Welcome to the first installment of "What Will You Do?", where we have our readers tell us what they'd do in order to ensure that 2010 is a better year for gaming than 2009. For this installment, assume the role of the head of a prominent video game publisher. You know, the ones that start with vowels and have been around for ages. You hold in your hands the power to determine what types of games get the triple-A treatment, which genres are focused on, and what sectors of the game industry your company should focus on.

You've got the big desk and the nice view. Someone will be bringing in your lunch shortly. Ready? Begin.

EA and id first announced a publishing partnership for Rage during E3 2008, but much has changed since that event, including id being acquired by Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax Media. When the transaction was announced in June of this year, ZeniMax indicated that purchase would not affect games slated for release through other publishers. Now in a brief press release issued this morning, the company has announced that they have acquired the publishing rights for Rage, and EA would no longer be involved.

The change in publishers will not affect the development game.

No specific reason was given for the change. It could be a matter of EA cutting costs, or ZeniMax reining in their own property. We've followed up with someone at ZeniMax, who was unable to discuss the terms of the acquisition, so go ahead and speculate to your hearts' content. I am going to imagine that Bethesda's Pete Hines won the rights in a poker game with EA's John Riccitiello.

An unconfirmed rumor also names Wilson as possibly the person behind the last-minute offer to buy Hardcore Gamer. The New York Times quotes mag owner Tim Lindquist as saying that an unnamed suitor "who had recently sold his video game business" dropped by an hour before the auction was due to close and offered a bit more than Lindquist's asking price.

The deal for the mag, rights and associated domain names, isn't quite done yet, but is expected to be finalized this week.

Reached for comment Tuesday afternoon, Wilson was first coy about the possibility that he sold his game publishing company to SouthPeak only to jump into the video game journalism business.

"Awesome rumor! I hope (the magazine I own is) Tiger Beat!"

But later said that he did talk to the magazine.

"I did talk to them and would love to help the guys find a way to stay in business, because they do it just for the love of it, and you know I have a serious soft spot for dedicated indies. But I did not and am not buying them."

But is Wilson perhaps part of a group picking up the magazine? Wilson declined to say.

He did say that he's currently currently entertaining offers for SubstanceTV.com and that he's busy putting on a charity burlesque event in Austin, Texas for Valentine's Day.

We only have the rest of the week to wait to see if he is a part of the upcoming mag deal mentioned in the New York Times.

The article seems to imply that Harper Collins are just helping Nintendo get the 'classic' books onto the DS, but all of the books on the cart are in th epublic domain and available in electronic form via the Project Gutenberg, so one has to assume that the publisher will be providing some of its own catalogue of titles for future download or cartridge release.

Currently an additional 10 titles (all free) are up for download via Nintendo WiFi. Although the DS screen is a good deal smaller than that of the Amazon Kindle or Sony Ereader, it is also a good deal cheaper and has the added benefit of AWESOME GAMES. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

Mario makes way for Shakespeare on Nintendo DS in HarperCollins deal [Times Online]

"Square Enix is a very successful, development-led organization with a total commitment to quality," said David Braben, Frontier's Chairman and founder. "Frontier shares those same core ideals and we are very pleased to be doing business together. Square Enix's strength in Japan will give LostWinds the chance to shine there, as it has done elsewhere."

Seems like a smart move on Squeenix's part here. LostWinds' quirky gameplay and lovely art style should be right at home in the Asian market. Good for them!

LostWinds Blows into Japan with Square Enix

Partnership brings Frontier's WiiWare hit to Asia

19th November 2008 - Cambridge, UK - Frontier Developments, one of Europe's leading independent game developers, is delighted to announce a partnership with Square Enix to publish Frontier's critically-acclaimed WiiWareTM title LostWindsTM in Japan and Asia.

"Square Enix is a very successful, development-led organization with a total commitment to quality," said David Braben, Frontier's Chairman and founder. "Frontier shares those same core ideals and we are very pleased to be doing business together. Square Enix's strength in Japan will give LostWinds the chance to shine there, as it has done elsewhere."

LostWinds topped the WiiWare charts in both the US and Europe upon launch of the new distribution system in May 2008. The game also gathered a host of high scoring reviews praising its deep, explorative gameplay and beautiful art style.

LostWinds picked up Develop Magazine's 'Best New IP' award in July 2008, a prestigious accolade voted on by Frontier's games industry peers.

LostWinds is an enchanting adventure bursting with new gameplay ideas that embrace the innovative controller of the WiiTM - it puts "the power of the wind in the palm of your hand".

For more information about the game visit: http://frontier.co.uk/games/lostwinds/

"We lost the first deal in February but we could survive that one because we had a shortage of staff in other projects and we decided to put together a team to work on a original IP that we had in development. But the team that were working on a project that was terminated last week – there were about 67 people on that team."

