Today is the last day for Nintendo 3DS users to sign up as a 3DS Ambassador to qualify for 20 free games.

From Nintendo:

Today (Aug. 11) is the last day for current Nintendo 3DS owners to register for the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program. Just connect your Nintendo 3DS to the Nintendo eShop by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time to receive 20 free downloadable games.

The offer is due to the recent price slash of the 3DS.

Microsoft is reporting their European sales are the best they’ve seen in the history of Xbox 360 sales. They’re claiming the sales are double what they were in the 2007 holiday season. They are saying 8-million consoles have been sold to date in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Microsoft’s fast to push out their press release, probably hoping to overshadow any reports Sony may be releasing for sales numbers. At this point, we’ll have to believe their press release as fact until someone proves it otherwise; Microsoft would hate to be caught in a lie. Unfortunately, NPD figures aren’t collected in Europe so we have to wait for all the other metric gathering companies to release final December 2007 figures.

Sony could, in fact, see a doubling of their sales figures as well, we’ll have to wait and see.

LONDON – 5th January 2009: Xbox® today revealed sales data showing Christmas 2008 was the biggest sales period ever in the brand’s six-year European history, with sales of Xbox 360™ almost double those of Christmas 2007<1>. Eight million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA)<2> up to the end of 2008, widening its lead over PlayStation 3 in the region to more than one million and setting the scene for further growth in 2009.

GfK-ChartTrack data shows that Xbox 360 was the fastest-growing console of 2008, with sales in the fourth quarter of 2008 over double that of the same period in 2007, spurred on by a mix of value, great games and entertainment, and the recently-launched New Xbox Experience.

Chris Lewis, Regional Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business EMEA, said:“Christmas 2008 was a resounding success for Xbox 360. 2008 saw us grow faster than any of our competitors and we over-achieved in sales during the crucial Christmas selling period. We reduced the entry-level Xbox 360 ERP in September, understanding the need for great value, and European consumers have responded enthusiastically. With eight million consoles sold since we launched, and consistently out-selling PlayStation 3 in EMEA, we’re poised to build on this success in 2009. This success was only possible through our partnerships with retail and with publishers, with whom we’ve worked closely to build a strong ecosystem in the region and to bring value to our shared customer base. As we move into 2009 and an uncertain economic climate, we continue to be committed to offering the right blend of gaming and entertainment experiences at the right price.”

Nick Gibson, Founding Analyst, Games Investor Consulting, said:“Microsoft appears to have enjoyed an excellent end to 2008 in Europe. According to GFK Chart Track data, the Xbox 360 recorded in excess of 100% growth in December sales compared to 2007 across the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, well ahead of any other console. It also recorded comfortably the highest rate of year-on-year growth for the final quarter of 2008 overall.”

Nick Parker, Founder and Games Analyst, Parker Consulting, said:“I have seen early returns for the December 2008 sales data indicating that Xbox 360 has shown a significant sales increase year on year and furthermore is ahead of its nearest rival in terms of lifetime consumer hardware sales in the EMEA region, with an installed base of over eight million units.”

- Ends -

<1> Sales figures are Microsoft estimates based upon GfK-ChartTrack data

<2> EMEA region includes: UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Hungary, Slovakia, South Africa, and UAE

For press information, please contact:

Nik Thakkar / 020 3047 4087 / nik_thakkar@jcpr.com

Georgina Edwards / 020 3047 4057 / georgina_edwards@jcpr.com

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is a superior video game and entertainment system delivering the best games, unique entertainment features and a unified online gaming network that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a portfolio of more than 300 games in nearly 40 countries. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Microsoft Game Studios

Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game systems, the Windows operating system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows ( http://www.microsoft.com/games), including such franchises as“Age of Empires,”“Flight Simulator” and“Zoo Tycoon”; Xbox and Xbox 360 ( http://www.xbox.com), including such games as“Gears of War” and franchises such as“Halo,”“Fable,”“Project Gotham Racing” and“Forza Motorsport”; and MSN Games ( http://www.games.msn.com), the official games channel for the MSN network and home to such hits as“Bejeweled” and“Hexic.”

About Xbox LIVE

Xbox LIVE is the first and most comprehensive unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox LIVE connects millions of members across 26 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, TV shows and movies in the United States as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favourite retail games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.

About Xbox LIVE Arcade

Xbox LIVE Arcade on Xbox 360 is the premier destination for digitally distributed high-definition games. Xbox LIVE Arcade is a fast-growing phenomenon with a diverse library of original development and classic titles from the world’s best independent and established developers and publishers. With a dynamically updated library and free trials for every title, Xbox LIVE Arcade makes it easy for every type of gamer— from casual to hard-core— to get instantly immersed in the fun. Xbox LIVE Arcade also lets friends connect and play these incredible games either from the same room or from around the world via the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/livearcade.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq“MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

It’s almost that time again folks, the next expansion for Blizzard’s World of Warcraft arrives the first minute on the 13th of November. This is the expansion we’ve all been waiting for, climbing the ranks to level 70 so we can enjoy all the fresh new content, preparing ourselves for Dark Knight status.

If you’re in the New York area, you’ll have a chance to meet CEO Mike Morhaime and executive VP of product development Frank Pearce. They’ll be a New York Best Buy signing copies of the title if you’re lucky to be in the area and plan to go out at midnight to get it. We’re not that lucky, but we’re also not standing in line this year for an event.

We’re trusting in Amazon and their promise to have the game at the door step on release day. If this isn’t the case, we’ll be playing some Burning Crusade content instead. If you want to join in the New York festivities read on for their full press release.

Best Buy® Counts Down the Arrival of Wrath of the Lich King™ in New York City

World of Warcraft® Players to Meet Blizzard Entertainment® Developers and Be Among First to Obtain Their Copy at an Exclusive Launch Celebration

MINNEAPOLIS—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Alliance and Horde members will converge on the Best Buy at 44th Street and 5th Avenue to take part in the highly anticipated midnight launch of Blizzard Entertainment®’s World of Warcraft®: Wrath of the Lich King™. The celebration, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 12 at the Best Buy store near Times Square, is the premiere developer meet-and-greet in the U.S. for the popular World of Warcraft game and the only such event on the East Coast.

The event includes appearances by Blizzard Entertainment cofounders Mike Morhaime, CEO, and Frank Pearce, executive vice president of product development. In addition, a number of the game’s developers will be available to meet players and sign copies of the game. Geoff Keighley, videogame TV host, will emcee the evening that will feature interviews, trivia and prize giveaways.

With more than 11 million subscribers, World of Warcraft is the most popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game in the world. Wrath of the Lich King is the game’s second expansion. For more information on the game visit www.WorldofWarcraft.com.

In addition to the original game and both expansions, players can purchase 60-day World of Warcraft subscription cards at Best Buy.

“At Best Buy, we’re passionate about helping gamers get the most enjoyment from their gaming systems – from having the latest releases to a full complement of gaming platforms, accessories, electronics and services,” said Jill Hamburger, Best Buy vice president games and movies. “Our newly introduced Reward Zone Gamers Club provides additional benefits and amazing experiences for our most loyal customers who love gaming.”

