Blizzard Gets $88M – Faulty System or Mock Trial?

This one has already made quite a big tour throughout the news/media websites, but we’ll trust gamasutra for now. It seems that last year, Blizzard Entertainment sued Alyson Reeves, operator of Scapegaming, for copyright infringement. Scapegaming was offering its users access to private World of Warcraft servers, asking donations for the service. Apparently, Alyson Reeves raised $3,052,339 out of this operation. An U.S. District Court judge awarded Blizzard $88M, including, as gamasutra states, “over $3 million in disgorged profits, $85.4 million in statutory damages and $64,000 in attorney’s fees.” WoW, Alyson Reeves must have had a pretty lousy lawyer.

So, how did it happen? Is this ammount correct? Is the legal system faulty, was it a mock trial or simply did Alyson Reeves get what she deserved?

Well, I have a background in law. I never practised (and this is a good example why), but at least I can understand what’s going on and try to explain what happened in the end. Of course, the law I was taught is a lot different than the US one, as it’s a different legal system, but some of the basic principles are everywhere the same. One of these basic principles states that the injured party’s position should be restored, as if the infringement has never happened. The verdict should restore both parties to their initial positions.

Of course, this is not always easy, especially when we’re talking copyright. One way of doing it is by analyzing the losses the injured party suffered and the profits the injured party never made. Sometimes you have to choose between them, as you cannot ask for both of them. In the US, there is another way, by asking for statutory damages. What are they? Well, you can read here, but I think it’s too complicated for many of you, so it’s better if you try Wikipedia. When it is too difficult to establish how many copies were made or how many times the infringement took place, the owner can choose to receive compensation per work, instead of per copy (when the judge should have calculated the losses and the profits).

It seems that, during the trial, Alyson Reeves lawyers said that Scapegaming users were not aware they were accessing private, not legitimate, servers. It also seems the judge bought it and that’s why he calculated 427,000users times 200USD. The Scapegaming community had 427,000 members in June 2008. Blizzard submitted evidence showing that during the very same month Scapegaming hosted 32,000 users on a given day. Reeves stated that 40,000 people were playing on Scapegaming’s servers every day. These contradictory statements could have lead the judge to use the total number of members, instead of counting the active accounts.

So, what should have happened?

First of all, Alyson Reeves and her lawyers should have sent the full logs of the servers to Blizzard. Let them digg through the logs and check how many active accounts were on their servers at any given time. Alyson Reeves could have retrieved the statistics quite easily and if she said that there were around 40,000 accounts, let’s believe her for the sake of our (legal) exercise.

So, how much did Blizzard actually lose?

40,000 accounts times 15USD which is the regular WoW subscription means Blizzard lost $600,000 a month. Lets say the service operated for 3 years. I don’t know how long it actually operated, but let’s just assume it was 3 years. That’s 36 months. In this case, we have $600,000 times 36 months. $21,600,000. It actually makes more sense to say that Blizzard should have been awarded $21.6 million instead of $85.4 million.

From this point of view, Blizzard could have chosen to receive either the losses Alyson Reeves provoked, or the profit Alyson Reeves made out of the operation. Why not both? Because the profits she made, in this case, should be included in Blizzard’s losses. If the profits were higher, Blizzard could have asked for them, instead of the losses. This is where the system is faulty. If the aim is to restore both parties to their initial position (executing compensations in order to do that), then those $3 million dollars Alyson Reeves made do not belong to the parties, but to the people who donated, because the verdict should have put the parties in a state where THE INFRINGEMENT NEVER TOOK PLACE. If Alyson Reeves would have been forced to pay damages to Blizzard for copyright infringement, she should have been forced to return the money she made to the people she conned. So, any way, those $3 million should have never been awarded to Blizzard. Unfortunately, that’s theory we’re talking here. Or not!

Blizzard submitted evidence of the PayPal transactions. Blizzard asked for statutory damages, instead of losses (and profits). OK, why not summon to the trial all those who have donated? Why assume they did not know these were not official servers? This would have been a very good defence and this should have slowed Blizzard quite a lot. A judge cannot rule on assumptions. Burrying Blizzard’s lawyers in server logs and PayPal transactions could have lead to an understanding between the parties where Alyson Reeves had to return the profits and MAYBE go free.

