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Week of April 22, 2001

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April 26——————————— 3DO Ignites a Bottle Rocket Online (Industry Insights) Bottle Rocket entered into a consulting agreement with The 3DO Company, wherein Bottle Rocket will help 3DO explore new Internet initiatives. Bottle Rocket’s initial goal is to provide 3DO with the necessary information needed for a multiplatform transactional system that utilizes the company’s player–mapping patent. 3DO’s technology enables players to develop characters that can be shared with different online gaming platforms, products and services. Building Wireless Bridges (Games: Wireless) Digital Bridges inked a deal with Activision, Inc. that will bring Star Trek games to mobile devices. *Star Trek: First Duty* and *Star Trek: Prime Directive* are being created by Digital Bridges’ development and publishing studio, Wirelessgames. Both games are designed to complement each other — the knowledge and skills a player obtains in First Duty can be directly applied to the massively multiplayer Prime Directive game. In related news, Digital Bridges announced plans to introduce Sprint PCS customers to such single–player games as *Craps* and *Roulette, as well as multiplayer duels including Fight KO* and *Tank Battle. Innovative Disc Repair* (Hardware & Peripherals) Digital Innovations introduce a more consumer–friendly design and packaging for its Doctor Series of disc repair devices at E3. The company’s SkipDoctor, GameDoctor, DataDoctor and dvdDoctor quickly restore damaged CDs, CD–ROMs, CD–Rs, DVDs, PlayStation discs and other CD/DVD–style game discs. Each of the four products are equally effective in fixing scratches, abrasions, dust, fingerprints and other surface imperfections. The only visible differences among the products are the names printed on the unit’s resurfacing window, packaging graphics, resurfacing wheels and individual accessories. Digital Innovations will be located in booth 6409. ESRB Hits a Home Run with Jeter (Industry Insights) The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) signed the New York Yankees’, Derek Jeter, as the spokesman for a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign. The campaign urges parents to "check the rating" on the ESRB web site, when choosing video and software games for their children. In addition, retailers including Babbages, Best Buy, Blockbuster and Wal–Mart plan to air the PSAs on their in–store networks. Jeter joins golfer Tiger Woods, as the second sports celebrity to appear in an ESRB PSA. Infogrames Survives a Splashdown (Games: Multiplatform) Infogrames, Inc. signed a licensing agreement with CBS Consumer Products to develop and publish *Survivor* games for all platforms — PC, Mac, handhelds, current and next–gen consoles. The first is based on the TV series’ adventures in the Australian Outback, and will be available later this year under the WizardWorks label. Magic Lantern Playware is developing the title. In related news, Infogrames has teamed up with Bombardier Inc. to bring PWC (Personal Water Craft) riding to the PlayStation 2 this fall. *Splashdown* will feature watercraft models and equipment from Sea–Doo; 18 racing courses; multiple game modes; amazing real–time wakes, waves and turbulence; over–the–top acrobatic stunts; and plenty of amusing wipeouts and wrecks. The game is being developed by Rainbow Studios — the maker of racing and extreme sports–based games. PS2 Shark Attack (Hardware & Peripherals) InterAct Accessories announced the availability of two new PlayStation 2 products in May. The USB SharkHub enables gamers to connect up to four USB devices to each one of the PS2s USB ports. SharkHub is also compatible with PCs, and includes a vertical stand and power adapter. And for those gamers that are tired of fumbling with that ol’ game controller, InterAct has a full–sized, plug–and–play USB keyboard. Sharkboard comes in a translucent black design, complete with function keys and a number pad for easy code entry. The Sharkboard is also ideal for keyboard–compatible PS2 titles such as *Unreal Tournament. NPD’s Top Sellers and VSDA’s Top Renters* (Industry Insights) *Sims House Party Expansion Pack* secured NPD Intelect’s number one spot in a list of the top ten PC titles sold for the week ending April 14. *Black and White, The Sims, Tribes 2, The Sims Livin’ Large Expansion Pack, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Lego Island 2, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, Road Thrills* and *Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2* each captured the remaining nine consecutive placements. Meanwhile, the Video Software Dealers Association’s top five game rentals for the week ending April 22 include *Pokemon Stadium 2* in the top spot once again, followed by *Conker’s Bad Fur Day* and *Paper Mario. All three games are Nintendo 64* titles. *Onimusha: Warlords* and *The Bouncer* rounded off the fourth and fifth positions, on the PlayStation 2. Rage Captures the Eye of the Tiger (Games: Multiplatform) Rage Software secured the rights to publish games for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles, which are based on all five *Rocky* boxing films. The four–year deal with MGM Interactive comes just in time for Rocky’s 25th anniversary, and ties in nicely with MGM’s DVD and VHS special edition releases. No further details have been revealed at this time. Sun Microsystems Offers Static Entertainment (Technology) Sun Microsystems Inc. and Static2358 Ltd. announced the launch of a breathrough broadcast technology that delivers interactive entertainment to digital set–top boxes in the U.K. Static’s PlayJam provides a mixture of interactive games and entertainment including competitions, prizes, jokes and lifestyle features. PlayJam’s content is updated on a regular basis with the help of Sun Microsystems. Static uses Sun’s Enterprise 4500 servers as part of its infrastructure, and has developed the interactive gaming channel based on the Solaris operating platform and Java9 programming language. In addition, Static is also using Sun StorEdge A5100 disk arrays and Sun StorEdge tape libraries for their reliability and scalability. Frigid Strategy Updates (Games: PC) Sybex posted two new updates for *Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter — Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets. In the first download, users will find combined versions of equipment tables for Tools of the Trade, as well as an expanded assortment of descriptions, attributes and abilities for special items. The second online update covers topics such as Conjurer* specialists, Lathander’s shield combo, multiplayer cooperation and cheat codes. In addition, the download provides details regarding the Dale Keeper third–party character editing utility, and a patch for version 1.41. More info. April 25——————————— A Wee Bit of Magical Adventures (Games: Web) Alawar Entertainment has a new shareware arcade title available from GameOverGames. In *Brave Dwarves, a magician and a warrior dwarf have been selected to drive the Great Evil* from their underground kingdom. As one of these courageous dwarves, players must conquer 50 different levels, and defeat some very crafty monsters in the process. Throughout their dangerous adventure, players will need to find Fire, Water, Air and Earth Power Orbs to boost their incantations. However, in order for these Orbs to be used as weapons, diamonds need to be collected. And to advance to the next level, players need to locate three big key diamonds. More info. Apple Arrives in QuickTime (Technology) Apple announced the availability of its *QuickTime 5* software and QuickTime Streaming Server 3. QuickTime 5 is designed for creating, playing and streaming high–quality audio and video over the Internet. QuickTime Streaming Server 3 is Apple’s new version of the standards–based, open source streaming server, and is equipped with Skip Protection. In addition, Apple is demonstrating a preview version of QuickTime with support for industry–standard MPEG–2 and MPEG–4 encoding and decoding. QuickTime 5 for U.S. English versions of Mac OS can be downloaded for free at apple.com, whereas, localized versions of the software, and Apple’s QuickTime Streaming Server 3, will be available in May. Another Attack on Video Games (Industry Insights) Nearly a month after Attorney General, John Ashcroft’s, 30–minute address on youth and violence, families of the victims from the Columbine High School massacre have filed suit against 25 manufacturers and distributors of video technology. The class–action lawsuit was filed last week with the U.S. District Court in Colorado, and marks the two–year anniversary of the school shooting. The victims’ families are seeking $5 billion in punitive damages from companies including AOL Time Warner, Activision, Atari, Capcom Entertainment, GT Interactive, id Software, Midway Home Entertainment, Nintendo of America, Sega of America, Sony Computer Entertainment and Virgin Interactive Media. The families believe that Eric Klebold and Dylan Harris would not have