Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal is "demanding answers" about why Sony Computer Entertainment of America failed to inform customers of the data breach of the PlayStation Network on April 20.
"When a data breach occurs, it is essential that customers be immediately notified about whether and to what extent their personal and financial information has been compromised," Blumenthal said in a release. "Compounding this concern is the troubling lack of notification from Sony about the nature of the data breach."
Of course, Sony just issued a statement that it says will be emailed to "all of our registered account holders" but, as we noted in our post, it's been nearly six days since the "intrusion" first took place. Blumenthal elaborated, "Although the breach occurred nearly a week ago, Sony has not notified customers of the intrusion, or provided information that is vital to allowing individuals to protect themselves from identity theft, such as informing users whether their personal or financial information may have been compromised."
Sen. Blumenthal also sent a letter to SCEA President and CEO Jack Tretton, which can be found after the break.
April 26, 2011
Mr. Jack Tretton
President and CEO
Sony Computer Entertainment America
919 East Hillsdale Boulevard
Foster City, CA USA 94404
Dear Mr. Tretton:
I am writing regarding a recent data breach of Sony's PlayStation Network service. I am troubled by the failure of Sony to immediately notify affected customers of the breach and to extend adequate financial data security protections.
It has been reported that on April 20, 2011, Sony's PlayStation Network suffered an "external intrusion" and was subsequently disabled. News reports estimate that 50 million to 75 million consumers – many of them children – access the PlayStation Network for video and entertainment. I understand that the PlayStation Network allows users to store credit card information online to facilitate the purchasing of content such as games and movies through the PlayStation Network. A breach of such a widely used service immediately raises concerns of data privacy, identity theft, and other misuse of sensitive personal and financial data, such as names, email addresses, and credit and debit card information.
When a data breach occurs, it is essential that customers be immediately notified about whether and to what extent their personal and financial information has been compromised. Additionally, PlayStation Network users should be provided with financial data security services, including free access to credit reporting services, for two years, the costs of which should be borne by Sony. Affected individuals should also be provided with sufficient insurance to protect them from the possible financial consequences of identity theft.
I am concerned that PlayStation Network users' personal and financial information may have been inappropriately accessed by a third party. Compounding this concern is the troubling lack of notification from Sony about the nature of the data breach. Although the breach occurred nearly a week ago, Sony has not notified customers of the intrusion, or provided information that is vital to allowing individuals to protect themselves from identity theft, such as informing users whether their personal or financial information may have been compromised. Nor has Sony specified how it intends to protect these consumers.
PlayStation Network users deserve more complete information on the data breach, as well as the assurance that their personal and financial information will be securely maintained. I appreciate your prompt response on this important issue.
Sincerely,
/s/
Richard Blumenthal
United States Senate
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Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Amazon offers Crysis 2 for $40, that nano-suits us just fine
We know you're having a hard time choosing between all the different nanomachine-infused, suit-centric first-person shooters set in a ruined New York City. Why not go with the cheap one? Amazon's marked down Crysis 2 to $39.95 as its current deal of the day.
Crysis 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) -- $39.95, down from $59.95
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Crysis 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) -- $39.95, down from $59.95
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Red Faction: Armageddon demo on XBLM and (maybe) PSN May 3
THQ will give you a chance to take a brief jaunt over to Mars on May 3, when it releases a demo for Red Faction: Armageddon. The demo will launch on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network simultaneously -- assuming that PSN will be functional again at that time, of course -- but no PC demo is planned.
According to THQ's description of the demo, players will get the opportunity to play with the Nano Forge's destructive and reconstructive abilities, and even "throw entire buildings at your enemies with Red Faction's signature weapon, the Magnet Gun." We'd certainly try that for zero dollars.
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According to THQ's description of the demo, players will get the opportunity to play with the Nano Forge's destructive and reconstructive abilities, and even "throw entire buildings at your enemies with Red Faction's signature weapon, the Magnet Gun." We'd certainly try that for zero dollars.
View the Original article
Monday, 16 May 2011
Kongregate and Ubisoft want you to build a music game in honor of Child of Eden
Kongregate and Ubisoft just launched a new contest to promote Child of Eden, called "Project Eden: Experience the Music" -- but it's an even deeper "experience" than the title suggests, as you'll actually "experience" the development of a music game in order to enter.
From now through June 21, Kongregate is accepting submissions of user-designed music games for entry into this contest. The top 25 games chosen by the voting community will then be judged by Child of Eden creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi ... and also Ricardo Torres from GameSpot. The winner gets $10,000 and, of course, the opportunity to spread their synaesthesia-inducing masterwork to everyone who checks out Kongregate.
