Monthly Archives: August 2009

A multiplayer build of Wolfenstein was leaked last week, and id’s pretty upset about it.

So much so, than anyone who admits to having it will be banned from the forums, or possibly paid a visit by Acti’s legal department.

“It was brought to our attention on Friday, 7/31 that a build of the Wolfenstein Multiplayer was leaked and is now being distributed illegally through breach of NDA and mirrors posted on the internet. I must warn anyone involved that Activision’s legal department is taking this matter very seriously.

“Same applies here on the forums. If you mention that you have acquired this build, you are openly admitting to illegally obtaining the build and will be banned straight away. You have been warned.

“With regards to any footage, screenshots and comments posted here and all over the internet, an important thing to keep in mind is that these were not created from a build of the game that was final or consumer ready.

“There’s nothing we can do about it now except continue working on the game.”

The game is expected to hit retail sometime next week around August 17.

Via VE3D.

505 Games and Bohemia Interactive released a new patch for ArmA II today.

Patch v1.03 is available to download from the official website and GamersHell.

The patch has added and fixed loads of stuff with the engine, data and mission improvements have been added as well.

AI Infantry aural detection had the sensitivity lowered significantly, the co-op and multiplayer campaign saves and connection issued were improved, and numerous fixes and improvements were made to the Harvest Red campaign.

Full patch notes are listed here.

Activision announced during yesterday’s Q2 financial reveal that Blur will land in stores come November.

“In November we’ll release our new racing game Blur from Bizarre Creations,” said Mike Griffith. “Blur had a strong showing at E3 as well, including the nomination for best racing game.

“We’re excited to be entering this genre and we think the game itself sets us apart from the competition and will establish a new franchise for the company.”

Also revealed yesterday, were some of the preorder bonuses through retailers for the game which you can look over here.

These same retail stores have BLur down for a November 3 release.

Here’s the Seeking Alpha transcript of last night’s Activision Blizzard Q2 earnings call.

Bad Bobby, Mental Mike and Tonto Tippl were all in the house. It was a proper scream.

Knock yourself out. Get all the major news from the financial release and call here.

Forgot about this last night. In the Q&A part of the Acti Blizz earnings call, Bobby Kotick said he’d like to see game prices raised even further.

The response came after Mike Griffith answered an analyst question on price points. Here it is in full:

Michael J. Griffith

And then on the second question, Tony, on the pricing, we’ve had for all of our launch titles in the back half of this year, some of which contain peripherals, as you point out, very strong retailer acceptance and support for all parts of our plan, including our merchandising plans, our marketing programs, and our price points.

Robert A. Kotick

And Tony, you know if it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further.

Here’s the Seeking Alpha transcript. After he said it, all the execs started laughing and there was a pause before the next question.

So there you go. £70 here we come!

Thanks, Psychotext.

Squeidosenix just confirmed that the PC version of Batman: Arkham Asylum will not release until September 15 in North America and September 18 in Europe and Australia.

The console SKUs will hit on August 25 as planned.

The publisher also said today that the PC version will support Nvidia’s PhysX tech, which has allowed Rocksteady to “add that little bit extra” for PC fans, according to director Sefton Hill.

Shame they’ll have to wait longer than everyone else.

PR after the break. There’s a couple of PhysX-related screens through there as well.

More »

Update: It’s on PSN now. A mere 1.46Gb to you.

Is, as Sony claimed this morning, the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo releasing on PSN today, as opposed to tomorrow as was previously announced? Is it? We asked Square.

The firm said:

The Batman: Arkham Asylum demo will be available from August 7th worldwide for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, however due to the nature of any global release, local times may vary. Gamers eager to get their hands on the demo should keep an eye on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, PlayStation Network and popular PC download sites for an update.

Get your eyes out, then, then. Go on.

Red Faction: Guerrilla add-on, Demons of the Badlands, is now up on Live for 800 MSP.

Blurb:

Break free and experience the all new single player game in this prequel chapter of the Red Faction universe. Mariner Valley, the once peaceful home of the Marauder people, has been torched and defiled by the EDF. The Marauders demand vengeance and Samanya leads the revolt. Set several years before the arrival of Alec Mason on Mars, take control of Samanya to explore the Mariner Valley outside of Tharsis. Exact your revenge with 7 all new weapons including the Spiker machine gun and Marauder Missilepod, and 3 new vehicles including the Punisher walker. Perfect your guerrilla tactics with 11 new actions including raids and demolitions. Show off your skills with 10 new unlockable achievements. Take control and lead the Marauder revolution.