Well, in the end, was it a mock trial? I don’t think so. I just think Alyson Reeves’ lawyers didn’t have the experience necessary to handle such a case and, of course, the system in its current form is faulty. Alyson Reeves has undoubtedly committed copyright infringement but, in the same time, $88 million is a ridiculous ammount, pretty much like the statutory damages concept. The system should adhere to the “reasonable royalty” concept, which tries to define what someone would have paid the copyright owner if a royalty system was available before the infringement.

The legal system should be used to restore the balance and put both parties in the initial situation, not give one party the chance for profit. Unfortunately, many legal systems today, including the US one, are geared towards profit, competition and marketing. If one serial killer gets 200 years in prison, the next one thinks something like “I can beat that, no problem!”. This way, the system generates competition and unwanted advertising. The system should never be used for such things. Give all serial killers prison for life (or death sentence if available) and that’s it, no more competition, hence lower criminal activity. All copyright owners who sue other parties should have the obligation to show how many times their rights were infringed or how many illegal copies were made and award them the right ammount of money for their losses. That’s just common sense.

Of course, Blizzard will never get those $88 million. What they get is what they intended to get in the first place, free advertisement. All the media picked up on this, but nobody judged Blizzard (or its parent company Activision) for it. They used the system to get free advertisement and to send a clear message to those who use their copyrighted content illegaly. I’m sorry, but IT’s WRONG. This is not what the legal system should be used for. If they actually tried to obtain some money from Scapegaming, then I would have believed their intentions were to shut down the servers and obtain damages, which would have been very well their right. Unfortunately, they used the system for other purposes, exposed in this article, and the system allowed them to do it. If this is not a faulty system, I don’t really know what is. Leave a comment below or discuss this in the forum (registration pending approval).

UPDATE: This is just one side of the coin. For the other side, check the comments below.

Published on August 17, 2010 10:31.
Filed under: GI Analysis Tags: , , ,

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  • http://gamaganda.net h0stile

    I understand your point of view. Unfortunately, I live in a country where software piracy is high and I know how they think and how they react to such actions. I also know that they don’t care about precedents. If everyone cared, we wouldn’t have piracy right now. They don’t care. It doesn’t matter how many precedents you set. Not to mention that precedents don’t have the same legal value in Europe as in the USA. So, from my point of view Blizzard did not manage to get anything tangible out of it and didn’t impress the other pirates with their statutory damages. This is why I say that the system failed Blizzard by allowing them to embark on a journey without a finish. Of course, it was Blizzard choice to do that, but they chose because the system allowed them.

    What if you could go to jail for not paying the 88 million? The moment when Reeves reached the jail, that and only that would be an example for other pirates. Unfortunately, the scenario I told you in my last post (The 88 million are only on paper and…. as they’re making more money.) is what pirates think when assessing the risk. For them, the benefits are still greater than the risks involved as long as Reeves is free and she doesn’t pay anything. For such people, our “clear precedent” is not that clear. For any message to be understood, the recipient must understand it the way you intend to. This is why what you transmit has to be tweaked depending on the beneficiary of that message. This message did not reach other pirates the way it was intended to and this can be part Blizzard’s fault but mostly the system’s fault.

    I know no one wants to hear that the system is faulty. It’s a very bold idea. The fact is that the system is a dynamic one and the need for change and improvement is ALWAYS present. It’s not that I’ve said anything wrong. If someone is searching for ways to improve or change the intellectual property laws, cases such as this one should be carefully analyzed.

    Of course, we’ll probably never know what happened to their community, if Blizzard offered them something. On the other hand, I remember Microsoft used to offer a special price for Windows, if their servers discovered that you had a pirated copy installed on your computer, so besides amnesty they threw in a little more to sweeten the deal. I don’t know if it’s a common practice or not, but it is a possibility and 427,000 should bring in some good revenue over the years. It’s better if you don’t miss it.

    Anyway, I’ve updated the article inviting the readers to check the comments, for the other “side of the coin”. This way, everyone will be able to judge for himself.

  • just like to point something out

    Blizzard stated that at a given time the server hosted 32,000 players.
    Reeves stated 40,000, both values could be rough estimates or values noted at different times, even retail servers have uptime and downtime in regards to total player count online.

    The 427,000 stated is in relation to overall accounts not users logged in.

