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Our Favorite Reader E3 Predictions
By GameInformer, published 22-05-2012
Last week, we asked you, our readers, to tell us your best E3 predictions. We had lots of strong guesses for games like Halo 4, Assassin's Creed III, and The Last of Us. We'd frankly be extremely surprised if we didn't see those games at the show. However, we've gathered together some of the more novel, and in some cases unlikely, ideas shared by readers to repost here. Take a look. Do you think any of these might actually happen? System of a Down says: Fallout 4 will be announced, and my head will implode from sheer awesomeness. Gaming Warthog says: Pikmin 3 and other Wii U games. Calling it now, Pikmin 3 as the July cover. Hey, I can dream. Also the Persona 3DS title along with localization for Fire Emblem: Awakening, Pandora's Tower, and Devil Summoner: Soul Ha...
Former Mafia Developers License The Crytek Engine For New Open-world RPG
By GameInformer, published 02-09-2012
A group of developers whose credits include the two Mafia games recently left 2k Czech to form Warhorse Studios. The company has begun work on its first game, an open-world RPG using the Crytek engine. Along with Mafia, the developers' credits also include Operation Flashpoint. Warhorse Studios also employs Martin Klima, author of the pen-and-paper RPG, Dragon's Lair. For those who were hoping for future Mafia installments, you may be in luck. Rumors are pointing to a third Mafia game being developed, although without the team from the first two games. [via Gamasutra]
Alleged Zynga Insider Shares Dirt On Social Games Developer
By GameInformer, published 02-08-2012
Zynga -- the huge developer of social games such as Farmville, Mafia Wars, Words with Friends, and many others -- has been under siege of late with accusations of ripping off other developers. Things aren't going to get easier any time soon, as now someone claiming to be a former software engineer at Zynga has stepped forward to air some more dirty laundry on the company.Posting on Reddit under the name "mercenary-games," the mystery individual says he quit six months ago and claims that Zynga "treats em like s---," presumably referring to employees. Asked by a Reddit user, "What creepy stuff went on?" mercenary-games provided the following lengthy response:"Spying on players. Getting intimate gaming data, their habits, their networks, and how to eff...
2K Czech Working On Mafia III?
By GameInformer, published 26-01-2012
Mafia II (shown) was a well-liked open world crime tale, and hopefully there is evidence that developer 2K Czech is continuing with its creation. Connectedconsoles.com has reported a 2K Czech job listing for a senior game designer to "create designs for game systems and mechanics for the open world city environment." The listing also asks that the applicant has shipped a triple-A game title with a Metacritic rating of at least 80. Is this for Mafia III or perhaps even a new IP? Who knows. The last we heard from 2K Czech they were letting employees go, so hopefully this is a sign of better times at the studio, as well as the continuation of the Mafia franchise. [Thanks for the tip from reader Anthony Tumminello]
Zynga Shares Drop Below IPO Target in Nasdaq Debut
By MaximumPC, published 16-12-2011
The company responsible for Farmville, Mafia Wars, and several other popular social games is finding out that nothing's guaranteed in the second coming of the dot-com bubble. Zynga shares began trading today, and at first, it looked as though Zynga would follow in the footsteps of Groupon, LinkedIn, and other social sites that have gone public and exploded on the stock market. Zynga shares rose as much as 10 percent above their offer price today and hit $11 per share, but quickly fell below the IPO price, Reuters reports. It's currently trading for $9.73, down more than 1 percent below Zynga's target. Undeterred by the lukewarm reception, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus told Reuters he has "no regrets" about taking his company public. "Our approach has always been to focus on the longterm," Pincus s...
Zynga IPO set at $10 per share
By GameSpot, published 15-12-2011
CityVille creator prices itself at upper range of valuation in preparation to begin trading on NASDAQ Friday. Zynga's initial public offering to be traded on Wall Street has been long in the making, with the casual game maker having first announced its plans to go public in June. After months of speculation as to how highly that IPO would be valued, Venture Beat reports today that Zynga has priced itself at $10 per share out of the gate. After tomorrow's IPO, Zynga's streets will be paved with gold. That figure falls on the upper end of Zynga's expectations, which it laid out as between $8.50 and $10 per share in its most recent SEC filing. At the $10-a-share valuation, Zynga stands to raise $1.5 billion with a valuation of $8.9 billion when the mark...
Take-Two skeptical of Call of Duty Elite-like services
By GameSpot, published 12-06-2011
CEO has doubts about big-screen experiences on phones and tablets, says 90 percent of business still comes from packaged games; Take-Two and Rockstar franchise sales totals tallied. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick took the stage at the UBS Media and Communications Conference today to give investors a general overview of the company. In a post-presentation question-and-answer session, Zelnick underscored the difference between the Take-Two and Activision approaches to a hit series. Don't expect GTAV to have a subscription-based service tied to it. When asked about subscription-based stat-tracking services like Activision has recently embraced with Call of Duty Elite, Zelnick was hesitant to endorse them. "I can't tell whether it's relevant ye...
Resident Evil 6 outed in voice actor credits - Report
By GameSpot, published 29-11-2011
Joe Cappelletti lists survival horror sequel on personal site, subsequently removes all mention of Capcom games, takes down credits page entirely. In September of 2010, then-Capcom studio managing director Keiji Inafune said he wanted to release Resident Evil 6 as soon as possible. "Soon" may not be that far away if a recent report is any indication. This might be the biggest Resident Evil voice acting mistake since they had voice acting in the original Resident Evil. Siliconera reports that the title "Resident Evil 6" appeared in the credits list on voice actor Joe Cappelletti's personal website. The report provides a screen capture of the list in question, but GameSpot follow-up checks found all Capcom games pulled, and then the entire page deleted...
Angry Birds dev turns down Zynga $2.25B buyout offer - Report
By GameSpot, published 28-11-2011
Rovio said to walk away from billion-dollar deal with FarmVille maker due to reputation of oppressive working conditions. More so than any other game company, Zynga has capitalized on the ballooning popularity of casual online games, thanks to breakout successes like FarmVille and Mafia Wars. However, the New York Times reports the company's success has been fueled by harsh working conditions, and it may cost the studio in the long run. Developing FarmVille is reportedly no pastoral affair. Sourcing a handful of employees speaking under the condition of anonymity, the Times' Sunday edition said that CEO Mark Pincus solicited employee feedback last month, with the result being a spate of grievances against the company. These complaints ranged form lon...
