Paul Loughrey (Page 27)

In a surprisingly optimistic forecast for pre-Christmas sales in the US, SCEA president and CEO Kaz Hirai has stated that the company expects to sell 2-3 million PSPs before 2006

Microsoft has announced the intended single day closure of its online console gaming service Xbox Live and the associated xbox.com website, in order to make changes in preparation for the Xbox 360 launch.

Organisers of the first annual Game Writers Conference, have confirmed details of the speakers at the two day event, which forms part of the forthcoming Austin Game Conference.

German publisher 10tacle Studios AG has acquired majority shares in Belgium developer Elsewhere Entertainment, founding a dedicated subsidiary and hiring two key staff in its management team.

The third annual Austin Game Conference will host a massive industry recruitment drive this month, as a record number of top-tier publishing and development companies seek new staff hires.

Foundation 9, North America's largest independent game developer has reinforced its commitment to the greater community, matching dollar-for-dollar its employee-raised funds of USD 10,000 in response to relief appeals following Hurricane Katrina.

Following the success of similar events in New York and San Francisco earlier this year, event organisers The Game Initiative has announced the first ever Advertising in Games conference for Europe.

There's very little change at the higher end of the all formats chart this week, as EA continues its phenomenal reign over the games industry unabated. <i>FIFA 06</i> leads the way with its third week at number one.

A survey conducted by the International Game Developers Association polled over 6,500 employees to establish the typical demographic makeup of the games industry and answer the question "who makes games?"

Already responsible for maintaining one of the largest online gaming communities in Japan, GungHo has further strengthened its position in the market with the acquisition of veteran development studio Game Arts.

GameShadow's PC gaming updates service is set to reach a much wider audience, as the company announces a new partnership with graphics card manufacturer ATI.

The Entertainment Software Association and retail body the Video Software Dealers Association have officially filed a lawsuit against the California state governor, opposing the recently signed bill, AB1179.

The World Trade Centre in Mexico City will play host to the fourth annual Electronic Game Show from 21st - 23rd October. Organisers are expecting an attendance of more than 30,000 visitors over the three day event.

The investigation into insider trading which began in 2003 and was levied at ATI's co-founder K.Y. Ho and his wife, Betty, has come to an end after the Ontario Securities commission has weighed the evidence and subsequently dismissed all charges.

Organisers and attendees have praised the success of the first Asian Game Developers Summit, which attracted over 100 visitors including leading publishers, independent developers and enthusiasts throughout the regional gaming community.

Microsoft has announced an update to its Media Centre Edition of Windows, enabling customers to stream music, videos, movies, television and photos to any television set or device via the Xbox 360 console.

In a unique co-sponsoring deal, Konami Digital Entertainment America has partnered with 24-Hour Fitness, installing DDR units in gyms and bundling a one month free membership with the latest software titles

Private ratings firm PSVratings is taking the opportunity to cash in on the controversial violent videogames bill AB1179, writing an open letter to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to offer an alternative to the industry standard ESRB ratings.

Valve Software's online distribution service, Steam, has received a number of updates and enhancements today, including the addition of more third party software available for purchase.

Koch Media has strengthened its position in the European games market with the acquisition of French distributor SG Diffusion; a move which enables the firm to publish and distribute software in six territories throughout Europe.

Having just completed its acquisition of Electronics Boutique, videogame retailer GameStop has announced the intended closure of EB's Philadelphia headquarters, resulting in hundreds of redundancies.

21-6 Productions has been honoured at the 2005 IndieGamesCon, picking up the Best Single Player and Best of Show awards for its 3D adventure puzzle game, TubeTwist.

The violent videogames bill A.B. 1179, signed into law by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, faces renewed opposition from the industry as the president of the IEMA issues a strong statement of objection.

A new Trojan virus which renders the Nintendo DS useless by damaging the system's firmware has been doing the rounds on the Internet, masquerading as a legitimate home-brew application.

Autodesk has announced the release of 3D Studio Max 8, the latest version of its award winning 3D modelling, rendering and animation development tool which is widely used throughout the games industry.