This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Though the developers of the Grand Theft Auto series haven't told us specifically anything about our coverage of their games, I, for one, welcome our new Rockstar overlords….
News Blips:
Rockstar Australia insists that editor gives favorable coverage to Red Dead Redemption. Former Zoo Weekly Editor Toby McCasker was recently fired for posting a private email he had received from the developer that asked him to "respect the huge achievement he's writing about" in regard to their upcoming game. Maybe next time he should just paraphrase it? [Kotaku]
IPhone/PlayStation 3 hacker Geohot claims he has developed a custom PS3 firmware that re-enables users to run different operating systems. Last week, Sony released the firmware version 3.21 for their console that ended support for users to run an alternate OS (like Linux) for the original PS3, while the Slim model has never had this functionality. Likewise, Geohot claims that his release even adds this feature to the PS3 Slim. I imagine that a couple people over at Sony have headaches right about now. [Engaget]
The Gears of War movie is low on health, and Epic might announce Gears of War 3 this week. The LA Times film blog 24 Frames reports that the studio is scaling back the story and budget for the film, and director Len Wiseman is shifting his attention to another project. Switching…gears, the designer of the series, Cliff Bleszinski, is expected to appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this Thursday to possibly announce the latest installment in the series. About a week ago he teased the announcement in a few Twitter posts. I keep saying, just string all the cinematics from the game together and call it a movie. Boom. Two birds, one stone. [CVG]
Play Modern Warfare 2 for free this weekend on Steam. Starting today, gamers can "pre-load" the Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer mode on their PCs. Then, beginning Thursday, April 8, throughout the weekend, they can play the game free of charge. What kind of drug-dealing scheme is this? The first taste is free, then you get hooked and will need to get your fix from a $60 game and $15 maps. [Valve]
Got any hot news tips? Send 'em over to tips@bitmob.com.