Atari has fallen on hard times recently, even last quarter it was revealed that Atari lost $11.9 million dollars. And now Atari is setting straight it’s business refocus plan.
In response to an announcement by its Atari Inc. subsidiary released on November 13 under the heading “Atari to refocus business plan on publishing and distribution in North America”, Infogrames Entertainment incorporating Atari Europe wishes to make the following clarification:
The November 13 press release only concerns the business of the Group’s 51-percent owned US subsidiary, Atari Inc., currently responsible for publishing and distributing video games in North America.
The announcement states that Atari Inc.’s operations will involve “title acquisition, sales and marketing, and physical distribution of products from Infogrames and other partners” in North America.
In June, Infogrames Entertainment, incorporating Atari Europe, announced a new strategy focused on the relaunch of its publishing business based on an integrated global structure for development and production of games, as well as on the continued reinforcement of its distribution subsidiaries.
For Infogrames Entertainment’s game development and production, the Group’s publishing division relies on its own Eden Games studio and on partnerships with a worldwide network of independent studios.
The recent decisions by Atari, Inc. are consistent with this corporate strategy and do not undermine the Infogrames Group’s ability to carry out its video game development program and to continue selling products under the Atari brand name.
Video game movies are still big business, and rightfully so considering the success of the Silent Hill and Resident Evil film franchises (among others). And despite the director of the first Silent Hill film, Christophe Gans (as well as that movie’s screenwriter Roger Avery) leaving the Silent Hill film franchise, Sony Pictures will still be making a Silent Hill 2 movie (This in addition to the Tekken movie).
Gans however will not be leaving the realm of video game movies entirely. It has just been announced that Gains will be adapting Capcom’s Onimusha game series into a new Onimusha flick, thanks to his successful work on the Silent Hill movie.
Production on Onimusha is reportedly scheduled to begin in April, and movie website ComingSoon.net has been fed the synopsis for the series’ big screen debut. Check it out:
In feudal Japan, 1582, the warlord Nobunaga is ambushed by ninjas, led by the brave samurai Samanosuke. Trapped, Nobunaga commits seppuku, but two sinister sorcerers reanimate Nobunaga’s corpse with a half-human insect larvae. The resurrected Nobunaga orders the capture of two very special women to fulfill his evil plans.
When Britta, the daughter of a Dutch merchant, is abducted on board a ship by seemingly invincible warriors, her tutor and confidant Jacob pursues her captors, vowing to rescue her at all costs. Meanwhile, the beautiful Princess Yuki is also kidnapped, this time by ninjas that reveal themselves, incredibly, to be part spider. In search of Yuki, Samanosuke joins forces with Jacob to vanquish their common foe. In the Cave of Elders, he receives a magical sword that will slay all within its reach-friend or foe-and learns of a sinister ceremony at Inabayama Castle intended to blot out the sun.
Performing a dangerous, stealthy invasion of the castle, Samanosuke and Jacob find the women they love dressed as Moon Princess and Daughter of the Sun, ready to be wed to and ravished by Nobunaga. Aided by their allies, the two warriors attack the insectoid hordes, but Samanosuke falls in battle, seemingly dead. In a mystical encounter, he is given the option to survive and fight-but it comes at a terrible cost . . .
Video game movies are still big business, and rightfully so considering the success of the Silent Hill and Resident Evil film franchises (among others). And despite the director of the first Silent Hill film, Christophe Gans (as well as that movie’s screenwriter Roger Avery) leaving the Silent Hill film franchise, Sony Pictures will still be making a Silent Hill 2 movie (This in addition to the Tekken movie).
Gans however will not be leaving the realm of video game movies entirely. It has just been announced that Gains will be adapting Capcom’s Onimusha game series into a new Onimusha flick, thanks to his successful work on the Silent Hill movie.
Production on Onimusha is reportedly scheduled to begin in April, and movie website ComingSoon.net has been fed the synopsis for the series’ big screen debut. Check it out:
In feudal Japan, 1582, the warlord Nobunaga is ambushed by ninjas, led by the brave samurai Samanosuke. Trapped, Nobunaga commits seppuku, but two sinister sorcerers reanimate Nobunaga’s corpse with a half-human insect larvae. The resurrected Nobunaga orders the capture of two very special women to fulfill his evil plans.
When Britta, the daughter of a Dutch merchant, is abducted on board a ship by seemingly invincible warriors, her tutor and confidant Jacob pursues her captors, vowing to rescue her at all costs. Meanwhile, the beautiful Princess Yuki is also kidnapped, this time by ninjas that reveal themselves, incredibly, to be part spider. In search of Yuki, Samanosuke joins forces with Jacob to vanquish their common foe. In the Cave of Elders, he receives a magical sword that will slay all within its reach-friend or foe-and learns of a sinister ceremony at Inabayama Castle intended to blot out the sun.
