Gaming News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Upcoming video game releases: 'Resistance' on Vita, 'Atelier Meruru'

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:39:02 -0400

The PlayStation Vita gets its first first-person-shooter in Resistance: Burning Skies, Japanese role player Atelier Meruru arrives in North America and the UK, and Batman's back with a catch-all Game of the Year edition of Arkham City.

Schilling video game firm lays off staff: report

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:31:35 -0400

BOSTON (Reuters) - The troubled video gaming company run by former Red Sox baseball great Curt Schilling seemed on the verge of collapse on Thursday and had laid off its entire staff, according to several gaming industry websites and other media. The apparent firings by 38 Studios came days after the company, based in Providence, Rhode Island, barely made a debt repayment to the state, weeks after the money was due. The Verge.com said 38 Studios had closed its Rhode Island office and its Maryland-based subsidiary, Big Huge Games. ...

Zynga unleashes zombies on smartphones

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:18:04 -0400

Zombies stalked San Francisco streets on Thursday as social game maker Zynga ghoulishly introduced a game that lets iPhone or iPod Touch users slash and hack the undead.

Zynga unleashes zombies on smartphones

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:29:02 -0400

Zombies stalked San Francisco streets on Thursday as social game maker Zynga ghoulishly introduced a game that lets iPhone or iPod Touch users slash and hack the undead.

Stuntmen Hijack Angry Birds From Rovio HQ [VIDEO]

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:02:23 -0400

What happens when angry nerds go in hot pursuit of stolen Angry Birds? We're about to find out over the course of this week.

How the video games industry is faring

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:02:53 -0400

A look at results from selected companies in the video games business:

Nintendo to stream E3 presentation on June 5

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:34:15 -0400

Nintendo's June 5 presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo will be streamed online and broadcast on US TV, with updates posted to Nintendo's Facebook, YouTube and Twitter feeds.

Japanese video game author wins Spanish prize

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:34:14 -0400

Japan's Shigeru Miyamoto, considered the father of the modern video game, has been awarded Spain's Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities.

‘Xbox 720′ slated for November 2013 release, report claims

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:00:19 -0400

Microsoft plans to launch its next-generation Xbox video game and home entertainment console ahead of the holidays next year, according to a recent report. The Los Angeles Times on Monday published a developer contract between Acitivision Blizzard and famed Halo developers Bungie. The firms are currently working on a new Massively Multiplayer Online franchise called Destiny, which will be a first-person shooter with a science fiction theme. While the fact that the companies currently have four titles planned for the series is exciting for gamers in itself, another tidbit may be even more titillating; the contract suggests that the first Destiny title will launch ahead of the holidays next year as an exclusive for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and its next-generation console, which

American Express plants money trees in "Farmville"

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:01:54 -0400

American Express on Tuesday began letting lovers of Zynga games plant money trees on "Farmville" acreage.

Rovio Launches Facebook Game, 'Angry Birds Friends'

Wed, 23 May 2012 06:56:13 -0400

Rovio announced a new social, competitive addition to the Angry Birds universe Wednesday morning.

American Express plants money trees in "Farmville"

Tue, 22 May 2012 16:59:41 -0400

American Express on Tuesday began letting lovers of Zynga games plant money trees on "Farmville" acreage.

American Express, Zynga collaborate on rewards

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:01:07 -0400

Players of Zynga's online games will be able to earn rewards through a prepaid card using American Express' Serve digital payments platform under a deal announced Tuesday between American Express Co. and Zynga Inc.

Zynga launches prepaid debit card with American Express

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:00:35 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc., the social games publisher, has reached a partnership agreement with American Express to issue a prepaid debit card that could be used to redeem virtual credits, the two companies said. The partnership will help increase use of American Express' digital payments platform Serve as the credit card issuer competes with online gateway Paypal, a unit of eBay Inc, which is pushing to process transactions by mobile phones. ...

National STEM Video Game Challenge Winners Announced

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:14:15 -0400

More Than $100,000 Awarded to Students and Educators by The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and E-Line Media

Zynga, AmEx Program Offers Virtual Gifts for Real-Life Purchases

Tue, 22 May 2012 04:54:02 -0400

Buy stuff in real life and get virtual currency.

Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon comes to Facebook [video]

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:45:34 -0400

Facebook, the world’s largest social networking site, is filled with a large selection of social and casual games, such as Draw Something, Words With Friends and FarmVille. While the topic of Facebook gaming is widely discussed, there isn’t much there in the way of titles that would attract the hardcore gaming crowd. Ubisoft is looking to change that, however, with the release of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Commander. The game, unlike its console counterpart, is not a first-person shooter but instead a 2D game with an overhead viewpoint that contains both social and more complex aspects. Players are given the option to invite and team up with their Facebook friends to form alliances and complete a variety of missions. The

The Facebook Effect: Zynga, other stocks down

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:30:43 -0400

Facebook's tepid start as a publicly traded company dragged other social media and related stocks lower on Monday.

What You Can Learn From Zynga's Cool Company Culture

Sun, 20 May 2012 14:30:29 -0400

When thinking of model places for workplace perks, the successful startups of Silicon Valley undoubtedly come to mind.

Microsoft offers free Xbox 360 to PC buyers

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:10:28 -0400

Microsoft is looking to bolster sales of Windows-powered computers this summer by offering students a free Xbox 360 video game console with a qualifying PC purchase. Beginning on May 18th in Canada and on May 20th in the United States, students who purchase a PC for at least $599 CAD in Canada or $699 in the U.S. will receive a free 4GB Xbox 360. Purchases must be made from participating retailers including Best Buy, Dell.com, Fry’s Electronics, HPDirect.com, Microsoft Stores and NewEgg.com in the U.S., and Best Buy, Dell.ca, Future Shop, Staples and The Source in Canada. Microsoft did not indicate when the promotion ends. Read

Zynga price falls 13.3% as Facebook IPO trades flat

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:22:51 -0400

Shares of online social game maker Zynga plunged 13.3 percent and triggered a trading halt Friday as Facebook's IPO fell flat with investors.

Upcoming video game releases: 'Mario Tennis Open,' 'Ghost Recon: Future Soldier'

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:14:19 -0400

Mario dons his tennis shorts, elite soldiers move in for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and mythical medieval adventures beckon in Dragon's Dogma.

Zynga, LinkedIn, Yelp All Down After Facebook IPO Debut

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:02:34 -0400

Facebook's long-awaited IPO appears to have dragged down other social media stocks.

San Francisco Giants Players Team Up With ESRB For PSA Campaign On Video Game Ratings

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:16:04 -0400

New Campaign Featuring Buster Posey and Ryan Vogelsong Encourages Parents to Use ESRB Ratings When Buying Video Games

Schilling's video game co. asks RI for more help

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:36:40 -0400

Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling asked Rhode Island for additional help to save his video game company Wednesday, prompting state leaders to consider whether the firm is viable enough to justify further investment.

'Minecraft' hauls in 1 million Xbox 360 downloads

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:34:05 -0400

Minecraft's Xbox 360 version has tallied over 1 million sales in less than a week, as compared to 5.9m on Mac and PC over a two-year period.

Analyst fears video game industry may hit six-year low

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:45:44 -0400

NPD Group last week announced that video games sales for the month of April were down 26% and software sales plummeted from $630.4 million to $307.2 million, representing a 42% decline from April 2011. The numbers shocked industry analysts, who predicted a maximum software decline of 27%. The only segment of the gaming industry that did not suffer was the accessories segment, which grew a mere 0.5% from $147.8 million last year to $148.6 million this year. According Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews, “should the contraction from 2011 continue at this pace, annual U.S. retail video game revenue in 2012 could fall below the $12.6 billion figure from 2006,” representing a six-year low since the first full year of Xbox 360

'Farmville' sequel unearthed as 'Big Harvest' beta

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:32 -0400

Farmville 2 is on the way, according to Tech Crunch, alerted to the existence of its apparent beta test Big Harvest on the Filipino version of Facebook.

'Angry Birds' Creator Rovio Announces New Game: 'Amazing Alex'

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:35:52 -0400

Rovio Entertainment, known for its intense focus on one mega-successful game title, Angry Birds, is looking to diversify with another new mobile game called Amazing Alex.

Angry Birds follow-up dubbed ‘Amazing Alex’

Fri, 11 May 2012 20:45:16 -0400

Rovio earlier this week confirmed that it bought the IP for the game Casey’s Contraptions. The company’s founder and CEO Mikael Hed revealed to Finnish TV channel Yle on Friday that the game will have an educational element and revolve around Alex, a curious young boy who loves to build things. “The quality pressure is high. We want to maintain the high standard Angry Birds fans have come to enjoy,” Hed said. “Amazing Alex” is scheduled to be released this summer on iOS and Android, then “extending to further platforms rapidly after that,” the CEO previously said. Read