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Persona 4 Arena Ultimax heads to Europe courtesy of Sega
It's been up in the air, but Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is confirmed now to be coming to Europe and other EMEA territories. Sega revealed it's publishing the follow-up fighter in November, with retail and downloadable versions on the way for PS3 and Xbox 360. Atlus is bringing Ultimax to the Americas on September 30 without region-locking, in contrast to the controversial decision to region-lock the first Persona 4 Arena. That decision caught more attention when the game was delayed by nine months in Europe. Distributor Zen United has since returned the P4A digital rights to Atlus.
Microsoft job cuts affect European Xbox division
Microsoft confirmed speculation that its Xbox EMEA team - that's Europe, the Middle East and Africa - would be affected by the company's biggest-ever round of job cuts. It's unknown how many layoffs were made at the EMEA division's UK headquarters, but an MCV source claims 75 percent of the team are to be let go, and staff have to reapply for the remaining 25 percent of roles. As revealed yesterday, Microsoft is laying off 18,000 employees from its 127,000-strong workforce following the acquisition of Nokia. "We eliminated a number of EMEA roles in the UK to gain efficiencies," a Microsoft spokesperson told MCV today."We remain very committed to the market and will continue to support our local development teams. We believe that the UK has exceptional games industry talent and we'll continue to focus on game creation ... through Microsoft Studios like Rare, Lionhead Studios, Lift London and Soho Productions. Also, Europe continues to be an important market for Xbox, and we're excited to launch Xbox One to fans in 13 mainland European markets in September."
South Park: The Stick of Truth censored in a whole lot of the world
Seven scenes have been removed from the console versions of South Park: The Stick of Truth in the EMEA region, which covers the not so small continents and areas of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. That's in addition to the game's censorship in Australia, where the often prominent Classification Board deemed certain scenes had to be modified if the Obsidian RPG was to be rated for sale. As BT.com spotted, Ubisoft sent out a document to publications this week that confirmed 7 scenes, each around 20 seconds long, have been removed from the EMEA console versions of The Stick of Truth. As you can imagine given the often controversial nature of the TV show the game is based on, the scenes are NSFW reading, and some readers may be sensitive to their descriptions. We've included those descriptions below the break.
Omnicom's Paul Wright to run iAds Europe
According to a report in The Drum, Apple is gearing up to expand its iAd advertising network in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To head up this initiative, Apple has allegedly selected Paul Wright, the chief digital director of Omnicom Media Group, as iAd director for the EMEA. Wright has served at Omnicom Media Group for over a year as its chief digital officer. He has also served as chief digital officer of the OMD Group UK, a subsidiary of Omnicom. Apple has not confirmed this appointment, but The Drum report claims Wright will begin at Apple in the coming months.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist's EMEA special editions include watches, figurines, no planes
Right off the bat, we'll tell you that none of the Splinter Cell: Blacklist limited editions announced for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa come with a plane. What you lose in radio-controlled miniature vehicles, you gain in choice, as there are four different special editions.The 5th Freedom Edition is exclusive to GAME in the UK and GameStop in Ireland, and comes with a Sam Fisher figurine, Splinter Cell Echoes graphic novel, two co-op maps, and some in-game gear, all in a steelbook case (well, except for the in-game items that exist only in a digital state).The 5th Freedom Silver Edition, exclusive to Uplay, is like the other 5th Freedom, but with a fancier steelbook and a silver Sam Fisher.The Ultimatum Edition comes with a digital watch, a shorter selection of Splinter Cell Echoes, and a bit less unlockable gear, along with a really silly name. Finally, the Upper Echelon Day 1 Edition comes with a bunch of digital stuff: the maps, some gold goggles, the "legendary Upper Echelon Suit," and more. It's exclusive to GAME in the UK and Xtravision in Ireland.%Gallery-181340%
Lenovo Q2 earnings reveal record high sales of $8.7 billion, highest-ever PC market share
PC maker Lenovo has reported its earnings for Q2, and there was plenty of good news: $8.7 billion in sales, a record high, a PC market share of 15.6 percent, it's largest ever and operating profit of $206 million, 24 percent higher than the same period last year. The only bad news is that profit growth is slower than previous quarters, mostly due to Lenovo's reaching into new markets like tablets, smartphones and connected TVs. for now however, Lenovo can claim the crown as world's largest laptop PC maker, while desktop sales were also up five percent from last year. Its mobile internet division reported sales of $718 million, and is the second largest seller in China of smartphones and tablets. It's also China's number one PC vendor with sales outpacing the next four vendors combined and racked up double digit market share in the EMEA region for the first time. Check the press release after the break for all of the details, we'll be back in a few months to find out how all that new Windows 8 hardware sold.
