release-dates
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EA exec: 'Industry' slowly discovering rest of calendar
Glen Schofield, general manager of EA's Redwood Shores, seems to think publishers are slowly having epiphanies about the illogical decision to cram every major release into the last quarter of the calendar year. Speaking with GI.biz, he states the "the industry" is finally recognizing that it could launch blockbusters during the summer and, if the title is good, it could still do well. The comment comes after EA's Mirror's Edge and Dead Space failed to meet sales projections. Both titles were new IPs dropped into the madness of the holiday season.Gamers and the game press have been screaming for years that the overall release schedule needs to change. BioShock's solid August launch -- and significant press coverage -- is currently the go-to example of stepping outside the Q4 circus for a new game. Even high-profile franchises like GTA IV (April '08) and Resident Evil 5 (March) avoided the holiday mess. Times are slowly changing, but don't expect the holiday overdrive to be gone just yet. [Image]
Next EVE Online expansion named Apocrypha, launches March 10
The other day we picked up on a video interview with the CEO of CCP Games, who announced a firm March 10th release date for the next EVE Online expansion -- but until today, that expansion wasn't given a name. CCP Games announced the "Apocrypha" expansion this morning, and a bit of what it'll bring to EVE.The Apocrypha feature page isn't up yet -- so more details are likely to emerge -- but thus far they've confirmed two new game mechanics will be coming to EVE in March. Wormhole exploration is an upcoming feature that will allow EVE's explorers to discover new technology, used to create the next iteration of ships in New Eden -- Tech III. These modular ship designs will potentially allow for thousands of different configurations of ships to suit different purposes, and are a far cry from the Tech I and Tech II ship hulls currently flown in New Eden. In addition, Apocrypha will bring Epic Mission Arcs. The release states: "These branching, far-reaching mission strings are full of meaningful stories and more intelligent and deadly adversaries."
Capcom reveals European and American Q1 09 release dates
Capcom Europe has revealed its release dates and/or windows for all of its first quarter games today. You can see the info in handy list format below. Looks like Capcom is single handedly making Q1 2009 a real gaming event, with plenty to sink your teeth into, even despite inFamous and Killzone 2 being released during the same period. Flock - February Street Fighter IV - February 20th Resident Evil 5 - March 13th Bionic Commando - March (It's not March anymore. Rather, it'll be in the first half of '09) The American release dates are as follows: Flock - Early 2009 Street Fighter IV - February 17th Resident Evil 5 - March 13th Bionic Commando - Early 2009
Wheelman drives into stores Feb. 16
Well, this just seems like a missed opportunity. No, it's not that Wheelman's Feb. 16 release date is going to miss the coveted (and crowded) holiday release window. We think that's a darn fine idea. No, what we're troubled by is that had it arrived just two days earlier, it could have made the perfect Valentine's Day gift for that special someone in your life.May we suggest a "VIN DIESEL Sexy Beefcake Photo Pics Vids Fan CD" to fill the gap? Or perhaps you'd prefer a dollar bill that looks like it has Vin's face on it, a replica from a magical alternate timeline where he served as our 44th Head of State and Also Kicking Faces. Either way, you can't go wrong.
