We are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry, including eBay transactions where a number of the games have been potentially identified as being advertised for sale. Arrests have already been made in respect of this.

The take's value? £600,000. “Fans needn’t worry as more stock is being parachuted in," stated Ubisoft. They, though, should worry about finding the loot.

Grand Theft Auto [The Sun via MCVUK]

Explains the frequence of the money shots, at least. They also say that having such extreme violence in the game is necessary if they're to stay faithful to the source material, as "you can’t talk about war and not have it". Hrm. The fact remains, the game will contain those zoom-in, gore-filled money shots. Would a GI fighting in 1944-45 have been treated to an on-rails camera tracking his bullet - in slo-mo, no less - as it flew 100 yards and burst a German head like a pineapple?

Gearbox Carefully Defends ‘Brothers In Arms’ Extreme Violence [MTV]

Sexy Samba trailer [Sega Nerds]

The teaser trailer looks to be the same one shown off in the months leading up to E3. Now when is that "special" Aliens event happening?

What's more, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford stated in February: "I've started a new project. It's big. It's, like, look-at-our-line-up-and-imagine-something-even-bigger kind of big. I'm Directing it myself. I can't mention it publicly yet. When you find out what this is, you'll likely agree that I can't oversell this one." But that doesn't necessarily mean Gearbox is doing Halo 4. The "big" project Pitchford is talking about could be something else entirely. And Halo 4 hasn't even been announced. (Though, Microsoft would be silly not to do it.)

So, why all this talk about Gearbox and Halo 4?

The current Director of Technology at Gearbox is Corrinne Yu. Corrinne Yu (pictured) has been called, for lack of a better comparison, "the John Carmack of female programmers". She's an industry vet, cutting her teeth as the Lead Programmer for the 3DO's Asia launch, going on to work as Lead Programmer for the Prey Engine and even working as Director of Technology at John Romero's ill-fated ION Storm and also at 3D Realms.

Her recent work at Gearbox includes programming Brothers in Arms, Aliens: Colonial Marines and Borderlands. So why all this talk about Corrinne Yu? We've come in possession of an internal Gearbox email that Yu sent out. It reads:

Hello, friends.

I am Corrinne Yu, Director of Technology of Gearbox Software.

I was offered and recruited to the position of Principle (Lead) Engine Architect of Halo Franchise Team at Microsoft. I accepted the offer to lead the team to build the engines and games for future Halo's on Xbox'es and PC's at Microsoft.

I am staying to simu-ship Brothers In Arms all versions. I will start Halo after BiA starts manufacturing. Aliens: Colonial Marines and Borderlands are more than mostly completed. I assure you I will continue to help Gearbox. I am starting on Halo Team at Microsoft after 09/15/2008. My email after that day will be XXXX@microsoft.com.

I would be glad to introduce my friendly helpful Corrinne replacements at Gearbox to you. I am stoked to program and design and build some awesome Halo's.

Let's stay in touch!

after 09/15/2008

Corrinne Yu
Principle Engine Architect
Halo Franchise Team
Microsoft

after 09/15/2008:
XXXX@microsoft.com
XXXX@XXXX.com
XXXX@XXXX.net

before 09/15/2008

Corrinne Yu
XXXX@XXXX.com

before 09/15/2008:
XXXX@gearboxsoftware.com
XXXX@XXXX.net
Director of Technology
Gearbox Software

Obviously, we added the "XXXX" for privacy. So this email doesn't exactly confirm that Gearbox is doing Halo 4 (it doesn't even confirm Halo 4), but it does make it seem more plausible. Perhaps Yu has been hired to act as a go-between for Gearbox and Microsoft? Or maybe Yu will be lending her programming wizardry to internally developed Microsoft Game Studios Halo titles.

We are following up with both Microsoft and Gearbox.

[Pic]

Official XBOX Magazine [Official Site via Joystiq via Edge]

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway Suffers Delay, Limited Edition Revealed [Shacknews]

2K Games Confirms E3 Lineup [IGN via videogaming247]

The Chimp Is Awesome [Sega Nerds]

I don't believe those kinds of ads are very effective.