More from Nelson.

Nelson’s confirmed that the third World at War Map Pack is now up on Live.

You’ll get four new maps for your 800 MSP.

It’ll be up on PSN later today as well.

According to this Joystiq piece, 360′s Games on Demand titles are going to cost between 1600-2400 MSP.

The full list of initial games for the service was revealed yesterday, and it includes Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed and plenty more.

It goes live with 360′s summer dashboard update on August 11.

Bethesda’s just confirmed it’s GamesCom line-up, and if you’re up for a look at Splash Damage’s Brink, you’re in luck.

The shooter will be demoed at the show, but won’t be playable. Splash Damage boss Paul Wedgewood will be showing the game off.

WET, Wheelspin and Medieval Games will be playable, however.

GamesCom takes place in Cologne starting August 19.

Want to see four empty environment screens and the pack art for BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins?

You’re in the right place. Hit the link. More thrills as they happen.

The game’s out later this year.

More »

SCEE just announced the European PSN update for this week, as you can see here.

TV Show King is the only full game at £8, but there’s a good amount of add-on stuff there, including the third WaW Map Pack for £8 and the first batch of Fight Night Round 4 DLC.

The Batman: Arkham Asylum demo’s listed there as well, but we’re checking that with Square: it’s not supposed to be out till tomorrow.

According to the Euro PS Blog, the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo will release for PS3 today.

Which is a bit odd. Square said earlier this week that it was out for PS3, 360 and PC this Friday.

And we’ve just checked the UK Store and it isn’t there.

We’ll ask some questions now.

Microsoft’s launched Games for Windows Live 3.0, as confirmed here.

An in-game marketplace has been included, which allows you to buy and view add-ons without having to exit games.

That’s the major addition, in a nutshell. Hit the link for more.

EA’s confirmed its Eurogamer Expo line-up. And here it is:

• Need for Speed: Shift
• Need for Speeed: Nitro
• The Saboteur
• FIFA 10
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Dante’s Inferno
• Brutal Legend
• The Beatles: Rock Band
• Left 4 Dead 2

The event takes place on October 27-28 in Leeds, then on October 30-31 in London. Buy a ticket here.

Famitu’s reporting that Dragon Quest IX has now shipped more than 3.5 million units.

The DS RPG went on sale in Japan on July 14.

It’s slated to release in the West in the 29th Century.

Thanks, Kotaku.

That was fun! Delays for both StarCraft II and Battle.net, mental Xbox Live comparisons and Mike Morhaime beaten down by a brutal double analyst clothes line. Activision Blizzard’s Q2 earnings report could have been a lot drier.

You were in bed, or having sex with the dog, or something. We weren’t. We’re here for you.

• Acti Blizz beats $1 billion revenue in Q2
• StarCraft II pushed in first-half 2010 to match Battle.net relaunch
• Blizzard lowers full-year guidance on SCII delay
• Kotick: New Battle.net will be “a service similar to Xbox Live”
• Acti Blizz Q2 earnings call – the full transcript
• Kotick: I would raise game prices even further
• Acti Blizz explains Battle.net delay, points to “premier online gaming destination”
• Acti Blizz game kiosks and demos to be in stores this holiday
• CoD4 has sold close to 14 million units
• ActiBlizz Q2 financials: New Bond game in the works
• Activision: Blur slated for store shelves in November
• Hawk: Ride will only get US, UK and German launches this year
• ActiBlizz Q2 financials: Griffith gives hardware estimates for 2009
• Morhaime: “Correct to conclude” that two Blizzard games will hit in 2010

Despite obvious demand for the Prestige edition of Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward’s Rob Bowling’s told IGN that no more are to be made after the initial run.

“We’ve already been asked by retailers to up the production numbers due to demand, which we immediately denied,” he said.

“We decided from the beginning that we want this to be for the hardcore fans and early adopters.

“The fact that it is actually limited is one of the coolest parts, which is why we’ve individually numbered every copy.”

They denied that shit, yo. Hit the link for more. It’s out in November, cheap night vision goggles and all.

Konami’s Q1 financials are distinctly Snake-less this year, with company-wide profit down from ¥11.6 billion to ¥1 billion for the quarter ended June 30.

Overall revenue was down from ¥70.8 billion to ¥56 billion for the period year-over-year.

Best release a football game, Mr Konami.

Full thing’s here.