August 16, 2010, Sydney, Australia – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, revealed at QuakeCon 2010 that RAGE™, the highly anticipated title from id Software™, will be available on store shelves and online in North America on September 13, 2011 and in Europe, Australia and New Zealand on September 16, 2011. Developed by id Software – legendary creators of DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein – RAGE is slated for release on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

“Gamers all over the world can now officially begin the countdown to the launch of RAGE,” said Todd Hollenshead, president of id Software. “At id, the development team continues their work to complete our newest franchise that will once again elevate the shooter genre.”

RAGE features intense first-person shooter action, breakneck vehicle combat, an expansive world to explore and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id’s revolutionary id Tech 5 technology. Set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, you emerge into a vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as bandit gangs, mutants, and more. From the pioneers of first-person shooter gameplay, RAGE promises an experience like no other.

“RAGE will set the new standard for first-person shooters,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “The awards and buzz coming out of E3, and at QuakeCon, shows that we’ve got a huge hit in the works with this game and we are really looking forward to getting it into everyone’s hands.”

RAGE has already garnered an impressive collection of accolades and awards, including ‘Best Overall Game’ and ‘Best Shooter’ from IGN at E3 2010. RAGE was also voted ‘Best Console Game’, ‘Best Action Game’, and given a special commendation for graphics by the Game Critic Awards, an independent group made up of journalists from 31 leading North American media outlets that cover the videogame industry.

For more information on RAGE, visit www.rage.com.

SEAGATE AND SAMSUNG ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO JOINTLY DEVELOP CONTROLLER TECHNOLOGY FOR ENTERPRISE SSDs

Scotts Valley, CA and sEOUL, KOREA – August 16, 2010 – Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX), the world leader in hard disk drives and storage solutions, and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that they have entered into a joint development and licensing agreement.

Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly develop and cross-license related controller technologies for solid state drive (“SSD”) storage devices to attain the high levels of performance, reliability and endurance demanded by enterprise storage applications.

The joint development effort builds on the existing SSD capabilities of each company while combining Seagate’s leadership in enterprise storage technology with Samsung’s flash memory technology specific to 30 nanometer-class MLC NAND. The jointly developed controller will be utilised in Seagate’s enterprise-class SSDs.

“Seagate has long recognised that solid state technology has an important role to play in the comprehensive solutions the storage industry will deliver today and in the future, particularly in the enterprise market,” said Steve Luczo, Seagate chairman, president and CEO. “Today’s agreement with Samsung will help us bring a compelling set of SSD innovations to the enterprise storage market, with benefits that range from enhanced performance, endurance and reliability to cost and capacity improvements. Overall, this agreement with Samsung strengthens our SSD solutions strategy, and positions Seagate well as global demand for storage continues on its strong growth path.”

“We are pleased to be jointly developing a high-performance SSD controller with Seagate for the enterprise storage market,” said Dr. Changhyun Kim, senior vice president and Samsung Fellow, Memory product planning & application engineering, Semiconductor Business, Samsung Electronics. “Our green memory solution is designed to enable more energy-efficient server applications, which is expected to increase the use of NAND-based SSD storage in enterprise applications.”

About Seagate

Seagate is the world leader in hard disk drives and storage solutions. Learn more at www.seagate.com.

About Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of US$116.8 billion. Employing approximately 188,000 people in 185 offices across 65 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

Sydney, Australia – Today at Star Wars Celebration V, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced that the complete Star Wars Saga will come to Blu-ray Disc with a worldwide release in Spring 2011. The Star Wars Blu-ray Box Set will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with extensive special features – including documentaries, vintage behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, retrospectives and never-before-seen footage from the Lucasfilm archives.

“Blu-ray is the absolute best way to experience Star Wars at home – in pristine high definition,” said George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars Saga. “The films have never looked or sounded better.”

ABOUT STAR WARS CELEBRATION V

Featuring celebrities, costumes, live entertainment, screenings, autographs, collectibles, panels and much, much more, Star Wars Celebration V is THE official Lucasfilm convention – and the biggest Star Wars party in the galaxy! Taking place in Orlando, FL from August 12-15, Star Wars Celebration V commemorates the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and the ongoing, weekly adventures of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTANMENT

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.

Lucasfilm, STAR WARS™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

Two and Four Legged Pets make their way into the Arsenal of Features in the Free Expansion 

Pets are no longer restricted to fetching the morning paper and crowd pleasing tricks, as today Aion® redefines how MMORPGs approach pets, creating an entirely new subsystem for players to explore within the upcoming free expansion, Aion: Assault on Balaurea™. For the first time within Aion, players will have access to functional pets capable of storing goods, assisting with crafting, acting as guardians by alerting their masters to nearby enemies, and of course those designed to make their masters look good. 

