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Resident Evil creator talks buyout of Tango Gameworks by Bethesda Softworks parent, saying first project will be the last AAA title he directs.

Last week, Bethesda Softworks parent ZeniMax Media made the surprise announcement that it had acquired Tango Gameworks, a game development house helmed by Resident Evil creator and Vanquish director Shinji Mikami. Though terms of the transaction were not disclosed, Mikami’s studio focuses on AAA multiplatform game development.

Shinji Mikami

In an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu (relayed by 1up), Mikami filled in more of the how and why he became evolved with ZeniMax, which is based in Maryland. According to Mikami, he had begun shopping his studio around at the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo.

“I had been looking for a new business partner before all this, so I contacted 10 or so companies during E3, both Japanese and elsewhere,” he said. “Bethesda was the best match among them because they gave us the most independent development environment to work with as we pursue our goal of producing Japanese games that work worldwide–that, and their track record when it comes to overseas sales.”

The reason for he was searching for a business partner, Mikami said, was so that his studio wouldn’t have to deal with financial pressure.

“We didn’t want to have to live hand to mouth as a studio,” he said. “If we did that, we’d have to take on work we weren’t interested in just to pay the bills. That would then force us to expand our staff, and before you know it, we’d be thinking ‘This isn’t how we meant it to go.’ I gathered the people around me now in order to create the best worldwide market-driven development studio possible–the independence of that studio is secondary to that goal. I decided that we’d all be happier if we could take this shortcut to creating the great games we want to create.”

As for ZeniMax’s end of the deal, Bethesda Asia GM Tetsu Takahashi said that Mikami’s availability was a windfall. “We’ve been publishing titles from overseas studios in Japan for a while,” he said. “But one of our other goals was to publish Japanese games overseas if we found the right content match. However, it’s pretty hard to find creators whose work can really be appreciated around the world.”

While neither Takahashi nor Mikami were willing to discuss the studio’s first project under the Bethesda label, they did indicate that it will be a big-budget endeavor.

“That’s the only sort of title we’re interested in,” Takahashi said. “Any such project is going to involve tens of millions of dollars either way, so instead of cutting dev time and features and hoping for a million copies sold, it’s better to take your time, make something great, and aim for 5 million instead. We believe that there’s actually less risk when you do it that way.”

Lastly, Mikami noted that this project could be the last big-budget project he’ll direct. “That’s something I was planning for from the start,” he said. “I can only last for so long handling both director and company president duties, and besides, I want to give our younger developers a chance. Knowing that, of course, makes me want to put all of my experience, my energy, and everything else I’ve got into this game. I’m pretty lucky that [Bethesda] was willing to accept that, too. Too many publishers are only interested in the very near future, after all.”

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WWE and UFC publisher’s shortfall in line with guidance; maintains forecast for the coming fiscal year.

Following Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Capcom, Sega Sammy, Square Enix and Electronic Arts, THQ has become the latest game publisher to report earnings for the quarter ending September 30, 2010. The three month period saw the suburban Los Angeles-based publisher take a loss of $47.0 million ($0.69 per share), up from a $5.6 million loss during the same period in 2009. Revenue was also down, falling to $77.1 million from $101.3 million the year prior.

Financially, THQ took it on the chin during its last quarter.

One reason for the lowered income was a lack of THQ releases during the quarter, which saw UFC 2010 Undisputed for the PSP and Darksiders for the PC ship. In fact, in its earnings announcement, the company did not name-check any releases during the period, instead drawing attention to current-quarter releases, such as WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 and the new uDraw GameTablet. It also called out January-March 2011 titles, such as Homefront, WWE All Stars, de Blob 2, and the motion-sensing UFC Personal Trainer.

For the full fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, THQ expects revenues of $825-$855 million and a loss of $0.10-$0.20 for the full year, excluding one-time charges, such as restructuring costs, acquisition expenses, and stock-related compensation.

THQ also said its focus this fiscal year was to “position the company for growth” during its next fiscal year, which starts April 1, 2011. That will see the release of such high-profile titles as Saints Row 3, Red Faction Armageddon, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. It will also see former Assassin’s Creed creative director Patrice Desilets join THQ’s recently announced Montreal shop to form a new internal studio.

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It’s been a tough few months for THQ, judging by the publisher’s Q2 financial report released today.

For the fiscal 2011 second quarter ending 30th September, sales were down year-on-year from $101.3 million to $77.1 million. The publisher made a net loss of $47.0 million compared with $5.6 million over the same period in last year.

That said, THQ hasn’t had much product on the shelves so far this fiscal year, with the only notable release being the under-performing UFC Undisputed.