Shippin' Out Nov. 27-Dec. 3: Infinity Blade II
By GameSpot, published 28-11-2011
The launch calendar takes a post-Thanksgiving nap as Epic Games' iOS-exclusive sword-swinging sequel leads a light week at retailers. The 2011 release calendar has slowed down significantly following the Black Friday unofficial kickoff to the retail holiday season. This week's biggest release comes in Infinity Blade II for Apple mobile platforms, backed by an assortment of PC and DS titles. Infinity Blade is back and less finite than ever. Infinity Blade II is the follow-up to last year's hit iOS PunchOut!-esque sword battle game. The story plays a bigger part in the second entry, with the player traversing an aesthetically Asian-influenced land. The first game's protagonist is back, but after defeating the God King, he finds himself a hero without a...
Editorial: Embracing The "Game" In Video Games
By GameInformer, published 25-11-2011
Gamers have a lot of praise for their favorite hobby. Many, in fact, would probably argue that video games aren't just a hobby. Video games are art, as intellectually stimulating and culturally relevant as any classic masterpiece. Video games are also the future of entertainment, a storytelling medium destined to eclipse the humdrum, non-interactive formats we suffer through today. As much as I love a good story, however, I'd rather just play a game that remembers to be a game. For the record, I don't disagree with the opinions espoused by high-minded gamers. Video games are art in my opinion, and they are capable of telling amazing stories. I just don't typically enjoy those types of games as much as ones that embrace their "game-iness." Here are a few examples ...
XCOM delayed as Take-Two posts down quarter
By GameSpot, published 11-08-2011
Publisher hurt by dearth of new releases during July-September quarter, but beats expectations; Grand Theft Auto franchise ships 114 million. Take-Two didn't have any major releases during the July-September period, and that fact was reflected in its second-quarter earnings report today. Beating company expectations, overall revenues for the quarter came in at $107 million, and Take-Two posted a net loss of $47.3 million. XCOM's invasion is now coming further into the future. Those numbers are well off of Take-Two's performance during the same period a year ago, where profit hit $8 million on revenues of $245 million. That quarter, of course, was bolstered by the release of 2K Czech's Mafia II, Firaxis' Civilization V, and the continued strong performance ...
Blog Herding: Community Edition 10/27/11
By GameInformer, published 27-10-2011
Despite the spam attack plaguing the Game Informer website, the blogging community presses on and continues posting high caliber blogs for your viewing pleasure. This was also one of the biggest weeks of 2011 for the video game industry with the release of the critically acclaimed Arkham City and the highly anticipated Battlefield 3. Blog Herding Stats: Period Reviewed: October 17 – October 23, 2011Number of User Blogs: 156Number of User Bloggers: 80Number of User Blogs Herded: 9 Upcoming Events: FragFest Fall 2011 Event Schedule – Events 2 And 3The release of Battlefield 3 is upon us and eyros2k is celebrating the event by hosting Frag Fest 9 this weekend. Check his latest blog for all of the details and join your fellow GI members online. Community Blogs: The Morality Of The...
Rumor Check: GTA V
By GameInformer, published 26-10-2011
There have been no shortage of rumors regarding a potential follow-up to Rockstar's critically acclaimed GTA IV, but today the developer officially announced the sequel on its website. It's time to take a look at the various rumors that have been swirling around the project for the past year and judge how likely they are to come to fruition. Rumor #1: A Colorful CastThe GTA series has always been known for its outrageous cast of characters, and we're sure GTA V will be no different. However a casting call for voice actors from earlier in the year provided a little more information about who we might see in the next game. Although the casting call didn't name GTA V specifically, one of the characters (a "man-boy love activist" named James Pedeaston) was featured ...
In Depth: The death of money
By TechRadar, published 15-10-2011
The death of moneyEvery day, all over the world, currency is minted and printed in huge quantities. That currency gets jammed into pockets and organised in tills, folded inside wallets and stuffed into envelopes, paid into bank accounts and stored underneath mattresses. Money is all around us, and yet none of it actually exists. Our notes and coins and the numbers we see in our online bank accounts are mere IOUs - promises from people we'll never meet that we'll never redeem. Currency is just information, and if there's one thing computers are good at, it's dealing with information. Will the future of money be electronic? Google, Apple and a whole host of tech firms believe that the answer could be yes. By 2015, cash could be looking like an endangered species. Oyster-style smartcards will...
FarmVille creator to launch Zynga Direct
By GameSpot, published 10-12-2011
Zynga announces social gaming and distribution platform; looks to connect directly with players across devices. Zynga has found huge success by releasing its social games on Facebook, but the company is now ready to break away and interface directly with its players. At a Zynga press conference yesterday, CEO Mark Pincus announced Zynga Direct, a service set to give social games their own dedicated environment. Zynga will soon have its own playground. As reported by GameSpot sister-site CNET, Pincus emphasized at the presentation that Zynga Direct will connect its casual-gamer audience through a variety of devices. "It's a platform for a direct relationship with consumers whether on the Web, or on mobile, to give you a whole sandbox and create social...
Blog Herding: Community Edition 10/06/11
By GameInformer, published 10-06-2011
This week's edition of Blog Herding demonstrates why the Game Informer community is so spectacular. While the industry is still buzzing from the launch of the Battlefield 3 demo, veteran and rookie bloggers alike continue turning out a collection of blogs on all sorts of different video game topics. This latest series has something for everybody, regardless of your platform or genre preference. Blog Herding Stats:Period Reviewed: September 26 - October 02, 2011Number of User Blogs: 112Number of User Bloggers: 65Number of User Blogs Herded: 17 Upcoming Events: Need A Good Karma Boost? Help Some Sick Kids And All Will Be ForgivenIt's not too late to join TEAM GIO to support the Extra Life 24 hour gaming marathon. All proceeds will benefit the Children's Miracle Network Ho...
