Sony Online Ent. Inc. has announced PLANETSIDE: AFTERSHOCK, the complete PLANETSIDE collection, including the original PLANETSIDE, PLANETSIDE: CORE COMBAT expansion pack and the recently announced BATTLEFRAME ROBOTICS (BFRs) action pack. PLANETSIDE: AFTERSHOCK is expected to ship to North American on Oct. 18, 2004.
Disney Online has unleashed pets called Doodles in Toontown (www.toontown.com), the award-winning, massively multiplayer 3D online game for families. With this latest extension of the game, members of Toontown can adopt a variety of outrageous creatures to play with and raise as pets.
Doodles are available now for adoption in exchange for jellybeans, the currency of Toontown online. They can be found at newly unveiled Pet Shops located in each of the Toontown neighborhood playgrounds.
2nd Annual Cyberchase Online Contest World Wide WebOctober 11, 2004Deadline: October 11, 2004
SEGA Corp. has announced plans to enter the Chinese market for online gaming. In preparation for full-scale business operations in China, the company has established a branch office in Shanghai -- SEGA (Shanghai) Software Co. SEGA views the Chinese a strategic market for growth in multiplayer online gaming market with more than 10 million online gamers. The company plans to establish the regional business through its local branch offices, with content designed to appeal to market-specific tastes and demand.
A study shows large percentage of online gamers choose their PC/Mac for online play, while 10% are strictly mobile-based gamers. The NPD Group's recently released report, "Online Gaming: The Consumer Perspective for PC and Video Games," finds the overwhelming majority of today's 13-to-44-year-old gamers have the ability to play games online and a good portion are taking advantage of it, mostly on the PC.
Howard Shore, the world-renowned film composer who composed the scores for THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, will compose game music for Webzen Inc.s next in-house developed game, SUN: SOUL OF THE ULTIMATE NATION. The massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) will be first introduced in early 2005 and launched later in the year. The original SUN soundtrack will be distributed for sale globally.
Macromedia has launched the Macromedia Back-to-School Fall 2004 student promotion. Through Oct. 31, 2004, students may register to win a weekly drawing for a Casio EX-S3 Exilim digital camera and view a new online comicbook at www.macromedia.com/resources/student. Any student, age 14 and older, who purchases Macromedia Studio MX 2004 with Flash Professional by October 31, 2004, may register for a chance to win a digital camera.
Nickelodeon launched two new Websites today, July 14, 2004, as part of the Dot Kids Act, established in 2002 to ensure safe spaces on the Internet for children under 13. The new site for kids, www.nick.kids.us/ and for parents and preschoolers, www.nickjr.kids.us/, have been created by the network as extensions of www.nick.com/ and www.nickjr.com/, respectively, as additional safe places for kids and preschoolers to play on the Internet.
1st Annual Portfolios.com Awards Show will highlight the best advertising, graphic design, Web design, photography and illustration of 2003. An international panel of judges will judge online, and the Winners' Showcase will be announced and shown online. For more information, visit www.portfolios.com/award, e-mail customerservice@portfolios.com or call (800) 303-9277 ext. 261.
Electronic Arts has announced the ULTIMA ONLINE 7th Anniversary Edition, commemorating the game's historic seven-year run. The special version of the longest-running online game is in development and scheduled for release this summer.
"We are very proud and excited about UO's upcoming seventh birthday, a record in the online gaming world," said Anthony Castoro, producer of UO. "To celebrate, we want to give our players the total UO experience plus a few unexpected surprises."
As you may already know, AWN's Forums were maliciously hacked last week...
LucasArts and IGN/GameSpy have signed a multi-title, multi-platform technology licensing agreement to facilitate online gameplay for titles developed by LucasArts' internal and third-party teams. Titles already scheduled to have technology embedded include: STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT PC, STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT PS2 and STAR WARS: REPUBLIC COMMANDO PC. IGN/GameSpy will supply LucasArts four distinct Software Development Kits (SDKs) toolkits that integrate with the company's games to provide matchmaking, community, administrative and networking functionality.
Karen Raugust reports on the growth and latest trends in online gaming, including the the upcoming gaming network, Phantom.net.
