Rubik's Cubes too hard to solve? Try out this Idiot's Cube, and you'll never feel inferior to Will Smith again. Plus, it's a pretty inexpensive way to tell someone they're too stupid to figure out a real puzzle. Just in time for Mother's Day!
May 7, 2007 issue - Consider someone who has just died of a heart attack. His organs are intact, he hasn't lost blood. All that's happened is his heart has stopped beating—the definition of "clinical death"—and his brain has shut down to conserve oxygen. But what has actually died?
As recently as 1993, when Dr. Sherwin Nuland wrote the best seller "How We Die," the conventional answer was that it was his cells that had died. The patient couldn't be revived because the tissues of his brain and heart had suffered irreversible damage from lack of oxygen. This process was understood to begin after just four or five minutes. If the patient doesn't receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation within that time, and if his heart can't be restarted soon thereafter, he is unlikely to recover. That dogma went unquestioned until researchers actually looked at oxygen-starved heart cells under a microscope. What they saw amazed them, according to Dr. Lance Becker, an authority on emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "After one hour," he says, "we couldn't see evidence the cells had died. We thought we'd done something wrong." In fact, cells cut off from their blood supply died only hours later.
But if the cells are still alive, why can't doctors revive someone who has been dead for an hour? Because once the cells have been without oxygen for more than five minutes, they die when their oxygen supply is resumed. It was that "astounding" discovery, Becker says, that led him to his post as the director of Penn's Center for Resuscitation Science, a newly created research institute operating on one of medicine's newest frontiers: treating the dead.
A lot of you might have heard about this recently, or seen it places around the internet, but what is it and why is it so important?
Well, turns out this string of numbers (hex, which is why there are letters too) is the key to decrypting HD-DVDs. Not only that but the MPAA have claimed that simply spreading this number, posting it anywhere, writing it down, etc. is illegal. Pulling the same stunt that they did with the CSS code, but this time with just a number.
If they gain any ground with these actions, it will mark a huge loss of personal freedom on the internet, and nobody but them wants to see that.
A banned number. What's next?
Do your part. Spread it around. On chalkboards, emails, forums, shout it from the rooftops, and make it known that the people will not stand for it.
I'm sorry if this isn't quite the typical article you see on the front page, and it probably belongs in our 'blogs' section. Frankly though, nobody reads that, so I'm going to do my part by making sure as many people see it as possible.
A Patchway man has had assets totalling nearly £46,000 confiscated after already being sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for related criminal activity.
Nicholas Hunter, 40, of Brookfield Road, Patchway was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment at Bristol Crown Court in August 2006 for his involvement in the largest counterfeiting case that South Gloucestershire Trading Standards has prosecuted to date. This followed his submission of guilty pleas to a total of 17 offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994, which related to the selling, possession and production of illegally copied computer and video games. Hunter was established to be the main seller of such products at Southmead Hospital’s open-air market and ran an illegal copying operation from his home.
Mr Hunter’s home address was then raided by South Gloucestershire Trading Standards, as well as representatives of ELSPA and officers from Avon and Somerset Police. The house contained computer hardware capable of creating pirated discs on a commercial scale as well as all the necessary equipment and materials for packaging them for sale. The garage was found to contain Hunter’s current stocks of copied games, which consisted of 980 copied Xbox and PC games as well hundreds of illegally copied business software products. Similar items were also found in the house and the total retail value of the haul of copied games alone was estimated to be in excess of £58,000.
Mr Hunter was subsequently arrested and a full investigation into his trading activities was conducted by Trading Standards, who sought assistance from the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) to establish if Hunter had benefited from the income generated by his illegal activities.
Forensic examinations were conducted on the computer equipment detained from Hunter’s home which revealed that it was loaded with six CD copying programmes and contained a vast catalogue of pictures of game covers allowing for the production of covers for the counterfeit products he was selling. In addition, it was established that he had the capacity to produce 16 copied discs at a time.
The hearing, which took place on Monday 30th April, follows a lengthy investigation by the ARA into Mr Hunter’s financial circumstances as it was established that he sustained his lifestyle purely from income generated by his illegal activities. During this time it was established that Mr Hunter was able to trade up from a semi detached to a detached home, which is the main asset involved in the ARA’s investigation.
The case was brought under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and in Court it was stated that Mr Hunter had derived a total benefit of £74,353.84 from his criminal conduct. However, it was agreed by both parties that a total of £45,916.32 was available for confiscation, which mainly equates to the equity that he personally has in his property.
Representing Mr Hunter, Nick Dunne stated that the only asset his client had to satisfy the confiscation order was his house and that he obviously needed time to sell it. He also stated that his client was currently going through a divorce and informed the Court that this effectively halved his share of the equity in the matrimonial home.
Recorder Chippendall, who was presiding, therefore made a confiscation order for the full amount of £45,916.32 and stipulated that it must be paid within three months. In the circumstances he informed Mr Hunter that he should start marketing his property immediately. He also stated that if Hunter defaulted on this order he would be sentenced to a further 16 months imprisonment (with the requirement that the payment still has to be made).
In addition, costs applications were made on behalf of the ARA and South Gloucestershire Council (for the original prosecution) totalling £21,235. Recorder Chippendall ordered that Hunter should pay a total of £2,000 towards these and stressed that this did not reflect that the prosecution had spent too much on proceedings, but was more to do with the reality that Mr Hunter would have very little money left after this case.
Michael Rawlinson, Managing Director of ELSPA commented: “The Hunter case highlights the severe penalties facing criminals who partake in the selling of pirated computer and video games. Any profit made through illegal activity such as this can- and often is reclaimed under POCA, and just goes to show that piracy and counterfeiting doesn’t pay.”
Neil Derrick, Senior Enforcement Officer for South Gloucestershire Trading Standards, said: “This is the first such case that South Gloucestershire Trading Standards has been involved in and this outcome hammers home the message that counterfeiters will not just be prosecuted for the offences they commit, but will also be pursued for any assets they have derived from them.”
He added: “We are actively considering the assets recovery aspect of every case that we prosecute and people should be aware that it is not just restricted to counterfeiting activity, but any trading law offences that we enforce.”
Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), an interactive entertainment company, today announced a reorganization of its general and administrative functions.
