New York, NY – October 30, 2008 – The Beatles’ extraordinary music and phenomenal legacy is set to rock across the universe in the form of a video game through an exclusive partnership between Apple Corps Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
This partnership marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. Published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band®, the game will be an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles. The game was creatively conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, and enjoys their full blessing. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE project, will provide his expertise and serve as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.
“The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out,” Sir Paul McCartney said.

Nintendo Reports Record Sales, Increases Shipment Forecasts

Posted on 16 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Nintendo Co., Ltd., today announced in Japan consolidated first-half financial results for the six-month period between April and September 2008, highlighted by record high sales and profits, and increased shipments for the company’s popular Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ video game systems.
Because of the strength of the yen against the dollar and the euro, Nintendo revised its annual forecast for operational, recurring and net profits downward. However, the annual sales forecast of two trillion yen was left intact mainly because the company increased its shipment forecasts for Nintendo DS software (to 207 million from 197 million), Wii hardware (to 27.5 million from 26.5 million) and Wii software (to 200 million from 186 million).
Other highlights announced by Nintendo today include the following cumulative shipment figures from launch through the end of September 2008:

E for All not happening next year

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“Unfortunately, E for All will not be occurring in 2009, as our focus now turns to E3.” – IDG statement

This is sad news, though IDG is obviously placing a lot of effort into next year’s E3. If the changes made to E3 are positive, perhaps it might be worth it than E for All will not occur in 2009.

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Nintendo once again responds to hardcore gamer concerns

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“Nintendo cares a great deal about our core gaming fans who have enjoyed Nintendo products and games for many years, and we continue to develop with this consumer in mind. But what we’ve done, in the simplest terms, is to look at the video game market in a different way. Contrary to some of the feedback I’ve received from game enthusiast media, we have not shifted focus to the casual market, but, rather, have expanded our efforts to include them. Let’s focus the argument on home consoles and Wii. Already we have seen core Nintendo games like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart Wii. And Wii is still less than two years old. Mr. Iwata announced at E3 that the Mario and Zelda teams are working on new games for Wii, and Mr. Miyamoto announced that he’s working on a new Pikmin game. Plus our WiiWare service adds interesting new games each week like World of Goo and Mega Man 9. Additionally, you are seeing core gaming content from key publishers on the Wii platform. Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Call of Duty are great examples. Lastly, we have recently talked about new games coming from Nintendo and 3rd party publishers that will further satisfy the gaming core…” – Denise Kaigler, NOA’s vice president of corporate affairs

I have to agree with Ms. Kaigler at this point. Since Nintendo’s October’s press conference, and even a bit prior to that, many promising projects were revealed. There’s much to look forward to on the horizon. This is only part of Ms. Kaigler’s response, though. You can check out the full statement here.

E3 will be hosted in the Los Angeles Convention Center for the next 3 years

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“There is much to be said about a convention of this magnitude returning to the entertainment capital of the world. The videogame industry is one of the few industries in the nation that continues to show signs of growth, and ESA’s three-year commitment to Los Angeles is a testament to our City’s formidable hospitality and technology sectors.” – Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles

Obvious attempts are being made to restore E3 to a more respectable state, but let’s hope that we’ll see positive results!

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Poll shows Sonic is Britain’s favorite video game character

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Britain really loves Sonic, apparently. A few hundred people living in the UK area were polled and asked what their favorite video game character is. And no – Surprisingly, everyone’s favorite plumber did not take the top spot (though he came pretty close.) Instead, Sonic the Hedgehog was the most popular answer.

Full top 10 list below:

1) Sonic the Hedgehog (24 per cent)
2) Super Mario (21 per cent)
3) Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) (16 per cent)
4) Donkey Kong (11 per cent)
5) Pac Man (10 per cent)
6) Link (The Legend of Zelda) (5 per cent)
7) Max Payne (4 per cent)
8 ) Pikachu (Pokemon) (3 per cent)
9) Niko Belic (Grand Theft Auto series) (2 per cent)
10) Blanka (Street Fighter) (1 per cent)

E3 2009 to see a few changes, will be open to the public

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According to G4, E3 will be returning to some of its old ways. The event will be returning to the Los Angeles convention center and will be held in June rather than July. E3 will run, in 2009, from June 2 to June 4. Best of all, as G4 also noted, E3 2009 will “technically be open to the public.” More news is expected to be released in the coming days.

Dubai Ready to host the first Gaming Expo in the Region

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates. October 19th, 2009. The Dubai World Game Expo will take place this year from October 28 to 30, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. Held in conjunction with Dubai Character & Licensing Fair, the event is considered to be the largest trade show of its kind in the region. The event will be a platform for showcasing a huge variety of electronic and web games. Various workshops on the latest technologies emerging in this sector will be organized during the three-day exhibition.
Strong Participation from Nokia
Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone supplier and a leading supplier of mobile and fixed telecom networks will have a strong presence at the Dubai World Game Expo. Nokia the Platinum Sponsor of the Dubai World Game Summit will showcase its latest innovation in mobile gaming and will present a keynote speech by Kay Gruenwoldt, North American Marketing Manager, Nokia Games Publishing “The Future is Mobile”. On this occasion, Kay Gruenwoldt commented, “We are excited to be providing the keynote at this year’s Dubai World Games Expo, where we will be discussing the rich games experiences developers can create on mobile devices. We will also be providing insights into the types of game innovations we expect to see in the future with the technology that the latest mobile devices can deliver.”

Retro Studios seeking new talent

Posted on 16 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment

It’s been more than a year since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Retro Studios’ latest Wii project, was released. People have been wondering what Retro has been up to – In fact, the question has been whether the company has been up to anything at all. Good news: It’s more than possible that Retro Studios is actively engaged in some sort of development, and if not, the company probably will be doing so soon. Two job postings have been placed online, as Retro Studios is looking to hire a Senior Engineer and Game Designer II/III. The Senior Engineer job description duties include the obligation to “develop systems and content for Nintendo titles” and being “responsible for the development and integration of game systems and tools.” This information does not necessarily indicate that Retro has a new game in development, but the job description for the Senior Engineer is an encouraging sign for the future. It is clear now that the company isn’t just sitting around and taking time off – Retro definitely has something cooking in the kitchen.

TT Games says no LEGO Harry Potter in the works

Posted on 16 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment

“We’re not making one at the moment, but we will have to see what comes out in the future. We will always try to make LEGO Games that people love, so keep your eyes peeled.” – Luk Cashmore, TT Games representative

I can actually imagine a Harry Potter LEGO video game. There’s already Star Wars and Indiana Jones variations, so why not Harry Potter? Obviously though, it’s not happening, but there more LEGO video games will arrive in the future.

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