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If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.
This week, Clash of Clans developer Supercell is now valued at $770 million and raised $130 million in February, Bethesda wraps up major Skyrim updates, and Disney fully embraces transmedia integration in Disney Infinity.
You’ll also find reviews for ShootMania, Cut the Rope: Time Travel, and a Threeview for BioShock Infinite, as well as our early impressions for Defiance.
News
- The DeanBeat: Defiance is inescapable transmedia that you’ll want to escape
- The Evil Within is the new survival-horror title from Resident Evil creator Mikami
- Nintendo finally releases the Circle Pad Pro for the 3DS XL in North America
- Angry Birds maker Rovio hires new exec to lead game development
- OnLive improves game-streaming performance with new optimization options
- Microsoft determined to make Xbox 360 more popular in Japan
- TimeGate loses appeal: Court orders Section 8 developer to pay $7.3M in damages
- Valued at $770M, Clash of Clans game studio Supercell raises $130M
- How Digital Chocolate teamed with Betable to launch a real-money gambling game in the U.K.
- Ex-Call of Duty team at Respawn Entertainment files for new trademark
- 2K Games is removing evidence of the XCOM shooter from the Internet
- Bethesda says farewell to more major Skyrim updates
- EA pulls the plug on 3 Facebook games
Mobile news
- Chinese ‘app store’ lets you install pirated iPhone apps — without jailbreaking
- PopCap releases Bookworm Heroes for iOS
- Hold on, mobile gaming monetization ain’t as easy as it looks
- Former Unity execs reveal cyberpunk tactics game for tablets
- With $11.3M to back it, Music Mastermind’s Zya app will turn consumers into music creators
- Papaya’s AppFlood helps developers monetize games in lucrative Chinese market
- Pocket Gems evolves from a successful developer into a mobile game publisher
Tech news
NPDs and future plans
- March 2013 NPD: Industry slumps another 10 percent as BioShock Infinite tops the charts
- Xbox division up big for Microsoft in Q3; Xbox Live has 46M members
- Japan’s Capcom slashes forecast and cancels games
- U.S. digital game revenues were stable in March, Superdata says
Exciting announcements
- Bethesda revealing Shinji Mikami’s horror game tomorrow: Here are the clues
- Breaking down what’s old and new in the 3DS’s upcoming lineup
- 3DS Nintendo Direct trailer roundup: Earthbound, new Link to the Past, and more
- Here’s a quick look at Yoshi’s Island for the 3DS
- Nintendo is making a new Zelda set in the A Link to the Past universe for 3DS
- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle games heading to 3DS eShop
- EarthBound coming to the Wii U Virtual Console this year
- Winged Pikmin take to the sky in the Wii U release this August
- Mario Party coming to Nintendo 3DS this winter
- Nintendo explains how it made Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D easier
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team due out August 11
Interviews
- ‘Terminator’ actor Michael Biehn talks voicing Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon’s hero
- Signia Venture Partners’ Rick Thompson delivers the über-investor’s take on mobile gaming investments (interview)
Reviews
- Cut the Rope: Time Travel is a charmingly addictive puzzler with a few new tricks (review)
- Defiance is not your normal massively multiplayer online game (first impressions)
- Threeview: BioShock Infinite reviewed by a critic, an analyst, and an academic
- ShootMania Storm excels at shooter simplicity and customization (review)
Previews
Pieces of flair
- The uncanny similarities between the original BioShock and Infinite (gallery)
- Read+Watch+Listen: Bonus material for BioShock Infinite fans
- 10 better-than-Hollywood video game cosplayers
- Camp Minecraft: How educators use the block-building game to inspire kids to code
- Racing with friends: PS4′s DriveClub vs. PC’s Auto Club Revolution