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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, Activision buys out parent company Vivendi’s shares for $8.17 billion after Vivendi asked for a $3 billion dividend, new Zynga chief executive officer Don Mattrick lays out his 90-day plan to get the company back on its feet, and Electronic Arts loses in a lawsuit brought by a former Madden programmer.
You’ll also find a review for Shadowrun Returns and a two-part interview with EA exec Frank Gibeau about next-gen consoles and digital ecosystems.
News
- The DeanBeat: At Siggraph, dipping into gaming’s frontiers — like a bathtub liquid display
- DICE shows off the expanded Battlelog features for Battlefield 4
- Aeria Games bringing free-to-play F.E.A.R. Online to U.S. gamers
- Minecraft-like shooter Guncraft blasts its way to Steam on Aug. 9
- SwapMob raises $1M for in-game virtual goods marketplace (exclusive)
- Microsoft may soon have a more indie-friendly console than Sony or Nintendo (UPDATED)
- Saints Row IV officially enters the world as Volition finishes development
- Battlefield 3 Premium surpasses 4 million members
- Oculus planning VR game jam with IndieCade
- Bundle Dragon brings the pay-what-you-want model to everyone
- Madden, FIFA players can carry over Ultimate Team items from current gen to PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Saints Row IV almost ended with a Bollywood dance number
- Ouya success Towerfall coming to PC — online multiplayer not likely
Mobile news
- Square Enix’s Bloodmasque rises from its coffin on iOS
- Machine Zone launches ambitious iOS title Game of War: Fire Age after huge investment
- New Google Play Games app centralizes multiplayer and more on Android
- After 100M downloads, JoyBits readies an ambitious Doodle God sequel for tablets
- EA made more money on Apple’s App Store than through Origin
- Spaceteam crosses space-time to debut on Android
- Family develops iPad game to inspire young girls to love math
- BlackBerry attempts to boost game support with Unity partnership
Tech
- Nvidia aims to blow away mobile graphics competitors with Project Logan
- PlayStation 4 is less likely to turn your entertainment center into a sauna
- Kinect-like Leap Motion 3D camera launches with over 75 applications
Bad news
- Sweepstakes startup Kizzang loses two top executives (exclusive)
- Jury sides with Madden programmer in EA lawsuit
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution studio head resigns because Square Enix lacks ‘courage’
Earnings
Acquisitions incorporated
- Curse moves into console game community news with acquisition of FutHead.com (exclusive)
- World of Tanks developer acquires Master of Orion and Total Annihilation franchises
All this funding
- Shadow of the Eternals returns to Kickstarter with PS4 support, new talent, and a new price
- NCSoft invests big in new studio from Blizzard, Relic, and Sony Online veterans
- How movie makers, game makers are using pre-visualization to get funded
- Japan’s KLab raises $9.3M for mobile games
Activision
- Activision Blizzard preannounces earnings that beat Wall Street estimates
- Activision buys out Vivendi in a deal worth $8.17 billion
- Vivendi may shake down Activision for a special $3B dividend
- Activision releasing new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles side-scrolling brawler in October
House of Zynga
- New Zynga CEO Don Mattrick lays out his 90-day plan
- Zynga exec explains why it’s abandoning online gambling in the U.S.
- Zynga will not ‘pursue a license for real-money [gambling] in the U.S.’
- Zynga slightly beats Wall Street expectations for Q2, but stock falls after-hours
Reviews
Interviews
- Microsoft wants everyone to make games (or apps) for Xbox One (interview)
- Entrepreneurship educator Carl Rosendahl tells us how game studios go awry (interview)
- Frank Gibeau on EA’s digital ecosystems, Star Wars games, and Titanfall (interview part two)
- EA exec Frank Gibeau: Betting on next-gen consoles, mobile, and doing right by consumers (interview)
- How curiosity keeps Pong creator Al Alcorn on the innovation path (interview)
Pieces of flair