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Rumor: Battlefield 3 Premium Coming in June

18/05/2012 / owner / No comments

Sigh. Battlefield 3 is not only ditching the massive maps and vehicles that define the franchise in the upcoming Close Quarters map pack, er, sorry, Close Quarters “expansion,” it appears Electronic Arts is once again following in Activision’s footsteps with a premium, paid, Call of Duty Elite-like Battlefield 3 service. Following up on its rumor report, fan site Battlefieldo claims it has received confirmation Battlefield 3 Premium is real and set for launch on June 4.

Electronic Arts and DICE have yet to confirm or deny a BF3 paid service is in the works, but really, does anyone think it isn’t? Battlefieldo, citing “multiple sources all saying the same thing” says it will officially launch on June 4 alongside a double XP weekend for PC players.

What will EA gladly take your money for? According to Battlefieldo, BF3 premium contains all five Battlefield expansion packs, early access to those packs, new camos, and exclusive in-game items.

I can’t help but remember the comments DICE Senior Producer Patrick Bach made about charging for Battlefield maps back in 2010 when the $15 CoD map pack became the norm: “We don’t ever want to charge for our maps and insisted to EA that this attitude was crucial when it came to keeping our community happy and playing together. We’re owned by EA but we’re still very much DICE.”

Guess this means DICE isn’t DICE anymore.

No word on Battlefield Premium pricing yet, but if EA continues to imitate Activistion, it will be $50 for an annual subscription. We’ve contacted DICE and EA seeking comment. We’ll update this post with any response.

Article source: http://feeds.gamespy.com/~r/gsfeeds/all/~3/TUIU9Wqia40/1224747p1.html

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: Activision, Battlefield, Battlefield maps, Battlefieldo, Call, Close Quarters, Electronic, Electronic Arts, Expansion, franchise, June, Senior Producer Patrick Bach, site

Report: Battlefield 3 Premium Coming in June

18/05/2012 / owner / No comments

What will EA gladly take your money for? According to Battlefieldo, BF3 premium contains all five Battlefield expansion packs, early access to those packs, new camos, and exclusive in-game items.

Guess this means DICE isn’t DICE anymore.

Article source: http://feeds.gamespy.com/~r/gsfeeds/all/~3/TUIU9Wqia40/1224747p1.html

Nascar the Game: Inside Line racing this fall

17/05/2012 / owner / No comments

Activision and developer Eutechnyx are returning to the racetrack this fall. This morning, Activision announced Nascar the Game: Inside Line, a new licensed racing title due out later this year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

Eutechnyx is circling the oval again with Nascar the Game: Inside Line.

In development at United Kingdom-based studio Eutechnyx, the title will feature various Nascar Sprint Cup Series drivers, teams, and cars, as well as 23 licensed racetracks. Additionally, Nascar the Game: Inside Line adds a career mode and new online features, which include “realistic race weekends.”

Nascar the Game: Inside Line is a sequel to Nascar 2011: The Game, which shipped to a tepid reception for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii in March 2011. That title was the first to come of Eutechnyx’s hold on the Nascar license.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/nascar-the-game-inside-line-racing-this-fall-6377255

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: Activision, career, development, Eutechnyx, Game, Inside Line, licensed racing, morning, Nascar, Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, studio

Nascar The Game: Inside Line racing this fall

17/05/2012 / owner / No comments

Activision and developer Eutechnyx are returning to the racetrack this fall. This morning, Activision announced Nascar The Game: Inside Line, a new licensed racing title due out later this year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

Eutechnyx is circling the oval again with Nascar The Game: Inside Line.

In development at United Kingdom-based studio Eutechnyx, the title will feature various Nascar Sprint Cup Series drivers, teams and cars, as well as 23 licensed racetracks. Additionally, Nascar The Game: Inside Line adds a career mode and new online features, which include “realistic race weekends.”

Nascar The Game: Inside Line is a sequel to Nascar 2011: The Game, which shipped to a tepid reception for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii in March 2011. That title was the first to come of Eutechnyx’s hold on the Nascar license.