Worldwide release dates for LBP revealed, plus early-bird DLC
Click for LittleBIGScreenshot Sony has revealed worldwide release dates for LittleBigPlanet. We already knew the game would be available in the UK on October 24th, but now a October 21st release date for North and Latin America has been confirmed. As for Japan, they can expect to see the game hit their shelves on the 30th of the month and Europe,Australia and New Zealand will get their hands on it on the 22nd. That's not all, though. An 80GB PS3 bundle will be made available on the 29th in Europe and the 31st in the UK. Phew. Confused? Here's the same info in handy-dandy bullet point form. North & Latin America: 21st October Europe, Australia & New Zealand: 22nd October UK & Ireland: 24th October 80GB PS3 Bundle in Europe: 29th October Japan: 30th October 80GB PS3 Bundle in UK & Ireland: 31st October To celebrate the launch of the game, there will also be some limited-time-only DLC made available for early adopters. Specifically, these are a "Spaceman" costume (shown above) and a rare T-shirt. Check out the gallery below for a couple more images of these rare items. It's hard to believe this game is almost in our hands and we couldn't really be much more excited for it.[Via press release]%Gallery-32284%
LittleBigPlanet brought forward to Oct 24th in UK, 21st in US
LittleBigReleaseDates! We've received a press release stating that LittleBigPlanet will be released in the UK on October 24th. We're not sure whether the rest of Europe will be receiving it on the 29th or not, but the UK will definitely be able to get their hands on the game five days ahead of the date announced at Leipzig. If you want it before then, however, you'll need to be on the other side of the Atlantic. North Americans will be getting their LittleBigMits on the game three days before that, on the 21st. Not exactly simultaneous, but close enough. LittleBigPlanet is (finally!) almost out.[Via Press Release]
Online retailers point towards a November 4 release for Wrath
We'll begin this post with the usual: this is Blizzard we're talking about, and Blizzard doesn't release games or the dates they'll start selling those games until they're good and ready. So any speculation about Blizzard's release dates, is, by its nature, pretty useless -- if Blizzard wants to announce at BlizzCon that Wrath isn't coming out until January, they will.However, as many readers have noticed, there's been an interesting development in the rumored release date lately. Before now, all the online stores have had all kinds of different dates: some were saying October, some were saying early November, and some were saying late November. But over the past week or so, almost all of the online stores have settled on a single date: November 4. The sign above, sent in by reader Daniel A., is from a JB HiFi store in Australia, and beckons toward a midnight release on November 3rd.So. We'll stress again: retailers often set their own release dates way in advance of an official announcement, just so they can sell preorders of a game. It's very likely this means nothing, and Blizzard will release their game whenever they want -- don't start filling out your vacation form yet, because this is not an official date. But something has pointed all of these online retailers toward Election Day of this year, so if you want to guess at a release date, that's as good as any. Thanks to Ollie, Daniel A., and everyone else who sent this in.
WAR to be waged on Sept. 18
We were a bit concerned when Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (or WAR, on the streets) had its release date changed from the comfortingly specific "Sept. 23" to the vague and unsettling "Sept. 08." Little did we know, that change was just a chrysalis from which a new, just as specific but even earlier date could emerge: Sept. 18.EA would also like you to start referring to Sept. 18 as the "Day of Reckoning," and that's fine, if you want to help drum up some extra interest among friends or family. Just do us a favor and put the kibosh on that when you go out into public, OK?
Slightly revised release dates for Wii Wario, DS Kirby
As part of a massive data dump accompanying their E3 2008 press conference, Nintendo has announced some slight adjustment to the previously announced release dates for Wario Land: Shake It! and Kirby Super Star Ultra. Both games are now listed for release on Monday, Sept. 22, a bump up form the originally planned release dates later in the week. On the plus side, now you'll be able to get your hands on the games earlier. On the downside, now you have less time to save up enough dough to blow. Drag!
Europe: Wii Fit hits April 25; Mario Kart, April 11; Brawl rumored for June 6
With Nintendo confirming upcoming American release dates left and right, Europeans would be justified in feeling a little left out of the fun. Luckily, Nintendo was magnanimous enough to let out an official announcement on two major upcoming release dates, and perhaps sloppy enough to leak out rumor of another.First on the official side, Nintendo of Europe has announced that Wii Fit will hit the continent on April 25, a full month before Americans get the game and balance board on May 12. Mario Kart Wii, meanwhile, will hit Europe on April 11, a much more specific date than the nebulous "Spring" that American gamers currently have to vaguely look forward to.On the rumor side, Dutch site GamerCC (sketchy Google translation) reports from France's Micromania Game Show that Nintendo let slip a planned June 6 European release date for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Sounds juicy, until you hear that a Nintendo spokesperson told Videogamer.com that the date was "a rumour and purely speculative." That doesn't mean it's false, necessarily, just that Nintendo isn't willing to confirm that it's true just yet.Read - Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii announcementRead - Smash Bros. Brawl rumor, Nintendo denial
Alone in the Dark delayed until May, PS3 even later
Will wonders never cease? In one week, Alone in the Dark went from being released in March to being released in September to "not delayed until September, but we're not saying when it's actually coming out." Now, according to CVG, the survival horror title will drop on the Xbox 360, Wii, PC and PS2 in May of 2008. As you may have noticed, the PS3 is absent from that list, and with good reason: That version is now due "sometime in 2008." That's especially interesting to those who have been following the AITD release drama, as Atari previously said that the PS3 version would arrive day-and-date with its brethren on other consoles.We have to admit that we're still looking forward to getting our hands on the game, if only to see if all the delays were time well spent. If we could be so bold though, could we suggest that the game ship with a special bonus copy of Chinese Democracy?