    Also you said that the active users should be the ones acknowledged. but infact no. It would have to be total accounts because regardless of their active status, they still have an account and may or may not have played. It is still money lost is blizzards eyes and thats all that matters!

  • http://gamaganda.net h0stile

    Well, there is a catch with these cracked servers. Lets say I have 100,000 accounts. Some 10,000 play monthly but since there is no fee for playing, you can stop and restart at any time. This means that some of those 10,000 are probably not playing one month, while others start a again.

    Those 40,000 accounts that Reeves stated might have not been the same 40,000 accounts each month. It just means that around 40,000 were active each month, but not that the same 40,000 were active each month. So, we actually don’t know how many of those 427,000 have played or not but at one moment time, they were all active users (you don’t make an account if you don’t intend to play or at least test the server so we can safely assume they were all active accounts, if just for a little while).

  • Matt F

    If you want to rail at the system at large and call for reform, be my guest. Just about everyone does, sooner or later, including many of those that run it. Speaking in generalities, of course it’s flawed and has trouble keeping up with the times. It could stand a lot of fixing. The US legal system is the product of a large number of diverse opinions and influences, many at odds with each other. Anytime you have that many compromises in one place, you’re going to end up with something that doesn’t really satisfy in every situation. But I don’t think those flaws apply here.

    And I still disagree on a number of points. For instance, I expect that the main reason that pirates continue to do what they do is because they believe that they’re unlikely to get caught. For small-timers running bootleg software on their home PC or snapping up free music, that’s mostly true. But when someone starts monetizing the process on the scale of an MMORPG, they’re painting a big litigable target on themselves.

    A legal threat from Blizzard can no longer be considered a hollow one. Reeves’ life will not be unlivable by any means, but it will be more inconvenient. It’s not like Blizzard has to wait by the phone with bated breath for her to write a check. Property can be seized. Accounts can be frozen. Wages can be garnished. Locks can be changed. Vehicles can be repossessed.

    It’s not unheard of for people who ignore court orders related to debts to end up in jail briefly on contempt charges, so she has that to worry about as well if she decides to be uncooperative.

    That said, I don’t see much appeal in the notion of debtor’s prisons, especially given the condition of the world’s collected economies. As near as I can tell there’s not a lot of political enthusiasm for such a notion, either, so I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for a deadbeat supermax.

    As an aside, all of the statistics mentioned above could be correct. 427,000 could be total active accounts, with 40,000 peak concurrency and 32,000 typical concurrency. I don’t have those numbers at hand to be sure, of course, but it seems plausible.

  • Matt F

    On a personal note I want to say how pleased I am that we can amicably disagree. I respect you for airing a dissenting view where many bloggers would simply screen out such comments. Thank you.

  • http://gamaganda.net h0stile

    “I expect that the main reason that pirates continue to do what they do is because they believe that they’re unlikely to get caught”

    Well, yes, that’s what I was taught in law school. Actually, I think that’s just part of the reason. The reason is that bad examples greately exceed the ones that end with a verdict. I usually like to stick to reality, to the facts.

    I was also (recently) taught to look for competition. You know, they say you see the true person only during disagreements or arguements. That’s because of the nature of “conflict” (hence competition). Yes, I try to understand what a person thinks, BUT what a person thinks about himself or herself is usually the projection he “sees” coming from the others around him, friends or not, while he may be socially competing with them. That’s why most of the time we have a false impression of ourselves (because others project onto us their subjective image of us), so trying to understand pirates as individuals is not as advisable as trying to understand them as a group.

    It’s dual. On one hand, a pirate has so many examples to give you that he basically draws a general conclusion based on them. On the other hand, he feels like competing with the others or other groups and of course he thinks he’s better, smthing that boosts his confidence a lot. For him, losing is not an option. He does not recognize it as a valid option for the future or a likely scenario. He doesn’t believe he’ll get caught, because he never really thinks about it.

    It’s a social problem? It’s an educational problem? Dunno, maybe both, but don’t forget that every living being on this earth is the product of genes and the surrounding environment, in our case the society we live in, so no, I wouldn’t put the blame entirely on him.

    I’ve once asked my brother (10 years younger than me) how and why he is winning in every competitive video game out there. Of course, he also loses, but he mostly wins. He said that he never thinks about losing. All he knows is that he is going to win and he uses everything he has to destroy his opponent as fast as he can. So winning is not a thought. It’s feeling or an attitude, though I would have described it as instinct (with a good plan, I should add). Losing, on the other side, might be a thought or more. You’re usually losing when you think to much (for a variety of reasons).