The reorganization plan reduces Atari's total workforce by approximately 20%, which includes a reduction of administrative workforce of approximately 26%. This plan was approved by the Board of Directors on April 10, 2007 and communication to employees was completed on April 30, 2007. The Company anticipates the workforce reductions to be completed by July 31, 2007 and will record a restructuring charge during fiscal 2008 of approximately $0.8 million to $1.1 million.
"We expect that today's reorganization will continue to reduce Atari's general and administrative cost," stated David Pierce, President and Chief Executive Office of Atari, Inc. "These actions, though difficult, are a significant first step in reorganizing Atari and demonstrate our commitment to restoring shareholder value."
1990: Capcom releases Gargoyle's Quest for GB in Japan. Just look at the happy, delinquent teen gargoyle. It's like he's saying, "My game rocks, and I just got laid—by a girl!" And the toad thinks that the Gargoyle's the coolest.
1997: The United States Post Office send a press release regarding the upcoming game Postal. A portion of it reads, "All of us at the Postal Service have a sense of humor, but there is nothing funny about your game 'Postal.'"
The British Government is working on a plan to have cameras and tracking devices monitoring all cars at all times. It's in order to be able to properly charge people for congestion pricing plans, a system already in place in London and heading to Manhattan in the next year.
Sure, it's great to be able to charge tolls without the traffic snarls that tollbooths cause, but giving the government the ability to track exactly where any of their citizens are going at any given time opens the door for some serious abuses. There's already been a petition against the system that's garnered 1.8 million signatures, so it's safe to say that the public is wary of the plan.
What do you think, are the benefits of less traffic and fewer greenhouse emissions worth the sacrifice in privacy? –
Social news aggregator Digg was repeatedly brought down yesterday by users angry that it had bowed to the anti-piracy lobby.
The firestorm began when Digg's administrators acted on a Advance Access Content System (AACS) cease and desist order, which demanded it remove the link to an article revealing the encryption key for HD-DVDs, which was cracked by hacker muslix64 in December.
Much of Digg's audience, heavy on male college students and internet workers, saw the move as an act of censorship. Their response was to repeatedly re-post links, and vote them back up to the site's front page.
Pleading for the Digg hive mind to practice self-moderation, CEO Jay Adelson responded on the company blog at 1PM Pacific Time: "We all need to work together to protect Digg from exposure to lawsuits that could very quickly shut us down."
Diggers continued their revolt, however, overloading the site with the thousands of places where the encryption code can easily be found online, until servers started spouting 404 errors and moderators finally gave up trying to control the rabble about eight hours after Adelson's plea.
Founder Kevin Rose told users: "So today was a difficult day for us. We had to make a call, and in our desire to avoid a scenario where Digg would be interrupted or shut down, we decided to comply and remove the stories with the code.
"You'd rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won't delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be."
Digg boasts more than a million Diggers, and has remained light on advertising and sponsorship, despite its veneration by the business press as a poster child for the San Francisco web 2.0 hysteria.
This episode provides ample illustration of its reliance on, and vulnerabilty to, a particular community of internet users, who have no truck with DRM and corporate behaviour generally. One-time rival Reddit has seen its star dim rapidly since it "sold out" to Condé Nast, which publishes Wired.
It remains to be seen whether AACS has the stones to follow up on its threat, and take on the Digg mob. ®
Update
Please don't bother trying to post the encryption key on our comment section. We are bound by UK copyright and patents law, not to mention the DMCA. Comments carrying the key will be rejected.
Scholastic has updated their bookseller information page with a page count of 816 pages for the US Special Edition of Deathly Hallows. A description, which has been available for sometime, explains what the extra 32 pages will hold.
Includes exclusive insert featuring near scale reproductions of Mary GrandPre's interior art, as well as never-before-seen full-color frontispiece art on special paper. The custom-designed slipcase is foil-stamped and contains a full-cloth case book that has been blind-stamped on front and back cover with foil stamping on the spine. The book includes full-color endpapers featuring jacket art from the Trade edition and a wraparound jacket featuring art created especially for this edition by Mary GrandPre.
Meant to be Seen (mtbs3D.com), the first and only Stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) Certification and Advocacy group announces their acceptance as media sponsor for Dimension-3 Expo. Europe’s newest stereoscopic 3D conference, taking place on June 5th, 6th, and 7th at Espace des Arts, Chalon-sur-Saone, France, is one of the first conferences of this kind.
Stereoscopic 3D refers to media that displays images with true volumetric depth through the assistance of special screens, monitors, projectors, and glasses.
'Stereo 3D is HUGE in Europe. Dimension-3 Expo will be having special presentations and discussions about S-3D in video games, film, theme parks – we have a lot to cover,' said Stephan Faudeux, General Manager of Dimension-3 Expo.
'In less than two months, we have multiplied our membership several times, and as an advocacy group, it is our responsibility to do all we can to support initiatives like this one. Therefore, we are actively promoting this conference to our members,' said Neil Schneider, President & CEO of “Meant to be Seen”.
More than promoting, all MTBS registered members qualify for a 20% discount on conference attendance, and membership is completely free.
'Everyone knows about MTBS. Their goals of getting game developers to follow S-3D programming standards, and helping the stereoscopic industry to move forward are so positive, I assure you, even in Europe, everyone knows about MTBS! We are very excited to have MTBS working with us,” Faudeux said.
'We want to support the industry as much as we can. If you have a conference or website that you think would be of interest to our members, let me know, and we’ll try to help you out,' Schneider explained.
Game developers, video game enthusiasts, and all interested parties are encouraged to register for free at http://www.mtbs3D.com. To learn more about Dimension-3 Expo visit their website at http://www.dimension3-expo.com.
Alex Seropian, co-founder and former CEO of Halo developer Bungie, has said he's relieved that E3 has been downsized into a smaller event - adding that it benefited publishers much more than developers.
Speaking to ArmchairEmpire Seropian said, "I’ve got to say, it’s a huge relief. As a developer, E3 brought its share of excitement. There’s a lot of attention put on the industry and if you’ve got something that’s debuting or being shown, it’s very exciting.
"But more often than not, it ends up being a huge drain on resources to focus and to prepare for an event that really, from a developer’s perspective, did not seem to serve any purpose whatsoever," he continued.
"It was really a big strokefest for the publishers to see who could make the most noise."
According to Seropian, the old E3 did help to create buzz around games and the industry - "But as far as translating into how good a game is, it seemed to have zero effect."
In fact, Seropian added, it had "if anything a negative effect. And in terms of translating into sales, I don’t how you could possibly justify the expense. I think that’s why it’s gone away".