There are some screens after the jump, too.

From the trailer we can see this game intends to impress upon us the bonds formed by soldiers, as well as the real confusion and blood-pumping terror that attends to live combat. There's a quality of suffering in the fighting scenes that is painstakingly detailed, down to a stray round dislocating someone's fingers. It sounds engrossing, and I love period pieces and historically accurate simulations. But could I feel good about myself telling someone I had a hell of a time playing this game? Dunno.

There's a huge list of rumored and confirmed features on the game's Wiki. And here are 5 more screens.

SEGA Reveals Details Of Upcoming Aliens: Colonial MarinesTM Video Game

First-Person Shooter Based on Popular Motion Picture Franchise Coming to Xbox 360®, PLAYSTATION®3, and PC in Late 2008

LONDON AND SAN FRANCISCO (February 21st, 2008) - SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA of America, Inc. today revealed details of the highly anticipated squad-based first-person shooter video game, Aliens: Colonial Marines™. Licensed through an exclusive agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising and developed by Gearbox Software, the game will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC in late 2008.

In Aliens: Colonial Marines, players are part of a United States Colonial Marine squad and must prepare to face an alien assault more intense and horrific than ever before. Driven by a compelling and original story penned by renowned writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle Aliens: Colonial Marines will retain the atmospheric look and feel of the original films while leveraging next-generation technology to create an entirely new interactive Aliens experience.

Packing classic Aliens weaponry ranging from pulse rifles to flamethrowers as well as brand-new equipment and skills all within a squad-based combat system, players will become an elite United States Colonial Marine. Featuring claustrophobic environments, a brooding soundtrack, and a multitude of surprises and shocks, players will battle against menacing alien hordes in strikingly detailed levels that include the stark interiors of the abandoned Sulaco and unique environments created specifically for the game.

Aliens: Colonial Marines will feature a story driven single-player mode and an all-new four player co-op mode allowing players to share the chilling experience with three friends. In co-op mode, each player will assume the persona of a Colonial Marine and have a distinct role to play in the completion of every mission. Additionally, more multiplayer modes will be revealed later in the year that will complete the Aliens video game experience.

Since its 1979 debut, Alien and its three sequels have grossed more than $557 million worldwide, garnering numerous awards, including two Academy Awards®.

The team already has Borderlands, Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway, Aliens and Samba de Amigo for Wii on its plate, with the newest super secret project to get some serious attention only after at least two of those games ship. That means whatever Gearbox has been tapped to create, it's a long way off.

So, let's start the predictions, gang. We know that Gearbox currently has strong ties to Sega and has done plenty of work for Valve in the past. The team also handled the original Halo PC port. We also know that their forte lies in first person shooters, but aren't afraid to tackle a rhythm game remake.

Unfortunately, we may not know for years what the team has planned, but we're going to be hovering closely to (read: stalking) Mr. Pitchford at both DICE and GDC this month to try to learn more.

If you're an industry developer, this is the most important post you've ever read... [Gearbox Forums]

The only thing growing faster than our industry is the critical need for new and creative talent. I think it is clear that the videogame industry has the vast financial support and consumer demand it needs to continue its global growth. But what I and many industry leaders are very worried about is hiring and retaining world class talent.

"Thing I love about Kotaku is that you just don't care," says Gearbox Software boss Randy Pitchford. (Not sure if we don't care per se, but rather, that we care a little too much.) It's a few days before Christmas, and he is showing me around Gearbox's Texas HQ that occupies the top four floors of a suburban Dallas high-rise. Pitchford is open and upfront. Want to take a picture of a wall with concept art? Sure. The dev opened up its doors and showed us pretty much everything it could. Gearbox, best known for the Brothers in Arms series and the Halo: Combat Evolved PC port, is poised for a breakout year in 2008 when the company brings Dreamcast title Samba de Amigo to the Wi, puts out original FPS Borderlands and a new entry into the Brothers in Arms tactical shooter series. With its pedigree Borderlands makes perfect sense. But Samba?

