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Diablo III on sale this weekend
If you're one of the few holdouts on this here planet Earth who hasn't picked up a copy of Diablo III or its expansion, Blizzard is prepared to make you one tempting offer. From now through Monday, October 6th, Diablo III and the Reaper of Souls expansion is 50% off through the Blizzard store. This puts the core game and the basic expansion at $20 apiece, with the digital deluxe edition of Reaper of Souls marked down to $40. Diablo III recently patched up to 2.1.1 and announced a month ago that it has sold 20 million units.
DC Universe Online DLC is 75% off right now
Not everyone is as rich as Bruce Wayne, so for those of you who have been pinching your pennies instead of splurging on DC Universe Online content, here's where your thriftiness pays off. Steam is holding a 75% off sale for much of DCUO right now. This includes 10 DLC packs for $2.49 apiece and the Ultimate Edition bundle for $7.49. In fact, you could buy the whole kit and kaboodle (that's a superhero term) for only $32.39 $22.50. That's less than the cost of many box games these days right there, so what are you waiting for? [Thanks to Balsbigbrother for the tip and to greaterdivinity for the math!]
Star Trek Online lifetime subscription goes on sale
Starship captains in the future may not have a need for money, but you do if you want to buy into a lifetime subscription for Star Trek Online. Fortunately, Cryptic has made that option easier for interested parties, lowering the price from $299 to $199 through July 10th. A lifetime subscription to Star Trek Online includes all gold membership options, a monthly ZEN stipend, all veteran rewards past and future, and priority login.
Star Trek Online celebrates New Romulus Weekend
Star Trek Online is pulling out all the stops for the first anniversary of its Legacy of Romulus expansion with a special weekend event. New Romulus Weekend will be handing out quadruple Romulan Mark rewards for New Romulus missions from May 22nd through the 27th. Cryptic is also putting both Legacy of Romulus editions on sale during this time, offering the starter pack for 2,000 ZEN and the legacy pack for 12,500 ZEN. Even after the weekend event is over, Romulan Mark rewards will remain doubled from here on out as a tribute to the expansion and the players' involvement in it.
EVE Fanfest 2015 dated, tix discounted for limited time
EVE Fanfest 2014 is still a recent and warm (if scandal-ridden) memory, but CCP is already looking ahead to next year. The studio opened the doors today for fans to pick up tickets to next year's convention. EVE Fanfest 2015 is scheduled for March 19th through the 21st, 2015, at the same place it's been in Reykjavik, Iceland. The studio says that in keeping with the space-themed MMO, there will be an observable solar eclipse during the event. CCP is offering several tiers of early discounts, starting with the current early bird limited special offer. While the regular price for the tickets will be $200, players can pick theirs up right now for $125 or 13 PLEX apiece.
Virgin Media to soon offer access to Sky Sports and Movies on mobile
Virgin Media might be locking horns with Sky in a battle over broadband and phone lines, but when it comes to programming, cable customers have enjoyed the results of a content truce. Having delivered many of its channels for a number of years, Virgin today announced it has extended its deal with Sky by another five years, ensuring that it can deliver more content in high definition and also bring some Sky channels to its mobile streaming apps for the very first time. To begin with, subscribers already paying £7 a month to access to Sky's high-definition content will see Sky Sports 3 HD, Sky Sports 4 HD and Sky Sports F1 HD added to their set-top box, with Sky Sports News HD and Sky News HD set to follow later. Virgin customers will also be able to access Sky's entertainment channels (not including Sky Atlantic) via the TV Anywhere app and, perhaps more importantly, will be given access to movies and sport via Sky's dedicated apps in the coming months. Best of all, as long as you're already paying for Sky content, you'll soon get more stuff in more places for no extra cost.
World of Warcraft throws half-off sale this weekend
World of Warcraft is on sale right now for 50% off the regular price through the official website. This means that the core game with all of the expansions through Cataclysm is available for $10, with Mists of Pandaria available separately for $10. The sale goes through the end of Tuesday, May 6th. [Thanks to Sharvis for the tip!]
