GameSpasm

Google has "secretly" invested an undisclosed amount of money (estimated to be between $100 million and $200 million) in virtual Ville creator Zynga Games, TechCrunch claims. Why would one highly profitable company dump such a large amount of duckets into another successful company's coffers? TechCrunch believes that it's part of a strategy to partner with Zynga Games in the forthcoming launch of something called "Google Games."

The service is said to use Google logins and will presumably run the Zynga titles popularized by Facebook, albeit with a different payment system (allegedly Google Checkout rather than PayPal). Though these claims are still unsubstantiated -- neither Google nor Zynga have officially confirmed the report -- a recent Google job listing for a "Project Management Leader, games" seems to lend the idea some credence.

Rumor: Google invests $100+ million in Zynga, preparing to launch gaming platform originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: Casual, farmville, FrontierVille, Google, google-games, mac, Mobile, PC, Rumor, Zynga

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Reports have been floating around the 'net that Atari would be shutting off the servers for the first Test Drive: Unlimited game as early as January of 2011, presumably to make way for the open world racing game's sequel. But Atari tells Joystiq that the rumors are blatantly untrue -- "they are not dropping the servers at all," a representative told us this afternoon. The rep said that it's possible that French developer Eden Games may be moving the servers in some way, but anything like that would make no difference for players of the game at all.

So keep on driving, Test Drivers -- your virtual O'ahu isn't going anywhere.

Rumorong: Test Drive Unlimited servers not going offline next year originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: Atari, debunked, eden-games, microsoft, Playstation, PS3, Rumor, rumorong, test-drive-unlimited, Xbox

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Rumor: Hulu coming to Xbox Live, currently tied up in red tape originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: CBS, E3, e3-2010, Hulu, microsoft, Nbc, Rumor, Xbox Live

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You know that little dude doing a slam dunk on your shoes? That's not like some kind of corporate logo or something -- that's MIchael Jordan. Oh, you knew that? Well, thanks for ruining our opening paragraph. We guess we'll just get right to it then.

Sources close to ESPN say the legend himself will grace the cover of NBA 2K11, marking the first time a retired player and team owner has appeared on the cover of an NBA 2K title. Jordan recently became majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Further tantalizing "Jumpman 23" fans is the prospect of an in-game Mike, which ESPN posits is a strong possibility. This has supposedly lead to 2K pursuing other players from the past in an attempt to recreate some of Jordan's highlights in the game. With E3 fast approaching, we're certain we'll have confirmation one way or the other soon enough. We'll keep you posted.

[Via Eurogamer]

Rumor: Michael Jordan to grace the cover of NBA 2K11 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 May 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: 2k sports, Espn, michael-jordan, nba, Nba 2k11, Rumor, Sports, take-two

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If a report by Edge proves accurate (wait till E3), then Pachter's estimation that Project Natal will cost less than an average game is off. Instead, a source backed by Edge has alleged a $150 price point (with plenty of room to drop) for the forthcoming Xbox 360 motion tech camera -- or $300 when bundled with the Xbox 360 Arcade console. Additionally, the source has suggested an October 26 worldwide release -- give or take "a few weeks."

Of course, both the rumored pricing and release date remain uncorroborated (we repeat: wait till E3). But, hey, that doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun with the supposed intel. And by "fun," we mean, "host an online poll asking if you'd spend $150 on Project Natal" ...

View Poll

Rumor: Project Natal priced at $150; bundled with Acrade SKU for $300 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 May 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: microsoft, Price, Pricing, project-natal, Rumor

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ZDNet reports that "a pretty reliable tipster" has informed them that J Allard, Chief Experience Officer of Microsoft and overseer of the development and launch of the Xbox 360, is "on sabbatical and is unlikely to return to Microsoft." According to the tipster, Allard was upset by the sudden, surreptitious cancellation of the Microsoft Courier, which Allard has frequently talked up since it was first revealed last September.

Allard has been one of the main creative forces at Microsoft for ages, as well as one of the most charismatic individuals in the tech industry. It would be a real shame if these reports turn out to be accurate. We've contacted Microsoft to see if we can get a comment on ZDNet's report.

[Via 1UP]

Rumor: J Allard leaving Microsoft due to Courier cancellation originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 23 May 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: cancelled, courier, j-allard, microsoft, microsoft-courier, report, Rumor

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It looks like Activision might try or already has signed the Red Hot Chili Peppers to an exclusive Guitar Hero game named after the famous band, and at the same time keeping with tradition of releasing at least 40+ Guitar Hero games a year.  Okay, maybe the company is not developing as many installments as before, but I’m sure there will be plenty of GH games in 2010.

According to a survey that was forwarded to Kotaku, which allegedly from the publisher, the concept would be to “Celebrate the entirety of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ life, starting with their early days in LA, to their famous Hyde Park concert to their highly anticipated new studio album.” And to “discover the story behind their legendary music as you unlock interviews, retrospectives, concert footage and other commentary.” The survey named albums like: ‘By The Way,’ ‘Californication,’ ‘ Give It Away’ and the 2011 untitled album which is due sometime in 2011.

Surprise! It doesn’t doesn’t sound original at all.

