Good morning, world. While most of you slept, drama struck Infinity Ward, the creators of the Call of Duty series, with allegations of "insubordination" from publishers Activision and the rumoured departure of the studio's two top men.

The news first hit yesterday afternoon, when G4 reported that IW heads Vince Zampella and Jason West had met with Activision, after which neither were seen from again by staffers and "a bunch of bouncer-types" showed up outside Infinity Ward's offices.

The situation between the developer and publisher had been described as "tense" for some time.

Things got interesting a few hours later, when updates to Jason West's Linkedin page revealed that he had ceased employment at the developer.

And then got really interesting when an SEC filing from earlier in the day revealed that Activision had launched an investigation into some allegedly iffy conduct at Infinity Ward, including "insubordination" and "breaches of contract" that affected "two senior employees" at the studio.

That's everything we've heard, so far. Fascinating stuff for the innocent bystander. But what do we actually know?

What's Been Rumoured

- That IW bosses Vince Zampella and Jason West have been fired. Neither the pair nor Activision have issued statements regarding the issue, so the nature of their employment (or departure) is yet to be confirmed; remember, the Activision SEC filing only mentions "two senior employees", it doesn't name names. Indeed, we haven't heard anything from Zampella regarding the situation.

- That Activision sent security guards to the Infinity Ward offices. Who those men are, who sent them and more importantly, what they were doing there have yet to be determined. All we have are reports that they were "bouncer-types", nothing more.

What We Know

- The Activision SEC filing is legit, and is concrete information. They are serious allegations, and will probably result in a major lawsuit.

- Jason West no longer works at Infinity Ward. His Linkedin profile page is legitimate, and clearly states that he ceased employment at the studio in March 2010. We just don't know why/how he no longer works there.

That's it. Be sure to separate the two when considering the situation, as things are still incredibly murky. We will of course update you (and this post) throughout the day as we hear more on the situation.

Microsoft announced tonight that online play for original Xbox consoles and titles - including those played on an Xbox 360 - over its Xbox Live service will soon be discontinued.

The axe will fall on April 15, and will bring an end to years of online play for games like Halo 2 and...whatever other original Xbox games people still play these days.

With this being 2010, it's not really that big a surprise, but Microsoft's explanation for the move certainly raises an eyebrow or two. Xbox Live's Larry Hryb writes:

I wanted to let you know that on April 15, 2010 Microsoft will discontinue Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox 1 games playable on Xbox 360. Our first step in this process will be to turn off auto-renewals for those members who only use Xbox LIVE on a v1 Xbox. While I can't comment on the specifics, this change will allow us to continue evolving the LIVE service with new features and experiences that fully harness the power of Xbox 360 and the Xbox LIVE community. We did not make this decision lightly, but after careful consideration and review we realize that this decision will allow us unprecedented flexibility for future features.

Wonder what it is they're adding to Live that made them boot original Xbox support? A bigger friends list, perhaps?

UPDATE: Xbox Live's Marc Whitten has provided a little more background, writing:

Dear Xbox LIVE Members,

On April 15 we will discontinue the Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox v1 games playable on Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals. I want to start by saying this isn't a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox LIVE community.

Seven years ago we laid out our vision for the connected console when we launched Xbox LIVE. We believed then that the power of the Internet to connect people would revolutionize living room entertainment. It started with amazing multiplayer games, and we've since seen that bet pay off again and again with the launches of Xbox 360, Marketplace, Netflix and powerful social features like Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm. None of this would have been possible without the success of LIVE as a multiplayer gaming network.

There's no greater example of the power of the Xbox LIVE community than the "Halo" franchise. "Halo 2" has had an amazing run on LIVE, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles. It has fundamentally changed the way we play video games. And while it's difficult to see that run come to an end, the "Halo" franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with "Halo 3," "Halo 3: ODST" and soon "Halo: Reach" on Xbox 360.

Your Xbox LIVE community has grown to 23 million strong. And as we look down the road, we'll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360. To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games. We will contact the Xbox LIVE members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your LIVE messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities. We view you as a partner in this process.