Undeterred by such setbacks, Sundberg goes on to state that the trimmed staff has resulted in a stronger focus on their remaining titles, Just Cause 2 for Eidos and The Hunter with Emote Games. They're also in discussions with different publishers regarding a new project, so the layoffs certainly aren't affecting the company's ambition. Good for them.

Avalanche prepares to lay off 77 staff [GamesIndustry.biz]

The game will be released for PC, PS3 & Xbox 360 and be developed by Epic's People Can Fly studio, based in Poland. For those of you wondering, People Can Fly were the folks behind Painkiller.

“Epic is excited to work with EA Partners to launch our next big IP on the global stage,” said Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games. “EA Partners gives independent developers like Epic the muscle of a global publisher like EA, along with the focus and flexibility of a smaller team committed to working with our individual needs.”

Full details after the jump

EA SIGNS PUBLISHING DEAL WITH EPIC GAMES

EA Partners Team up with the Creators of the award-winning Gears of War and Unreal series

to Publish an All-New IP

Redwood City, Calif. – August 14, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Epic Games, Inc. today announced that they have signed a publishing agreement for an all-new action title for the PC, Xbox 360® video game system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The new intellectual property is currently in development by Epic’s People Can Fly studio in Poland.

“Epic is excited to work with EA Partners to launch our next big IP on the global stage,” said Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games. “EA Partners gives independent developers like Epic the muscle of a global publisher like EA, along with the focus and flexibility of a smaller team committed to working with our individual needs.”

“In the last year, EAP has become a powerhouse player in the publishing world with the best of breed developers signing on to leverage EA’s studio-focused philosophy, global scale and publishing leadership,” said Frank Gibeau, President of the EA Games Label. ”Epic brings first class talent and technology to the development of this new title. We are very proud to have Epic join the growing roster of EA Partners.”

“Epic is a legendary studio that is synonymous with quality and EA Partners jumped at the chance to team up with them on the launch of their next blockbuster IP,” said David DeMartini, senior vice president and general manager, EA Partners. “EA Partners is committed to giving the world’s best independent developers access to EA’s global publishing resources, letting them focus on what they do best – making great games.”

For more information about Epic Games, please visit www.epicgames.com

For more information about EA, please visit our press Web site at http://info.ea.com

Perpetual Reassumes Publishing Duties From SOE [Warcry Network]

We will start making movies not because we want to, but because this is what we have to do. If we don't, we will not be able to take advantage of the next generation.

The NYT and Persuasive Games have a new relationship, and Times Select subscribers can now get access to 'newsgames' via NYT's editorial pages. While several newsgames have been getting press in recent months, this marks a first for newsgames really going mainstream. The first game published is called "Food Import Folly," with obvious ties to the current tainted imported Chinese goods headlines.

Ian Bogost, founding partner of Persuasive Games, says, "This is unprecedented, and at the risk of tooting my own horn, I think it represents another important shift in videogames as a medium. This is news/editorial in videogame form, rather than videogames trying to make news fun." Maggie Greene

The New York Times Publishes Our Newsgames [Water Cooler Games]

Because no good franchise (make that potentially good franchise) can be over-milked.

Pocket Books just announced that they have acquired the world rights to publish the novelization of Assassin's Creed. The first novel in the expected trilogy will be published in October. All three novels will be written by New York Times bestselling author Steven Barnes and will deliver into the back story of Altair and his adventures in the Third Crusade. Is it just me or does it seem like the word "wacky" needs to be in there?

"Assassin's Creed is an all-new video game franchise that will immerse players into another time and experience," shared Tony Key, vice president, marketing at Ubisoft. "The Assassin's Creed books, which begin by layering elements that prequel the game, will only expand upon this adventure to an eager audience of gamers and thrill seekers."

"With the anticipation for Assassin's Creed building every day, it's tremendously exciting to be in partnership with Ubisoft at the launch of this extraordinary franchise," said Marco Palmieri, Senior Editor at Pocket Books. "For gamers who can't get enough, the novels will offer a compelling expansion of the Assassin's Creed experience."

I think books are replacing movies as a way for publishers to cross-promote their video games. That makes me sad.
Brian Crecente

If you're looking to write about videogames for a living, Edge magazine would certainly be one of the better places to do it.

The site just posted this little help wanted item:

If you've ever wanted to write about videogames in a professional capacity, or you already do so and you're looking to develop your career, now may be the time to do something about it.

Edge is expanding its editorial team, and is seeking a new writer and deputy editor.

Full details of the requirements for applicants can be found here (writer) and here (deputy editor). You'll need to be quick, however, because the vacancies' closing dates are February 26 and March 1 respectively.

Good luck.

So if you want to write, then hit the link, unless you're in San Francisco, then email us instead. ;) Brian Crecente

Edge is Hiring [Edge Online]