Blog Herding: Community Edition 09/29/11
By GameInformer, published 29-09-2011
If you were concerned that the release of Gears of War 3 was going to impact the level of activity from the blogging community, worry no longer. This week's edition of Blog Herding marks the most activity and biggest selection of blogs since the series returned. Check out this week's collection of blogs from your fellow friends and gamers. Blog Herding Stats: Period Reviewed: September 19-25, 2011 Number of User Blogs: 114 Number of User Bloggers: 70 Number of User Blogs Herded: 17 Upcoming Events: Need A Good Karma Boost? Help Some Sick Kids And All Will Be Forgiven On October 15th, Extra Life is holding their annual 24 hour gaming marathon to benefit the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Mojomonkey12 is championing the effort and has taken the lead with establishin...
New publisher to target Middle Eastern gaming market
By GameSpot, published 29-09-2011
Red Stallion Interactive to manage content rooted in Arab and Middle Eastern culture; targeting mobile and online PC platforms. There hasn't been all that much buzz surrounding the gaming market in the Middle East, but that may be about to change. Game agency Digital Development Management and Arabian Gulf-based company Trans Technologies have joined forces to form a new publishing house called Red Stallion Interactive. According to a recent press release on the company website, the new publisher will focus on developing and distributing games across the Middle East. Red Stallion hopes to address the "growing appetite" for Middle Eastern gaming. The company, with offices located in Doha, Qatar, Manama, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Northampton, Mass...
Zynga's Profits Fall 95%, Everything's Still A-Okay
By GameInformer, published 25-09-2011
This week the casual game maker announced that its year-on-year profits for the quarter dropped a whopping 95%, but the company isn't worried. Despite profits for the quarter being a measly $1.3M compared to last year's $27.2M for the same timeframe, Zynga revealed that its revenue continues to rise, landing at $279.1M for the quarter, up 15% from last quarter's $242.9M. While revenue is growing, it has slowed down some, as last quarter's $242.9M was up 24% from the quarter before it. If your head still isn't spinning from the roller coaster ride of Zynga's financials, the company also stated that, for the first time in history, the revenue it derived from microtransactions and ads was down 4%, coming in at $274.7M compared to last quarter's $286.6M. The drop m...
Blog Herding: Community Edition 09/22/11
By GameInformer, published 22-09-2011
The Game Informer blogging community says goodbye to a few of its prominent bloggers while the remainder of the community tackles challenging issues from the video game industry. Check out this week's diverse collection of blogs and podcasts for your entertainment. Blog Herding Stats:Period Reviewed: September 12-18, 2011Number of User Blogs: 112Number of User Bloggers: 58Number of User Blogs Herded: 13 Community Blogs: 6 Things I Hate About Mass EffectIt's not very often you hear the words hate and Mass Effect used together, but in this blog, Apozem discusses a few features he doesn't like about the game he loves so much. Second Hand CitizensShawn Gordon debates the merits of buying video games new or used, and how those that choose to buy used are treated differently t...
Zynga unveils Mafia Wars 2
By GameSpot, published 22-09-2011
Social gaming giant announces sequel to its popular Facebook free-to-play title Mafia Wars; launch trailer inside. Earlier this year, social gaming giant Zynga went public, filing for an initial public offering of stock in the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Today, the company revealed one of its most popular Facebook free-to-play social games, Mafia Wars, will be getting a sequel. The announcement came via a launch trailer for Mafia Wars 2 on Zynga's YouTube page. Mafia Wars 2, "coming soon." The trailer doesn't reveal much about the upcoming game; it simply highlights elements of the story with images portraying violence, money, women, and gambling. It also reveals that the objective of the game will be to try to build the bi...
Zynga Announces Mafia Wars 2
By GameInformer, published 20-09-2011
Today Zynga announced its newest game, Mafia Wars 2, which promises to have Facebook users committing all sorts of nefarious digital crimes against their family and friends. According to the press release, Mafia Wars 2's tagline is "Being bad never felt so good," which fits right in with the series' glorification of organized crime. I could pretend to be offended by the concept, but really the series' biggest crime is its shameless attempts at getting you to rope your friends into the game and spend real money on worthless in-game items. That, and the fact that it doesn't have any actual gaming elements beyond that of Farmville -- Zynga's other famous Facebook joint. If there's anything in today's Mafia Wars 2's announcement to get excited about, ...
Blog Herding: Community Edition 09/15/11
By GameInformer, published 15-09-2011
The big game of the week that everyone is playing and writing about is Dead Island, a first person horror action-adventure video game developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver. Other members tackle the sometimes controversial topic of what it means to be a gamer. Finally, there are several projects being heralded by different members of the community, including a book deal, a charity fund raiser, and a GI community rally. Read the blogs below for all of the details. Blog Herding Stats:Period Reviewed: September 05-11, 2011Number of User Blogs: 111Number of User Bloggers: 68Number of User Blogs Herded: 14 Community Blogs: Why Gamer Elitism Is Bad For The IndustryIs loving video games enough to define you as a gamer and does the number of games you have or achievements you've b...
Max Payne returns in March
By GameSpot, published 09-08-2011
Rockstar confirms long-awaited, oft-delayed third-person shooter sequel Max Payne 3 finally set for release early next year. It has been eight years since Max Payne 2 hit stores, but Rockstar Games' rough-around-the-edges New York City cop is about ready to hit the streets again. Rockstar today announced that Max Payne 3 is expected to launch next March on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in North America and Europe. Max is haunted by a traumatic past. And a botched theatrical adaptation starring Mark Wahlberg. Max Payne 3 is in the works at Rockstar Games' Vancouver studio, which took over development reins from Finnish shop Remedy (Alan Wake). The game will catch up with the now-former cop, who has spent the time since Max Payne 2 running from his...
