Disney Interactive cuts jobs

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Disney Interactive is currently downsizing, apparently in a pretty substantial way, as nearly half of its 700 member staff may be getting the boot. Disney calls the layoffs a “restructuring process” in its statement. Variety reports that many were anticipating the layoffs as many key players left the division last year, including Graham Hopper, who spent the last eight years building the studio into a formidable entity in the gaming industry. New talent is coming in to upper management, including John Pleasants, CEO of Playdom, which Disney acquired last year. Disney’s current CEO Bob Iger said Pleasants would “focus on turning those businesses into profitability” and “diversifying our presence in the business, so we’re not reliant on one platform that’s obviously facing challenges.”

While terms can have multiple connotations in the business context, he may be referring to last year’s Epic Mickey, which released exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, a console that is notoriously difficult for third party developers to find success on. Epic Mickey was panned critically, but is apparently the fastest selling game in Disney Interactive’s history, pushing 1.3 million copies last December.

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XBL Marketplace MEGA Sale on 2K/Rockstar Content

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Ryan Littlefield

Major Nelson’s blog has the report: The XBL Marketplace has more content on sale right now than you can shake your virtual fist at (sorry, Kinect joke)!

If you’ve been stingy about buying add-on content like I have, now’s your time to take advantage! Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare pack is discounted, along with Borderlands and Grand Theft Auto IV content. The complete list is after the break and the sale ends January 31st. Save yourself some money by spending some money!… Go figure.

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

New Resistance novel coming; Resistance 2 spoilers unavoidable

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Nicole Kline

In case you hadn’t already had the ending of Resistance 2 spoiled for you in every single description of Resistance 3, I’m going to spoil it for you right now. Nathan Hale is dead. Now that it’s out of the way, I can tell you about Resistance: A Hole in the Sky, which fills in the gaps in the story between the end of the second game and the beginning of the third game. The book, written by William C. Dietz (who you may remember from Resistance: The Gathering Storm), will detail what Joseph Capelli was up to before the start of the third game’s story, and it will be released this summer, giving you plenty of time to read it before the game launches.

Speaking of the game, according to the PlayStation Blog, Insomniac Games is hard at work on both Resistance 3 and Ratchet and Clank All 4 One. There’s an upcoming media demo in London followed by GDC in San Francisco. There will also be screenshots, gameplay video, and…get this…some hands-on time for the press. I’ll be jealously covering it from the East Coast.

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Final Fantasy XIII-2, Versus XIII, Type-0 detailed in Dengeki

Posted on January 25, 2011 by John Scalzo

Andriasang has dug deep into the latest issue of Japanese gaming Dengeki PlayStation and unearthed a ton of new details about most of the titles Square Enix had on display at their 1st Production Department Premier event last week.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 will take place after the end of Final Fantasy XIII in Gran Pulse. According to the magazine, the sequel will be “more dark and mysterious” and will focus on the goddess Etro.

Final Fantasy Type-0, the PSP game formerly known as Agito XIII, will feature a heavy focus on magic. The Dengeki report reveals that the game’s theme revolves around the theme of “Magic in Action” which basically states that swords and axes are good in a pinch, but magic is your real weapon.

Finally, Final Fantasy Versus XIII got short shrift once again. Director Tetsuya Nomura revealed that Versus XIII won’t be released until after XIII-2 and Type-0, but he did say we might learn more about it at E3.

For the full info dump on all three titles, be sure to check out the Andriasang report.

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DLC already announced for Dead Space 2

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Dead Space 2 isn’t even a day old yet, but the screaming, horrifying newborn already has DLC coming. Visceral Games announced Dead Space 2: Severed, which will include two stand-alone single player chapters featuring Gabe Weller and Lexine Murdock, characters from Dead Space: Extraction. The story will run parallel to that of Isaac Clarke’s in Dead Space 2, but you will instead be in Weller’s shoes as the Sprawl Security Guard fights to get himself and Murdock to safety.

In case that wasn’t enough excitement for you, the original Dead Space also just launched for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Developed by Iron Monkey Studios in close conjunction with Visceral Games, this portable Dead Space promises to be just as terrifying as the full retail games have been. Dead Space is available now at the iTunes store.

So, let’s see… Dead Space 2 is out; DLC was announced for it; there’s an iPhone game; Dead Space: Extraction is available on the PSN and is also included in the PlayStation 3 version of Dead Space 2; the new animated movie, Dead Space: Aftermath, came out today; and the Dead Space Rig Backpack is scheduled to ship soon. It’s like a Necromorph Christmas in January.

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Atlus bestows Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga unto Xbox 360

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Ryan Littlefield

After roughly two years of near-silence on Microsoft’s action-RPG-laden console, Atlus graciously announced their triumphant return to the Xbox 360 yesterday, through the publishing and release of Focus Home Entertainment’s Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga.

The game will be released on April 12 and contain all of the expansions and DLC that Atlus has released for Divinity II so far. In a somewhat extensive quote from Aram Jabbari, Manager of Public Relations and Sales at Atlus, he detailed the package as follows:

“With Ego Draconis, the original Divinity II adventure now enhanced to live up to its original promise, and Flames of Vengeance, the tale’s rousing finale, Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga for Xbox 360 system stands as one of the most expansive console action RPG experiences of all time. Comprehensive in its content, extensively remastered based on community feedback, and unflinching in its grand scope and ambition, this complete set offers roleplaying fans over 100 hours of intense action, unique quests, a fully realized fantasy world to explore, and the unmatched thrill of taking to the skies as a powerful dragon. There’s no better or more entertaining way to mow down dozens of your enemy’s troops than with searing blasts of flame from your mouth. Believe us: we’ve tried.”

As always, Atlus plans to bundle the game with its soundtrack, satisfying the thirst of Atlus fans everywhere.

Throughout 2011, Atlus’ presence on the Xbox 360 will remain prevalent, with the upcoming releases of The Cursed Crusade, Catherine, and Rock of Ages.

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Daily Scoop: January 25, 2011 – Stand-Alone Software edition

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Today’s Daily Scoop is a bit on the skimpy side, I’m afraid. All I’ve got for you is today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in Video Games, which is a bunch of stand-alone software. You can get Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock for $29.99 for the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3. For $24.99, you can pick up the Tony Hawk: Shred, also for each of the three consoles.

Yawn.

At least Dead Space 2 is out today! I’m patiently waiting for my Plasma Cutter to arrive. And did anyone else pre-order the Dead Space Rig Backpack? I’m less patient about that getting here.

O_o.

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Dead Space: Aftermath dismembers your DVD player today

Posted on January 25, 2011 by John Scalzo

Have you been spending your day dismembering necromorphs in Dead Space 2? When you’re ready for a break, you might want to check out Dead Space: Aftermath, the latest animated movie based on the game series.

Available on DVD and Blu-ray today, Aftermath continues the story from Dead Space and tells the tale of the USG O’Bannon (fun fact: Alien was written by Dan O’Bannon), the first ship to answer the distress signal on Aegis VII. The same creative team responsible for the first animated film based on the series, Dead Space: Downfall, have stepped back behind the camera for Aftermath.

Here’s a trailer in case you need more convincing:

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