We'll share more details soon, but in the meantime I want to assure you that the best is yet to come for Xbox LIVE. I believe we'll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment, and I couldn't be more excited about what we have in store with "Project Natal" and LIVE. The LIVE community is the driving force behind everything we do, and it's because of the community that ground-breaking experiences on Xbox continue to be possible.

See you on LIVE,

Marc Whitten

When Chris Marazzo (pictured), a casting director, listed on his personal website that he's casted more than 200 projects - "including most recently Star Wars: Battlefront 3 with LucasArts" - he probably didn't have this kind of response in mind.

However, the fan site Battlefront3.net noticed, got in touch with Marazzo, and lo and behold, the guy replied. And confirmed to them that the game is in in development. Here's his quote to BF3.Net:



What's more, the site member who contacted Marazzo said "he may be able to dig me up some Battlefront 3 storyboards, by the end of the week!"

Very interesting indeed. I've emailed a contact with LucasArts to apprise them of this rumor and ask if they want to comment. Anything they say that's updateable will go back here.

Battlefront 3 is in Development says Battlefront 3 Actor [Battlefront3.net via VG247]

The current cap on your Xbox Live friends list is—and always has been—set to 100, a paltry figure for some Live social butterflies. The reason that number hasn't budged in four years is reportedly due to one game.

According to G4, that game is Halo 2, built on the old Xbox Live architecture and a game that Microsoft still supports. Wisely supports, that is, as the original Xbox game still regularly sits atop the weekly "Original Xbox Top Live Titles." But it's supposedly the title that's hampering your ability to enjoy a wider circle of e-friends.

G4 cites a "high-level Microsoft source" in discussing Halo 2's effect on the bigger Xbox Live picture, which, while unconfirmed officially, makes a hell of a lot of sense. The kids love the Halo. He's a pretty cool guy.

Not a problem for me, as I only have two Xbox Live friends: Crecente and my mom. She always lets me win.

We've reached out to Microsoft in an attempt to get official confirmation of the limits on Live.

Images and details have leaked onto the net for something called 'Xbox Avatar RetroCade', which looks strikingly similar to Sony's PlayStation Home.

Mentioned in a previously-secret consumer survey sent to Joystiq, the "virtual Avatar arcade" could be called "Game Room," "RetroCade," "Classics LIVE" or "Tower of ROM." We like the last one.



It looks incredibly similar in concept to PlayStation Home's own arcade, though if the leaked survey's anything to go by it's not going to be free of charge.

The second survey question asks, "Which of the following names would most compel you to purchase the product?" indicating that the "Xbox arcade" might not be a totally free space.

We've contacted Microsoft for comment.

February 2, 2010 Online Service Shutdown
UEFA Champions League 07 PC and x360
Facebreaker x360 and PS3
Fantasy Football 09 x360 and PS3
FIFA 07 PSP, PS2, PC
Fight Night Round 3 PS2
Madden 08 Wii
Madden 08 PC
Madden 09 Xbox1
Madden 09 Wii and PSP
March Madness 07 x360
NBA 07 PSP, x360
NBA 08 PS2, PSP, Wii
NBA 09 Wii - Europe only
NBA Street (2007) PS3 and x360
NCAA Football 08 PS2
NCAA Football 09 PS2
NASCAR 08 PS2
NASCAR 09 PS2
NASCAR 09 PS3 and x360 - Europe Only
NFL Tour PS3 and x360
NHL 07 PSP and x360
NHL 08 PC
Tiger Woods 07 PC
Madden 09 x360 and PS3
Madden 07 Xbox 360

April 1, 2009 Online Service Shutdown
FIFA 07 Xbox
Madden NFL 07 PlayStation Portable
Madden NFL 07 Xbox
Madden NFL 07 PC
Madden NFL 07 PlayStation 2
Madden NFL 07 PlayStation 3
Madden NFL 08 PlayStation Portable
Madden NFL 08 Xbox
NASCAR® 08 PlayStation 3
NASCAR® 08 Xbox 360
NBA LIVE 08 PC
NCAA® Football 08 Xbox
NHL® 08 PlayStation2
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 06 PC
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 08 PlayStation Portable
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 08 PlayStation 2