Rumour: 2008 looking great if Best Buy release list is to be believed
We all know that 2008 is going to be a great year for the PS3 with regards to games, but when are they all coming out? User "Xeonoumus" on the official PlayStation forums might well have the answer. Demanding that his local Best Buy show him a list of 2008 releases, he receives a full list of predicted dates - and they appear quite favourable. We're labelling this a rumour for many reasons, not least because even if these dates are correct today, they could change at any time. Enough disclaimers. When are we going to see some games this year? Most of the big titles we're looking forward to seem to be due out within the next six months, which is fine by us. We'll list out the big titles below and then post the full scan after the jump. [Enjoy Speculation responsibly!] Burnout Paradise - 14th of January Devil May Cry 4 - 4th of February GTA IV - 1st of April Haze - 18th of March Killzone 2 - 7th of April LittleBigPlanet - 7th of April Metal Gear Solid 4 - 17th of June Rainbow Six Vegas 2 - 11th of March Singstar - 13th of May [Via TheSixthAxis]
Worldwide PSP releases for the week of Dec. 30
We're not sure how often this has happened, but it seems that no games will be releasing on the PSP across all three major regions.NA Games No new releases EU Games No new releases Asia Games No new releases Chances are, it's probably not that big a deal for most of you since you're all very busy with all the great games you received for Christmas. But if you're a bit disappointed, rest assured that next week the PSP is definitely getting new games.
Sigma finally cops to a release date for its SD14 DSLR
Well it'll have been over six months between the time we first heard about it and when it actually hits store shelves, but we finally have a solid release date for the somewhat-anticipated, Foveon-packing Sigma SD14 DSLR. If it's possible for you to remember back that far, you may recall that Sigma attempted to drum up some interest in this 14 megapixel shooter with a teaser campaign in late August of last year, just before it was officially announced at Photokina 2006. The disappointment came a few months later when Sigma pushed back the SD14's street launch to March, citing some hardware issue that the company wouldn't disclose. And according to a press release on Sigma's website, the problem has indeed been addressed, with the camera scheduled to ship starting on the 6th of next month. Keep in mind, though, that this model isn't for the thrifty -- it's gonna cost you over $2,000 to get in on this action.
TiVo Series 3 coming September 17th for $799?
It's no secret that TiVo's on the verge of shipping its HD-capable Series 3 set-top-box -- after all, the company's already notified the FCC, posted a product page, and even ignited a flurry of controversy over Time Warner's CableCARD policy -- but we have yet to hear of a solid release date or retail price for this highly-anticipated device. Well HDBeat's got an inside source at one of the big box electronics stores (to protect his identity, we won't say which one, but he goes by the name Todd and wears a blue shirt to work) who claims that the Series 3 has already been added to their system, scheduled to be in stock on September 17th for a hefty-but-not-unreasonable $799. (Side note: if that price stands, props to our boy Dave Zatz for prognosticating it many moons ago). You first heard about this box all the way back at CES, recently spotted it in the wild, and now it may finally be time to withhold next month's rent as well as ring up your cable provider to make sure they have those precious CARDs all stocked up.
Sony's PRS-500 eBook reader subject to another delay
First off, contrary to the beliefs of certain commenters, we absolutely do not hate Sony -- we just think that after the infamous PS3 and BDP-S1 Blu-ray delays, the company would want to do everything possible to make sure that another highly-anticipated product doesn't fall into the same cycle. Yet that's exactly what we're seeing with the upcoming PRS-500 eBook reader first announced at CES -- originally scheduled for a spring release before slipping to a summer time frame -- whose launch has now been pushed back once again to sometime this fall. According to an email Sony sent out to potential customers -- wisely thanking them for their patience -- the e-ink-based Reader will now be shipping "in time for the holidays," which hopefully doesn't refer to December 24th. Sample launch titles include Freakanomics and The Da Vinci Code, although by the time you can actually get your hands on the hardware, you'll probably have already read those books along with many of the other initial offerings. As much as we'd like to own one of these handy ~$350 devices -- and despite having no need whatsoever for a bunch of aviation documents -- we're pretty close to just biting the bullet and shelling out $900 for the eFlyBook version of iRex's iLiad that went on sale yesterday.[Thanks, Curt C. and Riley P.]
