| | | | Thursday, January 14, 2010 |
| U.S. Video Game Industry Retail Sales Reach $20.2 Billion
Software Sales Experienced 11 Percent Decline When Compared to 2008
According to leading market research company, The NPD Group, U.S. retail sales of video games, which includes portable and console hardware, software and accessories, generated revenues of close to $19.66 billion, an 8 percent decline over the $21.4 billion generated in 2008.
| | Guitar Hero First Videogame With Million Facebook Fans
Activision's Guitar Hero is the first console videogame franchise to surpass 1 million Facebook fans demonstrating the global appeal and passion for the brand that is quickly becoming the next platform for experiencing music and social interaction.
Guitar Hero isthe #1 best-selling third party video game franchise in North America and Europe calendar year to date. Since its release, the franchise has sold more than 38 million units worldwide, including more than 7 million units in calendar 2009 alone, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK.
| | Wednesday, August 19, 2009 |
| Maroon 5 Frontman Adam Levine Takes the Stage as Playable Character in Band Hero
Famed Vocalist and Guitarist to Appear In-Game Rocking Out to Their No. 1 Single,' She Will Be Loved'
Adam Levine, popular guitarist and singer for pop-rock band Maroon 5, will soon be able to add virtual rock star to his repertoire as he prepares to take center stage in Band Hero. When the game hits retail stores in November, family and friends will be able to live out their musical fantasies as they strum, drum and sing along to an exciting collection of songs by some of the most popular bands and artists to ever hit a music game. Levine joins Taylor Swift as an exclusive, in-game playable character by lending his popular likeness to Band Hero. Fans will be able to play as Levine as he rocks out to the Grammy nominated "She Will Be Loved," Maroon 5's hit single from their debut album Songs About Jane, which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and is Gold and Platinum in more than 35 countries.
| | Wednesday, August 5, 2009 |
| Wii Sports Resort Sells More Than 500,000 Units
Nintendo has provided staycations to thousands of people nationwide since the July 26 launch of its Wii Sports Resort game. More than 500,000 units of the game for the Wii console sold in the United States through Aug. 3, according to Nintendo's internal tracking numbers. The collection of 12 fun resort-themed sports lets players of all ages escape to a tropical island for some year-round summer fun. The game comes with one Wii MotionPlus accessory, which brings unmatched accuracy to games that have been specially designed for it.
| | SEGA Announces Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll
Experience Monkey Ball Like Never Before with AiAi and Friends Using the Wii Balance Board
SEGA today announced that Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll, the amusing and exhilarating party game will be available exclusively for Wii. The loveable characters from the original Super Monkey Ball, AiAi, MeeMee, GonGon and Baby, are back with all new mind-blowing puzzles and party games specifically designed to fully utilize the Wii Balance Board accessory and the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Currently in development at SEGA Studios Japan, Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll adds a dynamic level of interactive gameplay with the use of the Wii Balance Board while still remaining true to the original franchise with zany level design.
| | Monster Hunter Tri Going West
Four-Player Online Co-Op, 2-Player Split-Screen and New Underwater Environments Introduced When Japanese Phenomenon Comes To North American and European Markets in 2010
Capcom today announced that Monster Hunter Tri will be released in both North America and Europe for Nintendo’s Wii system in early 2010. Monster Hunter Tri will set a new bar in the action/adventure genre with the introduction of new features and game play elements as the multi-million unit selling franchise makes its debut on the Wii system.
| | Jay-Z, Eminem and DJ Hero Bring DJ Culture to Gaming
Innovative Partnership Includes Special Edition Featuring Music CDs from Both Artists
Jay-Z and Eminem - two of the music industry's most influential and successful artists - will join DJ Hero), the highly-anticipated new game that is bringing DJ culture and new music genres including hip-hop, electronic, R&B and soul music to the successful Guitar Hero platform, Activision announced today.
| | Megan Fox in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Video Game
Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Peter Cullen and Frank Welker Return to Provide Voice-Over Performances
Activision has assembled an all-star cast for the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game, including the film's leads Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox, who will reprise their starring roles in the game, and fan favorites Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, the voices of OPTIMUS PRIME and MEGATRON from the original animated series. In the new game, developed under license from Hasbro, players are thrust into an adrenaline-pumping battle to defend Earth from a DECEPTICON attack that threatens mankind.
| | Wednesday, March 11, 2009 |
| AMD Ships 50 Million Graphics Processors for the Wii
ATI ‘Hollywood’ graphics processor firmly establishes its position as most popular AMD GPU for consoles to date
AMD announced that the 50 millionth ATI ‘Hollywood’ graphics processor for the Wii game console from Nintendo shipped today. With 50 million units delivered, the ATI graphics processor code-named ‘Hollywood’ becomes the most successful AMD game console chip to date in terms of unit sales.
| | Wednesday, February 11, 2009 |
| Covert Mission to Create Action-Packed G.I. JOE Video Game
G.I. JOE Set to Invade All Major Video Game Platforms in Summer 2009
Electronic Arts today announced that development is underway to bring Hasbro’s legendary G.I. JOE brand to all major console and handheld gaming platforms in summer 2009 to coincide with the theatrical release of the G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA live-action movie from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, which opens in theaters August 7, 2009. EA will unveil a “first look” of the G.I. JOE video game at Hasbro’s Showroom at Toy Fair on February 15-17, 2009 in New York City.
