Rob Fahey (Page 118)

French publisher Ubisoft has announced its results for the 2003/04 financial year, showing that sales rose by some 22.5 per cent to top the half billion Euro mark, with strong growth also predicted for the coming year.

The Austin Game Conference has announced details of its 2004 event, which takes place this September, revealing that Sony and Microsoft are to share the stage to present a keynote address on massively multiplayer console gaming.

Japanese console giant Nintendo isn't currently interested in acquiring new development assets or industry competitors despite the firm's huge cash reserves, according to company president Satoru Iwata.

New versions of Sony's multi-function games console, digital video recorder and DVD burning device, the PSX, are set to arrive in Japan at the start of next month - with a host of software changes to add extra functionality to the device.

Publisher Majesco has announced record financial results for its fiscal second quarter, with the company's line-up of Game Boy Advance products highlighted as the key factor in its success this year to date.

Three major game publishers - Electronic Arts, Vivendi Universal Games and Atari - have filed a lawsuit against 321 Studios, creator of the Games X Copy application, accusing the company of violating American copyright laws.

Japanese developer Game Republic, which is headed up by former Capcom director Yoshiki Okamoto, has presented a project to Microsoft Japan - and hopes to be given a green light to develop the new title shortly.

The PlayStation 2 has surged back to the top of the hardware sales rankings in the USA following its price cut to $149, announced last month at E3, with sales in the month after the cut more than doubling.

US publisher Midway, currently the subject of a takeover by Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone, has appointed Ken Cron as chairman - replacing outgoing chair Neil Nicastro, who resigned after Redstone became the majority shareholder in the firm.

British developer Climax has announced the appointment of WildTangent and Midway veteran David Schwartz as president of its recently founded Los Angeles studio, which was created by the company last May.

Comments made in a Japanese newspaper by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata indicate that the company is planning to continue to sell the GameCube hardware well into the lifespan of its next-generation console, codenamed "Revolution."

Leading British independent developer Kuju Entertainment has announced the latest in a series of development deals with key publishers, with the firm's new Brighton-based studio working on a game prototype for SCEE.

Industry bosses speaking at the Piper Jaffrey conference in New York have sounded notes of cautious optimism about Microsoft's next-generation plans, with EB president Jeff Griffiths saying that the system could win 30 per cent market share.

The GameCube console has seen its market share of the European hardware market doubling to 32 per cent following the launch of Pokemon Colosseum on the platform - proof, claims Nintendo, that the Pokemon franchise is still alive and well.

The updated version of Nokia's N-Gage hardware, the N-Gage QD, has slipped a month in the USA - with a July 27th date now planned for the device, which Nokia says has been chosen in order to ensure a simultaneous launch across all channel partners.

Microsoft Games Studio boss Shane Kim has told <b>gamesindustry.biz</b> that there is "no silver bullet" which will allow the company to beat its rivals in the next-generation console war - or to succeed in the Japanese market.

Atari chairman and CEO Bruno Bonnell has launched an attack on Sony over what he categorises as a failure by the Japanese company to provide important detail about the PSP - and predicted that the handheld console will launch at $500.

Nintendo has continued its strategic move into the Chinese marketplace with the launch of the Game Boy Advance in Shanghai and other parts of the Canton province, accompanied by a localised version of WarioWare Inc.

Sammy's latest foray into console Pachinko titles, the anime-licensed Pachinko Slot! Fist of the North Star, was the best selling title in Japan again last week - as a complete lack of new releases led to an overall slide in market value.

Valve Software has announced that a number of arrests have been made in several different countries by authorities tracking down those responsible for the theft of the Half-Life 2 source code last autumn.

The next-generation home console from Nintendo is codenamed "Revolution," company president Satoru Iwata has revealed at a conference in Tokyo where he once again championed the firm's focus on innovation rather than technology.