New Games: Parental watchdog groups, politicians and other videogame critics will likely have a field day with THQ’s upcoming game The Sopranos, based on the hit HBO TV show of the same name. A demo of the game provided by THQ in N.Y. this week showed that the title, like the show, will have wall to wall violence, profanity and nudity. The company said the game will ship for PS2 at $39.99 and Xbox 360 at $59.99. The demo Consumer Electronics Daily saw didn’t include voice work by actors from the series but the company said the show’s cast recently completed voice-overs that will be added for the final version. Other upcoming 2006 games spotlighted by THQ included SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from Krusty Krab for PS2 and GameCube at $39.99, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS at $29.99, PC at $19.99 and Wii at pricing to be determined. Associate Brand Mgr. Sam Guilloud said the Wii version will ship in Nov., the month Nintendo’s next console is widely expected to ship. But Nintendo hasn’t announced a specific launch month -- nor has it even confirmed that the system will ship in every major market this year. The game wasn’t demonstrated on a final version of the Wii console, but Guilloud said the company had received final development kits for the console and is confident the game will be finished in time for Nov. release. Also demonstrated was Cars, based on the current hit animated Disney/Pixar animated movie of the same name. THQ is releasing versions of the title for all major platforms. Guilloud said the game will be THQ’s first children’s title for the 360 when it arrives in Nov. He added that a Wii version is expected to ship in time for the DVD release of the movie late this year… In its first week available, the PS2 version of Take-Two Interactive’s PSP game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories was the top-rented videogame in the U.S., according to Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended June 11. The PS2 version of THQ’s Cars, meanwhile, was #2 in its first week. Activision’s X-Men: The Official Game for PS2 -- the previous week’s #1 title -- dropped to #4… Midway Games said it acquired the publishing rights to select titles from Epic Games’ catalog of existing Unreal PC games including Unreal and Unreal Tournament. The terms weren’t disclosed. Midway also said it plans to publish Unreal Anthology for PC -- the first compilation of Unreal and Unreal Tournament titles -- this fall at $29.95 in the U.S. Included will be Unreal, Unreal II: The Awakening, Unreal Tournament and Unreal Tournament 2004. Midway will also publish Unreal Tournament 2007, the companies said.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued the preliminary results of its third antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty administrative reviews for certain softwood lumber products from Canada, as follows:
On June 6, 2006, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5441, the fiscal year (FY) 2007 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), etc. (See ITT's Online Archives or 06/09/06 news, 06060905, for BP summary.)
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its preliminary results of the following antidumping (AD) duty new shipper reviews as well as the following countervailing (CV) duty administrative review:
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued a final report to the President in connection with its investigation of proposed modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) that are expected to take effect on January 1, 2007.
These preliminary results are not in effect and may be amended in the final results of these AD duty administrative reviews, which are currently due within 120 days of May 11, 2006 (Japan) and May 31, 2006 (Korea).
Pursuant to the Offset Act1, also known as the Byrd Amendment, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice in the Federal Register of its intent to distribute assessed antidumping (AD) or countervailing (CV) duties for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006. Written certifications to obtain a continued dumping and subsidy offset under a particular AD/CV order must be received by July 31, 2006.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued a final report to the President in connection with its investigation of proposed modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) that are expected to take effect on January 1, 2007.
In its first week available, Hitman: Blood Money from Eidos for PS2 was the #2-rented videogame in the U.S., according to Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended June 4. But Rentrak said the PS2 version of Activision’s X-Men: The Official Game was, in its 3rd week, the #1 title again. The Xbox version dropped 3 to #7. The only other new game in the top 10 was Majesco’s Jaws Unleashed for PS2 at #10 -- a rare top 10 showing for the struggling publisher.
The Entertainment Software Assn. (ESA) and Entertainment Merchants Assn. (EMA) sued Tues. seeking to void a new game law in Minn. The trade groups called the law -- which would make it illegal for kids under 17 to buy or rent an -- or AO- rated game -- “unconstitutional” and “unenforceable.”