Article source: http://asia.gamespot.com/news/nascar-the-game-inside-line-racing-this-fall-6377255

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: Activision, Eutechnyx, Inside Line, licensed racing, Nascar

Unsealed testimony alleges Activision tried to spy on ex-Infinity Ward heads

17/05/2012 / owner / No comments

A number of unsealed documents from the upcoming trial between Activision and a group of ex-Infinity Ward developers have revealed a testimony that alleges the publisher launched an internal investigation against lead plaintiffs Jason West and Vince Zampella.

A new testimony alleges Activision tried to spy on ex-Infinity Ward developers.

The documents–made public this week by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle–contain the testimony of Activision’s former senior director of information technology, Thomas Fenady. As reported by Giant Bomb and The Los Angeles Times, Fenady’s testimony alleges that Activision’s in-house lawyer, George Rose, asked him to spy on West and Zampella by accessing their work emails, voice mails, and computer files.

According to Fenady, who left Activision in 2009, Rose told him the decision to investigate West and Zampella came from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. The testimony also alleges the objective–known as “Project Icebreaker”–was begun with the aim of building evidence against West and Zampella, but that efforts to monitor the personal correspondence of the developers, which included using outside parties, were unsuccessful.

Other documents unsealed by Judge Elihu Berle in the case include a plan documenting bonuses from West and Zampella’s initial agreement in 2003, as well as a memorandum of understanding from 2008, explaining the extension of the developers’ initial contract.

According to the LA Times report, the documents form part of the contract that Activision had with West and Zampella and the 40 other game developers involved in the lawsuit, laying out the money that Activision owes the developers in royalties and bonuses.

Activision claims that it fired West and Zampella because they were secretly planning to start their new studio with the help of Electronic Arts, while still employed by the Call of Duty publisher. West and Zampella claim that the real reason they were fired was so Activision wouldn’t have to pay them millions of dollars in royalties associated with Modern Warfare 2. Beyond the performance-based payout and any other court-awarded monetary damages, West and Zampella are seeking to gain co-ownership of the Modern Warfare brand. If successful in court, West and Zampella would have the right to create and release both old and new instalments in the Modern Warfare franchise.

According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Activision has dropped the $400 million claim against EA, which originally made up part of its lawsuit against West and Zampella.

Although the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, Bloomberg reported that EA will now be removed from the upcoming trial, set to take place on May 29.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/unsealed-testimony-alleges-activision-tried-to-spy-on-ex-infinity-ward-heads-6377227

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: Activision, Contract, ex, game developers, Jason West, Judge Elihu Berle, lead, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Modern, number, testimony, Thomas Fenady, Times, Vince Zampella, Zampella

Respawn skipping E3 again

16/05/2012 / owner / No comments

This developer is useless,only recognition they ever got was simply because CoD “hate” was extremely popular at the moment of their forming,and Activision was being vilified for every single move they made…

In the end,Activision is a much more respectable company than EA,they only found a perfect FPS formula,and are fulfiling the market’s demand for it.They don’t force you into anything,map packs,Elite,etc,nothing is shoved down your throat,all is optional.Ppl pay for that only because they find CoD very fun,and enjoy playing it…

Activision constantly pushes CoD’s biggest strength,accessibility.They don’t bother you with any crap,for example,there aren’t even Online Passes for used CoD copies.You just jump in and play…

Oh,and for those who consider Zampella and West some sort of “heroes”,keep in mind they are a part of a legal battle you know very little about,except for some news articles released to the public…

Lastly,before “Ur a CoD fanboy” repllies start pouring in,I’m not a CoD player,I don’t play the game,but I don’t “hate” on it either.I simply give my money to other developers whose products I find appealing…

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/respawn-skipping-e3-again-6377127

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: Activision, COD, crap, fun, moment, Recognition, Respawn, strength

