The quick cap news
* Peter Molyneux is to receive a BAFTA fellowship, the highest honour bestowed by the British arts award body.
* Tax breaks in the next budget might be in the works for UK games developers, as a measure to bolster the growing industry.
* Bioshock 2 DLC goes up and then down on GfWL. Despite the problems, 2K gave assurances that refunds would be given to those who purchased the originally free DLC.
* A new pro-gaming show, covering Intel-sponsored games, draws in 2.26 million viewers on Eurosport.
* Former RedOctane CEO attributes the death of the Guitar Hero franchise to abuse from Activision.
* Gabe Newell, managing director of digital distribution front-runners Valve, proposes a merit-based system for the purchasing of future DLC and, possibly, games.
* The US Federal Trade Commission are to investigate free-to-play games due to consumer fears that children did not understand the ramifications of in-game purchases.
* Yet another study concludes that there is no desensitising effect to video games. Thank you for saying, yet again, what gamers already know, and conservatives and identity politics groups will ultimately ignore.
* Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will feature DRM that is much more tolerable than its predecessor. No longer will gamers be required to remain connected to the internet constantly to show Ubisoft that they haven’t been playing a second-hand pirated game.
* Witcher II developer CD Projekt Red asserted its own opposition to DRM in its new game, preferring a focus on richer game content. It was conceded that DRM may feature in the game as a result of factors from other parts of the retail chain.
* Several former Bizarre Creations employees have started a new studio, Lucid Games. Backed by local concerns trying to keep talent within Liverpool, the studio may create up to 50 jobs.
Main news
Telltale Games have been in the news a fair bit recently. Besides the recent Back to the Future series of episodic games, the developer has announced games based on the Jurassic Park franchise to appear in April. Further, they are expanding their range with the acquisition of DC’s Fables and a revival of Sierra classic King’s Quest. Other things in the pipeline included a publishing deal for indie adventure Hector: Badge of Carnage and a sequel to the earlier hit Puzzle Agent. Also, they released a video chronicling the rise of digital distribution.
Also…
* You won’t find this side of gaming out from Fox… Chime brings in $96,000 for charity.
* If human rights abuses and lack of democracy weren’t enough, it’s a bad day to be a gamer in Vietnam.
* Wind Waker stained glass auctioned on eBay.
* Petroglyph announces closed beta for its new F2P DotA style game, Rise of the Immortals.
* Also, this is one cool dad.
Have a good weekend all.