Seropian now runs Wideload Games, which he established after leaving Bungie. The studio went on to produce Stubbs the Zombie, based on the Halo engine, which didn't sell as well as he might have hoped.
"I think maybe it was unfortunate that we shipped the month after retailers stopped selling Xbox. That had a big impact on our sales," Seropian said.
"And we were with a really small publisher and the only way to overcome that [situation at retail] is by spending a lot of money and that wasn’t really in the cards for the release. So you could say there was definitely some disappointment that is how everything ended up with the number of units that were sold, but in hindsight we learned a lot from the project.
Had enough of the pooping gadgets yet? Yeah, me neither. Bathroom Louie is a little guy who provides a bit of bowel encouragement. It is sound-activated. When bathroom Louie hears some bodily noises he will start making more repulsive noises of his own from every orifice followed by wiggling an a "Hal-le-lu-jah!" at the end. I'm not sure how a pooping toy would encourage my own bodily functions, but regardless, this device is wildly inappropriate in any bathroom. $21.
A new interview conducted by SciFi Magazine quotes Order of the Phoenix Director David Yates confirming that he will direct the Half-Blood Prince film:
"I am doing Half-Blood Prince, and I'm doing it because I love the world, I love the characters," the BAFTA-winning director said in an interview. "I think I have more business with this world and these characters."
We're still waiting for official word from Warner Brothers. David has been rumored for quite some time to be directing the sixth film.
Another year, another magical adventure. Framestore CFC has been contributing fantastic VFX and creatures to the Potter films from the outset, and the boy wizard's latest adventure – his 5th – is no exception. We have been hard at work on some of the film's most demanding beings, including over 100 centaurs, a house-elf named Kreechur, the return of Fawkes the Phoenix and assorted magical effects. In addition, we are creating the films title sequence for the first time.
Bloggers "crossed the line" when they posted a software key that could break the encryption on some HD-DVDs, the AACS copy protection body has said.
Thousands of websites published the key, which had been uncovered in a bid to circumvent digital rights management (DRM) technology on HD-DVD discs.
Many said they had done this as an exercise in free speech.
An AACS executive said it was looking at "legal and technical tools" to confront those who published the key.
Key master
A row erupted on the internet after popular website Digg began taking down pages that its members had highlighted were carrying the key.
The website said it was responding to legal "cease and desist" notices from the Advanced Access Content System.
Digg's users responded by posting ever greater numbers of websites with the key, and the site eventually sided with its users.
Michael Ayers, chair of the AACS business group, said it had received "good cooperation from most folk" in preventing the leak of the key.
He described the row between Digg and its users as an "interesting new twist".
"It started out as a circumvention effort six to eight weeks ago but we now see the key on YouTube and on T-Shirts.
"Some people clearly think it's a First Amendment issue. There is no intent from us to interfere with people's right to discuss copy protection. We respect free speech.
"They can discuss the pros and cons. We know some people are critical of the technology.
"But a line is crossed when we start seeing keys being distributed and tools for circumvention. You step outside of the realm of protected free speech then."
He said tracking down everyone who had published the keys was a "resource intensive exercise". A search on Google shows almost 700,000 pages have published the key.
Mr Ayers said that while he could not reveal the specific steps the group would be taking, it would be using both "legal and technical" steps to prevent the circumvention of copy protection.
"We will take whatever action is appropriate," he said. "We hope the public respects our position and complies with applicable laws."
He added that the copy protection on the HD-DVDs was "absolutely not broken".
"There has been a lot of misunderstanding. The key that has been leaked has now been revoked."
The leak of the key meant that some HD-DVD titles could have their copy protection removed and then could be watched on two different software players. The leak of the key did not affect hardware players, he said.
But he accepted that DVDs that had had their copy protection removed were "now in the clear" and could be copied.
He said AACS brought stronger tools to the table than previous copy protection system and said the system had been designed to cope with breaches.
"This is the first round and will not be the last," he added.
Just last month we witnessed a gigantic skyscraper / solar tower hybrid that generates a whopping 390-kilowatts of energy, but even that looks like child's play compared to the 40-story solar power plant that resides in Spain. The expansive system consists of a towering concrete building, a field of 600 (and growing) sun-tracking mirrors that are each 120-square meters in size, and a receiver that converts concentrated solar energy from the heliostats into steam that eventually drives the turbines. Currently, only one field of mirrors is up and running, but even that produces enough power to energize 6,000 homes, and the creators are hoping to see the entire population of Seville (600,000 folks) taken care of solely from sunlight. So if you're eager to see what's likely the greenest solar power plant currently operating, be sure to slip on some shades, tag the read link, and peep the video.
Google clip dump YouTube is to trial revenue sharing with normal users by adding some of its favourite uploaders to its partnership programme.
YouTube already shares advertising dollars with big commercial content firms who threaten it with lawsuits. Users who provide the site with their own home videos and film projects, such as the popular Ask A Ninja series, have long lobbied for a slice of the action.
Among the first is daring video essayist LisaNova, the creative mastermind behind Don't Be A Douche Bag, a treatise on modern rage.
To begin with only this "select" few will enjoy Google's benevolence, as the firm is likely developing processes to handle the potential thousands of open palms set to be thrusted in its cash-swollen direction. YouTube says anyone who wants to get paid can let it know by registering an interest, but provided no timescale for when it will cough up, or what the carve-up will be.
YouTube says you have to have "built and maintained an audience" to be considered.
The site reckons its aim is to change the perception of user-generated content so it is afforded the same respect as professional work. More prescient perhaps, is the need to start paying up before the people who make the original clips that sometimes make it worth visiting for reasons other than Daily Show grabs and Norwegians skiing down stairs will go elsewhere. Rival Revver has pioneered sharing the advertising wealth, and reports that some have coined hundreds from its 50 - 50 split.
Tatsujin over at ASSEMblergames posted up some awesome photos he took while in Yokosuka, Japan. The interesting thing is that the areas found in the photos were later on used in the Sega Dreamcast game: Shenmue!
During the GW (Goldenweek) i went for a small trip to Yokosuka, more precisely Dobita, the original setting of Yu Suzuki's masterpiece Shen Mue 1 for the Dreamcast.
