Activision

Speaking to Industry Gamers, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg welcomed the peripheral that gives 3DS a second analogue circle pad. "It makes the hardware more relevant and compatible to the style of games we make," he said. "I don't have anything to announce in relation to that, but I think it was a great move and it opens up that platform to more styles of games."

In July it was noticed that the domain modernwarfare3.com redirected to EA's Battlefield website. Activision sought to gain control of the domain, and a three-person panel at the US National Arbitration Forum has ruled in its favour. According to Fusible, the previous owner of the URL Anthony Abraham had argued that the phrase "modern warfare" was generic, but Activision satisfied three essential criteria: that the domain was identical or "confusingly similar" to its trademark; that Abraham had no legitimate interests in owning the domain; and that it had been registered and was being used in bad faith.

The publisher has announced Super Star Kartz, a kart racer starring characters from Dreamworks films including Shrek, Madagascar, How To Train Your Dragon and Monsters Vs Aliens. It will be released for DS, 3DS, Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 before the end of the year.

Speaking to Gamasutra at last weekend's Call Of Duty XP event, Activision's digital vice-president Jamie Berger said the social features in subscription service Elite will serve to unite the Call Of Duty playerbase, creating a holistic community from a previously hostile one. "One of the most interesting things to me is how positive people are in the service," he said. "People are being supportive; they're actually talking to each other, and amongst each other. [Elite] creates a social contract," he added, as Jean-Jacques Rousseau spun in his grave. "You try to treat your neighbours with respect. It starts breaking a lot of the bad assumptions about what a shooter is. It breaks down these anonymous walls and turns it into something where you start knowing each other."

Activision has reported a significant increase in digital revenues for the 12 months ended June 2012, driven in part by the increasingly popular Call Of Duty franchise. Speaking during a conference call with analysts today, which was listened in on by Gamasutra, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirschberg said the firm’s online revenues reached $1.7 billion during the period. The figure represents a 22 per cent year-over-year increase from $1.4 billion, and a 41 per cent rise from the $1.2 billion generated during the year ended June 2009. Hirschberg said the publisher has sold 18 million $15 Black Ops map packs to a still growing base of 23 million Black Ops owners. In comparison, Activision shifted 11 million $15 map packs to Modern Warfare 2’s 19 million owners, and nine million $10 map packs to World at War’s nine million owners.

Activision isn’t ruling out expanding into the social gaming arena, but it appears unlikely to do so aggressively through buyouts. Speaking about the high market value of social game makers, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg told Bloomberg: “Valuations of some of the companies in that space are out of whack, so that’s an issue when it comes to acquisitions.” The executive went on to say that while Activision may not have made any formal announcements on the subject of bringing its games to social networks, “any new place where people are playing games, at scale, is something that we’re interested in.” He added: “Don’t mistake careful, methodical planning for inaction.”

Despite Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg's claim last week that EA's bullish attitude in the run-up to the release of Battlefield 3 was "bad for the industry," it appears EA has no intention to tone down the rhetoric. Speaking to Industry Gamers, corporate spokesman Jeff Brown said: "Welcome to the big leagues Eric - I know you're new in the job but someone should have told you this is a competitive industry. You've got every reason to be nervous. Last year Activision had a 90 [per cent] share in the shooter category. This year, Battlefield 3 is going to take you down to 60 or 70. At that rate, you'll be out of the category in two to three years. If you don't believe me, go to the store and try to buy a copy of Guitar Hero or Tony Hawk."

Following last week's revelation that Arrested Development duo Jason Bateman and Will Arnett are to create exclusive video content for Activision's Call Of Duty subscription service comes news that Hollywood director Ridley Scott is also on board. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg revealed the news, and said: "Call Of Duty players share a common language and a common experience, and we think we can create some entertainment content that they will love and talk about and share."

When Activision announced its premium Call Of Duty subscription service, it said that in addition to its social, stat-tracking features, it would also offer "exclusive, high-production value, original entertainment programming designed exclusively for the Call of Duty community." The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that Will Arnett and Jason Bateman - who starred together in the sorely missed US sitcom Arrested Development - are to create it. "I consider myself a gamer," said Arnett. "When you look at my time spent gaming, versus other entertainment outlets, I probably spend more time gaming. Videogames are a real outlet that need to be taken seriously." Look out for Arnett doing Gob's chicken dance in a ghillie suit when the service launches alongside Modern Warfare 3 this November.

In a press release, the publishing giant has announced the first winners of its Independent Games Competition. Dstroyd, developed by Peter Angstadt, took first place and $175,000 in cash, while Engient's Rigonauts: Broadside took second place and $75,000. Any independent US game is eligible for the next round of the competition, with Activision pledging a total of $500,000 in development support to the lucky winners. Activision's Dave Stohl said: "The first round of the competition was very impressive, and we have thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to show our commitment to supporting the creative spirit and innovation of independent developers."

Alex Mercer's return was announced in December, but publisher Activision waited until this week's Comic-Con to confirm its release date. Ken Rosman, studio head at developer Radical, said: "We're thrilled to be at the point where we can show the game directly to our fans. It's always rewarding to see those first-time reactions to what we've been working on for the past couple [of] years." Prototype 2 will be released for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on April 24, 2012.

Activision has confirmed that GoldenEye 007, Eurocom's loose reimagining of the N64 classic that was released for Wii last year, is headed to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this autumn. Eurocom has again been tasked with development, and Activision promises HD visuals, 60 fps action and 16-player online battles, with the PS3 version supporting PlayStation Move and its Sharpshooter attachment.

Activision's stat-tracking, social subscription service for its Call Of Duty series has now entered beta on Xbox 360, ahead of its launch alongside Modern Warfare 3 in November. Some 2.8 million players have already signed up, and the publisher says invites will be sent out in stages over the next few weeks. Chacko Sonny, studio head of Beachhead, said: "A public beta with the massive Call of Duty community is the best way to generate the scale we need for end-to-end testing. We're looking to get as many participants in the beta as possible, so we ask that fans stay patient as we ramp up in the coming weeks." Activision is still accepting registrations for the beta - head to the source link below if you're interested.

One of the more interesting subplots of last month's E3 was the increasingly snide comments Activision and Electronic Arts made about each other's big 2011 shooters, the highlight of which was EA's reported refusal of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick's request for a Battlefield demo. The two firms have continued trading blows over framerates, engines and likely audience shares ever since, and while there's no suggestion that EA is behind the redirection of modernwarfare3.com to battlefield.com, it is evidence that the publishers' playful combativeness is beginning to trickle down to their audience. Some wacky sorts have also registered modernwarfare4.com, and have relaxed an initial demand for fast cars and ladies of the night. They're now offering Infinity Ward the domain in exchange for the inclusion of dedicated servers in Modern Warfare 2.