q1-2011
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Driver: San Francisco slides into early 2011
Though Ubisoft never officially declared a release window for upcoming Driver reboot, Driver: San Francisco, it appears that the title has been pushed back to early 2011. The company declared as much in today's estimated earnings report, citing "the competitive market at Christmas" as the reason for the apparent delay. Driver: San Francisco is now scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2011 (January–March). It looks like we're headed for a busy first quarter of games in the coming year -- and for the second year in a row. Nope, you're never, ever, ever gonna catch up on that backlog. Ever.
505 Games' 'Deep Black' makes a splash on PS3 and Xbox
505 Games and Russian developer Biart Studio have unveiled a new third-person shooter with a unique cover system: specifically, everything is covered with water. Most of the action in Deep Black takes place underwater, with players navigating the depths with "specialized underwater jet packs with integrated harpoons, mini submersibles and other high tech equipment." But it's not all swimmin' and shootin' -- 505 promises a storyline with "complex science-fiction mystery, espionage, and bio-terror." Deep Black is expected to surface in Q1 2011, joining Naughty Bear and Backbreaker as part of 505 Games's growing PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 lineup. Biart Studio is no stranger to games set underwater, having recently released the PSP mini, Reef Aquarium. %Gallery-97171% Show full PR text 505 Games Announce Deep Black Underwater Action Shooter coming to PS3 & X360 8th JUNE 2010 (Milton Keynes, UK) – 505 Games today announces a global agreement with Russian developer Biart Studio LLC, to publish Deep Black on Sony's PlayStation 3® and Microsoft's Xbox360® console systems. Adding to the publisher's growing line-up of Xbox 360 and PS3 titles, Deep Black lets players experience for the first time the thrills of a third person action shooter in an underwater setting. With the release set for Q1 2011, the unique setting of Deep Black combines action-packed battles with an immersive story line, of complex science-fiction mystery, espionage and bio-terror. Offering realistic physics in an underwater environment brings new "depths" to in-game challenges in Deep Black. Players will take to the murky depths armed with a wrath of underwater equipment from specialized underwater jet packs with integrated harpoons, mini submersibles and other high tech equipment in pursuit of enemies. With the majority of the game play taking place below the water's surface, action-adventure fans will need to master new skills to fight hostile enemies and infiltrate enemy bases.
Need for Speed: Shift 2, Black Box-developed NFS both hinted for 2011
A pair of LinkedIn profiles suggests that at least two Need for Speed titles will be released next year. According to the profile page of programmer Chris Mcclure, he was at NFS: Shift developer Sightly Mad Studios from August 2009 – February 2010 where he "worked on new open world technology but also worked on Need For Speed Shift too." Cleverly, Mcclure altered this statement today from "... but also worked on Need For Speed Shift 2" after his apparent reveal was spotted by superannuation (and preserved by Google's cache). The original Shift was released in September 2009, and if Mcclure is covering his tracks, then a sequel was likely underway as work on the first game wrapped, which would allow roughly the minimum development time necessary to release Shift 2 some time during the first quarter of 2011. Recall that in February, during an earnings call, EA dated a Need for Speed game for that period. COO John Schappert described the unnamed iteration as "another big driving simulation" (Conference Call Script [PDF]). "Need For Speed: Shift 2" would be a good fit for that description and time frame.
