Nintencast.com has a bunch of new info and screenshots for the upcoming Mario Kart game for the Wii platform.  Look for the game to launch in April.

Click HERE for the story. continue reading...

The companies behind Call of Duty and World of Warcraft are merging in a deal which could shake up the global video games industry.  Activision and Blizzard have said they will form “the world’s most profitable games business” in a deal worth $18.8bn (£9.15bn).

The video game industry generates more revenue than the filmed entertainment industry, but as a result, it’s become very competitive and the costs involved have soared. continue reading...

MIDDLETON, WI — (MARKET WIRE) — May 10, 2007 — Screaming Bee LLC is pleased to announce the release of an enhanced version of MorphVOX Pro Voice Changer. This software tool provides voice morphing to online games, instant messaging, and the professional studio. The software’s new “Adaptive Clarity” feature introduces extended pitch-modification capabilities and superior audio quality.

“We are quite happy with the enhancements to MorphVOX Pro,” says Mark Ramirez, CEO of Screaming Bee. He adds, “With Adaptive Clarity, your online game characters and your multimedia voice-overs will sound amazingly clear.” continue reading...

SANDPOINT, ID — (MARKET WIRE) — May 02, 2007 — PLAYXPERT, LLC today announced the availability of PLAYXPERT, the next-generation community management toolset for gamers via the PLAYXPERT website www.playxpert.com. The PLAYXPERT platform of in-game tools is geared toward any PC or MMO game, but has special initial features for World of Warcraft (WoW) enthusiasts interested in an enhanced community and gaming experience. Future add-on widget releases will be geared toward other popular games to follow soon.

The initial out-of-the-box features include a universal chat system widget (supporting chat communication with PLAYXPERT users as well as the XFire, Yahoo!, AOL, ICQ, and MSN communities), and a wide array of widgets for World of Warcraft players. With PLAYXPERT gamers can stay in-game and query information about users, professions, items, or anything else about the game world. World of Warcraft widgets include an Armory Widget, Thottbot Widget, WoWWiki Widget, and a Wowhead widget. PLAYXPERT also provides a Google widget with this initial installation so that gamers of any game can find key information online and access it without having to leave the in-game experience. continue reading...

LONDON — (MARKET WIRE) — April 30, 2007 — Zero36 (http://www.z36.biz), a leading developer and operator of Mobile Gambling Services, today announces the launch of its fully integrated, real money Mobile Casino service for O2 i-mode users in the UK.O2 i-mode users over the age of 18 can join the Zero36 Mobile Casino service through O2 i-mode portal and play for fun or for real money. This new service is the latest addition to Zero36’s i-mode services in Spain, The Netherlands and Belgium. In the near future, a similar i-mode service for fun will be launched in Hong-Kong in Chinese.

The new O2 i-mode service offers Microgaming’s Casino classics such as European Roulette, Blackjack, Video Poker, Keno, Scratch Card and various Slot Machines, as well as 3 progressive-jackpot machines utilizing Microgaming’s Jackpot Network system. continue reading...

NEW YORK, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ — mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, and the Kaiser Family Foundation today announced the “Change the Course of HIV Challenge” - a competition offering college students digital tools to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people in the United States. The challenge asks gamers, activists or any student with a great idea to propose a viral, Web-based video game concept to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among 15-24 year olds in the US and to promote personal action in response to the epidemic. The winning individual or team will work with mtvU and the Kaiser Family Foundation — which are committing $75,000 to the development and marketing of the game — to see their idea realized.”No undergrad in school today has known a world without HIV/AIDS and a new young person someplace in the world is infected every 15 seconds,” said Stephen Friedman, GM, mtvU. “Through this challenge, we hope to inspire college students to use the power of online gaming to engage their peers, re-awaken them to the magnitude of this deadly virus and effect prevention.”

“The competition is designed to help us reach young people in a different and engaging way to help inform them about HIV/AIDS and spur action,” said Tina Hoff, Vice President and Director, Entertainment Media Partnerships, Kaiser Family Foundation. “As HIV remains the great public health challenge of this generation, it’s essential to find new and creative ways to engage and inform young people about the epidemic.” continue reading...