Today's round-up includes news of a video game ad ban in the UK, the official announcement of Jessica Mulligan's new position, and a good reason you should bring your Nintendo DS to E3 this year.
- An advertising campaign for THQ's
The Punisher has been banned in the UK, due to its content being deemed too graphic for the audience who may see it. Print ads for the game game, which carries an 18 rating in that territory, feature the main character seconds away from lowering an electric drill into a criminal's skull. The UK Advertising Standards Authority said the imagery exceeded the bounds of what was appropriate for an under-18 audience, which composes 20% of an Xbox magazine where the ads could be found. THQ made no move to contest the ruling, commenting: "We took great care in where the campaign appeared as we were targeting an over-18 audience, but the company accepts the decision and will abide by its recommendations."
- Jessica Mulligan,
former Turbine Entertainment executive producer, has found a new job at Nevrax as
The Saga of Ryzom's new executive producer. "I have been following the development of
Ryzom for some time now, and I'm happy to become a part of this project," said Mulligan. "Working together with the players, we intend to make
Ryzom the gem it is destined to be." Mulligan is a long-time industry veteran who has formerly worked on MMOs including
Ultima Online.
- Nintendo will have downloadable DS content at their E3 booth for those who bring their systems to the event. An area of their booth will be set aside for DS Download Play, where users can access downloadable content over the wireless networking capabilities of the system. No specific content was announced, but similar events in Japan have allowed users to try out limited versions of
Polarium,
Meteos, and
Band Brothers. It's possible that video and other surprise unlockables, such as the recent campaign to download pop star Utada Hikaru's dog in
Nintendogs, may also be in store.
- Also updated today: product news involving
Activision acquiring the ShaderWorks technology, as well as
newly updated jobs from companies including Amaze Entertainment, Concrete Games, Rainbow Studios, Rare, and Sorrent, Inc.