opened fire on their classmates without the influence of such violent games as *Doom, Quake* and *Redneck Rampage. A similar suit, filed after Michael Carneal* killed three Heath High School students in Kentucky, was dismissed last April when a federal court judge determined that video games were not subject to product liability laws. Gatespace Joins the Gamefederation (Industry Insights) Gatespace signed a non–exclusive agreement with Gamefederation that includes coordination of the companies’ software platforms and co–marketing. Adding Gamefederation’s gaming platform functionalities to Gatespace’s OSGi–based Distributed Service Platform enables gateway operators to capitalize on the growing online gaming market. In turn, Gatespace’s platform adds remote management and enhances features to Gamefederation’s gaming platform, which turns traditional PC and console games into interactive on–demand entertainment for wired and wireless devices. E3Expo’s Finalized Roster (Conferences & Expositions) The Interactive Digital Software Association announced the final line–up of speakers and sessions for this year’s E3Expo, May 17–19 in Los Angeles. More than 140 industry leaders will be on hand for the 31 scheduled conferences and workshops, which include a newly added interview with Firaxis Games’ Sid Meier, and a one–on–one discussion with Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. The two sessions were recently included as a result of the show’s *You Asked for It* program. A complete listing of planned events can be found on the E3Expo 2001 web site. Infogrames Serves Peanuts (Games: Handheld) Infogrames, Inc. brings one of the most popular comic strips to life on the Game Boy Color. *Snoopy Tennis* is the first video game for Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Franklin, Sally, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, Rerun, Marcie, Pig Pen and Woodstock under Infogrames’ agreement with United Media. The game features 12 playable and four unlockable Peanuts’ characters; nine total Peanuts–inspired, tournament and squash courts; five game play options; Championship Mode; and two–player head–to–head with Game Link. Snoopy Tennis was developed by Mermaid Studios, and is available now at retail. Beta Testers Wanted (Games: PC) Maximum Charisma Studios is looking for Beta testers for its upcoming RPS anime–styled title, *Fighting Legends. The First Phase* of testing will begin in June, with 1,000 individuals chosen based on their systems’ specs. However, the number of testers needed for the final two phases will increase significantly. Phase Two will begin in July with the help of 5,000 testers, while the Final Phase will require the assistance of 25,00O testers in August. Fighting Legends is currently in Alpha, and is scheduled for release in November. More info. More Games On Command (Games: PlayStation) On Command Corporation added two new PlayStation games for hotel use. *Crash Bash* and *Spyro: Year of the Dragon* will be available in more than 280,000 rooms at such hotels as the Four Seasons, Hyatt, Marriott, Sheraton, Westin and Wyndham. These two new titles join On Command’s existing lineup of games including CTR: Crash Team Racing, Rayman 2, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, Tomb Raider Last Revelation and *You Don’t Know Jack Vol. 2. On Command’s interactive platform provides hotel guests with access to PlayStation games, movies, Internet* access, guest services and business information via their television sets. SMi and New Media Talk Up Online Gaming (Conferences & Expositions) Online gaming is a growing market, with the cost of Internet access continuing to decline and the expansion of WAP and other information networks. In a two–day conference, delegates will discuss these trends, as well as platform design; the use of multichannel platforms and portals for game distribution; and the necessary components of a successful online gaming site. Online Games 2001 will feature key industry speakers from Altitude, Destiny Online, Eidos Interactive, The Games Kitchen, Hotgen Studios, Interactive Digital Software Association, MUSE, nGames, Orange, Smoking Guns Productions, Two Way TV, Unplugged Games, Uproar UK and Wired Realms. Online Games 2001 will be held in London on September 5 & 6. SMi IT and New Media Conferences are producing the event. More info. Cossacks is at War (Games: PC) Strategy First and CDV Software shipped *Cossacks: European Wars* to retail this week. The real–time strategy game depicts more than 85 epic large–scale wars within 16th to 18th Century