    Back to our case, Reeves didn’t put a lot of thought in her little business, so yes, she was convinced she was winning. In the end, 3 mil. dollars will surely boost your confidence. But why was she thinking she was winning? Because all she did was to seize an opportunity. “There are people out there who like to play for free. I can deliver that.” While her attitude was the right one, unfortunately, her plan was wrong.

    Thank you for your appreciations. All I can do is quote from the About us (me mostly, for now) page: “gamaganda is an idea, a concept, a starting point. gamaganda is about ideas which spread and breed.” (other ideas). Interesting ideas are usually born out of respectful conflict. All I intend to do is challenge people to challenge me, in such ways that maybe some good things will come out of it. I don’t have some universal recipe. I may even be wrong sometimes. What matters in the end is the conflict. It keeps us all awake and aware. Aware of everything there is around us, while keeping all of our values and logic awake. That’s why I could never screen the comments (unless there is cursing or vulgar language but besides some spam, I never had any incidents).

    Anyway, I’ll write some more. Please stick around. We might find some other interesting topics to talk about.

    I have created new sections on my forum to allow for discussions there, so in case anyone’s interested please register and I will approve.

  • Jim K

    As much as I hate to say this, I simply can’t afford to play the game, I never played at scape but may have elsewhere.

    This game eats up much of your life, I work 2 jobs and have 3 kids, I enjoy playing games but with so many bills and so little time I won’t ever be able to pay for the game or have the time to play it at official rates, hell the computer I play my games on is older than the release date of Wow.

    Do you think if I were to play on a “copyright infringed server” that blizzard would lose any money at all from me? I know they wouldn’t. Now how many others of those 400k+ accounts are in the same position as me? Do you think if they had the money to play “Official Wow” they would? At least 95% of these private servers that do accept “Donations” do have a “Donation Agreement” that they need to accept before “Donating” to the “copyright infringed server”..

    You need to really think about why people play the “copyright infringed servers” and research how they play them before you can pass a judgment like this, 427K accounts, first things first its free so that means one person can have 100 free accounts if they wanted, highly unlikely but still possible, lets say an eight of the population has more than one account that is 50k accounts less than the 427k give or take. This could have been easily checked by accessing the database and checking what accounts are linked to the same IP.

    Some people play these servers not because its free, these are the people that accepted “Donation Agreement” when donating to the “copyright infringed server”, The official game is mostly useless to them, they want to play it have the money but do not have the time to play it at the rate needed to get anywhere so they donate, get levels and items that they would never be able to get due to real life stuff and not e-stuff, Blizzard isn’t losing money that they would have never earned from these people either.

    Again people like me but also people from other countries, how many of those accounts are linked to IP’s that are not subject to the “copyright infringement” laws that the US is? How many of these accounts are from 3rd world countries that 15$ can be a weeks salary.

    In conclusion, why is it this one person that has to pay this 88M$ when the people that “chose” to play on a “copyright infringed server” are the biggest part of the issue here, its them that should have to pay that 200$ not alyson. Every single person that signed up for scapegaming had to accept “terms of service” before playing on the “copyright infringed server”

    http://web.archive.org/web/20080618183223/www.wowscape.net/?act=Terms+of+Service

    ***Quote*** Note that by accepting the terms in the document, you are also waiving your right, to take any action, legal or otherwise, against anyone or anything related to WoWScape.

    In the end, the judge must have been paid or is completely incompetent, does this judge really think 427,000 people didn’t take the time to read the terms of service and since the person that was fined the sum of 88 millions dollars obviously cannot pay for it who is going to? U.S. Taxpayers are paying Blizzard 85 million dollars when most of the accounts created on there are not even from the United States of America. Its verdicts like this that disgust me, punish the county for the acts of the few.

    Oh I could go on.

