Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced that global media companies, content delivery networks (CDNs), publishers and advertising networks are embracing Adobe’s open framework for building custom media players. Code-named “Strobe”, the new framework will help establish an industry standard for media players and offers production ready components to streamline the development process, reducing the time content publishers spend creating playback technologies. Strobe enables Adobe developers and ecosystem partners to fully take advantage of the powerful video capabilities of the Adobe Flash Platform and simplifies the delivery of online media player development. Since Strobe was announced on April 20, 2009 more than 20 companies in the online media space have committed to supporting the Strobe framework. 

You can see the full release here http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/pdfs/200905/51209SupportforAdobeStrobe.pdf

TV buffs everywhere can take to the couch once again as the new TV Trivia Pack for the popular TRIVIAL PURSUIT video game launches as downloadable content on Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network. Priced at just AU$8.45 (400 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE), the new TV Trivia Pack adds hundreds of television-themed questions and hours of fun to the classic trivia game. 

TRIVIAL PURSUIT is now available on Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and Playstation 2 at leading game retailers.  For assets or more information please visit www.electronicarts.com.au

2K Games Reveals First Details of the BioShock® 2 Multiplayer Experience

Digital Extremes tapped to create extensive and exciting multiplayer element for 2K Games’ highly anticipated shooter

Sydney, Australia – May 9, 2009 – 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today that it has signed a partnership with Digital Extremes to develop the multiplayer experience for BioShock® 2. Under this partnership, Digital Extremes is working closely with the creative team at 2K Marin to develop a new and substantial element that enhances the lore and fiction of the BioShock universe.

“The fans asked for a multiplayer experience and we answered,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “With Digital Extremes delivering a multiplayer experience for BioShock 2 that features all of the things that make BioShock unique, we’re holding ourselves to a high standard so that we can deliver the depth and variety that fans of the BioShock universe demand.”

Multiplayer in BioShock 2 provides a rich prequel experience that expands the origins of the BioShock fiction. Set during the fall of Rapture, players assume the role of a Plasmid test subject for Sinclair Solutions, a premier provider of Plasmids and Tonics in the underwater city of Rapture that was first explored in the original BioShock. Players will need to use all the elements of the BioShock toolset to survive as the full depth of the BioShock experience is refined and transformed into a unique multiplayer experience that can only be found in Rapture. 

Key features:

·        Evolution of the genetically enhanced shooter – Earn experience points during gameplay to earn access to new Weapons, Plasmids and Tonics that can be used to create hundreds of different combinations, allowing players to develop a unique character that caters to their playing style.

·        Extend the Rapture fiction – Players will step into the shoes of Rapture citizens and learn more about the fall of Rapture as they progress through the experience.

·        See Rapture before the fall – Experience Rapture before it was reclaimed by the ocean and engage in combat over iconic environments in locations such as Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites, all of which have been reworked from the ground up to deliver a fast-paced multiplayer experience.

·        FPS veterans add their touch to the multiplayer experience – Digital Extremes brings more than 10 years of first person shooter experience including development of award-winning entries in the Unreal® and Unreal Tournament® franchise.

BioShock 2 is currently in development at 2K Marin, 2K Australia and Digital Extremes for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows-based PC. This title is not yet rated by the OFLC.

Innovative DJ Hero Game Expected To Transform How Consumers Engage with Music  

New Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero and Band Hero Expand the Category with Fun-to-Play Experiences and Innovative New Technologies and Features  

Fall Slate Delivers Largest Variety of Music and Hottest Artists  

Sydney, AUSTRALIA May 8, 2009 – Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) is set to once again revolutionize how consumers interact with music by releasing three new titles this Spring – DJ Hero™, Guitar Hero® 5 and Band Hero™ – that will redefine the company’s popular music gaming platform.  The slate will transform the way consumers enjoy and engage with music by offering the largest variety of music genres, innovative technologies and new social entertainment experiences for existing fans and millions of new consumers who previously have not joined Guitar Hero’s global community of fans.

·        The company’s groundbreaking DJ Hero expands Guitar Hero’s signature social gaming to all-new consumers with the addition of diverse music genres including hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance.  Introducing an all-new innovative turntable controller, DJ Hero transforms players into DJs who rule the club scene by creating original mixes of popular songs and music from the world’s most exciting artists and DJs.

·        Letting fans continue to fulfill their rock fantasies, Guitar Hero 5 features the hottest rock and roll artists today as well as classic rock bands and gives players an unprecedented level of control over the way they play the game with the ability to drop in and out of songs and change band members, instruments and difficulty levels on the fly.