Assassin's Creed Anthology is 'EMEA exclusive,' not coming to North America 'for now'
Ubisoft today confirmed Assassin's Creed Anthology for PS3 and Xbox 360 in Europe, but for now it's not coming to North America. Reached for comment, Ubisoft told us Anthology isn't currently confirmed for the US, and is only slated as an "EMEA" release, meaning it's only currently releasing in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. We should mention Ubisoft did use hedging language like "exclusive for now" and "isn't currently confirmed for US release" in our follow-up.The collection contains Assassin's Creed 1, 2, and 3, Brotherhood, and Revelations, along with all of those games' expansion packs and other DLC. Ubisoft confirmed that includes Assassin's Creed 3's Season Pass. Also bundled in are five lithographs, one for each game, and an exclusive steel book, all in a chunky-looking collector's box.Anthology is priced at £119.99 in the UK, and €150.00 in Europe. It's exclusive to Amazon in the UK, and is being released there November 30. Based on listings on Amazon Germany and Amazon France (now taken down), it's coming to the rest of Europe November 29.
RIPE NCC handing out its last block of IPv4 addresses, tries to fend off internet survivalism
In a world where IPv6 lives and IPv4 addresses are scarce, network providers must fight for survival... or at least, claim their IP blocks quickly. The RIPE NCC, the regional internet registry for Asia, Europe and the Middle East, warns that it's down to assigning its last set of 16.8 million IPv4 addresses as of this weekend. That sounds like a lot, but we'd do well to remember that the registry churned through about 5.2 million addresses in just the past two weeks. What's left won't be around for long, folks. To cut back on the number of Mad Max-style battles for dwindling resources, RIPE NCC is rationing out IPv4 for local registries in 1,024-address chunks -- and only to those who both have IPv6 assignments as well as proof of a need for IPv4. With just a bit more than half of the RIPE NCC's customers currently on IPv6, that could still trigger a shortfall among networks that haven't prepared for the internet protocol apocalypse. We'd advise that companies stock up on IPv6 supplies before launching the raiding parties.
RIM promotes UK and Ireland head in preparation for BlackBerry 10
Thorsten Heins is assembling his crack team for BlackBerry 10, hiring and firing to assemble the lineup of business heavyweights he needs. RIM's UK and Ireland chief Stephen Bates is the latest to move, being promoted into the newly-minted role of European Managing Director, while former product manager Rob Orr will take his place. A RIM spokesperson told ZDNet that the moves are to ensure the company's BB7 legacy devices remain strong sellers in a key market while preparing the region for the advent of BB10.
Apple's VP of Europe steps down after 12 years
French newspaper Le Figaro is reporting that Pascal Cagni is stepping down from his position as Apple's vice president of Europe. Cagni was hired by Steve Jobs in 2000 and has served as Apple's European VP for 12 years. He was responsible for Apple's explosive growth in the EMEA region, which saw revenue grow from US$1 billion to $19 billion per year under his leadership. This resignation hasn't been confirmed by Apple or Cagni and, as pointed out by The Next Web, Cagni's LinkedIn account has not been updated. Given the newness of this change, this radio silence is expected. [Via The Next Web]
RIM's global sales head departs after 14-year stretch
Research in Motion's head of global sales is leaving the company after serving the BlackBerry maker for 14 years. Patrick Spence joined the company before it had even produced its first smartphone before rising to his current position, based in London. Reuters hints that he was dissatisfied about being passed over for the vacant COO's position, due to be filled by former Sony Ericsson man Kristian Tear later this year. A spokesperson for the Canadian company said that Mr. Spence would be moving to a leadership role in another industry. [Image Credit: Globe and Mail]
Lenovo taps former Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci to lead new Europe, Middle East and Africa division
It looks like former Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci's recent gig as a consultant for Lenovo has worked out pretty well -- Lenovo confirmed today that it's bringing on Lanci in a permanent position as the head of the its new Europe, Middle East and Africa (or EMEA) division. As The Wall Street Journal reports, that move is part of a broader reorganization within the company (going into effect April 2nd), which will see it have four units focused on different regions instead of the current three. Current Lenovo execs will head up the three other divisions.
European Xbox boss not feeling pressured to cut 360 price
It's the question every potential buyer wants to know: Will Microsoft respond to Sony's $50 PS3 price cut with an Xbox 360 price cut of its own? After all, it didn't take long for Microsoft to match the lower price of Sony's PS3 Slim, first unveiled at Gamescom two years ago. But over a week in and there's still no sign of a price cut coming from Redmond. At $200 for the 4GB Xbox 360 and $300 for the abnormally large 250GB model, Sony's $250 160GB PS3 not only bests the 'box on hardware (hello Blu-ray!) but on price as well. So what's Microsoft going to do about it? Nothing, apparently. When asked if he was "feeling any pressure to move [price] down a little" in response to the PS3 price cut, European Xbox bigwig Chris Lewis told VG247 simply, "No." He elaborated, "We think we offer great value now," pointing to features like Xbox Live and Kinect, but insisted, "We're happy with our position." If we were in Lewis' position, tasked with beating back Sony's European sales lead, "happy" probably wouldn't be our first response to Sony's aggressive pricing.
