Ubisoft U-play Passport System

JULY 15, 2011 • Ubisoft U-Play will use a DLC passport system for its core game titles. Titles by the publisher purchased used will require a $9.95 fee to access multiplayer matchmaking and additional content if the original code was redeemed. Impact: EA did it. THQ did it. It seems everybody’s going to eventually do it: requiring a new game purchase, or charge second hand purchasers a fee,.....

Amazon Preps Tablet

JULY 14, 2011 • The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon.com will release its own tablet computer by October. Whether the device was developed in-house by the online retailer, or sourced from a third-party manufacturer, was not known. Amazon.com declined to comment on the report. Impact: On the short list of major consumer facing companies that could break into the ever more crowded table.....

New PlayStation 3 Series K Blu-ray Security

JULY 13, 2011 • Newer PlayStation 3s Series K and after, will no longer be able to output Bluray movies to HD TVs via a component cable. To fall in better line with content security standards, such output will only be possible via HDMI cables. High definition game output will still be possible via component cables, however. Despite the change, Sony is not including an HDMI cable with new PS3s. In other news, SCEA announced that it will spend $20 million during .....

Owlient Goes to Ubisoft

JULY 12, 2011 • Another major publisher bent on acquiring free-to-play studio expertise is Ubisoft. The company acquired  Paris-based studio Owlient, which has been has been creating F2P content for six years, and has amassed over 25 million user registrations in that period. Owli.....

Ra. One for India

JULY 11, 2011 • Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is developing a Bollywood-based game for the Indian market. Ra. One – The Game, is based on this fall’s science fiction film starring Shahrukh Khan. The title is a prequel to the movie, with PS2 and PS3 versions in production. Impact: Listen to Sony executives in India and you’ll hear a lot of realism. The potential within the I.....

CCP DUST 514 Charges Upfront

JULY 11, 2011 • Developer CCP says it will charge a “cover fee” that players will have to pay in order to play DUST 514 on the PlayStation 3. The title is primarily a free-to-play experience, yet CCP believes it is important that players get acquainted with the virtual item store for the game. The fee, which will be somewhere between $10 and $20, will immediately be converted into in-game currency. .....

Space Invaders Optioned

JULY 8, 2011 • Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the producer behind the Transformers and G.I. Joe feature films, is part of a team that has optioned the film rights to the Space Invaders arcade game, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Impact: This one has us massaging our foreheads in wonderment. Space Invaders may be ranked the most popular arcade title ever by Guinness World Records, but there is .....

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