Will One Studio Make All Call of Duty Handheld Games?

New reports suggest that Activision’s recently-founded Leeds studio will develop all future handheld and mobile iterations of the Call of Duty franchise. According to UK games industry expert Andy Payne, Leeds will be developing "all handheld versions [and] iOS versions of Call of Duty" moving forward.

According to Leeds, the various studios developing Call of Duty are collaborative, reusing assets and exchanging them as needed. From this point forward, Leeds will be able to use the same assets for use in mobile games. “The two studios are saying, 'I need a tank, pull it off from the library'. And those assets are also going to be starting to be used by the mobile team, which is going to be based in Leeds,” he said.

We know that Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified is currently in development for Vita, though it’s still unknown who’s developing that game. Unfortunately, the rumor about Leeds is likely only referring to future games, as Declassified is set to hit stores before the end of the year and Activision Leeds was only created in May, which wouldn’t line up.

Previous Call of Duty handheld and mobile developers include n-space, who developed DS versions of Call of Duty 4, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2 and World at War. Black Ops Zombies and World at War Zombies on iOS, meanwhile, were developed by Ideaworks.

Source: Videogamer

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Rumored 7” iPad Expected Later This Fall

According to two separate reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, Apple is planning to release a smaller iPad, with a screen between 7-8”. The tablet would directly compete with recently announced and expected tablets such as the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire 2. Apple currently holds 61.4% of the tablet market with the company’s 9.7” iPad models, according to Gartner.

Bloomberg expects this new iPad model to be announced in October, to release the following March (the same time Apple releases new iPads annually). This is telling, as Apple typically doesn't announce new products so far in advance of release.

• Why Apple Shouldn't Make an iPad Mini

Pricing is still unknown, but analysts expect this smaller iPad to rival competitors pricing, though it would likely be slightly more expensive than the competition. The reports also indicate that the display will have a significantly lower resolution than the Retina display on the iPad.

Some reports suggest the smaller iPad will contain a 16:9 widescreen display instead of the current 4:3 on the iPad, with a lower resolution of 720p. This configuration would make it a prime competitor against other 7” tablets, but require developers to completely re-work previous iPad apps.

These reports may still prove false. The 7-inch tablet business has seen few victors, besides Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which subsidizes the low price for exclusive content available through the company’s Amazon Prime service. The Nexus 7 will likely prove to be another hot seller.

This isn’t the first time such reports have surfaced, but it is the first time two very similar reports have been released simultaneously from two completely different sources. We will continue to report on this as more information becomes available.

What do you think about a 7” iPad? Would you buy one, or get one over the current iPad? Or is it all fake?

Source : ign[dot]com

Spider-Man Has an Amazing Holiday Turnout

The results are in, and Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man is definitely on the upswing. Box office reports show that Marc Webb's new 3D tentpole has pulled in a stellar $59.3 million domestically in its first two days.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that Wednesday's $23.4 million gross was the second-best 4th of July showing of all time after Transformers, which earned $29.1 million that same day in 2007. Additionally, the film is on track to make $125 million to $140 million by the end of its six-day debut.

With a budget of $220 million, Spider-Man is mainly being fueled by positive word-of-mouth. Despite its familiar storyline, the fans are turning out in droves to see Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the updated roles of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. IMAX ticket sales have also given the film a nice leg up over the competition.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Blizzard Responds to Myriad Reports of Hacked Diablo 3 Accounts

Blizzard has said it is taking reports about a wave of hacked Diablo 3 accounts "extremely seriously".

Since Sunday there have been a growing number of reports that many people are logging into the game to discover their gold, items and even characters missing.

Community Manager Lylirra said, "Historically, the release of a new game - such as a World of Warcraft Expansion - will result in an increase in reports of individual account compromises, and that's exactly what we're seeing now with Diablo III.  We know how frustrating it can be to become the victim of account theft, and as always, we're dedicated to doing everything we can to help our players keep their Battle.net accounts safe."

Whilst issues like this have been plaguing World of Warcraft and other MMOs for years, what's most troubling is that some people have said Blizzard's authenticators haven't protected them.  The authenticators, which are available in physical form or as iPhone and Android apps, work by randomly generating a unique code tied to your account that expires within two minutes each time you try to log in.  It means only people with your phone or authenticator can ever log into your account... in theory.