July 1, 2008 Online Service Shutdown
Arena Football™: Road to Glory PlayStation 2
Burnout™ Dominator PlayStation Portable
FIFA 07 PlayStation Portable Asia
NCAA® March Madness® 07 PlayStation 2
NCAA® March Madness® 07 Xbox
Medal of Honor Pacific Assault™ PC
MVP™ 07 NCAA® Baseball PlayStation 2
NASCAR® 2005: Chase for the Cup™
NASCAR® 07 PlayStation 2
NASCAR® 07 Xbox
NBA LIVE 06 Xbox
NBA LIVE 07 PlayStation 2
NBA LIVE 07 PC
NBA LIVE 07 Xbox
NCAA® Football 07 PlayStation 2
NCAA® Football 07 Xbox
NCAA® Football 07 PlayStation Portable
NFL STREET 3 PlayStation 2
NHL® 07 PlayStation 2
NHL® 07 PC
NHL® 07 Xbox
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 06 PlayStation 2
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 07 PlayStation 2
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 07 PlayStation Portable NA
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 07 PlayStation Portable EU
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 07 PlayStation Portable Asia
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 07 Xbox
UEFA Champions League™ 2006-2007 PlayStation 2
UEFA Champions League™ 2006-2007 PlayStation Portable NA
UEFA Champions League™ 2006-2007 PlayStation Portable EU
2006 FIFA World Cup™ 360

February 21, 2008 Online Service Shutdown
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 08- The Daily Tournament feature is currently out of service for an indefinite period of time, but Play Now and Session Matches remain active.

September 1, 2007 Online Service Shutdown
Arena Football for PlayStation 2
Arena Football for Xbox
FIFA Soccer 06 for Xbox 360
FIFA Soccer 06 for PC
FIFA06 for PC
FIFA Soccer 06 for PlayStation 2
FIFA Soccer 06 for PlayStation Portable
FIFA Soccer 06 for Xbox
FIFA World Cup 2006 for PC
FIFA World Cup 2006 for PlayStation 2
FIFA World Cup 2006 for PlayStation Portable
FIFA World Cup 2006 for Xbox
Fight Night Round 3 for PlayStation Portable
Fight Night Round 3 for Xbox
Madden NFL 06 for Xbox 360
Madden NFL 06 for PC
Madden NFL 06 for PlayStation 2
Madden NFL 06 for PlayStation Portable
Madden NFL 06 for Xbox
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects for PlayStation 2
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects for Xbox
MVP 07 NCAA Baseball for PlayStation 2
MVP 07 NCAA Baseball for Xbox
NASCAR 06 Total Team Control for PlayStation 2
NASCAR 06 Total Team Control for Xbox
NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360
NBA Live 06 for PC
NBA Live 06 for PlayStation 2
NBA Live 06 for PlayStation Portable
NCAA Football 2005 for Xbox
NCAA Football 2006 for PlayStation 2
NCAA Football 2006 for Xbox
NCAA March Madness 06 for PlayStation 2
NCAA March Madness 06 for Xbox
NFL Head Coach for PC
NFL Head Coach for Xbox
NFL Head Coach for PlayStation 2
NHL 06 for PC
NHL 06 for PlayStation 2
NHL 06 for Xbox
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 for Xbox 360
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 for Xbox

November 1, 2007 Online Service Shutdown
Burnout Revenge for Xbox
Burnout Revenge for PlayStation 2
Need for Speed Underground for PlayStation 2
Need for Speed Underground 2 for PC
Need for Speed Underground 2 for PlayStation 2
Need for Speed Most Wanted for PlayStation Portable
Need for Speed Most Wanted for Xbox

