Pi-Studios
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Activision's 'Sing Hero' never hit the stage
Activision was in the process of funding Sing Hero before the publisher's interests moved elsewhere. Siliconera has concept art and images from the addition to the musical Hero franchise that never came to exist.Pi Studios, which had done some work on Harmonix's Rock Band series, was tasked with creating Sing Hero, but it appears the studio is no longer with us. Activision filed a trademark for Sing Hero back in 2009. The Guitar Hero franchise is mostly dead at the moment.
Pi Studios reportedly shuttered, ex-staff form Category 6 Studios [update: Pi Studios status unclear]
Houston-based game developer Pi Studios has closed its doors, reports Big Download via a reliable source. The studio had a hand in several notable titles, including Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Wolfenstein and the PS2 and Wii versions of several Rock Band games. Most recently, the studio was working on Bonk: Brink of Extinction, the 3DS version of which was reportedly canceled earlier this month. Assuming the report of the studio's closure is accurate, the XBLA, WiiWare, and PSN versions are presumably canceled as well. Prior to today's report, several former members of Pi Studios recently formed Category 6 Studios, led by Kenn Hoekstra. The new company today announced its first title, Blackout, an Unreal Engine-powered survival horror game in development for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Update: Additional investigation by Big Download and Joystiq has uncovered conflicting reports as to the operational status of the Pi Studios business. Pi Studios may still be operational but the extent of its operations remains unclear. Joystiq has once again reached out to Pi Studios for an official response."
Quake Arena Arcade finally arrives on XBLA Dec. 15
We'll forgive you if you've forgotten that Quake Arena Arcade was even coming to Xbox Live Arcade. After all, it was announced in 2007 and "very close" to being done in 2009. Whatever that final development hurdle was, it must've been a whopper, but it's been overcome and the game will arrive ... next week. December 15, to be exact. Bethesda won't be announcing pricing until just before the game's release, but it'll surely cost less than a second-hand Dreamcast, broadband adapter and copy of Quake 3 Arena.%Gallery-67171%
Quake Arena Arcade gameplay footage frags your eyeballs
We've been waiting three long years for Quake Arena Arcade, and just recently we started to make out a faint light at the end of the tunnel. Today, our hope is increased thanks to the first gameplay footage of the game, linked by the game's official Twitter feed.
Quake 3 Arena for XBLA is 'very close' to being finished
Despite being first spotted on the ESRB's leak-prone website nearly two years ago, and officially confirmed at QuakeCon over 18 months ago, id's John Carmack assures us that Pi Studios – developers behind the Xbox Live Arcade release of classic multiplayer shooter Quake 3 Arena – is "actually very close to finishing that up." He didn't identify any specific reasons for the delay, but said that the developer had "different things come up at different times" like having to "shift people onto different projects." With Quake Live finally opening its doors to the public today, we asked if the two development teams – at both Pi and id Software – shared any insights into updating the FPS staple. Quake Live producer Marty Stratton said they shared "where it's made sense" – think "gameplay changes," "some ... new content," and some "new character skins" but not the newer, "more PC-centric" arenas. If they can get the finished game in front of Microsoft "within a month or two" like Carmack estimates, we may get multiple Quake 3 fixes within the year.Check back later today for our full interview with id's John Carmack and Marty Stratton.
Wii want Rock Band 2: Harmonix apologizes for delay, confirms instrument compatibility
As revealed late last week, Rock Band 2 will be making its Wii debut on December 18 – two months after the Xbox 360 version. In a post to the official Rock Band forums, series creator Harmonix has openly apologized for the delay, while saying that the extra development time has made possible "the definitive full band experience on that platform.""We want to apologize for the delay in getting RB2 onto the Wii," the company said. "We believe that Wii is an amazing and unique fit for Rock Band 2, and one that we care deeply about getting right." Part of getting it right has to do with instrument compatibility, with Harmonix confirming that developer Pi Studios has ensured all Wii music controllers will work with the game out of the box. (Something we've already reported.) "We can confirm that this game is compatible with other existing instrument controllers available for Wii for both guitar and drums," the post reads. "Even if you've picked up another full band game, you can grab Rock Band 2 in its standalone software format, buying individual instruments and the disc itself to customize your band." In other words, your Guitar Hero guitars? They'll work, and so will the Guitar Hero World Tour drum kit – should you have bought another full band game while waiting for RB2.
