Today word got out that Activision will be launching a new subscription based service called Call of Duty Elite in conjunction with the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 this fall. Activision is still trying to determine the right subscription pricing for the service which is said to “provide extra content that isn’t offered on game discs sold in stores, including downloadable map packs.”

Aside from extra content, Elite will also provide gamers with stat tracking tools that analyze their performance and tendencies in game, in hopes of directing the player to guides and tutorials on how to improve. “These can cover things like the best way to employ a certain weapon, pros and cons for their attachments, or how to make the best use of different perks. Video tutorials will also be part of the package.”

Elite will have some features that are available to everyone, even those who don’t subscribe to the service. For example there will be a social media aspect that allows gamers who share similar interests to meet up online and blow each other away.

Gamers will be able to access Elite in several ways. Primarily, it will be built into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 as well as future CoD titles, so you can access the information in game. You will also have access via the CoD Elite website as well as on iOS and Android phones and tablets.

What do you guys think about this? To be honest, I haven’t played CoD in a long time and generally stayed away from the multiplayer. Maybe I’m a gaming hipster or whatever, but I just always stuck with my old favorite Counter-Strike for multiplayer FPS action. I’d be curious to hear what the hardcore members of the CoD community think about this.

If you’re a big CoD fan, leave a comment below letting us know what you think.

Source: Shacknews

Things have been rather quiet since the launch of Sony’s PlayStation Move controller, with fears that Microsoft’s hands-free Kinect device would steal the limelight. It’s encouraging, then, to hear from a new Sony press release that the controller has now managed to sell over 4.1 million units worldwide since its launch two months ago in the US, Europe and Asia and just one month ago in Japan, though this only includes the controller and camera bundle rather than the standalone controller.

Unsurprisingly, Sony are rather chuffed after previously downplaying the potential initial sales of Move and look ahead to 2011:  ”The number not only shows clear success of the launch of the new motion sensing controller but also indicates positive momentum going in to the holiday season and to the year 2011.”

For comparison, Microsoft’s Kinect has sold 2.5 million during its first month. Begun, the motion war has.

Today EA announced that it will make a second attempt to capture the free-to-play audience with it’s upcoming first-person shooter Battlefield Play4Free (The first attempt being the failed Battlefield Heroes). Slated to arrive on the PC in spring 2011, Battlefield Play4Free mixes two of the series’ most critically acclaimed titles: Battlefield 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

According to the press release, Battlefield Play4Free combines “the most popular maps from Battlefield 2 with the familiar classes and powerful weapons of Battlefield: Bad Company.” Development of the game is being handled by EA’s Easy studio who also worked on Battlefield Heroes.
Much like Heroes, Play4Free will have players learning new combat skills and earning in-game money to spend on “a massive array of devastating weapons and equipment.” If you don’t have time to spend on grinding out unlocks, you can drop real money on them.

Those of you who are interested in Play4Free, head over to the official site where beta sign ups are being held.

What do you guys think about this? Are you excited to try a free-to-play Battlefield game that isn’t so cartoony? Do you think that Play4Free has a better shot at drawing in more gamers that Heroes did? On a lighter note, what do you think about the name “Battlefield Play4Free?” Personally I don’t think I’ve ever heard a worse name, but that’s just me. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com

It seems that now-a-days your game isn’t a triple-A title unless it has some sort of social media tie in. It should come as no surprise to gamers that EA’s next iteration of the Dragon Age series will be preceded by a Facebook minigame.

Dubbed Dragon Age Legends, this promotional strategy RPG is said to give gamers their “first taste” of the Free Marches, the setting of Dragon Age 2. According to EA 2D general manager Mark Spenner, “Dragon Age Legends will deliver a deep, sophisticated experience, and we will continue to delight gamers by adding new features and content far into the future.”
Apparently Dragon Age Legends will allow gamers to “take on challenging quests within an engaging storyline, earning loot, sharing rewards and growing their kingdom,” all while showing it off to you’re Facebook friends. The game is also said to feature character customization and some sort of leveling system.

If you guys are anything like me, you probably couldn’t care less about this Facebook game, that is until you hear about the freebies. That’s right, playing Dragon Age Legends will unlock items for your characters in Dragon Age 2.  As to what these unlocks are, your guess is as good as mine. As soon as EA releases some details, expect an update to this post.

