroes,” said the company. “Should be more news on this soon.”

EA re-opened the Battlefield Heroes beta servers a couple of days ago as sign-ups for yet another closed beta were unveiled. This lead to suspicions the full release was imminent.

As soon as we know more etc.

By Mike Bowden

In light of today’s earlier rumours, Eidos has confirmed to videogaming247.com that it is closing its Rockpool Games Studio in Manchester.

“I can confirm this is true,” said the company today.

As for the reason behind the closure, Edios added:

“As a company we need to focus our efforts on high-quality titles that will deliver long-term franchise value, and in these incredibly challenging and competitive times we need to pro-actively manage our cost base. This decision was a difficult one to make and we would like to thank these employees for their hard work and we wish them well in their future careers.”

The business in Manchester employed approximately 14 people.

By Mike Bowden

As ever with video game magazines, someone reads them and puts it all on the internet, and all the Fight Night Round 4 details from this month’s Game Informer are no exception.

The fighters confirmed so far are Tyson, Ali, Lennox Lewis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Winky Wright, Sergio Mora and Emanuel Augustus.

Also, the strength of your punch is now longer determined by how far back you pull the analogue stick, but how cleanly you make contact with your opponents face.

“I’m a big fight fan, so I am aware that part of that big fight experience, is the lead up to the fight, the stoppages and the scenes after a big fight has been won,” said a developer to the magazine.

“In FN4 the cutscenes will accurately and authentically reflect that experience seen on TV; we have them all and they are looking tight! And when I say authentic – Ali won’t be doing the ‘running man’ during his ring walk entrance!”

EA confirmed to VG247 yesterday that new media was on its way and the company will hopefully announce the release date soon.

Full details after the break.

Thanks, Gaf.

By Mike Bowden

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We can’t take much more of this. Ubisoft’s share price was down 19 percent at the start of trading this morning, following the company’s third fiscal quarter results yesterday.

Its stock price is now at €10.53 after the market’s knee-jerk reaction to Ubisoft’s adjustment of the company’s full year guidance, tweaked downward yesterday to between €1,040 million and €1060 million for full year revenues.

More over at GI.

The games industry am cry.

By Mike Bowden

GI reports that stock in Microsoft and Sony fell yesterday following both companies announcing company-wide cuts.

After announcing that it would be cutting 5000 jobs, Microsoft saw its share price drop almost 12 per cent ($2.27), down to $17.11 by the close US markets yesterday.

Sony, who cut both jobs and is undergoing internal restructuring, saw its share value drop to ¥136 ($1.54), to ¥1802 ($20.4).

It’s the end of the world as we know it.

By Mike Bowden

Update – Looks as though Criterion won’t see any cuts.

VG247 has learned this morning that EA’s British arm will be next to face staff cuts, although scale and timing is unknown as yet.

The news comes as the publisher is making sweeping redundancies across many development divisions, last night dropping a rumoured 200 staff from Black Box in Canada.

EA is currently in the process of skimming off 1,000 staff in an effort to cut costs after a lower-than-expected 2008.

Talk of possible Criterion losses is being bandied about this morning, but there’s nothing official as yet.

We’ve contacted EA for comment.

Atari open its traps yesterday and unleashed some brand new Ghostbusters screenshots for us to look at.

We reckon they look great, especially the lighting and particle effects.

See what you think after the break.

Game’s out in June.

By Mike Bowden

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Cowen analyst Doug Creutz reckon that Saints Row 2 publisher THQ is “likely miss its guidance” of breaking even for the second half of its March 09 fiscal year.

Creutz says the company won’t hit its target “due to the declining performances of key franchises in the December quarter.”

He says that recent NPD data shows WWE sales were down 22% in the December quarter compared with the previous year. Also, its SpongeBob franchise was down 19%.

He also cut his estimate on first year sales of the company’s flagship title Saints Row 2 to 900,000 from 1 million.

For the forthcoming financial year, Creutz sees profits to fall from 44 cents to 30 cents per share, with revenue of $985.3 million, down from $1.03 billion.

“We think THQ share performance is unlikely to improve unless the company demonstrates renewed earnings stability,” said Crutez.

Thanks, TechTrader.

By Mike Bowden

EA has released a Time is Money pack for Skate 2 that unlocks everything in he game that would only otherwise become available if you actually sit down and play it.

For 400 MS Points or £3.49 on PSN, you gain access to “all locations, skaters and gear that can be earned by playing through Skate 2′s career and online modes.”

In a seemingly unrelated move, EA has apparently fired 200 staff from Skate 2 development house Black Box.

Time is certainly money, these days.

Thanks, X3F.