Reward Zone® program Gamers Club is a specialty expansion of Best Buy’s Reward Zone Loyalty Program. For every $150 spent on qualifying gaming software and accessories (certain exclusions apply) Reward Zone program Gamers Club members will receive 500 points/$10 reward certificates, in addition to their regular Reward Zone program points, that can be used on almost everything within the store. Additional membership benefits include special offers on game software and accessories, information on the latest gaming trends and hints and cheats for popular games to maximize the gaming experience. Members may also receive special access to invitation only gaming events hosted by Best Buy.

For more information on the launch event, visit www.bestbuy.com/midnightopenings.

Wrath of the Lich King is a trademark, and World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment, and Warcraft are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries.

(Thanks, Kotaku)

Formerly Green Monster Games, 38 Studios is growing a large pool of talented folks for their MMO endeavor. First, we heard R.A. Salvatore (writer of the Dark Elf series) was heading over to work on a story, art direction by Todd McFarlane (creator of Spawn) and now Irena Pereira from Blizzard and a sound designer, Aubrey Hodges.

Hodges has done sound for games like Kings Quest, Quake and even Madden NFL. Pereira was a World of Warcraft interface designer which allows us to invision a bit about what 38 Studio’s MMO may look like from a user interaction perspective.

The MMO, currently titled Copernicus has a tentative launch date of 2010, which seems short for a full MMO design but they’ve been hard at work for roughly two years. Not too shabby a team for a privately held company founded by baseball star Curt Shilling.

It’s important to note Shilling is an avid gamer and loves massive multiplayer online games. What else does a man with a lot of money do as a side project? Fund a company based on the hobby he loves! If anyone knows the best directions and qualities of an MMO it should be an experienced team guided by someone with a passion for the game genre.

We’ll have to wait and see!

Read on for the full press release

- Aubrey Hodges and Irena Pereira Join 38 Studios’ team of expert game designers -

Maynard, MA – November 4, 2008 - 38 Studios, a pioneering entertainment company dedicated to delivering a broad spectrum of immersive products, today announced that Aubrey Hodges and Irena Pereira have joined 38 Studios as director of audio and senior UI (user interface) designer, respectively.

With his music and sound design heard in more than 180 video games, Composer and Sound Designer Aubrey Hodges is an audio pioneer in the video and computer game industry. Hodges is credited as among the very first to use MIDI in a video game, the first to use sound effects in an online game and among the first to use General Midi in a video game. He also is cited as the innovator of ambient music design for games with his groundbreaking work on the Doom and Quake series. Before joining 38 Studios, Hodges spent five years as an audio director at EA-Tiburon, home of the popular Madden franchise; and before that as audio director, composer and sound designer for Midway Home Entertainment for ten years. Hodges began his career in audio for videogames at Sierra Online in 1991. His music and audio credits span classic series such as King’s Quest, Space Quest, Quest for Glory, and Conquests of the Longbow to some of the most popular video game series including NFL Blitz and Madden NFL. In his new role, Hodges will report directly to 38 Studios CEO and President Brett Close.

Senior UI Designer Irena Pereira comes to 38 Studios from Blizzard Entertainment, where she spent over two years working on the interface design and development for World of Warcraft and its expansions The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. Pereira also worked at game studio Artifact Entertainment where she was responsible for interface design, technical documentation, tools development, and web site design; and at Verant Interactive. Her experience extends beyond MMOG development to include interface development and web design for online companies Hollywood Stock Exchange, Homestore Inc, and LowerMyBills. Pereira will report to Design Director Jason Roberts.

“38 Studios has been able to attract phenomenal talent, and these hires continue that trend,” Close said. “Smart interface design and rich audio are key components of the 38 Studios product vision, and Irena and Aubrey have extensive records of exceptional success in these areas.”

(Thanks, Kotaku)

I don’t know anyone that can’t pass up a good beta, Call of Duty: World at War is no exception to the rule, especially for those gamers that pre-ordered the title already. It’s a great opportunity when you’re able to buy a game ahead of time because you’re a fan and get into the beta early.

Santa Monica, CA – October 13, 2008 – The dogs of war are being unleashed today, as Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and developer Treyarch announced the launch of the multiplayer beta for Call of Duty: World at War on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.  Console players can guarantee themselves a token by pre-ordering the game at North American GameStop retail locations,* or online at http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71812. Call of Duty fans that register to become members at www.callofduty.com are also eligible to receive a token, but these tokens are limited in supply, so register today.  Windows PC fans can expect a multiplayer beta soon.  For more information about either beta and the opportunity to secure a beta token or key, fans can also visit www.callofduty.com/beta.

The Call of Duty: World at War multiplayer betas will provide players with an opportunity to play as U.S. Marines, German Wehrmacht, Japanese Imperial Army and Russian Red Army factions in a variety of game types (Team Death Match, Free-For-All, Capture the Flag and War), across three different maps:

• Castle: The Imperial Japanese Army faces off against the Marine Raiders in a daytime battle, located on the grounds of an ancient, Japanese castle.

• Makin: The U.S. Marine Raiders square off against the Imperial Japanese Army in a nighttime fight, set in an outpost on the Makin Atoll in the Pacific.

• Roundhouse: The Wehrmact will fight the Red Army to the bitter end in a daytime struggle that features tank and infantry combat, set in a desolate, war-torn European train depot.

The betas will last for a few weeks; however, the full battle will commence on November 11, 2008 when Call of Duty: World at War is released to retailers nationwide.

Call of Duty: World at War is in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo® Wii™ and Nintendo DS. The title has been rated M for Mature for blood and violence by the ESRB. The Nintendo DS version has been rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

For more information and exclusive updates about Call of Duty: World at War, visit www.callofduty.com

About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.  More information about Activision Publishing and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Xbox 360‘s been seeing success in Europe, but nothing compares to the success they’ve seen since the recent price cuts. Sales for the 360 are up 214% which is pushing them past the two-to-one sales ratio against the more expensive PlayStation 3.

We’re assuming this 214% increase is due to the cheaper price combined with a large selection of great game titles. No doubt Microsoft is happy to hear the news that their price cut went over so well in all countries. Unfortunately, we’re not so sure a straight PlayStation 3 price cut would drastically change the sales ratio because the PS3 still has very few exciting games when compared to the Xbox 360 which has a year head start on its bigger competitor.

Microsoft’s new to console success, being the odd duck last generation. They’ve learned a lot and has kicked up the competitive nature of console gaming, giving PlayStation 3 a run for its money. Competition is wonderful and is probably making Sony’s exec’s wonder what tactic to chooes next.

Of course, the Wii is a sales rampage and has been for a few years now. At this point, it’s not even fair to compare the two. However, we’re sure Microsoft will eventually come out and boast their recent European victories as sales figures solidify and become “official.”

Can Sony put up any Resistance to this market domination?

Read on for more press release information from ChartTrack.

