GameSpasm

38 Studios is OUT ... of Massachusetts. Curt Schilling's studio, which just announced its first project, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, at Comic-Con last week, is moving from Maynard, Massachusetts to Rhode Island. The state will be giving the development house $75 million in loan guarantees. According to The Boston Globe, the studio is obligated to bring 450 direct jobs to Rhode Island by the end of 2012 or face penalties.

Massachusetts is home to several high-profile game developers now, including Harmonix, Turbine and Irrational. Demiurge Studios, which will become the state's largest independent studio once 38 leaves, had the most immediate reaction to the news, sending out an open letter to Curt Schilling. Studio CEO William D. Reed, who was the former director of the greater Boston region for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development wrote, "I can assure you more industry professionals than ever call this great state home. A large number of game-focused graduates and brilliant thinkers come from our local colleges and universities, supplying the talent to meet our industry's growing demand. Our businesses are truly fortunate to grow in such a thriving community." The letter concludes that if "anyone on the talented 38 Studios team" wants to stay in Mass., they're welcome to join Demiurge.

Keith Stokes, the executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp., informed the Globe that the state will provide 38 Studios the $75 million in bonds while it adds jobs and meets predetermined milestones. If 38 Studios goes under, RI taxpayers will be left holding the bag.

Schilling's 38 Studios leaving Massachusetts for Rhode Island originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: 38 Studios, Curt Schilling, demiurge, demiurge-studios, Kingdoms-of-Amalur-Reckoning, microsoft, PC, Playstation, PS3, Xbox

Related posts

• 38 Studios on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (0)
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is 38 Studios’ first game, due fall 2011 (0)
• XCOM, Spec Ops: The Line opt for 2011 release (0)
• WRUP: Joystiq iPhone, iPod Touch reminder edition (0)
• Watch this Portal 2 trailer, you monsters (0)

That's right, folks -- Harmonix has just revealed that Green Day: Rock Band will be available for all come June 8 on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Players will progress through the career of the trio, unlocking collectible images (more than 100, apparently) and some 40 minutes of "rare and unreleased" footage from interviews, outtakes and performances along the way.

The game will also sport the same vocal harmonizing feature that made The Beatles: Rock Band such a delight for mic hogs and comes loaded with 47 Green Day tracks, including "Brain Stew," "Jaded," "Hitchin' a Ride," "American Idiot," "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Oh, and if you're looking to export these tunes, worry not: all 47 tracks are fully exportable to a console hard drive and playable in Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and the recently announced Rock Band 3. Plus, if you've picked up the six Green Day tunes already available as DLC, you can play them in the new game with "added vocal harmonies, unique performance visuals, and exclusive archival material."

Green Day: Rock Band will be available as a standalone game for Xbox 360 and PS3 for $59.99, while Wii owners will get a bit of a price break at $49.99. A special edition Green Day: Rock Band Plus will also come to Xbox 360 and PS3 for $69.99 and includes fancy packaging, an "export" feature (we assume, a voucher to export the disc tracks to a hard drive) and the six previously released Green Day DLC tracks.

Green Day: Rock Band releases June 8 worldwide originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: demiurge, demiurge-studios, Ea, green-day, green-day-rock-band, harmonix, mk12, mtv-games, q2-2010, release-date, Rock Band

Related posts

• MTV teases ‘Green Day Rock Band’ [update] (0)
• Harmonix cooperatively developing Green Day: Rock Band with Demiurge, MK12, others (0)
• Green Day: Rock Band more familiar to ‘core audience’ than The Beatles, MTV Games says (0)
• Rock Band 3 to have vocal harmonies, Harmonix (accidentally) confirms (0)
• Rock Band 3 out this holiday season (0)

MTV Games has confirmed that Harmonix is working on Green Day: Rock Band. The reiteration follows the widespread misinterpretation of a Demiurge Studios designer's personal blog post, specifically this line: "Not included in the [VGA] announcement was the fact that Demiurge Studios was working on Green Day: Rock Band."

A spokesperson for the publisher told Joystiq in a statement, "Green Day: Rock Band is being developed by Harmonix in partnership with Demiurge, MK12 and others." This is not Demiurge's first time working with Harmonix on Rock Band: the studio had also previously worked on the Rock Band Country Track Pack and the Rock Band Metal Track Pack.

Harmonix cooperatively developing Green Day: Rock Band with Demiurge, MK12, others originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: demiurge, demiurge-studios, green-day, green-day-rock-band, harmonix, mtv-games

Related posts

• Green Day: Rock Band releases June 8 worldwide (0)
• Rock Band 3 to have vocal harmonies, Harmonix (accidentally) confirms (0)
• MTV teases ‘Green Day Rock Band’ [update] (0)
• Just How Much Did Green Day Do For ‘Green Day: Rock Band’? (0)
• Just How Much Did Green Day Do For ‘Green Day: Rock Band’? (0)