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Above: A source from Blizzard China may have leaked a document detailing the company’s plans for the next five years

Following the leak of a lengthy clip from the last cut scene for StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm comes a leaked five-year plan production schedule for Blizzard Entertainment. The report comes from MMOGameSite.com. According to the site’s source, Blizzard China manager Ye Weilun has been held responsible for the leaked document and has recently resigned. The document includes projected release dates for Diablo III, the World of Warcraft movie, future upcoming expansions for all of the company’s major properties, and Blizzard’s brand new MMO codenamed ‘Titan.’ …

Above: A source from Blizzard China may have leaked a document detailing the company’s plans for the next five years

Following the leak of a lengthy clip from the last cut scene for StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm comes a leaked five-year plan production schedule for Blizzard Entertainment. The report comes from MMOGameSite.com. According to the site’s source, Blizzard China manager Ye Weilun has been held responsible for the leaked document and has recently resigned. The document includes projected release dates for Diablo III, the World of Warcraft movie, future upcoming expansions for all of the company’s major properties, and Blizzard’s brand new MMO codenamed ‘Titan.’ …

Nintendo’s handheld, Activision’s shooter reign supreme on last month’s hardware, software rankings–latter sells 8.4 million; US sales up 8 percent for best November on record.

Industry research firm the NPD Group has reported $2.95 billion in US game sales for the month of November, a 9 percent increase in overall sales of non-PC hardware, software, and accessories. Including PC games, the total was $2.99 billion, an 8 percent uptick over the same period the year prior.

“November sales represent the best November on record in terms of new physical retail sales. It bests November 2008 by roughly $30 million, and that time frame was at the height of the music/dance genre sales,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

The DS bested the Xbox 360 to be the month’s top hardware platform.

On the non-PC hardware side, sales were $1.08 billion, an increase of just 2 percent. And although NPD no longer releases its monthly hardware sales numbers, Microsoft and Nintendo were all too happy to oblige with their own figures. The Nintendo DS was once again the most popular platform in the land, selling 1.5 million units during the all-important month. In second place was the Xbox 360 with 1.37 million units, followed by the Wii with 1.2 million units. Sony had not released sales figures for the PlayStation 3 or PSP as of press time.

“The Xbox 360 was the best-selling console hardware system for the month, realizing an incredible 68 percent increase over last November,” said Frazier.

The biggest increase in sales was in accessories, which includes both the Xbox 360’s Kinect and the PlayStation 3s Move motion-sensing systems. Revenues in that category jumped 69 percent to $413.3 million dollars for the reporting period, which included Kinect’s November 4 launch. During the 25 days following the peripheral’s debut, some 2.5 million units were sold worldwide.

“The Xbox 360 Kinect was the best-selling accessory item in November,” said Frazier. “With one month of sales, it’s the top-selling accessory item in terms of dollar sales on a year-to-date basis.”

In one month, Call of Duty: Black Ops became the seventh best-selling game in US history.

Software sales rose just 4 percent to $1.46 billion, according to NPD. Given Call of Duty: Black Ops’ $650 million debut week, it will likely surprise nobody that the game was the top software entry for November.

“Black Ops debuted as the best-selling game in its launch month (in history) with Black Ops selling 8.4 million units at retail in the US,” said Frazier. “With only one month of sales, it has become the seventh best-selling game of all time, life-to-date.” She went on to say that Black Ops accounted for 25 percent of all US game software units sold during November.

Rounding out NPD’s top 10 was Ubisoft’s stealth action game Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood in second and another Ubi title, Just Dance 2, coming in third. In fourth was Madden NFL, followed by the Xbox 360-exclusive Fable III and the Wii-only Donkey Kong Country Returns. In seventh was Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, followed by the PS3-only Gran Turismo 5. NBA 2K11 was in ninth place, with Wii Fit Plus bringing up the rear in the 10th slot.

NOVEMBER 2010 US GAME SALES
OVERALL DOLLAR SALES
Total: $2.99 billion (+8%)
Non-PC total: $2.95 billion (+9%)
Non-PC hardware: $1.08 billion (+2%)
Non-PC software: $1.46 billion (+4%)
Accessories: $413.3 million (+69%)

TOP 10 GAMES
Title (Platforms) – Publisher
1. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, Wii, PC, DS) – Activision
2. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (360, PS3) – Ubisoft
3. Just Dance 2 (Wii) – Ubisoft
4. Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, WII, PS2, PSP) – Electronic Arts
5. Fable III (360) – Microsoft
6. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) – Nintendo
7 Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (PS3, 360, Wii, PC) – Electronic Arts
8. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3) – Sony Computer Entertainment America
9. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, WII, PC) – 2K Sports
10. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) – Nintendo

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Call of Duty: Black Ops has become the 7th biggest-selling game ever released in the US after just three weeks on sale.

