Category Archives: XBOX
EA gets exclusive rights to make Star Wars Games. Is Disney trying to save EA?
Electronic Arts and The Walt Disney company today announced a new multi-year exclusive agreement to develop and publish new games based on Star Wars characters and stories.
As part of the agreement, EA will create new Star Wars titles for a “core gaming audience.” These games will span “all interactive platforms” and “the most popular game genres.” Disney, meanwhile, will retain rights to create new Star Wars games for mobile, social, tablet, and online markets.
“Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe,” EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said in a statement. “Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans.”
Battlefield studio DICE and Dead Space outfit Visceral Games are currently making new Star Wars games, joining BioWare, which will continue to support Star Wars: The Old Republic. The new games from DICE and Visceral will run on the Frostbite 3 engine.
“The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay,” Gibeau said.
Financial terms of the EA-Disney deal were not disclosed. EA will report earnings tomorrow after market close, where more information about the deal is expected to be divulged.
Looks to me like two big game studios that are in trouble are trying to save each other. But will consumers and fans buy the product? That remains to be seen.
Credit to GameSpot for breaking this story.
Eden Games “Test Drive dev” Closed by Atari after attempted strike, (Another Example and one step closes to Game Unions?)
Alone in the Dark and Test Drive Unlimited developer Eden Games has closed, the Lyon, France-based studio has confirmed (via Eurogamer).
The studio originally opened in 1998.
The official closure of Eden Games comes nearly a year after studio owner Atari labeled the studio as “discontinued operations,” suggesting its shutdown was not far away.
The studio’s final game was 2011′s warmly received Test Drive Unlimited 2 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Previously developed titles include 2008′s Alone in the Dark and the 2006 original Test Drive Unlimited.
In 2011, Eden Games formed a “symbolic strike” aimed at protesting a wave of forthcoming layoffs at the firm, believed to total as many as 80. A letter from Eden Games claimed “mismanagement” on the part of Atari and noted the publisher was not willing to enter negotiations with the studio.
Minecraft Xbox 360 retail version delayed till June “So Latest Content Can Be Included”
The retail version of Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has been delayed in the United States to June 4. Microsoft announced the news today over Twitter, saying the delay was needed so the “very latest content” could be included.
This content was not specified.
Previously, the retail version of Minecraft for the Xbox 360 was slated to launch in the US on April 30.
The game originally launched through Xbox Live last May, scoring a warm critical reception and selling 6 million units, generating $120 million in revenue.
Time voters recently named Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson the second-most influential person in the world, only behind Egypt’s president Mohamed Morsi.