| | Thursday, January 8, 2009 |
| Square Enix Signs Exclusive Distribution Agreement with Ubisoft
Agreement to Strengthen Square Enix’s Product Lineup and Diversify Japanese Game Market
Square Enix today announced that Square Enix and Ubisoft Japan entered into an exclusive distribution agreement under which Square Enix is entitled to distribute Ubisoft games exclusively in Japan starting April 2009.
| | EA Licenses NVIDIA PhysX Technology
NVIDIA PhysX Technology Made Available as a Development Platform for EA’s Global Studios
NVIDIA today announced that Electronic Arts has licensed NVIDIA PhysX technology as a development platform which will be available for EA’s studios worldwide. NVIDIA PhysX technology is the world’s most pervasive development platform for physics acceleration in interactive entertainment.
| | Tuesday, September 23, 2008 |
| Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Sells 1.5 Million Units
Becomes Fastest-Selling Star Wars Game of All Time
After less than one week on store shelves worldwide, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is on track to become the best-selling Star Wars game of all time. LucasArts today announced that more than 1.5 million customers worldwide have purchased Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, making it both the fastest-selling Star Wars game and LucasArts game ever.
| | Sega Announces Sonic and the Black Knight
A new addition to the Storybook Series of Sonic Titles
SEGA today announced Sonic and the Black Knight, an all-new Wii-exclusive adventure. Part of the storybook series of games that began with Sonic and the Secret Rings, this new title brings Sonic into the world of Arthurian legend and offers the world’s most famous blue hedgehog the chance to become a knight. Using the unique Wii control system, this exciting game will take advantage of both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk to offer an interactive experience that Sonic fans will love.
| | InvenSense IDG-600 Motion Sensing in Nintendo Wii MotionPlus
World's Leading Multi-axis MEMS Rate Gyroscope Enhances Performance of Latest "Wii MotionPlus" Accessory
InvenSense, a leading provider of MEMS-based motion sensing solutions for image stabilization, dead reckoning navigation, 3D remote control, and gaming devices, today announced that its IDG-600 multi-axis MEMS rate gyroscope has started shipping in mass production quantities to Nintendo for its Wii MotionPlus accessory. Gesture based interfaces are quickly becoming the standard for many feature-rich consumer electronic products. Utilizing InvenSense’s unique motion sensing capabilities, customers of the new generation of Wii MotionPlus controllers will enjoy an immersive gaming experience with motion control never before possible in a video game. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player's arm position and orientation. In the new Wii Sports Resort product from Nintendo, for example, the ability to throw a disc through the air and control the angle of flight is now possible.
| | Activision Wee 1ST Brand Focused on Titles Designed for Wii
"Wee 1ST" Games Will Hit Shelves This Holiday Season
Activision today unveiled a new consumer initiative to expand the company's Wii portfolio this Fall. Dubbed "Wee 1ST", the brand highlights the company's games that were developed specifically with the Wii in mind.
| | Guitar Hero: On Tour Sets Sales Record
Activision's Largest Nintendo DS Launch
Activision today announced Guitar Hero: On Tour has sold in excess of 300,000 units in North America in the first seven days since its launch, making it the largest North American launch for the Nintendo DS in the company's history by more than a factor of eight. In addition, Guitar Hero: On Tour's performance ranks it as one of Activision's top 5 best-selling launches of any title on any platform in the company's history.
| | Call of Duty: World at War Enlists for New Battles
Expanding Its Theater of Operations to the Pacific, Latest Title in Hit Franchise Poised to Re-Define the WWII Experience
Leave your packs and bring extra ammo, Activision and Treyarch announced today that they will be taking Call of Duty players deep into the South Pacific and European theaters this fall for Call of Duty: World at War, a gritty fight that will pit players against enemies that know no surrender and show no mercy. Utilizing the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War throws out the rulebook of war to transform WWII combat through a new enemy, new tactics and an uncensored experience of the climatic battles that gripped a generation. As U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers, players will employ new features like cooperative gameplay, and weapons such as the flamethrower in the most chaotic and cinematically intense experience to date.
| | Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 for Biggest Losers on Wii
Introducing the First Game to Integrate a Celebrity Fitness Trainer with the Wii System and the Ground-Breaking Wii Balance Board
Shed the extra weight while having fun! Majesco Entertainment, an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, is partnering with celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels, the strength trainer and life coach on the popular television series "The Biggest Loser," and Interactive Game Group to deliver the first Wii game that combines a celebrity fitness trainer and the motion-based Wii system and Wii Balance Board accessory--Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009. Integrating a tiered fitness regimen, expert advice and exercise techniques from the charismatic Jillian Michaels, the game delivers a focused workout that will help players reach their own personal fitness goals.
| | Experience Kung Fu Awesomeness with the Kung Fu Panda Video Game
Activision is bringing a unique blend of humor and action to gamers with the release of Kung Fu Panda, the video game based on DreamWorks Animation's highly anticipated feature film. In order to become the Dragon Warrior and defeat the ultimate enemy, Tai Lung, players engage in kung fu moves and master the unique fighting style of unlikely hero Po the Panda and experience the legendary moves of Shifu, Po's Teacher, and the Furious Five - Monkey, Tigress, Viper, Mantis and Crane.
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