EA's Jeff Brown confirmed to the Atlanta Business Chronicle that the publisher is considering the Peach State for a multimillion-dollar investment, but didn't go into details why. It's likely that the labor and operating expenses in the South would be less than in California, but the proximity to a well trained workforce in a large city like Atlanta doesn't hurt, either. Savannah also is home to the respected Savannah College of Art and Design.

Also helping is the legislation Georgia passed last year that upped tax credits for game makers to 30 percent. EA's Brown cited that figure as a definite encouragement to the publisher.

Atlanta is already home to about 70 game makers. And Fahey.

Electronic Arts Eyes Atlanta [Atlanta Business Chronicle]

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Yes, I will be there for the better part of the day, so if you see a tall guy with Final Fantasy characters tattooed on his arms, that's probably me. The event kicks off at noon and runs til 5PM. It's a damn fine reason to get up off your ass for a good cause. Hit the jump for full details, and maybe I will see you there!

HI-REZ STUDIOS AND THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY ANNOUNCE DETAILS FOR MISSION: PWNING FOR A CURE
All-day charity event unites video gamers to defeat blood cancers.

("Pwn" is video gamer slang for defeating an opponent, a colloquialism based on the misspelling of "own," usually issued as a boast after a particularly heated and/or public virtual contest.)

ATLANTA, Georgia – October 28, 2008 - Hi-Rez Studios, an independent developer of online entertainment, today announced additional community partners and a full game-development seminar schedule for MISSION: Pwning for a Cure, Hi-Rez's upcoming charity event held in concert with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The event, co-sponsored by the Georgia Department of Economic Development's Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, will be held at the Computer Arena in Roswell, Ga., on Saturday, November 8th from noon to 5 p.m. The day, targeted toward the gaming enthusiast, includes seminars on video game development, a chance to play games with your friends, a silent auction, raffle, prizes, music and food. It also features the first public preview of Global Agenda, the upcoming debut title from Hi-Rez Studios. Attendees can play both solo and player-vs-player missions inside the virtual world of Global Agenda, being among the first to experience the game's fast-action, immersive play style. All-access admission into the event is free to the public. Donations to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society are encouraged and greatly appreciated.

Additional community sponsors of the event include the Art Institute of Atlanta, Rickwood Music, a provider of music for media, the Entertainment Consumer Association's (ECA) Atlanta Chapter, a non-profit membership advocacy organization for consumers of interactive entertainment, and Habif, Arogetti & Wynne, LLP, Certified Public Accountants and business advisers.

A charity raffle and auction will include limited 1st Edition Global Agenda collectibles, a Sony PlayStation Portable, iPod Nano, and more. Items have been donated by TotalTek/Hewlett Packard, Gamer Fitness Guide, and Digital Direct, an extreme data storage provider, among others. Global Agenda merchandise will also be on sale, with all merchandise proceeds benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The event will conclude with an All-Star battle featuring the games' best players. The All-Star battle will be broadcast through a live audio stream on Allgames.com with color commentary from Georgia's own Bobby Blackwolf. Hi-Fi Buys is contributing state-of-the-art high definition televisions through which attendees can be immersed in the battle.

For the media, a press conference featuring Todd Harris, Executive Producer of Global Agenda, and Asante Bradford from Georgia's Department of Economic Development's Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, will be held starting at 3:30 p.m.

Game Development Seminars

Hands-on game development seminars, taught by the developers of Global Agenda, will be held in dual sessions from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Seats will be made available on a first come, first served basis, so attendees are encouraged to come early to reserve a spot.

Eric Hartz, lead environment artist for Global Agenda, will lead a session on Environment Art Development using the Unreal 3 Engine. Eric will walk participants through the artistic development of a simple level all the way through the lighting process. The session will examine assets created in 3D Studio Max and textures made in Photoshop, showing how each element is assembled for the final assets seen in-game.

CHUK Vinson, Art Director, and Sean McBride, Senior Character Artist, will lead "Character Creation in Global Agenda". The session will discuss how to create engaging character concepts that capture the imagination and inspire the player while still conforming to the necessarily rigid constraints of game design. The presentation will cover the modeling techniques and speed enhancement tricks used at Hi-Rez to create high-fidelity multiple character ranks and sexes from one base model in weeks.