"We're huge Samba fans. Huge Dreamcast fans," Pitchford tells me. "We totally told SEGA they had to let us do it. People want a Samba Wii game." SEGA consented, and Gearbox dove in trying to squeeze the max potential out of the Wii-mote. Sure, Nintendo is making tons of money with the Wii. Third party devs haven't been as rewarded for Wii innovation. Case in point: Capcom's Zack and Wiki, which posted embarrassingly poor sales figures. Pitchford does point out that SEGA has hit with Mario and Sonic at the Olympics — though, that game *does* feature Mario. Still, Pitchford is optimistic.

"Third parties are doing alright with the Wii if they spend the right amount of money and time," he says. "People bought the Wii for the promise of the Wii Remote."

While, the Dreamcast version of Samba de Amigo has specially designed maraca peripherals, Gearbox has the challenge of turning the Wii-mote into, well, maraca peripherals. Here's the challenge: The Wii-mote itself is high tech, while the Nunchuk Wii peripheral is not. Sure, it does have a three-axis accelerometer, but still isn't the same level of technology that's in the Wii Remote. What's more, the Wii-mote doesn't always know where it is in space. It knows it's been moved, but positioning it can be tricky. So getting the Wii-mote and the Nunchuk to input the same? Or what about making it so players can use two Wii-motes instead of a Wii Remote and a Nunchuk? Not easy! "It's possible," Pitchford explains. "You just need a lot of smart people who can do a lot of math." Attitudes like that (and only attitudes like that) will keep the Wii out of the third party hobo gutter.

Not exactly what you'd expect from a company that cut its teeth on WWII tactical shooters. "Steven Spielberg told me he really thought the Brothers in Arms series had beautiful graphics," Pitchford says. The upcoming Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is more accessible than previous its titles and better looking. "If I had to guess, it's 15-20 percent more high def than Gears of War," he says. Don't expect a Portal type add-on game bundled with Hell's Highway, but the concept of that added content is appealing to Gearbox. "It's added value," Pitchford says. "Like at the beginning of Pixar movies. They have those little shorts, which give them an opportunity to experiment and try out different things. I don't know if we'll have time to do something like that before Brother in Arms: Hell's Highway ships, but definitely before the generation is over."

Gearbox points to historical and military accuracy as to what separates Brothers in Arms from other shooters. The market is clogged, choked with WII shooters — so much so that dev Infinity Ward took the World War II out of World War II shooter Call of Duty in the latest installment in the series. "The Call of Duty guys makes great shooters, but they're just Quake dressed up in World War II. There are no characters in it I remember. There isn't deep historical accuracy. It's just a really fun shooter." Going as far as to employee a military officer for consulting and use WWII aerial surveillance maps for creating in-game maps, Gearbox isn't pussyfooting around.

While Gearbox ponders ways to keep WWII real for gamers, it's taking a major step with original IP Borderlands. The FPS took inspiration from movies like Mad Max and Raiders of the Lost Ark and even TV shows like Firefly and Deadwood. It's set in the future on a large planet that rotates so slowly that it takes something like one hundred hours to turn once. The season is spring and things are coming out of hibernation. Characters are class based with a solider, a hunter and a magician. Players can level up their characters and go on side quests. Sound like a RPG? "In the beginning of Halo, Master Chief is the same as he is at the end," says Pitchford. "Sure, the story has changed, but the character hasn't." Leveling up the characters in Borderlands does change them. "The coolest thing about games like World of Warcraft is leveling up your character and then going to up to band of weaker players and totally destroying them," he says. The game allows for up to four player co-op that allows new players to enter and leave on the fly. Also, it's possible to play with characters of different levels in co-op and even level-up your own characters in co-op. Not only will this sort of leveling up change the playing field in Borderlands, but guns. Lots and lots of guns.

