Rob Fahey (Page 99)

Shares in British developer Argonaut Games have been suspended from trading on the London Stock Exchange this morning after the company issued a short notice to the markets indicating that it may be facing serious financial difficulties.

The seasonal autumn slump in the Japanese games market was staved off once again this week by the launch of a number of major titles, with Bandai's PS2 title Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Never Ending Tomorrow debuting at number one in the charts.

Publisher Activision has announced that it will be supporting the PlayStation Portable with two software titles when the handheld console launches in North America next year, with Spider-Man 2 and Tony Hawks Underground 2 both headed to the system.

The future of the Acclaim UK studios in Cheltenham and Manchester seems uncertain once more today, as the launch of new publisher Exclaim by former Acclaim CEO Rod Cousens appears to have been held up by legal issues in the United States.

Publisher Interplay has finally reported its results for the three months ended June 30th, as well as providing further details of the status of its franchises - including the sale of the Redneck Rampage property to Vivendi Universal.

Microsoft has launched an investigation into the leak of a version of Bungie's forthcoming Xbox title Halo 2, which has made its way onto Internet piracy sites and newsgroups almost a month before the title is due to launch.

Shares in British publisher Eidos dropped to an all-time low of 89 pence in trading on the London Stock Exchange yesterday, as rumours spread that football management title Championship Manager 5 could slip past Christmas and into next year.

British-based developer Warthog has announced its first project for the forthcoming Gizmondo handheld console, with the studio working on bringing SCi's Richard Burns Rally franchise to the new platform.

Developer 3D Realms, best known as the studio behind the Duke Nukem franchise, is working on a new unannounced original game as well as the much-delayed Duke Nukem Forever, according to an Internet post from studio president Scott Miller.

Publisher Midway Games has announced that it has bought Austin, Texas based developer Inevitable Entertainment in an all-stock transaction which will see the formerly privately held firm being renamed to Midway Studios Austin.

EA's latest update to the FIFA Football franchise has gone in at number one in the UK all-formats chart, as expected - but all eyes are on Big Blue Box' Fable, which tops the Xbox ranking and becomes the fastest-selling Xbox game ever.

Sony's PSX home media systems have experienced a major sales boost following heavy price cuts at the end of summer, with the hybrid DVD recorder and games console units topping the DVD recorder sales charts for the end of September.

Nintendo of America's charismatic VP of sales and marketing Reggie Fils-Aime has confirmed that the company is aiming to launch its next home console in the same timeframe as Sony's PS3, and attacked Microsoft's "rush" to the next generation.

The latest title in Bandai's immensely popular Naruto franchise, PS2 fighting game Naruto: Narutimate Hero 2, has gone in at number one in the Japanese chart and is selling significantly faster than the previous game in the series.

Florida-based lawyer Jack Thompson has launched his latest attack on the interactive entertainment industry, telling the media that Grand Theft Auto was used by a Massachusetts teenager to prepare for a planned massacre at his high school.

Publisher Electronic Arts has announced its intention to unite its FIFA football brand with the popular Street series of sports titles, with urban five-a-side title FIFA Street due to launch on console platforms next year.