Today's round-up includes news of the latest startling protests against Rockstar's soon-to-be-released
Bully, Ubisoft's announcement of a Source-engine
Might and Magic sequel, and the confirmation of a new
Metal Gear Solid graphic novel series, as well as the latest product news, Letter to the Editor, and Gamasutra job postings.
- Joining the recent protests against the as-yet-unreleased title
Bully from Rockstar Games is Washington group the Peaceaholics, who have released a list of demands to the Take-Two Games subsidiary. The Peaceaholics are requesting that Rockstar limit its games' market presence to adult video stores, that
Bully in specific be released not at all, that Rockstar make a full refund to parents who have purchased
Grand Theft Auto games, that Rockstar establish a fund for victims of carjackings, that the company make a national apology for "causing insurance premiums to sky rocket," and that Rockstar submit a written response within five business days of receiving the demands. The Peaceaholics have given no indication of their planned actions should Rockstar not meet any or all of the demands.
- Ubisoft has announced
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, the next in the
Might and Magic series for PC. The first-person action game, developed by Arkane Studios, creators of popular RPG title
Arx Fatalis, will use Valve's Source engine, developed for 2004's
Half-Life 2. The game will debut at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, on August 17, and is scheduled for a summer 2006 release, and will likely replace development of
Arx Fatalis 2 at Arkane for now, since this in-development title has kept a low profile of late, and did not have an officially announced publisher to date.
- IDW Publishing has announced a second
Metal Gear Solid comic book series, to be based on
Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty. As with the first series, the book will be penciled by Ashley Wood, and Alex Garner will take over from Kris Oprisko on writing duties. Unlike the first series, which used the original PSone game's script nearly verbatim, the
Sons of Liberty comic promises to feature new scenes which focus on Solid Snake's off-camera activities. The first issue will be available in comic book stores in October.
- Also updated today: product news including Virtools'
announcement of the Virtools Software Suite 3.5, and Anark's confirmation that
its Gameface UI solution is approved for Xbox 360, as well as a
new Letter to the Editor querying Ernest Adams' recent 'Designer's Notebook' column, and the
latest Gamasutra job postings, including positions from Big Huge Games, BlockDot, Blue Fang Games, Double Fine Productions, Electronic Arts, Factor 5, Massive Incorporated, Media General, Pandemic Studios, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