Decided to post it in here, instead of the japan-forum, since it maybe could/would interest not just japan interested people, but also those who where interested in shen mue
The World Series of Video Games (WSVG), Presented by Intel, the world circuit of video game tournaments, announced today the winners of the season’s first event of the year at Wuhan, China. $50,000 in cash prizes were distributed to the event champions. The top four winners in the “World of Warcraft” competition received travel support bonuses in addition to their cash prizes so that they may follow the tournament along to its next stop in Louisville, KY, from June 21-24.
Over the course of the fast-paced four-day competition, all-star teams and players from all over the world were mobbed by throngs of local Chinese fans seeking photos and autographs. The Wuhan event, the first of six events planned for the WSVG’s second season this year, occurred during China’s “Golden Week” holiday and was one of the official welcome events for the Sixth Intercity Games of the People's Republic of China, the last major sporting event in China leading up to the 2008 Chinese Olympic Games.
"We were amazed to see such a turnout to watch a video game competition—there were 2,000 people in line outside who we could not let in,” said Matthew Ringel, president of the World Series of Video Games. “Last year’s event in China was the biggest stop on the 2006 tour with 17,000, and this year’s attendance of 80,000 is an incredibly promising beginning for our second season. Next year, we may have to find a stadium!”
Ultimately the top four competitors in “Counter-Strike 1.6” and “Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne” were awarded cash prizes, along with the top seven competitors in the “World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade” competition.
Xfire, one of the fastest growing online gaming communities, announced today it recently crossed seven million registered users and supports over 800 of the most popular PC games worldwide. Xfire’s goal is “gaming simplified,” offering gamers a quick and easy way to find and play games with their friends online.
“Our seven million users constitute a very active community that spent over 14,300 man-years on Xfire in the month of March alone,” said Mike Cassidy, CEO of Xfire, Inc. “In addition to helping gamers play online with their friends, Xfire also offers a slew of innovative features such as in-game messaging in over 500 games, automated gameplay statistics, free voice chat, and live online gaming events.”
Xfire is a free, advertising-supported product. Providing valuable services to gamers that enrich their online game playing experiences, Xfire includes friend tracking, a one-click option to join friends’ games, a server browser, in-game messaging, peer-to-peer file downloading, game statistics, automated player profiles, and voice chat.
Xfire is the largest host of live online gaming events on the Internet. Xfire and its advertising partners such as ATI, Cadbury, Electronic Arts, Intel, Pepsi, Taco Bell, 20th Century Fox, and others sponsor online events where members can play with pro gamers, join in online chats with celebrities, and participate in machinima contests involving their favorite games. Currently, Xfire is hosting “The Ridiculously Long Lasting Stride Xfire Cup 2007,” an online Counter-Strike: Source invitational tournament bringing the best North American teams together to compete for $24,000 in winnings, sponsored by Stride Gum.
This Darth Vader phone can even do the heavy breathing for you during those late-night romantic phone calls, as well as other sound effects such as the Imperial March every time the phone rings, and that noise the lightsaber makes, too.
"Luke, this is your father. Pick up the mutha****in' phone," says Darth. Well, not really, but we wish he would. If you're one of the few still using land lines, it's all yours for $35.93.
Electronic Arts Inc.'s fiscal fourth-quarter losses widened by 56 percent because of industrywide disruptions caused by new gaming consoles, but the world's largest video game publisher surpassed tepid expectations on Wall Street.
EA said Tuesday that its net loss for the three months ended March 31 was $25 million or 8 cents per share, down 56 percent from a $16 million or 5 cents per share loss in the same quarter of 2006.
Not including one-time costs, EA earned $19 million, or 6 cents per share, down 56 percent from $43 million, or 14 cents per share in the year-ago period.
Revenue for the quarter was $613 million, down 4 percent from $641 million in the year-ago period.
Excluding charges, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected Redwood City-based EA to earn $3.88 million, or 2 cents per share, on revenue of $586.97 million.
EA shares closed Tuesday at $52.94, up about 3 percent, or $1.57, on the Nasdaq Stock Market (nasdaq: NDAQ - news - people ).
On Feb. 26, CEO Larry Probst resigned, and John Riccitiello stepped in. Riccitiello joined Redwood City, Calif.-based EA in 1997, rising to president and chief operating officer before leaving in 2004 to co-found a venture capital fund.
Riccitiello is pushing EA toward mobile and online gaming.
One of the most highly anticipated upcoming titles in the gaming world is "Spore," by "Sims" developer Will Wright, considered one of the gaming industry's most creative artists.
Through its Maxis Software brand, EA had expected to release "Spore" - an interactive world where players evolve from single-celled organisms into intelligent beings - later this year. But on Tuesday, Riccitiello warned that the launch could be as late as spring 2008.
EA has also struggled to gain a bigger stake in the lucrative Asian market, dominated by Nintendo Co. (other-otc: NTDOY.PK - news - people ) Last quarter the company collected 53 percent of revenue from North America, 41 percent from Europe and only 6 percent from Asia.
The company is under intense criticism from gamers upset that EA has very few titles for "next generation" consoles that debuted late last year. Last quarter EA sold a negligible number of titles for the Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) PlayStation 3 and popular Nintendo Wii.
A third of the company's revenue in the quarter came from titles for the older PlayStation 2, and another fifth from titles for Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people )'s Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles.
Problems ranging from the Spore delay to the paucity of PS3 and Wii titles indicate that the company is "innovation challenged," said David Gardner, co-founder of investment group The Motley Fool.
"Next gen is here now. Sony's late to the party, and EA is too," said Gardner, an avid gamer. "The best-case scenario is that Riccitiello brings his same past level of professionalism and savvy to this enterprise and turns it around in 2008."
EA expects revenue in the current quarter between $300 million and $360 million, and losses of between 56 and 66 cents per share. Excluding one-time expenses, it expects to lose between 34 and 40 cents per share.
The company last year earned $76 million, or 24 cents per share, down 68 percent from fiscal 2006, when the company $236 million, or 75 cents per share.
Excluding one-time charges in fiscal 2007, the company earned $247 million, or 78 cents per share, down 18 percent from $301 million or 96 cents per share in fiscal 2006.
EA expects fiscal 2008 revenue between $3.1 billion and $3.4 billion. The company expects to lose between 23 and 77 cents per share. Excluding one-time expenses, it expects to earn between 90 and $1.20 per share.
According to Warner Bros.' new Dumbledore's Army website, the fifth Harry Potter movie will be rated PG-13 in the United States. OOTP is the second film in the series to receive this rating; Goblet of Fire was the first.