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BenQ lanseaza proiectoarele cu tehnologie laser pe piata din Romania

Am fost azi la lansarea proiectoarelor cu tehnologie laser de la BenQ. Au avut apa minerala si pateuri. Dupa ce mi-am potolit setea (si la propriu si la figurat ca nu imi mai puteam lua ochii de la monstrul ala alb) a inceput prezentarea unde s-au laudat unii cat de tare e firma lor in Romania si in Europa pe piata monitoarelor si a proiectoarelor. Cu toate ca imi plac cifrele, trebuie sa recunosc ca nu prea s-au chinuit sa faca prezentarea un pic mai primitoare asa ca pana la partea in care au inceput sa ne spuna cate ceva despre caracteristicile noilor proiectoare am cam motait atent.

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Published on April 25, 2012 20:57.
Filed under: Bits, News Impact, What's Going On Tags: , , , ,

Five reasons why Microsoft will not deliver a touch-based controller for the next Xbox

Rumors. I love them. Rumors fuel our imagination and give us something to talk about. This one is about the upcoming Xbox console from Microsoft or, well, not about the console itself, but its controller. They say that Microsoft is testing a tablet like controller, which is basically an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks. I don’t think this is the case and here’s why.

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Published on February 19, 2012 15:13.
Filed under: Early Warning Tags: , , , ,

One more ACTA Fool

„Now them cops tryna throw you in them county blues BOY whatcha gon do? ACT A FOOL”  (Act A Fool lyrics by Ludacris)

Cu toate ca titlul ar putea sa va conduca la concluzia ca sunt un suporter al acestui acord, va marturisesc ca nu este asa. Voi incerca pe parcursul acestui articol sa fiu cat mai obiectiv cu putinta, iar asta pentru ca scopul meu principal este sa analizez textul in cauza si sa va ajut sa-l intelegeti mai bine.

Am sustinut ideea ca orice actual sau viitor protestatar anti-ACTA ar trebui, in primul rand, sa stie exact de ce protesteaza si impotriva cui. Nu te poti numi protestatar pana cand nu citesti textul macar o data. Poti sa citesti cate articole vrei si sa vezi sute de filmulete pe YouTube. Nimic nu va putea inlocui textul original. Din momentul in care ai luat hotararea sa iti exprimi opinia (sub o forma sau alta) pe marginea ACTA, trebuie sa citesti mai intai textul. In caz contrar, nu esti decat un papagal obosit care da din cioc pe Facebook ca ACTA e un rahat.

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Published on February 11, 2012 11:57.
Filed under: Early Warning, Pieces, What's Going On Tags: , , , , ,

Warner Bros., TT Games, and The LEGO Group Announce LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

The Highly-Anticipated Sequel to the Best-Selling LEGO Videogame of All Time Returns with Help from Super Heroes including Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern

Jan. 5, 2012 – Batman is back to save Gotham City and the action will only build from here! Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO Group are teaming up once again to announce that LEGO®  Batman 2: DC Super Heroes will be available beginning Summer 2012 for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, the Wii system, and Windows PC, as well as the Nintendo DS hand-held system, Nintendo 3DS hand-held system, and PlayStation Vita handheld entertainment system.  The game is the sequel to the best-selling LEGO  Batman: The Videogame, which to date has sold more than 11 million units worldwide.

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Published on January 7, 2012 12:58.
Filed under: News Impact Tags: , , , , ,

Microsoft Flight Takes to the Skies

Microsoft Studios reveals details on new PC game designed to bring flight to the masses

London – 05 January 2012 – Today, Microsoft Studios premiered “Microsoft Flight,” a new PC game that lets players jump into the challenge, fun, and freedom of flight. “Microsoft Flight” will be available as a free download this spring, giving players the freedom to fly the skies over the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii, complete a variety of exciting missions, test their skills in flying challenges, or find hidden aero-caches on the island.

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Published on January 7, 2012 12:44.
Filed under: News Impact Tags: , ,

Dynasty Warriors Next PS Vita Screens

DYNASTY WARRIORS NEXT, the brand new instalment built for the PS VITA, will allow players to use PS VITA’s breakthrough touch pad, rear touch pad and motion sensor for intuitive controls to fight their battles, as well as connect with others and enjoy an epic experience. Check details and screens after the break.

