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Mafia 2 developer 2K Czech lays off 40
Mafia 2 and Top Spin 4 developer 2K Czech has laid off up to 40 from its Brno arm and less than 10 from its Prague branch according to a report from Develop. The cuts represent a loss of between 20-25 percent for the formerly 200-strong 2K Czech. The studio told Develop the cuts are more about slimming down than changing directions, saying it "has realigned its resources to streamline the development process, reduce costs and maximize studio performance." You always hate to hear about job cuts of any kind, and you can count on staffers from 2K Czech to have plenty of colorful ways to express their frustration.
2K Sports distances itself from sexy Serena Williams Top Spin 4 ad
An advertisement for Top Spin 4 has made its way onto the internet, but it's not what one would call "official." Featuring Serena Williams, the ad was definitely made with 2K Sports' money and effort. We've attempted to get an official statement from 2K Sports, but the company doesn't appear to want to talk until it's eliminated every instance of the video from the internet. The ad was originally posted on YouTube by the actress featured in the commercial -- apparently she wasn't satisfied with 2K Sports' decision to cancel the public release. Update: 2K Sports' official statement: "As part of the process for creating marketing campaigns to support our titles, we pursue a variety of creative avenues. This video is not part of the title's final marketing campaign and its distribution was unauthorized."
Top Spin 4 and MLB 2K11 demos tossed onto Xbox Live
Heeeey, batter, batter, batter, batter, sa-wing batter. Andre Agassi, Agassi, Agassi, sa-wing racket. (Translation: The MLB 2K11 and Top Spin 4 demos are now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace.)
Killzone 3 & other pre-orders net $20 credit on Amazon
The frugal folks at Thrifty Nerd have informed Joystiq that Amazon has upgraded some of its pre-order deals; specifically, pre-ordering Bulletstorm, Top Spin 4 or Killzone 3 will now snag you a $20 credit instead of $10. The credit will be applied to all Bulletstorm pre-orders regardless of when they were placed, so don't worry if you pre-ordered before the deal went into effect. Thrifty Nerd notes further that both Gears of War 3 and FEAR 3 pre-orders are good for a $20 credit, and there are a number of $10 credits available as well. Check out Thrifty Nerd's pre-order credits page for all the deals.
Top Spin 4 'Legends' trailer features 'Vintage Agassi'
What's weirder: calling a mullet-sporting Andre Agassi "vintage," or that the look is actually an exclusive pre-order bonus for GameStop? Anyway, for those who don't pre-order, play as aerodynamic Agassi in Top Spin 4 on March 15.
Top Spin 4 is Move compatible, but 'not Kinect'
When Top Spin 4 was announced in September, publisher 2K Games busted out accolades like "uncanny level of realism" and "all-new innovative controls," which certainly sounded like euphemisms for "you're going to play it with swinging motions." At the time, associate producer Michael Kelly told ESPN that support for PlayStation Move and Kinect was "something we are looking into, but I can't confirm or deny that it will be in the final product." Today, the publisher revealed Top Spin 4's box art, featuring Bald Agassi (his "Vintage" look will be available when you pre-order the game from GameStop) flanked by current stars Rafa and Serena. And the box art revealed that the PS3 version will be "PlayStation Move Compatible," which is corroborated by the Move logo's appearance in the new trailer. The Xbox 360 cover, however, is curiously devoid of any mention of Kinect, and a 2K Games representative confirmed to us that Top Spin 4 is "not Kinect ... but it is Move compatible." Considering the strong sales of both Kinect hardware and associated software since the device's launch in November, not to mention that there's no licensed tennis sim for Kinect on the market yet, 2K must have good reason for passing up this opportunity (though the company has "no further comment" at this time). Top Spin 4 is scheduled for release on March 15, 2011 for PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. Check out the full, 25-player roster and a new trailer after the break. %Gallery-114600%
Top Spin 4 announced, with vintage Agassi pre-order bonus
2K Sports today announced that Top Spin 4 is coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii in 2011. The next iteration in the tennis sim franchise will feature 25 top pros and legends, headlined by a young Andre Agassi -- the one with the rad hairpiece. Vintage Agassi will be offered as a pre-order bonus for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game purchased from GameStop. While neither Move nor Kinect support was confirmed in the announcement, the "exhilarating" Top Spin 4 is said to feature "an uncanny level of realism" and "all-new innovative controls," according to 2K Games' president of product development Greg Thomas. Who knows -- maybe that means they just swapped the slice and lob buttons? %Gallery-101537%
