Round-Up: 25 to Life Delayed, Offspring at BlizzCon, CDV and Digital Reality, More Xbox Marketing

Today's round-up includes news on the delay of Eidos' 25 to Life, a rockin' band playing at Blizzard's BlizzCon festival, a hook-up between CDV and Digital Reality, and a little more viral marketing from Microsoft, as well as today's product news and Gamasutra job postings. - 25 to Life, the cops-vs.-gangsters title developed by Avalanche Software, has been moved back to a 2006 release by publisher Eidos. "Following the recent management change and restructure, Eidos is able to reevaluate its calendar of releases giving us the opportunity to make changes in the best interest of the business," stated publishing CEO Bill Gardner. "It is in light of this review that we have decided to move the ship date for 25 to Life from October 2005 into next year." - Blizzard has announced a slightly unusual choice of headliners for its closing-night concert at the company's BlizzCon event: punk-rock outfit The Offspring, whose main tie to gaming is a prominent place in the Crazy Taxi soundtrack. "We're especially excited that The Offspring will help us make this a memorable occasion for our players," said Blizzard president Mike Morhaime, "and we look forward to having the band bring BlizzCon to a fitting close." The concert will be on October 29th, on the second night of the Anaheim, CA event. - CDV Software, a European publishing firm, has partnered with Budapest developer Digital Reality to publish the latter's strategy titles for PC and next-generation consoles. "We see this as the next logical expansion in the strategy game market, and will continue to deliver superb game content, raising the bar with regard to what gamers can expect from strategy games on console platforms," said Digital Reality CEO András Peller. - The latest of Microsoft's viral Xbox marketing campaigns, after "ILoveBees" (for Halo 2) and "OurColony" for the Xbox 360 itself, is active. The "Origen" website is cryptic about its true purpose, and the only hints so far are a timer with roughly 19 hours on the clock (as of this writing), silhouettes of rabbits, and a small bonsai tree bearing green cherries. Viewers are advised to stay tuned for further shenanigans. - Also updated today: product news including Avid's announcement of Softimage XSI v5.0, and Tira's update of its Tira Jump Product Suite, as well as today's Gamasutra job postings from companies including Climax Studios, Rockstar Vancouver, Turbo Squid, and Wizards of the Coast.