Rob Fahey (Page 124)

US publisher / developer LucasArts has confirmed that it has made 29 staff at its San Rafael offices in California redundant, bringing the head count at the company, which has cancelled several projects in recent months, under the 400 mark.

Japanese giant Sony has launched a $5 billion takeover bid for film studio MGM, which if successful would see the firm taking ownership of some of Hollywood's most valuable film properties - including the James Bond franchise.

Third quarter results for software giant Microsoft have shown that revenues from the division responsible for the Xbox console rose significantly, but the business still made a $209 million loss in the three month period.

As the first add-on pack for the half-million selling Dance:UK arrives at retail, we find out about the Welsh studio which took on the might of one of Konami's biggest franchises - and came away with a genuine commercial hit on their hands.

The latest GBA title based on Nintendo's Kirby character has gone straight in at number one in the Japanese charts, with Kirby: Labyrinth in the Mirror denying Square Enix' Dragon Warrior V a full month at the top.

Broadband game delivery proponent Infinium Labs has announced a revision of its stock issue plans, which will now see the company raising $44 million from the venture rather than the previously planned $15 million.

Record label EMI has filed a lawsuit against leading publisher Electronic Arts, claiming that the company used its music without permission in a number of recent EA Sports branded videogames.

Following on from the roll-out of the Xbox Live 3.0 "Tsunami" features on the console online service this week, Microsoft has announced that it is to revamp the retail Starter Kit bundles with new bundled software and price points.

Further details of Capcom's recently founded development studio, Clover Studio, have emerged, revealing that Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and Devil May Cry director Hideki Kamiya will be joining the new company.

French publisher Ubisoft has announced that it plans to hire some 200 additional staff for its flagship development location in Montreal, Canada, with the bulk of the new positions being in the core skilled roles of programming, design and art.

The incredibly successful Sims franchise is set to take a new direction on console platforms, with EA today revealing details of Maxis' next console title, The Urbz, which is expected to launch towards the end of this year.

Nintendo of America has announced that the company is throwing its weight behind Majesco's GBA Video playback technology in the most tangible way possible - by releasing episodes of the Pokemon TV series for the system.

Trymedia Systems has announced that its 'B' funding round has been closed, with new investment for the digital distribution firm being secured from Intel's Digital Home fund as well as a number of individual investors.

Tecmo's critically acclaimed Ninja Gaiden has been altered to remove certain violent aspects such as decapitations ahead of its European release, investigation of PAL review code of the game today has confirmed.

Yet another new version of the GBA SP hardware is set to be launched in Europe, with Nintendo preparing to kick off summer with a "Tribal" design, influenced by popular tattoo styles, launching on June 18th.

Sources close to British developer Kuju Entertainment have suggested that the company's new first-party title for Nintendo will feature strategy-focused gameplay with some action elements.

Electronic Arts' MVP Baseball was the best selling title in the USA during the month of March across all formats - but very strong sales of Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden and Nintendo's Pokemon Collosseum make them into single-format leaders.

Japanese giant Sony Corp has reported that its profits for the full year ended March 31st were significantly higher than expected, with currency conversion related gains and lower income taxes quoted as the key factors in the re-evaluation.

Sega's Sonic Heroes is back at number one this week, marking a third week at the top for the title some eleven weeks after its launch, while Acclaim's World Championship Rugby also made a strong challenge at the top of the chart.