Final Fantasy 14 launches Sept. 30 on PC, March 2011 on PS3
Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XIV will be launched on Windows PCs worldwide on September 30 -- well, provided you've obtained the game, installed it and then clicked on the launch shortcut. This step comes after you've made a choice between two different versions of the anticipated MMORPG: a standard edition, which will retail for $49.99, and a $74.99 Collector's Edition. The latter edition will enable early access to the game on September 22nd ("subject to initial server capacity," Square Enix warns) and will include a making-of DVD, a Final Fantasy XIV-branded security token, an art book, special cover art by Yoshitaka Amano, a "fully-personalized Right of Passage Certificate" and a stat-boosting Onion Helm item for pre-orders (Standard Edition pre-orders get ze "Garlond Goggles," they do nothing in real life). Both versions offer 30 days of gameplay upon purchase, with one playable character and one non-playable character playing the undignified role of item retainer. Should you choose to continue exploring the world of Eorzea, Eorfee will be $12.99 per month. Oh, and just a reminder that PS3 is one of several consoles that won't be able to play Final Fantasy XIV in 2010 -- since Square Enix confirmed that Final Fantasy XIV will only arrive on Sony's system in "early" March 2011. Pricing for that version will be announced at a later time. %Gallery-64870%
Reggie: 3DS launching in 'major markets' by March 2011
When Nintendo of Japan made its first terse, cryptic announcement of the 3DS in March, it offered a vague release window: "during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011." At the time, we assumed that this time frame applied to the Japanese launch only. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime kicked that assumption in an interview with IndustryGamers. "The one thing, for sure," Fils-Aime said about the 3DS release plan, "is that we will launch in all of our major markets by March 31, 2011." As for the specific release dates, Nintendo is still "making individual market decisions in terms of what's happening in Japan, what's happening in the Americas [and] what's happening in Europe." It's worth noting that the last two DS systems launched in the spring in North America: DSi on April 5 (2009) and DSi XL on March 28 (2010). Fils-Aime also reiterated that the design of the device seen at E3 is not final, so don't get married to the analog stick placement or those shiny paint jobs just yet.%Gallery-95697%
Bulletstorm kills retail with skill on February 22, 2011
Epic Games' Cliff Blezsinski took the stage at the EA keynote to show off People Can Fly's Bulletstorm. Thankfully, he had more than a new trailer with which to scare your dick off (that's an actual phrase in the game, by the way) and confirmed a launch date of February 22, 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 EA Partners title. Would you like to know more? Feel free to crack open our preview and sup on its delicious juices.
Dead Space 2 launches on January 25, 2011
Deftly avoiding the commercial kill zone of the holidays, Dead Space 2 is putting its foot down in the early 2011 window -- which, if it's anything like 2010, will eventually be stuffed with feet anyway. Horribly severed feet. Launching on January 25, 2011 in North America (and January 28th in Europe), Dead Space 2 grants engineer-turned-monster-surgeon Isaac a new suit and sends him straight into a new environment, the dystopian and violent Sprawl. Visceral Games has also promised to lift up the metaphorical helmet and flesh out Isaac's tortured persona in the game. "My god, it's full of scars. Eww."
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier delayed into 'March quarter' 2011
This is how it all starts, folks. In today's Ubisoft investor's briefing, CEO Yves Guillemot revealed that Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has been pushed from its initial Holiday 2010 launch window. "Due to a very competitive environment, we decided to move the game out of the Christmas quarter, and into the March quarter," Guillemot explained. "It will also provide additional time to our development teams to realize their vision," he added. We don't know about you guys, but we're flashing back to last year, when every release in November and December was pushed back a few months for those very reasons. If you're hoping to check out Future Soldier in the foreseeable future, you better make your way to E3 2010, where the game will be showcased to the public for the very first time.
Capcom working on Facebook game, could be out by next March
From what we hear, the kids are all abuzz about something called "The Facebook" these days. Japanese game publisher Capcom is jumping on board the popular social network, with president Haruhiro Tsujimoto revealing in a recent interview with BusinessWeek that a new game could be ready before the end of the fiscal year (ending March 31, 2011). "Gaming on social networks is poised to impact the traditional video game industry and is a presence that cannot be ignored. We have to make our move," he said. Presumably, Tsujimoto and Capcom want a low-investment moneymaker on Facebook to help bolster the coming year's sales over last year's "sluggish" earnings. For our part, we're hoping for a Resident Evil-based, free-to-play management sim. Who isn't? [Via WhatTheyPlay]
'EA Partners Game T.B.A.' headlines changes to EA release calendar for fiscal 2011
