Bam! Entertainment will publish Reign of Fire for Xbox. Title is based on action film of same name from Walt Disney Studios and Spyglass Entertainment starring Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale, scheduled to be released theatrically next summer. Game, already being produced at U.K. development studio Kuju Entertainment, is to ship next fall.
As EchoStar reportedly lined up $5.5 billion in financing for its bid to buy Hughes Electronics, Hughes reported 3rd quarter net loss widened to $227.2 million from $93.8 million year earlier. Loss includes $65 million charge on 2% work force reduction. EchoStar executives declined comment at our deadline on financing reports. Hughes also took $212 million noncash charge for revaluation of its SkyPerfecTV investment in Japan. Overall revenues rose to $2.1 billion from $1.6 billion year ago.
U.S. computer and video game industry raised $1.5 million Tues. night at annual “Nite to Unite -- For Kids” charity dinner. Money was raised for various charities. Interactive Digital Software Assn. (IDSA) said it was donating additional $500,000 to organizations working to aid victims of last month’s terrorist attacks. At event, late Sega Corp. Pres.-Chmn. Isao Okawa was posthumous recipient of IDSA’s Champion Award and Sega of America donated $50,000 in his honor to IDSA Foundation. Microsoft Chmn. Bill Gates also announced Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would contribute $200,000 to IDSA Foundation in memory of Okawa. Co- chairs of event were Capcom Entertainment Pres.-CEO Bill Gardner, Microsoft Chief Xbox OFficer-Senior Vp Robbie Bach, Nintendo of America Exec. Vp Peter Main, Sega of America Pres.-COO Peter Moore.
Theatrical posters from 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope will be available for $19.99 at Suncoast and Media Play video chains to coincide with this week’s DVD debut of recent Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
Electronics Boutique (EB) revised its earnings estimate for 3rd quarter ending Nov. 3. Computer and videogame chain based in W. Chester, Pa., said although it still expected to report year- over-year improvement in income, result would wind up being at low end of previously announced estimate of 11-14? per share. Company posted 6? per share profit for same quarter year ago. EB said it expected to report 3rd quarter sales would fall below estimates but with better-than-expected gross margins due to enhanced operating efficiencies and benefits from expansion of its preowned videogame business. Chain said comparable-store sales would “be in the negative single-digit range” after “delays in consumer purchases attributable, in part, to the events on and after September 11.” EB Pres.-CEO Jeffrey Griffiths said mall traffic was “not at last year’s level [but] appears to be improving and we remain optimistic that the last few weeks of October, a traditionally robust sales period, will be strong.” But he said it was “difficult to gauge the continued impact of recent events on consumer spending.” EB, he said, still expected “videogame market will grow more than 25% annually over the next few years.” Griffiths said “a number of software title introductions were delayed to late in the quarter or have been shifted by publishers from the 3rd to the 4th quarter.” He said that would coincide with U.S. rollouts of GameCube (Nov. 18) and Xbox (Nov. 15). Griffiths also said sales of PlayStation 2 console had “been particularly strong in Australia and Europe since Sony’s price reduction in late September.” Meanwhile, shares in U.K. Electronics Boutique dropped Wed. after U.S. EB sold its 18% stake (66.4 million shares).
Random House’s Prima Games Div. will write, publish and distribute official strategy guides for first party Xbox titles under exclusive 2-year agreement announced Tues. with Microsoft. In separate announcement, Solectron Global Services said it signed agreement with Microsoft under which it would handle all aftermarket service support for Xbox, including warranty and out-of-warranty repairs. Financial terms of deals weren’t disclosed.
Intel is shipping 3 new PC accessories this month: Intel Play Digital Movie Creator ($99), Personal Audio Player 3000 ($149.99), Pocket Digital PC Camera ($149.99). Movie Creator is billed as easy-to-use digital video movie camera and movie-making software package that enables kids to use PC to make their own movies. It comes with built-in microphone and camera base with connected USB cable. Audio Player 3000 supports MP3 and Windows Media Audio formats and has 64 MB of built-in Intel StrataFlash memory for up to 2 hours of digital music or more than 10 hours of spoken word audio. PC Camera captures still images and video that can be posted to personal Web site or sent via e-mail. It has 16 MB built-in memory and can capture up to 256 digital images. Camera comes with Intel Create & Share software, including Broadcast Live, Digital Puzzle, Movie Builder, Video Phone, Virtual Studio.
World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWF) and DirecTV have parted ways after failing to reach agreement on extension of pay-per-view contract. WWF said it ceased offering PPV programming on DirecTV after companies couldn’t reach agreement on how revenue would be divided. They had been negotiating since previous agreement expired in Jan., and WWF had granted several extensions in hopes of reaching settlement on new pact, it said.
Retailers attending PlayDate product showcase in N.Y. expressed confidence Tues. that upcoming holiday shopping season would be strong one, helped in large part by videogame category.
Eleven pay-to-play games for Web-enabled phones will be offered to Telus Mobility subscribers under deal with nGame Ltd. Under agreement, Telus Mobility will be first Canadian operator to offer Rat Race game to its users. NGame said Rat Race was first mobile Internet phone title based on major movie license to be released in N. America.