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Culture, Media and Sport select committee chair warns of the dangers of mixed messages from the British games industry.

September, ELSPA, the trade body representing games publishers in the UK market rebranded itself as UKIE–the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment. As part of that rebranding it changed its constitution to present itself as “a new champion for the entire video games and interactive entertainment industry.” This was met with puzzlement in some quarters, with Richard Wilson, CEO of development trade body TIGA expressing confusion at the move given his group’s success in lobbying the previous government for game industry tax breaks.

Richard Wilson (left) and John Whittingdale MP (right), at the House of Commons yesterday.

Now it seems that the government is also concerned that the new body may make it harder for the video game industry to push its agenda forward. Talking to GameSpot UK, John Whittingdale MP, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport select commitee and co-chair of the all-party group for video games said, “The government much prefers hearing a single voice.

“If you get different views from within the same industry the immediate reaction from within government is ‘go and sort it out between yourselves what you actually want before you come to us,'” Whittingdale continued. “I think there is a danger that there might be some confusion if you have different bits of the industry saying slightly different things,” he concluded.

Wilson, however, was dismissive of the government’s concerns. “I think government sometimes exaggerates the issue of asking the industry to speak with one voice,” he said. “I think ministers are often inclined to want the least amount of trouble,” he concluded, pointing to the success TIGA had had in putting the industry’s case across to government in the past and the success he claimed was continuing to have on matters such as education and immigration. Despite Wilson’s bullishness though, both TIGA and the industry at large has continued to have trouble securing tax breaks from the current government, failing to stop the perceived “brain drain” to competitors such as Canada.

Michael Rawlinson, director general of UKIE, was similarly dismissive of any dangerss presented by the two bodies making their own case given their differing agendas. “Where our agendas align, for example on tax breaks, UKIE and TIGA speak to Government with one voice,”
he said. “UKIE and TIGA represent the needs of their members, all of whom are part of the video games industry. UKIE“s remit is also to represent the wider interactive entertainment industry, on a range of issues to government as directed by our members,” he said.

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Studio director Mick Hocking reaffirms Sony’s commitment to 3D and discusses holographic displays.

Speaking to Develop, SCEE studio director Mick Hocking has revealed that there are more than 50 stereoscopic 3D-enabled games in development for PlayStation 3. 20 of them are being worked on in-house at Sony, including Killzone 3 and Gran Turismo 5.

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Atari drops release date for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC racer following August delay to Q1 2011; North American preorder incentives announced.

Last week Electronic Arts released Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, a reboot of the storied franchise. And tomorrow, the often-delayed and greatly hyped Gran Turismo 5 finally arrives for the PlayStation 3. Now, another racing entry is revving its engine.

Gamers get behind the wheel in February.

Atari today sent word that Eden Games’ Test Drive Unlimited 2 will debut for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on February 8, 2011. The title was delayed in August, with the publisher swapping the title…s September release date to a vague first quarter of 2011 release window. The schedule adjustment was enacted to give its developer more time to polish the game’s connected console multiplayer experience.

In addition to dating Unlimited 2, Atari passed along information regarding the game…s North American retailer-specific preorder incentives. Those who reserve the title at specialty retailer GameStop will earn the Casino Online downloadable content, while those who preorder the game at Amazon, Best Buy, Atari.com, Direct 2 Drive, K-Mart, Steam, and Wal-Mart will receive an exclusive vehicle. For more on the preorder incentives, check out the entry on Test Drive Unlimited 2’s website.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 will see players racing in locations that include the Spanish party hot spot Ibiza and the paradise island of Oahu from the original title. In addition to new vehicles, race types, and a revamped single-player mode that can be played online or off, the game will give players the chance to build and grow in-game clubs composed of friend networks.

For more on the racer, check out GameSpot’s most recent hands-on preview with Test Drive Unlimited 2.

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A forthcoming patch for Fable III will fix corrupted game saves, spawning issues and frame-rate dips, according to an update from developer Lionhead Studios.

The studio said that it “has been hard at work addressing gameplay issues” on its critically-acclaimed but bug-heavy Xbox 360 epic.

The issues it’s looking to tackle include:

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Xbox Live Update: Arcade racing title arrives alongside Understone Quest Pack for Lionhead’s action RPG; Joe’s Adventure expansion for 2K’s mob title also out; Black Friday savings begin.

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Xbox Live Update: Arcade racing title arrives alongside Understone Quest Pack for Lionhead’s action RPG; Joe’s Adventure expansion for 2K’s mob title also out; Black Friday savings begin.

Get the full article at GameSpot

European reports indicate Bethesda’s next big project will be a “chronological” follow-up to award-winning 2006 fantasy RPG.

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European reports indicate Bethesda’s next big project will be a “chronological” follow-up to award-winning 2006 fantasy RPG.

Get the full article at GameSpot

Japanese giant among the list of exhibitors for next year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Nintendo has confirmed that it will be attending the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, taking place next January 6 to 9. The company, which has a reputation for eschewing trade events in favour of its own, last attended CES in 1994 which makes its upcoming appearence the first in 16 years.

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The third UK midnight opening of November happens tonight for Gran Turismo 5.

GAME will open 55 shops and Gamestation 38 to welcome Sony’s flagship racing series to PS3 – not quite the combined total of over 400 shops the pair managed for Kinect.

To see whether a store near you will be open, check either the GAME or the Gamestation website.

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