Game Downloads

An article in The Times has raised concerns that a move towards regulation or censorship of video games in individual nations could force censorship on a global scale. The author points out that if enough of the video game consumer base regulates or bans violent or mature video games, the games industry may respond by cut down on or stop producing these games altogether.

Take this with a grain of salt as to its relevance in Europe and North America, but Sony CFO Nobuyuki Oneda said last week that the company is focused on profitability — not selling more units — with the PS3 this year. As a result, a price cut is not currently in the cards.

We (along with virtually everyone else in the media) jumped the gun a bit when we said that Flagship Studios had been closed, even though that certainly seemed to be the case. An official statement from the company has set the record straight, explaining that while most of the company’s staff has been laid off, the company remains open and still owns the rights to the IPs for both Hellgate: London and Mythos. As a result of the layoffs, Flagship won’t be accepting any further subscribers for Hellgate, and current subscribers will not be billed.

(I’m simply going to refer to it as the “new dashboard” because I can’t help but feel like a walking press release if I refer to it as the “New Xbox Experience.”)

Sony made a pretty major stride forward by introducing universal IDs. It might seem like a minor feature, but it’s another step towards creating a more unified online service, like the one Xbox Live members have been enjoying for quite a while.

Microsoft announced this week that its Entertainment & Devices Division — which consists of business like the Xbox 360 and Zune — has (finally) turned a profit for the first time in its history. The profit comes depsite a less than superb fourth fiscal quarter, where the division lost $188 million.