News
Billions lost in run on Eve Online bank
MMO suffers micro-credit crunch
MMO Eve Online has suffered it's own mini version of the credit crunch, after one of the game's biggest virtual banks suffered a run on it's reserves, after one former operator stole billions in virtual currency from the organisation's coffers.
The EBank theft occurred in early June, when 200 billion in-game kredits were withdrawn by user Ricdic, who changed the currency into real-world money worth over 3,000 GBP.
Details of this scam have only just emerged but this news apparently sparked mass withdrawals from the bank - Ricdic having nabbed some eight percent of the bank's deposits.
"Basically this character was one of the people who had been running EBank for a while. He took a bunch of (virtual) money out of the bank, and traded it away for real money," Ned Coker of Eve Online makers CCP told the BBC.
Ricdic, meanwhile, is unrepentant, despite causing a panic in the online world. "I'm not proud of it at all, that's why I didn't brag about it. But you know, if I had to do it again, I probably would've chosen the same path based on the same situation," he told Reuters, revealing that the money was spent on medical bills and a house deposit.
More on all this soon.
PSP Go has a faster processor
Handheld is secretly more powerful
Adding in a sliding screen design, digital-only games and a more compact form factor - the PSP Go is already a very different beast from the original PSP. Apparently, the new handheld will also sport a faster processor within.
While documents filed by Sony suggest the system's innards to be more or less identical to previous models, we hear that the system's CPU will actually max at 480MHz; somewhat quicker than the 333MHz listed.
The original PSP started off life at 222MHz, but this was eventually expanded to 333MHz via a firmware update. It seems likely, then, that at some point in the future Sony will unlock this new top-speed, giving developers some more clout to play with.
The PSP Go will land in October costing 249 Euro / USD.
Thanks GameZine.co.uk.
World of Warcraft could get micro-transactions
Blizzard consider options
Speaking to Videogamer, World of Warcraft game director Tom Chilton says that the Blizzard's MMO could one day become a micro-transaction based title.
"I certainly think it's possible that we could do some kind of micro-transaction stuff. Whether or not World of Warcraft ever goes the direction of, I guess like Anarchy Online has gone the direction of going free-to-play with micro-transactions. Whether we ever shift to a free-to-play model is really too hard to say at this point," he explained.
"Anything I say now could easily five years from now end up seeming like, oh my gosh, that was an incredibly dumb thing to say."
Your thoughts on this, WoWers?
EA plot Skate 3
Hint of third title emerge
Yet more idle gossip courtesy of Twitter this morning, as we hear that EA could be hard at work on a new, current-generation version of Skate.
Skate 3 was mooted in a Twitter update by skater Schmitty, from Skate fan site Epicly Trife.
"I just got told 'tonight we gotta celebrate', one of the bro's got offered to be in SKATE 3," reads the update.
Kotaku note that the skater in question could be Chet Childress.
More on this as we get it.
Tecmo urges PS3 price cut
Boss requests cut from Sony
Tecmo Koei boss Kenji Matsubara has urged Sony to cut the price of the PlayStation 3 console; the CEO urging the platform holder to get snipping during a meeting with the firm.
"Whenever I discuss this with Sony reps I always ask them: 'Please cut the price', but I don't have a clear view on Sonys situation. Yes, from a publisher's point of view we would welcome a price cut for PS3, and we are waiting, definitely," he told CVG.
"It's definitely a way of boosting the PS3 market, but it's Sony's strategy and I don't know their cost structure. Sony introduced cutting-edge technology in the PS3, that's why people in the industry accept that the PS3 cost is so high, but we'd welcome a price cut."
You're not the only one, Kenji.
Two Worlds II heading to consoles and PC this winter
RPG slated for return
Ambitious RPG Two Worlds is on the way back, Two Worlds II set for a release this winter on the PC, Mac, PS3 and Xbox 460 - according to word from Topware and Reality Pump.
The game's story will play out some two years after the events of the commendable-if-flawed first title. The game will, as before, be set in the mystical land of Antaloor.
Two Worlds II boasts a new game engine - which should improve areas like combat that were criticised in the first release.
More on this as we get it. Thanks VG247.
Tecmo Koei sees Xbox 360 on the up in Japan
Ninja Gaiden makers see console improving
The Xbox 360 is seemingly doing somewhat better in Japan, although the console still struggles to steal the limelight from the Wii and PS3.
According to Tecmo Koei boss Kenji Matsubara, Microsoft's system is overcoming it's bad start however, and is beginning to get some momentum going.
"Xbox 360 as a business is doing better than the old Xbox," the big cheese told Kikizo. "They have a good opportunity for growth, but of course Sony is a Japanese company and Microsoft is known as a business software company, so brand image is one point. But Microsoft is doing well, especially considering how difficult it is these days.
"I think they have good growth potential for the future depending on the titles. We have a close relationship with Microsoft so I hope we can be a part of that."
More from Tecmo Koei as we get it.
Valve dodge PS3 development
Lombardi says Valve just aren't very good
Speaking at a Left 4 Dead 2 press event in London, Valve marketing boss Doug Lombardi has said that Valve aren't interested in creating PS3 games because of the 'stepchild' effect.
"If we were customers of that product on PlayStation, we'd feel like we sort of got the stepchild version of the product while the guys on the PC and the 360 got the sweet version of it," Lombardi told CVG.
The exec also notes that previous PS3 releases - such as the Orange Box - haven't faired too well critically.
"Until we have the ability to get a PS3 team together, until we find the people who want to come to Valve or who are at Valve who want to work on that, I don't really see us moving to that platform," he concludes.
Test Drive Unlimited 2 rumoured
Eden racing sequel spied online
Atari could well be back in the racing genre, with supposedly leaked Test Drive Unlimited 2 art surfacing on a forum (thanks Gamersyde).
It is unclear if this artwork is genuine, but if it is then it seems likely that Eden are once again at the helm, as they were for the 2007 original.
The first Test Drive Unlimited was released for the Xbox 360 and PC, although we're not certain that Atari are once again set to deliver this sequel of course.
Treat all this as idle conjecture until we hear more.
StarCraft II expansion sets to follow more quickly
Sigaty tells us the wait won't be as long
Speaking to this website in a brand new interview, StarCraft II lead producer Chris Sigaty has said that while the new RTS title has been in the works since 2003, the campaign expansion sets promised some months back will be delivered more quickly.
"We're targeting the end of 2009 for the release of StarCraft II, but as with all Blizzard games, we won't release a game until we feel it meets our high standards and the expectations of our players," he explained on the initial release.
He continued: "As for the expansion sets for StarCraft II, we don't have a timeline for those games, but with much of the groundwork done in Wings of Liberty, we're optimistic that we can develop those games on a more accelerated schedule than the core StarCraft II game."
More in the full interview, live now, including word on Battle.net's progress: "We also have some exciting plans as far as improved support for eSports and competitive gaming, while at the same time making the online experience more inviting and less intimidating for casual players."