Rock Band 2 coming to Wii and PS2 on Dec. 18
Are you ready to rock? Or, more specifically, will you be ready to rock on December 18? That's the day (a Thursday, in fact) that Wii and PS2 owners will finally be able to call friends over for a Rock Band 2 party. That's right – before the weekend. Crazy, huh?RB2 for Wii supports the download (and storage on SD card) of tracks via the in-game music store only; you'll have to add Wii Points through the Wii Shop Channel, per usual. PS2 owners ... sorry, but your DLC is in another castle.Here's the package / pricing breakdown. Note that peripherals for the PS2 version are already on sale. Special Edition Bundle (Wii) – $189.99 Standalone Software (Wii) – $49.99 Standalone Drums (Wii) – $89.99 Standalone Guitar (Wii) – $69.99 Standalone Software (PS2) – $49.99
Rock Band Wii drum kit pictured, nagging questions answered
click to enlarge Today's Rock Band for Wii announcement left us with some lingering questions. Here are Harmonix's answers [update: added answers to Mii support, 480p questions]:Will the Wii version of Rock Band include the Rock Band Store, and downloadable tracks?When developing Rock Band for the Wii platform, we focused on making the core gameplay experience as solid and enjoyable as possible while tailoring it specifically to the strengths of the platform. The Wii version still contains the robust four-player band experience and all the fun at the core of other versions of Rock Band. However, because the Wii's online capabilities and potential have yet to be fully realized, we wanted to wait before we explored online functionality for Rock Band to ensure that players get the high-quality of online performance they've come to expect.Will the Wii "bonus songs" be Wii-exclusive, or five songs included on the disc from the Rock Band DLC store?We'll announce the songs closer to launch. Stay tuned!Will the Wii version have missing or crippled features similar to the PS2 experience?
Rock Band Wii 'Special Edition' on June 22, $170
Harmonix confirmed today that Rock Band for Wii will be released on June 22nd for $169.99. The so-called "Special Edition" bundle will include the game, drums, microphone and a wireless guitar. Standalone instruments will also be available for purchase on June 22nd. The Wii edition will feature 63 songs, including five unspecified "bonus" songs. We've asked Harmonix to answer some of your more burning questions -- we'll update this post when they do.Update: Check out Harmonix's answers to some of your most pressing questions ... also, first image of Wii drum kit!
id announces Quake Arena for Xbox Live Arcade
The finest railgun in the business will be making its way to Xbox Live Arcade as id announces Quake Arena for Microsoft's download service. Previously, this release was merely a rumor fueled by a surprise listing on the ESRB website, so it's great to finally have an official word to go on.Also true to the ESRB listing is that Pi Studios -- best known for their work on the Call of Duty series and the upcoming Mercaneries 2: World in Flame -- is behind the port.No comment as to when Quake Arena will see release was made by id.
Quake III Team Arena on XBLA?
The ESRB is becoming a better resource for leaking Xbox Live Arcade titles than we could have dreamed. This time, it's an entry for Quake III: Team Arena. Granted, the Xbox 360 is not short on shooters, but Quake III is one of the best. Quake III provided some great multiplayer thrills back in tha' day, and it would be a perfect addition to Xbox Live Arcade, especially at a budget price. Quake III is graphically more sophisticated than most XBLA titles, so it's a safe bet that the game will utilize the new 150MB size limit.Would you buy Quake III for Xbox Live Arcade, or do you have enough shooters already? Frankly, we miss good old fashioned rocket jumping, so we're willing to give it a try.[Via Joystiq]
ESRB leaks 'Quake III: Team Arena' for Xbox 360 (XBLA?)
The ESRB is always a great place to spot upcoming Xbox Live Arcade titles with the word "arena" in the title (Wing Commander Arena, anyone?). Without the enormous lead times of their retail counterparts (see Shadowrun above), these digitally distributed darlings will often sneak in under the radar. Take the Xbox 360 listing for Quake III: Team Arena above. The 1999 multiplayer classic would be a perfect fit for the Xbox Live service (right alongside older brother DOOM), and the newly enlarged 150MB size limit could make it a possibility. Or maybe this is just a retail port, though we can't imagine it faring well in today's competitive FPS environment. We've asked Microsoft and Pi Studios to comment on the listing.[Via GameAlmighty]
COD3 Valor Map Pack return to Marketplace
Dan Bunting, developer for Call of Duty 3, updated his post on the Xbox.com forums to announce that the Valor Map pack's issues. The problems people were having have now been fixed and some bugs regarding Ranked Lobbies and Ranked Matches have been addressed as well in an Auto-Update. It's good to see developers taking actions and keeping the community well informed on issues like this, and we here at Fanboy Towers have been there every step of the way. How do you think the developers handled the situation, and after all is said and done, are the maps really worth all the trouble?[Via QJ.net]