Microsoft's deal to buy Nokia gets thumbs-up from China
When one massive corporation buys another one, it's not as simple as handing over the dosh and winking. There's also the small matter of the world's competition authorities, which check that the deal won't affect market conditions. China has finally given its blessing to the Microsoft - Nokia tie-up, meaning that the pair can make their marriage official, probably before the end of April. Of course, that only gives us a few days to work out a facetious portmanteau to name the pair -- Microkia and Nokrosoft are all we've got so far.
Guild Wars 2 offers 50% off sale on digital editions
Guild Wars 2 is ramping up for its feature-pack patch due out in less than two weeks with what ArenaNet is calling an "unprecedented" worldwide sale. From today until April 13th, the subscription-free, buy-to-play game is 50% off its usual price. According to the studio, Players can get access to one of the most popular MMO games of all time at the unprecedented discount of 50 percent off, and get all of the exciting content ArenaNet has planned for 2014 and beyond without ever paying a subscription fee. The offer applies only to the Digital Heroic Edition, now available for $24.99 (€ 19.99 / £ 17.49), and the Digital Deluxe Edition, now available for $34.99 (€ 29.99 / £ 24.99), when purchased through the official Guild Wars 2 online store from April 3 at 12pm Pacific Time through April 13 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. If you've been on the fence about the game, it's a good time to pick it up... if you aren't, you know, playing The Elder Scrolls Online this weekend. [Source: ArenaNet press release]
Shroud of the Avatar has raised $3.7 million to date
Shroud of the Avatar hasn't launched yet, but Portalarium is celebrating its anniversary nonetheless. The studio pointed out that next monday, April 7th, is the title's one-year mark since it concluded its $2 million Kickstarter campaign. Portalarium is throwing several promotions for the anniversary, one in particular being a last chance to get or upgrade to the founder level at the original Kickstarter prices. Other anniversary events include developer hangouts, special access to Release 4, and prize giveaways. Shroud of the Avatar has gathered more than $3.7 million in crowdfunding to date and is eyeballing a late 2014 launch window. [Source: Portalarium press release]
Dell and Microsoft sign mutually helpful Android licensing deal
Microsoft's patent agreements with Android and Chrome OS device builders are usually one-sided: the manufacturers sign licensing deals, and Microsoft agrees not to sue them into oblivion. However, the crew in Redmond has just broken with that tradition by forging a cross-licensing pact with Dell. While Dell will still have to pay royalties whenever it sells Google-powered hardware, it's also licensing patents to Microsoft for use in Xbox consoles. Just what the deal means for gamers (if anything) isn't clear. It's safe to presume, though, that Dell can continue to sell Android tablets and Chromebooks without fear of a legal firestorm.
Final Fantasy XIV arrives on Steam at half price
If you're tempted to jump in on Final Fantasy XIV but don't want to pay the full box price, today brings good news for you. Not only is the game available on Steam, it's on sale for half price through February 25th to celebrate its arrival. That means you can pick up the game for the price of one month's subscription ($14.99), or the collector's edition for just a smidge more ($24.99). Players who already own the game won't need to do a thing, although the addition of a new platform may well encourage more players to join even before the game launches on the PlayStation 4 in two months. But if you've been looking for a sign to try the game out, this sale might just qualify for you. [Thanks to Balsbigbrother for the tip!]
World of Darkness drawing inspiration from sandbox survival games while EVE CE goes on sale
CCP assured World of Darkness fans that the project is "evolving rapidly" despite recent layoffs, will have a presence at Fanfest in May, and is even taking cues from sandbox survival games for its development. CCP CEO Hilmar Pétursson told RPS that survival games have given the team inspiration for World of Darkness' social dynamics: "DayZ and Rust have shown us the power of a sandbox when you bring it into a more recognizable context. The creators of those experiences often reference EVE Online as an inspiration for their things. We're now cross-inspired by what we're seeing there. How the absence of all these structured game mechanics -– by just allowing these natural interactions to happen -– that is something we're definitely incorporating into how we think about World of Darkness." Speaking of EVE, the space game's collector edition has gone on sale for $99.99. This 33% discount will last from today through February 17th.
