Section: Video Games

Assassin’s Creed III, Halo 4 nominated for video game writing

The Writers Guild of America has nominated six games in its 2013 writing awards; others nominated include 007 Legends and Disney Epic Mickey 2.

 

The Writers Guild of America has nominated six video games for its 2013 outstanding achievement in writing awards.

Nominated in the video-game writing category are 007 Legends (Activision); Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft); Halo 4 (Microsoft Studios); Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Disney Interactive Studios); Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (Ubisoft); and Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Sony Computer Entertainment America).

This is the sixth year that the video-game writing award has been presented by The Writers Guild of America, honouring the best qualifying script of a video game published in the previous year. The labour union organisation represents writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news.

The winners will be announced at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 17, 2013, at ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.

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"Assassin's Creed III, Halo 4 nominated for video game writing" was posted by Laura Parker on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:31:27 -0800
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Fallout TV show in the works?

Bethesda seeking trademark application for an "ongoing television program set in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world."

 

Bethesda Softworks may be developing a Fallout-branded television show. A new trademark application from the company (spotted by The Vault) is listed as an "ongoing television program set in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world."

Bethesda has not made any such announcements and a representative from the company declined to comment.

Last week, Fallout 3 voice actor Erik Todd Dellums teased that he would reprise his Three Dog role for an upcoming Fallout project. According to the actor, he was given permission--presumably by Bethesda--to give the announcement.

A rumor from August 2012 suggested Fallout 4 would be set in Boston, Massachusetts. Bethesda developers reportedly have been "scoping out and researching" the city.

The most recent Fallout title was 2010's Fallout: New Vegas, which was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and set in a postapocalyptic Las Vegas. Its predecessor, Fallout 3, was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and took place in Washington DC and the surrounding area.

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"Fallout TV show in the works?" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:56:32 -0800
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Bungie discussing Destiny at GDC

Creative leads will open up on design process from concept to production for action game during Game Developers Conference in March.

 

Bungie will discuss its all-new and still-unannounced franchise--believed to be titled Destiny--in late March during a 2013 Game Developers Conference talk at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

Presumably, a more formal announcement for Destiny is planned for sometime prior to the talk. Neither Bungie nor Activision had returned requests for comment at press time.

Bungie writer and design director Joe Staten and art director Christopher Barrett will lead the discussion, titled "Brave New World: New Bungie IP." The talk will focus on Bungie's design process and world-building techniques, running from concept to production.

Those in attendance will get a glimpse inside Bungie's new world, though it's not clear what state the game will be in during the briefing. Additionally, the event description suggests the next ten years of games from Bungie will be based in the Destiny universe.

To date, Bungie has released just one piece of artwork (above right) for Destiny, but speculation has run rampant. A leaked marketing document in November described Destiny as a "fun and accessible" game with a "deep, tangible, and relatable" universe compared to Star Wars. The game is also described as "social at its core."

According to the document, Destiny's plot revolves around an alien ship bent on destroying Earth and the "knights" tasked with defending what's left of humanity. The document also shows images bearing the Destiny logo along with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 icons.

Destiny is Bungie's first project as part of a 10-year publishing deal with Call of Duty company Activision. Legal documents from May suggested that the game will be released for the Xbox 360 in 2013, with a 2014 release slated for the PlayStation 3.

The game is reportedly "quite like Halo."

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"Bungie discussing Destiny at GDC" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:20:42 -0800
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Valve talking virtual reality at GDC

Developer to discuss virtual reality port of Team Fortress 2 and why the technology could become more mainstream at event in March.

 

Half-Life and Portal developer Valve will discuss its virtual reality plans this March at the 2013 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California. Event organizers have announced the addition of two talks from the company, the first of which involves the task of porting Team Fortress 2 to virtual reality.

Valve programmer Joe Ludwig will present "What We Learned Porting Team Fortress 2 to Virtual Reality," which will detail the company's efforts to get the free-to-play game running in virtual reality goggles.

Additionally, Valve's Michael Abrash will speak more generally about virtual reality in a discussion titled "Why Virtual Reality is Hard (And Where it Might be Going)." This talk will touch on why virtual reality technologies could become more mainstream in the near future.