Borderlands features an in-house Gearbox created weapons sequencer that can produce up to a half a million different weapons — all with different names, appearance, properties. "Imagine any cool weapon you've ever wanted in a game," Pitchford says. "Borderlands has it." The sequencing means that players will most likely never see the same weapon twice. Ever. Gearbox doesn't seem concerned about the possibility of there being one single weapon that is more powerful than anything else in the game. "If there's a gun that can break the game, why would we limit that?" he says. Do you think there is a gun that can break the game? "I don't know," he says. "I guess we'll find out." Gearbox doesn't care either way. Or maybe, it just cares too much.

Confirmed: Samba de Amigo Coming to Wii [1UP - Thanks Jasu, ya Jerk]

"Borderlands creates a universe of gameplay that goes far beyond anything anyone would expect. We're tapping into every bit of Gearbox Software's experience with the biggest science fiction video game franchises, then taking everything way past the next level," said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software.

2K Games to Publish Gearbox Software's Borderlands for Next Gen Consoles and Games for Windows®

New sci-fi shooter from award-winning developer Gearbox Software blends first-person action with character progression and hundreds of thousands of weapons for an unmatched cooperative gaming experience

New York, NY - August 16, 2007 - 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today that it will publish Borderlands™, the latest release from acclaimed developer Gearbox Software, for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows®. As the first title in an all-new sci-fi action franchise, Borderlands combines the best elements of Gearbox Software's famed first-person action titles with player customization and vehicular combat to create an unprecedented gaming experience.

Gearbox Software has developed revolutionary new technology to create Borderlands' incredible layers of gameplay depth. Borderlands features a groundbreaking content generation system allowing for near-endless variety in missions, environments, enemies, weapons, item drops and character customization

"Borderlands represents an important evolutionary leap in game design and technology," said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. "By utilizing revolutionary new technology to create thousands of unique, randomly generated missions, weapons and situations, Borderlands will raise the bar for next gen action games."

Borderlands is an extraordinary cooperative experience, allowing for multiple players to share the same game experience simultaneously online. Players can freely join or leave each other's games at anytime, or choose to play in the full single-player mode. Borderlands features life-like character animations, impressive real-time physics, and customizable vehicles.

"Borderlands creates a universe of gameplay that goes far beyond anything anyone would expect. We're tapping into every bit of Gearbox Software's experience with the biggest science fiction video game franchises, then taking everything way past the next level," said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software. "The team at 2K Games shares our passion for pushing boundaries in gameplay and storytelling and are absolutely perfect partners for Borderlands."

Borderlands will be available holiday 2008 for PLAYSTATION 3 system, Xbox 360 and Games for Windows®. For more information, see the Borderlands cover story in the September issue of Game Informer Magazine.

amBX is a very cool and innovative technology that allows your games to stand out in a very crowded marketplace," commented John E. Williamson, President, Zombie.

Sure, I can see it making your game stand out, but is their enough consumer interest in the technology to make it more than a niche novelty sort of thing?

I find it amazing that the technology is gaining such support from the industry, seeing as it basically makes developers add in extra software hooks to their games to support equipment that the end user may or may not even have access to. I remember when rumble technology was in its infancy that often times developers opted to forego supporting it simply because not everyone would be using it, and that was nowhere near as complex or expensive as needing a specialized monitor or television to produce colored light.

Could I be completely off about the viability of amBX? Ten years from now will integration with Philips' technology be part of standard gaming review criteria? Of course it won't, and even if I turn out to be horribly wrong I'll have adopted a pseudonym and a very convincing wig by then and you'll never be able to find me to rub it in.

PHILIPS GIVES SIX OF THE BEST AT DEVELOP
Develop, Brighton, United Kingdom - Philips today announced six new developer license agreements to its popular amBX platform. Gearbox Software, Zombie, Riot Games, Brain in a Jar, Invictus Games and Instinct Technology, have all become amBX licensees.

Shorthand for 'ambient experiences', amBX revolutionises the gameplay experience by extending the gaming world out of the screen and into the real world. amBX delivers a full 'sensory surround experience' by equipping game developers with a tool box to use light, colour, sound and even air flow through enabled devices, including the Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals range of LED colour-controlled lighting, rumble peripherals and desktop fans.

