Publishing

The splintered relationship between Electronic Arts and Valve appears to have worsened, with Gamestop now claiming that Battlefield 3 will be blocked from Steam. The upcoming EA DICE shooter will be available digitally on other platforms, including Gamestop’s, an unnamed executive at retailer also said. Financial research firm Baird recently …

Publishers 'are receptive to a Steam rival', research firm Baird says

State support helps increase investment in EA Sports games, exec says

Ubisoft is the latest publisher rumoured to be introducing an online pass that charges pre-owned buyers extra for in-game content. Gamerzines is reporting that ‘Uplay Passport’ will restrict access to online multiplayer in upcoming racer Driver: San Francisco. Only those who buy the game new – or buy a code …

Ubisoft Australia have appointed Nehad Kenanie as their new PR and promotions executive. Nehad rounds out the existing team of Mikey Foley and Anna Chance, and brings experience in tourism and finance, as well as significant experience in consumer technologies. Formerly a consultant at Profesional Public Relations (PPR) where he …

Anomalous Interactive, an indie developer from Melbourne, has announced the release of its first game: Slingshot Justice. The title is a point and click arcade shooter which sees a schoolyard vigilante doling out comeuppance to local bullies, and retails on the App Store for $0.99. Ryan Keable, co-founder of Anomalous, …

LA Noire debuts at No.1, followed by fellow Western-developed games Infamous 2 and Goldeneye

The man in charge of Sony’s network entertainment division has outlined the lessons learned from PSN’s hack attack. Speaking at the Gamesbeat 2011 conference in San Francisco, Tim Schaaff told VentureBeat recovering from a major hack is about more than just improving security. Sony switched off its online gaming PlayStation …

Build an online ecosystem first, make money from it later, says EA chief

Social games giant lost out to EA's potential $1.3 billion buyout