NOA releases dates, engages in tomfoolery
There are plenty of high-caliber DS releases coming in the second half of this year. Nintendo of America seeks to whet our appetites, and so a recent press release bestows a convenient list of release dates upon us...that extremely informative list, reader, can be found here. What draws our attention, however, are the writings at the beginning and end of the press release. Nintendo writes: "The fourth quarter of 2006 will herald a new era for Nintendo with the launch of its remarkable new Wii(TM) home video game system. But that's not what this news item is about! How could that be, you ask? Perhaps the secret to the launch information for Wii is somehow encoded in the text of this news item. You might want to pore over it for a few hours before staying up all night to debate phraseology and comma placement with your friends online. Or maybe it's all just a scam to get you to read the other games we have launching this fall. One of the two." Okay, that was uncalled for. And later: "And, for Nintendo GameCube(TM) owners, The Legend of Zelda(R): Twilight Princess will be available for you this fall. An enhanced version also will be a launch title for Wii. That will all happen on ... Oh look, we're out of space." Those charlatans.
DS release dates (and Final Fantasy V, too!)
Nintendo of America has issued release dates for most of the major DS releases in the fourth quarter. This wonderful list is as follows:Oct. 9: Clubhouse GamesOct. 16: Nintendogs (Dalmatian)Oct. 23: Magical StarsignOct. 30: Pokemon RangerOct. 30: Children of ManaNov. 6: Elite Beat AgentsNov. 13: Yoshi's Island 2Dec. 4: Custom Robo ArenaDec. 4: Kirby Squeak SquadAnd also, for the GBA:Nov. 6: Final Fantasy V AdvanceQuite a few must-haves on that list, if we do say so ourselves. As high-profile as Yoshi's Island 2 may be, we find ourselves irresistably drawn of the allures of rhythm and finely honed stylus control in Elite Beat Agents. What are you most looking forward to, reader?Oh, and this press release also engaged in torturing our souls.
TiVo tells FCC, cable operators to expect Series 3 boxes "soon"
So it looks like TiVo is finally getting ready to roll out the long-awaited Series 3 DVR Digital Media Recorder, and just in the nick of time, it would seem; from what we can tell, consumers are chomping at the bit to start capturing the growing variety of high definition broadcasts available to them, making HTPCs a more attractive alternative as the days, weeks, and months pass with no HD TiVo. Zatz Not Funny is reporting that the DVR giant recently sent letters to both the FCC and major cable operators stating that Series 3 boxes are already being beta tested around the country and will be available "soon," though no actual release date is given. According to the letters, the CableLabs-certified device will sport two separate UDCP CableCARD slots, and TiVo is concerned about reports that certain cable installers have been refusing to provide beta testers with the necessary support -- no big surprise, as the industry has never shown much love for CableCARDs in the first place. Now, of course, we all want to know how TiVo defines the word "soon" -- previous speculation has centered around a September or early October release -- but we've been covering this beat long enough to know that hazarding a guess is pretty much useless, and that we won't find out any more info until the company is good and ready to reveal its launch plans. [Warning: PDF link][Via Zatz Not Funny]
Wii set to drop on November 6th?
You may remember us passing along a rumor last month from Cubed3 which claimed that Nintendo would be launching the Wii on November 6th; as usual, we took the info with no small amount of skepticism, but now that date actually seems to have been confirmed, and in the most unlikely of places: this month's issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids (Disclaimer: Engadget and SI for Kids are part of the same loving corporate family). Generally not known for getting the inside scoop on the video game industry, the magazine nonetheless seems confident enough in its sources to have published the supposed release date as fact without even the hint of a disclaimer, which combined with the Cubed3 info, makes us think that they might be onto something here. Obviously any deets related to the launch and pricing of this console are up in the air until the official word comes down from Japan, but with Xbox 360 already firmly entrenched and the PS3 scheduled to roll out a little later in the month, it certainly makes sense that Nintendo would be looking to leverage even the tiniest advantage.[Via Joystiq]
