News
Sony consider huge 'division' cuts
Major changes afoot in Japan
Apparently, Sony are facing a torrid 2009 as the global economic outlook deteriorates, the electronics giant planning wholesale restructuring of all their operations.
According to a new report from The Times, prompted by Sony insiders, "sacred cow-slaying" is the order of the day with whole divisions facing the chop as well as top bosses and innumerable staff, particularly at Sony's Japanese core.
We're told that "factory closures and the abolition of several major divisions" could be confirmed in February, and while it is unclear which parts of the company are at threat, speculation is mounting that major changes could impact the PlayStation-making Computer Entertainment division.
The PS3 is of course a loss-making venture for Sony at present, conjecture mounting that this could be one area affected, although Sony have reiterated their commitment to the console - which they insist remains on target - despite lagging behind the Xbox 360 in some regions.
Rival console makers Microsoft are also planning large scale cut-backs, although as with Sony it is presently unclear whether these plans will hurt gaming operations.
Wii Sports is best selling game "ever"
Bold claim for Wii's killer app
A new report dramatically claims that Nintendo's Wii Sports is already the best selling game of all time, topping Nintendo's former sales leader Super Mario Bros.
The statisticians over VGChartz claim that the Wii launch title is now the number one game ever released, the sports-themed compilation shifting 40.52 million units since the Wii's debut in November 2006.
Wii Sports is of course bundled with the console in several regions, although it doesn't come with the system automatically in Japan.
Super Mario Bros has sold just over 40 million copies, according to the chart compilers, with their top ten dominated by the Big N for the most part.
Nintendo have yet to confirm Wii Sports' new status.
Interpol for Arcade Wednesday
Make a date with Dr. Chaos
Time waits for no man, and, in way, neither does the Xbox Live Arcade. Yes, Microsoft drop by this afternoon to reveal that Wednesday's XBLA debutant will be Interpol.
Landing at 9am GMT, TikGames' Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos will cost 800 Microsoft Points, and will see players hunting the world in search of the titular doctor.
Apparently, "only your keen eyes and investigative skills stand between the world and Dr. Chaos's evil schemes," so make of that what you will.
"Finally, gamers have the opportunity to play a hidden object game via Xbox Live Arcade and cooperate with other crime-fighting agents globally," offered TikGames' CEO Anatoly Tikhman. "We're very excited to be the first to bring this highly-engaging genre to the platform and fully expect worldwide crime rates to plummet on launch day in response."
Wednesday, my pretties, Wednesday.
Capcom date 2009 releases
RE, SF, DR and, erm, Neopets?
Capcom are planning for a major 2009, and while the games industry recovers from a bumper 2008, the Japanese giant are plotting their releases for the year ahead - revealing release plans for seven upcoming titles.
Flock! for the PSN, PC and Xbox Live Arcade will arrive in February, hitting all three platforms simultaneously. The PS3 and Xbox 360, meanwhile, will be getting Street Fighter IV on the 20th of February.
Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop will also be making it to the Wii on the 27th of February, we're reliably told, with Neopets Puzzle Adventure for the Wii, PC and DS also out on that date.
The long-awaited new Resent Evil will land on the 13th of March, with MotoGP also striking the Wii at top speed in March.
Lastly, Bionic Commando is due out at some point up to the summer, although this scheduling is less specific. More from Capcom soon.
Microsoft will sue over Woolies stock
Retail closure leaves Redmond out of pocket
Closing former UK high street giant Woolworths will be sued by Microsoft, who accuse the bankrupt retailer of effectively taking millions of pounds of videogame stock. We assume this means consoles and games.
According to The Times, Woolworths still have millions of pounds worth of Microsoft's stock in their warehouses, even while the chains store are shutting up shop.
"Under 'retention of title' rules, suppliers can claim back their own stock if it has not been paid for but, more broadly, they can claim stock that has been paid for in lieu of debts," we're reliably informed by the latest word in the British press on this.