DIC Entertainment has partnered with Yahoo! Inc., to launch Yahooligans! TV, a first-of-its-kind cross-programming initiative designed to drive online and on-air viewership of DIC cartoons and expand broadband content offerings on Yahoo!.
As part of its celebration of the massive multiplayer online game EVERQUEST, Sony Online Entertainment Inc. has announced a deal with CDS Books that will bring the EVERQUEST universe to print in a series of novels edited by NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novelist R.A. Salvatore. The novels will be published several times a year (beginning with summer 2004) using a selection of characters and settings from the award-winning game.
America Online launched FIRECHILD, a 3D online action game built exclusively for the RED service, AOL's new service created just for teens. Created by Sarbakan, FIRECHILD is a console-quality, story-driven online game that can be played using the AOL for Broadband service.
Disney Online has launched the Sellbot Cog Headquarters (HQ), an advanced play area in TOONTOWN, the award-winning, multiplayer 3D online game for kids and families. TOONTOWN, an online world where the Toons (players) live, is under siege by the Cogs, a bungling group of robots, who are trying to take over by turning it into a dark metropolis of skyscrapers and businesses.
The Everquest realm continues with the release of Sony Online Entertainments fantasy Real-Time Strategy game, LORDS OF EVERQUEST, now at U.S. and Canadian retail stores at a suggested retail price of $49.99.
EVERQUEST ONLINE ADVENTURES: FRONTIERS, developed exclusively for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, was released by Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE) to North American retail stores on Nov. 18, 2003.
Oregon3D Inc., The Center for Visualization Technologies, announced its first road show and online training classes. The road show and online classes, entitled The New Features of 3ds max 6, is taught by industry-acclaimed Discreet certified instructor, Gary M. Davis. The two-day courses and four-part series will present an overview of new additions and enhancements to the 3ds max tool kit.
Dates and locations for The New Features of 3ds max 6 courses are as follows:
The Austin Game Developers Conference is a new conference, which addresses the hottest growth areas in game development: multiplayer online games and mobile games. The program offers six tracks (48 sessions) from industry leaders, including: Atari, Ubi Soft, Electronic Arts, Sony Online, Mythic Entertainment, GameSpy, Turbine, Castle Hill Studios, Metrowerks, Mutable Realms, Online Alchemy, Wolfpack Studios, MicroForte and others.
Disney's Toontown Online (www.toontown.com), the first massively multiplayer 3D online game created for kids and families, has received the official All Star Software Award and Seal of Approval for the year 2003 from CHILDREN'S SOFTWARE REVUE (CSR).
The New TNN, Americas first network for men, is offering a sneak-peak of its new adult-oriented animation block online with a trio of tailor-made online games in anticipation of the June 26, 2003 premiere of "The Strip," which features six new episodes of THE REN AND STIMPY ADULT PARTY CARTOON (10:00 pm) from original creator John Kricfalusi; GARY THE RAT (10:30 pm) starring the voice of Kelsey Grammer and STRIPPERELLA (11:00 pm) featuring the voice and animated persona of Pamela Anderson. These viral games will allow online visitors to experience the adventures of the crude, rude and erotic in THE REN AND STIMPY ADULT PARTY CARTOON: DUTCH OVEN, GARY THE RAT: THE GOLF GAME and STRIPPERELLA: POLE SHIMMY. TNN's virtual strip debuted online June 24, 2003 at www.thenewtnn.com/shows/animation and were produced by Warner Bros. Online.
With thousands of fans and nominees tuning in from more than 90 countries and 185 parties worldwide, The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences honored the world's best Websites June 5, 2003 in the first Webby Awards announcement to take place completely online. Nick.Com, www.nick.com, won a Webby for best TV site. 2003 People's Voice Winners included CartoonNetwork.com, www.cartoonnetwork.com for Television and Disney's Toontown Online, www.toontown.com, for Youth.
Disney Online, part of the Walt Disney Internet Group, has announced it will launch Disneys Toontown Online (www.toontown.com), the first massively multiplayer (MMP) 3D online game designed for kids and families, on June 2, 2003. To handle billing, customers will buy a Disney specialty card powered by AT&T Prepaid Web Cents technology, a new secure payment alternative for consumer purchases of online digital content. The cards will be available in retail stores starting in September 2003.
