Bill Gates formally announced Microsoft's entry into the console market last March in his keynote address at the Game Developer's Conference, and there was a flashy Xbox booth at E3 2000, but it wasn't until this week at CES that the public got a chance to see the final look of the system and of course its all-important gamepad. Check out Microsoft Xbox Unclothed in our latest hardware preview.

"The first item makes a bit of sense if you think about where Microsoft is coming from. Let's face it: to the general public, Microsoft is not a games company, at least not in the same way Nintendo is. Microsoft is the company behind such decidedly uncool things as Windows and Excel. So, what they're attempting to do is to show that with the Xbox, they are first and foremost delivering a games machine, and thus not fall into the same trap Sony did in Japan with their PlayStation 2."
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After completing the transition of its sale to Gores Technology Group, the Entertainment Division of The Learning Company now sports a new name. The division will now be known as GAME Studios, and it will serve both as third-party publisher and internal developer of PC and console-based content. Its offices will remain in Novato, CA, about an hour north of San Francisco. The new studio will also be shifting its focus to reflect the changing face of the games market. GAME Studios plans to strongly support next-generation console platforms such as Microsoft's X-Box and Sony's PlayStation 2 Computer Entertainment System, as well as to continue development of its computer franchises.

The following is a list of the titles GAME Studios plans to publish in 2001:

• The Moon Project (Windows) April
• Myst III: Exile (Windows /Macintosh) April
• Destroyer Command (Windows) May
• Silent Hunter II (Windows) May
• Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (Windows) May
• Larry Bond's Harpoon4 (Windows) July
• Flanker Attack (Windows) July
• Solar (Windows) September
• Warlords IV (Windows) September
• Championship Surfer (PS2) September
• Legend of Alon D'ar (PS2) November

Activision, Inc. announced that an enhanced version of its best-selling video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 will be the company's first action-sports title to ship for the Xbox video game console. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x for Xbox is slated to ship among the first wave of launch titles in fall 2001, and is one of six games that Activision currently has in various stages of planning and development for the new console platform. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x for Xbox is being designed to take full advantage of the platform's technical capabilities, as well as continuing the standard of quality for which the brand is known. The game will feature the franchise's signature gameplay and intuitive controls, in addition to more populated environments, additional levels, realistic special effects and smoother lifelike animations. The inclusion of online, multiplayer gameplay and tournament hosting will further bring the skateboarding experience to life.
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Newly-formed game developer Mumbo Jumbo and developer-driven computer and video game publisher Gathering of Developers announced the production of real-time strategy game (RTS) Myth III: The Wolf Age, the third installment in the critically-acclaimed and highly-successful Myth PC game franchise. Mumbo Jumbo, based in Irvine CA, is headed by Mark Dochtermann and Ron Dimant, formerly of Ritual Entertainment.

Myth III: The Wolf Age is a prequel to Bungie's original Myth games. Set ten centuries prior to Myth The Fallen Lords, the game will focus on the exploits of Connacht, the first emperor of human lands, who saved mankind from the vile Myrkridia and Trow races. The game will set new standards for 3D RTS games through the use of true 3D characters, procedural foliage, deformable terrain, innovative network games, a powerful roster of units and an engrossing story.

Mumbo Jumbo's key developers include Scott Campbell, Patrick Hook, and Andrew Meggs. Campbell, Myth III The Wolf Age's lead designer, was also lead designer for the award winning RPG, Fallout. Meggs, a veteran of cross-platform development, is the game's lead programmer. Lead level designer Patrick Hook has created levels for a number of Ritual Entertainment products, including Sin and Heavy Metal F.A.K.K. 2. Completing the team as executive producer is former Apple partnership manager Michael Donges, who was instrumental in bringing top PC titles to the Macintosh platform.
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On January 9th , 2001, TimeGate Studios and SUNFLOWERS mutually agreed to withdraw the deal for European wide publishing of TimeGate’s real-time strategy game, ´Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns.´ Strategic circumstances are cited as the reason for the withdrawal. However, the companies plan on continuing their cooperation and working very closely on future projects.
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The International Game Developers Association (IGDA), an independent non-profit professional organization for developers of entertainment software, recently held a summit to discuss violence in video games and the marketing of such content to children. The primary goal of the summit was to elicit feedback from a handful of game developers in order to help set the direction of a dedicated committee to address developers' roles in the creation and marketing of this content.

Some of the goals of the Violence Committee ttee are to build greater awareness of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) ratings system amongst game developers, explore ways to best coordinate efforts with the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and work to provide recommendations on the ESRB ratings. The Violence Committee will primarily be made up of representatives from the game development community including 3DO, Electronic Arts, Infinite Machine, LucasArts, Konami and Ronin, as well as those from other relevant disciplines such as renowned media studies professor, Dr. Henry Jenkins of MIT.
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