News (Page 3870)

Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone has confirmed that he intends to buy a controlling stake in publisher Midway Games, after the firm reported first quarter results which were better than expectations, but still down on last year's.

British publisher Codemasters is on the verge of signing a publishing deal for Free Radical Design's eagerly awaited action title Second Sight, according to senior UK sources - and a £5 million marketing blitz is already planned for the game.

Publisher THQ has signed a deal which will see the it acquiring Vancouver based development studio Relic Entertainment, which is currently working on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War for the company.

British publisher Eidos has reportedly demanded that the buyer behind the acquisition of a 5.1 per cent stake in the company last week be named, as rumours about a possible takeover of the company gathered pace in the city.

Kathy Schoback and Wallace Poulter join the ranks of the Phantom

A diagram purporting to be a leaked Microsoft document describing the specification of the Xbox 2 has surfaced on a Chinese bulletin board - but sources close to the console's development say that it is probably a fake.

Leading videogame retailer GAME Group has announced its financial results for the full year to January 31st, with the company once again outperforming the market and achieving improvements in both turnover and profits.

British publisher Codemasters has achieved its first number one placing in the domestic charts in almost two years with TOCA Race Driver 2 - but the software market as a whole remains at a very low ebb.

Key market analysts and commentators are voicing their approval of Nintendo's handheld platform strategy, according to a report this week which suggests that concerns over the PSP's entry to the market may have been overblown.

Internal schedules at Microsoft as recently as last November called for the Xbox 2 to be launched in time for Christmas 2004, sources close to the company have revealed - and the firm is still thought to be considering a launch by mid-2005.

Halo designer and Bungie co-founder Alexander Seropian has formed a new development studio, Wideload Games, which has started work on a new PC/Xbox title based on the Halo engine technology.

US publisher / developer LucasArts has confirmed that it has made 29 staff at its San Rafael offices in California redundant, bringing the head count at the company, which has cancelled several projects in recent months, under the 400 mark.

Japanese giant Sony has launched a $5 billion takeover bid for film studio MGM, which if successful would see the firm taking ownership of some of Hollywood's most valuable film properties - including the James Bond franchise.

Third quarter results for software giant Microsoft have shown that revenues from the division responsible for the Xbox console rose significantly, but the business still made a $209 million loss in the three month period.

As the first add-on pack for the half-million selling Dance:UK arrives at retail, we find out about the Welsh studio which took on the might of one of Konami's biggest franchises - and came away with a genuine commercial hit on their hands.

The latest GBA title based on Nintendo's Kirby character has gone straight in at number one in the Japanese charts, with Kirby: Labyrinth in the Mirror denying Square Enix' Dragon Warrior V a full month at the top.

Broadband game delivery proponent Infinium Labs has announced a revision of its stock issue plans, which will now see the company raising $44 million from the venture rather than the previously planned $15 million.

Record label EMI has filed a lawsuit against leading publisher Electronic Arts, claiming that the company used its music without permission in a number of recent EA Sports branded videogames.

Following on from the roll-out of the Xbox Live 3.0 "Tsunami" features on the console online service this week, Microsoft has announced that it is to revamp the retail Starter Kit bundles with new bundled software and price points.

The Xbox version of Doom III currently in development at Vicarious Visions will feature co-operative online play via Xbox Live, according to word coming out of an Activision press event in California today.

Further details of Capcom's recently founded development studio, Clover Studio, have emerged, revealing that Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and Devil May Cry director Hideki Kamiya will be joining the new company.