2K Czech Lays Off Forty
By GameInformer, published 09-02-2011
Pour one out for the hardworking fellas and dames now looking for a job. The Mafia II studio will carry on in the wake of the layoffs.Two 2K Czech studios felt the sting of corporate reality earlier this week. Up to 40 employees were let go from the Brno group, while the Prague studio lost less than 10 according to reports.Forty is a lot of people to lose for anyone, and the layoffs will put a significant dent in the near-200 total workforce at 2K Czech.2K released a statement to Develop saying all the usual things about streamlining operations, aligning the business, and everything else that companies say when they lay off a bunch of people. The publisher insisted that 2K Czech remains a front-line studio focused on triple-A titles.Was 2K Czech working on a project that got axed or reduce...
Mafia II studio loses 40 staff
By GameSpot, published 09-01-2011
Take-Two confirms layoffs at 2K Czech, while affirming commitment to continue making games; cuts mostly made at Brno studio. Take-Two delivered a batch of "strictly business" news to Mafia II developer 2K Czech today. The publisher has confirmed for GameSpot that it has laid off about 40 staff across its two studios in the Czech Republic at Brno and Prague, with the former outfit suffering the majority of the cuts. Leaving the Mafia typically isn't this easy. "2K Czech has realigned its resources to streamline the development process, reduce costs, and maximize studio performance," Take-Two said in a statement. "This will result in the elimination of approximately 40 positions and primarily impact the 2K Czech studio in Brno. While this was a difficu...
Mafia II studio loses 40 staff
By GameSpot, published 09-01-2011
Take-Two confirms layoffs at 2K Czech, while affirming commitment to continue making games; cuts mostly made at Brno studio. Take-Two delivered a batch of "strictly business" news to Mafia II developer 2K Czech today. The publisher has confirmed for GameSpot that it has laid off about 40 staff across its two studios in the Czech Republic at Brno and Prague, with the former outfit suffering the majority of the cuts. Leaving the Mafia typically isn't this easy. "2K Czech has realigned its resources to streamline the development process, reduce costs, and maximize studio performance," Take-Two said in a statement. "This will result in the elimination of approximately 40 positions and primarily impact the 2K Czech studio in Brno. While this was a difficu...
The Best Video Game Period Pieces
By GameInformer, published 20-08-2011
Movies have embraced period pieces since the beginning of the medium – from historical costume dramas to gangster epics, Hollywood has always made good use of a wide variety of eras. While games are beginning to rival film in terms of production value and storytelling, the industry is still largely tied to a small handful of settings – primarily modern military combat, Tolkien-derived fantasy, and science fiction.It’s a shame, because – perhaps better than any other medium – video games are capable of not only telling a vivid period story, but entirely recreating long past cultures and time periods.This list represents the best of the game industry’s efforts and mining the rich subject matter of human history. Hopefully, the success of these games will ...
Future Tense: The Future of Crime
By MaximumPC, published 18-08-2011
Back in the 70s and 80s and well into the 90s, if you had a high-end stereo in your car, it was a target for any thief who could peek in the window. You could come out from the movie or the restaurant and find a window broken and the stereo pried out of your dashboard. Auto-stereo manufacturers responded by building detachable faceplates. Without the code-matched faceplate, the stereo was useless. Stereo thefts dropped. But thefts of other objects—like rims—rose. During those same years, car-theft also became a major crime problem. Chop shops sold parts, or cars were smuggled out of country. So auto-makers started building anti-theft technology into their vehicles. They made it harder to break into a car, harder to hot-wire it, harder to start. Today, the Toyota Prius uses a coded-RFID...
Amended SEC Filing Values Zynga at $11 Billion
By MaximumPC, published 08-12-2011
There's big bucks in farming (Farmville), whacking the competition (Mafia Wars), exploring the wild west (Frontierville), raising pets and dressing them up (Petville), exploring islands (Treasure Isle), and, well, hopefully by now you get the idea. Zynga's various 'villes and other social games have turned the San Francisco game company into a multi-billion juggernaut, according to an amended SEC filing, CNet reports. Citing an S-1 registration filed yesterday, CNet says Zynga now reckons it's worth $11.15 billion, a number that should help justify the game maker attempting to raise a $1 billion IPO. What's more, Zynga stated it has a revolving line of credit through Morgan Stanley good for up to $1 billion. Those are all big numbers, and as it stands, everything pretty much hinges on Face...
Words with Friends spelling F-A-C-E-B-O-O-K soon
By GameSpot, published 08-01-2011
Zynga's popular Scrabble-esque mobile game coming to social networking juggernaut; cross-platform play promised. Casual game-maker Zynga already boasts a Facebook game stable of big-time titles like Mafia Wars and Farmville. However, now the San Francisco-based studio is expanding its vocabulary by bringing one of its mobile games--Words with Friends--to the social networking behemoth. Words with Friends is coming to Facebook. Words with Friends for Facebook does not yet have a firm launch date, but when it does arrive it will support cross-platform play. For example, a player on an iOS or Android device can participate in a game against a player using the Facebook application. Gamers will be able to play Words with Friends on Facebook with anyone they are...
2K Czech, Bohemia Interactive vets form Warhorse Studios
By GameSpot, published 23-07-2011
Four ex-Mafia and Operation Flashpoint developers head up new Prague-based shop, working on unannounced role-playing game. The string of new studio announcements continues this week with prominent 2K Czech and Bohemia Interactive developers disclosing the formation of Prague-based Warhorse Studios. Warhorse is being led by former Mafia and Operation Flashpoint devs. The studio was co-founded by Mafia design director Dan Vavra and Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising developer Martin Klima. The pair has also enlisted some familiar faces to work at Warhorse in the form of Mafia animator Zbynek Travnivky and fellow Operation Flashpoint developer Viktor Bocan. Warhorse Studios is currently working on an unannounced role-playing game. According to job post...
Take-Two Eschews Annual Franchise Releases
By GameInformer, published 22-07-2011
At the beginning of the console cycle, many joked that Take-Two was essentially the house that Grand Theft Auto built. Now, the company often criticized by analysts for giving its creative minds too long a development leash looks to be reaping the rewards for its artist-friendly strategy. Six years later, the publisher has an impressive stable of critically acclaimed franchises like BioShock, Red Dead, L.A. Noire, and Mafia. Given the impressive success of Call of Duty and Assassins Creed, some wonder if or when Take-Two will adopt the yearly release plan to capitalize on the popularity of its games. Speaking with IndustryGamers, Take-Two COO Karl Slatoff seemed reluctant to start pumping out sequels in such a hurried fashion. "At the end of the day, you always want a balance of se...