Lead animator Daniel Lilleberg and lead technical artist Mick Larkins will discuss the process, practices, and philosophies of the Global Agenda character animation pipeline. Their presentation demonstrates the specific tools and methods for creating character animations, rigid-body physics, skeletal controls, audio, and special effects. While the presentation revolves around the specific Global Agenda, 3D Studio Max, and Unreal Engine 3 procedures, the approaches can be applied to a variety of games.

About Hi-Rez Studios

Hi-Rez Studios, Inc. was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment and is located just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit www.hirezstudios.com.

GLOBAL AGENDA, Hi-Rez's debut title, is a fast-paced action massive multiplayer online game set in Earth's near future, a spy-fi world of advanced technology and player-driven conflict. To learn more, visit www.globalagendagame.com.

About Computer ArenA

Computer Arena, the Southeast's largest gaming facility, offers more than 50 PC and console LAN gaming stations, computer education classrooms, sales and services, and the Good Times Café. The ArenA is located at 10895 Alpharetta Highway in Roswell, GA, 30076, near the intersection of Route 9 and Mansell Road.

About Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®, headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 68 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $600 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, LLS made 6.3 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.

For more information about blood cancer, visit www.LLS.org or call the LLS Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients and their families and caregivers. IRC information specialists are available at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

I contacted another local GameStop location for comment this morning, but they were busy on a conference call about this very incident.

This is a GameStop I visit on occasion, so I am very interested in seeing justice done here. Police are currently looking for any information that will help them catch the robber turned killer. Hit the link below for a video that includes the suspect's description as well as details on the car he used to flee from the scene. We offer our condolences to Matthew's friends, family, and co-workers.

Man Dies During Robbery At Video Game Store [WSB Atlanta - Thanks Captain Download]
Photo Courtesy of Mike Morris of the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Phylon is a persistent world third-person shooter, where players choose one of three factions and battle it out for control of the planet Anura. Characters gain levels and power, earn badges by completing quests to enhance their abilities, and battle it out either open world or in single player and team-based arenas.

From what I've seen of the game it has a quirky feel to it that I absolutely adore, with exaggerated cartoonish characters amidst an amazing sci-fi backdrop. The game play itself? Suppose I'll find that out tonight when I download it and give it a spin. The Direct2Drive download is only $14.95 (not sure what the ongoing fee is going to wind up being), which is certainly cheap enough for me to give it a look-see. Gotta support the home team! Michael Fahey

Phylon Online [Official Website]

Rapid Reality's New Sci-Fi Game, Phylon, Released

Following the successful Beta testing phase, Rapid Reality Studios announces the commercial release of their first MMO, Phylon. The game is now available for purchase on the newly redesigned website, http://phylon-online.com.

Tracy Spaight, Rapid Reality's COO stated, "We are excited to release Phylon as it represents a lot of work from our team and from gamers who provided tremendous feedback during the beta testing phase. We hope that players will enjoy the game, in particular, the battle arenas." He also stated, "Through focused surveys and general feedback in our forums, we will continue to tap into the creativity of the gaming community to help shape the game and its future expansions."

Phylon combines the fast-paced action of a traditional shooter with the persistence and depth of an MMO. Join players from around the world as part of the Bloblic Imperium, the Amphibian resistance, or the Terran colonists in their struggle for control of the planet Anura. Crush your enemies in instanced battle arenas, including Deathmatch and Domination. Advance in skill and unlock access to hundreds of unique items, including jet packs, energy shields, power-ups, and weapons.

The new Phylon website features a sleek new look, new video trailers, top player leader boards, in-game and game art showcases, forums and much more.

Founded in May 2005, Rapid Reality Studios is a video game developer located in Marietta, Georgia. The team of programmers, artists, and designers is dedicated to producing next generation online games. Their passion and mission is to make the kind of games you want to play. "There are no suits at Rapid Reality: we're gamers."

Kotakuite Howard L. wrote in about his harrowing "Zelda-like quest" throughout the greater Atlanta area to find the elusive Wii Nunchuk Controller. His journey took him to 2 Targets, 1 Wal-Mart, 2 Best Buys, The Fry's in Duluth, 1 Circuit City, and a Comp-USA where Wii-motes were plentiful, but nary a Nunchuk was to be found. During his 7 store trek, he inquired about the availability issue and was told by various employees that very few nunchuks were actually shipped. It seems that they averaged about 1 Nunchuk for every 3 Wii-motes. Finally, at a Best Buy in Duluth, GA. he found one that was being returned to the shelves by an employee.

