Former MS exec and Lionhead boss names Apple, Google and Samsung as rivals.
Good old Peter Molyneux, never a man at a loss for a bold claim. Mere hours from Microsoft's next gen Xbox event, Lionhead's old boss has told the BBC that Xbox 360 is the big winner this generation. Moreover, Molyneux argues that the manufacturer no longer competes principally with Sony and Nintendo - it's taking on broad entertainment hardware companies such as Apple, Google and Samsung.
Christmas launch seems probable.
In news that probably won't surprise many, Microsoft's next generation Xbox appears to be on track for a late 2013 release. That's in light of a new Digitimes report (via GI), which suggests that mass shipments of components will begin in Q3 and peak in Q4.
EA and Microsoft quite possibly in cahoots.
The Battlefield 4 team are throwing out less than subtle hints that they may have some kind of involvement with the Xbox Reveal later today. That'll mean sharing a stage with Call of Duty: Ghosts, if it happens. Let's hope the two games don't fight.
Senior concept artist's CV spotted and later pulled.
The big day is finally here - how are we all feeling? Excited? Worried? Decidedly blas#233;? Ahead of any concrete announcements later, it's good to see the rumour mill is still chugging along.
"See the next generation of FIFA".
I promised Jonty I'd never type this word, but he's away from the office at the moment, travelling to the next generation Xbox event, so - BOOM. FIFA 14 will appear at the event, pointing to a significant exclusivity partnership of some kind 'twixt EA and Microsoft.
Gunslinger, Batgirl, Dark Souls deals and more.
There's some kind of Xbox-related to-do this week, but if you have a few moments to spare outside of frantically refreshing our constantly updating newsfeed and fancy new liveblog, consider perusing this week's list of What's New.
4J confirms work on new features for Minecraft on console.
4J Studios has confirmed work on Minecraft Xbox 360 title update 12, adding that it'll be "based on Java version 1.2.3, with a few features from later versions".
Gotham still not a very nice place to live, evidently.
History was made about five minutes ago when Aoife failed to identify all the characters in the latest Batman: Arkham Origins screenshots. Check out the mysterious chap projected onto the wall - who is he, exactly? Current possibilities include Shazam (the hooded Injustice Shazam, not his campier predecessor) and Azrael, Batman's somewhat mental stand-in.
Well OK, it's 4:53. Sue us.
Warner has released the promised Batman: Arkham Origins, which was teased last week. It contains footage of the Dark Knight messing up people in balaclavas. A side-swipe at Call of Duty: Ghosts, perchance? Probably not. Go watch.
Has Turn 10 got a new racer on the boil?.
Hark, the rumbling of distant engines. Microsoft has filed a trademark for "ForzaVista" as applicable to videogame software, pointing to a Forza Motorsport announcement at the next generation Xbox reveal event tomorrow.
Reboot of 1997 action title goes public.
Ever hear of Shadow Warrior before? Apparently it was a Game of Note back in 1997. I can't "speak to that", as the corporate lingo goes, but I can tell you that the reboot in the works at Hard Reset is decidedly pretty. Nice score, too.
New GTA's online will build on that of Max Payne 3.
We like what we've seen of GTA 5's single player, but the multiplayer is still a bit of a mystery. Thankfully, the mists are clearing. In a brief aside during a post about Max Payne 3 (spotted by the fine folk of Gameranx), Rockstar has promised to release concrete details shortly.
"It's an unbelievable game," says Conroy.
Bat fans, rejoice! After some uncertainty, veteran voice actor Kevin Conroy has been confirmed to return to his long-standing role of Bruce Wayne in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins.
In-game environments, characters and weapons revealed.
Infinity Ward has released some early footage of Call of Duty: Ghosts on Vine. Turns out there are men with guns in it. Other confirmed features: helping people up, jungles, suppressed sniper rifles, exploding churches and, um, faces. We are officially through the looking glass, my friends, operating in unfamiliar waters.
"E3 is all about the games," says Aaron Greenberg.
Microsoft's next Xbox reveal will be more about hardware, according to Interactive Entertainment Business boss Aaron Greenberg, while its E3 show will be more about games. Not just any games, though, my darlings. We're talking "tonnes of exclusives".
Will let Xbox 360 and next gen Xbox players interact.
There's another Xbox 360 dashboard update on the boil, if Verge sources are worth their salt. Microsoft will release the new dash update into public beta during late June or early July, the site claims, in order to prepare the ground for the launch of the next generation Xbox later in the year.
Job listings point to a shooter and a strategy game.
Halo: Anniversary studio Certain Affinity is developing two Top Secret Somethings, as a combination of LinkedIn crunching and stalking of the company's job pages reveals. One could be a third-person shooter, the other may be a strategy experience of some kind. Both are likely to do online in a very big way.
"To be honest we've been expecting cutscenes to move to real-time engines for many years now.".
Some people think non-interactive cutscenes have no place in videogames, that they're a "lazy" capitulation to older media. Axis Animations director Stuart Aitken says different. Speaking to OXM in our latest issue, on sale now, Aitken spoke out against the detractors, and discussed how the relationship between static and interactive entertainment may evolve next gen.
Has Microsoft nailed down a formal title yet?.
Another day, another minor disclosure on LinkedIn. Alex Harper, a senior gameplay engineer at EA, has revealed that he's presently "developing and maintaining" gameplay code for next generation platforms.
Second batch of DLC characters and costumes launching soon.
NPD reports that Injustice: Gods Among Us was the highest selling video game in the United States for the month of April, despite game hardware and software sales being down 25% in the month overall.