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, Microsoft announced that it will unveil the new Xbox console on May 21, Nordic Games Licensing acquires both Darksiders and Red Faction from the THQ bankruptcy auction, and Candy Crush developer King overtakes Zynga as the largest social gaming company.
You’ll also find reviews of Monaco, Dead Island: Riptide, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and Defiance, as well as previews for Call of Juarez: Gunslinger and Kingdom Rush: Frontiers.
News
- The DeanBeat: King overtakes Zynga as the largest social gaming company
- Don’t call it the shooter: 2K Marin re-unveils its XCOM game
- EA confirms additional layoffs as it continues its post-Riccitiello transition
- Bethesda summons Legendary Edition of Skyrim to retailers on June 7
- Zynga to shut four more weak games, including The Ville
- Xbox alumni set up fund for student game developers at USC
- Harmonix lays off small number of staffers
- Dragon’s Crown finally dated as it draws fresh criticism for sexy imagery
Mobile News
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- American McGee reveals Hell Invaders F2P card battler for mobile devices
- Zynga launches Draw Something 2; terrible artists weep
- Smartphone game explores 2011 London riots with arcadey gameplay
- Chartboost expands mobile game developer cross-promotion business into Europe
Earnings and Acquisitions
- Zynga hits earnings targets and stays profitable in Q1
- Nintendo reports a small profit for fiscal year, but Wii U sales slow to a crawl
- Nordic Games Licensing acquires Red Faction, Darksiders, and other THQ assets for $4.9M
- Gearbox Software wins auction for Homeworld
- In March: BioShock Infinite does 878K on consoles; 14 titles cleared 100K
Tech
- Hey, cord cutters, the CW is now providing full TV episodes via Xbox Live
- Unity ceases Adobe Flash support
- No need to get off the couch. Gamers can order Pizza Hut using Xbox Live
- See Skyrim running on the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset
Woops
- Origin store ‘Action Sale’ includes games that … activates on Steam?
- U.K. retailer Tesco pulls listing for Call of Duty: Ghosts after ‘it was put up accidentally’
- An indie developer’s strategy to sell games: insult fans and raise prices
- Former Activision U.K. PR executive pleads guilty to embezzling Call of Duty money (Updated)
- The 700 Club’s Pat Robertson: People should ‘flee from evil’ video games
Nintendo’s new plan
- Nintendo sets the Wii U to ludicrous speed with latest patch
- A digital olive branch: Ubisoft releases Rayman Legends Challenges on Wii U eShop
- Nintendo not holding a press conference at this year’s E3; smaller events planned
- Nintendo announces launch lineup for Virtual Console on Wii U
Nextbox
All This Funding
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- PlayFirst raises $2M in funding as it debuts a new franchise character
- The playable races Kickstarter backers created for Stardrive
- Jagged Alliance: Flashback Kickstarter is live
- Skullgirls studio can’t pay development team because PayPal froze its account (updated)
Reviews
- Monaco’s co-op gameplay will steal your heart (review)
- Injustice: Gods Among Us is superpowered insanity (review)
- Dead Island: Riptide is a zombie game still searching for brains (review)
- Defiance is Borderlands: The MMO without the humor (review)
Previews
- The new towers and heroes in Kingdom Rush: Frontiers (preview)
- Call of Juarez: Gunslinger doesn’t do the Wild West justice (preview)
Interviews
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- Aiming for better profits, Zynga cuts even deeper into once-beloved games (interview)
- Lost Planet 3 is repositioning the franchise for mainstream success (interview)
- Bringing characters to life with Pixar’s animator magic (interview)
- Creating a creature with 5.5M pieces of animated hair in Pixar’s Monsters University (interview)
Pieces of Flair
- Consoles that won’t die: The Atari Jaguar
- One of the fake languages from HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ hides a reference to Castlevania
- If today’s developers made NES games (gallery)
- How Pixar made Monsters University, its latest technological marvel
- Pong, anyone? Philly skyscraper becomes the world’s largest video game
- Video games are the new Thin Mints: Girl Scouts add new badge for game design