via Next Generation


By the end of March 2011, Tokyo-based Hudson Soft expects operating profit of 10 billion yen ($97 million), incoming president Michihiro Ishizuka told Bloomberg in a recent interview.

Hudson's focus on Wii is already clear. In 2008, the game maker expects to release eight games for the Wii, and currently has released games including Fishing Master and Wing Island for the console. Hudson also plans to release the recently-announced Deca Sports this year.

"The game-software industry is one of the sectors that will lead corporate earnings this fiscal year,'' said Yoshihiro Okumura with Tokyo's Chiba-gin Asset Management. "In particular, companies related to Nintendo have a lot of room for profit growth.''

Aside from packaged goods, Hudson has also released several games for download on Wii, and has games in development for Nintendo's WiiWare original games service.

"Two years from now will be the time when game-software developers' profits are expected to grow the most, after the winner and loser for consoles becomes clear,'' Ishizuka said. "I will ensure earnings jump in the next three years by promoting licensing of our games and increasing spending on promotions.''

Hudson Soft is 54 percent-owned by Konami, and has other investors including Nintendo, JP Morgan Asset Management Japan and UBS AG, according to Bloomberg. ...

via Eurogamer


Eidos has revealed it is remaking arcade classic Gauntlet for DS.

Backbone Entertainment of Age of Kings DS fame is in charge and the game is on course for a 20th June release.

Gauntlet DS will have a co-operative focus - up to four players can battle their way through the campaign either locally or via Wi-Fi. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Treasure Horde multiplayer modes are promised. Plus you'll be able to voice chat with other players using the DS's microphone or headset.

Like its arcade predecessor, Gauntlet DS will be top-down (but this time in 3D). There will be four heroes to choose from: Thor the warrior, Merlin the wizard, Thyra the Valkyrie and Questor the elf.

There are said to be around 40 maps to conquer and roughly 32 enemy types to fill them out with. ...

via Games Industry


SCEA has announced that it will be shutting down the servers for a number of its older online titles for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable platforms.

According to dbTechno the online games will end on June 30 this year, and while most games will still be playable offline, two of the titles which only have online modes will become unplayable.

The closure of online play servers for older titles is a normal process, and is only usually applied to games which have a very low, or no, demand.

The full list of titles for which servers will be closed is as follows:

PlayStation 2 games

• Amplitude
• Destruction Derby Arenas
• Everybody’s Golf
• EyeToy Chat*
• F1 '04
• Jak X
• Lemmings PS2
• My Street
• Syphon Filter Omega Strain
• This is Football 2004
• This is Football 2005
• Twisted Metal: Black Online*

PlayStation Portable games

• Lemmings
• World Tour Soccer 2

* Denotes titles that are online-only ...

via Games Industry


THQ executive Jack Sorenson has branded the hardware battle between Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as "totally irrelevant", arguing that the rewards offered by each represent a "win" for games publishers.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz last week at THQ's product showcase in San Francisco, the US publisher's head of worldwide studios said there was "too much of an emphasis on the sports aspect of who's winning and losing", and that his company was focusing on opportunities rather than installed base.

"I think [the console war] is totally irrelevant. Even in the history of the business, other than something like the Dreamcast, you can do decent business on lots of platforms," he explained. "So the issue is not who wins, it's can an independent publisher do a good business on that platform. We're thinking everything from high-end MMO all the way to cell phones."

Pointing to THQ's success with Game Boy Advance, Sorenson revealed that the publisher would continue to back older formats as long as they remain viable.

"There's a ubiquity of gaming out there, and the platform is really just a medium. If that makes sense [we'll publish on] PlayStation 2 next year for something, PS2 two years from now," he said. "We certainly probably carried on longer on the GBA than most and had a very nice business out there because there're 80, 90 million GBAs out there - maybe a bunch left in closets and drawers, but there's still enough audience to buy them. All these platforms kinda win."

Sorenson also elaborated on comments made by CEO Brian Farrell on THQ's response to the mergers and acquisitions activity of the industry's giants, insisting that the US outfit was not under any pressure to "make a point" in the market.

"We're certainly looking at acqusitions all the time," he said. "[But] we're not in any rush in any one area. When I started I think it was three studios and 150 people in development, and clearly we rushed a bit to get scale and a certain size where we can cover a lot of different bases both genre wise and on a technology and platform basis.

"And we're there and past that, so the bar is probably a little higher in terms of what we'd look at in terms of fit, and how good they are, and what they are bringing new to the group. But I wouldn't say there's any one target we're looking for right now."

Asked where the merger of Activision and Vivendi, and the acquisition of 2K Games by EA would leave a publisher of THQ's scale, Sorenson argued that the US firm's strong financial foundations were key.

"Being a public company you're always driven by growth. But if you feel your growth can be driven by what you already have then you probably don't need to push it as much.

