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Double Fine, Codemasters, former president Rubin, more seeking payment from THQ
THQ may be no more, but several parties have filed claims against the defunct video game publisher. The Kurtzman Carson Consultancy group shows Double Fine, Codemasters and even individual former executives Jason Kay and Jason Rubin are seeking financial compensation for unpaid obligations from THQDouble Fine (PDF link) is looking for $595,000, claiming THQ offered up Stacking and Costume Quest as free PlayStation Plus downloads without Double Fine's knowledge, and that none of the PS Plus revenue was shared. Codemasters (PDF link) is looking for an exact $1,002,714.25, seeking reimbursement for unpaid royalties and storing quantities of Bodycount, Dirt 3 and F1 2011 discs in a warehouse somewhere. Kay (PDF link) and Rubin (PDF link) are seeking $2.1 million each for failed "employment obligations." The two claim unpaid vacation time, sick leave and severance.THQ's final assets were auctioned off for nearly $7 million earlier this week, including Darksiders, Homeworld and the Drawn to Life series. The results of the first auction were posted in January, facilitating the transfer of ownership for Saints Row 4, Homefront, Company of Heroes 2 and more.
F1 2011 crashing into Vita launch lineup
Is your life like F1 racing itself? Are you moving too quickly, too dangerously to sit down on the couch and indulge in an F1 racing simulation? Good news then, as Codemasters has announced that F1 2011 will be released in time for the launch of PlayStation Vita on February 22, making it just the thing for the racing fan on the go. The game features plenty of single-player modes, full support for online and local multiplayer and, presumably, lots of pointy cars. Check out a new trailer above.
FIFA 12 first on UK charts, beats GTA 4 debut
FIFA 12, obviously, debuted at the top of the UK charts this past week. The semi-surprise is the latest installment of the footie franchise became the third largest multi-format debut ever, surpassing Grand Theft Auto 4 and sitting comfortably behind Call of Duty's Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2, which hold first and second place, respectively. According to Chart-Track, FIFA 12 unit sales were up 18 percent from FIFA 11, with revenue up 34 percent. Last year, EA announced that FIFA 11 was its "fastest selling sports game ever." Unless the rest of the world suddenly develops some football aversion, it would appear that FIFA 12 is about to best that record. Gears of War 3 experienced a 76 percent drop in sales from its mega premiere, but it was still enough to maintain second place. Codemaster's F1 2011 kept the gas on and held its position right behind Gears for a second week. Debuts that didn't make the top ten last week included Activision Blizzard's slapdash X-Men: Destiny in 18th, and the PS3 version of Child of Eden, which helped the series jump 765 percent and into 29th place. The UK top ten can be found after the break.
Gears of War 3, F1 2011 race to top of UK charts
Codemaster's annual F1 racing series would have taken the checkered flag for a second year in its debut week on the UK charts, but with competition like Gears of War 3 it'll have to settle for a respectable second place finish. According to Chart-Track, Epic's conclusion to the Gears trilogy sold nearly as many copies in its first week on sale as the first two combined during their launch weeks. Gears 3 is the seventh largest Xbox 360 launch to date (Call of Duty: Black Ops rules that roost). Zombie RPG Dead Island won't die. Having held the top spot for the past two weeks, the title finally shambles on down to third. It's poetic, really, since it's keeping Zumba Fitness company. The unholy fitness game, which danced into fourth last week, must be a death walker since it refuses to die, despite insane competition. Zumba Fitness keeps selling as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Driver: San Francisco, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine and Resistance 3 slip down the charts. Check out the UK top ten after the break.
F1 2011 turns and burns out its first gameplay trailer
Codemasters has released the first gameplay trailer for F1 2011, the racing game for fans who think regular cars look fat. F1 2011 will be the first HD Formula One title with split-screen multiplayer, which helps explain the trailer's tagline, "Go Compete!"
THQ takes on distribution of four Codemasters releases this year
THQ announced today that, through its THQ Partners unit, it would be handling the North American distribution of four of Codemasters 2011 releases. In fact, THQ Partners actually began its task today, with the release of Dirt 3 into the retail channel. The deal also encompasses distribution of Operation Flashpoint: Red River, Bodycount and F1 2011. The new Operation Flashpoint hits June 7, with Bodycount set for "later this summer." Financial details of the deal weren't disclosed, but it has been confirmed that Codies will continue to handle the marketing of all four titles in-house.