Zynga bid $1 billion for PopCap - Report
By GameSpot, published 14-07-2011
Following EA's acquisition of Bejeweled factory, source says Farmville studio offered a cash deal financed in part by Goldman Sachs. Yesterday, Electronic Arts ended weeks of speculation and announced its intent to acquire Plants vs. Zombies and Bejewled house PopCap Games for as much as $1.3 billion. However, the publisher was not the only party interested in scooping up the company for a large figure. Zynga's reported $1 billion bid for PopCap was unsuccessful. According to a source speaking with financial news hub Forbes, Farmville creator Zynga offered PopCap $1 billion in cash to buy the company. The deal was to be financed, at least in part, by investment firm Goldman Sachs. A Zynga representative told GameSpot, "We're not commenting on this." The ...
NBA Jam, NFL Blitz creator joins Zynga - Report
By GameSpot, published 14-07-2011
[UPDATE] EA Sports confirms architect of classic arcade-style sports games Mark Turmell's departure from Tiburon studio to join FarmVillve creator. EA Sports' Tiburon branch is having a tough time holding onto its talent. In March, Madden series creative director Ian Cummings and EA Sports CTO Richard Wifall left the studio, followed by Madden executive producer Phil Frazier, who jumped ship last month. Now, another prominent EA Sports staffer has reportedly left the developer. Mark Turmell. According to gaming blog Kotaku, EA Sports senior creative director Mark Turmell has left the publisher's Tiburon studio for a position at FarmVille creator Zynga. Turmell--who joined EA Sports just last year--created the arcade sports franchises NBA Jam and NFL B...
Zynga Goes Public
By GameInformer, published 07-01-2011
The massive social gaming company is proposing an initial public offering that will make it one of the biggest publicly traded companies in gaming. You know those Farmville and Mafia Wars games that you probably don't play? Turns out they're worth a good bit of money. While Zynga's game offerings tend not to appeal to the core gaming crowd, they do draw in a lot of cash from everyone else. CNBC believes that the initial public offering of between $1.5 and $2 billion implies that Zynga's actual valuation hovers somewhere around $15 billion to $20 billion.That's a lot of farms. Zynga's fortunes have been on the rise in recent months. They recently brought the former EA COO and Dreamworks CEO into the fold, and added to a long string of recent acquisitions with the p...
Zynga files for IPO
By GameSpot, published 07-01-2011
FarmVille and Mafia Wars maker proposes initial public offering to SEC; number of shares and price range to be determined. After months of anticipation, Zynga is going public. The social game giant today filed its Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, proposing an initial public offering of stock in the company. There are still details yet to be determined, like how many shares will be sold and for how much. Zynga's IPO is predicted to be between $15 billion and $20 billion. Zynga is the creator of the wildly popular casual games FarmVille, CityVille, and Mafia Wars, which are played on the Facebook social network. CNBC expects the game company's public offering to be huge, in the range of $15 billion to $20 billion. Previously, the p...
Zynga to soon file $15-20 billion IPO - Report
By GameSpot, published 29-06-2011
CNBC reports FarmVille, Mafia Wars publisher will soon stage a massive public offering with the backing of Goldman Sachs. Rumors of an initial public offering by Zynga have been bouncing around for several weeks. However, now CNBC is reporting that the publisher of FarmVille will shortly file paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an IPO. Citing "people familiar with the matter," the financial site says that the San Francisco-based company may submit the forms as soon as Wednesday of this week in anticipation of a fall public offering. Zynga's IPO is predicted to be between $15 billion and $20 billion. Zynga is the creator of the wildly popular casual games FarmVille, CityVille, and Mafia Wars, which are played on the Facebook social net...
What Wasn't Shown At E3?
By GameInformer, published 06-11-2011
E3 is the chance for all the developers and publishers in the industry to show what they've got. But that doesn't mean that they bring all the games they're working on to the convention. Here's a look at some of the titles that didn't make it to the show this year.Of course, there are lots of reasons a company doesn't show a certain game at E3. Sometimes they want to highlight other games that might be coming out sooner. Or perhaps the title simply isn't in a state to be shown.Some of the games listed below are actual titles we already have heard about (ex. May Payne 3), and others are merely franchises that currently don't have any announced games for them – like Kingdom Hearts, but we're pretty sure that will exist in due time.Enjoy these games....
Zynga IPO due by next week - Report
By GameSpot, published 25-05-2011
Wall Street Journal reports that the CityVille and FarmVille creator will go public no later than next week. Zynga, the creator of the wildly popular casual games FarmVille, CityVille, and Mafia Wars, is about to go public, reports the Wall Street Journal. Citing "sources close to the situation," the newspaper's All Things D column says preparations for the initial public offering are proceeding rapidly, with the IPO due no later than the end of next week. Zynga's IPO may happen as soon as this week. According to the Journal, the privately held Zynga was last valued at $10 billion--more than megapublisher Electronic Arts' market capitalization. However, the financial daily thinks that the company will price itself higher when its stock goes on sale,...
2K taps Lineage creator for MMOG
By GameSpot, published 23-05-2011
Upcoming XLGames project to be based on one of the publisher's "top-selling" franchises, intended for Asian market. One of 2K Games' biggest franchises is heading to the world of massively multiplayer online games. The publisher today announced that it has struck a deal with XLGames to develop and publish a new MMOG for the Asian market based on one of 2K's "top selling franchises." A shot from XLGames' ArcheAge. XLGames was founded by Jake Song, original designer of the Korean MMOG hit Lineage. While the North American version of Song's massively successful online world is coming to an end next month, he has a pair of new projects in the pipeline. XLGames' first massively multiplayer online role-playing game ArcheAge has been going through closed beta test...
There's still time to enter our latest giveaway!