When Blizzard changed the rules for authenticators late last year, it caused quite a stir; while you used to have to input a code every time you logged in, you now only have to do it if you log in from an unfamiliar location for the first time.  Many people are speculating that the recent wave is down to hackers managing to mimic IP identifiers and slip past Blizzard's authentication servers.

But Blizzard is refuting these suggestions, with Community manager Bashiok stating, "We've been taking the situation extremely seriously from the start, and have done everything possible to verify how and in what circumstances these compromises are occurring.  Despite the claims and theories being made, we have yet to find any situations in which a person's account was not compromised through traditional means of someone else logging into their account through the use of their password.  While the authenticator isn't a 100% guarantee of account security, we have yet to investigate a compromise report in which an authenticator was attached beforehand."

The good news is that Blizzard has over eight years of experience dealing with hacked accounts, so most players who contact Blizzard are getting swift resolutions.  Often Blizzard can 'rollback' the character to before the hack took place, but this can sometimes mean that progress or items are lost.

Blizzard is offering a wealth of advice for protecting your account over on its forums, but if you're yet to invest in an authenticator or register for the SMS protect system, with these reports flying around, it's a good idea to do so now.

Have you been hacked, or known someone who has been?  Let us know in the comments below.

Source : http://www.ign.com

Activision pays $42 million to ex-Infinity Ward members - Report

Reports have surfaced today on both Polygon and Gamasutra claiming that Activision has paid a sum of $42 million to a group of 40 former Infinity Ward members implicated in an upcoming lawsuit with the Call of Duty publisher.

Activision wants to focus its efforts entirely on ex-Infinity Ward heads West and Zampella.

According to the reports--both of which cite an anonymous source close to the case--Activision paid the $42 million to the group representing former Infinity Ward heads Vince West and Jason Zampella after reviewing the evidence for the ongoing lawsuit over West and Zampella's 2010 firing, and subsequent establishment of Respawn Entertainment with Electronic Arts.

Both Polygon and Gamasutra reported that the sum paid by Activison is not part of a settlement.

Instead, the sum is what the publisher believes the former employees are owed after reviewing trial evidence and reportedly finding that it does not implicate the group's 40 members. It is reported that Activision will now focus its legal efforts entirely on West and Zampella.

In March this year, Activision scored a partial victory in the suit, when a judge dismissed one of two fraud claims brought against the publisher by West and Zampella.

Activision claims that it fired the pair because they were secretly planning to start their new studio with the help of Electronic Arts, while still employed with the Call of Duty publisher. West and Zampella claim that the real reason they were fired was so that Activision wouldn't have to pay them millions of dollars in royalties associated with Modern Warfare 2. Beyond the performance-based payout and any other court-awarded monetary damages, West and Zampella are seeking to gain co-ownership of the Modern Warfare brand. If successful in court, West and Zampella would have the right to create and release both old and new installments in the Modern Warfare franchise.

According to the reports, the trial is set to take place on May 29.

Source : http://gamespot.com/news/activision-pays-42-million-to-ex-infinity-ward-members-report-6376776

Sony shares tank to 31-year low

Sony shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange have tanked to a 31-year low, dipping as much as 6.7 percent to ¥1,132 ($14.16), reports the BBC. The news comes after Sony this week announced a record annual loss of ¥456.7 billion ($5.71 billion).

Sony is seeing red, and analysts aren't hopeful.

Sony and newly appointed president Kaz Hirai have forecast a return to profit during the fiscal year, but analysts are not betting on the firm being able to turn the ship around.

"Sony is facing a lot of difficulties and the new president has not been able to produce a clear plan as to how he will turn around the company," Yuuki Sakurai of Fukoku Capital Management told the site. "Even the little that investors have heard, they are not very impressed with."

Last month, Sony outlined its "One Sony" plan to revitalize the company, which will look to the firm's gaming business unit to help spur sales. Outside of gaming, the plan aims to bolster sales by restructuring its television sector, creating all-new businesses, realigning its portfolio, and optimizing resources.


Source : http://gamespot.com/news/sony-shares-tank-to-31-year-low-6376266