[Arrested Development; 20th Century Fox] Not much has changed in EA's game plan for fiscal 2011, which spans April 2010 – March 2011, since the publisher first posted a full release schedule last quarter. Notable changes include Medal of Honor's previously known "delay" from late summer to fall this year and confirmation that the "Shooter from Epic" listed back in February is in fact Bulletstorm, due in the first quarter of 2011. What's new to the release calendar is an "EA Partners Game TBA," for console and handheld/mobile platforms, scheduled for release between October and December this holiday season. The teased listing could be any one of the actually announced EA Partners games in the pipeline, including Rock Band 3 and Grasshopper Manufacture's mystery project, or it could be a truly unannounced title -- we'll see. Also newly penciled in for the fourth quarter of 2010 are the recently announced Monopoly Streets and a "TBA" EA Play game. It should be noted that EA's newly revised calendar omits downloadable console games, which were included on the previous iteration of the calendar. Those entries included a "DTC Game For Console Online" due out in the holiday quarter, as well as an "Action Title TBA" and "Hasbro Title TBA" previously scheduled for the first quarter of 2011. Two EA Partners downloadable releases, Shank and DeathSpank, are expected this summer. Source [PDF] - EA Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2010 Results
EA forecasts Bulletstorm in Q1 2011
Last month, EA announced that Epic and People Can Fly's FPS, Bulletstorm, would be released in 2011. Prior to that, an EA earnings report slated an unannounced shooter from Epic for a Q1 2011 release. It looks like we were able to predict the ballistic weather accurately. Today's fiscal 2010 earnings report (PDF link) brings it all together in a nice, official manner, clearing up any speculation we may have had, by listing Bulletstorm with a release date of Q1 2011 (which is EA's fiscal Q4 2011). That means that between Bulletstorm and Dead Space 2, EA has both the 1st- and 3rd- person alien-shooting markets covered in 2011. Who's going to step up with the second-person shooter, played from the perspective of the aliens being shot? %Gallery-92124% Source: EA Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2010 Results (PDF)
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 jumping into Q1 2011
Download in HD from Big DownloadRumored over the weekend to have been revealed at Captivate 2010, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 is now official. The game is slated to once again hit Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in Q1 2011 -- no PC version has been announced. While fans might have hoped development would be helmed by Might & Delight, the studio formed by the ex-Grin staffers responsible for the original Rearmed, the task's been handed to Fatshark, the studio behind Lead & Gold. The sequel sees Nathan Spencer return, this time fighting the presumably evil General Sabio, "a new technologically sophisticated foe," who is "on the brink of launching a deadly missile attack." Rearmed 2 also promises new weapons, two-player co-op (no word if it's online this time) and new tunes from the same composers who created the brilliant soundtrack for the original Rearmed. Of course, none of that is important because, as the debut trailer makes quite clear, Nathan has learned how to jump. %Gallery-91177%
Mystery Dragon Age project dated Feb. 1, 2011
[1UP] It would appear that the still-unnamed next project in the Dragon Age series has been given a date, as spotted by 1UP in an early retail box of Dragon Age: Origins -- Awakening for PS3. Aligning with the release window hinted at by EA hinted earlier this year during a financial call, the scarcely-detailed game will arrive on Februrary 1, 2011 -- or, in the graphic's terms, "02.01.2011." We're not exactly sure if this is part of the two years of promised content that BioWare outlined late last year, but at very least it's an extremely early (possible) release date for more content in a critically acclaimed series. We've asked EA for more information on the date and will let you know more as soon as we do.
Next Red Faction planned for March 2011, focus on franchise's roots
In an interview with Joystiq during the 2010 Game Developer's Conference, THQ's executive VP of Core Games Danny Bilson let a few new details slip about the upcoming sequel to the critical-smash hit Red Faction: Guerrilla. "The new game takes [Red Faction] to a whole new place, it kind of goes back to the old Red Faction because about 80% of it is underground," Bilson said. According to Bilson, the as-yet-properly-named sequel -- which he describes as a "hybrid" between the first two titles in the Red Faction franchise and Guerrilla -- is planned for release in March 2011. (In February, THQ's annual investors conference call vaguely stated a Guerrilla sequel was planned for the company's "fiscal 2011" window.) Bilson was tight-lipped on other details but did confirm the upcoming open-world third-person shooter would be far more "structured," akin to a "narrative" shooter. The sequel will still feature the destructibility Bilson says cost THQ "a fortune" to develop for Guerrilla, but will have a much greater impact on cities built closer together in the tight confines of the new underground world. Although Guerrilla captivated most critics (netting a Metacritic average of 85 across three platforms) the third-person shooter failed to meet THQ's sales expectations. While Bilson said it would have been easy to scrap the characters and setting in the upcoming sequel and shift it into a new intellectual property -- effectively severing its connection to Guerrilla's poor retail showing -- he felt the quality in the previous entry was too great to abandon the Red Faction universe. The strategy now, says Bilson, is to expose gamers to the series in order to prepare them for the future, citing the recent Red Faction: Guerrilla giveaway promotion as an example of giving the title the exposure it "deserved" at launch. "Giving away the stock now, on Red Faction, is getting more people exposed to the IP because we're going bigger on Red Faction next time," Bilson told us. "If the game wasn't so good, we wouldn't be giving it away at all."