·        Last but not least, Band Hero delivers an exciting music collection featuring top-40 hits designed to expand the experience to a new genre and appeal to a broad family audience who can play together on the guitar, drums, bass and microphone.   The game builds upon Guitar Hero’s easy-to-play, difficult-to-master signature gameplay and allows novice players and expert fans to join together on their favorite songs.

“Guitar Hero has made music social again and has become one of the most popular ways to experience music,” said Dan Rosensweig, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Guitar Hero franchise.  “Today’s fans enjoy a variety of music and are looking for more ways to engage with their favorite songs, artists and fellow fans.  These games will let them listen, participate and socialise with music in ways they have never been able to before.”

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

– Naruto’s Biggest Adventure Arrives in the Palm of Your Hands this Autumn –

CERGY-PONTOISE, FRANCE – 7 May 2009 – NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S announced today that NARUTO™ Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising will be coming to PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) in Australia this Spring.  Based on the popular NARUTO Shippuden animated series, players will assume control of over 10 of their favourite ninja, including the dreaded Akatsuki. NARUTO Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising promises to deliver fierce ninja action as players re-live the NARUTO Shippuden storyline and experience a brand new adventure this Spring.  

Naruto and his friends are in for the fight of their lives as they search for Gaara, the fifth Kazekage, who has been kidnapped by the dreaded Akatsuki organization.  It’s a race against time as the Akatsuki attempts to release Shukaku, the demon sealed inside Gaara.  

NARUTO Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising boasts streamlined controls for the PSP, ensuring exciting, fast-paced tactical battles making best use of each character’s Jutsus. Aim and time the powerful Jutsu attacks with simple button commands and devastate enemies by entering Hypermode.  As characters defeat the enemies or take damage, the Hyper Gauge will start to fill which enhances the Jutsu or unlocks new Jutsus. Players will be able to gain advantage in the heat of a battle by selecting two support characters to form a three-man team for each mission.  Utilize the different skills each character brings and combine their attacks with yours to discover the ultimate combos for defeating enemies.  

NARUTO Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising will incorporate multiple modes of play including two-player cooperative or versus play via ad-hoc local wireless network.  Original Mode lets players experience the Gaara Retrieval Arc as they battle enemies through lush, 3D anime inspired environments.  Scenario Mode introduces all-new side-missions to pick up Skill Scrolls which increase your character’s abilities including attack, defense, health and other numerous indicators reflected through all modes.  Akatsuki Mode will let players gain control of members of the Akatsuki organization for the first time in a brand-new storyline, discovering the Akatsuki’s true intentions while Naruto was searching for Gaara.  Finally, find out who the best ninja is with one-on-one fights against a friend or the computer in Versus Mode.     

For more information on the game, please visit www.naruto-videogames.com. For more information on NARUTO and to view free episodes of NARUTO Shippuden, please visit www.naruto.com 

About NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe:
NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S., is a leading interactive entertainment software publisher based in Cergy-Pontoise, France. The company is a part of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises including the RidgeRacer™, Tekken™, SOULCALIBUR™, Tamagotchi™, Digimon™, Dragonball® and Naruto™ brands.

Sydney, Australia – May 8th, 2009 – Today Ubisoft revealed new gameplay details about the upcoming comedy-adventure Rabbids Go Home™. The party is over and the Rabbids are ready to go home…to the moon! Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, the game features a new wacky storyline, diverse gameplay and intuitive controls, and  a vast array of environments that leads to hilarious capers as the Rabbids wreak havoc on the Humans in pursuit of their quest. Rabbids Go Home is scheduled to ship Holiday 2009 for the Wii™ system from Nintendo. 

About the Game:

The Rabbids first comedy-adventure will take them to the moon or bust!  Those crazy Rabbids have an infallible plan: collect all the human stuff they can find, heap it onto a giant pile and literally climb home to the moon. But not so fast! The Humans revolt, unleashing the Verminators whose only objective is to exterminate the Rabbids. Rabbids Go Home game features include:

·         The Rabbids First Comedy-Adventure: Control two Raving Rabbids and their shopping cart and cause mayhem in a world full of uptight Humans with shopping on the brain. Collect varying sizes of human stuff to build the Rabbids sky-high pile of junk in their quest to reach the moon.

·         Make a huge mess and provoke hilarious situations in over 15 striking game environments: Scour through supermarkets, race across rooftops, jet past airports and boost through the Bayou, visiting the game’s unique take on everyday places.