What: Project Eden: Experience the Music
Details: Ubisoft and Kongregate, one of the leading free browser based game sites, are partnering to create Project Eden: Experience the Music, a music game contest inspired by the release of Child of Eden, the newest project from renowned game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi. The contest will challenge the Kongregate community to electrify the senses by creating a game that synchronizes music and unique gameplay.
Indie developers and amateur game makers will have a chance to win up to $10,000 in cash prizes, and if their game is selected by the Kongregate community as one of the top 25, it will be played and judged by Tetsuya Mizuguchi himself along with the Editor-in-Chief of GameSpot.com, Ricardo Torres.
For more information on the contest, or for specific rules and regulations, please visit http://www.kongregate.com/experience-the-music
Key Dates:
5/13: Contest announced and game submissions begin
6/21: Game submission deadline
6/22: Kongregate community voting begins
6/27: Top 25 games submitted to Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Ricardo Torres for selection of winners
6/30: Contest winners announced
Prizes:
Grand Prize: $10,000
2nd Place: $3,000
3rd Place: $2,000
About Child of Eden:
Child of Eden thrusts the player into the center of a battle to save Project Lumi, a mission to reproduce a human personality inside Eden, a futuristic version of the Internet and the archive of all human memories. As the project nears completion, the archive is invaded by an unknown virus and the player's mission is to save Eden from the virus to restore hope and peace. Under the direction of the renowned game creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Child of Eden is a multi-sensory shooter that will send players diving into a kaleidoscopic matrix of synchronized music and mind-blowing visuals that will usher forth a truly landmark game experience.
Child of Eden will release in the US on June 14th for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Child of Eden for the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system has a scheduled release timeframe of September 2011.
About Kongregate:
Kongregate is a leading browser-based game site with over 13 million monthly unique visitors who spend more than 23 million hours playing per month. As part of the GameStop Corporation network, the site features a unique community and social platform including achievements, profiles, chat, messaging, forums, and levels, which unifies over 35,000 games into a cohesive and addicting experience. Kongregate shares revenue from advertising and virtual goods directly with over 8,500 developers who have uploaded games to the site.
View the Original article
From now through June 21, Kongregate is accepting submissions of user-designed music games for entry into this contest. The top 25 games chosen by the voting community will then be judged by Child of Eden creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi ... and also Ricardo Torres from GameSpot. The winner gets $10,000 and, of course, the opportunity to spread their synaesthesia-inducing masterwork to everyone who checks out Kongregate.
What: Project Eden: Experience the Music
Details: Ubisoft and Kongregate, one of the leading free browser based game sites, are partnering to create Project Eden: Experience the Music, a music game contest inspired by the release of Child of Eden, the newest project from renowned game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi. The contest will challenge the Kongregate community to electrify the senses by creating a game that synchronizes music and unique gameplay.
Indie developers and amateur game makers will have a chance to win up to $10,000 in cash prizes, and if their game is selected by the Kongregate community as one of the top 25, it will be played and judged by Tetsuya Mizuguchi himself along with the Editor-in-Chief of GameSpot.com, Ricardo Torres.
For more information on the contest, or for specific rules and regulations, please visit http://www.kongregate.com/experience-the-music
Key Dates:
5/13: Contest announced and game submissions begin
6/21: Game submission deadline
6/22: Kongregate community voting begins
6/27: Top 25 games submitted to Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Ricardo Torres for selection of winners
6/30: Contest winners announced
Prizes:
Grand Prize: $10,000
2nd Place: $3,000
3rd Place: $2,000
About Child of Eden:
Child of Eden thrusts the player into the center of a battle to save Project Lumi, a mission to reproduce a human personality inside Eden, a futuristic version of the Internet and the archive of all human memories. As the project nears completion, the archive is invaded by an unknown virus and the player's mission is to save Eden from the virus to restore hope and peace. Under the direction of the renowned game creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Child of Eden is a multi-sensory shooter that will send players diving into a kaleidoscopic matrix of synchronized music and mind-blowing visuals that will usher forth a truly landmark game experience.
Child of Eden will release in the US on June 14th for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Child of Eden for the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system has a scheduled release timeframe of September 2011.
About Kongregate:
Kongregate is a leading browser-based game site with over 13 million monthly unique visitors who spend more than 23 million hours playing per month. As part of the GameStop Corporation network, the site features a unique community and social platform including achievements, profiles, chat, messaging, forums, and levels, which unifies over 35,000 games into a cohesive and addicting experience. Kongregate shares revenue from advertising and virtual goods directly with over 8,500 developers who have uploaded games to the site.
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Work on canned Bourne game 'Treadstone' revealed in vid
A reel showing off some rough in-game footage of Treadstone is making the rounds after being found by Superannuation. If you're suffering from a mild case of video game amnesia, allow us to refresh your memory: Three years ago, Treadstone was a multiplayer-focused title set in Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne universe being developed by Radical Entertainment.
