Crytek Acquires Black Sea Studios

JULY 21, 2008 • Crytek GmbH acquired Black Sea Studios in Sofia Bulgaria. The latter will operate as a fully-owned owned studio of Crytek. Black Sea is best known for its co-operative multiplayer RTS, WorldShift. Impact:  The generally well-educated technology community in Eastern Europe has proven to be a boon for European and U.S. publishers looking for lower cost margins and high-quality talent. Counted alongside similar trends in Asia, such acqu.....

Logitech Releases Wii Keyboard

JULY 18, 2008 • Logitech will release a wireless $50 keyboard for the Wii in August. In addition to standard keys, the peripheral will include special console keys similar to those found on the Wiimote. The keyboard will likely have particular appeal to players of the upcoming Animal Crossing: City Folk, wh.....

Activision Blizzard’s Thomas Tippl

JULY 18, 2008 • Activision Blizzard is now a reality having passed muster with both shareholders and regulators. The merger creates the largest video game publisher in the business, at least for the near future. That kind of clout is one of the reason why the company felt secure in withdrawing from the Entertainment Software Association, and why DFC wanted to speak with Activision Blizzard chief financial officer Thomas Tippl. Thanks to solid choices in product development, Activisio.....

Wii Best Seller In U.S.

JULY 17, 2008 • As of June 30, the NPD Group reported that the Nintendo Wii had eclipsed the Xbox 360 to become the best selling current-generation console in the U.S. at 10.9 million units. Total U.S. sales of the DS were 20.8 million. June DS sales in the U.S. were 783,000, and Wii sales were 666,000. .....

Konami Sues Over Rock Band

JULY 10, 2008 • Konami Corp. filed a lawsuit against Viacom Inc. claiming the latter’s Harmonix studio violated Konami patents in creating the hit Rock Band. The suit cites 2002 and 2003 patents regarding simulated musical instruments in a music game. Konami is seeking cash compensation and an injunction against Viacom from further selling products based on the patents. Impact: Success has a thousand fathers. Viacom and EA have a huge hit in Ro.....

WALL*E Set For Arabic Markets

JULY 4, 2008 • WALL*E is the first Xbox 360, PS3 or PSP title to be localized for the Arabic market. Based on the Disney Pixar film, the THQ UK title is being distributed in the Middle East by Pluto Games. The accessibility of the content made the game a good bet for distribution in Middle East territories where cultural.....

Silverstar Cuts Staff

JULY 3, 2008 • Empire Interactive parent Silverstar Holdings has ordered staff cuts at the publisher totaling 30% of staff. The goal is to save $3 million per year in cost efficiencies. The majority of the cuts will be accounted for by the sale of Empire’s Razorworks internal studio. .....