According to NPD data released today, Treyarch’s shooter sold 8.4 million copies during November, easily conquering the monthly top 10 chart and accounting for 25 per cent of all software sales for the period.

Elsewhere in the chart, US buyers picked up more copies of Donkey Kong Country Returns than they did Sony’s Gran Turismo 5, though had slightly more time to do so. The former was released on 21st November, the latter on 24th November.

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Sony introduces rifle-like attachment designed for use in shooters like Killzone 3; $40 peripheral to launch in February alongside Guerrilla Games’ anticipated title.

When Killzone 3 is launched February 22, the Guerrilla Games first-person shooter will be used to highlight a number of Sony’s recent PlayStation 3 initiatives. In addition to featuring stereoscopic 3D technology and support for the Move motion-sensing controller, the game will be used to showcase the new Move Sharp Shooter add-on.

Finally! A peripheral for your peripherals.

Similar to Nintendo’s Wii Zapper, the $40 Move Sharp Shooter holds the primary Move controller and its Navigation sub-controller in a rifle-like configuration. (Sony has already released the Move Shooting Attachment, a pistol-like shell that holds the Move controller for arcade-style shooters but makes no allowances for the Navigation controller.) The Sharp Shooter will be compatible with existing games like Time Crisis: Razing Storm, as well as upcoming titles including SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs and Dead Space: Extraction.

For Killzone fans who prefer traditional control schemes, Sony is also releasing a new DualShock 3 color in February. The Jungle Green controller will sell for $55 and feature a green front and black backing.

For more on Killzone 3, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

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Sony is preparing to take the wrapper off a PlanetSide sequel, comments from Sony Online Entertainment boss John Smedley suggest.

Smedley told The Escapist, “We have a very big launch coming in the month of March. It’s a big first person shooter franchise that we’re really happy with.”

Might it be a sequel to widely-enjoyed 2003 MMOFPS PlanetSide, the interviewer asked? “Could be. We haven’t technically announced it.”

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An iOS-friendly version of the original Dead Rising has just arrived on the App Store, Capcom has announced.

It appears to be a slimmed-down port of the 2006 Xbox 360 original, complete with those virtual thumbsticks we all know and love, but with some new social features to get your teeth into.

According to the Capcom Unity blog, “When you die in the game you’ll have the opportunity to send out a distress call via Facebook or Twitter to your friends. If you’re revived, you and your rescuers will receive a bonus. However, if you die, you’ll rise as a powerful zombie in your friend’s game.”

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Blizzard handling Cataclysm’s influx of new and returning players by allowing complimentary transfers from and to selected realms until December 22.

Get the full article at GameSpot

A new DLC pack is on the way for PC strategy sequel Sid Meier’s Civilization 5, publisher 2K Games has announced.

The Double Civilization and Scenario Pack: Spain and Inca will be available on 16th December and lets players rule the Spaniards as Isabella or the Incans as Pachacuti.

There’s a brand new scenario too, set in the year 1492, where players have to set sail and discover a brave new world.

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Subscription level of Sony’s online service to get free preview of upcoming comic book-inspired massively multiplayer game.

When PlayStation Plus was announced at June’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, one of its perks was early access to beta tests of major games. Today, the
PlayStation Blog revealed that subscribers of the $50/year service will get early access to one of Sony’s biggest upcoming titles–the massively multiplayer role-playing game DC Universe Online.

PlayStation Plus subscribers will get early access to DC Universe Online.

Described as “coming soon,” the beta will be available at no charge from the PlayStation Plus area of the PlayStation Store. Non-PlayStation Plus subscribers can apply for a beta key by preordering the game and then following the instructions on the game’s official Web site.

Previously scheduled to launch last month on the PC and PlayStation 3, DC Universe online was
delayed in October by its developer, Sony Online Entertainment. Set within the DC Comics world, the game will let players create a superhero or villain and fight alongside or against iconic comic book characters, such as the Joker, Batman, Superman, and others.

For more on DC Universe Online, check out GameSpot’s most recent preview.

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