While the pets system will continuously evolve throughout the life of the game, Aion: Assault on Balaurea will launch with five pet types:   

•  
  • Companion – Adventure with their owner throughout Atreia
  • Signal – Alert their owner to the presence of enemy players
  • Pack – Expand their owner’s inventory
  • Fortune – Produce items for their owner after being well-fed
  • Purebred – Provide their owner with multiple functions at once

Players will have 100 dedicated pet slots available to populate, but are only capable of summoning one pet at a time, however, features like inventory space increase remains while the pet is put away. Players are restricted to one of each pet. Names are not unique, so players have the freedom to name them and make changes at will. And as a special treat, a new praise pet emote triggers unique animations for each type of pet – watch out Westminster Kennel Club, there’s a new set of tricks to teach those old dogs. 

Players will have plenty of opportunities in and out of the game to acquire pets, including in-game purchases, quest rewards, item drops, NCStore, and special promotional events. To celebrate the release of the expansion, those who purchase Aion: Assault on Balaurea (MSRP $39.99) – the new retail SKU that provides everything a new player needs to jump in to the world of Atreia – from select retailers will receive an exclusive Companion pet along with a premium Speckled Ailu (Panda) Pack pet. Select retailers and their limited-time offer pet exclusives include: 

AMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S. has released the first in a series of developer diary videos for ENSLAVED™: Odyssey to the West™ for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Hear directly from the talented team at Ninja Theory as they share their thoughts on the game’s development with spotlights on various themes. The first dev diary kicks off with a focus on building story and character.

Developed by Ninja Theory Ltd., ENSLAVED takes players on a gripping, surprise-filled journey as two dissimilar characters form an uneasy union in order to survive their way through a perilous, post-apocalyptic America. In ENSLAVED, players take on the role of Monkey, a strong and athletic, yet solitary figure, who has been captured by one of the mysteri­ous slave ships, which harvest the remaining population and take them out west never to return. Trip, a technologically savvy young woman who has also been imprisoned by the same ship, manages to escape. She quickly realizes that Monkey, with his raw strength and power, is her only hope to survive the perilous journey back to her home. She hacks into a slave headband and fits it on Monkey, linking them together – if she dies, he dies… Her journey has now become his and Monkey must now travel west alongside Trip as they traverse a demolished world, under constant threat of capture and mortal peril.

A tactical action-adventure game, ENSLAVED centers on the complex relationship between the two main characters and challenges players to employ a mix of combat, strategy and environment traversal. With influences and contributions from top music and film industry talent, ENSLAVED combines beautifully rendered graphics and captivating music with seamless animation and engrossing gameplay.

For more information about ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West, please visit www.namcobandaigames.eu or www.enslaved-thegame.com

Australia – August 16, 2010 – Kicking off the countdown to the game’s release, Ubisoft announced today that a single-player demo of Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.® 2 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system will be made available to consumers prior to the game’s release.

The Xbox 360 demo of H.A.W.X. 2 will appear on Xbox LIVE® for download on August 17th, and the PlayStation 3 demo will be made available on August 19th.

The demo will offer 2 single-player missions:

Interception Course

Take to the air as a Russian pilot sent to intercept a group of stolen aircraft high above the Caucasus Mountains, a hot spot on the world conflict radar, you will be playing a Russian pilot in this mission part of the new multinational cinematic story narrative in H.A.W.X. 2.

Seek and Destroy

Playing from the perspective of the elite U.S. H.A.W.X. squadron deployed to settle conflict spilling over in Africa, you are tasked with taking out specific targets with smart ammunition at night. Take off from a carrier under the cover of night and strike against a weapon smuggling operation using precision guided laser bombs

Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 will ship in Australia on September 2, 2010 for Xbox 360 and on September 9, 2010 for PlayStation 3. Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X 2 will also be released for the Wii and PC.

For more information please go to: http://hawxgame.uk.ubi.com/

The first part of this new version of Riverworld, based on Philip Jose Farmer’s series of novels airs this Sunday, August 15 at 8:30pm on Movie Extra.

This version of the story, written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Andromeda) and Randall M. Badat and starring Tamoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse) and Laura Vandervoort (Smallville) is a new two-part mini-series distinct from the defunct 2003 series which didn’t make it past the pilot stage.