By TechReport, published 19-05-2011
Those of you who tuned in last week probably know about our latest contest, as part of which we're giving away an MSI P67A-GD80 motherboard, an MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics card, and a dozen game licenses (for Crysis 2, Mafia II, and Just Cause 2). For those...
Pick Up 2K Games DLC For Half Price
By GameInformer, published 05-10-2011
If you haven't picked up the DLC to one of 2K Games' latest hits, the publisher is making you an offer you can't refuse. Keep reading to find out what's on sale. The sale is currently available to Xbox Live Gold members, and contains DLC from three games. As you probably guessed from the above The Godfather reference, Mafia II is one of them, and you can pick up the Joe's Adventure DLC and Jimmy's Vendetta Pack for 400 MS Points each. You can also get your Avatar a fedora for 80 MS Points, making it only half the ripoff that it was before. The image above probably tipped you off to the second game in the sale, Borderlands. Gold members can now get The Secret Armory of General Knoxx and Claptrap's New Robot Revolution for 400 MS Points each. You can also buy you...
Hitman Absolution confirmed for PC, PS3, Xbox 360
By GameSpot, published 05-10-2011
Square Enix launches teaser trailer for next installment in stealth action series; Io Interactive developing. In late April, Square Enix filed a trademark application for the term "Hitman Absolution," reigniting rumors of a new entry in the long-dormant stealth action series. Those rumors were initially confirmed by a teaser video and brief description that appeared on YouTube this morning. Agent 47 is back in Hitman Absolution. Shortly after launching the trailer, developer Io Interactive and Square Enix Europe officially announced that Hitman Absolution is indeed in development for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The announcement did not offer a release window for the title but did say it had been built from the ground up using Io's proprieta...
Pirate Bay warns of the 'Battle of Internets'
By TechRadar, published 05-09-2011
The Pirate Bay has issued a rousing statement regarding the EU's apparent plans to block illicit web content, saying it will battle agencies such as the MAFIAA (Music And Film Industry Association of America) in their bid to rid the web of illegal copyright infringement.In a speech peppered with rhetoric paraphrased from Winston Churchill's 'this was their finest hour', the Pirate Bay believes that a massive 'battle of the internets' is about to happen and it could mean the end of web freedom.Free internetsThe blog written by 'Winston Bay', states: "I expect that the Battle of Internets is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of an Uncensored civilisation! Upon it depends our own free life, and the long continuity of our sites and our trackers. The whole fury and might of ...
Weekend Warrior 05/06/11
By GameInformer, published 05-07-2011
The weather is finally warming up in Minnesota and the GI staff couldn't be happier! While we'll be sure to get outside to enjoy the warmer weather, we'll still find some time to chill at home and play a few games. Find out what we're playing this weekend then share your weekend game plan in the comments section. Reiner: Hello from the year 2009! For this entire month, my weekends are dedicated solely to games that I started in 2009 and never finished. First up on the list is Tales of Vesperia. My last save date for this game is February 27, 2009. I put over 20 hours into the game, and have fond memories of it, but for the life of me cannot remember what the plot is about, or where I need to go next. This should be an amusing (and frustrating) venture. Kato: Thinking of g...
Mozilla Refuses Homeland Security's Request to Remove Firefox Add-on
By MaximumPC, published 05-06-2011
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent Mozilla a request to remove a Firefox add-on that redirects web surfers from one domain to another. At issue is the MafiaaFire Redirect add-on, which redirects visitors from one domain to another, making it all too easy to sidestep the government's domain name seizures. Be that as it may, Mozilla is so far refusing to comply. Mozilla lawyer Harvey Anderson explains in a blog post why exactly Mozilla isn't so quick to just remove the add-on to prevent Homeland Security from breathing down its neck. "Our approach is to comply with valid court orders, warrants, and legal mandates, but in this case there was no such court order," Anderson says. Furthermore, Anderson sent a series of questions to Homeland Security asking if any courts have determine...
Google set to unleash Gtalk video calling on Android 2.3.4
By TechRadar, published 26-04-2011
Google may release a new version of Gingerbread, Android 2.3.4, at Google I/O next month, complete with the ability to make video calls through Gmail.The speculation comes after a Samsung-affiliated Twitter user tweeted that he had "Just had a video call using gmail on Nexus S. Impressive quality @googlenexus Gingerbread 2.3.4" and hash-tagged it "io2011". Although Android does have a proprietary video calling facility on Android 2.3, it can only be used to call Android phone-to-phone, much like Apple's original FaceTime app.Like FaceTime, but notApple has since introduced a desktop version of its in-house video calling system, and Google looks likely to follow suit with the supposed new feature seeing Android users able to video call desktop Gmail users and potentially non-Android phones ...
'Hitman: Absolution' trademarked by Square Enix
By GameSpot, published 23-04-2011
Japanese publisher's UK arm files European application to lock down rights for title--is it the name of Hitman 5? Will Agent 47 find absolution in the new Hitman game? Ever since Hitman: Blood Money was released in 2006, the popular stealth-action series has lain fallow. There have been rumors of a fifth installment in the series, with one report having Batman: Arkham Asylum maker Rocksteady Studios taking over development of the series from franchise creator IO Interactive. More recently, though, an apparent alternate reality game has been offering teaser images that point to an imminent reveal of a new Hitman title. Today came another indicator that a new installment in the Hitman saga is in the works. Square Enix has filed a trademark applicatio...
Nvidia GeForce 270.61 Graphics Drivers Now Available for Download
By MaximumPC, published 18-04-2011
Nvidia today made available the first set of WHQL-certified drivers from the 'Release 270' family of drivers (versions 270.xx to 274.xx) for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500-series desktop GPUs, as well as Ion desktop GPUs. The release kicks off with version 270.61 and adds support for the newly launched GeForce GTX 590, 560 Ti, and 550 Ti graphics cards. There are a ton of performance gains for GeForce 400 and 500 series GPU owners versus version 266.58 WHQL drivers. The most significant is up to a 516 percent boost in Dragon Age 2 (GTX 580 SLI 2560x1600, 8xAA/16xAF, Very High, SSAO on). There are several other situations in which Dragon Age 2 performance is obscenely increased, though depending on your setup, you can also expect an increase in framerates in Just Cause 2, C...