Right now, EA has the beta for Dragon Age Legends slated to arrive sometime in January, with invites going out to gamers with EA accounts who use Facebook and subscribe to the Dragon Age newsletter.

What do you guys think about this? Is this something you’ll invest your time into? On a “bigger picture” level, do you think this is an effective way to market a videogame? Let us know what you think with a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com

Sony has announced today a new partnership with popular film subscription service LoveFilm (essentially the European version of Netflix), which will bring the service to the PS3 in the UK and other European territories this November.

As the above video demonstrates, the new service will be integrated into the XMB, allowing you to stream content from thousands of titles from major and independent studios with the option to narrow searches by film title, genre and actor. Additional categories including ‘Pick of the Week’, ‘Most Watched’ and ‘Highest Rated’ will also be available.

As an added incentive, LoveFilm also stated that free trials will be offered to PS3 users who are not currently members of the subscription service.

Today Blizzard Entertainment revealed that within the first month of it’s release, StartCraft II has sold three million copies. The crazy thing is, one million of those copies were sold on launch day. What’s even crazier is that half of the three million were sold within the first 48 hours of release, setting “the record for fastest-selling strategy game of all time.”

Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said, “We appreciate all the enthusiasm that players around the world have shown for StarCraft II. It was important to us to deliver an overall gameplay experience that was accessible, balanced, and fun, and it’s been gratifying to see how strongly the global community has already embraced the game.”

To be honest, I’m not too surprised by these numbers. The original StarCraft was by far one of the most (if not the most) celebrated and respected strategy games of all time. With it’s fantastic balance, variety of strategies, and built-in league integration, it comes as no surprise that SCII sold extremely well. Since it’s release, I’ve been playing on Battle.net almost every night. If you guys ever want to play, drop me a line. My Battle.net id is Yuenanimous.

What do you guys think about this story? Are you surprised SCII sold this many copies? If so, why? On a related note, how many of you guys are playing on Battle.net? Let us know with a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com

Today Microsoft announced, via Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, that it will increase subscription prices for Xbox Live Gold. According to the announcement, these price hikes will go into effect November 1, 2010.

In the U.S., the prices will increase as follows:
1M Gold:  $7.99 -> 1M Gold:  $9.99
3M Gold:  $19.99 -> 3M Gold:  $24.99
12M Gold:  $49.99 -> 12M Gold:  $59.99

Those of you who live outside the U.S., don’t think you’re getting off the hook. Canada, Mexico and the U.K will all see price increases as well.

Obviously a large amount of gamers are upset about this. Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR) vice president of analyst service Jesse Divinich justified the increase by saying, “When taking into account for inflation ($50 in 2002 is roughly $60 in 2010) and the additional services available to Gold subscribers in 2010 [...] a $10 price increase still represents an incredible value to consumers.”

Personally I think this is BS. I have subscribed to XBL gold in the past, but currently do not have a gold account. Maybe it’s the hardcore PC gamer in me, but I still feel funny paying for the ability to play games online. With this recent price hike, chances are my 360 will be for local multiplayer only.

What do you guys think about this? Does Divinich’s reasoning convince any of you? If not, why do you think Microsoft increased the price? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com

If you live in or around New York City, you’ll definitely want to mark your calendar for October 20th, as the city will get to experience a one-of-a-kind event for those of us who love music and video games. CMJ Play, an event in the CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival, will give attendees a deep look into the new landscape of the music business, which involves video games as much as (if not more than) it does MP3 players and digital downloads.

If you’re not a current New Yorker or have no idea what CMJ is, you’ll want to check out the full news post. This event sounds pretty damn amazing.

One of the highlights of the festival is the fact that over 1200 bands will play live October 19th to October 23rd. That is not a small number! A full day, the 20th, is being dedicated to music and video games, with a variety of panels and music game developers and publishers among the offerings.

According to event curator Samuel Howard-Spink, who I spoke to about music games and the music business earlier this year, the event is intended to further the dialogue between the people who make and publish music and the people who make and publish games. “As participatory media overtakes passive consumption as the norm,” Howard-Spink said in today’s press release, “the combination of music and gaming has the potential to provide more revenues to more creators and artists over the next decade than the recorded music business alone. This is the real future of music business, and CMJ Play is where this future will be discussed, debated, and forged.”

He’s right – there’s no denying that a vast majority of us spend more money on Rock Band downloads than we do traditional song or album releases. I’m really interested in all of the new partnerships that could come out of an event like this. And, you know, the 1200 bands. That’s something too. Look for updates on the event as more information is released.