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Published on January 7, 2012 12:40.
Filed under: News Impact, Screens Tags: , ,

Release Dates and Pricing Confirmed for Choplifter HD

Newport Beach, CA – January 4, 2012 – InXile Entertainment today confirmed release dates and pricing for Choplifter HD across the PlayStation® Network, Xbox Live® Arcade and PC.  Choplifter HD will be available for download next Tuesday, January 10 on the PlayStation Network and PC; and will be available just a few hours later on January 11 on the Xbox Live Arcade.  Priced at $14.99 or 1200 Microsoft points, Choplifter HD is developed by inXile Entertainment.  InXile will publish the PlayStation Network and PC versions and will co-publish the Xbox Live Arcade version with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

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Published on January 7, 2012 12:34.
Filed under: News Impact Tags: , , , ,

NERFD GAMES introduce a brand new iPhone game Chix vs Aliens

Chix vs Aliens is a very addictive game inspired by classic arcade games like Gals Panic and Qix, merged with manga and anime style. You must use swipe gestures to control a rotating tracer that can trap the aliens and collect special powers. Every time you trace lines and close a shape you reveal a part of the bacground image, reveal 80% or more of the total surface and you complete the stage.

Avoid the aliens and be carefull they don’t catch your lines while tracing, you can also trap the big aliens to obtain special powers like 2x speed, time reset extra lives and more. After completing a stage the player unlock the bacground image in the gallery. Like in the classic arcade games there is an high scores panel where you can put your name or challange other firends. Over time you’ll discover many advanced techniques to complete the difficuklt levels.

New levels and and more will be coming on next updates.

The game price is 0.99 $.

iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/app/chix-vs-aliens/id486821421

Published on January 7, 2012 12:30.
Filed under: News Impact Tags: , , ,

The French Have Arrived! The new line of vehicles rolls onto World of Tanks stage

London, UK, Paris, FR and San Francisco, CA (5th January, 2011) — Wargaming.net, the award-winning videogame publisher and developer, is proud to present the long-anticipated line of the French tanks available in the all-new Update 7.1 for its free-to-play action MMO World of Tanks.

French vehicles will invade World of Tanks in two steps, and their first line available as of today features light, medium, and heavy tanks. Just as their historical prototypes, the in-game machines will have unique features and modules, including automatic loading system and oscillating turrets that will enrich gameplay diversity and require different tactical approach from players.
“Our players already know how to play with the “big three” tank nations, but the French are all-different,” says Mike Zhivets, Lead Game Designer for World of Tanks. “You’ll have to reconsider the way you think tanks behave before they let you tame them. And that’s what we love them for!”
The second part of the French vehicles will appear later in 2012 and will include tank destroyers and SPGs.
Join World of Tanks:

Published on January 7, 2012 12:28.
Filed under: News Impact Tags: , , , ,

Epic Games and ChAIR Entertainment Announce Earnings from Infinity Blade Franchise Exceed $30 Million

CARY, N.C. and SALT LAKE CITY (January 5, 2012) – Epic Games, Inc. and its award-winning Salt Lake City-based development studio, ChAIR Entertainment, today announced that earnings from ChAIR’s blockbuster Infinity Blade video game franchise have eclipsed $30 million in just one year since the introduction of the original game. One of the most popular gaming franchises to be launched on the App Store, the award-winning series has also created significant licensing interest in the underlying Unreal Engine 3 technology from developers worldwide. Details »

Published on January 7, 2012 12:24.
Filed under: News Impact Tags: , , , , ,

Square Off 1.5 Update for Windows Phone Released

PERTH, Western Australia – January 7 2012 – Gnomic Studios have just released a 1.5 update to both paid and FREE versions of the critically acclaimed Windows Phone 7 game Square Off.

“This update is like a late Christmas present to our existing users.” said Lead Developer Aranda Morrison. “Square Off and Square Off Free have had over 160,000 downloads on Windows Phone now, so it’s only right we repay those users who keep coming back for more.”

The full feature / update list includes:

- Choose any colour for your Square Avenger!
- Downloadable ring-tones and wallpapers (the free version has 1 of each, the paid version has 4 ring-tones and 3 wallpapers)
- Option to disable in-game vibration
- Messages from the Developers
- Stability and bug fixes

To celebrate this latest release, for a limited time Square Off will be on sale for only $1 US on the marketplace! The sale will last until the end of January 2012, so get in while you can!