Here’s the official synopsis:

When American war zone journalist Matt Ellman (Tahmoh Penikett, Battlestar Galactica) and his fiancée, Jessie Machalan (Laura Vandervoort, Smallville), are killed in an explosion, Matt awakens, separated from Jessie, on the banks of a river snaking endlessly across a mysterious new plane of existence. On Riverworld, everyone who has ever lived on Earth, ever soul throughout time, has been reborn along the banks of a seemingly endless river. Determined to locate Jessie, Matt aligns with Tomoe (Jeananne Goossen, Falcon Beach) , a 13th century female warrior, Allegra (Romina D’Ugo, Hairspray), a 15th century courtesan of shifting alliances, and American novelist and Riverboat captain Samuel Clemens (Mark Deklin, Justice), better known as Mark Twain. With a full crew of adventurers, they embark upriver to understand where they are, why they are here, and to what unknowable end the river winds.

Under the guidance of the peculiar Caretaker (Alan Cumming, Tin Man), their quest takes them below to a torturous Cavern of Souls and the Underworld prison, above in a Zeppelin piloted by a brilliant German engineer, and forward to cross paths with renowned explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton (Peter Wingdfield, 24) who has joined forces with Francisco Pizzaro to conquer and destroy Riverworld. For Matt, each unfathomable day, each nefarious encounter, only deepens the conundrum of Riverworld and raises more questions…What happened to Earth and when? What is the purpose of the burning Orb? What powers are contained in the infamous Dark Tower? And why is their every move being followed by the watchful eye of an alien being? The answers are waiting beyond the endless swells of Riverworld.

Charting a territory somewhere between Gulliver’s Travels and The Lord of the Rings” (Time), Philip Jose Farmer’s Nebula Award-winning saga becomes a spectacular miniseries event-a feast for the eyes, the mind, and the heart of everyone who longs to explore the meaning of life, the mysteries of death, and everything that lies between.Three more shiny promo stills are below – click on the images larger versions.

See below for the trailer (and if nothing else the production values are impressive) and three more shiny promo stills – click on the images larger versions.

The second and concluding episode will air on Movie Extra, Monday August 16 at 8:30pm.

KIEV, UKRAINE – August 11th, 2010 – Beatshapers today announced Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter now available for PSP® Minis through the PlayStation®Store in Europe. You can finally experience this classic action hunting game for just €2.99 and play it right on your PSP® or PS3™.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter is a dynamic hunting simulation game which lets players explore huge non-linear locations as they attempt to track down a variety of dinosaurs that are armed with advanced AI – these are dangerous creatures that are able to see, hear and sense the hunter. If you’re not careful, it’s very easy for the hunter to become the hunted.

With 15 different dinosaurs across 5 distinct environments including pine forests, muddy marshes and rolling hills, how you approach your target is important. Wind direction, scent and the use of a special dinosaur call are all key elements in tracking your prey.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter is originally developed by Tatem Games for iPhone®/iPod® Touch which is available here.

Don’t forget, Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter will be clawing its way to North America on August 17th for $3.99.

For more information on Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter, please visit http://www.beatshapers.com/carnivores

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter has been rated T for Teen by ESRB and 12+ by PEGI.

PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment of America Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

About Beatshapers

Beatshapers Ltd. is a video game developer and digital publisher located in Ukraine. The studio is licensed to develop on all gaming consoles and published it’s first “minis” game, BreakQuest, on the PlayStation®Network in 2009. Key members of the company worked on IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (PSP), Rhythm of War (PSP, IGF Mobile 2009 Finalist), MelodyBloxx (PSP, IGF Mobile 2010 Honorable Mention in Audio Category) and NormalTanks (PlayStation®Minis). For more information, please visit http://www.beatshapers.com or follow us on Twitter @Beatshapers

About Tatem Games

Tatem Games is a mobile game developer and publisher, founded in 2002 by game industry veterans. Having 15 years experience in PC games and known by titles like Duke Nukem Endangered Species, Vivisector Best Within and Cryostasis Sleep Of Reason, the team proved its ability to create fun and high quality games for mobile platforms as well. For more information, please visit http://www.tatemgames.com or follow us on Twitter @TatemGames

©2010 Beatshapers. ©2010 TatemGames/Action Forms Ltd. Developed and Published by Beatshapers under Tatem Games license. All Rights Reserved.

Now Available for Download on Xbox LIVE® Arcade and PlayStation®Network, Level 8 Features All-New Enemies and Wearable Items  

Gold Coast, Australia, 10 Aug 2010 – Global video game publisher 505 Games and developer Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M) today announced that new additions to the recently released Naughty Bear game are now available via Xbox LIVE® Arcade and the PlayStation®Network.  Players will be able to download the code update as well as the all-new free Level 8 episode for challenging and never-before-seen gameplay.  