If you're wondering why Treadstone was abandoned, one needs to recall the geopolitical business of games industry in 2008. At the time, Activision was cleaning house of the properties it obtained during the Vivendi merger and the Bourne IP was dumped back to Ludlum Entertainment. A short time later, Bourne landed at EA and ... well, that apparently hasn't gone much better.
Check out Radical's Treadstone work after the break.
View the Original article
If you're wondering why Treadstone was abandoned, one needs to recall the geopolitical business of games industry in 2008. At the time, Activision was cleaning house of the properties it obtained during the Vivendi merger and the Bourne IP was dumped back to Ludlum Entertainment. A short time later, Bourne landed at EA and ... well, that apparently hasn't gone much better.
Check out Radical's Treadstone work after the break.
View the Original article
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Ubisoft continues to just dance around fiscal year losses
A year ago, as Ubisoft reported net losses of €43.671 million for its 2009–10 fiscal year (ending, March 31, 2010), CEO Yves Guillemot brushed aside concern, saying, "We forecast a return to profitable growth in 2010–11." Well, here we are -- and Ubisoft isn't exactly basking in the sun.
For the 2010–11 fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, the publisher's net losses slumped further to €52.120 million (about $74 million). Yet Guillemot again played the role of the optimistic fortuneteller as he looked to the company to "post further growth in both sales and current operating income in 2011–12 and 2012–13." (Notice how he didn't drop the P-word this time.)
He put a positive spin on the 2010–11 fiscal year, too, observing "a sharp upturn in revenue." Indeed, sales were up 19 percent over the previous fiscal year to €1.039 billion. In addition to "another success" with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Guillemot attributed much of the sales growth to a rebounding casual market, which Ubisoft dominated with its (just) dance game segment, as well as strong support for the Kinect and 3DS launches. Notably, 38 percent of the publisher's game sales over the 12-month period came from Wii titles.
Ultimately, Ubisoft's bottom line suffered from reorganization costs, which amounted to €95.9 million in non-recurring charges, including unspecified project terminations (so, Am I Alive?). Presumably, if Ubisoft is now appropriately restructured, it can focus more effectively on making successful products again. "For example," Guillemot offered, "we plan to launch a free-to-play world based on our highly popular franchise for young girls, Imagine."
View the Original article
For the 2010–11 fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, the publisher's net losses slumped further to €52.120 million (about $74 million). Yet Guillemot again played the role of the optimistic fortuneteller as he looked to the company to "post further growth in both sales and current operating income in 2011–12 and 2012–13." (Notice how he didn't drop the P-word this time.)
He put a positive spin on the 2010–11 fiscal year, too, observing "a sharp upturn in revenue." Indeed, sales were up 19 percent over the previous fiscal year to €1.039 billion. In addition to "another success" with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Guillemot attributed much of the sales growth to a rebounding casual market, which Ubisoft dominated with its (just) dance game segment, as well as strong support for the Kinect and 3DS launches. Notably, 38 percent of the publisher's game sales over the 12-month period came from Wii titles.
Ultimately, Ubisoft's bottom line suffered from reorganization costs, which amounted to €95.9 million in non-recurring charges, including unspecified project terminations (so, Am I Alive?). Presumably, if Ubisoft is now appropriately restructured, it can focus more effectively on making successful products again. "For example," Guillemot offered, "we plan to launch a free-to-play world based on our highly popular franchise for young girls, Imagine."
View the Original article
Friday, 13 May 2011
Starhawk takes Warhawk into the future on PS3
You've probably heard the name before, but now Sony and LightBox Interactive have officially unveiled Starhawk, the follow-up to 2007's multiplayer-only PS3 game, Warhawk.
Due next year, Starhawk brings the on-foot and vehicle-based third-person shooter into a new setting -- desolate moons full of highly valued "rift energy." It also adds a single-player story mode and a new "Build and Battle" system that allows players to choose structures from a menu and drop them into the level as they fight, adding a layer of real-time strategy-esque gameplay.
You can see the first screens in our gallery, and a LightBox dev diary after the break. You can also read about the game in more detail in our hands-on preview! Starhawk (PS3)
View the Original article
Due next year, Starhawk brings the on-foot and vehicle-based third-person shooter into a new setting -- desolate moons full of highly valued "rift energy." It also adds a single-player story mode and a new "Build and Battle" system that allows players to choose structures from a menu and drop them into the level as they fight, adding a layer of real-time strategy-esque gameplay.
You can see the first screens in our gallery, and a LightBox dev diary after the break. You can also read about the game in more detail in our hands-on preview! Starhawk (PS3)
View the Original article
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