·         Play over 40 missions: Race, chase, boost and generally run amok while scaring the Humans right down to their undies – literally! Ridicule reams of relentless enemies and their nasty pooches in an increasingly paranoid world of Rabbid-haters.

·         Unique Art Direction: Encounter a cast of colourful, oddball characters and explore a remarkable parody of the modern world as if you were living inside an interactive cartoon!

·         Variety of Gameplay: Soup up your shopping cart with a Jet Ski, an airplane reactor, or a hospital Bubble Bed to wreak endless havoc everywhere you turn. Learn to pilot your cart while boosting, jumping, gliding, floating and flying.

For more information about Rabbids Go Home, visit the official website: http://rabbids.uk.ubi.com/gohome/

AUSTRALIA – May 8, 2009 – Today Ubisoft® announced that their E3 press conference will be held at the Los Angeles Theatre on June 1, 2009 at 5 pm (doors open at 4 pm).  The press conference is by invitation only to Ubisoft partners, investors, retailers and select media. It will also be broadcast online for the public the following morning at http://www.ubi.com.  

During the press conference Ubisoft will unveil its line-up for Christmas 2009 and beyond including a demonstration of the eagerly anticipated new comedy-adventure Rabbids Go Home®, and exclusive reveals of Red Steel® 2  and the massively popular Assassin’s Creed® II, as well as other unannounced titles and special guests that are certain to thrill attendees and web viewers. The event will be hosted by actor and comedian Joel McHale, writer/ producer/ star of E!’s The Soup and star of NBC’s upcoming comedy series “The Community”.

Ubisoft’s website (http://www.ubi.com) will host select information direct from Ubisoft’s booth at E3, giving fans access to exclusive interviews and trailers of Ubisoft games.

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft is present in 28 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2008-09 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1.058 billion. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2007-2009 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Rabbids Go Home, Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, Ubisoft, Ubi.com and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries.

DiRTy secrets of BAFTA award-winning development team laid bare in development insight video, now available at www.dirt2game.com.

– Friday, 8th May – Gamers can today get the DiRT directly from inside the multi award-winning Codemasters® Racing Studio with the release of the Colin McRae: DiRT™ 2 ‘Studio Tour’ feature video, now available from www.dirt2game.com.

Introduced by Gavin Raeburn, Senior Executive Producer, the video reveals the tech that will drive Colin McRae: DiRT 2 and how it is enabling the studio to create an off-road racing experience that’s set to be peerless in both scope and delivery. Illustrated by the game’s first ever publicly-released gameplay footage, Gavin and the team begin by demonstrating the new particle physics system and the water technology.

The video then details how Colin McRae: DiRT 2’s drivers will be able to take their favourite vehicles through multiple racing disciplines, thanks to the new racing ‘packs’ that will enable players to customise their vehicle depending on the type of race they’re competing in. Gavin also discusses the specifics of the new handling system and how players will be doing the ‘Scandinavian Flick’ like Ken Block in no time.

Wrapping up the video, a demonstration of the game’s dynamic lighting system shows how its effects will bring locations alive as players throw top-spec, supercharged cars around the likes of London’s iconic Battersea Power Station.

Coming this Spring for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games For Windows® LIVE, Wii™, Nintendo DS™ and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system take the Colin McRae: DiRT 2 Studio Tour right now at www.dirt2game.com.

 
For more information on Atari’s entire product line up visit www.atari.com.au and log on to the Atari Trade Site for all box shots, demos, trailers and online screenshots.

It’s been more than 17 years since Doctor Destroyer blasted Detroit into rubble. But today, the gleaming skyscrapers of Millennium City stand upon the ashes of Detroit as an example of innovation and determination, drawing Heroes from far and wide. The world’s most powerful superteam, the Champions, can be found in Millennium City, in addition to other colorful heroes, like the genetically-altered genius gorilla Dr. Silverback or the super strong cop codenamed Kodiak. 

Of course, there are superhuman villains as well. High-tech thieves and mercenaries plague the city’s corporations and research facilities. The New Purple Gang has formed out of the remnants of Detroit’s organized crime families. Menaces like VIPER, PSI and DEMON lurk in the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike. The unpredictable Foxbat is continually plotting one zany caper after another, while the threat of Dr. Destroyer hangs in the air like a gathering storm. 

To celebrate the launch of Millennium City in the Champions Online closed beta test, Cryptic Studios and Atari have revealed more information about the burgeoning metropolis on the official website: 

http://champions-online.com/