In the free DLC episode, Naughty Bear receives a surprise invite to a suspicious cake tasting party where he is to be the guest of honour. Players must help Naughty decipher the real motive behind the invitation before things get out of hand on the Island of Perfection.

Upon downloading Level 8, gamers will meet the X-Bears, a gang of superhero bears led by Danger Bear. Adored by their fellow bears on the Island of Perfection, the X-Bears possess super powers and are always ready for battle. Players will also meet Bubbles, Danger Bear’s ultimate die-hard fan, who is identified by his sidekick mask and the Danger Bear hat he wears. Though Bubbles has no superpowers of his own, he solidifies his dedication to Danger Bear and the X-Bears by employing an Uzi in the fight against Naughty.

Players can also unlock expanded in-game content including costumes, hats, weapons and four new challenges in an originally themed environment.

Naughty Bear is rated M Violence in Australia and New Zealand and is available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The free downloadable content along with the code update is now available on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network.

Latest Expansion Launches German and French Versions of Jade Dynasty in Europe

August 11, 2010 – Foster City, Calif., and Amsterdam, Netherlands – Perfect World Entertainment Inc. and Perfect World Europe B.V., wholly owned subsidiaries of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), today announced Jade Dynasty: Vengeance , the latest expansion for the martial arts inspired MMORPG, will be launching on August 25, 2010 for North America and with German and French versions for Europe. Players will be able to take up the epic struggle between humans and immortals with two new playable factions, a plethora of new daily events and a territory wars system that will pit alliances against each other.

“Jade Dynasty has been an international success and with Vengeance, we’ll be offering French and German versions for the first time to our European audience,” said Andrew Brown, Product Manager for Jade Dynasty . “New and existing players can look forward to new features and content in the upcoming expansion that will help progress the ongoing story between humans and the immortals.”

“With international teams staffed with native speakers from around the world, we are able to ensure the highest level of localization on both a language and cultural level,” said Derick Chan, QA Manager for Perfect World Entertainment Inc.

In Jade Dynasty: Vengeance , players will be faced with the tough decision between aiding the humans in their search for immortality or joining the immortal, Athan race to extinguish the humans who threaten the very balance of the Jade Dynasty universe. With the delicate truce between humans and immortals now broken, the Athans are sending down their elite Celan and Rayan factions to fight against the humans. With whole territories up for grabs, Jade Dynasty will never be the same again.

Jade Dynasty: Vengeance will offer a variety of new features and content for new and existing players to discover including:

• New Factions – Choose between two new Athan factions including the Celan, known for their ability to manipulate foes and support allies using their music notes of the Immortals, or the Rayan, feared as deadly assassins, even among their own allies.
• Territory Wars System – For the first time, experience true, ongoing alliance versus alliance warfare, which will vary from server to server.
• PvE Daily Events – Participate in new PvE daily events designed to have much higher rewards.
• Party System – Communicate across realms to similar level players for easier partying.
• Unique Auction House – Bid on high-level or one-of-a-kind items on the auction house, which will award items to players for having the lowest unique bid versus the highest.

For more information on Jade Dynasty: Vengeance, please visit the official teaser site at http://jd.perfectworld.com/expansion.

About Jade Dynasty
Based on Zhu Xian, one of China’s most popular internet novels, Jade Dynasty features a unique martial arts style of gameplay wrapped in a huge, evolving game world. Offering a multitude of features and systems not commonly found in free-to-play MMORPGs, Jade Dynasty does not require a monthly subscription, is free to download and is free-to-play.

About Perfect World Entertainment Inc.
Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), publishes free-to-play online games and provides online services in North America. The Company primarily publishes online games based on the Perfect World proprietary game engines and game development platforms. The Company’s releases include “Heroes of Three Kingdoms,” “Battle of the Immortals,” “Ether Saga Online,” “Jade Dynasty” and “Perfect World International,” a free-to-play MMORPG which is currently played by millions of people worldwide; and a single-player action-RPG “Torchlight.”

About Perfect World Europe B.V.
Perfect World Europe B.V. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), a leading online game developer and operator based in China. In 2008, Perfect World opened a U.S. subsidiary Perfect World Entertainment Inc. that mainly releases free-to-play MMORPGs in North America based on the Perfect World proprietary game engines and game development platforms. In early 2010 Perfect World Europe B.V. was established in Amsterdam. Like its American counter-part, Perfect World Europe B.V. will focus primarily on the publication and promotion of Perfect World’s localized MMORPGs.