Hopefully, this isn't indicative of a wider spread problem. Nintendo did an amazing job getting so many consoles in to so many hands but it seems like they may have skimped on the nunchuks. Has anybody else experienced this same issue in their area? Flynn De Marco

Since I didn't have time before my EB launch to go by Target, I put the Wii under lock and key in the car and trekked over to the Target parking lot. Can you believe my restraint? Trust me, my first instinct was to jump in the car and jam down on the gas, squealing wheels out of the parking lot as I laughed maniacally all the way home.

The line at Target was a bit smaller and apparently had started much later than the Best Buy line. The fellow in the front of the line (I didn't get his name, but I did get his picture) said he had arrived around 10pm. The others waiting all seemed to have come there in the last 45 minutes or so before I got there. I was cautious about letting then know I had my Wii in the car. I didn't want to start a riot of PS3 proportions, although I could tell by the attitudes of the people there that this wouldn't have been a problem.

Again, everyone was happy, in a good mood AND most of them had heard of Kotaku and were more than willing to pose for pictures. As with Best Buy, only a few were actually purchasing Wii's, with the rest there to keep their friends company. An admirable quality in these crazy days of launch shootings and muggings.

By this time, I just couldn't contain myself any longer. I had to get home and finally experience the Wii for myself... and I did. And it was awesome. Flynn De Marco

For the folks here, it's been a long couple of days. The first person in line got here 7AM on Wednesday, setting himself up with a cot and a thick comforter. The line has grown to a modest 35 people since then, with quite a few cots and one extremely elaborate tent, complete with four chairs and a dining table.

The amazing thing is that these folks are camping out for $1100 bundles. Each person in line is purchasing the system along with 8 games that they don't get to choose. You'd think Fry's would treat these potential sales with at least a little bit of respect. Apparently not.

"There was one guy who came out to help us earlier," says the list holder, a well-bundled up black man appointed by the crowd to take down names and keep things in order. "They suspended him from work for talking to us. He came out and got in line, and they told him he couldn't buy from this store, so he quit." Other folks in line were under the impression that Fry's would be taking care of them, providing hot drinks and possibly food. So far all they'd provided was open scorn and mixed information.

Over the course of the past day they've been told the store would be receiving anywhere from 8-26 systems. People have come to the line, heard the lower numbers, and then left, only to have the number arbitrarily change as soon as they were gone.

I thought maybe this was an exaggeration, but as I was standing there a man and a woman, both employees, came out to survey the line. They laugh, and as they are heading back in the guy says, "Wouldn't it be funny if a hurricane came in the night and washed them all away?" I was stunned. Then ten minutes later another pair comes out...young guys. The one who speaks looks like a grown-up version of the main character from Bully, complete with badly fitting dress shirt and unfortunate acne. "Folks, the Sony truck pulled up 10 minutes ago and took all but 5 of the PS3's away, so we're only going to have those 5 in the morning." The folks around me all simply stare at him incredulously until he breaks into a laugh, nudging his buddy back towards the store. "Can't keep a straight face in front of the PS3 campers!"

Despite the poor treatment, the line is in great spirits. There are actual gamers here. The list holder himself is one of them, excited about a whole 3 of the 8 games he is being forced to buy. An honest to goodness Final Fantasy fanboy conversation strikes up, with me in the thick of it...something that wouldn't have happened at the other places I visited today. They put me back in the spirit of things. After hearing person after person in line after line speculating on how much they money they'd be making it was nice to hear people speculating on how much fun was coming their way.

As for Fry's...these people are about to spend $1100 and change each at your store. I'd really like to see your employees trying to sell a plasma television to a customer while laughing openly at his desire to buy it. I know it's hard to staff a superstore without getting your fair share of assholes, but try to keep them away from the paying customers, kay? Michael Fahey

They're almost sure to get booted off the property, but for the time being, the crew camped out at an Atlanta, Georgia area Best Buy is camping in style. Not only are they armed with some serious console entertainment, they have a DVD player and a real life woman who is bringing them meals three times a day.

Check the jump for the sweet set up.

That's right, an Xbox 360, a Super Nintendo, two televisions and a DVD player to keep them occupied. All powered courtesy of the adjacent Bed, Bath & Beyond, whom I'm sure is just as thrilled as Best Buy to have them camped out on the sidewalk.

We'll let you know when the cops show up or they're assaulted for their 360.

Thanks for the info, Zach. Michael McWhertor