The full game, priced at $1 US for a limited time can be found on the marketplace here: http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=3a3e5ed5-6570-e011-81d2-78e7d1fa76f8

The ad-supported FREE version can be found here: http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=6a8eef97-9b36-4caa-8d4b-bea5732406de

Published on January 7, 2012 12:21.
Filed under: News Impact Tags: , , , ,

A Release Date and Price: Courtesy of Amy’s Enemies

It’s time to make an appointment with your prosecutors …

Champs-sur-Marne, France - Lexis Numérique announces AMY’s release on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA in partnership with NAMCO BANDAI Partners).

Lexis Numérique, one of Europe’s biggest independent videogame studios, have also released images of some of the horrors that confront Lana and Amy during their journey.

The story takes place in December 2034. Global warming has taken effect, causing widespread disease and an upsurge in natural disasters around the globe. The small town of Silver City (Midwest, USA) is directly affected – mostly by a comet that has crashed into town. As Lana, one of Silver’s stricken citizens, regains consciousness – she witnesses the onset of a new kind of mayhem. Violent outbursts, fury, rage, wreckage and death: the world she knew seems to have gone to hell. More details after the break.

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Published on January 7, 2012 12:19.
Filed under: News Impact, Screens Tags: , , , ,

Gotham City Impostors to Launch in February

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment confirmed that the launch of Gotham City Impostors has been moved to February.

Gotham City Impostors is a download only title that will be available in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation Network and Windows PC.  Fans can go to www.GothamCityImpostors.com for updates and news.

Gotham City Impostors is an original download-only first-person shooter where up to 12 players battle for control of an unhinged Gotham City overrun by Impostors inspired by the DC Comics characters Batman and The Joker. Gotham City Impostors is an online multiplayer game unlike any other, giving players the opportunity to engage in unconventional urban warfare as they personalize their own Impostors.  Gamers will create their very own version of the Bats or the Jokerz characters using unprecedented customization options including insane costumes, homemade gadgets and a wide range of traditional and inventive weapons.  The game will feature maps and modes inspired by DC Comics’ Batman license.

Published on January 7, 2012 12:14.
Filed under: News Impact Tags: , , , , ,

EA and BioWare Unveil Mass Effect 3 In-game Pre-order Gear

Gear up and take Earth back in the Action RPG, Mass Effect™ 3! On March 6, Earth is ground zero in a battle to save the galaxy, and EA and BioWare are giving gamers an opportunity to arm themselves with cutting edge weapons and armor to prepare for the upcoming war.

Starting today, with each pre-order purchase of Mass Effect 3 at participating retailers, fans will receive the M55 Argus Assault Rifle*. Deadly at any range, the Argus boasts quick burst-fire to ensure ammo conservation and maximum accuracy on the battlefield. Details and screens after the break.

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Published on January 7, 2012 12:12.
Filed under: News Impact, Screens Tags: , , , ,

Prototype 2 – Official Blackwatch Communication and Key Assets

Alex Mercer

Alex Mercer was a brilliant scientist who worked for Gentek (the scientific arm of Blackwatch) prior to the initial Blacklight viral outbreak in NYC.  He worked directly on the Blacklight virus, increasing its deadliness by 1000%.  When news-leaks threatened the security of their work, Blackwatch closed the Blacklight project and ordered the entire staff killed.  Mercer stole a sample of the virus and escaped but was later cornered at Penn Station in NYC.  Rather than surrender, Mercer smashed the vial releasing the Blacklight virus.  The Blackwatch soldiers gunned him down and he was pronounced dead.

However, Mercer’s body was infected with the stolen Blacklight virus and was soon reanimated, albeit with complete amnesia.  The virus granted him super human abilities.  He worked to discover his past and later saved the city by defeating Elizabeth Green and foiling Blackwatch’s attempt to nuke the city and its citizens.  Afterwards, Mercer left NYC and observed humanity, pondering his own status amongst them.

Alex Mercer is an anti-hero both in deed and personality.  Mercer’s motivations and plans are utterly personal, and rarely take any human cost into account.  Even throughout the initial outbreak event, Mercer killed and consumed innocent people without remorse.  His attitude is grim and impatient.  He’s never shown any significant affection for anyone except: his sister, Dana; and his one-time girlfriend, Karen Parker (whom he later killed for betraying him to Blackwatch).

In short, Alex Mercer does not make friends easily and his goals for both Sgt. James Heller and the human race remain shrouded in mystery.

Key assets after the break.

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Published on January 7, 2012 12:03.
Filed under: News Impact, Screens Tags: , , , ,

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