Rob Fahey (Page 106)

Publisher Acclaim has finally reached the end of the line, with a Chapter 7 liquidation request filed in New York State, but forthcoming racing title Juiced will be unaffected by the closure, GamesIndustry.biz has learned.

<b>EGN:</b> Nokia has announced that shipments of its N-Gage game decks have surpassed a million units worldwide, with strong uptake of the new N-Gage QD hardware driving significantly improved sales in the past months.

<b>EGN:</b> New reports commissioned by British publisher body ELSPA have found that the game software market in the UK has grown by over 100 per cent in the past six years, far outstripping the growth of other media.

No official statement or filing has yet been made regarding the future of embattled publisher Acclaim, but sources at the company and media reports alike have indicated that the firm intends to plan for Chapter 7 liquidation.

A new partnership between GamesIndustry.biz and leading industry information resource GamesPress will see a comprehensive live feed of interactive entertainment industry press releases appearing on the site's front page.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has scored its first number one in the UK software charts in twelve months, with Olympics tie-in title Athens 2004 jumping two places to take the top spot in the last week of the Games.

The price point of the Game Boy Advance SP is to drop to $79.99 in the United States later this week, according to sources at US retailers, with a cut in Europe expected to follow in the coming months.

Sony has over 1.4 million users of the PlayStation 2's online services in North America, according to SCEA executive VP Andrew House, with the number growing by around 50,000 every month.

Wideload Games, the Chicago-based studio formed by Bungie founder Alex Seropian earlier this year, has signed its first game deal - with ascendant publisher Aspyr Media set picking up the rights to the company's as-yet unnamed first title.

UK-based online gaming network Jolt has signed a deal with Turbine Entertainment which will see it publishing and operating the Asheron's Call and Asheron's Call 2 massively multiplayer RPGs in Europe.

Further information emerging from embattled publisher Acclaim this afternoon indicates that contrary to some media reports today, no redundancies have been made at the firm, but a filing for Chapter 11 protection is expected.

The situation at struggling publisher Acclaim took a turn for the worse this morning, as staff at the firm's UK offices reported that their salaries have not been paid - and those at the Manchester studio were allegedly sent home.

UK publisher SCi has signed a deal with Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment which will see it publishing the game based on the forthcoming Constantine movie, which is currently in development at London-based Bits Studios.

Konami's latest RPG in the popular Suikoden series has gone in at number one in the Japanese weekly sales charts, racking up sales of some 186,000 units, but the market as a whole declined as the summer holiday came to an end.

A new report from leading market research firm Screen Digest has indicated that the online PC games market in the West will more than double in size by 2007, with revenues growing to over $2 billion.

Electronic Arts' next console outing for the Sims franchise, The Urbz: Sims In The City, is to feature exclusive versions of nine tracks from the Black Eyed Peas' new album, with frontman Will.i.am acting as musical consultant on the game.