This wouldn’t be the first time the Red Hot Chili Peppers has appeared in a rhythm game. They have had selectable songs in Guitar Hero III and the Guitar Hero DS games and even had their full album ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ downloadable for Rock Band.

If this does indeed happen, I’m not sure when to expect the title to be in stores. On one hand, I see Activision wanting a Red Hot Chili Peppers title to compete with EA’s Green Day: Rock Band, which is scheduled to come out later this year. However, it sounds like if the Chili Peppers would want a full game name after them, they would want it to coincide with the release of their 2011 studio album.

Either way, I doubt I’m buying it. Not because I dislike the group, but because I’m sick of Guitar Hero — much like most of you.

Tags: Guitar Hero: Red Hot Chili Peppers, guitar-hero, PS3, rhythm, Rumor, Wii, Xbox 360

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After a handful of reports from several current GameCrazy employees and about a dozen calls to GameCrazy outlets across the country, we believe that the retailer will in fact be shuttering its remaining 250 or so locations in the coming weeks. Speaking with one such GC employee in central Pennsylvania, we were told, "Movie Gallery as a whole [GameCrazy's parent company] yesterday filed for Chapter 7, which indicates that the whole company is going through liquidation. I was in on the conference call yesterday ... it looks like this week and the week after they're going to go through finding a liquidation company to buy [the remaining products]. It's going to be business as usual for the next two weeks, we'll see our releases for the next two weeks, but we'll likely be closed by the end of June."

The alleged bankruptcy filing has yet to appear on Movie Gallery's stock page or in the SEC database. We've attempted to gain official word from corporate, but the company refuses to acknowledge whether the chain is closing. Whether there was any internal documentation, one employee told us, "Unfortunately, there aren't any new memos on the intranet related to it... the last one was on 4-21 ("Important Closing Store Update"), and then there were a few on 4-20 ("Select In-Store Programs Cease" and "Letter from Roger Dunlap - Closing Store Announcement") and one on 4-19 ("Special Order Games Department Closing") The newest stuff was on the conference call yesterday, which I wasn't apart of."

That said, our past experience with GameCrazy has shown that when several employees tell identical stories about store closures across multiple states, they're not likely colluding on an elaborate ruse. Additionally, we were told by an employee that "after the 18th [of May], we're done with pre-orders." He also encouraged customers with pre-orders to come in and pick up any deposits they've placed on games being released any time beyond the immediate future. If you're a current GameCrazy employee with information you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Rumor: GameCrazy closing all remaining stores originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 01 May 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: gamecrazy, Movie Gallery, red-dead-redemption, retail, Rumor, store closings

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Our laziness, it knows no bounds: We just can't stand changing out game discs from our systems (hooray digital distribution!), not to mention the agonizing chore of pushing the source button on our TV remote to flip back to broadcast programming. And that's why we're especially happy to hear a rumor from Bloomberg today that ex-News Corp president Peter Chernin is engaged in talks with Microsoft to possibly launch an Xbox Live television channel.

Allegedly, during an April 12 meeting at Microsoft's Redmond, Wash. offices, Chernin proposed a channel native to the Xbox 360 that would feature "reruns and original shows" for an additional $1 to $2 per month on top of the standard Xbox Live Gold subscription fee. Chernin's publicist, Allan Mayer, says of the deal, "Peter is talking to lots of people about lots of ideas in the digital space," while a representative for Microsoft refused to comment.

The report also claims that Chernin pitched the idea to Conan O'Brien's reps, presumably, to land Conan in one of the channel's time slots. Seeing as that supposed deal with Conan fell through, may we humbly propose X3F TV?

[Via Edge Online]

Rumor: Xbox Live TV channel pitched to Microsoft by ex-News Corp head originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: allan-mayer, channel, digital-distribution, news-corp, peter-chernin, Rumor, Television, TV, tv-on-xbox, Xbox Live

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Our laziness, it knows no bounds: We just can't stand changing out game discs from our systems (hooray digital distribution!), not to mention the agonizing chore of pushing the source button on our TV remote to flip back to broadcast programming. And that's why we're especially happy to hear a rumor from Bloomberg today that ex-News Corp president Peter Chernin is engaged in talks with Microsoft to possibly launch an Xbox Live television channel.

Allegedly, during an April 12 meeting at Microsoft's Redmond, Wash. offices, Chernin proposed a channel native to the Xbox 360 that would feature "reruns and original shows" for an additional $1 or $2 per month on top of the standard Xbox Live Gold subscription. Chernin's publicist, Allan Mayer, says of the deal, "Peter is talking to lots of people about lots of ideas in the digital space," while a representative for Microsoft refused to comment.

The report also claims that Chernin pitched the idea to Conan O'Brien's reps, presumably, to land Conan in one of the channel's time slots. Seeing as that supposed deal with Conan fell through, may we humbly propose X3F TV?

[Via Edge Online]

Rumor: Xbox 360 TV channel pitched to Microsoft by ex-News Corp head originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: allan-mayer, channel, digital-distribution, news-corp, peter-chernin, Rumor, Television, TV, tv-on-xbox, Xbox Live

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