Correction: HP Digital Entertainment Center that started shipping (CED Nov 1 p7) costs $999 in U.S., not $99.
THQ and Nokia are collaborating on national promotion in U.S. for upcoming PS2/Xbox videogame Dark Summit, due to ship in first quarter 2002. Title will be Calabasas Hills, Cal., game maker THQ’s first game for Xbox, Mktg. Vp Peter Dille said. As part of promotion, Instant Win Game will give consumers chance to win $5,000 grand prize, Nokia 3300 series mobile phones, Dark Summit gear including hats and T-shirts. “Decoder” game piece is available at more than 2,000 retail locations, THQ said, and more than 2 million game pieces will be distributed nationwide. Consumers must visit www.darksummit.net to decode secret messages from game pieces to see whether they are instant winners. Game, running through Dec. 31, is being supported by THQ via print ads and with point-of-purchase materials including posters.
Konami-Universal Interactive E-rated game Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex for PS2 started shipping at $49.99. Game was developed by U.K. studio Traveller’s Tales.
Suit filed Wed. by major entertainment companies seeking to block SonicBlue from shipping ReplayTV 4000 personal video recorder (PVR) is likely to raise many of same issues that followed advent of VCR and later DAT, officials said. Among PVR’s features that are at issue in suit is ability to skip through commercials using same technology licensed from Arthur D. Little that first brought features to VCRs several years ago. ReplayTV device also allows user to e-mail recorded programs to other ReplayTV PVR owners, although feature requires broadband connection. ReplayTV 4000 is being sold only through sonicblue.com Web site at start, and SonicBlue is seeking to license PVR technology to cable operators.
RadioShack will implement new strategy in early 2002 that tailors merchandise mix of stores to individual markets, marking major break with cookie-cutter approach that has been chain’s hallmark.
Acclaim Entertainment is backing release of PS2 videogame Burnout with marketing campaign including dedicated Web site at www.acclaim.com, national print and TV ads, online contests. Game, developed by Criterion Games, is one of few titles Sony International will support this holiday season with co-marketing money in European markets, Glen Cove, N.Y.-based Acclaim said. Game is shipping now at $49.99.
Tremor Entertainment shareholders approved merger plan making Burbank Xbox videogame developer subsidiary of New Systems. If deal is finalized, Tremor will become public company and New Systems will change its name to Tremor Entertainment. Tremor is under contract with Microsoft to create original action fantasy game under Microsoft label for Xbox. Title is scheduled to ship next fall. Tremor CEO Steven Oshinsky said: “With the approval of the Tremor shareholders now in place, we have entered the final regulatory process to complete the merger which we expect will occur in the next 30 days. Tremor is now tracking its 2nd year of more than 100% growth in revenue with 2002 estimated at [$2.9 million], up from [$1.3 million] in 2001, and $502,205 in 2000. Becoming a public company is now essential to our growth, as game development become more capital intensive in terms of time and personnel required.”
Universal Interactive (UI) started shipping E-rated (Everyone) title Spyro: Season of Ice for Game Boy Advance at $39.99. Game was developed for UI by studio Digital Eclipse Software. UI said Spyro the Dragon “franchise has sold more than 8 million units worldwide.”
FCC Chmn. Michael Powell named interagency team to review EchoStar-DirecTV merger Thurs. as companies began regulatory process with SEC filing outlining parameters of deal and laying groundwork for what’s expected to be rigorous antitrust review. Cable Bureau Chief and future head of Media Bureau Kenneth Ferree will head FCC group that also includes Senior Counsel James Bird; FCC Chief Economist David Sappington; Cable Bureau Assoc. Chief Barbara Espin; Chief; Office of Engineering & Technology Deputy Chief Julius Knapp; International Bureau Satellite Div.’s JoAnn Lucanik; Cable Bureau Deputy Chief Royce Sherlock; Office of Plans & Policy economist Donald Stockdale; International Bureau economist Douglas Webbink. Powell said he tried to include experts on issues involved and he was “confident” review would be “thorough, fair and timely.” He said that he expected transaction to be “rigorously scrutinized” by FCC and that team would “expedite” review process.
Logitech and Immersion announced expanded functionality for Logitech’s iFeel Mouse for productivity applications. With addition of Immersion TouchWare Business software, ability to feel mouse pulses has been expanded to Microsoft Excel, Windows XP and Word, Immersion and Logitech said. New iFeel Mouse bundled with TouchWare Business will ship in Dec. at $39.95. Companies said TouchWare Business was available free to current iFeel Mouse owners at www.immersion.com.