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It’s been a tough few months for THQ, judging by the publisher’s Q2 financial report released today.

For the fiscal 2011 second quarter ending 30th September, sales were down year-on-year from $101.3 million to $77.1 million. The publisher made a net loss of $47.0 million compared with $5.6 million over the same period in last year.

That said, THQ hasn’t had much product on the shelves so far this fiscal year, with the only notable release being the under-performing UFC Undisputed.

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Fans of delightful WiiWare platformer LostWinds rejoice – there’s more on the way, developer Frontier has revealed.

Frontier’s founder and chairman David Braben told Eurogamer, “It’s far from done and dusted – there are still many more stories to tell from [game world] Mistralis. We’ll keep you updated as we have news.”

LostWinds and its sequel have been among the highlights of the Wii’s download service. 2009’s Winter of the Melodias coaxed a near-perfect 9/10 from Eurogamer’s Christian Donlan.

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Xbox 360 maker increasingly bullish on motion-sensing camera’s sales prospects as launch approaches.

In September, the Microsoft predicted the Kinect would sell 3 million units this holiday season. Had Microsoft met that goal at $150 per stand-alone unit, the peripheral would have drawn $450 million in revenues compared to the $500 million the company is spending on a massive Kinect marketing campaign.

Microsoft hopes to make 5 million Kinect-tions this holiday season.

Those numbers have been updated to be more favorable to Microsoft, as the company confirmed for Reuters that its Kinect sales projections for the year have been raised to 5 million units. Although some of the cameras will find their way into homes as part of more expensive Xbox 360 console bundles, that many stand-alone Kinects would bring in $750 million in revenues.

At 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, Kinect will go on sale via three packages. The unit, which is compatible with any Xbox 360, will cost $150 bundled with the minigame compilation Kinect Adventures. Those two products are also part of a $300 4GB Xbox 360 package, which features the matte-finish, hard-drive-less version of the console, or a $400 250GB Xbox 360 bundle, which features the glossy-finish, hard-drive-equipped edition of the console.

A dozen Kinect-compatible games are expected to go on sale alongside the peripheral. Microsoft has three first-party titles in addition to Kinect Adventures: Kinect Sports, Kinectimals, and Kinect Joy Ride. High-profile launch titles from third-party publishers include Sega’s Sonic Free Riders and Harmonix’s Dance Central.

For more on Kinect, check out GameSpot’s Now Playing marathon, embedded below.

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PlayStation Store Update: Sony adds two Kratos installments to its virtual storefront; action strategy title Hoard, PS One classic Virtual Pool 3 also arrive alongside three new demos.

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Metal Gear Solid: Rising lynchpin Raiden is all set to moonlight in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

Joystiq reports that you’ll unlock the Raiden skin when you’ve finished the Animus’ new virtual training mode. See the screen below for proof.

This wouldn’t be the first time there’s been some cross-fertilisation between Ubisoft and Konami’s respective franchises. Assassin’s Creed’s Altair popped up as an easter egg in Metal Gear Solid 4.

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Chair Entertainment-developed action RPG bringing Unreal Engine 3 to Apple’s iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch later this year.

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Electronic Arts confirms casual/social spin-off for BioWare RPG series to launch in February as publisher signs five-year pact with social network to use Facebook Credits virtual currency.

Though Dragon Age is firmly ensconced in a medieval fantasy world, the series is in some ways more forward looking than BioWare’s futuristic sci-fi role-playing game series, Mass Effect. Last year, the Electronic Arts-owned developer used Dragon Age to explore browser-based gaming with the Dragon Age Journeys spin-off. Next February, the swords-and-sorcery series will expand into more uncharted territory with a new Facebook game called Dragon Age Legends.

Not even Farmville features a world this grim and bloody.

Although Dragon Age was rated M for Mature on account of “intense violence” and “sexual content,” EA is developing Legends for “Facebook users of all ages.” The game will also be built around casual and social play styles commonly seen on the networking site. Players will enlist the aid of their Facebook friends to work through a storyline’s worth of quests, upgrade characters, build their kingdoms, and earn exclusive unlockable items for use in Dragon Age II, which launches March 8.

While BioWare may be new to the world of Facebook gaming, EA has considerable expertise in the subject, thanks to its $275 million acquisition of Playfish last year. Playfish is best known for running Facebook hits like Pet Society, Restaurant City, and Country Story.

In other EA-Facebook news, the publisher has announced a five-year exclusive deal with the social network to streamline the microtransaction experience for customers playing EA games. As part of the deal, EA games on Facebook will only use Facebook Credits as their virtual currency of choice.

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