By Mike Bowden

Bill Harbison, artist for Eidos’ Rockpool Games Studio in Manchester, has twittered that the dev house is to close.

“Made redundant today. Eidos Manchester is closing!” he proclaims.

We’ve contacted Eidos for comment.

Thanks, TombRaiderFanboy.

By Mike Bowden

Probably the most amazing about these figures is how PS2 refuses to die. Just goes to show. Everything’s down a bunch, if you look at last week’s charts.

• DSi – 62,525
• PSP – 42,559
• Wii – 32,333
• PS3 – 20,690
• DS Lite – 18,809
• Xbox 360 – 9,576
• PS2 – 5,760

After calling Rock Band a “shameless knockoff” in an article profiling Guitar Hero boss Bobby Kotick, Forbes writer Peter Beller has defended the accusation, saying his assessment was appropriate.

“If you define knockoff as ‘a copy or imitation of someone or something popular’ the way Merriam-Webster does, then I think Rock Band fits the bill nicely,” Beller told GameDaily.

The similarities between Rock Band and Guitar Hero are “obvious,” Beller said.

“My terming Rock Band a ‘shameless knockoff’ of Guitar Hero was based on the fact that it came out after Guitar Hero and sported very obvious similarities with Guitar Hero, including color-coded prompts moving onscreen along a fret board,” he said.

“It even accepted the same Guitar Hero guitar controller, I believe.”

Beller’s initial comments caused something of an internet firestorm.

More through there.

No idea what happened to the European PSN update yesterday, but the Americans got new stuff. So that’s fine.

The F.E.A.R. 2 demo was the star of the show, and BUZZ! Quiz TV got an American Culture Pack.

That’s kind of it. Full thing on the PSBlog.

Following yesterday’s 200-strong lay-offs from Skate 2 developer Black Box, Rory Armes – EA Canada GM – apparently mailed the rest of the outfit explaining that a swathe of “positions at Black Box have been eliminated”.

The exec asked all staff to leave the studio to ease the consultation process, and said all remaining time that day would be dedicated to those affected by the cuts.

Full thing after the break, courtesy of Kotaku.

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Killzone 2 will release in Australia a day before Americans and Brits, and a day after the rest of Europe, IGN reports.

The Guerrilla shooter will see light on February 26 as opposed to February 27. Lucky Euros get the game on February 25, obviously.

Having announced 5,000 job cuts on the back of weak figures yesterday, Microsoft’s moved quickly to make redundancies, and is apparently targeting its Entertainment Division.

The company is laying off 1,400 staff immediately, says this ZDNet story (thanks, Kotaku), the “bulk” of which are to come from the Entertainment and Devices Division, the Microsoft unit responsible for Xbox and Zune.

Gamasutra is reporting that ACES, the studio behind the venerable Flight Simulator series, has been “heavily affected” by the cuts, “with multiple reports indicating that the entire Flight Simulator team has been axed.”

Elsewhere, two of the guys responsible for GamerScore Blog have confirmed they’re to lose their jobs, as reported by Joystiq. Chris Paladino and Nelson Rodriguez both confirmed via Twitter that they’re now looking for work.

Speaking in an earnings call following the release of Q3 financials yesterday, Ubisoft said it expected th next console generation to start in 2012.

“We want to take advantage of a company that could bring more technology to us, or new brands,” said CEO Yves Guillemot.

“So we have now enough to help us to grow the company for not only next year but to get ready for the coming of the next generation consoles that are probably going to happen 2011, 2012.

“We have to be ready for that, we are already hiring people and buying some technology and looking at some brands as well.”

Ubisoft confirmed a sales increase of 13 percent to €508 million in the three months ending December 31.

Thanks, GI.

Kotaku’s rumouring that Black Box has seen 150-200 staff laid off today following a company-wide meeting held at EA Canada.

CEO John Ricittiello is said to have headed up the shindig.

The news comes the day after Skate 2 – developed by Black Box – released in the US.

The outfit employs around 350 people.

EA has said it will go into fuller details on restructuring – announced to the tune to 1,000 staff – in its next earnings call on February 3.

The first part of Xbox 360′s exclusive Tomb Raider: Underworld DLC – titled Beneath the Ashes – will ship on February 10, Eidos said today.

The second installment, Lara’s Shadow, will follow on March 10.

According to the press release, “Beneath the Ashes sends Lara back to the remains of Croft Manor where she uncovers a massive series of never-before-seen caverns and age old crypts used to protect and hide a deadly source of power. The pack will also contain six new costumes and deliver an additional 125 achievement points.”

Sounds funky. Full thing after the break.

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