The developer signings represent a strong cross section of the worldwide development community, including Hungary-based Invictus Games, Los Angeles-based Riot Games and Seattle-based Zombie joining Texas-based Gearbox Software, developer of the hugely successful and critically acclaimed Brothers in Arms and one of the largest independent developers in the world.

"amBX is a very cool and innovative technology that allows your games to stand out in a very crowded marketplace," commented John E. Williamson, President, Zombie.

The agreement with Ireland-based Instinct Technology will see amBX used through Instinct Studio as part of future middleware solutions to the game development industry.

"We're really thrilled that Philips has partnered with us to allow amBX features to be exposed through Instinct Studio, furthering our aim of offering best in class support for complementary technologies within the Instinct Studio development environment," commented Mike Gamble, Business Development Director.

Representing the best of British, amongst the raft of amBX signings, is Cheshire-based Brain in a Jar.

"With our move to latest generation technology in the form of our soon to be announced Xbox 360 and PC racing game, Philips amBX is the perfect partner for enhancing the gaming experience on offer from our studio," commented Carl Dalton, Creative Director.

Philips is setting a global standard by licensing the amBX technology to computer game developers, publishers and peripherals manufacturers and Gearbox Software, Zombie, Riot Games, Brain in a Jar, Invictus Games and Instinct Technology join a rapidly growing list of games industry companies supporting amBX-enabled games and peripherals, including Codemasters, THQ, Introversion, Kuju, Revolution, Sumo Digital, Rivers Run Red, Philips Peripherals & Accessories and SpectraVideo. Philips is currently in the closing stages of agreements with a number of other high profile companies regarding amBX-enabling all kinds of games.

President Gearbox Randy Pitchford stated, "Almost every developer can point to comic books as an influence and inspiration in making games. To say we're delighted to be working with Dynamite Entertainment would be an understatement...I expect that the Brothers in Arms comic series will be an extremely high quality book."

Details of the writers and artists are secret as of right now, but seeing some of the talent Dynamite has drawn in (mmm, Frank Cho) I expect it to be a top-notch book that hearkens back to the golden days of war comics. Then again I am just a big old comic geek so what do I know? I'll just wait for the details. Michael Fahey

Dynamite Entertainment to Produce Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway Comic Series

June 14, 2007 Runnemede, NJ - Gearbox Software, Inc. and Dynamite Entertainment are proud to announce the signing of an agreement that will allow for Dynamite to create a new comic book series based on the characters and story of the upcoming Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway video game! The agreement allows Dynamite to draw upon any and all previous Brothers in Arms franchise video games' story lines to develop story lines for the comic series.

Brothers In Arms is based on the true story of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the famed 101st Airborne Division who were dropped behind German Lines on D-day. Players assume the role of Sergeant Matt Baker, a paratrooper (based on Harrison C. Summers and various other people), and the leader of an airborne squad from Fox Company. The Brothers In Arms games are a tactically accurate, "first-person shooter" style of game that combine meticulously researched and historically accurate weapons, weather, and environments with the excitement of first-person, "squad level" command in the European Theater during World War II. The missions range from dropping into France on June 6th to the final defense of Hill 30 eight days later.

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is the third entry in the Brothers in Arms series of video games. Once again players can reprise the heroic role of Sergeant Matt Baker, a soldier of the 101st Airborne Division, during Operation Market Garden in the late stages of World War II. The game has many new features, including the ability to command a further squad, from a selection of new specialized units (Bazooka Teams, Machine Gun teams, Mortar Teams, as well as Radio Teams with which to call in artillery support).

Although exact details of the comic book series are in development now with creative and cover artists being kept a closely guarded secret, Dynamite plans for the series to incorporate all the intensity and accuracy of the Brothers in Arms video games. Information on the creative team and scheduling for the series will be released in the coming weeks.

