Industry insiders reveal terms of 007 franchise jumping ship
Activision will pay $70 million up front for the James Bond 007 license under the terms of its recently announced agreement with movie studio MGM, according to senior industry sources familiar with the deal.
The seven year deal, which was announced by Activision earlier this month, sees the videogame rights to Hollywood's longest-running franchise changing hands from former license holder Electronic Arts.
Although financial terms were not announced, GamesIndustry.biz has learned that the $70 million figure is being discussed by senior industry executives - a figure which seems likely to be Activision's up-front payment to secure the license.
According to our sources, the firm has also agreed to develop a game based on the James Bond 007 franchise every year for the duration of the deal, with the up front payment being credited against royalties payable to MGM from those titles.
New information raises prospect of high-definition video Xbox 360 bundles
Retail sources in the UK have told GamesIndustry.biz that Microsoft has intimated to them that the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 will be priced such that console and peripheral combined are cheaper than Sony's PS3.
At E3 last week, Microsoft once again discussed its plans to launch a HD-DVD component for the Xbox 360 later this year, but did not reveal any further information regarding the pricing of the unit.
Currently, the Xbox 360 retails at GBP 279 in the UK, with the Core System version selling for GBP 209, while the 60GB model of the PlayStation 3 is expected to cost between GBP 399 and GBP 419 when it arrives in late November.
Microsoft's alleged comments to UK retailers seem to suggest that the HD-DVD peripheral, which allows playback of high definition movies using Toshiba's next-generation DVD standard, will be priced below GBP 130, making an Xbox 360 and HD-DVD player bundle into a potentially attractive option at Christmas.
Sony's PlayStation 3 features a built-in Blu-Ray drive, which also offers playback of high definition movies, but in this case using Sony's competing next-generation DVD standard - which many industry commentators are tipping as the likely winner of this standards war, due to strong support from many movie studios and other content creators.
A picture of the Halo 3 menu was released on the internet, Bungie claims it is a fake but who knows..look at what they said about Halo 3 before it was announced at E3.
Ubisoft has declined to directly clear up rumours that forthcoming action adventure title Assassin's Creed will not be a PS3 exclusive, which have emerged despite previous announcements to the contrary.
Speaking to our sister site, Eurogamer, a representative said: "At the moment, other formats of Assassin's Creed are unconfirmed."
That would seem to suggest Ubisoft is at least considering an Xbox 360 release - despite having stated that the game would only only be out on PS3 when it was first announced.
Assassin's Creed is set in 1191 AD, during the Third Crusade, and sees players take on the role of hero Altair. It's being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the same studio behind the Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell games.
Eurogamer was given the chance to try out the game at E3 last week, and given an Xbox 360 controller with which to play it, adding fuel to the rumours. This could simply mean that the game was being demoed on a PC - but the rumours are still flying after a report on Noooz.com claimed that a Ubi employee has also stated the game is in development for Xbox 360.
Atari has announced a new deal with independent in-game advertising network IGA Worldwide for the provision of targeted dynamic ads in the PC version of Test Drive Unlimited.
Utilising the company's Radial network, IGA will implement various dynamic billboard ads within the game, but plans to extend this further with the introduction of branded interactive elements to the game such as virtual stores for Marc Ecko and Ben Sherman apparel - which players can approach during a race and interact with sales staff to purchase new items.
Wim Stocks, Atari's EVP, commented: "Given Test Drive Unlimited’s wide appeal and high level of realism, we wanted to further enrich gamers’ experiences by providing in-game advertising to emulate the real world."
"By bringing this title into our Radial network, we will know exactly how often, where and when, as well as how many gamers are exposed to in-game advertising or placements, allowing advertisers to deliver ‘above-the-line’ campaign creative and messaging, but with levels of ROI accountability usually only found with online advertising," added Justin Townsend, IGA Worldwide CEO.
In-game advertising is a rapidly expanding sector of the games industry, supported by multiple publishers and brand professionals, recently gaining a significant vote of confidence when Microsoft acquired in-game advertising firm Massive Inc in a deal estimated to be worth USD 200-400 million.
Test Drive Unlimited is scheduled for an autumn release on PC, Xbox 360, PS2 and PSP formats.
Namco has announced that development of its Xbox 360 title Frame City Killer has been cancelled due to undisclosed development issues.
Originally billed as the Japanese publisher's debut title for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, Frame City Killer was initially scheduled for a release during the Christmas season of 2005 but the release was moved forward to this summer to allow additional development time.
EA confirmed the cancellation to our sister site, Eurogamer, last week. A note on the Japanese homepage for Namco, which has been translated by Gamasutra.com reads:
"Our Xbox 360 title Frame City, planned for a Spring 2006 release, has been cancelled due to various circ umstances. We apologise to everyone who was looking forward to it. Our company will continue to develop high quality titles for the Xbox 360 next generation machine, including a new RPG, which will be announced in the near future."
The reasons for the cancellation of the game have not been disclosed, but Namco is set on continuing its support for the machine, backing up positive sales of Ridge Racer 6 with several new games and a host of arcade classics heading to the Xbox Live Arcade service in the coming months.
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Microsoft's alleged comments to UK retailers seem to suggest that the HD-DVD peripheral, which allows playback of high definition movies using Toshiba's next-generation DVD standard, will be priced below GBP 130, making an Xbox 360 and HD-DVD player bundle into a potentially attractive option at Christmas.
News-Source: 
EA confirmed the cancellation to our sister site, Eurogamer, last week. A note on the Japanese homepage for 
