The Sims 4 Offers Offline Option

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Electronic Arts and Maxis have announced The Sims 4 for PC and Mac today, with a planned release date in 2014. Perhaps acknowledging the challenges of maintaining an online infrastructure for a game, The Sims 4 is explicitly described as a “single-player offline experience.”

It was also announced that The Sims series has sold more than 150 million units worldwide. The Sims has seen the release of three full games, 18 stuff packs, and 24 expansions with another two expansions planned for this year for The Sims 3.

Ubisoft Requests Title Change For Super Ubi Land

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Notion Games has revealed that they have received emails from Ubisoft about their title Super Ubi Land over possible brand confusion. The indie title has released on PC, Mac, Linux and Wii U.

“Been exchanging emails with Ubisoft. Unfortunately, we have to change the title of #SuperUbiLand,” said Notion. “Ubisoft is not doing anything wrong. They’re protecting their business just like any small business would. They don’t want Notion infringing on their brand. They’re being fair.”

Source: Twitter.com

PepsiCo Severs Ties With Lil Wayne

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PepsiCo is cutting ties with Lil Wayne over the rapper’s crude lyrical reference to civil rights martyr Emmett Till, despite Wayne’s apology. This follows the pulling of an ad that was criticized for portraying racial stereotypes and making light of violence toward women.

Music and media industry executive Paul Porter has complained about both the Lil Wayne collaboration and the Mountain Dew video on his website RapRehab.com. He believes that PepsiCo is trying “to do the right thing now” and that the company is “doing a whole evaluation of the process” involving its commercials and musicians, based on his conversations with the company.

“I commend them for making this strong judgment,” he said. “Lil Wayne’s apology was not an apology.”

Source: SFgate.com

Marvelous Rejiggers XSEED Division

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MarvelousAQL has announced that its U.S. publishing subsidiary XSEED JKS is being rebranded as Marvelous USA, with Shinichi Suzuki as the president and CEO. This new division will retain the XSEED Games brand for publishing PC, console, and handheld games and Marvelous Online (bolstered earlier this year by the addition of the Atlus Online team) for mobile and social titles.

“Marvelous USA unifies our U.S. operations under the global Marvelous brand while giving our customers topnotch products and support for both traditional and online social and mobile games,” said Suzuki. “Our XSEED Games console and PC brand will continue to offer the quality games and service for which it is known, and Marvelous Online gives us expanded reach into mobile and online social gaming markets.”

Ken Berry will continue as executive vice president of the XSEED Games label, managing all publishing, marketing, and localization efforts for the brand while Marvelous Online will be run by the recently appointed senior director Tatsuya Nishioka. Both Berry and Nishioka will report directly to Suzuki.

Nook Getting Google Apps

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Barnes & Noble has announced that they will bring Google Play to their Nook devices. This news comes after the revelation that the Nook underperformed during the 2012 holiday season and early 2013.

“It opens up a whole world of content and really gives [Nook] HD and HD Plus a unique position,” said William J. Lynch Jr., CEO of Barnes & Noble. “There’s no question this is going to accelerate sales.”

This move will allow Nook owners to choose from 700,000 apps, including Facebook, Twitter and Netflix and even Amazon’s Kindle app. Barnes & Noble is seeking to focus more on digital content, including books, movies and apps, while reigning in its hardware spending.

“Of all the things that Barnes & Noble could do to expand its potential audience, running the features of Android that consumers like is a great step,” said Sarah Rotman Epps, a senior analyst with Forrester Research. “You can’t change the fundamentals of Barnes & Noble’s brand and their customer footprint and the economics of their business, but adding more Android features makes this product more appealing to more customers.”

Michael Norris, senior analyst for Simba Information, sees Barnes & Noble emulating the Amazon model by creating a comprehensive online shopping center of nonbook media. “I think Barnes & Noble is learning a few lessons from Amazon,” said Norris. “And that has to do with sweetening the deal and adding value for the consumer. Amazon has always had a greater variety of movie and video content, and I think Barnes & Noble is hoping to erase part of their entertainment deficit.”

The Barnes & Noble CEO says that discussions with Google have been ongoing for two years but recently stepped up. The book retailer has sold more than 10 million Nooks in the U.S. since launching the device in 2009.

Source: NYTimes.com

Warren Buffet Acquires 1,000 Twitter Followers Per Minute

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By Elena Zanone

Last week the Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet joined Twitter, scooping up more than 45,000 followers in less than 45 minutes of being on the platform.

“Warren is in the house.” Buffet tweeted.

The 82-year-old “Oracle of Omaha” sent out that debut tweet from account @warrenbuffett during a live webcast interview with Fortune’s Pattie Sellers on the changing landscape for women in business. The event was marked as the first social media event for the notoriously technology-averse billionaire.

It was only a matter of time before the business mogul rightly took ownership of his slab of the platform. There are already dozens of fake Warren Buffett accounts on Twitter, some of which have pretty sizable followings too. @W_Buffett has more than 100,000 followers and @BuffettInvestorhas nearly 35,000 followers.

If gaining 1,000 followers per minute wasn’t enough indication of his future success on the social network, his classic quips secure him as a shoe-in for success too.

Aside from his long term notoriety and influence in the industry, he also has had some great, concise quotes over his career – perfect for the 140-character loving platform. There’s the classic that would have been great as a tweet: “Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1,” or the humorous, “I buy expensive suits. They just look cheap on me.” Then there’s the profound, “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing,” as well as, “In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.”

The investing guru now stands in good mogul company. Other recent Twitter converts include News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch (@RupertMurdoch) and former U.S. President Bill Clinton (@BillClinton).

What do you want to see Warren Buffet tweet – tips, insider news, behind-the-scenes updates Let us know in the comments below! 

Source: Reuters

Silent Enemy Teaser

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Minority Media acclaimed first game Papo & Yo explored themes of parental abuse, a touchy subject to be sure and something rarely tackled in games in a sobering tone. The company’s follow up in Silent Enemy will deal with the equally sensitive subject of bullying and will seek to have the player develop empathy through their experience in the game.

Sega, Gearbox Comment On Aliens: Colonial Marines Lawsuit

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A class action lawsuit was filed last week over the demos and advertisements relating to Aliens: Colonial Marines. Publisher Sega and primary developer Gearbox have each issued statements saying how they disagree with the nature of the suit.

“Sega cannot comment on specifics of ongoing litigation, but we are confident that the lawsuit is without merit and we will defend it vigorously,” said Sega.

“Attempting to wring a class action lawsuit out of a demonstration is beyond meritless,” a Gearbox representative said. “We continue to support the game, and will defend the rights of entertainers to share their works-in-progress without fear of frivolous litigation.”

Source: Kotaku