Rob Fahey (Page 150)

Publisher Atari has filed a statement of its intent to sell nine million shares of common stock in a move aimed at raising $35 million of new capital to clear some of the company's debt.

Japanese giant Sony is seeking people with handheld development experience to work in production roles on titles for the PlayStation Portable, as third party studios prepare to receive the first batch of PSP dev kits.

A new release schedule for Microsoft's Xbox reveals that many key titles for the console have slipped even further into 2004, leaving the system's Christmas line-up looking almost as sparse as the GameCube's.

The latest figures from Japan show the GameCube marginally outselling the PlayStation 2 thanks to the release of Namco's RPG Tales of Symphonia - while Xbox sales have once again fallen behind the PSone.

Both Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox are set to see price cuts in the coming month as the battle for Christmas sales dominance kicks off earlier than ever - with both companies also planning a range of other promotions.

Publisher Eidos has announced its final results for the financial year ended June '03, revealing a return to full-year profitability and rising turnover with four key titles each selling over a million units.

Sports Interactive, the London-based development studio behind the hugely successful Championship Manager football management games, has announced that it is to end its publishing relationship with Eidos.

Developer Valve has revealed that it plans to offer a $9.99 monthly subscription system to purchasers of Half-Life 2, as well as releasing three separate versions of the game - which has now apparently slipped to November.

Contrary to earlier reports, development studio Asylum Entertainment has not been forced to shut down and work continues on several projects - although the cancellation of a Lego project has caused some layoffs.

Publisher Take-Two Interactive has acquired TDK Mediactive in a $22.7 million transaction which firmly cements the company's position as the number two independent publisher.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that two more UK development studios have shut their doors for the last time - with another Kaboom Group studio, Silicon Dreams, and London-based Asylum both allegedly going under.

UK-based dev tools specialist SN Systems is set to begin offering its ProDG development kits for the PS2 and GameCube on a 180 day rental basis in Japan, in a move aimed at increasing uptake of the tools.

With the Tokyo Games Show looming near, Sega has announced its line-up for the event - revealing continued strong support for Nintendo's platforms, including the announcement of four new games for Cube and GBA.

Sony Computer Entertainment boss Ken Kutaragi has confirmed that the PlayStation 3 will feature backwards compatibility with the PS2 and PSone, ensuring continued support for older software formats in the new hardware.

Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia is hoping to encourage grass-roots development support for the N-Gage with the launch of Connect Coder later this month, a contest aimed at rewarding the best game concepts and demos.

Karaoke is going to be one of the most popular things to do with your console this Christmas - or at least that's the hope of UK-based firm Datel, which is gearing up to launch Karaoke Party for the PS2 later this month.

Sony Computer Entertainment boss Ken Kutaragi has confirmed that the company plans to release peripherals which add mobile phone and digital camera functionality to the PlayStation Portable, as devkits for the new console begin shipping.

UK development group Kaboom Studios is thought to be facing serious difficulties, with major studio Attention to Detail going into liquidation late last week and further cuts expected elsewhere in the group.

Following on from London Games Week, GamesIndustry.biz has teamed up with consumer site Eurogamer.net to present a set of unofficial show awards for the best games and exhibitors at the events of the week.

A rumour linking graphics chipset manufacturer NVIDIA with the PlayStation 3 has been described as "ridiculous" by a senior source, who claims that the company will design its own GPU for the console.

An Australian high court has rejected an appeal by Sony Computer Entertainment in a case which ruled that mod chips were legal, according to reports which have appeared online - apparently contradicting a ruling to the contrary last month.