Publisher reports its best annual sales figures and net profits yet, lays out plans and projections for coming year.
THQ reported its financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31 today, and the company posted record revenues that topped $1 billion. It was the 12th consecutive year that the publisher grew its annual revenues, and it put up similarly record-breaking profits of $64 million to boot.
THQ's highlights for the year included the release of Saints Row on the Xbox 360. The original intellectual property and open-world action game racked up more than 1 million units in sales. In all, the publisher saw eight titles ship more than 1 million copies for the year, led by Cars (nearly 8 million shipped) and WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW (4 million shipped).
On its own, the fourth quarter was similarly positive for the publisher. For the first three months of the calendar year, THQ raked in $172 million (up 16 percent year-over-year) in sales, and nearly $6.5 million in profit. In the fourth quarter of its previous fiscal year, the publisher lost more than $8.6 million. Anticipated new releases Supreme Commander and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl drove sales during the three months, and helped the company's PC lineup account for 30 percent of its quarterly revenue.
Licensed games still account for the majority of THQ's revenues, but president and CEO Brian Farrell said in an investor conference call that the company was making progress internally developing wholly owned IPs.
"We currently expect a third of net sales from owned properties in fiscal 2008, up from approximately 20 percent in fiscal 2007," Farrell said. "Our revenue from owned IP will be driven primarily by the launch of two new THQ products, Frontlines and Stuntman, and sequels to proven brands such as Juiced, MX vs. ATV, and Company of Heroes."
Farrell also laid out the company's strategy to reach customers with divergent tastes, saying THQ would focus on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC to reach "core gamers," while saving mass market brands for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and DS. However, some titles--like WWE and Pixar games--will appear on "all viable platforms." Farrell also mentioned that the company had 11 games planned for the Wii in its next fiscal year, including some original content exclusive to the system.
In other THQ news, the company today also confirmed the development of a Saints Row sequel for the Xbox 360 and PS3, the cancellation of an announced Saints Row port for the PS3, and the delay of Frontlines: Fuel of War to January 2008.
CHESTER, S.C. - For nearly four years, a South Carolina man held his wife and two sons captive in a house infested with maggots and human waste, authorities said.
The boys slept on a bare mattress as their mother was kept in a drug-induced stupor in a house that was decrepit except for a tidy one-room illegal gambling parlor run by Danny William Dove, police said.
Police found maggots infesting the refrigerator. Human waste and used toilet paper littered the bathroom floor and the house smelled like a dead animal, according to police photographs and authorities who visited the home after Dove was arrested this week.
A special Order of the Phoenix preview that aired yesterday on Entertainment Tonight is now available online thanks to iKlipz. Check it out here! New clips including Lupin talking with Harry at the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place, Dumbledore's Army, and Voldemort with Harry.
Good news for all you chaps in the United Kingdom: Warner Brothers has confirmed that Order of the Phoenix will be released on July 12th, 2007. That is one day earlier than originally scheduled, and US fans still have to wait until the 13th to see it in theaters.
We're still waiting for information concerning why this change was made in the first place, but we'll keep you updated!
2001: AMD releases the "Palomino", or Athlon 4 processor in the mobile version. How many of our readers game on laptops? And how many of those laptops are really just desktops with batteries glued on XPS?
2004: EA releases The Sims Bustin' Out for N-Gage in the US. While obviously not the largest platform, development costs must have become so low on mobile platforms that, hell, why not throw something into the marketplace?
LINCOLN, Neb. - At first, Sarah Barg thought the e-mail was a scam.
Some group called the Recording Industry Association of America was accusing the University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore of illegally downloading 381 songs using the school's computer network and a program called Ares.
The letter said she might be sued but offered her the chance to settle out of court.
Barg couldn't imagine anyone expected her to pay $3,000 — $7.87 per song — for some 1980s ballads and Spice Girls tunes she downloaded for laughs in her dorm room. Besides, the 20-year-old had friends who had downloaded thousands of songs without repercussion.
"Obviously I knew it was illegal, but no one got in trouble for it," Barg said.
But Barg's perspective changed quickly that Thursday in March, when she called student legal services and found out the e-mail was no joke and that she had a pricey decision to make.
Barg is one of 61 students at UNL and hundreds at more than 60 college campuses across the country who have received letters from the recording industry group, threatening a lawsuit if they don't settle out of court.
LYNCHBURG, Va. (May 15) - The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority and built the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said. He was 73.
Ron Godwin, the university's executive vice president, said Falwell, 73, was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. "CPR efforts were unsuccessful," he said.
Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but he said Falwell "has a history of heart challenges."
"I had breakfast with him, and he was fine at breakfast," Godwin said. "He went to his office, I went to mine, and they found him unresponsive."
Falwell had survived two serious health scares in early 2005. He was hospitalized for two weeks with what was described as a viral infection, then was hospitalized again a few weeks later after going into respiratory arrest. Later that year, doctors found a 70 percent blockage in an artery, which they opened with stents.
Falwell credited his Moral Majority with getting millions of conservative voters registered, electing Ronald Reagan and giving Republicans Senate control in 1980.
"I shudder to think where the country would be right now if the religious right had not evolved," Falwell said when he stepped down as Moral Majority president in 1987.
The fundamentalist church that Falwell started in an abandoned bottling plant in 1956 grew into a religious empire that includes the 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church, the "Old Time Gospel Hour" carried on television stations around the country and 7,700-student Liberty University. He built Christian elementary schools, homes for unwed mothers and a home for alcoholics.
He also founded Liberty University in Lynchburg, which began as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971.
Liberty University's commencement is scheduled for Saturday, with former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich as the featured speaker.
In 2006, Falwell marked the 50th anniversary of his church and spoke out on stem cell research, saying he sympathized with people with medical problems, but that any medical research must pass a three-part test: "Is it ethically correct? Is it biblically correct? Is it morally correct?"
Falwell had once opposed mixing preaching with politics, but he changed his view and in 1979, founded the Moral Majority. The political lobbying organization grew to 6.5 million members and raised $69 million as it supported conservative politicians and campaigned against abortion, homosexuality, pornography and bans on school prayer.
Falwell became the face of the religious right, appearing on national magazine covers and on television talk shows. In 1983, U.S. News & World Report named him one of 25 most influential people in America.