Devil’s Third in purgatory at THQ

16/05/2012 / owner / No comments

Yulaw2000 well technically speaking I was looking forward to it, I wanted to see what it was all about first, but I can understand THQ stand, they spent quit alot on it, it been in development for a long time, Itagaki wasn’t showing the game or any sort of progress at all (to us at least), players really lost interest, only those who know Itagaki may still remember it, not to mention a new engine, the trouble THQ is going through and the whole next year coming out in 2014/2015, it seems they got their hand full, Itagaki needs to show his game if he ever want it published, he need to show that it is amazing, maybe there is hope like how Activision cancelled True Crime Hong Kong but Square Enix got it and is publishing it as Sleeping Dogs, THQ is a good company they are still trying to support Itagaki and his game, I hope they come around and publish it themselves, at least show it at E3 see the reception and then decide if it worth it or not.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/devils-third-in-purgatory-at-thq-6376819

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: Activision, alot, Crime, development, Itagaki, progress, sort, Square, THQ

Activision aware gamers want ‘better-looking’ Call of Duty

15/05/2012 / owner / No comments

Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia is aware of the fan excitement for a “better-looking” Call of Duty and wants players to know that the engine running his studio’s upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops II features advancements over the technology that ran the original Black Ops.

Black Ops II is sticking with the same game engine, but this isn’t a bad thing, says Lamia.

“Engines, each time they get touched, they change,” he said in an interview with Activision’s One of Swords blog. “The creators alter them; they don’t modify what they don’t need to, and then they alter what they need to. You can’t make a competitive product if you’re not upgrading that engine along the way.”

Concerning what is specifically new to the Black Ops II game engine, Lamia said the team focused on visuals and lighting advancements.

“I think what people are asking for is for us to push. They want us to make a better-looking game; they want things. I don’t think those are things people can’t ask for. We asked ourselves that very same question–we wanted to advance the graphics. I think the questions are valid. The answer may not need to be an entirely new engine, but you might need to do an entire overhaul of your entire lighting system. The trick is, we’re not willing to do that if we can’t keep it running at 60 frames per second–but we did that this time. So this is the Black Ops II engine.”

Call of Duty: Black Op II is due out for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 13. The game will feature a campaign split in two. One half of the adventure will pick up immediately following the events of the original Black Ops, with players following the journey of Frank Woods. The other half of the campaign begins in the year 2025, a time when advanced weapon technologies rule supreme.

For more on Black Ops II, check out GameSpot’s latest preview.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/activision-aware-gamers-want-better-looking-call-of-duty-6376787

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: Activision, Black Op, Black Ops, Call of Duty, Lamia, Mark Lamia

Activision pays $42 million to ex-Infinity Ward members

15/05/2012 / owner / No comments

Reports have surfaced today on both Polygon and Gamasutra claiming that Activision has paid a sum of $42 million to a group of 40 former Infinity Ward members implicated in an upcoming lawsuit with the Call of Duty publisher.

Activision wants to focus its efforts entirely on ex-Infinity Ward heads West and Zampella.

According to the reports–both of which cite an anonymous source close to the case–Activision paid the $42 million to the group representing former Infinity Ward heads Vince West and Jason Zampella after reviewing the evidence for the ongoing lawsuit over West and Zampella’s 2010 firing, and subsequent establishment of Respawn Entertainment with Electronic Arts.

Both Polygon and Gamasutra reported that the sum paid by Activison is not part of a settlement.

Instead, the sum is what the publisher believes the former employees are owed after reviewing trial evidence and reportedly finding that it does not implicate the group’s 40 members. It is reported that Activision will now focus its legal efforts entirely on West and Zampella.

In March this year, Activision scored a partial victory in the suit, when a judge dismissed one of two fraud claims brought against the publisher by West and Zampella.

Activision claims that it fired the pair because they were secretly planning to start their new studio with the help of Electronic Arts, while still employed with the Call of Duty publisher. West and Zampella claim that the real reason they were fired was so that Activision wouldn’t have to pay them millions of dollars in royalties associated with Modern Warfare 2. Beyond the performance-based payout and any other court-awarded monetary damages, West and Zampella are seeking to gain co-ownership of the Modern Warfare brand. If successful in court, West and Zampella would have the right to create and release both old and new installments in the Modern Warfare franchise.