Europe. Players have the ability to orchestrate their own grandeur battles between 16 nations, with up to 8,000 units and over 80 different unit types to choose from. Each nation is equipped with its own unique military forces and challenges. The game offers both single–player campaigns and online multiplayer action for up to eight players. Cossacks: European Wars is being distributed nationwide by Infogrames. April 24——————————— Voyager’s 3D Recreation (Games: PC) Activision, Inc.’s upcoming *Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force Expansion Pack* will feature the voice of Jeri Ryan, as Seven of Nine. The new add–on enables Trekies to obtain 21 additional multiplayer maps, 12 new models, five new multiplayer game modes and unrestricted access within the ship. In addition, Ryan’s voice–overs can be heard in the new expansion, as well as the original game missions. The speech pack will also be available via a free downloadable patch. More info. Rumble Racers Start Your Engines (Games: PlayStation 2) Electronic Arts shipped *Rumble Racing* for the PlayStation 2. Players can now rumble their way to victory in this arcade–style racing game that features diverse environments, unique muscle cars, short cuts, multi–car pile–ups, difficulty levels, power–ups and a host of stunts. Intel’s Maximum Processing Power Unfolds (Hardware & Peripherals) Intel introduced the company’s highest performance microprocessor for desktop computers yet. The Intel Pentium 4 processor is available now at 1.7 GHz for processing video and audio; exploiting the latest Internet technologies; and displaying 3D graphics. Intel’s OEM customers will begin to launch systems worldwide that are based on the new chip. PopTop’s Island of Political Unrest (Games: PC) PopTop Software and GodGames shipped their latest 3D building, strategy/simulation PC game. *Tropico* utilizes a similar version of the *Railroad Tycoon II* S3D engine, with a heap of political intrigue and a little Caribbean flair. Assuming the role of a newly instated dictator, players oversee all building and resource management, as well as the political, military and population aspects within the island. A Mac version of Tropico will be released in May. PopTop Software and GodGames are both subsidiaries of Take–Two Interactive Software. A Radical Next–gen Boarder (Games: Xbox) Canadian–based developer, Radical Entertainment Inc., has a new mission–based snowboarding title in the works for the Xbox. Although the details are limited at this time, we do know that the game centers around rebel snowboarders who are wreaking havoc on a once quiet and peaceful ski resort. Chief O’Leary, the resident ranger of Mt. Garrick, is hiding something at the summit, and will stop at nothing to keep the boarders contained. Players can free ride the mountain to earn reputation points that boost their status and unlock restricted areas. Radicalxbox.com features preliminary screens for the upcoming game. S&SI Tees Up Extreme–style (Games: Xbox) Simon & Schuster Interactive released details regarding the company’s first Xbox title, *Outlaw Golf. The game features outrageous courses such as the Newark Airport’s* neighboring Newark Municipal Course, and a very sandy green somewhere in the swamps of the Nevada desert. What’s more? The golfers are all country club rejects. Let’s see, there’s Doc Digler with his stripper girlfriends; Killer Miller, an ex–con from Death Row who was released on a technicality; and a host of other social outcasts from an Eminem wannabe to a pimp. Outlaw Golf even has a driving range with golf dart skill building competitions. Players will also find what S&SI refers to as their "scientifically perfected Composure Response System," wherein the better you play, the smoother the controls become, and the worse you play, the harder the controls get. But not to worry, each golfer comes complete with his or her own caddy to beat up in order to regain their lost composure. Outlaw Golf is scheduled to ship in spring 2002, while an action/adventure title will follow soon after. It’s Hidden and Dangerous Out There (Games: PC) Take–Two Interactive announced the release of a sequel to *Hidden and Dangerous* this fall. *Hidden and Dangerous 2* is a first and third–person tactical shooter that builds upon the tremendous success of its predecessor. The original Hidden and Dangerous sold over 500,000 units worldwide, received critical acclaim and achieved numerous awards. Hidden and Dangerous 2 will test gamers’ commanding skills, with more than 20 complex missions over nine different