LONDON – 30 September 2008 – New figures announced today by ChartTrack saw sales of the Microsoft® Xbox 360 increase by 214% in the last two weeks<1>, outselling Sony’s PlayStation 3 by more than two-to-one and reaffirming its strong momentum in Europe in the wake of its recent reduction in estimated retail price (ERP).

A reduction in the Xbox 360 ERP last week has brought the entry-level price point for Xbox 360 down to£129.99. The reduction is only part of the story though, as the largest marketing campaign in the history of Xbox also launches, inviting everyone to live their music, movies and family gaming‘moments’ with Xbox 360 through new television, print and poster ads as well as a totally new look for Xbox.com. Combined with new launches to add to its already impressive line-up of games, movies and wider entertainment content, Xbox 360 is set to drive forward the success that saw sales reach over 6 million in Europe last week.

Through an incredible line-up of games in time for Christmas, including the new singing game Lips and the chance to star in your own B-movie with You’re in the Movies among many others, an ever-growing library of downloadable movies, a revolutionary new interface and new interactive games soon to be available through Xbox LIVE, the Xbox 360 is truly becoming the home of mass-market entertainment with something to offer every interest and budget.

Chris Lewis, Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business EMEA, said:“This data shows that the Xbox 360 trajectory continues upwards, and not just in the UK. We’ve seen uplift in all countries in Europe and are confident that even at this rate of growth we can keep retail satisfied with a steady supply of consoles throughout the Christmas season. Our commitment to continuously improving and innovating new content, our new high-profile marketing campaign and the fact that we’re now the best-value next-gen console on the market with an entry-level ERP of£129.99 combine to make Xbox 360 the right blend of gaming and wider experiences at the right price to offer unparalleled entertainment for everyone. And these figures prove it.”

From last Friday, 19th September, Xbox 360, which includes a 60GB hard drive and one wireless controller, has an ERP of£169.99. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content downloaded from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace as well as their own music, has an ERP of£229.99. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, has an ERP of £129.99.

<1> Figures based on ChartTrack published results for UK 29 September 2008

(Thanks, Kotaku)

The place to be, this week, is Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) as Popcap’s now released Feeding Frenzy 2 on the 360 platform. Xbox Live Arcade has been the go to place for awesome new content brought in high definition on both shrink wrapped box games along with classic casual titles.

Not into casual games? Perhaps your spouse or children are into them! If you’ve got an Xbox 360 and continually consider it a “big boys hardcore console” it’s time to change your perspective because that’s old world thinking. Microsoft, together with Popcap, plans to change how people game on the Xbox 360 console system.

This isn’t Popcap’s first title, many may remember Heavy Weapon on the Xbox 360. This sure won’t be the last!

Read on for full press release details!

PopCap Launches Feeding Frenzy™ 2 Game on Xbox LIVE® Arcade

Award-Winning Sequel Features All-New Multiplayer Modes, Lite Mode and More

SEATTLE, Washington – September 17, 2008 — PopCap Games Inc., the leading developer and publisher of casual video games, announced that beginning today its popular action game Feeding Frenzy™ 2: Shipwreck Showdown is available for download via the Xbox LIVE® Arcade (XBLA) online service of Microsoft’s Xbox 360® video game console. Featuring a wealth of optimizations exclusively for Xbox LIVE, the XBLA version of Feeding Frenzy 2 includes high-definition graphics, achievements and leaderboards, and several all-new multiplayer modes. Available now for 800 Microsoft Points ($8.00), Feeding Frenzy 2 joins five other PopCap® titles already on XBLA, including Zuma™, Heavy Weapon™ and the original Feeding Frenzy.
“Feeding Frenzy 2 really improves on the original game in virtually every way, as far as XBLA is concerned,” said Greg Canessa, VP of video game platforms at PopCap. “With three different multiplayer modes, high-def graphics and some new moves that really lend themselves to a joystick controller, the new sequel is pretty perfectly suited to Xbox.”

In Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown, you’re a little fish in a big sea, and must gobble your way up the food chain to solve an underwater mystery. Swim fast, eat anything smaller than you and avoid larger fish who want you for lunch. Battle everything from poisonous minnows to fish-munching orcas in your pursuit of a mysterious menace of the sea. Keep eating the power-ups to increase your speed and growth rate, add extra time, bulk up your “food bank” and more!

This new version of Feeding Frenzy makes a sizable leap in overall gameplay and XBLA-specific features, including:

• A bigger-and more challenging single-player story mode, featuring over 60 new levels with bosses and mini-bosses for an even greater challenge!
• New moves, power-ups and more — freeze enemies, stop time, play at night — even jump out of the water to eat bugs!
• Frenzied fish-eating action can involve up to 4 friends in the all-new XBLA-exclusive multiplayer party mode*, featuring 10 new mini-games!
• Story mode enables players to join with a friend in cooperative play*
• Multiplayer Party modes come in two flavors: Party Games (pick from a list of mini-games and compete head-to-head) and FrenzyFest (compete for trophies across a series of mini-games to earn Party Points and climb the new Party Leaderboard)*
• All-new Lite mode lets families experience the game’s Story mode without the pressure of losing lives (available for single-player and co-op play)
• High-definition graphics and 5.1 surround sound create a more immersive experience

*All multiplayer modes are same-console only

About PopCap
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of “casual games” — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 200 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile operators and developers, and game device manufacturers.

Last year Popcap developed Peggle, a title which received 2007 casual game of the year and dozens of media and industry accolades. Now, Popcap has produced the next game in the Peggle series called Peggle Nights. If you’ve never played Peggle, you can read a full review of the game as it will apply to Peggle Nights as well.

It’s tough to think Popcap can improve upon a sleeper success but it just might be possible. Peggle Nights brings back the famous Peggle masters with their classic power-up moves and increases the master count by one with a new Squid Peggle master known as “Marina.” In this installment, you’ll experience another 60 newly designed levels with five stages per Peggle master, this time with a “dream world” theme.

Peggle Nights is as close to an expansion as you can get without directly calling it an expansion. At first glance, you’ll probably say to yourself “this is Peggle with new levels” and, for the most part, you’re on the right track. Popcap stuck to the magic that made the first title a hit, including the same characters, the same game play elements and the same addictive quality.

Our first impressions were a bit lack luster as we spent time looking for how the game differs from the original. Six or so stages into the the game it started to grab our attention much like the original title did, causing everything from addictive shakes and strong desires to continue playing. Peggle Nights matures the level design greatly, stages are crisp artwork backgrounds with many animated pegs and bricks which you’d only find in later tough stages in the original game.

Head over to CasualGamerChick.com to read the full review!

Read on for full press release details.

