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(2008-08-28 15:00:00)

Crytek: More Crysis Pirates Than Units Sold, Consoles Are 'Very Good DRM Technologies'

While some argue that piracy can increase game sales by letting players take a "try before you buy" approach, Crytek business manager Harald Seeley isn't one of them.

Based on downloads of the last Crysis patch, he argues, there were "a lot more active [Crysis] players than there were unit sales."

And since those pirates are still playing the game months after release, Seeley reasons that "then they were a sale that didn't happen but probably would have had it not been possible to obtain the game illegally."

Crytek, the studio that created the hardware intensive Far Cry and Crysis games exclusively for PC, has repeatedly stated that the upcoming Crysis Warhead will be its last PC-only game due to the abundant piracy of PC games<...

(2008-08-28 14:26:00)

Mercenaries 2 Launch Trailer: Everbody Pays

With Pandemic's explosion-filled open-world shooter Mercenaries 2: World in Flames due on PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 next week, publisher EA issued a launch trailer that it affectionately refers to as "Money." [video]12809[/video] Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

(2008-08-28 14:09:00)

Sony CEO: Wii Business Model 'Superior,' Sony Won't Recoup PS3 Investment

Sony CEO Howard Stringer, pictured at left, confessed that the Wii "may be a superior business model" in a recent interview.

"The major difference lies in the fact that Nintendo makes money with the hardware alone," he explained to German newspaper Die Welt.

As for when Sony will recover the $3 billion it spent on the PlayStation 3, Stringer responded with a laugh, "Not for as long as I live."

He then turned serious. "It will certainly take some time. ... We are currently at the stage in which we need to get a grip on the production costs. That takes time," he said. The CEO stressed that the company is now makin...

(2008-08-28 14:00:00)

Meteos Wars Screenshots, Pricing Details Arrive

Following up on yesterday's revelation that Q's block-matching rocket-launching DS puzzler Meteos is heading to Xbox 360, the studio has announced that Meteos Wars will hit North America in October carrying the price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

The first screenshots of the downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game were released as well, showcasing the title's head-to-head multiplayer and character customization.

(2008-08-28 13:25:00)

Hijack of Halo Dev's Xbox Live Account Points to Recurring Microsoft Security Failures

Despite Microsoft's past efforts to prevent Xbox Live account hijacking, the theft of Halo 3 multiplayer producer Joe Tung's account has pulled the issue back to the forefront.

The hijacking was not the result of sophisticated computer wizardry, but rather "social engineering," the act of creatively lying to customer service representatives to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. Xbox Live stores credit card information, and while hackers are unable to steal that information for their own use, they can make unauthorized purchases from a stolen account

Tung is far from alone, as account hijackings are not uncommon among players of Bungie's online behemoth Halo 3. He is not even the only Bungie employee to be a victim of such thieves. But his position makes his case the highest profile to date.

Microsoft claims it previously retrained customer service employees in 2007 to deal with the issue, signaling a possi...