Rob Fahey (Page 56)

Yuji Horii, creator and producer of the Dragon Quest series of RPGs, has told <i>GamesIndustry.biz</i> that he is "very thankful" for the Square Enix merger which allowed the best-selling Japanese series to be launched worldwide at last.

As the end of year reports from retailers and publishers continue to file in, it's time for the industry to take stock of its performance and decide what it's going to do differently in 2006; <i>Rob Fahey</i> has some suggested resolutions...

A number of independent sources have suggested that a redesigned version of Nintendo's DS console will be unveiled next week, with new more compact hardware expected to replace dwindling stocks of the current system.

As the first evaluation versions of powerful Cell based servers begin shipping to potential corporate customers, the three companies behind the development of the chip have extended their partnership by a further five years.

Sony has told its manufacturing partners that it will ship 20 million units of the PlayStation Portable this year, according to Hwang Chang Gyu, head of the semiconductor business at Korean electronics firm Samsung.

In the wake of Microsoft's CES announcement of a peripheral HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360, the company's gaming division boss Peter Moore has revealed that a Blu-Ray drive could also be on the cards for the system.

Leading UK videogames retailer GAME Group has announced its sales for the six weeks leading up to January 7th, revealing that the firm's sales rose by a massive 37.5 per cent year on year during the Christmas period.

Namco Bandai, the Japanese publisher created by a major merger last year, has announced the launch of its dedicated North American mobile gaming subsidiary, Namco Networks America Inc.

Electronic Arts' FIFA '06 was the best-selling videogame in the UK last year, according to new figures from ELSPA, which reveal that the growth of the leisure software market slowed down massively as the effects of the hardware transition took hold.

Photos purporting to be of mod-chip devices for the Xbox 360, posted by a group claiming to be preparing to launch such a chip in the coming weeks, are amateur fakes - with no sign as yet that any such chip is close to release.

Nintendo has recorded yet another hugely impressive week for the DS in Japan, with games for the handheld console capturing eight of the top ten places in the chart and 390,000 further hardware units sold.

Top US videogames retail chain GameStop has announced its financial results for the nine-week holiday season, revealing a far smaller than expected decline in revenues thanks to strong sales in December.

After announcing Japanese and North American sales figures for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo has updated its sales figures for the European market - revealing that 3.5 million units have sold in the region, with 13 million now sold worldwide.

Microsoft's Xbox chief Peter Moore has provided updated guidance for hardware shipments of the Xbox 360, saying that the firm is bringing a new factory online with a view to shipping up to 5.5 million consoles by June 30th.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has confirmed that the Xbox 360 is to support the HD-DVD next-generation disc standard, with an add-on HD-DVD drive to be launched for the console by the end of 2006.

Top US retailer GameStop and leading publisher Take Two Interactive are both set to announce financial results tomorrow, with analysts expecting both firms to release disappointing figures after a tough final quarter for the industry.

Nintendo's next-generation console, codenamed Revolution, will be priced at under $300 when it arrives later this year, according to company boss Satoru Iwata who confirmed recently that it will be the cheapest of the next-gen systems.