Santa Monica, CA – November 12, 2009 – Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that Infinity Ward’s much-anticipated Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 has become the biggest launch in history across all forms of entertainment with estimated sell-through sales of $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours, according to internal Activision estimates.

Santa Monica, CA – November 16, 2009 – This holiday season, bring the joy of slaying Zombies to the palm of your hand  – Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and developer Treyarch, announced today the availability of the Apple iPhone & iPod Touch app: Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES.  This mobile version of the hit gameplay mode from Treyarch’s blockbuster title Call of Duty®: World at War delivers upon the experience of one of the most popular and played online games of 2009. Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES offers both single player and the game’s highly-addictive co-op gameplay experience in full 3-D, allowing up to four players to join a game via Wi-Fi, locally or across the Internet, and up to two players via Bluetooth, all on the go!

Santa Monica, CA – November 17, 2009 – It’s time to get off the couch and into the game with Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Tony Hawk: RIDE, the ground-breaking new entry in the popular action sports franchise.  Featuring a revolutionary skateboard controller, players of varied skill levels can physically control the action by stepping on board to perform movements and gestures that directly translate into amazing tricks in the game; from grinds, grabs and ollies to Tony Hawk’s signature tricks.

Sydney, Australia – November 16, 2009 – membraine studios announces that it has submitted its new game, Orbital Defence for iPhone and iPod Touch, to Apple for publishing on the App Store, as well as for consideration in the Independent Games Festival (IGF) Mobile competition.

LONDON, UK– November 17, 2009 – Ubisoft announced today that players of Assassin’s Creed II on PlayStation® 3 and Xbox 360® will be able to use the in-game interface to connect directly to the Uplay beta.

LONDON, UK – October 05, 2009. Today, Ubisoft announced the acquisition of the development studio Nadeo, creator of TrackMania®, the cult multiplayer car racing video game.

Headup Games announces details of the different settings in GREED

Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. today revealed a key new character in the upcoming and highly anticipated sci-fi fantasy Mass Effect 2™. Going beyond the traditional virtual character, ‘Subject Zero’ joins a cast of compelling digital actors created by BioWare to further drive the emotional, human connection in Mass Effect 2’s gameplay.

London, UK 1st Oct 2009 – Honeyslug are delighted to announce the launch of Kahoots for PSP as one of the inaugural PSP minis titles. Kahoots is a 50 level puzzle game where you control the blocks that form the floors to create a safe path to the exit for your Kahoot. Along the way there are special blocks which can help you to find your route home, but there are also traps which can harm the Kahoot as well as the Cardborg who will make their journey as tricky as possible. As well as finding the way out, there are Cakes to collect and awards to be won as well as a peek into where the Kahoots get up to when the reach an exit. Don’t worry if you get stuck, you can always rely on the Pegbeast’s songs to help you on your way!

WESTWOOD, MA – September 29, 2009- Turbine, Inc. announced today that The Lord of the Rings Online™: Siege of Mirkwood™, the new digital expansion to the 2008 MMO of the Year will launch on December 1st in North America. Turbine also unveiled The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) Adventurer’s Pack which contains what every player needs to survive in the chaos of Mirkwood! Siege of Mirkwood and the LOTRO Adventurer’s Pack are scheduled to launch on December 1, 2009.

Star Wars: The Old Republic, most eagerly anticipated Star Wars MMO since the last one, is now gearing up for closed beta testing, and the time to sign up is now. Signing up for the Star Wars: The Old Republic community is your first step towards become a closed beta tester for the next big Star Wars MMO. BioWare wants active community members as testers, as active community members are more likely to provide feedback than dirty, stinking lurkers who lurk and stink. Once you've become a member of the community, you can visit the Game Testing Portal to sign up for your chance to be a part of Star Wars history or something. Mind you there are no guarantees, but such is life.

Sign up to test STAR WARS: The Old Republic!

"Closed beta registration is an important step in bringing Star Trek Online to the public," said Craig Zinkievich, Executive Producer on Star Trek Online. "We are looking toward the launch of our first-of-a-kind MMORPG with anticipation and excitement and we expect Star Trek Online to explode onto the scene, giving fans and gamers a Star Trek experience like no other."

Classic Shooter Franchise Reborn in Glorious High Definition for Late Summer Release

Legions of long-time fans and a whole new generation of gamers around the world can now experience serious shooting mayhem as Majesco Europe, an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced that Serious Sam: The First Encounter HD is coming to Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by Croteam, the creators of the Serious Sam franchise, and produced in partnership with Devolver Digital, Serious Sam: The First Encounter is re-tooled and re-vamped in glorious High Definition with an all-new version of the CroTech engine.

Guildford, UK - September 25, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that Battlefield Heroes™, the hit Play4Free third-person shooter has recruited 2million registered players. With endless hours of signature Battlefield sandbox action, Battlefield Heroes is EA’s latest web-based free to download, free to play title which generates revenue through advertising and in-game item sales. To celebrate this milestone, on September 30, EA will release a free ‘Heroes of the Fall’ update for the game, including a brand new map.

Set against the backdrop of autumn colors, the new map will be infantry-focused and set in a village with dozens of intersecting canals. Intense battles will play out on the bridges and crossings, while sneaky players can use the alleyways and channels to move unnoticed for sudden flanking maneuvers and rear-guard actions.

"Razer, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripherals, is thrilled to announce the Razer BlizzCon Contest.  After completing quests found on the Razer contest page, one lucky gamer will enter to win an all-expense-paid trip for two to BlizzCon 2009. The contest kicks off July 10, 2009 and runs through July 31, 2009 and is open to all legal residents of the 50 United States and Canada.  At the conclusion of the contest, Razer will select at random 10 winners per quest and one first prize winner for the trip to BlizzCon.  The selection will occur within 30 days after the contest ends.  The winner eligible for a trip to BlizzCon will be notified by email that he/she has been selected.  The winner will also be announced on the Razer web site at http://www.razerzone.com. Ten winners will receive a Razer DeathAdder gaming mouse.  The first place winner will receive a trip for two to BlizzCon 2009 including airfare, hotel and $300 spending money or, as determined by the winners’ choice, the Razer Prize package, which consists of a Razer Death Adder Gaming Mouse, a Razer Carcharias Headset, a Razer Lycosa Keyboard and $500 determined by the winner’s choice."

When given the chance to interview Nicholas Depalmer a professional gamer from Team Pandemic we jumped at the chance. Considering how many people play games and how few manage to find a way to make a living from it I thought it would be interesting to see how he did it. It turns out his back story was very interesting. If you would like to read even more about Nicholas you can also check out his website at propeekay.com.