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Bethesda parent buys Tango Gameworks.
Bethesda parent company ZeniMax has bought Shinji Mikami’s studio Tango Gameworks.
The Resident Evil creator joins id Software, Bethesda Softworks and Arkane Studios in the ZeniMax-owned developer family.
Tango will work on AAA, multi-platform videogames. And Mikami will act as creative lead on each project.
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Parent of Bethesda Softworks, id Software adds the Resident Evil director’s Tango Gameworks to growing stable of developers.
It’s been a busy couple of months for Shinji Mikami. In September, the original Resident Evil director took the wraps off Shadows of the Damned, his joint project with No More Heroes creator Suda-51. Then earlier this month, Mikami launched the sci-fi shooter Vanquish, the latest title from the Platinum Games label he co-founded, to critical acclaim.
Mikami is back in the headlines today, as ZeniMax Media today that it has acquired Tango Gameworks, the developer’s own upstart game studio. No price was given for the transaction.
Though the only game currently featured on Tango’s website, Harakiri, is a bizarrely comic take on ritual suicide that runs in a browser window, the studio is “dedicated to AAA multi-platform game development.” Additionally, Mikami will serve as the creative lead for all of Tango’s future projects.
Tango is just the latest in a series of acquisitions ZeniMax has made in recent years. The longtime parent of Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda Softworks acquired Doom and Quake creator id Software in June of 2009, and added France-based Arx Fatalis creator Arkane Studios in August. According to ZeniMax, the Tango acquisition, “reflects Bethesda Softworks’ unwavering commitment to delivering premier titles to gamers worldwide.”
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“ZeniMax acquires Shinji Mikami studio” was posted by Brendan Sinclair on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 04:54:38 -0700 -
Acclaimed Japanese developer’s studio acquired by Bethesda’s parent company.US-based publisher, marketer and distributor ZeniMax Media has announced the purchase of Shinji Mikami’s Tokyo-based developer Tango Gameworks. Mikami will develop titles for ZeniMax subsidiary Bethesda Softworks.
Mikami is famed for directing titles such as Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4. His latest project is a collaboration under the EA Partners label with Suda 51, Shadows Of The Damned.
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Cryptic’s MMO revamp idea two.
Cryptic Studios is trying new things to bolster the popularity of MMOs Star Trek Online and Champions Online. Its newest invention? Player-made missions. And Star Trek Online will integrate them first.
Dubbed The Foundry, the toolset allows anyone to make a story, fill it with encounters and play around with the scenery. You can either start a world from scratch or tinker with pre-made templates – Cryptic even allows existing STO areas to be used.
But The Foundry is not a modding tool.
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Pokemon: Black/White not far behind.
Wonderful Wii platformer Super Mario Galaxy 2 has sold a whopping 5.1 million units worldwide, Nintendo has announced.
Mario’s latest deserves its sales success: we awarded it 10/10 in our June review.
Phenomenon Pokémon: Black & White, though, will no doubt top it as Nintendo’s best-selling game of 2010: the DS game is already on 4.07 million units having only gone on sale in Japan last month.
The sales stats are buried within Nintendo’s latest financial report. -
US-based publisher and developer says job losses following game launches are “vital to maintaining a healthy business”.EA has today confirmed that “seasonal roll-offs” have affected an undisclosed number of jobs at the company.
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Microsoft veteran takes the reins on the UK developer with a commitment to Kinect titles.Scott Henson, former product unit manager at Microsoft’s game technology group, has been made studio manager of first-party developer and subsidiary Rare.
Henson will replace Mark Betteridge, who will continue to work at the company in a more creative role. We interviewed Betteridge as part of our celebration of the studio which you can read here.
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Microsoft veteran takes the reins on the UK developer with a commitment to Kinect titles.Scott Henson, former product unit manager at Microsoft’s game technology group, has been made studio manager of first-party developer and subsidiary Rare.
Henson will replace Mark Betteridge, who will continue to work at the company in a more creative role. We interviewed Betteridge as part of our celebration of the studio which you can read here.
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Veteran players get early start.
FIFA 11 Ultimate Team will launch on 3rd November as a free download from the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, EA has announced.
If you’re already a FIFA Ultimate Team player you can start early by logging on to the official site from 27th October. Wait, that was yesterday!
Returning players will be rewarded with two free gold packs to help build their team ahead of launch.
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Did someone say 3DS?
Nintendo DS and Wii sales dropped significantly in the six months leading up to September 2010.
Nintendo sold 11.7 million DS units worldwide in the six months leading up to 30th September 2009. In the same period this year, it sold 6.69 million units a drop of nearly a half.
The Wii suffered a less dramatic drop – sales were down from 5.75 million to 4.97.