PopCap Launches Peggle™ Nights for PC

Second Installment of Casual Game of 2007 Winner Takes Players Inside the Dream Worlds of the Peggle Masters; New Peggle Master, Achievements and Challenges

SEATTLE, Washington – September 16, 2008 — PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games, today announced the immediate availability of Peggle™ Nights, the much-anticipated follow-up to the original Peggle game, which garnered more than a dozen media and industry accolades including “casual game of the year” following its introduction in early 2007. Peggle Nights sports 60 all-new Adventure Mode levels and 60 new Challenge Mode hurdles, along with a new “Peggle Master” power-up, new kinds of style shots, achievements, and other special bonuses. In addition, Peggle Nights takes players into the “dream worlds” of each of the eleven Peggle Masters, providing five beautifully rendered and themed levels for each character’s secret dreams and aspirations. Peggle Nights carries a retail price of US$19.95; a free trial of the deluxe version is available for download at www.popcap.com. Other leading game portals, including RealArcade, MSN Games, STEAM, Wild Games and Yahoo! Games, will begin offering the game next month.

“We at PopCap love the Peggle ‘master’ characters as much as anyone, so we decided to delve into their personalities a bit further and take a peek inside each one’s dream states,” explained Sukhbir Sidhu, studio director in charge of Peggle and Peggle Nights at PopCap. “We also took the opportunity to incorporate user feedback from the original game by adding more challenges and style shots and ultimately making the game even more achievement- and skill-oriented.”

The original Peggle was named to numerous “best of 2007” awards lists, including being named one of the “Top Ten Video Games of 2007” by PC Gamer magazine. Peggle has been downloaded from the web more than 20 million times since its introduction in February 2007, and has spawned dozens of Facebook groups and clubs and hundreds of YouTube videos.

In the game, players fire a metallic silver ball from the top of the screen, relying on gravity to propel the ball downwards while it ricochets off orange and blue “pegs”. The goal is to clear all the orange pegs from the screen before running out of balls. A moving “bucket” at the bottom of the screen offers free balls, while green power-up pegs give the player special abilities via the Peggle Masters who guide players through the game. These power-ups include explosive area-clearing blasts, lobster claws that serve as pinball-type flippers and “fireballs” that cut through all pegs in their path.

New features in Peggle Nights include:

• New Peggle Master/power-up: “Marina,” the electric squid, brings the number of Peggle Masters / power-ups to 11; her “Shockwave” effect arcs between the first peg hit and the bucket at the bottom, clearing all intervening pegs with a jolt of electricity
• New Trophy/Achievement: In addition to the original game’s “all clear” achievement, Peggle Nights sets an “ace” score for each level; “acing” each level earns a special trophy
• More Trophies: The new game offers four different trophies for the various achievements: completing Adventure Mode, completing Challenge Mode, clearing all levels of all pegs, and “acing” all levels. Oh, and a new trophy room to keep ’em in!
• 60 Newly Designed Levels: Each Peggle Master has five themed “dream state” levels in the game’s main Adventure mode, plus a final five Master levels in which the player chooses the Master/power-up
• 60 New Challenges: Five dozen new Challenge Mode levels, with many fiendishly tricky objectives for players to reach; new types of challenges include “low ball” challenges in which the player tries to get the lowest possible score, Style Shot based challenges and challenges involving specific or combined power-ups
• New Style Shots: More ways to score bonus points based on the player’s aim and timing acumen: “Off the Wall,” “Double Long Shot” and more
• All-New Soundtrack: Maintaining the cultured sensibilities of the original Peggle, the new game offers a mix of original tunes and well-known classical music – including a fully-orchestrated introduction by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra
• Admire Your Skillz: You can now drag and drop replays of your top shots into the open game window to view them
• Power-Up Improvements: Existing power-ups including Tula’s “flower power,” Kat Tut’s “pyramid” and Lord Cinderbottom’s “fireball” have been tweaked to optimize their effectiveness
• Level Packs (Coming Soon): Peggle Nights is designed to accept additional levels and PopCap plans to begin issuing custom-made, in some cases themed, Level Packs

About PopCap
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of “casual games” — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 200 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Ireland and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 25 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod, iPhone and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, consoles, mobile phones and MP3 players.

Congratulations to PopCap for showing why casual games will always be a viable market. Let’s put this in perspective, investors believe GTA IV will push 13-million sales by the end of 2008 and, as of January 2008, Halo 3 had sold 8 million copies. PopCap’s little casual game has hit 25 million units sold, that’s fairly impressive considering these blockbuster titles haven’t achieved such numbers.

You may say “well, these titles sold 3+ million in the first week, what about Bejeweled?” True, Bejeweled probably didn’t hit 3 million in a week, but which game will still be played in 2010? Bejeweled or GTA IV and Halo 3?

Casual games age well, they’re not competitive on the graphic space and, instead, focus on fun value. Fun value is a lasting appeal and is immortal in the time line of video games. The same reason people still find fun in Pac-Man gamers still find cash to pickup their copies of Bejeweled.

Which game had the smallest budget? Bejeweled or GTA IV? We’re pretty sure PopCap did not give the bejeweled team $100-million to make it! Investors take notice, casual games have a long lasting appeal.

Read on for full press release details.

More Than 6 Billion Hours of the Original Match-3 Puzzler Played Worldwide Since 2000

SEATTLE, Washington – August 19, 2008 — PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games, today provided updated statistics on its flagship franchise Bejeweled®, the most popular casual video game of the 21st century. Based on updated information from distribution partners across Web, mobile, retail, in-flight and other channels, Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2 have collectively sold more than 25 million units across all platforms since the game first appeared in late 2000.

“Considering we tried to sell Bejeweled outright to more than one industry giant back in the early days of our company, and got no takers even after reducing our asking price to $60,000, this little game has done all right for itself,” said Jason Kapalka, chief creative officer and co-founder of PopCap, and the original designer of Bejeweled and its sequel. “I vividly recall prospective buyers telling us ‘It’s not even a game,’ while showing us the door,” Kapalka laughed.

While the casual games “audience” is estimated at between 350 million and 450 million, this estimate is based on “regular” players, consumers who enjoy casual games on a monthly or more frequent basis; hundreds of millions of additional consumers have experienced a casual game, most often Bejeweled, at least once in their lives. More than 350 million copies of the Bejeweled/Bejeweled 2 have been downloaded from the Web, accounting for nearly a third of the 1 billion-plus downloads of all PopCap® titles. Tens of millions of copies of Bejeweled have been installed on mobile phones worldwide, and more than 25 million units of the game have been sold across all platforms, amounting to over $300 million in consumer spending over the history of the game. (Additionally, Bejeweled has garnered tens of millions of dollars in online advertising.)

For the past three years and counting, Bejeweled has consistently been among the top three “family entertainment” software titles sold at retail, while most hit video games achieve such ranking for one or two months. Likewise, the game has been one of the top three sellers among mobile games for more than three years running. Among PopCap’s own customer base, exposure to Bejeweled is exceptionally high: a survey of 13,000 PopCap customers conducted in April 2008 found that fully 95% of them had played Bejeweled in some form.

