Rob Fahey (Page 151)

The annual ECTS Awards have been announced at Earls Court in London, with Ubi Soft's XIII walking away from the ceremony with the Best Console Game and Game of Show awards tucked under its arm.

Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia may be planning to release regular updates to its N-Gage hardware, with the company remaining coy about what's on the roadmap for the platform even as the October 7 launch draws ever nearer.

Online reports indicate that Sony's updated model of the PS2, featuring a built-in infrared receiver and improved DVD playback functions, will be released in the UK next month in a choice of black and silver versions.

Trade body ELSPA has used the ECTS trade show in London as a platform for the launch of two new white papers, exploring the cultural impact of videogames and the importance of the UK industry to the world market.

Leading independent publisher Electronic Arts is to throw its not insubstantial weight behind Nokia's N-Gage, in a move which lends much-needed credibility to the forthcoming platform launch.

Sony's Eye Toy has cemented its position as the hit of the summer, with another week at number one in the UK sales charts - while EA's FIFA 2003 benefits from a new budget price point, jumping ahead of Pokemon to number 2.

The UK's biggest games trade show, ECTS, has opened its doors at Earls Court this morning as part of London Games Week, boasting one of the most comprehensive line-ups of key exhibitors in years.

Former online retailer Lik Sang International has settled a case brought by Sony Computer Entertainment out of court, undertaking to cease trade in any copyright circumvention devices and paying an undisclosed compensation sum.

Combined sales of the PSone and PS2 have broken the 3 million unit mark in the Middle East, making the region into the fastest growing games market in the world - with sales expected to double for PS2 next year.

Konami's popular football franchise, Winning Eleven, has proved its strength once more - with the seventh iteration of the game selling over a million copies within three weeks of going on sale.

US-based startup Infinium Labs has unveiled its forthcoming Phantom console in a video presentation on its website - but little new information is included, and details of software support or pricing remain unclear.

Leading UK videogame retailer GAME is set to open its second out of town store in the UK at the start of September, as part of a trial of a variety of new store formats aimed at continuing the expansion of the chain.

The UK division of German publisher CDV is likely to close its doors at the end of the summer, as rumours circulate that tough restructuring measures undertaken by the company may not be enough to rescue it.

War and Chaos set to go online

The long-running saga of Vivendi's entertainment unit - which houses the Vivendi Universal Games division - continued this week with news that the company is seeking new bids, but may decide not to sell after all.

Publisher THQ has changed its financial forecasts for the rest of the year, moving some revenues back into the third fiscal quarter due to the slippage of key titles Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy and Warhammer 40,000: Firewarrior.

It's hardly a major shot in the console wars, but Sony's online ambitions have been reaffirmed today with the news that SCEA is set to launch a bundle featuring a PS2 console, network adapter and online-enabled game for $199.99.

The European release schedule for the Cube this Christmas has been revealed, showing a number of key titles being launched in November - and the company has apparently made another U-turn on the e-Reader.

Details of the sale of the remaining asset lots in the 3DO bankruptcy auction have emerged, with bidders including JoWooD, Crave and ex-CEO Trip Hawkins himself walking off with the defunct company's assets.

The largest game retail chain in the USA, Gamestop, has made its most aggressive move in recent years into Europe with the purchase of a majority shareholding in Irish retailer Gamesworld.