New Firefox Extension Bypasses Government Domain Seizures
By MaximumPC, published 14-04-2011
The seizure of file-sharing domain names by US authorities has been a hot button issue for the last few months, and the practice is not expected to stop any time soon. Taking away site's domain name is a blow to be sure, but many sites just set up shop at another address. A new Firefox extension aims to make the process easier, and poke at the copyright police at the same time. MAFIAA Fire was officially published to the Firefox Add-on gallery today, and will be ported to Chrome soon. This extension will be used to maintain a list of seized domains and automatically reroute users to the new web address if one has been set up. Webmasters are being encouraged to register alternate domains ahead of time in anticipation of eventual seizure. The developers of the add-on have stated they w...
Zynga Adds DreamWorks CEO To Board; Teases ShrekVille
By GameInformer, published 04-05-2011
CityVille and Mafia Wars emperor Zynga is making friends in the movie business. The casual gaming giant has just added DreamWorks Animation producer and CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, to its board of board of directors. Katzenberg helped co-found DreamWorks SKG in 1994 and later helped branch the company by creating DreamWorks Animation. “Jeffrey redefined storytelling when he launched DreamWorks Animation," said Zynga founder and CEO Mark Pincus. “He turned an independent studio into a brand name, and his vision will be an asset as we work to define the future of play…Jeffrey and I have been friends for some time, and I knew he'd be a great fit for the board after he suggested that the blockbuster of 2011 could be ShrekVille.” Who knows if ShrekVille will act...
New Mafia II Editions Arrive
By GameInformer, published 30-03-2011
2K Games is making you an offer they hope you can't refuse. New low-price editions of Mafia II include the original game and DLC all on one disc. Whether you play on PS3, Xbox 360, or PC, Mafia II could be headed to your platform of choice sometime soon thanks to new value-oriented editions of the excellent gangster drama game. Mafia II Greatest Hits (PS3) and Mafia II Platinum Hits (360) are available now at retail outlets for the price of $29.99. Mafia II Director's Cut (PC) will release at an undisclosed time in the next few months. The new version of the game includes the entire original game, but also all the downloadable content that has previously released for any version of the game. What does all that DLC include? "The Betrayal of Jimmy" and "Jimmy's Ve...
Amazon Squeals About Mafia 2: Director's Cut
By GameInformer, published 23-03-2011
Some dirty rat over at Amazon let loose the news that 2K’s open world mob fiction would be getting re-released as a director’s cut. According to the Amazon listing, Mafia 2: Director's Cut will release for $30 for PS3, 360, and PC and come packaged with three DLC story packs and four car and clothing packs. We don’t have any confirmation yet, but the story packs are likely the already released Joe's Adventures, Jimmy's Vendetta and The Betrayal of Jimmy, while the car and clothes packs could be the retailer specific pre-order exclusives released with the game. [Source: Joystiq]
Zynga India to setup game development studio in Bangalore
By Thinkdigit, published 03-11-2011
Zynga, one of the biggest developers of online games in the world (best known for Mafia Wars and FarmVille), already has an office in Bangalore India. It has now announced its plans of setting up a game development studio alongside, called Zynga Studio I. A name like that certainly sounds as if the studio will become one of its most important ones. Currently it employs 100 professionals in Bangalore, and 1,500 across the world. It intends to get a 100 more employees for the Zynga Studio 1 off [...] Read the entire article
Grand Theft Auto IV Sales Near 20 Million
By GameInformer, published 03-10-2011
Niko Bellic finally found the American Dream. At the Wedbush Securities Technology, Media & Telecommunications Conference, Take-Two revealed that Rockstar's latest entry in its massively popular sandbox action series has moved nearly 20 million copies. We're not sure if those numbers include the two expansions, The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned, or the Liberty City Stories collection, but the huge returns push sales for the Grand Theft Auto series over the 100 million unit mark. Take Two also revealed sales figures for several other of its more prominent franchises: Red Dead Redemption: 8 million Midnight Club series: 18 million BioShock series: 8 million Civilization series: 10 million Carnival Games series: 7 million Mafia series: 5 million Borderlands...
GTAIV ships nearly 20 million, Borderlands hits 4 million
By GameSpot, published 03-10-2011
Take-Two releases new sales statistics for open-world action game; franchise life-to-date sales climb over 100M; Red Dead sells 8 million, BioShock franchise also sells 8 million. The Grand Theft Auto franchise is one of the most recognized and acclaimed in the business. In June, parent publisher Take-Two said the latest installment--Grand Theft Auto IV--hit sales of 17 million. Now, about nine months later, the game is nearing a new milestone. GTAIV was a major success for Take-Two and Rockstar. According to a Wedbush financial presentation posted online, GTAIV has sold almost 20 million units to retailers. Take-Two noted that this figure represents global sell-in figures as of February 19 and also includes sales of the GTAIV Complete and Special Edi...
GTAIV ships nearly 20 million, Borderlands hits 4 million
By GameSpot, published 03-10-2011
Take-Two releases new sales statistics for open-world action game; franchise life-to-date sales climb over 100M; Red Dead sells 8 million, BioShock franchise also sells 8 million. The Grand Theft Auto franchise is one of the most recognized and acclaimed in the business. In June, parent publisher Take-Two said the latest installment--Grand Theft Auto IV--hit sales of 17 million. Now, about nine months later, the game is nearing a new milestone. GTAIV was a major success for Take-Two and Rockstar. According to a Wedbush financial presentation posted online, GTAIV has sold almost 20 million units to retailers. Take-Two noted that this figure represents global sell-in figures as of February 19 and also includes sales of the GTAIV Complete and Special Editions....