Previously Shut Down Online Service
TimeSplitters 3: Future Perfect
Armies of Exigo for PC
Goldeneye: Rogue Agent for PS2
Goldeneye: Rogue Agent for Xbox
Goldeneye: Rogue Agent for NGC
Madden NFL 2005 for PS2
Madden NFL 2005 for Xbox
Madden NFL 2005 for PC
NASCAR 2005 for PC
NASCAR 2005 for PS2
NASCAR 2005 for Xbox
NFL Street 2: Unleashed for PS2
NFL Street 2: Unleashed for Xbox
Tiger Woods 2005 for Xbox
Need for Speed Underground 2 for PS2
Medal of Honor Rising Sun for PS2
MVP Baseball™ 2005 for PC
MVP Baseball™ 2005 for PlayStation 2
MVP Baseball™ 2005 for Xbox
FIFA Soccer 2005 for PS2
FIFA Soccer 2005 for Xbox
FIFA Soccer 2005 Demo for Xbox
FIFA Soccer 2005 for PC
EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 2 for PS2
EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 2 for Xbox
NCAA® March Madness™ 2005 for PS2
NCAA® March Madness™ 2005 for Xbox
NBA LIVE 2005 for Xbox
NBA LIVE 2005 for PC
NBA LIVE 05 for PS2
NBA STREET V3 for PS2
NBA STREET V3 for Xbox
NCAA® Football 2005 for PS2
Need for Speed™ Underground 2 Demo for PC
Need for Speed™ Underground 2 for PC
Need for Speed™ Underground 2 for Xbox
NHL® 2005 for PS2
NHL® 2005 for Xbox
NHL® 2005 for PC
Total Club Manager 06 for PS2
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 2005 for PS2
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 2005 for PC
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE™ 2004-2005 for PS2
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE™ 2004-2005 for PC
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE™ 2004-2005 for Xbox

The following is an important update regarding online service for some older EA titles.

Servers for the games listed below will be shut down on the indicated dates. You may continue to play the games online up until these dates, but certain community programs may begin to close down prior to the shutdown dates.

All of us at EA would like to thank you for your valued participation in our online gaming community and hope that your enthusiasm for these games extends to our current lineup and beyond.

If you have further questions about your account or the shut down of these services, please visit http://support.ea.com.

Thank you,
Electronic Arts

There's a listing over on the website of the Australian Classification Board for a game we've never heard of. It's called Star Wars: Legends. And no, before you ask, it hasn't been banned.

The title was submitted for classification way back in June, and earned the game a Mature rating (for "fantasy violence"). Interestingly, it's listed as an internal Lucasarts project, with Activision down as publisher.

And it's not just the Classification Board making stuff up; "Star Wars: Legends" also appears as a recent filing with the US Patent Office.

A Star Wars game we've never heard of, developed by Lucasarts, mature content...anyone would think this was the game due to be revealed at the Spike VGAs later this month.

"Well I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there - you'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories."

That's according to Epic boss Mike Capps, who says that you won't be playing Gears Of War 3 until the likes of the Xbox 720 hit market come 2011-2012:

Capps' comments came in a Q&A session following his speech at the Tokyo Game Show. He began by confirming that Epic has been working on Unreal Engine 4 for the past seven years in preparation for the next hardware generation.

"We're very concerned that the next generation will be massively parallel and most engines won't be able to adapt for that," said Capps.

"If there were a next Gears of War, that will be for the next console generation, whenever that is. If someone knows, please tell me! That's about four or five years away, I think."

Also during the session, Capps said that it cost less to make Gears of War 2 than the original game. Although the team working on the sequel was larger, the development time was shorter. "We've managed to keep our expenses down significantly," he said. "We hear about 25 million dollar game budgets and that sort of thing... Epic's not like this."

Of course, if you want a next-gen console today, simply equip a PC with a DirectX 11 GPU.

Scuttlebutt is going around Wall Street regarding a possible takeover of Electronic Arts at the hands of Microsoft. Talk of the potential buy has been dismissed as "unsubstantiated chatter" by Reuters, but rumors among traders have already served to drive up the stock of both companies. EA stock is up 5.24% to $19.36, while MS increased by 0.9% to $26. Some traders, at least, are banking on the possibility.

