http://articles.bluepec.com en-us info@bluepec.com Video games are poised to "eclipse" all other forms of entertainment, according to games studio boss Mike Griffith. The Activision chief made the bold call during a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He said video games were prospering as interest in almost every other category of entertainment declines. Mr Griffith said social gaming, more interactivity and better technology would help gaming dominate the entertainment landscape in future. He said: "Movies, recorded m http://articles.bluepec.com/games-will-eclipse-other-media_64.html 13-01-2009 On a recent Saturday, about 1,000 women across the country moonlighted as marketers for Microsoft's newest Xbox services. House cleaners, hairdressers, guidance counselors and IT technicians got a $150 pack of Xbox freebies for opening their homes to at least 10 friends or relatives. And they earned bragging rights. "It's cool because the kids in my school were like 'oooh,' " says Aimee Maldonado, 40, a guidance counselor at a high school in Yonkers, N.Y. "They think I'm so cool." She was among http://articles.bluepec.com/microsoft-wants-you-to-throw-a-party-for-its-xbox_53.html 22-12-2008 Black Friday proved to be a relatively bright light in an economy largely characterized by dark, gloomy reports. Overall, retail sales for the day after Thanksgiving were up 3 percent from the same day in 2007, with preliminary estimates putting total sales in the U.S. at $10.6 billion, according to Shoppertrak RCT. (Shoppertrak derives its retail benchmark from a wide range of categories, including consumer electronics, sporting goods, apparel, and general merchandise.) Nintendo Wii Web shoppin http://articles.bluepec.com/wii-leads-the-way-on-healthy-black-friday_48.html 01-12-2008 Apparently Netflix and Sony have solved some of their licensing issues. An unknown number of films from Sony Pictures that disappeared last week from Netflix's streaming service for the Xbox have returned, but still no word on when the rest might be back.Steve Swasey, a Netflix spokesman, has declined to discuss licensing deals with specific movie studios since last week, after Xbox owners complained that Netflix' streaming service was no longer offering Sony films on the console. Swasey said so http://articles.bluepec.com/some-sony-films-return-to-netflixxbox-service_42.html 27-11-2008 Software developer Autodesk is to acquire Avid Technologys Softimage business unit for approximately $35m (£23m). Softimage was founded in 1986 by Daniel Langlois and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. The company develops 3D software technology for film, television and games markets. Its flagship product is Softimage XSI, a 3D animation software package used by leading media and entertainment companies, including Digital Domain, Ubisoft, Sega, Capcom, Animal Logic and The Mill. Other softwar http://articles.bluepec.com/alienbrains-sold_38.html 26-11-2008 Before you deep dive on our Xbox 360 versus PlayStation 3 consumer price guide, take a few deep breaths and remember, they're just video game systems. This isn't a political campaign. The election's over. We have no dog in this fight, and besides figuring out which system has the games you most want to play, neither should you.All better? It's been quite a ride this year with all the models announced and discontinued, components introduced and retired, and prices generally lowered across the boa http://articles.bluepec.com/price-war-xbox-360-vs-playstation-3-fight_35.html 25-11-2008 THQ Inc. today announced Age of Empires: Mythologies, the newest addition to the highly popular Age of Empires series, has shipped to major retailers nationwide. Developed exclusively for Nintendo DS(TM), Age of Empires: Mythologies features epic, turn-based combat and fast-paced multiplayer skirmishes between Greek, Egyptian and Norse civilizations. For the first time in the series' history, players will control legendary heroes, battle mythical beasts and call upon the divine power of gods. Ag http://articles.bluepec.com/age-of-empires-mythologies-ships-to-retail-outlets-nationwide_31.html 24-11-2008 With the latest round of layoffs, EA has killed its mysterious, always undercover Blueprint division.A former employee who worked on Blueprint confirmed to Variety that all the corporate employees who worked on the project have either quit, been laid off, or moved onto other projects.Talking to this ex-employee, I also got a much better sense of what exactly Blueprint was up to. Some people called it a project, some a division, others just a collection of games, but whatever it was, EA never off http://articles.bluepec.com/ea-shuts-down-blueprint-division-boom-blox-2-in-development_22.html 19-11-2008 Microsoft will have sold 25 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide by the end of the month, the company said this morning"The future of home entertainment is Xbox 360 - it's on demand, it's high definition, it's always social, it's all in one place," said Xbox boss Don Mattrick.With the New Xbox Experience we will reach the next generation of Xbox owners, 25 million and beyond. We are at a watershed moment, backed by the largest entertainment brands, with an incredible line-up of entertainment unma http://articles.bluepec.com/xbox-360-to-hit-25m-sales-this-month_19.html 18-11-2008 The Beatles are coming to the world of video games. Unfortunately, players won't have the chance to travel back in time to save John Lennon, but the creators of Rock Band are planning an "experiential journey" through the Fab Four's career and music, to be released in late 2009."This game will take you on a journey from the Beatles' first album Please Please Me until the last album at Abbey Road," Jeff Jones, CEO of the Beatles' Apple Corps label, announced in a conference call yesterday. "It wi http://articles.bluepec.com/the-beatles-the-video-game_4.html 31-10-2008