Dynamite stated, "Brothers in Arms is one of the most popular video games in the market today. This should open up new doors for Dynamite, as well as for comic and gaming retailers. We're going to launch this with a unique initiative! This should lead to existing comic fans who have not played the game to sample it, and fans who do play the game can come in to purchase the original comic at the same time. This is a whole new adventure for us on so many levels, and we're really excited to have this opportunity to add another genre to our list of growing titles. Creative details are still in the preliminary stages, but based on the overwhelming response and praise we've had regarding our titles to date, we're positive that comics fans, fans of the game, as well as military enthusiast and action seekers will be blown away by this new addition to our 'dynamite' line up! We're showcasing images from the game to let fans know we're going after the cannon of the game, but with the 'dynamite' ability to execute Dynamite has shown!"

President Gearbox Randy Pitchford stated, "Almost every developer can point to comic books as an influence and inspiration in making games. To say we're delighted to be working with Dynamite Entertainment would be an understatement. I'm excited by Dynamite's dedication to quality comics through art, story telling, and collaboration with the game makers here at Gearbox Software. I expect that the Brothers in Arms comic series will be an extremely high quality book."

###

"Our game's about becoming a Colonial Marine, and looking at it from the Colonial Marines' perspective," explained Pitchford. The Colonial Marines battled the acid-blooded xenomorphs in Aliens, and were a template for the troopers who fight alongside the Master Chief in the Halo games.

Pitchford also mentions that even though there is communication between his company, Gearbox, and Obsidian Entertainment, the company that is responsible for making the upcoming RPG version of the Aliens game, both companies are taking two completely different directions. I can only assume one of them will do Alien vs. Predator, or is that just wishful thinking? Kim Phu

Gearbox spins out Aliens, Heat game details [Gamespot UK]

According to an interview Randy Pritchford did with our stinky arch-nemesis, IGN, Gearbox is definitely planning on supporting the Wii.

"Gearbox Software is enthusiastically supporting the Wii," said company president Randy Pitchford. The company head had no comment on what Wii projects it could be working on, saying only that, "At this time, we don't have any announcements to make about specific games we may be developing for Wii."

Still, with Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway making its way to the PC, PS3 and 360, it's not outside the realm of possibility that the title will be Wii-ified. Supporting this theory, a leaked Ubisoft document hit the web a few months back, listing the title for the Wii.

So no news here, really. "We'll see." Man, we hate the slow summer months.
Florian Eckhardt

Gearbox Backs Wii [IGN]

It's an interesting read. Personally, we were fascinated by this completely bizarre prediction from Pritchford:

I still hold onto my prediction from a couple years back that, eventually, Sony will be licensing the video game operating system software from Microsoft. Perhaps Sony's experiences with their new online initiative will actually make that difficult-to-imagine step a little easier... If Microsoft can ever figure out how to gain traction and trust as a gaming platform in Japan, I believe that the two companies will rapidly desire to become partners instead of competitors. It sounds counter to expectations at first because we are so caught up in the competition, but I assure you that I could explain why the concept of an eventual partnership between Sony and Microsoft has merit.

... yet doesn't! What do you think? Microsoft and Sony to be online bed buddies in the near future?

Top Industry Figures Muse PS3

Computer and Video Games reports that Gearbox is hard at work on a version of Brothers in Arms 3 for the Xbox 360. The game, which uses Unreal Engine 3 technology, was already announced as a PS3 title, but it's unclear when that system will see shelves. Hopefully this isn't the Brothers in Arms game that jumps the shark.

Brothers in Arms 3 Breaks Cover [Computer and Video Games]

Even though the World War II FPS genre is completely saturated with games, occasionally franchises come along and break the monotony. The first Brothers in Arms' effort Road to Hill 30 gave gamers incredible control over their squadron while creating a fevered vision of war.

Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood upholds the standard set by its predecessor. Gritty, visceral and intense, Brothers in Arms: EIB has your squad play one small part in war's theater. The squad management can get a little tedious, but not because of your team's AI - your soldiers are smart. Instead, the plethora of commands and constant scanning of the horizon make the game play like an RTS game - with a first person view. The problem? Sometimes I just want to blow stuff up, rather than tell my squad what to blow up.

Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood ships Oct. 3 for PC and Xbox and Oct. 15 for PS2.