Codemasters has taken the wraps off DiRT 2, the sequel to the 2007 off-road racer expected next year for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

The game will focus largely on improving upon the original DiRT, and executive producer Gavin Raeburn promised that the game's graphics, physics, single-player career, and multiplayer features will get some extra attention from the internal Codemasters studio working on the game.

In territories outside North America, the game will still be called Colin McRae: DiRT 2, in honor of the legendary rally racing driver who was killed in 2007 in a helicopter accident. The new game will also take inspiration from McRae's late career, according to Raeburn.

"His ventures into events such as the X-Games, Dakar Rally and the Race of Champions have inspired us to look at events covering the extremes of off-road motorsport," said the producer to IGN UK.

The game is set to use an evolved version of the EGO engine that powered the first game as well as on-road racer GRID. "The development team have... Read more

Codemasters has announced its acquisition of the Birmingham branch of developer Swordfish Studios.

Monumental Games had purchased the Manchester branch of Swordfish earlier this week. Swordfish's last project was 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, the game which sees the popular rapper invading the Middle East.

A former property of Sierra Entertainment, Swordfish was being sold by Activision Blizzard following the Vivendi Games merger, which saw the publisher shedding several studios and properties in order to streamline its operation.

Codemasters notes that it will be putting its new studio to work immediately on its "development operations," though it is unknown what project the developer has been tasked with.

Those anticipating 50 Cent action can rest easy: the game was recently picked up by publisher THQ, and is scheduled to hit stores worldwide in early 2009.

Codemasters today announced production of FUEL, a new racing game for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 scheduled to ship during 2009.

In development at France-based Asobo Studios, FUEL is set in an "alternate present" where the earth has been decimated by the effects of climate change. With oil sparse and expensive, people take to the wastelands and use their "grungy home-tuned vehicles" in competitions to win fuel.

Codemasters promises "the largest environment ever created in race gaming", a seamless "no-boundaries playfield" covering over 5,000 square miles. You'll be able to traverse this gameworld, made up of various mountain, forest and desert environments, using a variety of two- and four-wheel vehicles.

The game will ship with singleplayer and multiplayer modes.

Click through for an introduction video ... Read more

The fantasy action adventure game Overlord will be followed by a sequel next year, Codemasters and developer Triumph Studios anounced today.

In development for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Triumph promises "epic battles, all new Minion play mechanics, stunningly detailed new visuals and a fresh theme" for the game. The Overlord franchise is heading to new platforms as well. Also scheduled for a 2009 release are Overlord Dark Legend, an all-new action adventure game for the Wii featuring minion control through the Wii Remote and Overlord Minions, a puzzle action game for the Nintendo DS. Both these games will be developed by Climax Studios.

Codemasters has announced that it has secured a license to create Formula One racing games, after Sony recently opted not to renew its deal. With the new license, Codemasters plans to develop a new F1 game franchise for multiple platforms including PC, with the first title expected in 2009. The deal is a multi-year one, Codemasters confirmed to Shacknews.

News that Codemasters has picked up the license does not come as much of a surprise, considering the company's considerable racing game expertise (Colin McRae Rally series, TOCA Touring Car series, the upcoming Race Driver: GRID), its recent acquisition of Sega Racing Studio, and the fact that the company's headquarters are in Europe, where the sport is much more popular than in North America.

"Codemasters' success and recent innovations in the racing game space makes the company more than appropriately tuned for the challenge," said Codemasters chairman Chris Deering, adding, "The combination of Formula 1's new momentum of expansion and Codemasters' contemporary technology and past experience is the breaking of a new dawn for the sport, on the track and on the HD game screen."

UK publisher Codemasters today revealed that it has purchased Sega's UK Racing Studio. Previous owner Sega recently announced its intent to close the studio, citing a mandate to ensure each branch remained profitable.

The sole game to be developed and released by Sega Racing Studio was Sega Rally Revo (PC, PS3, X360, PSP) in 2007. The acquisition provides the company with the opportunity to work on such well-received Codemasters racing franchises as Colin McRae and Race Driver.