In 1984, he sued Hustler magazine for $45 million, charging that he was libeled by an ad parody depicting him as an incestuous drunkard. A federal jury found the fake ad did not libel him, but awarded him $200,000 for emotional distress. That verdict was overturned, however, in a landmark 1988 U.S. Supreme Court decision that held that even pornographic spoofs about a public figure enjoy First Amendment protection.
The case was depicted in the 1996 movie "The People v. Larry Flynt."
With Falwell's high profile came frequent criticism, even from fellow ministers. The Rev. Billy Graham once rebuked him for political sermonizing on "non-moral issues."
Falwell quit the Moral Majority in 1987, saying he was tired of being "a lightning rod" and wanted to devote his time to his ministry and Liberty University. But he remained outspoken and continued to draw criticism for his remarks.
Days after Sept. 11, 2001, Falwell essentially blamed feminists, gays, lesbians and liberal groups for bringing on the terrorist attacks. He later apologized.
In 1999, he told a evangelical conference that the Antichrist was a male Jew who was probably already alive. Falwell later apologized for the remark but not for holding the belief. A month later, his National Liberty Journal warned parents that Tinky Winky, a purple, purse-toting character on television's "Teletubbies" show, was a gay role model and morally damaging to children.
Falwell was re-energized after moral values issues proved important in the 2004 presidential election. He formed the Faith and Values Coalition as the "21st Century resurrection of the Moral Majority," to seek anti-abortion judges, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and more conservative elected officials.
The big, blue-eyed preacher with a booming voice started his independent Baptist church with 35 members. From his living room, he began broadcasting his message of salvation and raising the donations that helped his ministry grow.
"He was one of the first to come up with ways to use television to expand his ministry," said Robert Alley, a retired University of Richmond religion professor who studied and criticized Falwell's career.
2003: EA releases The Sims: Superstar for PC in the US. Contrary to popular belief, the game had absolutely nothing to do with Molly Shannon, Catholic schoolgirls, or late 90s comedy.
2003: EA releases The Sims: Makin' Magic for PC in the US. Now I've been known to hate on The Sims (only because it's the not fun style of addictive and I'm only listing two of their 1,000,000 expansions here), but isn't there a moment in every Sims player's life when they look at a virtual person pulling out virtual rabbits from virtual hats while virtually laughing at virtual speaking, when they think, "at least I'm not playing Second Life."
We've always considered ourselves lucky for having grown up in the modern world -- video games just wouldn't be the same without electricity -- but every once in a while, we find ourselves inexplicably drawn to the simplicity and elegance of the pre-Pong world. Lucky for us then, that the designers at Mixko have seen fit to make these Atari 2600-themed candlesticks which effortlessly blend -- mix even -- our irrational and conflicting sentiments. Now, two of these and a Wii and we're in business.
LONDON (AFP) - French workers are the world's biggest whiners, according to a study published Monday which said the Irish complain least about their lot.
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Britons come second to their Gallic cousins in the moaning stakes, followed by Sweden, the United States and Australia. Japanese workers have the lowest morale, but don't complain so much.
The lowest levels of whining were found in the Netherlands, Thailand and Ireland, according to the study by the FDS research group.
"It is interesting to note that after France, Britain and Sweden, the world's biggest workplace whingers are Americans, despite their having by far the highest levels of income," said FDS chief Charlotte Cornish.
"Compare them to Thai workers: while real levels of income are more than eight times higher in the States, more workers in the US feel their pay is a problem than in Thailand," she added.
2002: Square Co. releases Final Fantasy 11 (or Final Fantasy Online) for PS2 in Japan. It has some different features from previous fantasies that were though to be final, like an optional first person perspective (BFG optional) or the ability to customize a character (the missing feature that keeps me from really getting into the franchise). But I remember the game best for it's inclusion with the PS2 hard drive.
While I stopped paying any attention whatsoever to Maxim once they gave Sudeki for the Xbox five out of five stars, I have to admit that their choice for number 95 in their top 100 pretty women list is, at the very least, novel.
95. Second Life Girl
Second Life--a 3-D virtual world that's imagined, created, and owned by its online residents--was launched in 2003 and now boasts nearly five million inhabitants around the globe. Never taken part in the nerdfest? Isn't she reason enough?
Of course they had to pull out the nerdfest label, maintaining the longstanding tradition of hip, popular men who hate a group of people but wouldn't mind sleeping with their women that dates back to prehistoric times.
Their choice of the large-lipped platinum blonde as their example speaks volumes. Second Life women are as varied as real life women, and then some. They can be bookish, perky, intelligent, witty, male, and even..furry. *runs for the hills*
2000: Eidos releases Imperial Glory for PC in the US. It sounds like a game very similar to RISK, but with a little more tactical freedom. Oohh, RISK on XBLA. That would be awesome. (Nothing against Imperial Glory or anything.)
2000: Microsoft reveals that the Xbox will have a 733MHz processor instead of the previously announced 600MHz. A spokesman added, "We know there's no way we're making money on this thing, so what the hell? We'll throw in some extra megahertz."
The Entertainment Software Association has announced that Mike Gallagher has taken the role of president.
Gallagher previously held a position in the Bush administration as assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information.
"Mike's outstanding technology, policy and government relations experiences makes him a strong fit for the ESA, where issues like intellectual property, self-regulation and industry social and economic contributions are at the forefront of the agenda," commented Robbie Bach, chair of the ESA and president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division.
During his tenure at the Department of Commerce, Gallagher was credited with paving the way for a number of technologies and services, and influenced the US government's policies on international internet governance.
"It is a privilege to represent the dynamic entertainment software industry," offered Gallagher.
"With over two-thirds of American heads of households playing videogames, and the tremendous opportunities available to the industry on every device – from consoles and PCs to handhelds and broadband enabled phones – the business is poised for tremendous growth."
Don't quote me on this, but when they say "video games", I think this bill is talking about allowing video gambling machines similar to those legal in the UK (fruit machines and the like), not necessarily the consoles sitting under or around your television as we speak. However, the article, including its headline, includes the phrase "video games", which makes this recently passed Illinois gambling bill confusing:
"HB 1124 (which on Wednesday passed both houses of the Illinois Legislature) will legalize video gambling in bars. That may sound harmless to some, but it is not.
Children have grown up playing video games. Adding the element of cash and prizes will make the activity even more attractive to young adults. Many will become addicted to gambling.
HB 1124 legalizes gambling on video games "simulating contests" in bars, restaurants, convenience stores, bowling alleys and truck stops.