GDC 2013 takes place March 25-29 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

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"Valve talking virtual reality at GDC" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:27:03 -0800
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Obama calls for game violence research

[UPDATE] US President directs Centers for Disease Control to conduct further studies on relationship between virtual violence and real-world violence; the ESA responds.

 

President Barack Obama today ordered more research be done to investigate the relationship between video games and real-world violence. As part of a $500 million, 23-point plan, Obama directed the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other research agencies to conduct further research into the matter in the wake of December's deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

The Obama administration is calling on Congress to allocate $10 million for the CDC to conduct its research. Vice President Joe Biden met with gaming leaders--including Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello and Entertainment Software Association president Michael Gallagher--last week to discuss gun violence.

Obama's plan to conduct more research into game violence is not the only such ongoing initiative. West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller's dead-but-not-defeated proposition would task the National Academy of Sciences to study the effects of violent video games and other programs on children. Rockefeller plans to re-introduce the bill to Congress this month.

"Most gun owners are responsible and law-abiding, and they use their guns safely," reads a statement from the White House. "The President strongly believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. But to better protect our children and our communities from tragic mass shootings like those in Newtown, Aurora, Oak Creek, and Tucson, there are four common-sense steps we can take right now."

In addition to tasking the CDC with conducting more research on video game violence, Obama's plan includes closing background check loopholes, banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, making schools safer, and increasing access to mental health services.

"While no law or set of laws will end gun violence, it is clear that the American people want action," the statement continues. "If even one child’s life can be saved, then we need to act. Now is the time to do the right thing for our children, our communities, and the country we love."

[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, the Entertainment Software Association issued a statement on the news to Joystiq. It states that scientific research has proven entertainment does not cause real-world violent behavior and notes the organization will continue to work with Obama and Congress to find solutions.

"ESA appreciates President Obama's and Vice President Biden's leadership and the thoughtful, comprehensive process of the White House Gun Violence Commission. We concur with President Obama's call today for all Americans to do their part, and agree with the report's conclusion that the entertainment and video game industries have a responsibility to give parents tools and choices about the movies and programs their children watch and the games their children play.

"The same entertainment is enjoyed across all cultures and nations, but tragic levels of gun violence remain unique to our country. Scientific research and international and domestic crime data all point toward the same conclusion: entertainment does not cause violent behavior in the real world.

"We will embrace a constructive role in the important national dialogue around gun violence in the United States, and continue to collaborate with the Administration and Congress as they examine the facts that inform meaningful solutions."

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"Obama calls for game violence research" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:26:28 -0800
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Splinter Cell: Blacklist pushed back to August

Ubisoft action-shooter originally targeted to launch this spring now expected late summer.

 

Splinter Cell: Blacklist has been given a release date of August 20, Ubisoft has announced. It was originally due to come out this spring.

A new trailer for the game on IGN lists that the game will be available for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

In Splinter Cell: Blacklist, a group of "rogue nations" have become fed up with the United States' armed presence in their countries. To combat this, they devised "The Blacklist," a series of terrorist attacks aimed at the United States.

Development on Splinter Cell: Blacklist is being led by Ubisoft Toronto, with Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai assisting.

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"Splinter Cell: Blacklist pushed back to August" was posted by Martin Gaston on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:36:03 -0800
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NRA iOS game draws criticism
Connecticut gov says "How dumb can you get?" about National Rifle Association's new education-themed Practice Range game.  [ Watch Video ] Comment on this videoWatch this video in High DefPolitical leaders a...
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Nintendo bringing Wii U, 3DS to Sundance
Mario maker to have presence at this week's film festival in Park City, Utah with Wii U Video Challenge and Nintendo Lounge.  Nintendo is hoping filmgoers at this week's Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah will spend some of their free ti...
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Epic Mickey 2 sold 270k in US – Report
Disney sequel Power of Two reportedly sells 1 million fewer copies in United States during comparable period of time.  Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two came up well short of the sales milestone set by the 2010 original, according to a new Los Ang...
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Temple Run 2 revealed
Sequel to immensely popular mobile game adds new graphics and environments, more powerups, and special powers for each character.  Temple Run 2 is on the way. According to a listing on iTunes New Zealand, husband-and-wife development team Imangi...
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