CG Today - Gaming News

THQ and Adidas brings micoachSeamlessly Blending Technology and Renowned Sports Stars, miCoach Offers the Only Totally Connected Training Program Created by Athletes for Athletes

Powerhouse international sports brand adidas is collaborating with worldwide video game publisher THQ Inc. to bring the popular miCoach interactive athletic training system to video game consoles, the two companies announced today.

Scheduled for release in early calendar 2012, the completely connected interactive experience will feature many of the world's most well-known adidas athletes, including Dwight Howard, Kaká, Tyson Gay, Jessica Ennis, Ana Ivanovic and Eric Berry, who will guide users through a wide selection of sport-specific personalized training programs. Users will also receive real-time feedback on their actual in-game performance during their workouts when wearing a miCoach heart rate monitor (or any ANT+ compatible monitor).

Zynga Mobilizes First Strategy Combat Game in 12 Languages

Zynga - Empires and AlliesZynga today announced the global launch of Empires & Allies, including more social features than any Zynga game. Debuting in 12 languages, Empires & Allies is the company’s first strategy combat game, a new genre for Zynga, and the company’s first title to be launched out of Zynga's Los Angeles studio. Empires & Allies will be available on June 1, 2011 in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Turkish and Traditional Chinese – and for the first time, Malay, Korean and Norwegian.

Set on a sprawling multi-island game board, Empires & Allies integrates familiar game play elements from popular Zynga titles into a story-driven combat crusade. Players aim to build a thriving island-nation by arming themselves against enemy forces and preparing for battle. Throughout the game, players will build army units, recruit friends, and encounter helpful allies and unique villains as fight their way across enemy-held territories on the quest to defeat the final villain.

wooga CEO to Discuss How Europe’s Largest Social Game Development Studio Takes Games-as-Service to New Heights

Wooga CEO Jens BegemannThe 2011 Game Developers Conference™ Europe (GDC Europe) will feature a Business & Marketing track keynote by wooga founder and CEO Jens Begemann. The keynote, titled “Playing is a Core Human Desire – How Social Games Change the Entertainment Industry” will offer GDC Europe attendees insight on the methods behind the development of high-quality, free-to-play browser-based games for Facebook. Begemann is uniquely poised to give this keynote, as leader of Europe’s leading social game development company, which currently has the third largest number of active users on Facebook worldwide. GDC Europe 2011 is presented by the UBM TechWeb Game Network, and takes place at the Congress-Centrum Ost Koelnmesse August 15-17, 2011.

Full PlayStation®Network Services Restored; Music Unlimited Powered by Qriocity™ to Become Available on PlayStation®3, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), VAIO and other PCs

Playstation Network LogoSony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced that Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) will fully restore all PlayStation®Network services in the Americas, Europe/PAL territories and Asia, excluding Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea by the end of this week. The company will also resume Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™ for PlayStation3 (PS3), PSP (PlayStation Portable), VAIO and other PCs. Details for Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea as well as the remaining services on Qriocity will be announced as they become available.

The company implemented considerable security enhancements to the network infrastructure, as well as conducted testing of the payment process and commerce functions. The first phase of PlayStation Network and Qriocity restoration began on May 15 in the Americas and Europe/PAL territories, followed by Japan and Asian countries and regions on May 28, when the company brought partial services back online. With this partial restoration users were able to access to some of the services such as online game play, account management, friend lists and chat functionality were restored. The full restoration of PlayStation Network as well as part of services to become available on Qriocity will include:

An Original, Groundbreaking Multiplayer Experience from the Creators of Left 4 Dead

THQ signs Turtle Rock Studio Left 4 Dead THQ today announced that it has signed the next title from 'Turtle Rock Studios', the creators of the multiple award winning multiplayer revolution 'Left 4 Dead.' The as yet un-named title is scheduled for release in calendar 2013.

"Our quest to sign the best artists and work with the best talent continues," said Danny Bilson, EVP Core Games, THQ. "Turtle Rock Studios is responsible for one of the most original, critically acclaimed co-operative games of this generation, and we are incredibly excited to be working with them on their next project, which looks set to make a similar impact in the multiplayer space."