Week of July 15, 2007

EA sent out about a dozen new images of SimCity Societies, the latest title in the long-running urban simulator series.

Sega released a new trailer for ,b>Universe at War: Earth Assault, the new RTS in development at Petroglyph.

Download the trailer

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – July 18, 2007 – Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online gaming industry, announced today the redesigned company web site, www.station.com, will host more than twenty free games, a new look and improved functionality. Station.com is the user-friendly main portal for SOE’s games, communities and information. The newly revamped site will host free trials of the majority of SOE’s MMOs; casual games such as PopCap’s Bejeweled® 2, Jeopardy! ® and Wheel of Fortune®; and mobile games such as Q*Bert™, Snoop Dogg Cruisin’, and the recently released God of War™: Betrayal. In addition, the Station Pass has transitioned into a free online game service available to all players.

“As SOE continues to grow its business and acquire a wider variety of titles, it was only appropriate that the Station.com website be redesigned to offer a more user-friendly and immersive experience to our diverse player base,” said Torrie Dorrell, SVP Global Sales & Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. “Players from around the world will be able to obtain news and information surrounding upcoming and live games, visit community sites, download a casual game or two and even check out SOE’s latest offerings for the PLAYSTATION® Store. The site is launching simultaneously in English, French, German and Japanese, with plans to role out more languages, services and games in the coming months.”

Players can obtain a Station.com account for free by simply registering on the homepage. From there they will have access to free online games and trials of SOE’s live games in addition to access to community discussion forums, podcasts and more.

Simultaneously, the Station Pass games have become free. The Station Pass consisted of the full versions of the three casual, online action-based strategy games: Tanarus®, Cosmic Rift™ Online and Infantry Online™. Each of these games has consistently maintained a steady fanbase for the more than five years they have been live, and this transition to a free service will allow new and current players to experience these titles.

New York, NY - July 18, 2007 - Rockstar Games is proud to announce that Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis will be making its way to the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo this Fall.

Developed by Rockstar Leeds in collaboration with Rockstar San Diego, Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis is the perfect Wii gaming experience. Feel the unmatched speed and intensity of the real-life sport with an authentic physics engine and intuitive gameplay that mimics the exhilarating experience found in international competition.

Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis made its debut in May 2006 on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and was met with huge critical acclaim, winning Gamespot's "Best Sports Title" at E3 2006.

"Ever since we released Table Tennis, fans have been asking us to create a Wii version," said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. "By bringing Table Tennis to the Wii and utilizing the motion-sensitive Wii Remote™, a new audience can now experience a game that is beautifully designed and impossible to put down."

Addictive, fast-paced and above all fun, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis is guaranteed to be the must have title for all Wii owners.

For more information please visit http://www.rockstargames.com/tabletennis

Akella sent over seven new exclusive images of Showdown: Scorpion, a first-person shooter in the works by new developer B-Cool Interactive.

CDV released eight new screens of Escape From Paradise City, their action/RTS formerly know as Paradise City.

Raise your hand if you saw this coming...

REDMOND, Wash. — July 17, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Don Mattrick, a former president at Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), will lead the Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB), which includes overseeing the Xbox® and Games for Windows® businesses. Peter Moore, who currently serves as corporate vice president of IEB, has decided to move his family back to the Bay Area for personal reasons and has secured another opportunity in the video games industry.

Mattrick will take over as the senior vice president of IEB at Microsoft, effective July 30. Mattrick was the founder of Distinctive Software Inc., which operated as a private company from 1982 until its merger with EA in 1991. Mattrick held various senior positions within EA, most recently as president of Worldwide Studios, until his resignation in February 2006. In February 2007, Mattrick began working with the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft as an external advisor.

"Peter has contributed enormously to the games business since joining Microsoft in 2003 and we are sad to see him go,” said Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “Since that time, he presided over the global launch of the Xbox 360™, spearheaded a revitalized and rebranded Games for Windows business, and helped steer the console’s ascent.”

Moore has decided to return with his family to Northern California, where they lived until he took the position at Microsoft. Moore will remain at Microsoft to assist in the transition through August and will then return to the San Francisco Bay area.

"While Peter will certainly be missed, we are delighted to have one of the industry’s most talented and passionate veterans on board to lead the business,” Bach said. “Don is well-known and respected throughout the industry for his deep knowledge, technical expertise and management savvy. Under Don’s leadership, the games team is looking forward to embarking on our biggest holiday ever, with a wide-ranging roster of some of the most highly anticipated titles.”

Mattrick brings 23 years of games industry and development experience to the strong Microsoft management team, having helped bring to life such celebrated game franchises as the “Need for Speed,” “Harry Potter” and “The Sims” while at EA.

"Over the past two decades, and the past few months in particular, I’ve worked closely with many of Microsoft’s top leaders and I’ve always been impressed by their talent, passion and commitment,” said Mattrick. “I’m thrilled to join an already strong team that’s delivering truly amazing gaming experiences to customers around the world. I’ve never been more excited about the future of the industry, and firmly believe Microsoft will lead the next great innovations in gaming.”

NCsoft released four images of their latest Guild Wars title, Eye of the North.

FOSTER CITY, Calif., July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the release of Hot Shots Tennis, available exclusively throughout North America for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. Developed by Clap Hanz, the team behind the highly acclaimed Hot Shots Golf(R) franchise, Hot Shots Tennis is a free-wheeling sports action game, designed to provide endless fun for both gaming novices and veteran players alike. Available at $29.99 MSRP, Hot Shots Tennis provides huge entertainment value, offering brisk gameplay, brilliant graphics, and multiplayer action that fans of the series have grown to love. Casual gamers will enjoy the game's pick up and play design, zany characters, and multiple game modes. More seasoned players will uncover a deep feature set that brings a variety of strokes and challenge modes to master.

Los Angeles, CA – July 17th, 2007 – Film, television and video game composer Garry Schyman (www.garryschyman.com) has created the original score for the highly anticipated and innovative first person shooter BioShock developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K Games. Composed in various styles of early twentieth century writing, the music is at times chillingly ominous and at other times deeply beautiful and poignant. BioShock is developed for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC and will be released in North America on August 21, 2007 and internationally on August 24, 2007.

“Garry Schyman’s work for us was incredible from the start in every possible aspect,” said Emily Ridgway, Audio Director at Irrational Games. “From his ability to produce and compose amazingly unique orchestral recordings, all the meanwhile perfectly accommodating the peaks and troughs of game development, Garry really deserves all the praise he gets for the BioShock soundtrack and then some.”

Ken Levine, Creative Director at Irrational Games, attested, “It’s kind of hard to imagine BioShock without Garry’s music. It just wouldn’t be the same game.”

Here are the latest games added to the Wii Shop Channel:

Paper Mario(R) (Nintendo(R) 64, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points)

Balloon Fight(R) (NES(R), 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points)

Silent Debuggers (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points)

Strategy First has released a new patch for Space Empires V, bringing the 4X game to version 1.44. The v1.44 patch fixes a variety of bugs,