Future Publishing has confirmed it is to sell or close a number of titles in its portfolio, but all games titles are currently safe.

"We are exploring options to sell titles, but none are from the games portfolio," confirmed a spokesperson for the company.

Managing director Robert Price sent an email to all staff this afternoon detailing reasons for the refocus.

"Against a backdrop of challenging market conditions currently faced by all publishers, we simply cannot afford to invest on all fronts, so these changes enable us to support our core print businesses and our planned areas of expansion mid-term, particularly online," he said.

"A number of magazines will be sold or closed," said Price. Titles singled out include DJ, Total Mobile, Digital Camera Shopper and Home Entertainment Week.

Future publishes a range of videogame magazines, including Edge, GamesMaster, Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine and PC Gamer. ...

Microsoft has confirmed its software line-up for the Christmas period, promising a bumper crop of games for the Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

Retailers and consumers alike will be able to get their hands on a wealth of next-generation titles, with 360-exclusive Gears of War leading the charge in Europe on November 17th.

Other titles ready for the holiday season include the third outing for Activision's number one 360 title Call of Duty, as well as fan favourite Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 from Tecmo.

Younger gamers are catered for with the Xbox 360 version of Cars, a game that has performed very well for publisher THQ, while new Rare title Viva Piñata will hit retail with cross-media promotions due to the animated series showing on 4Kids TV, as well as the promise of licensed merchandise in 2007.

Sports fans will have plenty of choice with the next-gen exclusive FIFA 2007 joining NBA Live 07, NBA 2K7 and NHL 07 in stores, while Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 6 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 are both updated for the Christmas season.

EA's phenomenally successful racing franchise returns with Need for Speed Carbon, and the third-party publisher will also be releasing movie tie-in Superman Returns: The Videogame.

Other favourite franchises to appear before year end include Tony Hawk's Project 8 from Activision and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas from Ubisoft.

Showing a continued support for PC gaming, Microsoft will also release expansion packs Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs and Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania, while brand new titles Neverwinter Nights 2 and Flight Simulator X are also confirmed for release this year. ...

Honestly. No sooner do you write one item about new content on Xbox Live Marketplace, but a bucketload of new stuff turns up. This time it's headlined by a WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 demo.

That's joined by trailers of Tony Hawk's Project 8, Wheelman, Frontlines: Fuel of War and Crossfire, along with what's described as an X06 game montage video.

On top of that, those of you who haven't already picked out a new theme for your dashboard now have the option of an X06 theme or one about Molyneux's latest, Fable 2.

And if you're living in France, Italy, Germany or Spain and missed out on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion downloadable content, Xbox Live's Major Nelson alerts us to the fact that four packs previously available in other regions are now available to you for 150 Microsoft points each. ...

Peter Jackson says that he's "a little bored of movies".

Last night the Lord of the Rings director revealed that he was forming Wingnut Interactive - an off-shoot of his Wingnut Studios company - to explore partnerships with Microsoft Game Studios, including an original chapter of the Halo franchise with Bungie and a second, unnamed title for Xbox 360 and Live.

In a roundtable discussion with Peter Molyneux and Bioware's Dr. Greg Zeschuk this morning, Jackson expanded on his reasons, and said that his changing attitude to film led him to explore other options - of which games are one.

"I've got to the stage now where I just end up catching something on DVD and I'm more excited about games coming out in the next 2-3 months than films," he said.

"That created an awareness in me of the shift in entertainment options out there, and if I'm feeling that other are too." On his approach, he said that his ideas - stories, scenarios and so on - might not always be suitable for film, and that's what he intends to explore with Wingnut Interactive.

"We're not going to force a round peg in a square hole," he said.

On his choice of Xbox 360 as the platform, he told attendees at Microsoft's press conference last night that he saw Xbox 360 and Live as "an amazing living canvas ... which allows the storytellers of our time to express themselves in a new medium".

"From a movie-maker's point of view, it is clear to me that the Xbox 360 platform is the stage where storytellers can work their craft in the same way they do today with movies and books but taking it further with interactivity," he concluded. ...

In all the excitement last night, you might have been forgiven for thinking Sensible World of Soccer and DOOM were the only new games announced for Xbox Live Arcade - but of course that's not the case.

Because among the games shown were several new titles, including Assault Heroes from Vivendi, Mutant Storm Empire from PomPom, and Street Trace: NYC from Gaia Industries.

Other games on the reel included Midway's Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and Defender, Konami's Contra and Gyruss, and indie titles Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank (PopCap) and Small Arms (Gastronaut Studios).

All those titles should be released before the end of 2006, with the exception of SWOS and Gyruss, which are a bit harder to predict.

Lumines Live was also shown briefly, and as far as creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi knows, that's due out in the middle of October. ...

Although most of you will have supped on DOOM's Live Arcade appearance yesterday evening, there have been plenty of additions to the download-list since then - including themes and picture packs for Halo Wars.

The trailer for the Ensemble Studios-developed strategy title, announced and demonstrated in Barcelona last night, can also be found on Live Marketplace this morning, along with videos from X06 for Banjo-Kazooie, Marvel Universe Online, BioShock, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.

Plenty of previously announced games are trailed too, including Call of Duty 3, Viva Pinata, Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, FIFA 07, and Rainbow Six Vegas. ...

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All the standard Modeb / Eject Features are still there of course.
We are also STILL throwing in the 360 HDD adapter for FREE ! ...

The collective love for BioWare's latest RPG, Mass Effect, is clear in CVG office - short of tattooing Commander Shepard onto our white bits, we couldn't be more excited about the 360 epic.

Fresh from Microsoft's green Barcelona floor-space, we've got some gorgeous new screenshots of the RPG, showing off the new characters and environments as well as another glimpse of the game's real-time combat system.

Screens Here ...

Splinter Cell: Double Agent continues to impress in new screenshots and footage that have sneaked out of Ubisoft HQ today.

Just in case you've recently emerged from cryogenic freeze, Double Agent finds Sam Fisher going undercover to infiltrate a terrorist organisation. In this sequel, the special agent will be conducting operations for the both the good and bad guys, resulting in our hero - well, you the player really - being forced to make difficult moral decisions throughout the course of the action.

Screens and Trailer Here ...