Whether purely the product of imagination or a legitimate piece of inside info, the rumor is plausible enough. The last year has seen a steady fall in videogame sales, the largest sales drop in nine years, leaving EA in a potentially weakened state. Such acquisitions have happened increasingly often, as in the case of "Activision Blizzard", and Zenimax/ID, and even EA's own attempts to acquire Take-Two.

Just how such a buy would change the face of the industry is difficult to comprehend. With EA dominating 20% game publishing market share and Microsoft 35% of hardware sales, the two combined would represent an absolute monolith. Or, at the very least, a chance to have a playable John Madden character for Halo 3: ODST's Firefight mode as DLC.

US, September 23, 2009 - Rumblings of a Electronic Arts takeover by Microsoft have driven Wall Street into a frenzy this morning.

Reuters is reporting "unsubstantiated talk" of a possible sale, causing shares to jump for both companies. Electronic Arts saw a jump of over 8% to $20.01, while Microsoft's shares increased 1.1 percent to $26.05

"There's talk that Microsoft might be interested in acquiring Electronic Arts. It's unsubstantiated chatter, but it's out there," said options strategist Frederic Ruffy.

Analyst Trip Chowdhry said talk of this sale is unjustified. "Our contacts just don't see Microsoft buying Electronic Arts, no synergies whatsoever, and also not Microsoft's corporate primary focus right now."

Electronic Arts and Microsoft have yet to issue any comments on this story.

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter told IGN a sale of this magnitude is highly unlikely.

"Their value as a one platform exclusive publisher is lower than their value on multi-platform. A media company would pay a lot more," he said. "Also, most licenses would terminate."

Once again making use of their Twitter feed, LucasArts announces that they will have an announcement to make September 10 on GameTrailers regarding a new internal LucasArts IP.

“Our Prez just Finished an interview w/ @Gametrailers. Discussed new internal LucasArts IP. Tune in Sept 10 to hear whats up!”

Will this be the announcement of Lucidity that many have been expecting for a while now, or something we know nothing about? Mark your calendars for September 10th to find out, or just come back to LucasNews where we will have the latest on the announcement.

Feeling a bit sore about the abandoned Star Wars Battlefront III, previously in development at TimeSplitters and Haze house Free Radical? Here's a little salt for that wound, alleged Star Wars Battlefront IV concept art.

Unseen64 has more than a dozen purported concept paintings from the fourth Star Wars Battlefront game, which seems to have a focus on the planets Utapau from Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Dagobah from The Empire Strikes back. The site credits not-for-profit internet hound superogatory with the find, which curiously doesn't appear on his own blog.



That's Dagobah right there, which the unnamed developer on the rumored game appears to have fleshed out with authentic looking architecture and vehicles, namely the Dagobah tank.

Whether we'll actually see the promise of Star Wars Battlefront III or Star Wars Battlefront IV is up to LucasArts. But for now, an ogling of this purported concept artwork will give your eyeballs a good enough "What if?"

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will "redefine" the online multiplayer game -- focusing on vehicle warfare, destruction

"We have a history deeply rooted in vehicles. We're taking that tradition into Bad Company."

If you fire a homing dart at a vehicle, your squadmates will know where it is. Working as a team will earn you tactical advantages.

Electronics retailer Best Buy is firing a shot at competitors GameStop and Game Crazy, offering a price match guarantee on video games that would match prices on new titles against other retailers used prices. Yeah, that is awesome.


One Cheap Ass Gamer snapped this photo highlighting the promotion at a West Jordan, Utah area Best Buy. The offer boasts that the store "now price matches NEW video games at USED prices from Gamestop or Game Crazy." GameStop's used pricing tends to be about $5 less than the retail price on new releases, a decent savings on brand new games, but not out of line with pre-existing deals offered by Best Buy.

The consumer demo for Batman: Arkham Asylum™, published in the United Kingdom by Eidos Interactive, will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 entertainment system and Games For Windows® LIVE worldwide on August 7. The full game will be available at retail stores nationwide in the United Kingdom beginning August 28th.

