Out on the web, gamers are calling it the super leak . Now a bunch of rumors are circulating about what Microsoft and Activision plan to announce at the upcoming E3 conference in July. Over the weekend, a marketing research firm called Intellisponse allowed its site to be hacked, spilling the secrets of its clients. (The leak was first reported at a gamer site).
The big video game companies typically save their biggest announcements of the year for E3. So the leaks, if true, could be very damaging for the companies, giving their rivals plenty of time to react to the supposed announcements. The rumors are unconfirmed and Microsoft said in a statement that it periodically uses marketing research companies to test ideas. These leaks “may or may not be real products.”
Among the provocative ideas leaked is a plan to create Xbox Live Avatars. These are digital personae for Xbox Live users. The avatars resemble the “Miis” that have become extremely popular on the Nintendo Wii console. Another is a game dubbed “Lips,” which is Microsoft’s answer to Sony’s popular SingStar karaoke sing-along games.
Big games being announced, according to the leaks, are Microsoft’s “Forza Motorsport 3” and Activision’s “Call of Duty: World at War.” Microsoft is also reportedly working on a social gaming channel for Xbox Live in an attempt to snare the casual gaming crowd. Activision is also reportedly developing Spider-Man games for the Wii that use the Wii Fit’s Balance Board.
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Nintendo is also affected by the leaks. Disney is reportedly working on a game dubbed “Ultimate Band,” a music title that is being developed for the Wii by the end of the year. The rumors go on and on. Kotaku has assembled links of the rest of the leaked announcements.
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