Winners: 2011 Game Audio Network Guild Awards
By GameInformer, published 03-06-2011
The Game Audio Network Guild Awards may not draw attention on par with the GDC or IGF Awards, but is an important occasion celebrating the outstanding work being done in interactive entertainment audio. Chosen by peers comprising a 70-person committee, the final winners for excellence in audio have been announced. Winners are highlighted in red. Audio Of The YearBattlefield: Bad Company 2Dante's InfernoGod of War IIIHeavy RainRed Dead RedemptionMusic Of The YearAssassin's Creed: Brotherhood Bioshock 2Dante's InfernoHeavy RainJames Bond 007: Blood StoneRed Dead RedemptionSound Design Of The YearBattlefield: Bad Company 2Bioshock 2Dante's InfernoEnslaved: Odyssey to the West God of War IIIRed Dead Redemption Best Soundtrack AlbumBioshock 2 Dante's InfernoHalo: Reac...
There's still time to enter our GTX 560 Ti contest!
By TechReport, published 03-04-2011
In case you missed it, we started another one of our famous contests earlier this week, this time offering a pair of MSI's N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II graphics cards as well as 35 (yes, thirty-five) copies of Just Cause 2 and Mafia II. You can (and should) hit
J.P. Morgan Chasing Stake in Twitter
By MaximumPC, published 28-02-2011
A J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. fund is in negotiations with Twitter to take a minority stake in the microblogging service, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The investment would come from the bank's new $1.2 billion digital growth fund and would value Twitter at $4 billion. This is in addition to already purchased shares, which came on exchanges for private-company stock. The main challenge for Twitter is converting its active userbase of 200 million registered accounts into a money-making machine. Moving towards that goal, Twitter introduced advertising into its service last year and is expected to rake in $150 million in revenue this year. Some of that will go towards its 350 employees. In addition to Twitter, J.P. Morgan might also be interested in Zynga, the online gamin...
Zynga bringing Words With Friends to Android
By SlashGear, published 02-03-2011
Popular mobile word game Words With Friends will be available for Android phones and tablets later this month, thanks to Zynga. The cool thing is, the game will work across platforms, so Android users can play it with friends using iOS devices. Zynga plans to offer a premium (read ad-free) version of the game later on this year. Hopefully we will see more of Zynga’s social games go mobile soon. [via Android Community] Relevant Entries on SlashGearZynga Continues Domination by Transforming Area/Code into New York StudioFarmville comes to iPadBritish Man Faces Jail Term for Stealing 400 Billion Zynga Poker ChipsZynga and Dr. Dre team up to stream new single “Kush” inside Mafia WarsSBN Tech Android videophone is more like a tablet
Major Nelson Reveals Top Xbox Live Games of 2010
By GameInformer, published 02-03-2011
Microsoft's blogger in residence Major Nelson has revealed some interesting statistics on the most popular Xbox Live games of 2010, including the most played, best-selling XBLA titles, and best-selling Indie titles. What's the most played game? We'll give you a hint: it rhymes with "Mall of Pootie: Wack Plops."Xbox 360 Top Live Titles of 2010 (based on unique users during first week of launch)1 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Halo: Reach 3 Red Dead Redemption 4 Fable III 5 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 6 Medal of Honor 7 Mass Effect 2 8 FIFA Soccer 11 9 Fallout: New Vegas 10 BioShock 2 11 Madden NFL 11 12...
Zynga Asks Blingville To Cease And Desist
By GameInformer, published 25-01-2011
Social game giant Zynga – responsible for popular Facebook titles Mafia Wars and FarmVille – is looking to keep the “ville” moniker to itself. Techdirt is reporting that Zynga has sent cease and desist letters to independent game studio Blingville for alleged trademark infringement. Zynga capitalizes on the “ville” name in a big way across its portfolio of titles. The roster currently includes the aforementioned FarmVille, as well as CityVille, FishVille, FrontierVille, PetVille, and YoVille. Blingville argues that it has the right to retain its name – and that of its self-titled debut game – because the domain blingville.com has been registered for over five years. According to Blingville, Overtime Apps secured the domain in 2004 and...
Competition: WIN! A Zotac GTX 480 graphics card and 3D kit from Nvidia
By TechRadar, published 24-01-2011
The ZotacGTX 480 graphics card - £370 worth of polygon-pushing graphical wizardry using the latest Nvidia tech - was agreed by PC Format magazine earlier this year to be "the best single GPU money can buy."We have managed to get hold of one of these beasts to give away as a competition prize, in addition to a bagful of 3D goodies from Nvidia, including some of the best 3D-ready PC games on the shelves right now.All in, in addition to Zotac's GTX 480 card, Nvidia has given us a 3D Vision kit – worth £120 – and a pile of quality 3D-enabled PC games to keep the hardest of hardcore gamers more than happy well into spring 2011.In addition to the card and the 3D kit, the prizewinner will also pick up a copy of Ubisoft's HAWX 2, an exclusive collector's edition of Blizzard's World of Warcra...
Blog Herding: Community Edition 01/21/11
By GameInformer, published 22-01-2011
Welcome to the latest edition of Blog Herding where we compile some of the fine work of your peers. Happy reading! Abusing Our Controllers: The TruthGamebeast23456 revisits a few cases of controller misuse. Share your stories of controller destruction (accidental or otherwise) in the comments section of his post.The Key To Motion Controller Success – Emulate Arcade Shooters…If you’ve read any of Saint’s blogs, he is quite fond of old school arcades. In this post he explores a few motion control solutions to create better arcade shooter experiences.Stubbs Sucks At Mafia WarsDSTUBBS offers a humorous look at his foray into Facebook games.A little History Lesson On ThiefProfessor Joe takes a look back at the Thief franchise.Creativity Is Not Dead It’s Just Hid...
Yakuza 4 leans on retailers in mid-March
By GameSpot, published 21-01-2011
Sega confirms organized crime action game for March 15 release in North America, March 18 debut in Europe. The Dragon of Dojima is ready to take flight again, as Sega today announced international release dates for Yakuza 4, the latest installment in its PlayStation-exclusive organized crime action series. North American gamers will be able to reacquaint themselves with Sega's take on the Japanese Mafia starting March 15, while European players will need to wait until the game launches there on March 18. That's going to leave a mark. In this latest installment, main character Kazuma Kiryu is joined by equally pugnacious combatants Masayoshi Tanimura, Shun Akiyama, and Taiga Saejima. Each of the four playable main characters has a distinct narrative, wi...
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Mafia 2 : (8.1/10)
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