The Bejeweled franchise is also one of the most ubiquitous and accessible in the history of video games, with versions of the game available for Web, PCs and Macs, mobile phones, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, PDAs and Blackberrys, iPods and iPhone, in-flight on leading airlines, on-demand TV systems in hotels – even scratch-off lottery tickets in many states. All told, Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2 have collectively been enjoyed for an estimated 6 billion hours – the equivalent of 60 people playing the game 24 hours a day since the last Ice Age 11,400 years ago.

About PopCap
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of “casual games” — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 200 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Ireland and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 25 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile phones and MP3 players, and game device manufacturers.

A 3D version of Deal or No deal sound desirable to you? Perhaps you’re a game show fan and just can’t get enough Howie, if so, you’re in luck. Koch Media announced their new casual games label As Seen On TV which will bring popular TV brands to the console.

At first we were thinking “a games division based on infomercials?” No, their intention is to bring familiar casual game experiences into the home. Many families sit down and share their experiences of TV viewing together when it comes to watching game shows, Koch Media plans to make this a bit more interactive and competititve.

When can we expect the games to hit the market? “We are delighted to be launching the As Seen On TV range during the key Christmas retail period,” said Craig McNicol, Managing Director at Koch Media.

(Thanks, CasualGamerChick)

Read on for full press release…

London, UK – 17th July 2008: Leading distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment, Koch Media, today announced its brand new range of family-focused games based on some of TV’s most popular game show franchises. Debuting under Koch’s new “As Seen On TV” label, the games which include a brand new 3D sequel to the hugely popular 2007 release Deal Or No Deal, are set for a Q4 2008 launch on Nintendo Wii and DS.

Aimed primarily at a casual and family gaming audience, the As Seen On TV range features games developed as direct spin offs from highly-rated, mainstream TV shows such as Golden Balls, The Magic Roundabout and Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old? With in-game presentation from the likes of Noel Edmonds and Jasper Carrot, As Seen On TV’s products are both familiar and instantly accessible for all levels of gamer.

Other key features of the range are bold new packaging, featuring As Seen On TV’s distinctive, retro television logo, and an impulse buy price point. Together with broad and far reaching trade marketing, and print and TV advertising plans, along with continued, regular TV scheduling of shows in the range, helps guarantee mass market appeal for As Seen On TV throughout the busy Christmas period and beyond.

The initial launch titles include Deal Or No Deal 2008, Golden Balls and Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity on both Wii and DS and Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old? on DS. All games in the As Seen On TV range have a SRP of £29.99 for Wii titles and £19.99 for DS titles.

“We are delighted to be launching the As Seen On TV range during the key Christmas retail period,” said Craig McNicol, Managing Director at Koch Media. “With its strong visual branding, competitive price point and superb line up of much-loved titles and TV personalities we expect this to be a massive hit with family audiences over the Christmas season.”

Popcap does some pretty interesting surveys and their latest one is no different. Their finding kids with ADHD are benefiting from playing casual games. The idea makes a bit of sense if you watch your children playing video games.

While TV viewing is very non-interactive video games light your brain on fire with thought. Besides the obvious “brain games” Nintendo releases, casual games in general, seems to build some great skills for those with ADHD and, more than likely, everyone who games.

Seattle, Washington – July 16, 2008 – The very first account of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) was written in 1845 by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman, author of numerous books on medicine, psychiatry and children’s poetry. Though the disorder wasn’t “discovered” until 1902, Hoffman’s “The Story of Fidgety Philip” is universally accepted as the first illustrated description of ADHD. The good news is, the disorder has been around a long long time, and though difficult, the challenges of raising an ADHD child are not insurmountable. The better news is that according to a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by Information Solutions Group on behalf of PopCap Games, certain types of video games appear to have a therapeutic affect on the disorder, lessening symptoms and helping kids focus. And the best news? Kids love this form of therapy!

The games in question are family-friendly word and puzzle games known as “casual” video games that can be played on computers, video game consoles and mobile devices. Joe P. of Athens, Georgia, father of a child diagnosed with ADHD, writes in response to the survey, “He seems more relaxed and calm. We have also noticed after playing games, he can concentrate on school materials such as math, in which he has the biggest struggle, and not get frustrated with problems he doesn’t understand.” And Joanna G. of Oakland CA, a mother of four whose youngest daughter suffers with ADHD and SID (Sensory Integration Disorder), claims that all her kids enjoy the games and are calmer because they have control over something. She believes this is because “they are able to extend the time they can be focused and productive without problems and putdowns and feeling badly about themselves or being made fun of.”

Dr. Carl Arinoldo, a Stony Brook, New York-based psychologist of 25 years’ experience reports similar findings: “It seems that children with AD/HD often lack that sense of control that comes much more easily to their non-AD/HD peers. Playing casual games such as Peggle and Bejeweled, among others, is one area in their lives in which these children can experience some sense of control with the added benefit of achieving success in something. Both of these aspects, taken together, can serve to enhance the child’s self-concept and self-esteem.”

Profile of Survey Respondents
A total of 13,296 casual game players responded to the survey, with 2,728 respondents claiming they, or someone in their care, were suffering from some type of disability. Of these, 422 were identified as children, ranging in age from 5 to 17 years old, the majority falling between the ages of 8 and 16. Of the children, over half (52%) were said to be suffering with a mild (30%), moderate (55%) or severe (15%) form of ADHD. The second largest group was children with autism (21%), followed by Dyslexia (8%) and Down Syndrome (3%).

Benefits Cited
The survey included a breakdown of short- and long-term benefits disabled players derived from the games. Of the approximately 220 children suffering with ADHD who participated in the survey (or in the majority of cases, participated via the responses of their parents, guardians or caregivers), the following were cited as the leading benefits:

83% cited Improved concentration skills/Increased attention span

70% cited Improved hand-eye coordination/Manual dexterity

64% cited Stress relief/Relaxation

60% cited Learning (pattern recognition, resource allocation, spelling, typing skills)

56% cited Mental workouts/Memory strengthening/Mentally sharp and focused

55% cited Mood-lifting

51% cited Positive affirmation/Increased confidence/Sense of accomplishment

Frequency & Duration
When asked how often children play casual video games, 43% of respondents indicated “2-3 times per week” and another 43% stated “daily,” dropping off significantly to 8% who play just once a week. Duration of play fell into the 1 to 2 hour range for 33% of respondents, 31 to 60 minutes for 32%, and 15 to 30 minutes for 20%.

Kids’ Favorites
According to the survey, “puzzle” games such as Bejeweled® and Tetris were the #1 favorite among ADHD children at 24%. The second favorite genre was “action” at 16% including such games as Platypus and Diner Dash. And tying for third place at 13% each were “arcade” games, with Peggle™ being the hands-down favorite.

When asked to rate how they spent their leisure time in order of frequency, the number one activity was “spending time with family and friends,” followed closely by “playing casual games on a computer or other device.” The third favorite leisure activity was “listening to music or radio,” fourth was “watching TV or movies at home” and the fifth most popular activity was “reading a book, magazine or newspaper.”