"In seizing this opportunity, we have created additional resources to escalate our plans in the racing segment," stated Codemasters chief executive Rod Cousens. "We hope to welcome more than 40 people to the company.

"We have enjoyed the full co-operation of our friends at Sega in making this happen," he continued. "It is good business for Codemasters, an exciting prospect and there will be more to come as we are not content to stand still."

Publisher Codemasters has unveiled the first retail expansion pack for Turbine's Tolkein-inspired PC MMO, The Lord of the Rings Online. A smattering of concept art accompanied the announcement.

Titled Mines of Moria and marking the start of the game's second volume, the expansion is expected to arrive this fall. Across its six books, players will be able to help release Durin's Bane, battle the Watcher, and aid Galadriel.

Alongside with new environments and foes, it will raise the level cap to 60, sport a new item forging system, and introduce two new classes: the Rune-keeper and the Warden.

"The Mines of Moria is one of the most epic settings in all of fantasy fiction," said Turbine CEO and president Jim Crowley. "No one delivers more quality content than Turbine and with our journey into Moria, we will raise the bar even higher."

Once expected to arrive in November, publisher Codemasters has released three batches of downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version of Triumph Studios' sadistic action-strategy title Overlord (PC, X360).

Priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), the Raising Hell DLC contains new single-player content and levels. The 400 Microsoft Point ($5) Challenge Pack adds seven new multiplayer maps and the legendary difficulty for single-player.

Available free of charge, the Split-Screen Multiplayer Pack brings offline split-screen mutliplayer to the game, along with a new multiplayer map. All three packs are currently available from the online Xbox Live Marketplace.

European owners of the PC version, meanwhile, can obtain the content from Metaboli. No details on an eventual North American release of the PC content were provided.

Codemasters has announced it will handle the North American and European publishing duties of NetDevil's PC space-action MMO Jumpgate Evolution. Expected to arrive later this year, the title will be published under the company's Codemasters Online label.

Announced in June 2007, Jumpgate Evolution marks NetDevil's attempt to modernize and update its long-running Jumpgate MMO with new graphics, a new user interface, AI tweaks and other modifications. To provide a visual element to the news, the companies sent along four new screenshots of pretty space things.

"Jumpgate brings something new and fresh to the online persistent space," explained Codemasters Online VP David Solari. "The all-action approach and thrilling, twitch-based space combat really sets it apart from other MMOs in the market and we are very much looking forward to releasing this space epic in late 2008."

Update: Peggle is indeed headed to Xbox Live Arcade and is tentatively slated for a Q2 release, a PopCap representative has confirmed to Shacknews.

Original Story: PopCap's ultra-addictive and mega-colorful casual gaming sensation Peggle is on its way to the Xbox 360, according a listing on the Entertainment Software Rating Board web site.

Though not officially confirmed, the title is expected to be a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game, as past PopCap Xbox 360 releases, such as Zuma, have been. It has been assigned an "E for Everyone" rating.

Previously released on PC, Mac, and the iPod, the Pachinko-like skill-based offerings of Peggle have won over many a cold-hearted gamer despite its... Read more

The arrival of Kuju Sheffield's much-anticipated update to Sensible World of Soccer (X360) this week was marred by nonfunctional online play, causing Microsoft to pull the game from Xbox Live Marketplace. Publisher Codemasters and Microsoft have made a fixed version of the title available, and it's now available again for download on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

Users in Codemaster's online forums have confirmed that the online play is indeed working. Any users who downloaded the buggy version of the game can redownload the title free of charge after deleting the original.

Once rumored as a summer release, fans excited for the online-enabled Xbox 360 version of Codemasters' Sensible World of Soccer (X360) had to wait until last night for the game to actually arrive. Unfortunately, a bug in the game disabling arguably the most important feature--online play--has caused Microsoft to pull the game from Xbox Live Marketplace.

