Rob Fahey (Page 126)

Microsoft's decision to cut the price of the Xbox by $30 in North America at the end of last month caused weekly sales in the USA to double - while Sony is planning to drop the PS2 to $149 with two bundled games in the coming weeks.

In a surprising move, Electronic Arts' president and COO John Riccitiello has announced that he is to resign from the industry-leading publisher, effective immediately, with CEO Larry Probst to assume his duties while a replacement is sought.

Japanese giant Nintendo has established a special fund to provide for a programme of mergers and acquisitions in the near future, suggesting that the company is planning to accelerate its growth in certain technology sectors.

The world's largest semiconductor manufacturer, TSMC, has extended an existing relationship with Microsoft to encompass the direct provision of chipsets for the Xbox 2 console.

Yet another bundle deal for Microsoft's Xbox will launch in Japan next month, with the "Platinum Pack 2" set to include copies of Halo and Crimson Skies as the company continues its battle to build installed base in the Far East.

Publisher Midway has adjusted its guidance for the first quarter of 2004, notching up a 50 per cent increase in revenues over its previous expectations thanks to strong sales of The Suffering - whose developer the company has now acquired.

Gamers in the United States will be able to get their hands on a limited edition Halo Xbox pack as of next week, with the $169 bundle featuring a transparent green Xbox, branded controller and copy of the game.

Wireless networking is set to form a key part of Sony's grand plan for its next generation hardware, <I>gi.biz</I> has learned, with the company's vision of the future banking heavily on the proliferation of high-speed wireless hotspots.

Square Enix has scored yet another massive hit in Japan, with over 1.1 million units of Dragon Warrior V - a PS2 remake of a classic SNES RPG - sold in the game's first weekend at retail.

The line-up for Nintendo's E3 conference and stand is looking even more crowded than previously, with a senior executive stating publicly that it will be discussing its next-generation home console for the first time at the show.

Market leader Sony is planning to diversify its PlayStation product family significantly in the coming years, with the company set to remodelled PS2 at E3 next month and multiple versions of the PS3 on the horizon.

Sony's forthcoming handheld console will follow the example of the Game Boy Advance and feature no region coding for its games, according to SCEE boss David Reeves - who also confirmed that the system's RAM has been upgraded.

Localisation specialist Partnertrans has announced selected figures from its first quarter accounts, revealing that the recent expansion into the UK has been a major success for the German company.

British developer Jagex has announced the launch of RuneScape 2, the latest version of its hugely popular browser-based online RPG title - which boasts some 660,000 players and 64,000 paying subscribers.

Pre-registrations for the E3 2004 trade show this May close on April 9th, so those intending on travelling to the show would be well advised to take advantage of the discounted rates on offer before that date.

Following the closure of a number of Capcom's studios outside of its Osaka headquarters, the Japanese publisher has announced the formation of a new subsidiary in Osaka with Viewtiful Joe producer Atsushi Inaba at the helm.

Birmingham-based developer Swordfish Studios has announced that it is moving into significantly larger office premises and is seeking to hire further staff, marking a major expansion at a time when many UK studios are facing difficulties.

Although a price cut in Australia has followed yesterday's cuts in North America for the Xbox console, Microsoft UK has no imminent plans to change its pricing here - with the company adopting a "wait and see approach" on future cuts.

Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow has gone straight in at number one in the UK charts, making it into the third fastest selling Xbox title of all time - directly behind Halo and the original Splinter Cell title.