Peggle by PopCap Games
According to the American Medical Association, ADHD is “one of the best-researched disorders in medicine.” However, despite all the research, no one knows what causes ADHD or how to cure it. Therefore whenever a new approach to treating the disorder is introduced, it is a welcome development…especially an approach the children actually love participating in. According to Dr. Arinoldo, “Any reasonable type of treatment that would enhance the AD/HD child’s attention span, focusing, concentration skills, and self-confidence, would be a welcome asset to parents and teachers alike.” He goes on to assert that if by playing the games, “the child’s skills can be generalized from the gaming situation to other situations, such as school, this would be an added bonus. We always want to find something that the children enjoy and that interests them when seeking ways to help them. Thus, since playing casual computer games was the children’s second choice for a leisure time activity, it makes a lot of sense to make use of the games to build on the children’s skills.”

Survey Methodology
This international research was conducted by Information Solutions Group (ISG; www.infosolutionsgroup.com) for PopCap Games. These results are based on online surveys completed by 2,728 respondents randomly selected between April 2 and April 17, 2008. In theory, in 19 cases out of 20, the results will differ by no more than 1.9 percentage points from what would have been obtained by seeking out and polling all PopCap.com users.

About PopCap
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of “casual games” — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 200 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C. and Dublin. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile operators and developers, and game device manufacturers.

If you’re considering the Xbox 360 console, or plan to buy the Xbox 360 Arcade Edition for USD $279.99 please take pause, until the Xbox 360 20GB models dry up, you can now purchase them for USD $299.99. As Microsoft has bluntly stated, get them “while supplies last.”

We’re sure Microsoft is going to take a hit in Arcade sales while these supplies last, but that’s the sacrifice you make for drying up a console SKU and removing it from the market. So, while you can save $50.00 now, you’ll also be able to get a new 60GB model for the same price as the original Xbox 360 Preimum at USD $349.99.

You’ll still be able to purchase the Elite for its epic price of USD $449.99 if you really need the larger disk capacity (120GB). This is an official statement, leading up to E3, so we’ll have to see what Microsoft plans to announce at the event.

Will Sony respond to the price cut now that this is official? Probably not, as the Elite price is the same, the only concern Sony may have is the disk capacity comes closer to their high end console solution.

Redmond, Washington—Microsoft is giving consumers more gigabytes for their buck. The company today announced an Xbox 360® console with triple the storage space of the original console, but for the same price of $349 (U.S.) estimated retail price.

Available in retail stores in the U.S. and Canada starting in early August, the upgraded Xbox 360 will include a 60GB hard drive for storing the growing wealth of digital entertainment available for the console, including music, movies, television shows, and game content. In addition, Microsoft today dropped the price of its 20GB Xbox 360 console in the U.S. and Canada to just $299 (U.S.) (ERP) while supplies last, a savings of $50.

“We know consumers need more and more space to store the amazing digital content Xbox 360 offers, and we’re giving it to them at no extra charge,” said Albert Penello, Xbox director of product management at Microsoft. “No one device offers the depth and breadth of entertainment that Xbox 360 can deliver, and now you’ll have three times the storage to manage all that great content.”

Xbox 360 is just one of three Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment systems Microsoft offers. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Arcade, which comes with a 256MB memory unit and five Xbox LIVE Arcade games, is a value for the whole family for $279 (U.S.) (ERP), and the premium Xbox 360 Elite console is available with a 120GB hard drive for $449 (U.S.) (ERP).

Since the release of Peggle on February 2007, gamers around the world have caught on to the addictive casual game. Now those that didn’t download Peggle on Steam, Popcap.com or other electronic download site can buy at packed boxed version in retail outlets!

Peggle hits retail stores and the world will never be the same! You can download it for your ipod, on your PC and on your Macintosh but never before could you purchase it in a local store. Although, it seems, boxed casual games are the rarity, not the norm, the more outlets a developer like PopCap gets the better.

MSNBC listed Peggle in the top five most addicting games of all times, PC gamers couldn’t get enough and, eventually, Xbox Live gamers will have that same experience. If you’ve never played Peggle I suggest you run out and buy it when it arrives in retail stores… or just buy it online the way you could do for the last year and some change…

July 2008 – Focus Multimedia and casual games pioneer, PopCap Games today announced a partnership that sees the long-awaited arrival of PopCap’s critically acclaimed masterpiece, Peggle, at retail.

From the makers of Bejeweled, Peggle combines elements of pinball, pachinko and pool to create a completely different kind of casual game. Players fire a silver ball from the top of the screen, relying on the laws of physics to propel the ball downwards while ricocheting off orange and blue ‘pegs’.

Using a mixture of luck and skill the goal is to clear all the orange pegs before running out of balls. A moving “bucket” at the bottom of the screen offers the chance of free balls, while green pegs give the player one of ten amazing power-ups to help them complete the level.

Since its web launch, Peggle has taken the industry by storm – and both casual and hardcore gamers by surprise. A feast of colour and fun – with rainbows and unicorns and an ‘Ode To Joy’ soundtrack – Peggle has proved an unlikely hardcore hero and is causing ‘Extreme Fever’ wherever – and whenever – it pops up.

Key features of Peggle include:
• Four different modes representing hundreds of levels:
1. Adventure Mode takes players through 55 unique hand-painted levels on a quest to become a Peggle Master
2. Duel Mode allows for head-to-head battles against friends or computer opponents
3. Challenge Mode features increasingly difficult goals across 75 levels
4. Quick Play mode lets players choose their favourite level and power-up combinations, or play a random set of levels and/or power-ups.
• Ten “Peggle Masters” – they teach you how to play but later serve as tricky opponents
• Stunning sound FX and themed music
• “Style Points” reward players for shots that display great skill or just incredible luck!

Craig Johnson, managing director of Focus Multimedia, commented: “We’re very excited about launching Peggle because it’s so unique, charming and loveable. PopCap’s titles really are a breath of fresh air in the PC games space,” added Johnson. “Thanks to their massive popularity online, games like Bejeweled 2 and Mystery P.I. The Lottery Ticket have quickly established themselves as best-sellers at retail. With Peggle’s excellent pedigree and superb price point, we’re forecasting that there will soon be a whole lot more Peggle Masters out there!”

Mark Cochrane, European Director of Business Development at PopCap Games said: “Everyone – from teenagers to pensioners, to female gamers and hardcore ones – raves about Peggle but struggles to ‘peg’ down exactly what it is that makes the game so fun. We, at PopCap, have concluded that nobody can really be told what Peggle is like – you just have to play it for yourself. With that in mind, we are delighted to bring it to retail to give even more people the opportunity to experience the power of Peggle.”

PopCap Games is already a leading developer and publisher of casual games for platforms including Web, PC, Mac, mobile, Xbox, PS2 and iPod and many more. PopCap games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide. Flagship title, Bejeweled, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms and PopCap estimates the Bejeweled franchise has consumed roughly 6 billion hours of consumers’ leisure time since 2001.

Peggle is available now for a suggested retail price of £9.99 including VAT, from all good retail outlets of PC software and direct from www.focusmm.co.uk.