According to the reports, the trial is set to take place on May 29.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/activision-pays-42-million-to-ex-infinity-ward-members-report-6376776

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: Activision, Call, Electronic, Electronic Arts, establishment, evidence, ex, firing, Gamasutra, Infinity Ward, Jason Zampella, Modern, Respawn Entertainment, Vince West, Zampella

Prototype 2 tops dismal April sales

11/05/2012 / owner / No comments

Prototype 2 has followed in its predecessor’s footsteps, right down to the part where it tops the sales charts during a brutal month for the industry as a whole.

When entering a fight, always lead with the chest.

The NPD Group today released its US retail sales charts for the month of April, revealing Prototype 2 as the best-selling piece of software during a month that saw total game industry sales at stores down 32 percent year-over-year. The original Prototype topped the sales charts for its launch month of July 2009, during which industry-wide sales declined 31 percent.

Beyond Prototype 2, the only April releases to hit the chart were Kinect Star Wars and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings – Enhanced Edition for the Xbox 360. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 also debuted on the charts, though it was released at the very end of March. The best-selling catalog title was Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which rebounded from its eighth-place finish in March.

On the hardware front, the Xbox 360 was the best-selling console for the 16th straight month, with Microsoft confirming it sold 236,000 systems in April. The Kinect Star Wars bundle system was particularly popular, with the NPD Group attributing the premium-priced package with helping to boost the average selling price of game hardware year-over-year. Despite that boost, hardware sales were still down 32 percent to $189.7 million.

“I think what the new physical retail content sales reflect a very light release schedule in terms of the amount of compelling new games,” NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement accompanying the numbers. “Last April, the top seven titles outsold the top-selling title this year, and, simply stated, there were notably fewer new market introductions. I think it’s [as] simple as that because when we see compelling content come into the market, the games are still selling as well as ever–we just saw a lot less this April as compared to last.”

APRIL 2012 US GAME SALES
OVERALL DOLLAR SALES
Total consumer spend (rentals, used sales, digital estimates included): $1 billion
Total retail sales: $630.4 million (-32%)
Non-PC hardware: $189.7 million (-32%)
Non-PC software: $292.1 million (-42%)
Total software: $307.2 million (-42%)
Accessories: $148.6 million (+1%)

TOP 10 GAMES FOR APRIL 2012
Title (Platforms) – Publisher
1. Prototype 2 (X360, PS3) – Activision
2. Star Wars Kinect (X360) – Microsoft
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360, PS3, Wii, PC) – Activision
4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (X360, PS3) – Electronic Arts
5. NBA 2K12 (X360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC) – Take-Two
6. The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings – Enhanced Edition (X360) – Warner Bros.
7. Mario Party 9 (Wii) – Nintendo
8. Mass Effect 3 (X360, PS3, PC) – Electronic Arts
9. Just Dance 3 (Wii, X360, PS3) – Ubisoft
10. MLB 12: The Show (PS3, PSV) – Sony

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/prototype-2-tops-dismal-april-sales-6376131

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: Activision, Call, hardware, Kinect, Modern, NPD, NPD Group, percent, PGA, Prototype, sales charts

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PlayFTW! | Play For The Win!

Tag Archive for Activision

Rumor: Battlefield 3 Premium Coming in June

Report: Battlefield 3 Premium Coming in June

Nascar the Game: Inside Line racing this fall

Nascar The Game: Inside Line racing this fall

Unsealed testimony alleges Activision tried to spy on ex-Infinity Ward heads

Respawn skipping E3 again

Devil’s Third in purgatory at THQ

Activision aware gamers want ‘better-looking’ Call of Duty

Activision pays $42 million to ex-Infinity Ward members

Prototype 2 tops dismal April sales

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