Microsoft EMEA VP: Xbox 'about halfway through' life because of Kinect
Thanks to Kinect, the Xbox 360 is enjoying an extended lifespan (we're required by law to joke here that it's the second or third lifespan for many of your non-slim Xboxes). Microsoft's VP of Interactive Entertainment Business for EMEA, Chris Lewis, told MCV, "We see it as about halfway through." He added, "Kinect put a huge shot of adrenaline into the business," likely not referring to last year's infusion of unsold copies of Adrenalin Misfits. Lewis said that Microsoft deliberately targeted families and younger players with its initial Kinect offerings, and now it's moving more into "core" games. "What you will see is us using Kinect to enhance the experience and not detract from it," Lewis said. "I don't think our core gamers will tolerate anything else from us."
PlayStation Network restoration spreads across the world (update)
Now that North America has been thoroughly blanketed in the beautiful green light of a working PlayStation Network, it's time for other countries to sign on too, and the first out of the gate are the United Kingdom, Ireland and unspecified nations in the Middle East. Sony's official PlayStation Europe Twitter account reports that parts of the EMEA are beginning to light up now, and while there's no convenient map for you to monitor the rollout this time around, you can still get updates straight from the source -- follow the Twitter feed at our source link and Sony should let you know when to get your game on. Update: Looks like it's not just the EMEA, as PSN's spreading across the world -- as of noon PST, it's lighting up the smiles of bereaved gamers and music lovers in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South America as well. Update 2: We're hearing that the UK, Ireland and the Middle East actually went dark again for a tad, but now they should be up again. Update 3: Sony's having a bit of difficulty getting millions of passwords reset in such a short time, due to a number of things, including ISPs that are automatically blocking or delaying the huge influx of email password change requests. Give it time, folks.
Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 launching on November 10 in Europe
While Microsoft's new controller-free Kinect for Xbox 360 will be hitting US shores on November 4th, we've just learned that it'll officially land in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on November 10th. Sure, that's a bit of a wait, but take heart in knowing that Microsoft's targeting an October launch of its Xbox Live lovin' Windows Phone 7 handsets in Europe compared to a November release in the US. Otherwise, we're looking at the same 15 exclusive Kinect game titles already announced at E3.
Report: European marketing VP David Gosen leaves Microsoft
David Gosen has left his post as Microsoft's VP of Strategic Marketing for EMEA territories, two years after being brought on to help expand Microsoft's foothold in Europe. The former I-Play CEO and managing director of Nintendo Europe plans "to explore new opportunities outside of the company," according to MCV. Chris Lewis, the VP of interactive entertainment who will now oversee the European marketing team, suggests that Gosen has fulfilled his objective while at Microsoft. "The Xbox marketing team and Live business in EMEA has made great progress over the last two years," he said, "during a phase of consistent investment and innovation." The last we heard, Xbox 360 sales had crossed the 10 million mark in Europe alone. And now Gosen must answer the call of another brand that needs expansion in Europe. There's the Gosen-signal now! Gosen to the rescue!
Ex-Motorola exec becomes Microsoft EMEA marketing VP
Following a week of rumors and feverish speculation, Microsoft recently confirmed that former Motorola marketing chief Jeremy Dale has been appointed the vice president of retail sales and marketing for its Entertainment and Devices division in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In layman's terms, he'll be overseeing the marketing of Xbox and Windows products in the EMEA region. In extreme layman's terms, he'll make people want to buy Microsoft's stuff.Dale's ability to push product has been witnessed in the gaming arena before -- he once served as the commercial and marketing director for Nintendo UK, during which time he oversaw the European Pokémon invasion. Sure, those adorable buggers practically sell themselves -- but still, it sounds like Dale will be a valuable asset for Microsoft's overseas operations.
Microsoft says 360 leads PS3 by 1M in Europe
Ask your local pan-handling, barrel-wearing former CEO and he'll tell you: A million isn't what it used to be. But even though 1,000,000 with nearly any fiscal symbol in front of it is nowhere the fortune it was just 12 months ago, it still seems a pretty impressive figure when you're talking about console leads: A million is exactly how far Microsoft EMEA VP Chris Lewis says the 360 is ahead of the PS3 in Europe.But it's not too late, European Sony fans. With the very idea of representative currency crumbling around you, there's never been a better time to go buy an extra PS3 (or a million) and turn this tide. Besides, think of your friends' envy when you can escape from the cacophony of post-financial-apocalypse neo-orphans crying for scurvy-fighting citrus fruits in your house ... made of PlayStations!
Toshiba packs NB100, A350 with 3G and ships them off to EMEA
Toshiba has announced that its Satellite A350 and NB100 would soon be finding their way into Europe, Middle East, and African (EMEA) markets with an added bonus: HSPA technology. We've got precisely nada on the price tag for these iterations, however, which normally retail for around $800 and $500 without 3G. If you're on the lookout for a laptop with some extra portability, both models are expected to hit retail channels first quarter of this year.[Via Notebook Italia]
