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http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/ - Chris Morris reports on the business and culture of video games and offers analysis of recent events and industry trends.

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Modern Warfare 2’s splash effect

Published 8 hours ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

“Modern Warfare 2” is proving to be a benevolent king of the video game hill. The positive effects for Activision and its shareholders are pretty obvious. When you sell $550 million worth of games in five days, everybody’s happy. But Microsoft is seeing a big bump as well. Last week ...
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Machinima.com sets up its own gaming awards show

Published 38 hours ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Spike TV’s not going to have all the fun this awards season. Machinima.com today will announce a video game awards show called the Inside Gaming Awards – based on the site’s existing weekly program. Awards will be selected Dec. 11 – the night before Spike’s awards – and aired on YouTube on Dec. ...
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Happy fifth birthday WoW

Published 2 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Five years ago today, massively multiplayer online Happy games changed forever. At the time, we thought the number of players being pulled in by titles like “EverQuest” – with roughly 750,000 subscribers - were mind-boggling. We had no idea. It was on this date in 2004 that Blizzard ...
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PS3 gets ready for 3D

Published 6 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Sony’s plans in the 3D TV space have been known for a while now, but the company has finally confirmed rumors that the PS3 is going to be tagging along for the ride. In a presentation accompanying its earnings report today, Sony noted that it would “release 3D games in line with Sony’s 3D ...
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Spike TV ups the ante for its VGAs

Published 7 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Full disclosure up front: I’ve got a little history with the Spike VGAs. In 2004, I was a member of the advisory committee, helping the network pick the nominees and winners for several categories. I quit the board the next year, on ethical concerns, since the network was insisting that ...
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EA’s ax swings at Pandemic

Published 8 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Pandemic Studios has been always been something of a stepchild at EA, so when the company announced plans to cut 1,500 jobs last week the rumors started swirling. Today, they were sadly confirmed. EA is essentially shuttering the development house – laying off 200 people and shifting the ...
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Oct. sales – more bad news

Published 13 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

September saw a brief respite from the bad news, but October brought it in spades for the video game industry. Sales of video game software dropped 19 percent, compared to a year ago to $573 million. Hardware was even worse, falling 23 percent compared to a year ago to a little shy of $381 ...
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A few more “Modern Warfare 2” numbers to knock your socks off

Published 13 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

When a game can make the launch of “Halo 3” look rather pedestrian, that’s saying something. “Modern Warfare 2” is one of those games. Activision has released day one revenue of $310 million on sales of 4.7 million copies – IN JUST TWO AREAS. Those numbers only factor in the North ...
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GameStop lays out digital plans
weblogs.variety.com - 13 days ago
GameStop lays out digital plans
— weblogs.variety.com — The gaming industry’s leading brick and mortar retailer has an intriguing plan to take advantage of the... growing digital distribution field. GameStop COO Paul Raines, speaking at the BMO Capital Markets entertainment conference today, detailed ... (more) GameStop lays out digital plans
Comments vote down Destructoid found this 13 days agofound this
Modern Warfare 2 is already tearing up the charts

Published 14 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Tuesday’s launch of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” was already being forecast as the entertainment event of the year, but even that may have been underselling things. ELSPA reports that first-day sales of the game hit 1.23 million copies in the U.K. That’s roughly twice the number that ...
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Where does id Software stand on motion controllers?
weblogs.variety.com - 15 days ago
Where does id Software stand on motion controllers?
— weblogs.variety.com — id Software make shooters. It essentially invented the genre, in fact. So you might not expect the... team there to be particularly enthusiastic over the introduction of motion control sensors like Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s motion controller. ... (more) Where does id Software stand on motion controllers?

Comments vote down Blue's News found this 15 days agofound this
Behind the scenes at Epic Mickey – Part three

Published 19 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Warren Spector wants to be clear: Mickey Mouse wasn’t always as boring as he is today. And it wasn’t a deliberate move to rob the mouse of his mischievous nature. It’s just the way of the cartoon world. “It happens to every cartoon character,” he says. “They all begin as dangerous, ...
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Dedicated servers and Rage - news you probably don't want to hear
weblogs.variety.com - 20 days ago
Dedicated servers and Rage - news you probably don't want to hear
— weblogs.variety.com — id Software might want to brace for some rage over “Rage”. John Carmack, co-founder and technical wizard... of the developer, says the company doesn’t plan to support dedicated servers for the multiplayer component of “Rage,” id’s upcoming new ... (more) Dedicated servers and Rage - news you probably don't ...

Comments vote down Evil Avatar - News Items found this 20 days agofound this
Behind the scenes at “Epic Mickey” – Part Two
weblogs.variety.com - 21 days ago
Behind the scenes at “Epic Mickey” – Part Two
— weblogs.variety.com — Junction Point Studios has done some incredible work with animating Mickey Mouse for “Epic Mickey”. The screen... shots, honestly, don’t begin to do the game justice. To prove this, Warren Spector showed off some old cartoon footage of the mouse last ... (more) Behind the scenes at “Epic Mickey” – Part Two

Comments vote down Destructoid found this 21 days agofound this
Behind the scenes at “Epic Mickey” – Part One
weblogs.variety.com - 23 days ago
Behind the scenes at “Epic Mickey” – Part One
— weblogs.variety.com — After literally years of silence surrounding Warren Spector’s “Epic Mickey,” Disney and Spector are finally talking about... the project – and they have a lot to say. The company held a launch event recently in London, unveiling new details and ... (more) Behind the scenes at “Epic Mickey” – Part One

Comments vote down G4 TV - TheFeed found this 23 days agofound this
Where Disney currently stands with Natal

Published 27 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Given the family audience Microsoft is targeting with Project Natal, it seems natural that Disney would have a game ready for the system’s launch. That’s not a sure bet, though, says Graham Hopper, president of Disney Interactive Studios. “That’s an interesting question we’re deciding now,” ...
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Get your first look at James Cameron’s Avatar Dec. 1

Published 29 days ago by Chris at The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Ubisoft’s video game adaptation of “James Cameron’s Avatar” has a launch date. The publisher has confirmed that the title will come out on all platforms Dec. 1 – 2.5 weeks before the film. The film crew and game maker have been working closely together on the game, doing their best to ...
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