"This game has been pulled. I'll post an update when it is available again," writes the ever-vigilant Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb on his Microsoft-sanctioned blog. "In the meantime, if you downloaded this busted version, please delete it and when the new one is available you’ll be able to downloaded (sic) it again (at no charge if ... Read more

Codemasters has pulled back the curtain on Emergency Mayhem for Wii, a mission-based mini-game title due out next spring.

Built around chaos and rescue and described by the company as having "a decidedly slapstick nature," the game's situations are said to border on ludricious. One mini-game has players preventing a jailbreak by correcting positioning a trampoline, another has them herding penguins.

Along with the 30 missions of the single-player campaign, up to four players can play together in the game's multiplayer mode.

Codemasters Guildford is preparing an original "character-driven action title" known as Project Strike Team, reports European gaming publication Develop.

Currently in an extremely early stage--the studio is still hiring and hashing out exactly how to transfer Codemasters Southam's concepts to gameplay--the title uses an advanced version of the company's NEON technology, which powered the off-road racer DiRT (PC, PS3, X360).

"A lot has already been done on the groundwork, but I think that’s a great benefit for the new team--they can now come in with some set parameters but start adding to it in their own way," said Guildford studio head Aidrian Bolton. "People are excited to try something genuinely new."

No platforms were specifically mentioned, though the game is likely to release on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 when it hits in 2009.

Publisher Codemasters has released the latest trailer from Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, Spark Unlimited's alternate history shooter set in a Germany-occupied USA.

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 early next year.

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A new Overlord patch has been released, updating the PC version of the game to v1.4. The 76mb download adds split screen support to the game, and allows people with the regular Overlord to play against people who own the Overlord: Raising Hell boxset. ... Read more

Update: New screenshots of the various upcoming titles have been added, including new pictures of Rez HD and N+.

Original Story: There will be no new Xbox Live Arcade release this week due to the launch of the Xbox Live Arcade Hits program, Microsoft has announced. The initiative, which permanently lowers the price of popular XBLA games, begins tomorrow alongside the debut of the fall system update.

Included in the program are Marble Blast Ultra, Small Arms, and Zuma Deluxe, which previously sold for 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and will now sell for 400 Microsoft Points ($5). Lumines Live! and Bankshot Billiards 2, both formerly 1200 Microsot Points ($15) represent the program's 800 Microsoft Point ($10) pricing level.

In addition to XBLA Hits, the fall system update adds a number of new capabilities to the system, including Xvid and DivX video codec support.

However, the company did provide the following list of XBLA games, all of which are due out "in the coming weeks." Only the specific release date of Sensible... Read more

Announced earlier this year as Race Driver One, Codemasters has renamed its upcoming on-road racing title GRID for North American audiences and Race Driver: GRID for those in Europe.

Due out on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in mid-2008, GRID has players racing through various real-life locales in the United States, Europe, and Japan while sustaining realistic damage to their vehicles.

The latest evolution of Codemaster's TOCA Tour Driving and TOCA Race Driver franchises is being developed at Codemasters Studios by the team that handled the off-road rally effort Colin McRae: DiRT (PC, PS3, X360) and uses an enhanced version of DiRT's Neon game engine.

"This is not a game about collecting cars or spending all of your time in the front-end tuning suspension settings or designing liveries," noted chief game designer Ralph Fulton. "We want to make racing exciting again."

Announced long ago as an Xbox Live Arcade title and rumored to be released this past summer, the launch date for Sensible World of Soccer has finally been confirmed by Microsoft and Codemasters. The online-enabled port of Sensible Software's 1994 Amiga followup to Sensible Soccer will come to the download service December 19 in North America and Europe.

Like many Xbox Live Arcade updates, the game can be played in both classic and enhanced graphical modes and features HD visuals. And of course, footballers can battle it out online in two-player team vs. team matches.

Codemasters has released screenshots and a new trailer for Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, the alternate reality World War 2 shooter in development at Spark Unlimited (Call of Duty: Finest Hour, Legend: The Box). Turning Point will ship for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 early next year.

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