The bill defines a bona fide contest as being between two or more individuals. Hundreds of thousands of such "contests" could be played each year in every community statewide.
While HB 1124 states that card games are not included, this type of gambling will expand in increments. Gambling interests will come back each year until video poker is legalized in every community.
HB 1124 will make it impossible to police these establishments to determine if illegal gambling is going on. Gamblers will expect a "payout" on all video machines in bars, convenience stores, bowling alleys, restaurants and truck stops."
But basically, if you wanted to start your own console gambling ring, I guess all you'd have to do is lug your machine to any Illinois bar, restaurant, convenience store, bowling alley, or truck stop with a wi-fi connection and go crazy. It's so easy!
1991: Nintendo releases Game Boy Wars for GB in Japan. How long until we get full-blown RTSs on mobile consoles? With GPS locations being a factor? And if you die in the game, you die in real life?
1997: Konami begins offering stock options to senior employees. I'm surprised it took them so long, and am suddenly curious as the the availability of options at other major gaming companies. Any industry folk out there want to shed some light on the topic?
1997: Sony announces that they will use NBA Shootout '97 to predict the winner of the NBA finals. However, they would run a simulation only when the two teams from the finals were announced. Seems like even the worst programming would give Sony a 50/50 shot, no? And then keeping in mind that Michael Jordan Steve Kerr was still around...
2000: Codemasters releases MTV Music Generator for PC in the US. Sure, it was already released for Playstation a year earlier. But what's most confusing is the audience of such a product. Most music creation fans who are PC savvy were probably already rocking out Fruity Loops with (highly legal) professional level software. I guess it was easy money.
The former-partners-turned-rivals storyline is more common in pro wrestling, but these days it's also playing out in the legal hexagon, as it were. Zuffa, LLC, the company that owns and operates the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts organization, filed suit against Take-Two Interactive earlier this month, claiming that the publisher violated its trademarks by continuing to promote and distribute an old UFC game after its rights to do so had expired.
The suit revolves around a deal for the game rights to the UFC brand that was originally struck by two parties who aren't actually involved with the current case. According to the suit, in July of 1999, then-UFC-owner Semaphore Entertainment Group struck a five-year deal with Crave Entertainment for games based on the mixed martial arts brand. However, Zuffa purchased the UFC organization in 2001, and Take-Two received the rights to make games based on it in 2003 when it acquired TDK Mediactive, which had obtained the rights from Crave. A revised agreement between Zuffa and Take-Two extended the deal until March of 2005, with the publisher then being given a 180-day grace period during which it could sell off any existing inventory.
Now Zuffa is suing Take-Two over the last game produced under that agreement, UFC: Sudden Impact for the PlayStation 2. Published by Take-Two's Global Star Software label, the game was developed by Opus Studio and released in April of 2004. Zuffa alleges that Take-Two continued to manufacture, market, and distribute the game after the license expired, and even after the 180-day sell-off period.
The original lawsuit doesn't cite any evidence to support the allegation, but according to the industry-tracking NPD Group's figures, Sudden Impact sold more than 26,000 copies at US retailers after the sell-off period ended in September 2005. With an average selling price a little under $14, the NPD Group suggests the total retail value of those copies exceeded $365,000.
Furthermore, Zuffa is accusing Take-Two of cybersquatting, noting that Take-Two's Rockstar Games is the registered owner of www.ufcvideogame.com. While that Web site is currently down, the suit notes that it is linked to by Opus Studio's official Web site.
Zuffa claims that Take-Two and its labels "have committed acts intended or designed to disrupt and interfere, and have actually interfered, with plaintiff's present and prospective economic advantage and opportunities." The company is seeking damages for the infringements and dilution of its trademarks, legal fees, and any profits Take-Two might have made in violation of the licensing agreement.
Whatever happens, this isn't the last time the UFC will enter the gaming ring. Earlier this year, THQ signed its own five-year agreement to make games based on the increasingly popular mixed martial arts league. A THQ representative told GameSpot the lawsuit will have no impact on its plans for the license.
As for the litigants, a Take-Two Interactive representative confirmed the suit but declined to comment further, while representatives with Zuffa had not returned inquiries as of press time.
GameStop has recorded profits of USD 24.7 million (EUR 18.3m), a rise of 111 per cent, and sales of USD 1.28 billion (EUR 949m), up 23 per cent, for the first quarter of 2007.
Although the Wii and DS have been key drivers, strong performances of all next-gen systems has boosted hardware sales by 75.1 per cent.
"Our first quarter results were driven by the strong growth of next-generation hardware despite both Nintendo products, the Wii and DS Lite, being in short supply throughout the quarter," commented CEO R. Richard Fontaine.
"Our business is benefiting from unmatched platform expansion. For much of the quarter, seven different platforms were represented among our top 25 best sellers.
"Not only was this unprecedented, but there is every indication that the Wii and DS Lite titles are attracting a new audience of gamers, while the allure of genre breakthrough titles like Guitar Hero II are expanding the audience for videogame product," he said.
Top selling titles for the US retailer have been Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, God of War II, Guitar Hero II, Crackdown and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.
For the full financial year, GameStop expects to see sales grow 19-21 per cent.
Today GameStop announced rosy financial results for its first quarter ended May 5, 2007. Net earnings were $24.7 million, a 111 percent increase over last year's Q1. Total sales were up 23 percent to $1,279 million as compared to $1,040 million in the first quarter of 2006.
Hardware sales grew 75 percent during the quarter due to hysterical demand for the Nintendo Wii and DS and strong continued sales of the Xbox 360. Interestingly, GameStop also points to impressive sales of the PlayStation 3, which saw dismal numbers in April, as contributing to the increase in hardware movement.
"Our first quarter results were driven by the strong growth of next generation hardware despite both Nintendo products, the Wii and DS Lite, being in short supply throughout the quarter," said R. Richard Fontaine, GameStop's Chairman and CEO. "Our business is benefiting from unmatched platform expansion. For much of the quarter, seven different platforms were represented among our top 25 best sellers. Not only was this unprecedented, but there is every indication that the Wii and DS Lite titles are attracting a new audience of gamers, while the allure of genre breakthrough titles like Guitar Hero II are expanding the audience for videogame product.
"I am also happy to announce that during the first quarter GameStop was added to the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations," Fontaine concluded.
The games that carried GameStop to financial success over the quarter were Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, God of War II, Guitar Hero II, Crackdown, and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2.