Source: CMJ.com

Today retail giant GameStop announced that it will acquire the indie game community site Kongregate in a deal that is expected to be signed on August 1. Kongregate, which “hosts 10 million monthly players who spend approximately 23 million hours per month on the site,” will to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

According to the press release, “Acquiring Kongregate strengthens GameStop’s digital platform and its commitment to become the gaming aggregator of choice.” GameStop CEO J. Paul Raine added, “Kongregate advances GameStop’s digital strategy by providing a gaming platform for casual, mobile and browser games that can be promoted and played by our existing gamers.”

While some gamers may be upset that one of their favorite gaming sites just got bought out by GameStop, Kongregate co-founder Jim Greer assured them stating, “Our community will only be enhanced with GameStop’s close relationship with millions of passionate gamers.”

Personally, I’ve only been to Kongregate a few times. Flash games aren’t really my scene. I should say, however, that at my current job, we’ve put a few of our games up on Kongregate in an attempt to generate a some buzz. I honestly don’t know how (or if) this news will affect my employer’s future practices.

What do you guys think about this? Are there any hardcore Kongregate gamers lurking out there? Do you think this will help or hurt Kongregate? What about GameStop?

Source: Shacknews.com

Today brings some bad news for fans of the Driver games. Word got out the the fifth installment in the series, Driver: San Francisco, has been pushed back to Ubisoft’s fourth quarter (January to March 2011).

This news was discovered when some super sleuths combed though Ubisoft’s estimated sales report. According to the report, Driver: SF has been pushed back in order to avoid the “competitive market at Christmas.”

Originally slated to arrive this November, Driver: SF marks a return to the classic style of gameplay. Martine Edmondson, founder of Ubisoft Reflections, stated, “What we’ve done… is very much go back to the roots of what made the original Driver game such a unique experience.”

How are you guys taking this delay? Are there any die-hard fans of the Driver series out there? Personally, I’ve never touched a Driver game; however, after researching it for this little news story, I must say I’m pretty excited. There is just something about the idea of having over 120 fully damageable licensed vehicles that gets me amped. Who knows, when Driver: SF finally comes out you may see me cruising around San Fran in a DeLorean DMC-12 like Marty McFly.

Source: Shacknews.com

Today Microsoft announced that it will be adding a Xbox Live Gold subscription plan geared toward families who share a single Xbox 360 Live account. Dubbed the ‘Xbox Live Gold Family Pack,’ the new plan allows up to four Gold memberships controlled by one primary account, who can distribute Microsoft Points and monitor online activity.

The Family Pack, which costs $99 annually, also promises “[e]xclusive family content and discounts.” Microsoft has this new bundle slated to arrive in November, the same month that Kinect is suppose to hit.

According to the press release, The Family Pack will include:

• Up to four individual Xbox LIVE Gold memberships for the price of two – (US) $99.99.
• Family Center – a single, easy to use, destination for Family Settings and account management, accessible on the Xbox dashboard and on Xbox.com.
• The primary account member has the ability to purchase and dispense Microsoft Points to other Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack members.
• Activity monitoring reports viewable on Xbox.com to help encourage discussions about safer more balanced gaming and entertainment habits.
• Simplified billing that applies all purchase charges to the primary account holder’s billing account and the ability to authorize purchases, helping to manage the family’s entertainment budget.
• Exclusive family content and discounts.

Personally, I’m surprised it took Microsoft this long to come up with an idea like this. Drawing on my experience as a younger brother, I can imagine the kinds of fights kids get into now-a-days over things like Xbox Live accounts.

What do you guys think? Will this new plan make families more likely to pick up a Gold account? Will this stop fraternal fighting over Live accounts?  Would you consider picking this up if you have roommate that share an Xbox? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com

Sony has just confirmed that the PlayStation Move will be granted a September release, coming to Europe September 15th, North America Setpebmer 19th and October21st for Japan.

There will be 15 – 20 titles available on launch, including: Socom 4, Time Crisis, Raising Storm, NBA 2k11, Ruse, Killzone 3, Singstar Dance, Echochrome 2, and Eyepet.

In addition, several price bundles were announced:

• PlayStation Move will sell for $49.99, with a standalone navigation controller available for $29.99
• Sports Champion bundle for $99.99
• PlayStation Move with PS3 console, PS Eye camera and Sports Champion for $399.99.