campaigns and multiplayer modes. Individual operations take place in various locales ranging from the lush jungles of Burma to the harsh deserts of Africa. Hidden and Dangerous 2 will be published by GodGames, and developed by Illusion Softworks. Games on Mass–Market Phones (Games: Wireless) TTP Communications PLC developed a platform that will deliver a new generation of wireless games to mobile phone users, games developers, handset manufacturers and network operators. The Wireless Game Engine is an open application programming API, which opens up the entire feature set of a mobile phone to incorporate high quality 3D graphics and sounds. Current versions of mobile game architectures are limited to script language that is executed on virtual machines. WGE utilizes the power of 2.5 and 3G networks, and enables gamers to download new games to their handset, or exchange SMS messages with other players. Versaly’s More Than Games (Games: Wireless) Versaly Games, Inc. partnered with Fictionwise.com to provide eBooks via the web and on mobile devices such as Microsoft’s Stinger smartphone. Versaly subscribers can obtain Fictionwise’s library of eBooks from versaly.com or next–gen mobile phones. While many companies are developing games on existing wireless application protocols (WAP) and phones with small black and white screens, Versaly is publishing electronic games, digital pictures, audio and video clips, short fiction, cartoons and other content for next–gen mobile phones that use the global 3G wireless telecommunications network. Versaly’s President and CEO, Matthew Feldman, believes that entertainment on mobile phones encompasses much more than games. VisionTek’s GeForce3 Pre–order Program (Hardware & Peripherals) VisionTek initiated a retail pre–order program for its GeForce3–equipped graphic accelerator board at Electronics Boutique and Babbages, Etc. The promotion enables hardcore PC gamers to be among the first users to get their hands on this hot new visual–enhancing technology, which is powered by the NVIDIA GeForce3 graphics processing unit (GPU). VisionTek’s board has a suggested retail price of $399.99. April 23——————————— LUNA Patches in at 1.3 (Games: PC) Anarchy Enterprises’ *LUNA: Moon Colony Simulator Beta 1.3* was released earlier this month with a mouse problem. The company has since corrected this issue, as well as a few other bug fixes and game optimizations. The new patch for the upcoming 3D sim/strategy game is available for download at lunagame.com. Redneck Trailer Trash (Games: Web) ARUSH Entertainment will have a new episodic game available for download in May. *Feedn’ Chloe* is full of redneck humor, and is set in rural locations such as Perdy Cistern, Alabama. Players assume the role of Ed the redneck. Ed’s ultimate goal in life is to kill enough squirrels, possum, deer, sheep, bears, rednecks and aliens to feed his extremely large wife, Chloe. The game features an assortment of weapons for Ed to use including a hubcap potato cannon, weed whacker, shotgun and even an old pickup. And if that isn’t bad enough, players will need to be on the lookout for beer power–ups to make them smarter and faster. The first episode of Feedn’ Chloe can be downloaded for free, while each subsequent episode will be available for less than $5. More info. CPL’s International Celebration (Event) The Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) will be hosting its Four Year Anniversary Event from Thursday, June 28 through Sunday, July 2. CPL’s main feature will be a *QuakeWorld* one–on–one competition, with modest cash prizes available for the tournament’s top winners. Most of the activities at the event will center around the Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) area, which accommodates up to 800 computers. In addition, the CPL anniversary event will host the Bawls–sponsored Consummate Computer Competition (C3), wherein personal computers will be judged in two categories — Best Showpiece and Best Performance Tuning. CPL reduced the four–day admission price to $20, and the Hyatt Regency Dallas also agreed to reduce their room rates as well. More info. Criterion’s Games Development Empire (Games: Multiplatform) Empire Interactive licensed Criterion’s multiplatform 2D/3D graphics toolkit. Under the new partnership, Empire will utilize Criterion’s RenderWare Graphics solution for its game development strategy, which initially includes one internal and two third–party titles. *Starsky and Hutch* is among one of the first three games that is based on the ’70s hit–TV show. The PC and PlayStation 2 