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During their Q1 Earnings call yesterday evening, EA announced that it is pushing back the release of the highly anticipated Crysis 2 until Q1 2011.

This means that the FPS developed by German developer Crytek will go up against the likes of Gears Of War 3, Killzone 3 and EA’s own Bulletstorm in the same quarter during 2011.

It’s worth noting that in Q1 2009 EA faced a $234 Million net loss, while this year it recorded a $96 Million net income in the same period.

Fans of Dragon Age, brace yourselves for Dragon Age II. Set for a March 2011 release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, Dragon Age II traces the rise to power of Hawke, a survivor of the Blight and a hero who will “transform the face of the Dragon Age universe forever.” The new game is scheduled for release in March of 2011 on the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation 3 computer and entertainment system, and PC.

Hit the jump for the full press release and one more piece of concept art! Read the rest of this entry »

We usually don’t plan what we do 6 months in advance, but we’ll make an exception for Dead Space 2. January 25 and 26 of next year are now dedicated to playing Dead Space 2.

Electronic Arts have virtually immortalised Pineapple Dance Studios phenomenon and face of Starman Andrew Stone as they have made him into a Sim in The Sims 3.

The Sim will be available globally via The Sims 3 Exchange. This promotional stunt is just in time for the release of The Sims 3 Ambitions which ships today of which Andrew’s career so far is a perfect example of great ambition. As well as some funky dance moves, why not check out some more of the over night success here.

October 15th is the magic date you are waiting for, as EA has confirmed that its latest FPS Medal of Honor will be available just 25 days before the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops.  This will give it only three weeks to establish itself in the all-format chart before Treyarch comes knocking.

EA hopes Medal of Honor will follow the same success that Battlefield : Bad Company 2 did earlier this year, as big titles yet to be dated include:

Halo: Reach (Bungie)
Crysis 2 (EA)
Singularity  (Bethesda)
Ghost Recon: Predator (Ubisoft)

Rock Band favorites Coheed and Cambria are adding more tracks to the Rock Band Music Store this week with three songs from the band’s new album, Year of the Black Rainbow – “Guns of Summer,” “Here We Are Juggernaut” and “The Broken.” Year of the Black Rainbow is the fifth studio album from Coheed and Cambria and was released April 13 as a standard album, as well as a deluxe edition, featuring a 352-page novel of the same name, written by the band’s lead singer, Claudio Sanchez, and New York Times bestselling author Peter David. The band is currently touring the United States during April and May, which includes a performance at this year’s Coachella festival, during April and May.

Other additions include… British rockers Siouxsie & The Banshees are upping their Rock Band presence with “Peek-a-Boo” from the band’s ninth studio album, Peepshow. Britpop outfit Supergrass is adding “Sun Hits the Sky,” the third single from the band’s second studio album, In It For the Money, and American alternative rockers The Violent Femmes make their Rock Band debut with “American Music” from the band’s fifth studio album, Why Do Birds Sing?

Available on Xbox 360 and Wii (April 20) and PlayStation 3 system (April 22):

• Coheed and Cambria – “Guns of Summer”
• Coheed and Cambria – “Here We Are Juggernaut”
• Coheed and Cambria – “The Broken”
• Siouxsie & The Banshees – “Peek-a-Boo”
• Supergrass – “Sun Hits the Sky”
• The Violent Femmes – “American Music”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

These tracks will be available for purchase as “Coheed and Cambria Pack 01,” as well as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system, and as individual tracks only on Wii.

Price: £.99 UK (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
£2.49 UK (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “Coheed and Cambria Pack 01”
(200 Wii Points™) per track

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **

In a short statement issued by Activision in the dust of the unexpected Respawn Announcement, Activision have gone on the record to say that ‘They are not surprised by the actions of the former Infinity Ward employees’.

“This agreement comes as no surprise to Activision given the myriad of improper activities detailed in the cross-complaint filed on Friday against Jason West and Vince Zampella,”

“We look forward to continuing to work with Infinity Ward’s deep bench of proven talent on exciting new projects.” the company ended.

The statement from Activision seems to further compound the companies claims that West and Zampella were ‘apparently’ working with a rival publisher while still under contract at IW.

EA! West and Zampella revealed this morning have joined as part of EA’s team forming a new studio, Respawn Entertainment. To remind our reader of the controversy, basically Activsion ousted the Infinity Ward heads in a “dispute in opinion”. West and Zampella then decided to sue Activision for compensation which has hindered the development of Modern Warfare 2. Also announced by Activision was that Treyarch would be doing the 2010 Call of Duty while the next in the series would be developed by a new studio being added on making Infinity Ward not having a game until 2012.

Looking back on the past, this story parallels the Activision Guitar Hero dispute where a similar instance happened, causing the developers to switch to MTV Games under the development team Harmonix. Activision has repeatedly done this to their developers and every time has gotten retribution so to say. So what will we see from Respawn Entertainment? Only time will tell. But now that the Call of Duty visionaries have been placed back in EA’s hands, it may be sure that Activision is not going to have an easy battle.

Electronic Arts have today announced the launch of Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, designed to provide ‘on-the-go’ golf enthusiasts with a accessible, authentic and feature rich golf video game available through a web browser. The game features Hi-Res 3D graphics and requires no installation (Except Unity Web Player).

The game will feature a free to play experience that allows unlimited access to certain featured courses, for the ultimate golf fan however there is also a a premium service available through a monthly or yearly membership. Which will be priced at £6.99 and £49.99 respectively.

The game will also feature a points-based transaction system allowing players to buy points to use in-game for things such as rounds of golf and items from the in-game shop such as new golf clubs. Users who buy the annual membership naturally will receive unlimited rounds on all available courses and will be provided with a package of points that can be spent in-game.

“Consumers have an increasing appetite for authentic gaming experiences online and EA SPORTS is driving innovation and growth in the online gaming category, from consoles to mobile devices and the web,” said EA SPORTS President Peter Moore. “The launch of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online signals a shift in the traditional distribution model and will change the way that people will be able to access and enjoy their favorite video games for years to come.”

The game will also feature group tournaments, friend to friend messaging and Official World Championship courses.

Full Press release available in the club house. (See what we did there.)

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