Performing a dangerous, stealthy invasion of the castle, Samanosuke and Jacob find the women they love dressed as Moon Princess and Daughter of the Sun, ready to be wed to and ravished by Nobunaga. Aided by their allies, the two warriors attack the insectoid hordes, but Samanosuke falls in battle, seemingly dead. In a mystical encounter, he is given the option to survive and fight-but it comes at a terrible cost . . .
Renegade Kid (the developers behind the M-rated Nintendo DS hit Dementium: The Ward . . . well let’s all hope it’s a hit!), which came out yesterday on Halloween in North America, has announced just a day later that their next game, right now called “Project M”, will be published not by Gamec0ck Media Group like their last game, but by publisher Mastiff.
Not a lot of details are known about “Project M”, including why it’s named exactly that, but what is known is that it will use the same 3D engine as Dementium, it IS coming to the Nintendo DS, and it will most likely be another M-rated game for the platform. Which is always a good thing.
It’s official. Konami has delayed Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PS3 once again! The game is now scheduled for release in the 2nd quarter of 2008, which means it won’t be hitting U.S. shores until at least Spring of next year at the earliest probably.
Although apparently it is still scheduled for release simultaneously in Asia, North America and Europe. Originally it was scheduled for release “this Winter”, but let’s be honest, did anyone actually expect that? I know I didn’t! (Ok, apparently Kotaku did :P)
The reason for the delay? “Konami has decided to delay the title’s release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide. We will continue our efforts to make MGS4 meet everyone’s expectations.”
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, yes another new Monster Hunter game, is in development for Sony’s portable and is scheduled to hit that system in March in Japan. It was originally announced at this year’s Tokyo Game Show 2007, where a few details were announced including that this new game would have new missions and monsters (natch). There will be new “G class” quests to undertake, as well as new varieties of quests.
Also assured is the fact that players can transfer their saved data from Monster Hunter Portable 2nd to 2nd G, and it will be a fully featured game, not a half-baked update. Lastly, it will include a new never-before-seen system for the series. And it will probably have to do with the series’ feline mascot Ailu.
Getting another Monster Hunter game is good news for Sony’s PSP portable, cause the Monster Hunter series is phenomenally popular in Japan where the game has amazed huge sales. So it will definitely help PSP sales to have another Monster Hunter game coming.
You may also remember that Capcom recently announced that they have shifted Monster Hunter 3 from PS3 to Wii. Previously the game was a PS3 exclusive, but Capcom scrapped that version altogether and is bringing it instead to Nintendo’s best-selling console. — Via Kotaku
Lost Planet is one of two Capcom 3rd-person action adventure games that did wonders for the Xbox 360 and were huge hits on that platform (the other game being the zombie-slaughtering Dead Rising). Until now Capcom has stated that both games were Xbox 360 console exclusives and would not be making their way over to Sony’s Playstation 3 console.
But today Capcom has announced that Lost Planet is indeed coming to the PS3. Sony fans rejoice! When is it coming? It will be hitting the PS3 “early next year”.
The game will include the same 16-player online play seen in the Xbox 360 version over the Playstation Network as well as “all bonus characters” from the PC version and “extra downloadable content” from the Xbox 360 version.
So you’ve never played Lost Planet before? What is it you ask? Lost Planet was originally released on Xbox 360 back in January this year in the North American and PAL regions (and released for PC in June in NA & PAL) and the game had players running and gunning against swarms of insect enemies and massive bosses on a frozen ice planet, where you are required to extract thermal energy from the creatures to stay alive on the frozen tundra. Players will also jump into various mecha robots to fight the insect swarms that are devastating the planet. The game was part of Capcom’s new strategy to target western gamers and boost sales. And good for them. It worked. Definitely looking forward to Lost Planet 2 as well, hopefully we’ll hear some solid news on the rumored title soon now that the first game is hitting PS3.
Watch this video preview for the Xbox 360 original.
Atari has fallen on hard times recently, even last quarter it was revealed that Atari lost $11.9 million dollars. And now Atari is setting straight it’s business refocus plan. 
In feudal Japan, 1582, the warlord Nobunaga is ambushed by ninjas, led by the brave samurai Samanosuke. Trapped, Nobunaga commits seppuku, but two sinister sorcerers reanimate Nobunaga’s corpse with a half-human insect larvae. The resurrected Nobunaga orders the capture of two very special women to fulfill his evil plans.
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, yes another new Monster Hunter game, is in development for Sony’s portable and is scheduled to hit that system in March in Japan. It was originally announced at this year’s 