The demo will be offered on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360 and PlayStation®Network for the PLAYSTATION 3. Fans can visit www.batmanarkhamasylum.com for details on how to download the Games For Windows LIVE version.

The Batman: Arkham Asylum™ demo opens as the DARK KNIGHT and COMMISSIONER GORDON return The Joker back into confinement at ARKHAM ASYLUM. But things soon fall apart as THE JOKER gains the upper hand and springs a trap, setting Arkham Asylum’s occupants upon Batman. The demo offers gamers a taste of the fierce FreeFlow™ combat system, the cunning stealth of the Invisible Predator™ mechanic, and the feeling of becoming the WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE as they navigate Arkham Asylum’s imposing Intensive Treatment facility. Players can unlock character bios, as well as get a sneak peak at some of the infamous foes that BATMAN will encounter within the cavernous and macabre confines of Arkham Asylum.





Featuring amazing graphics within an intense, immersive setting, Batman: Arkham Asylum™ exposes players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure that takes them to the depths of Arkham Asylum – Gotham City's psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. Gamers will move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst their enemies, and confront The Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains, including Harley Quinn, Bane, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy, and the newly revealed Scarecrow, who have taken over the asylum.

Batman: Arkham Asylum™ has been rated BBFC 15 in the United Kingdom. For more information on the title, please visit: www.batmanarkhamasylum.com.

Each Xbox 360 console has a unique, 12-digit serial number. Each Xbox 360 also has a console ID number that is available through the Dashboard, and that uniquely identifies the console on Xbox LIVE.

The serial number of an Xbox 360 console is displayed in three locations. The console ID is located only in the Dashboard.

The Xbox 360 console serial number and console ID are displayed on the System Information screen of the Xbox Dashboard near the top. System Information is the last option on the list of console settings in the System section of the Xbox Dashboard.

Xbox LIVE Update Preview Program


I am happy to announce that we’re doing an Xbox 360 System Update Preview program for our next release, and the opportunity to sign up is now available. Much like we did last year, you’ll need to visit the Microsoft Connect site from this link and sign in with your Windows LIVE ID that is connected to your Xbox LIVE Gamertag.

Once you do that, you need to fill out the "Xbox LIVE Update Preview Sign Up" survey in order to be considered for receiving the Preview System Update. We're asking a few questions about where you live, your home network, ISP connection and a few other pieces of information. We are looking for a good cross-section of our members in order to get the best feedback we can.

The Xbox team will then review all of the applications and if you’re selected we’ll send you an email notifying you of your acceptance in the program. A couple of points before you head off to register:

* We’re looking for multiple thousands of participants, so your chances of making it in are good
* This opportunity is open to all Xbox LIVE Members in regions where Xbox LIVE is available.
* Just completing the survey does not automatically get you access to the Preview Program. We’ll be making final selections from the completed surveys and send you an email if you are selected.
* While both box LIVE Gold and Silver members can sign up, Priority will be given to Gold members in the selection process.


If you are accepted, you'll hear from us in about a week. Make sure your information on Connect is updated so we can email you if you are accepted. Also, I’ll be sure to updated/edit if the program fills up.



Sign up for the Xbox LIVE Update Preview Program

Comic-Con's not typically an event one attends expecting to hear about the latest game announcements, but Microsoft is bringing with it something as yet unannounced, according to an invite from the Xbox 360 maker.

Microsoft will be showcasing the already announced Halo 3: ODST, Alan Wake, The Beatles: Rock Band, Left 4 Dead 2 and Xbox Live Arcade's South Park and Shadow Complex during the Con. But it's also giving us a chance to see a "new, exciting unannounced project from one of our top franchises." Interesting...

Microsoft will hold a media reception on the evening of Thursday, July 23rd which could mean an announcement will happen that night. Granted, since the company's invite states that those of us covering Comic-Con will be "among the first" to see that unannounced project, it could very well be announced ahead of time.

Also, to prevent hype poisoning, note that "new project" does not necessarily mean "new video game." We could be getting our first look at new downloadable content or something else that should induce caution.