Guinness World Records: The Videogame

No, I'm not talking about the Guinness World Records Gamer Edition. This is Guinness World Records: The Videogame, a new title from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games for the Wii and DS. The game will allow players to experience breaking a world records via "quick-fire action challenges" (mini-games), from tightrope walking across the Grand Canyon to growing the world's longest, most disgusting fingernails. Ew.

“We are very pleased with how Guinness World Records: The Videogame looks and plays, this new development reflects the versatility of our content and how it can be tailored for almost any medium and format,” said Sam Fay, Senior Vice President of Guinness World Records. “We are sure that the game is going to be a favourite amongst all aspiring record breakers!”

Players who achieve the highest scores could even see their name appear in the official Guinness World Records book, a dream I had as a child that has since been replaced with the desperate need to avoid shitty licensed mini-games quick-fire action challenges. Guinness World Records is slated for a Fall release.

Report: Mass Layoffs Hit Eidos

SCi, the parent company of Tomb Raider publisher Eidos, got a cash injection from its investment buddies at Warner Bros., the company announced today. The $120 million bailout is good news for SCi, but not so much for Eidos, as 1UP writes today that "sources have informed 1UP that Eidos's entire PR, marketing, and sales department has been laid off as part of the deal with Warner Bros." Yikes! That must be the translation of SCi CEO Phil Rogers "I want more distribution muscle in North America" statement.

Eidos' parent company announced earlier this year that it would be laying off 25% of its staff and killing fourteen projects, focusing on "cornerstone" titles like Tomb Raider, Hitman, Championship Manager and Deus Ex.

Layoffs at Eidos in Light of Warner Bros. Deal? [1UP]
Lara Croft creator SCi gets cash boost [Reuters]

A Questionable Addition To The Lego Batman Cast

It was just a few hours ago that I posted about the HD DVD group canceling its CES press conference and now we have more news on the format war front lines. In an article in Variety yesterday, buried amongst the Warner's announcement was one line that was very important to the Blu-Ray cause:

Warner sister company New Line confirmed it will shift allegiance to Blu-ray only as well.

Warner's other companies which include HBO and BBC, still have not announced whether they will make the shift as well, but it seems unlikely that they would go the other way. But, time is of the essence for distributors it seems as Warner CEO Barry Meyer states:

"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger."

One more nail in the HD DVD coffin?

Warner Bros. backs Blu-ray [Variety]

In light of yesterday's announcement that Warner Bros. will be going exclusively Blu-Ray, the HD DVD Promotion Group has canceled it's press conference for this year's CES. The news came in an email sent around to CES attendees yesterday.

"Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD's commitment to quality and affordability - a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.

We'll continue to keep you updated on new developments around HD DVD."

Yeeeeesh. Not that I think the entire format war relies on the decisions of Warner's, but it is one of the largest movie distributors and their choice will serve to start swinging things in Blu-Ray's direction. If a few more prominent companies choose this same option, we could well see an end to the format wars in the not too distant future. Man, am I glad I bought that PS3 when I had the money.

CES HD DVD Event canceled due to Warner announcement [Wesleytech.com]

Warner Bros. To Distribute Codemasters Games

Warner Bros. Invests in SCi Entertainment

"Investing in SCi further solidifies our commitment to the rapidly growing interactive and gaming space," said Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. "This deal is consistent with our core strategy of delivering high quality entertainment based on some of the world's best-loved brands for all formats and channels. We look forward to working with SCi to build games the fans of these brands will truly enjoy."

UMDs Flying Off The Shelves In Japan (No, Really)