title is being developed by Minds Eye. In addition, Empire secured worldwide co–publishing rights for *Antz Racing. The game features characters from the Dreamworks* animated film, and is being developed by Supersonic Software for multiple consoles. Hasbro’s Revenue Drops 40 Percent (Industry Insights) Hasbro, Inc. reported its first quarter results. Worldwide net revenues were $463.3 million, compared to a record $773.5 million a year ago. In addition, the net loss for the quarter was $25.0 million, compared to earnings of $15.1 million in 2000, and diluted loss per share was $0.15, compared to earnings of $0.08 in 2000. Hasbro’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Alan G. Hassenfeld, attributed the decline to Pokemon, Furby and the sale of Hasbro Interactive. The company achieved significant progress in their cost savings initiatives, with reductions in all operating expense categories. Beta Testers Wanted (Games: PC) Impressions Games is accepting applications for Beta–testing of their upcoming strategy game, *Zeus Official Expansion: Poseidon. Poseidon is an add–on for Impressions’ popular city–builder, Zeus: Master of Olympus, of which potential testers must already own a copy of the game. Up to 250* Beta testers will be chosen based on system specs, their experience with other Impressions Games products and documentation skills. Selected testers will be notified on May 1, and open Beta begins May 18. Contributing Beta testers will receive pre–release builds of the game for testing and evaluation, as well as boxed copies once the game is finished. More info. Microsoft’s Amped Radio (Games: Xbox) Microsoft released streaming media versions of three songs from its upcoming extreme sports Xbox title, *Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding. The featured songs are from an indie band, The Missing 23rd, and are now available on a special Amped Radio Player* at xbox.com. More music tracks, as well as new screenshots, will be released prior to E3. The Missing 23rd’s songs join other up–and–coming bands, with approximately 150 tracks in the complete Amped soundtrack. Yo Quiero Xbox (Industry Insights) Microsoft Corp. teamed up with the fast food chain, Taco Bell Corp., in Microsoft’s first co–marketing partnership for the Xbox. Taco Bell will provide substantial media support, and will host major in–store promotions for the next–gen’s fall launch. The marketing alliance was orchestrated by GMR Marketing, and is the first in a series of strategic co–marketing relationships designed to facilitate brand awareness and preference for Microsoft’s Xbox. Web Gamers Pull Into Sony’s Station (Games: Web) Sony Online Entertainment’s online gaming web site has reached the 10 million member mark. The Station features a casual online game category that includes *Jeopardy! Online* and *Wheel of Fortune Online; an action game category with Infantry* sci–fi tactical combat and *Cosmic Rift* multiplayer space combat; and hosts premium games such as the popular role–playing PC title, *EverQuest. In addition, upcoming premium games will include PlanetSide, which will be a massively multiplayer first–person Star Wars* shooter, and *Sovereign, a real–time strategy game designed for up to 500* simultaneous players. Registration is free at The Station. Universal Interactive Takes on Publishers (Industry Insights) According to Reuters’ news service, Universal Interactive Studios has announced that the newly–merged company will begin publishing the games it develops for multiple platforms. In addition, UIS will have the right of first refusal to license games based on Universal movies and television programming. UIS’ franchises include Crash Bandicoot, The Grinch, Jurassic Park, The Mummy, Spyro the Dragon and The Thing. Crash and Spyro were previously published by Sony, in an agreement that ended a year ago. UIS will publish new versions of the titles for other platforms including the Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and potentially the PC. UIS became part of a larger company last year, when Seagram Co. merged with Vivendi. Vivendi Universal owns the game portal Uproar Inc., and has a 43 percent stake in USA Networks television programming division. In addition to UIS, the French media giant’s portfolio of entertainment software brands includes Blizzard, Flipside.com and Sierra. Jim Wilson, who previously served as UIS’ Senior Vice President of production, has been named as the new President of UIS. Last week’s news ...back to FGN’s home page.


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