Rob Fahey (Page 120)

Electronic Arts' UEFA Euro 2004 is the top selling game in the UK once again, with the chart largely unchanged from the previous week as Sony's Singstar and Microsoft's Rallisport Challenge 2 both failed to dent the top ten.

British studio Rare is not working on titles for the Nintendo DS, according to a statement from Microsoft denying reports which surfaced at E3 that the Microsoft Game Studios subsidiary had games in the pipeline for the forthcoming system.

Strong performance in both the arcade and home console sectors have given Namco extremely strong performance in FY2004, with the company reporting rising sales and a major climb in profitability for the full year.

Japanese publisher Square Enix has announced its first full-year results since its formation in a merger, with sales of some 63.2 billion Yen (469 million Euro) leading to profits of 10.9 billion Yen (81 million Euro).

A report in the British trade press has indicated that the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS consoles may launch in the same week in Europe - with a March 18th date apparently pencilled in for both systems.

Key US retailer Electronics Boutique has announced a 23 per cent climb in revenues in the first quarter of FY2005, with the company continuing to grow its market share in North America and predicting a strong growth year for the industry.

Following the sale of some 350,000 shares of his stock in Midway by the publisher's president and CEO David Zucker last week, Zucker has issued a statement reaffirming his confidence in the firm and explaining his reasons for the sale.

Despite a official denial that any takeover talks are in progress, speculation has once again emerged today that Eidos may be the target of a buyout bid, after its share price collapsed by almost a third in the space of a few hours yesterday.

The Japanese software market has entered into a traditionally quiet period after the Golden Week national holidays at the beginning of May, with the top ranked title being a Pachinko game which sold only 81,000 units.

Sony Computer Entertainment boss Ken Kutaragi is set to take top roles at Sony's home electronics and semiconductor divisions in addition to his current role at the videogames division, effective from late next month.

British publisher Eidos has issued a short trading update warning that unit sales of the recently launched Hitman: Contracts have been below expectations, and confirming that it is not currently in takeover talks despite City rumours.

Japanese publisher Namco has announced plans to commemorate its fiftieth year of operation next year, with a special 50-year logo to be used on a variety of promotional campaigns and advertisements.

Both Electronic Arts and the NFL Players Association have moved to deny reports that they are working towards a major exclusive deal for player rights licensing, with the Sports Business Journal retracting its original story.

Sony's PlayStation console has passed a significant milestone in its history, with the 100 millionth unit of PS hardware being shipped earlier this week - almost a decade after it originally launched.

A report which has appeared in a respected American business publication suggests that Electronic Arts may be on the verge of signing a billion-dollar deal for the exclusive rights to use NFL player names and likenesses.

Electronic Arts' Fight Night 2004 was the top selling game in the USA for the month of April for a significant margin, with strong performances also for Midway's NBA Ballers and Nintendo's Pokemon Colosseum.

Publisher Capcom has announced a net loss for the second year in succession, with declining sales and operating profits blamed on weak performance of key products in North America and Europe.

The chief executive of the biggest independent publisher in the industry speaks exclusively to <I>gi.biz</I> about why the company's current market share is just the beginning of its ambitions - and much more.

Japanese game publisher and gambling machine manufacturer Sammy Corp has announced that it is to acquire the remaining 78 per cent of Sega's stock which it doesn't already own, in a deal worth 165 billion Yen (1.2 billion Euro).