"We have all the elements, and we don't really feel there's any one thing that's missing because of size. If you can get the growth and find the profits and build based on your own strategy it's actually a lot better and easier to do it that way than, say, acquire another company with an entirely different culture, trying to bring them together. That's a huge event, especially the ones you just mentioned. These are not easy to do.

"We're not driven to do something that's counter to our culture and strategy just in order to prove a point. [We're] trying to be in control of our destiny."

The full GamesIndustry.biz interview with Jack Sorenson will be published next week. ...

via Eurogamer


Japanese publisher AQ Interactive has unveiled a fresh rhythm game for Wii called The World of Golden Eggs: Nori Nori Rhythm-kei.

Most interestingly it's in development at Artoon, is best known for its collaborative work on role-playing game Blue Dragon.

Golden Eggs will be based around a Japanese animated series of the same name, which we have no idea about but it must have something to do with chickens.

The World of Golden Eggs: Nori Nori Rhythm-kei is due out this June in Japan. The likelihood of it appearing over here is slim. ...

via Eurogamer


Microsoft plans to release fresh downloadable content for Lost Odyssey in Japan on 10th April.

It'll involve travelling to a secret underwater research facility in your Nautilus ship, according to Watch Impress, and will cost 400 Points (GBP 3.40 / EUR 4.80).

Judging by a rough translation, the content opens up on disc four and sees you puzzling your way through the facility while fighting things like fish monsters.

The lure for doing all this is an accessory that teaches you a powerful ability. You will need to amass 999 skill points while wearing it to learn the skill, which appears to be something to do with lowering MP consumption to zero.

Microsoft has been contacted for comment. ...

via Computer and Video Games


PS3's competition has already fired off its big guns and "may have punched themselves out of the fight", says Scott Steinburg, marketing big man at Sony.

A lot has been said of 2008 belonging to PS3 - recent sales have supported the theory - and Steinburg is confident that while PS3 still has many of its best cards to play, the competition has already blown its "big assets".

"Our competition has already leveraged all their big assets in the first couple of years and may have punched themselves out of the fight," he told GamePro.

He talked up the Blu-ray victory and upcoming titles as PS3's key advantages going forward.

"I think [the Blu-ray win] is a huge momentum builder for us and I think it is part of why we believe 2008 is going to be a monster year for the PS3," he said.

"When you incorporate games like Gran Turismo 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet, and Resistance 2...there will a great mixture of new IP and proven PlayStation brands," added Steinburg.

On another note, he also teased about the likelihood of music and movie downloads on PS3 soon. "We have entertainment leverage and that means music and movies. No other company has that ability or those assets. The PS3 is the hub....you can probably connect the dots. Stay tuned!" ...

via Eurogamer


Epic Games boss Mark Rein has assured those eagerly awaiting the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament 3 that it's looking good and will be playable soon.

In a post on the Epic forums he wrote, "We don’t have a particular release date yet but we’re going to be playing it with some members of the press in two weeks at Midway’s next Gamers Day in Las Vegas.

"Should be fun," Rein added. "The game is coming along really nicely."

The PS3 version of UT3 was released last year on PC, and in February on PS3. Speaking to Eurogamer back in November Rein said the delay to the Xbox 360 game was due to an issue with mods. He explained, "We can release any mods we want on PS3 because it's an open system, whereas Xbox Live is a closed system." ...

via Computer and Video Games


Microsoft has rubbished an Australian retail chain survey that claims that the Xbox 360 is "dead" at retail Down Under.

The survey - conducted by Australian ChannelNews - of ten retail chains "who operate more than 2,000 stores" across the country, claims that retail support for the 360 is sliding as the PS3 and Wii sees growth in the country.

"The Xbox 360 is dead," a Melbourne-based retailer is reported as saying in the survey. "We are stocking it because of our relationship with Microsoft however all our energy and marketing is going into the PS3 and the Nintendo Wii unless Microsoft come up with something new or additional marketing dollars. Halo 3 was big on the Xbox but that was about it.

"They have tried discounting and value add offers and even that is not working. We are even thinking of dumping the console all together."

Harsh words, but expectedly Microsoft's Australian outfit has been swift in rubbishing the survey: "Our retailers are excited about our current and upcoming offers, and we're looking forward to another bumper year," said PR Manager Mariana Cidade, in a statement to ITWire.

"We are happy with where we are in the market right now. We're significantly ahead of where we planned to be this financial year, and selling well both on the software and hardware side.

"We have a great line-up of games coming up," the spokesperson added, addressing the survey's main concern, games.

"For core gamers we have titles like Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Too Human, Halo Wars etc, while casual or potential gamers will enjoy the likes of Banjo Kazooie, Guitar Hero 4, Rock Band and Dance Dance Revolution, as well as a number of other really exciting titles we haven't announced yet."

Surely they should wait for GTA IV to come out before condemning it to death? ...