Games

XCOM shooter rebranded as The Bureau, arrives in August

We first got a taste of the XCOM shooter back in 2010 and even got to see it in action at E3 2011. Unfortunately, the game got delayed numerous times and eventually went dark. In fact, it got lapped by XCOM: Enemy Unknown -- its turn-based-strategy counterpart -- which turned out to be one of 2012's best titles of the year.

2K Games is ready to lift the curtain on XCOM once again, complete with a live-action trailer, a trio of screenshots, and best of all a release date. Newly titled and packaged, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is set … Read more

EA announces more layoffs, said to be hundreds of workers

As if a leadership shakeup, canceling of games, and one round of layoffs weren't enough, it appears that things are going from bad to worse for Electronic Arts. The gaming company announced Thursday that it's going through another round of layoffs.

"In recent weeks, EA has aligned all elements of its organizational structure behind priorities in new technologies and mobile," EA wrote in a blog post Thursday. "This has led to some difficult decisions to reduce the workforce in some locations. We are extremely grateful for the contributions made by each of our employees -- … Read more

Sony: 'Everything's been tuned' with PS4 controller

Hot on the heels of Microsoft's invitation to check out the next Xbox, Sony pushed out a shiny, new YouTube video highlighting the added features of the PlayStation 4 controller, along with a healthy peppering of praise from its creators.

"Everything's been tuned -- the feel of the analog sticks, the sensitivity of both different types of triggers," Scott Rohde, PlayStation product development SVP, says in the video.… Read more

Nintendo: Don't expect a big event at E3 this year

Unlike previous years, Nintendo will not make a major splash at the E3 gaming expo in June.

Speaking to shareholders on Thursday, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata confirmed that his company will not hold a major showcase at E3. Instead, his company will focus on smaller presentations centered around its many software titles.

"First, we decided not to host a large-scale presentation targeted at everyone in the international audience where we announce new information as we did in the past," Iwata told investors. "Instead, at the E3 show this year, we are planning to host a few smaller … Read more

Unity Technologies extinguishes Adobe Flash

Adobe Flash has received a kick in the pants from yet another company.

Unity Technologies, which makes 3D video tools that allow developers to create Web-based games, announced Wednesday that it will no longer support Flash.

"We will keep the current Flash deployment feature set functioning throughout the Unity 4.x cycle and will include bug fixes made in upcoming Unity 4.x iterations," Unity CEO David Helgason said in a blog post Wednesday. "We do not plan, however, to make further significant investments in deployment to the platform."

In his blog, Helgason cited Adobe's … Read more

Nintendo of America shakes up leadership

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has only one person he needs to report to now.

Nintendo announced Wednesday that Nintendo of America Chairman and CEO Tatsumi Kimishima will move to Japan to assume the role of general manager of Corporate Analysis and Administration and general manager of General Affairs at Nintendo Co., parent company of Nintendo of America.

Fils-Aime, who has for years been the face of Nintendo of America in the U.S., will remain on as president and COO of the subsidiary, but will not assume the role of CEO. Instead, Nintendo Global chief Satoru Iwata will … Read more

Nintendo's earnings disappoint as Wii U falls short

Nintendo's profit during its last fiscal year ended March 31 turned out to be half of what the company had expected, thanks to disappointing Wii U sales.

During the 12-month period ended March 31, Nintendo saw sales slide 1.9 percent year-over-year to 635.4 billion yen (about $6.4 billion), off its initial estimate of 670 billion yen. The company's operating loss -- a key measure of performance -- was 36.4 billion yen, substantially higher than the 20 billion yen it expected to post on the year.

The one bit of good news for Nintendo was … Read more

Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection confirmed

The rumor was right. Konami today confirmed Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection, slating the comprehensive PlayStation 3-exclusive bundle to arrive this June. The company did not specify a price.

Game designer Hideo Kojima teased the project last week, revealing an image of the game's box art. In addition, the Korean Game Ratings board had published an entry for the bundle.

Read more of "Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection confirmed" at GameSpot.

Xbox again reigns supreme in U.S. console market

Another month, another victory for Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Research firm NPD released its monthly game industry sales figures yesterday, revealing that, for the 27th consecutive month, the Xbox 360 was the top-selling console in March, beating out Nintendo's Wii U and Sony's PlayStation 3. According to Microsoft, it sold 261,000 units Xbox 360 units in the U.S. in March. Total consumer spending on all Xbox-related hardware, software, and accessories hit $402 million.

Once again, though, the game industry overall had a down month in March, generating just $992.5 million in physical sales. During the … Read more

As Nintendo's Fils-Aime touts 3DS, he sidesteps Wii U's woes

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime was more than willing to talk about his company's mobile device, the 3DS, in a recent interview. But when it came to the Wii U, he was reportedly awfully quiet.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in an interview published Wednesday, Fils-Aime said that 3DS game sales in the U.S. have "surpass[ed] 20 million units" since the portable's launch in 2011. He was even more excited to point out that digital sales for the platform have accounted for 11 percent of all 3DS software sales.

"So far in 2013 … Read more