Rob Fahey (Page 55)

The number of players on Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection online service has topped three million worldwide, according to the company's UK general manager David Yarnton, who revealed the figure at an event in London this afternoon.

Embattled handheld console manufacturer Gizmondo Europe has filed an application to go into administration with the UK High Court, with the firm seeking protection from its creditors while it restructures the business.

British publisher SCi, which last year acquired larger rival Eidos, has confirmed this morning that talks over a possible takeover bid for the firm are still underway, answering market speculation over the status of the company.

Industry leading publisher Electronic Arts has officially cut the prices of many of its current-generation titles by between $10 and $20 in North America, reacting to continued sluggish sales of home console software in the early weeks of 2006.

Nintendo's DS continues to hold the lion's share of the top ten in Japan's software charts this week, with seven titles for the hugely popular handheld in the ranking - but hardware supply shortages continue to stunt sales of the console itself.

Recent comments from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and US sales and marketing boss Reggie Fils-Aime have confirmed more details about the Revolution console launch, with both men adamant that it will ship before the end of the year.

Illinois-based developer High Voltage Software has confirmed that it has made 36 of staff redundant in the past week, with the firm being forced to downsize from 156 to 120 employees due to the cancellation of a project by a publisher.

Andy Parsons, senior vice president of Pioneer Electronics, has told the media that he expects between four and seven million units of the PlayStation 3 to ship worldwide by the end of 2006, representing a "population explosion" for Blu-Ray players.

The first batch of first-party PlayStation 3 titles has been confirmed by a listing on Sony's Japanese website, PlayStation.jp, with six titles being named for the next-generation system including new Everybody's Golf and Gran Turismo games.

Pacific Crest Securities analyst Even Wilson has predicted that Sony's PlayStation 3 will launch in November in North America, preceded by a summer launch in Japan and followed by a March 2007 European launch.

French firm Vivendi Universal, the parent company of publisher Vivendi Universal Games and celebrated developer Blizzard, is to withdraw its listing from the New York Stock Exchange in a move described as a cost saving exercise.

Responding to recent developments in the USA where new legislation is being proposed to restrict the availability of videogames to minors, Foundation 9 president Jon Goldman has appealed for parents to get more involved in what their children are playing.

Electronic Arts' Need for Speed: Most Wanted was the best-selling game in the UK again last week, racking up seven weeks at number one for the title and continuing its leadership for the second week of 2006.

Tiger Telematics, the US parent company of struggling handheld console firm Gizmondo, has revealed that it has offered the stock, IP and patents of its Smart Adds subsidiary as equity on a $21 million loan from two shareholders.

The latest data from market information firm NPD has revealed that overall sales videogame hardware and software in the USA reached record levels in 2005, hitting $10.5 billion and passing out the previous record year, 2002.

Sony's PlayStation Portable has overtaken the Nintendo DS in Japan's hardware sales chart for the first time in months as Nintendo struggled to keep its handheld in stock - but DS titles continue to dominate the software charts.