Rob Fahey (Page 110)

British publisher Eidos Plc has confirmed that it is in preliminary talks with a number of companies regarding a possible takeover bid, responding to recent speculation which has caused the company's share price to rebound.

Publisher Sega is set to continue the critically acclaimed Shenmue series with a PC massively multiplayer title, Shenmue Online, as part of its new plans to enter the Chinese online gaming market.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has told a financial analyst meeting at the firm's Redmond headquarters that there will be "no new Xbox in the next year," prompting new speculation over the release date for the system.

British independent developer Argonaut Games has seen its share price fall by almost 25 per cent today in the wake of a profits warning, issued this morning, which downgraded the firm's full year guidance to a UKP 6 million loss.

A slew of new GameCube and Game Boy Advance titles led a major recovery for the Japanese software market last week, as Nintendo's Cube RPG Paper Mario went in at number one and four GBA titles entered the top ten.

Publisher Ubisoft has reportedly delayed the release of its WW2 first person shooter Brothers In Arms to early 2005, moving the launch of the multi-platform title away from the busy Christmas market.

Square Enix' eagerly anticipated movie follow-up to the classic Final Fantasy VII is set to be screened for the first time outside Japan at the Venice International Film Festival in Italy this September.

Publisher Atari has indicated that an announcement about future Matrix titles will be forthcoming in the next few weeks, as the company's first quarter results revealed major declines in revenue and profits.

Publisher THQ has announced a small decline in revenues and an increased loss in its fiscal first quarter, while the firm's highly anticipated STALKER title has been pushed back to 2005 to avoid competing with other key franchises.

Vivendi Universal Games has announced its financial results for the second quarter and first half of the fiscal year, revealing that revenues slid significantly year on year despite the strong performance of key titles.

Beleaguered publisher Acclaim has revealed that it has been threatened with delisting by the NASDAQ stock exchange authorities, as the company's share price and market value dipped below the minimum standards for the exchange.

British electronics retailer Dixons has removed Rockstar's Manhunt title from stores, after newspapers and TV news shows reported allegations that the title had influenced a teenager found guilty of the murder of a younger boy.

Developer Epic Games has signed a three-game contract with Midway which will see the publisher handling forthcoming titles in the Unreal series, beginning with Unreal Championship 2 on Xbox in early 2005.

The low price point of the GameCube console and the launch of a number of key software titles have helped to drive Nintendo's Q1 profits to twice their 2003 level as the firm gears up for the launch of the Nintendo DS.

French publisher Ubisoft has posted results for the first quarter which reveal that sales dropped 6 per cent year on year, but the company remains optimistic over its prospects for the full year, predicting 10 per cent revenue growth.

Japanese publisher Konami saw a 17 per cent decline in net revenues in the quarter leading up to June 30th, while the firm's quarterly net income fell by over 90 per cent despite strong performance in some sectors.

Publisher Midway Games has announced its results for the first half of 2004, revealing a $25.7 million loss during the six month period - although rising revenues support claims that the firm will turn around in 2005.

Following today's surprise acquisition of Criterion by Electronic Arts, we spoke with Criterion CEO David Lau-Kee and EA worldwide studios VP Bruce McMillan about the future of the industry's most popular middleware platform.