About Focus Multimedia
Focus Multimedia is one of the UK’s leading consumer software publishers. Within a comprehensive and constantly evolving product range, Focus is able to offer more than 400 high quality PC software titles for all the family. The company consistently delivers quality, value and choice across its market-leading PC budget software brands – Essential, Revival and PC Fun Club. Focus’ portfolio includes many highly acclaimed brands, amongst them; Bratz, CSI, Deal or No Deal, Disney Pixar Cars, Driving Test Success, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Law & Order, LEGO, Oxford University Press, Scooby Doo, Scrabble and SpongeBob SquarePants, and many more. For further information on Focus Multimedia please visit www.focusmm.co.uk.

About PopCap
PopCap Games – www.popcap.com – is the leading multi-platform provider of “casual games” — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 200 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile operators and developers, and game device manufacturers.

For those that are Facebook junkies, playing their hearts out of Scrabulous, you’re going to be hit with some reality: it’s not real scrabble. Hasbro has attempted to pull the Scrabulous game off of Facebook because they’re not licensing it from the owner, but it’s still there. Is Hasbro’s “real” Scrabble going to sway addicted Scrabulous players?

Now, Hasbro is launching the real Scrabble game on pogo.com and on Facebook for social networking purposes. Our own Casual Gamer Chick, Jennifer, will be reviewing the upcoming Facebook app later this week (once we get her to sign up for Facebook!)

This will be Hasbro’s first go at social networking, given their trying to beat out Scrabulous, it’s going to be a tough battle, let’s see how they do!

EA AND HASBRO DELIVER AUTHENTIC SCRABBLE WEB FUN TO FACEBOOK PLATFORM AND POGO.COM

Redwood City, Calif. – July 7, 2008 – Sign in and start playing the most renowned word game, as Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Hasbro Inc. (NYSE:HAS)  deliver the latest in SCRABBLE games in the US and Canada on the Facebook® and online at Pogo.com™. EA’s first Hasbro-based Facebook application launches later this month and the Pogo.com SCRABBLE game is available now, extending the presence of EA SCRABBLE games across two new platforms in July.

SCRABBLE from EA on Facebook Platform will be the first EA Hasbro-licensed property to go live on a social networking site, with many more Hasbro game properties in development and slated to launch on social networking sites later this year. SCRABBLE on Pogo is the initial HASBRO title in a suite of free online games slated to go live on Pogo in 2008. EA SCRABBLE games currently are available on mobile phones and the iPod® in the US and Canada.

“SCRABBLE is one of the best social game brands in existence and we’ve worked diligently with the Hasbro team to ensure that regardless of the platform you’re playing, you’ll be able to enjoy a world class version of SCRABBLE with friends or family,” said Chip Lange, General Manager, EA Hasbro Games. “We’re delighted to be bringing communities everywhere access to one of their favorite games.”

“Hasbro, together with EA, is eager to share our expertise and technological know-how by bringing a genuine SCRABBLE experience to fans throughout the US and Canada whenever they want and wherever they go,” said Mark Blecher, General Manager, Hasbro Digital Media and Gaming.  “We understand the current popularity and potential of web-based and social network gameplay for a wide range of our toy and game brands.  EA and Hasbro are committed to providing SCRABBLE fans with a great digital game experience.”

“After playing with EA’s social networking and Pogo versions of SCRABBLE, I have no doubt that SCRABBLE players in the US and Canada will absolutely love the gameplay and overall experience,” said John D. Williams Jr., Executive Director of the National SCRABBLE Association (NSA). “We have seen the SCRABBLE brand grow in popularity in so many different ways, including this year’s School SCRABBLE Championship and the current interest in SCRABBLE for social networking.  I am particularly pleased that the Pogo and Facebook EA SCRABBLE games offer such simple and clean interfaces that allow players to jump right in and start playing.”

SCRABBLE on Facebook Platform
The SCRABBLE application built on Facebook platform provides an intuitive interface that allows head-to-head challenges with family, friends or anyone accessing Facebook from within the US or Canada. Players can choose to play a real-time turn-based game or pause and pick up to resume playing at their leisure. With easy tracking of scores and statistics, players will always know where they rank against competitors. While playing SCRABBLE on Facebook, gamers can enjoy built in chat and dynamic animations. They can also get help from extensive word lists and choose one of the several flexible speed levels to customize their level of difficulty.

SCRABBLE on Pogo.com
Play SCRABBLE for Pogo alone or with up to three friends in real time. Players can choose one of five customizable skill levels that match the dictionary and opponent accordingly. Pogo offers several “rules” including: house rules when playing with family, traditional rules to follow the style of the board game and à la carte rules for those who want to make up their own. Timed games allow for fun competition, but the integrated hints, tips and tricks allow every level of player to hone skills and become a champion in SCRABBLE on Pogo. As a bonus, Club Pogo players will be able to unlock extra SCRABBLE features including their own set of NSA tournament rules, the ability to play rated games modeled after the National Scrabble Association’s rating system, a choice of three different SCRABBLE boards and a NSA room, exclusively for NSA tournament players to compete online.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is out, gamers rejoyce. Reviews show the game being “so so” in terms of value and total experiences. GameSpot gave it a 7.0 out of 10 saying it’s a bit short, 41 songs instead of the typical 70+ from other Guitar Hero games… but you’re still paying full price.

They’re also saying Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is easier, which is great for the non-hardcore players. For those uberskills shown off in so many youtube video’s, you’ll probably wanna stick to Guitar Hero III. IGN ranked it a 7.6 out of 10, with much of the same issues as other review sites have found: lots of “the same” in this title only with Aerosmith songs instead of a variety, a bit easy and only attractive to those that like Aerosmith.

If you’re a huge Aerosmith fan, this game goes without saying. If you’re looking for additional guitar tracks to rock out on, again, not a bad selection. If you’re looking for the next great rock and role gaming experience, this isn’t worth the cash it seems.

FANS EXPERIENCE ‘SWEET EMOTION’ AS ACTIVISION’S GUITAR HERO®: AEROSMITH® ROCKS RETAIL SHELVES NATIONWIDE

Epic Video Game Collaboration Lets Players Rock Out With

America’s Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Band – Aerosmith

Santa Monica, CA – July 2, 2008 – Gamers and music fans alike are now free to unleash their inner-rockstar as the groundbreaking video game partnership uniting one of 2007′s best selling videogames and ‘America’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band’ –Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer– shred store shelves nationwide with Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero®: Aerosmith®. Players can rock out with friends Aerosmith-style with the limited special edition bundle, including a copy of the game, wireless guitar with an exclusive Aerosmith faceplate design, and a collector’s 18-page tour book.

“It’s going to give guitar and music a boost,” Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry said. “And it’s also going to give new life to all these songs. It may turn a lot of musicians into gamers and gamers into musicians.”

Steven Tyler says, “What’s better than to create a game about us and base it around where we’ve played? And how do a bunch of guys from Yonkers and New Hampshire make it big?”