Shinji Mikami's Vanquish headed to 360, PS3; 'Winter 2010' release worldwide
As listed in the most recent issue of Famitsu (and translated by Andriasang), Platinum Games' fourth effort for Sega, Vanquish, is headed to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this winter. The game's director, the acclaimed Shinji Mikami, spoke with the Japanese mag recently about how the game is taking shape. Apparently, Atsushi Inaba (ex-CEO of Clover Studios) will be serving as producer on what Mikami calls a "shooter that places importance on the good tempo and feeling of rhythm you get from playing an action game." The game's said to be set in a near future where US/Russian Cold War relations have resulted in a standoff. "There are lots of games where you shoot and kill people, so this time we wanted to try and see how we could convey the good feeling of shooting robots." Truer words, Mr. Mikami. Truer words. Allegedly the game is around 80 percent done at this point, with only "annoying" work left to be done -- Mikami's not a fan of enemy and ally AI development, it seems. Will we see Vanquish on North American shores this winter as well? We're not sure yet, but with the game "developed with overseas markets in its sights," we have to imagine Platinum Games would like its latest title to land in our trigger-happy hands as soon as possible.
EA: Something 'far-reaching' coming for Mass Effect in early 2011
Well now, this is a little perplexing. Speaking on today's EA earnings call, a spokesperson for the company said that something "far-reaching" for Mass Effect would arrive in Q4 of EA's fiscal 2010, which translates to sometime between January 1 and March 31 of 2011. The perplexing part is that no mention was made of the multiplatform Dragon Age release referenced in the pre-call release for the same period. So, did someone misspeak and confuse BioWare releases? It's possible. We've put a line in to EA to sort this out. Update: We heard back from EA spokesperson Jeff Brown, who told us, "Both Dragon Age and Mass Effect are referenced in the FY11 SKU plan. That's all I can tell you for now."
Dead Space 2 and EA's Epic shooter slated for early 2011
EA's tentative release schedule for Q4 of its fiscal 2011 (or, as us normal people call it, January–March 2011) contains more than a few intriguing entries. You already heard about the new Dragon Age game -- but listed just below that is an untitled "Shooter from Epic TBA." Of course, this can only mean one thing: Gears of Madden 2012 is within spitting distance of becoming a sweet reality! Wait -- what's that? Oh, right, the listing more likely points to new speculative details about that possible "Bulletstorm" project from Epic's People Can Fly studio. How ... unofficial. Also listed under the early 2011 releases is Dead Space 2, which EA had previously promised would drop before next March. The excitement level of the remaining games drops off like the deep end of a pool: The list includes (deep breath) a new Need For Speed on consoles and PC (in addition to an apparent Holiday 2010 release), a downloadable "action" game, a new fighting game designated as a "sports" title, a new Hasbro game (more Family Game Night?), and new installments in the Sims and Spore franchises.
New Dragon Age in early 2011 on consoles, handhelds & PC
If you're pacing out your Dragon Age playing to ensure that you have a steady drip of elfin lovemaking and epic dragon fighting, here's a bit of new info to consider for your tactics: EA is planning to launch a new Dragon Age title in Q4 of its fiscal 2011, which, in real-world time, falls between January 1 and March 31, 2011. The sequel is far from a surprise, given that EA has also announced that global sell-in (read: shipments) of Dragon Age: Origins has reached 3.2 million units. Intriguingly, EA currently lists "Dragon Age Title TBA" (that's what it's called at the moment) for consoles, PC and handhelds -- which could mean either handheld game devices (think: DS and/or PSP), cell phones or both. Whatever platforms it appears on, expect the game to be super hot. Assuming, of course, this is the real sequel to Dragon Age: Origins and not a spin-off.