Twitter buys hundreds of patents from IBM, ending legal spat
IBM's the biggest patent holder of all time, and when it comes to defending them, it tries to work things out amicably. That's exactly what's happened with Twitter, after the social giant today announced it has bought 900 patents from Big Blue and entered into a cross-licensing agreement to limit the threat of future lawsuits. The move comes after IBM accused Twitter of infringing three of the company's patents concerning: "efficient retrieval of uniform resource allocators," "presenting advertising in an interactive service" and "programmatic discovery of common contacts." IBM noted at the time that it would rather talk it out instead of lawyering up, while Twitter claimed it could defend itself against IBM's allegations. Thankfully, it didn't move from the boardroom to the courtroom and the two parties have signed a deal that will provide Twitter with "greater intellectual property protection" and "freedom of action to innovate," meaning it's business as usual for users.
Sky will be the only UK provider to offer 'Game of Thrones' and other HBO shows until 2020
It's a big day for Sky as the outfit announces that it's keeping hold of its premium drama jewels for at least six more years. The broadcaster has extended its exclusive deal with HBO, with first-run rights to shows like Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and Girls staying on the network until 2020. The pact also bolsters the co-production agreement signed at the time, so expect more co-funded dramas like Strike Back to appear on your screens in the near future. At the same time, Sky is celebrating the fact that it controls the UK's biggest connected-TV platform, with 4.4 million on-demand customers. As such, it's planning to revamp the Sky HD electronic program guide to give on-demand content equal standing with live TV, just like the picture above. Meanwhile, the broadcaster's sports arm, still smarting from the loss of the Champions League, has snagged the exclusive rights to plenty of other events, including England Cricket, the Lions tour of New Zealand and Super League matches until 2021.
EQ Next Landmark devs randomly Tweeting free Founder's Pack codes
If you are still wanting to get in on the alpha or beta of EverQuest Next Landmark but you haven't procured a Founder's Pack, you might want to follow the devs on Twitter. What started with Franchise Director Dave Georgeson tossing out a free code in a Tweet on Monday has snowballed into multiple devs offering packs via hidden pictures and multi-tweet puzzles. And the fun continues today! If you want to get in on the action, you'll need to follow: @DaveGeorgeson, @terryjmichaels, @omeeddariani, @Rosierap, @mhigby, and @PurrfectStorm. But we warn you, you'll have to be quick to nab these; the codes have been redeemed within seconds!
Russia's second-largest carrier resumes selling the iPhone after three-year split
You could say Apple's had a pretty successful six months in Russia. After finally opening a localized version of its online store in June, it's also seen three of the country's biggest operators begin selling the iPhone again. Reuters reports that Megafon, Russia's second-biggest carrier, today became the final provider to resume sales of the fruity smartphones, committing to a three-year deal after almost four years on the sidelines. Last year, MTS, VimpelCom and Megafon reportedly suspended sales following a dispute over unfavorable contract terms, but a relaxation in Apple's distributor sales policy saw two of the three return to the fold by the end of 2013. While the deal isn't likely to drastically boost Apple's small share of Russia's smartphone market (at least right away), competition can only be a good thing -- especially given the high pricing on Apple's online store.
Samsung throws money at Ericsson to end smartphone patent war
We prefer it when companies make devices, not courtroom drama, so it's delightful to see that Samsung has silenced another one of its litigation-frenemies this morning. The company has signed a cross-licensing agreement with former Sony beau Ericsson, with a figure of around $650 million being paid up-front, and an undisclosed regular payment to follow. Now that Samsung has appeased both Google and Ericsson, let's hope we can get back to reporting on gadgets, or else we may have to rename this place Enlawsuit. [Original image credit: Wikipedia]
Google and Samsung agree to license each other's patents for 10 years
It's no secret that Google and Samsung need each other given that Samsung dominates Android device sales. It only makes sense, then, that the two companies have just struck a deal to license each other's patents for the next 10 years. In addition to accelerating product research, the agreement should reduce the chances for future patent lawsuits. The move suggests that Samsung isn't keen on burning any bridges -- even if it starts drifting away from Android, it should remain in Google's good books.
World of Warcraft in-game store goes live
World of Warcraft has made it even easier to part with your money, as Blizzard has launched an in-game store for the popular MMO. The Battle.net Shop (as it's being called) is primarily focused on selling mounts and pets. The store can be accessed via either browser or an in-game interface, and it ships items directly into your characters' inventories. Purchases can also be gifted to other players. To celebrate the shop's launch, Blizzard is selling eight pets and five mounts for half-off the full price through January 1st, 2014.