1999: Namco announces that the only game they intend on releasing for Deamcast for the year is Soul Caliber—a decision based solely on the Playstation's lack of computing power. Because apparently the Dreamcast wasn't beefy enough to run ports of Pac-Man and Dig Dug.
2004: Nintendo releases Mario vs. Donkey Kong for GBA in Japan. And we have nothing snarky to say.
Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix has revealed sales of JPY 163.5 billion (EUR 1bn) for the year ended March 31 2007, a 31 per cent rise over the previous year.
Operating income was up 68 per cent to JPY 25.92 billion (EUR 158.9m), while profit was actually down 32 per cent to JPY 11.62 billion (EUR 71.2m).
The company shipped 16.93 million units of software during the financial year, including Final Fantasy XII.
The publisher expects profits to rise 3.3 per cent to JPY 12 billion (EUR 73.5m), with operating profits expected to fall to 21 billion (EUR 128.7m), or 19 per cent.
Star Craft 2 has only just been officially announced for both Mac and Windows. Well the masses of Linux users demand to play the game natively on their machines too! Sure, in a matter of months Cedega and Wine will probably completely support it, but wouldn't it be great if game companies (other than id software) started to support Linux a little more?
The mac support leads many people to believe this game will not rely on Direct X which may mean native Linux Support is completely possible.
1999: Hasbro releases Centipede for PS in the US. Hmmm...never heard of this game before. This must be the first incarnation of the title.
1999: Sony releases Bloody Roar II for PS in the US. Because no matter how you cut it, even Bruce Lee would have a tough time against a tiger...or even worse...a liger. Really, if you show up to a fighting tournament and your opponent in any way resembles a two-animal hybrid, you're screwed.
The British Board of Film Classification has revealed that the fifth Harry Potter movie will be 138 minutes long. Also, the movie will be rated 12A in the UK and PG-13 in the US
Astro Corporation, a Taiwan-based producer of electronic gaming machines mainly for export, on May 25 signed a letter of intent with Sega Amusements Taiwan and Japan-based ALTA Company for the exclusive Taiwan sales agent rights for Initial D Arcade Stage 4, the latest version of the car-racing game series Initial D Arcade Stage produced by Japan-based Sega Rosso, according to the company. The signing paves the way for both sides to sign a one-year sales agent contract, Astro pointed out.
Initial D Arcade Stage 4 machines were launched in Japan in March and have gained good market response, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN). Astro expects popular arcade machines in the Japan market to cater to game players in Taiwan too and has therefore decided to introduce Initial D Arcade Stage 4, EDN indicated.
Initial D Arcade Stage 3 sells at over NT$300,000 (US$9,010) in the Taiwan market and the fourth version will be more expensive, EDN cited Astro as saying. Initial D Arcade Stage 4 is expected to come to the Taiwan market in July 2007 at the earliest, EDN noted. Astro may purchase such machines first and then resell them to Taiwan-based sales agents or retail stores, according to EDN
Just in time for the 30th anniversary, someone conjured up one sweet rendition of a Star Wars-style space port via LEGO, complete with the Millennium Falcon, AT-AT walkers, and an Imperial Shuttle. The only thing it's missing is a Slave I model, because you can't have the Falcon without Boba Fett close behind.
1982: Trip Hawkins founds Electronic Arts by investing an estimated $200,000 of his own money into the business. Their mission statement: "make software that makes a personal computer worth owning." Originally just a PC game publisher, EA began producing their own titles in later in the decade. And the rest is history. As of last year, EA has reported nearly $3 billion in revenue and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon...as long as sports and household chores stay in vogue.
Let's take a moment to appreciate the high quality products that they consistently release—despite long work hours and franchise monopolies that have gotten them the big, scary, evil corporation status to many gamers.
So big hugs all around: what is your favorite EA title?
A family residing in Illinois, the Midwest state in north-central United States, has files a lawsuit alleging that an Xbox video game system manufactured by Microsoft and sold by Wal-Mart Stores overheated and sparked a killer blaze in which the family lost their newborn, stated media reports.
As per the suit, the wiring that connected the Xbox 360 to an electrical outlet became extremely hot, finally leading to a “catastrophic” fire at a house in Warsaw, Illionis. The victim, an infant called Wade Kline, died in the inferno.
“The fire was a direct and proximate result of the overheating of the game’s power supply and wiring,” claims the lawsuit, which was filed in State Circuit Court in Illinois. Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and an unnamed power-supply maker have been named in the suit.
Wal-Mart has filed a routine motion to move the case from state court to US District Court in Illinois. No what’s surprising is that the lawsuit claims that the fatal fire occurred in December 2004. However, the Xbox 360 didn’t officially launch until May 2005, so possibly what the family is referring to is the first-generation Xbox console and NOT the latest Xbox 360.
A Microsoft spokesman said, “Microsoft recently learned about this tragic incident that occurred in December 2004. Our sympathy is with the family. However, we are not aware of any evidence that an Xbox caused the fire. Also, the complaint specifically states that an Xbox 360 was involved, but this version of the product was unavailable for purchase at that time.”
The suit was filed by Wade Kline’s estate and seeks unspecified damages in excess of $50,000.
Development collective Foundation 9 has announced that its Canadian studio based in Prince Edward Island has gone independent.
Co-founder of F9 Andrew Ayre will now lead the studio, renamed Other Ocean Interactive, taking the position on CEO. Foundation 9 will not retain any interest in the studio.
"It's been a real pleasure being part of the growth and success of Foundation 9 and it's exciting to bring this experience to a new opportunity," said Ayre.
"I'm looking forward to growing game development in Canada and further establishing the region as an up-and-coming location where top games are produced."
The studio has recently completed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for Xbox Live Arcade, but has not yet made public its future projects.
"We had great success launching our studio in Prince Edward Island with tremendous and much-appreciated support from the provincial and federal agencies," commented Foundation 9 CEO Jon Goldman.
"However, as F9's growth strategy has evolved, we have recognised the need to focus on larger studios, both our current ones and potential future additions to the company."
24-year old Adam Mapleson is an IT consultant, a fan of heavy metal music, an avid video gamer, and a hero. At a rail station just yesterday, Adam came to the aid of a terrified female security guard being robbed by two armed thugs. As he went to tackle the assailants, he was shot in the chest, close-range. According to a witness, blood was "all over the floor and all over the wall" as Adam lay on the ground calling f
