Online Gaming News

Thanks to DRM, Some Ubisoft Games Won't Work Next Week February 3 @ 6 PM source

hypnosec writes "Several of Ubisoft's biggest titles won't be playable as of next week thanks to a server move by the publisher and the restrictive DRM that was used in their development. This isn't just multiplayer either. Because Ubisoft thought it would be a smart plan to use always on DRM for even the single player portion of games like Assassin's Creed, even the single player portion of that title won't be playable during the server move. Some of the other games affected by this move will be Tom Clancy's HAWX 2, Might & Magic: Heroes 6 and The Settlers 7. The Mac games that will be broken during this period are Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell Conviction and The Settlers. This move was announced this week as part of a community letter, with Ubisoft describing how the data servers for many of the publisher's online services would be migrated from third party facilities to a new location starting on the 7th February. The publisher didn't reveal how long the transfer would take."

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Fresh iPhone Apps for Feb. 2: Spice Invaders, Ghost Trick, Awesome Land, Reckless Racing 2 (Appolicious) February 2 @ 3 PM source

Appolicious - It’s the week’s big day for games, and we’ve got quite a few great ones on offer today. Spice Invaders is a robust tower defense title with tons of content and an eight-player multiplayer mode, while Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective puts players in the role of a ghost trying to solve his own murder by manipulating objects. Awesome Land is a side-scrolling platformer that puts a leather jacket and an attitude on Mario, while Reckless Racing 2 brings some quality top-down racing action to the App Store.

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Android gamer communities on the rise, attracting corporate attention (Appolicious) January 31 @ 5 PM source

Appolicious - Android game popularity may be decreasing in lieu of entertainment apps, but an emerging trend for mobile gaming communities may offer the best of both worlds. There’s growing expectations for Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE games and community to be made available on the Android platform, following in Sony’s footsteps with their cross-platform strategy for the PlayStation Network. Others are looking to Android as an extension for gaming communities, including Steam.

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Gaming firms 888, Caesars extend licensing deal to U.S. (Reuters) January 31 @ 10 AM source

Reuters - 888 Holdings Plc said a unit of private equity-owned Caesars Entertainment Corp extended its UK software licensing agreement with the British online gaming company to the United States.

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IGT Is Betting Online Big-Time (The Motley Fool) January 30 @ 5 PM source

The Motley Fool - Slot-machine maker International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT - News) looks poised to jump on the bandwagon of companies that are increasing their stake in online gaming. The company plans to acquire Double Down Interactive, one of the biggest virtual casino operators on Facebook.

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Nintendo Announces Online Gaming Network (Mashable) January 28 @ 10 AM source

Mashable - Nintendo users will finally soon have an online experience on par with Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. At least that's the message from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who broke the news in a meeting with investors yesterday shortly after the company released its quarterly earnings.
Iwata's presentation explained that the Nintendo Network would encompass the company's next generation of products, including the portable 3DS and the Wii U console, to be released later this year. The network won't just be a place where users can play games against each other online -- Iwata said it would also offer full downloads of game titles, some add-ons and access to other digital content. That would be a big upgrade from the limited network connectivity that currently exists on Nintendo's hardware.

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Iwata Confirms Nintendo Network, New Wii U Controller Functions January 27 @ 5 PM source

New submitter DeanCubed writes "In a Nintendo investor meeting, CEO Satoru Iwata confirmed a new Nintendo Network for the company's 3DS and upcoming Wii U game systems. This includes multiple user accounts per console (not tied to hardware, a first for Nintendo) and digitally distributed retail software releases for their online store. Iwata also noted that the Wii U's tablet controller will feature NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, allowing the ability to use figurines and cards to input visual data to the console. They are hoping to use this to make micro-transactions for paid DLC easier."

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Xbox 720 Might Reject Used Games January 26 @ 8 PM source

silentbrad writes "Online passes are a recent staple in staving off used sales. Limiting what used buyers can access is a protective measure for publishers, much to the chagrin of parts of the gaming community. Chris Kohler of Wired argues that the death of used games is inevitable, and passes are the first step toward something exactly like a native anti-used game something integrated into consoles. He notes, of course, that digital is the future of buying games, but in the meantime we may be looking at 'an interim period in which the disc as a delivery method is still around but ... becomes more like a PC game, which are sold with one-time-use keys that grant one owner a license to play the game on his machine.' Also at Kotaku, the source for the Wired article (which is the source for the IGN article)."

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Analysis: Zynga needs mobile to move away from Facebook (Reuters) January 25 @ 11 PM source

Reuters - David Ko, Zynga's chief mobile officer, has one of the most important and pressure-filled at the online gaming company -- he's charged with figuring out ways to get people to play Zynga's games on tablets and smartphones.

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Playtech gears up for global expansion (Reuters) January 24 @ 9 AM source

Reuters - Playtech, the world's biggest provider of online gaming software, said it saw increasing opportunities as gambling laws are relaxed across the world and was confident of meeting full year expectations following a surge in revenues.

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