A UK household name, Woolworths has been the most prominent casualty of the so-called credit credit crunch, with the last remaining stores closing down this week.
Microsoft celebrate bumper 2008 for Xbox 360
Lewis speaks of epic growth
Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis says that 2008 was a monumental year for the Xbox 360 console, the exec stating that the 'brand' grew faster than its competition over the year, with festive sales the best the platform holder has ever seen.
"2008 saw us grow faster than any of our competitors and we over-achieved in sales during the crucial Christmas selling period," beamed Lewis.
"With eight million consoles sold since we launched, and consistently out-selling PlayStation 3 in EMEA (Europe, Middle-East, Asia), we’re poised to build on this success in 2009.
"This success was only possible through our partnerships with retail and with publishers, with whom we’ve worked closely to build a strong ecosystem in the region and to bring value to our shared customer base."
Apparently, stats prove that 360 was the "fastest growing" system of 2008, with growth accelerating further in the run up to Christmas. Price will also be a focus for Microsoft in 2009, Lewis hints, the console manufacturer conscious of the global slow-down.
TT deny Lego Harry Potter rumours
Lego Rock Band still possible?
TT Games this week deny rumours that the firm are working on a new Lego-based Harry Potter game, after rumours last week that a game based on the boy-wizard could emerge from the firm.
Apparently, a TT insider assured UK site Eurogamer.net that there will be "no Lego Harry Potter" in 2009, while there is also speculation that the developer could instead be plotting a new Indiana Jones title.
Titillatingly, blog VG247 were apparently informed last week that the new Lego game underway at TT is in fact a Lego Rock Band; the studio partnering with EA.
Whatever the new game is, we're told to expect a "surprise".
Kojima demands more competitive team
2009 will be crucial for Japanese studio
Chatting with Famitsu (thanks Develop), veteran game maker Hideo Kojima has admitted that his Konami-backed development team need to improve in order to compete with Western developers.
Kojima Productions is apparently under review, the veteran game maker concerned that Japanese developers are slipping behind.
"I’ve come to understand that the way we’ve made games up until now won’t translate globally. I’ve come to think that I need to make Kojima Productions a team that can compete alongside the rest of the world."
He continues: "I’ve thought a lot about how Western games have been winning, looking it from a global perspective, and there are things that I’ve noticed. We’re currently reviewing everything in order to make Kojima Productions a team that can challenge foreign creators and software houses. Because of that, 2009 is going to be a very important year for us."
More words from the great man soon.
Championship Manager suffers amid epic piracy
Another PC title under attack?
Apparently, Eidos and Beautiful Game Studios' Championship Manager series suffers under the weight of an epic piracy rate in the region of 90%. That's the word from the developer's Roy Meredith, speaking with CVG.
"That’s not just a number in the air, we can measure it and we know that there are a huge amount of pirated copies," explained the general manager.
"There’s a real issue around DRM … I’d love to defeat pirates, but actually, with all this mess on Spore and Football Manager, which I haven’t been able to play this year… I spent about three hours trying to go through this registration process and I really want to play it but I’ve got other things to do with my life.
"There are actually other ways of dealing with piracy too. One is to compete price-wise. We haven’t got to pay royalties to Sony or Microsoft, so we can go into territories and price compete."
Eidos are hoping that 2009 will mark a dramatic resurgence in the series' fortunes, with Football Manager now the market leader by some margin.
Online Shin Megami Tensei enters beta
Free to play MMO available to download now
An open beta for new MMO title Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online is now commencing in Western territories, reports online today reveal.
Those hoping to get a slice of the free online title can check out Aeria's official website, where a copy of the new game can be downloaded.
While many massively multiplayer games are funded by subscription-based business models, micro-transaction based titles have become popular in the East, and this is the approach the new Shin Megami game will take - charging players hard currency for in-game items.
More on this new challenger as we get it.