“Guitar Hero: Aerosmith offers multiple generations of music fans a unique opportunity to live out their rock and roll fantasies with one of the greatest bands of all time,” said Dusty Welch, Head of Publishing for RedOctane. “The intensive motion capture sessions and countless hours of input from Aerosmith have heightened authenticity and proven to be invaluable assets in making, not just a great video game, but an amazing interactive music experience.”

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith brings these quintessential rock legends to the interactive realm to create the ultimate gaming experience. As fans progress through their careers in the game, they can rock out to scores of Aerosmith’s greatest hits including various tracks re-mastered by the legendary band for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, as well as songs from celebrated artists that the band has either performed with or has been inspired by in some way. Highlighting the list of celebrated artists is an in-game guest appearance from one of the pioneers of hip-hop and kings of rock, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels. Venues from historical moments during the band’s illustrious career offer the experience of “sweet emotion” and further capture the essence of the band’s rise to fame.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is now available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment. The game is rated “T” for Teen (Lyrics, Mild Suggestive Themes) by the ESRB. For more information visit www.guitarhero.com.

About Aerosmith
For more than 30 years AEROSMITH has defined American Rock ‘n’ Roll. Just a brief overview of their remarkable career is truly mind-boggling: over 150 million albums sold, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, countless awards (four Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, six Billboard Awards, and 12 MTV Awards), electrifying sold-out concerts around the world and a diehard “Blue Army” fan-base numbering in the millions worldwide. Described by Mojo editor Phil Alexander in a May ’07 cover story as “America’s greatest hard rock act,” the members of AEROSMITH–STEVEN TYLER (vocals), JOE PERRY (guitar), BRAD WHITFORD (guitar), TOM HAMILTON (bass) and JOEY KRAMER (drums)–remain creatively vital, and are the platinum standard for artistic and commercial success in the music business. Through it all they have defeated the odds, silenced their critics and have undeniably withstood the test of time. AEROSMITH are beginning to work on their next studio album, the follow-up to 2004’s critically acclaimed HONKIN ON BOBO, which received a four-star Rolling Stone review.

About Activision
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $2.9 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Activision has decided to take Guitar Hero to the next level: Action Figures. This is a great move for the company, striking the iron while it’s hot! The Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises are growing in intensity while big blockbuster titles like GTA IV are waning in sales and profit.

Pretty soon you and your children can purchase action figures in the liking of Guitar Hero, would you consider this or is it just a gimmick?

McFARLANE TOYS ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH ACTIVISION
TO PRODUCE GUITAR HERO(tm) ACTION FIGURES

TEMPE, Ariz. ~ McFarlane Toys announces a partnership with Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) to produce action figures from the hit video game franchise, Guitar Hero®. The first line is expected to hit store shelves this fall.

The hugely popular Guitar Hero franchise delivers the ultimate guitar-bending experience and enabling aspiring axe-shredders everywhere the chance to Unleash Their Inner Rock Star. Featuring a wide variety of music spanning five decades, the franchise is highlighted by countless original recordings from many of the most beloved artists of all time.

Represented in the first line of action figures are four of the Guitar Hero game’s most popular characters:

JOHNNY NAPALM
AXEL STEEL
LARS ÜMLAUT
GOD OF ROCK

“We have very recently begun creating toys based on video games,” says McFarlane Toys CEO Todd McFarlane. “With Activision, we get to work on arguably one of the biggest video game franchises out there, and capitalize on the wide-ranging demographic that encompasses this game.”

Each figure has 15-18 moving parts. Additionally, a unique guitar is included with each character that is removable and interchangeable with the other figures. Each figure also comes with a sculpted Guitar Hero logo base.

McFarlane Toys’ 6-inch action figures retail for $10-$15.

Visit www.SPAWN.com for updates and the all the latest and to-the-minute news.

About McFarlane Toys
Grammy-and Emmy-winning producer/director Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn and the founder of  SPAWN.com, is the force behind McFarlane Toys, one of America’s top action figure manufacturers. With an eclectic array of movie, TV and music licensing tie-ins – as well as the officially licensed teams of the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, McFarlane Toys has become a leader and redefined the standards within the action figure industry. For complete information on this pop-culture powerhouse, visit SPAWN.com.

About Activision, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.  Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $2.9 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.  More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

PopCap will try their luck in the Asian market for casual games. The US market and the Asian market are clearly different and have different likes and dislikes when it comes to video games, this can be seen in the division between the US first-person-shooter genre running wild and the success of FPS franchises in Japan (a great example being the Xbox 360 console).

Many eastern style games have a casual feel to them and PopCaps going to see how they’re feeling about titles like Zuma, Chuzzle, Peggle and Bejeweled. James Gwertzman, their new Asia/Pacific VP says, “This is the opportunity of a lifetime.” He believes success will be the result of this endevor.

What do you think, Asia/Pacific, ready for US casual games?

PopCap Opens Asia/Pacific Office, Names James Gwertzman VP of Asia/Pacific

Business Development Exec Spearheads Ambitious Overseas Expansion

SEATTLE, Washington – June 24, 2008 — PopCap Games Inc., the leading developer and publisher of casual video games, today announced that James Gwertzman, longtime senior business development executive with the company, has been promoted to Vice President of Asia/Pacific and has relocated to Shanghai to direct PopCap’s rapidly expanding operations throughout the Asia/Pacific region. Gwertzman will manage a team of developers, artists, business development executives, and other staffers charged with bringing hit titles such as Bejeweled®, Chuzzle™, Peggle™, and Zuma™ to Asian audiences. The new Asia/Pacific office, which opened in Shanghai this month, will feature a development studio tasked with creating new games specifically for Asia/Pacific consumers. The new office also establishes PopCap as the first Western casual games developer to have a full-fledged operation in the region.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Gwertzman said. “The casual games space in Asia is totally different than in North America or Europe, but if we can get it right, it’s a tremendous opportunity. With more than 400 million Internet users, the wired population of Asia is bigger than that of either North America or Europe, and casual games are very popular throughout the region. We’ve had a modest ‘stealth’ presence in the area for two years now, but now we’re ready to open a fully-staffed office. We have enough confidence in our strategy to make a sizable investment, but we’re humble enough to realize that these are very different markets, and so we have designed our organization here first and foremost to be nimble and flexible.”

No other Western casual games provider has made much headway in Asia, mostly due to significant differences in the playing habits and expectations of Asian consumers, as well as the challenges inherent in translating games into multiple Asian languages and adapting them to local business models. PopCap has quietly established a business development staff in Korea and Singapore, and last year hired Giordano Bruno Contestabile, the former Asia Pacific Director for ARENAmobile, to become PopCap’s Senior Business Development Director for Asia/Pacific. In late 2006, PopCap formed a partnership with Square Enix, one of the largest and most successful video game companies in Japan. PopCap already has a broad network of distribution deals in place covering all of its channels, including mobile, PC online, and retail. Gwertzman has been spending half his time in Asia for nearly a year, and will relocate his family to Shanghai in the coming months.

About PopCap

PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of “casual games” — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 200 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Ireland and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile operators and developers, and game device manufacturers.