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MMO Calendar is happy to announce that MMO Calendar 2009 is now on sale!

With the help of some wonderful MMO developers we have put together our 3rd annual one-of-a-kind calendar featuring autographed artwork from the hottest released and upcoming MMO’s!

MMO Calendar 2009 Includes:

Age of Conan
DC Universe Online
Dofus
Eve Online
EverQuest II
Free Realms
Guild Wars
Pirates of the Burning Sea
RuneScape
The Agency
Warhammer Online
World of Warcraft

Also, as a special thank you to everyone that purchases a calendar this year, we’ve been given a bag full of prizes to give away! Upon placing your order you will be entered to win 1 of 10 prizes for each game… boxed copies, premium accounts, 30-day passes, 60-day passes, closed beta accounts and more!

Keep in mind though… even if you don’t win a prize in one of the drawings you still win!

As always, 100% of the proceeds of the sale of MMO Calendar go directly to the amazing people at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, helping them in the fight for children’s lives. Is there a more noble cause anywhere?

Order yours today at http://www.mmocalendar.com

“Cryptic has experienced huge growth over the past year and has exciting opportunities ahead of it,” said Bill Roper, Design Director, Cryptic Studios. “The company knows how to choose compelling IPs that have rich histories such as Champions and Star Trek. I’m looking forward to working with the team.”

As a 14-year game industry veteran, Roper has worked directly on numerous top selling titles, including the Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo series. He joined Blizzard Entertainment in 1994 to work in sound, music and voiceover, eventually being appointed as Vice President of Blizzard North and a Director of Blizzard Entertainment where he managed all external projects and coordinated internal development teams. In 2003, Roper co-founded Flagship Studios and Ping0 where he held the role of CEO for five years and oversaw the launch of Hellgate: London and development of Mythos.

Cryptic Studios, headquartered in Los Gatos, is currently in production of two highly anticipated MMO action games, Champions Online and Star Trek® Online. Champions Online, based on the popular Champions™ pen-and-paper RPG and published by 2K Games, will give players the power of total customization for their hero experience while they explore a vast comic book universe.  Set in the year 2409, Star Trek Online will allow players to immerse themselves in the future of the Star Trek universe, exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations in an ever expanding vast universe. 

Comic Gives New Details on Deckard’s Battle Against the Black Order

Spark Unlimited announced today that its 96-page graphic novel adaptation of Legendary is now on shelves. Written by comic book veteran, Mark Waid, and penciled by Top Cow Production artist Martin Montiel, readers are given further insight into Charles Deckard, the main character of both the graphic novel and the game.

Based on Spark Unlimited’s upcoming action game that pits players against werewolves, minotaurs, griffons and a horde of other mythological beasts let loose in the modern day, the Legendary graphic novel is filled with story details not available elsewhere. Not only will readers learn more about the backstory of Deckard, the main character in Legendary, they’ll also come to learn how exactly he became involved with Pandora’s Box, his dealings with the Black Order, and how he ultimately comes to terms with being the world’s unwitting savior against the hordes of mythological beasts that threaten mankind’s extinction.

“Our primary focus at Spark is all about making Legendary an epic gameplay experience,” said Craig Allen, CEO of Spark Unlimited. “However, there was a lot more of the story we wanted to tell and so we reached out to Mark Waid and invited him to create a unique expression of Legendary’s characters and narrative as a graphic novel.”

Mark Waid began working in the comic book industry as a writer in the early 1980s and eventually became an editor for DC Comics. He is perhaps best known for his graphic novel KINGDOM COME and SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT - a 12 part limited series generally considered the new official origin story for the Man of Steel. Currently he is Editor-In-Chief of the new comic publishing group Boom! Studios.

“Working with Spark as a writer was great fun,” commented Mark Waid, Editor-In-Chief of Boom! Studios, “because they gave me the creative freedom to adapt their game world into my own vision of how the narrative should be structured to work well on the page.”

“It only makes sense that any adaptation of the game be an equally epic experience,” added Renae Geerlings, Legendary’s graphic novel’s Editor, “and so we worked hard to assemble some of comic’s greatest talent to produce this graphic novel, and together they’ve truly created something incredible.

The Legendary graphic novel is available now at all fine comic retailers for an MSRP of $14.99 (USD).

About Legendary
Legendary places you in the shoes of art thief, Charles Deckard, as he becomes the unwitting pawn in a centuries old struggle over Pandora’s Box. Tricked into opening it, Deckard becomes inexorably linked to its fate and single-handedly responsible for unleashing its mythological creatures upon the modern world.

Please visit www.legendarythegame.com for more info.

NEW YORK — Oct. 27, 2008 — Crispy Gamer (crispygamer.com), a new independent destination dedicated to offering a voice for serious gamers, has formally opened its site with more than 1 million unique visitors. The new media company has secured $8.25 million in backing from Constellation Ventures and the company’s founders. Crispy Gamer is the brainchild of Chris Heldman, former head of media entertainment at Google, who recruited John Keefer, former editorial director at GameSpy, and Chris Hoerenz, former chief marketing officer at eMusic, to co-found the venture.

“Crispy Gamer was formed with a respect for the place of games in popular culture,” CEO Chris Heldman explained. “Gaming is a massive entertainment medium that draws an incredibly passionate, opinionated and dedicated fan base. We want to serve the gamer culture with an honest voice and a contemporary community experience. To seal our authenticity for critical opinion, we will eliminate any perceived or actual sway dictated by ad dollars coming from the game publishers.”

Crispy Gamer has a deep editorial bench of games journalists, called the Game Trust, to provide authentic and entertaining coverage of the videogame landscape. Crispy Gamer’s community, still in Beta phase, innovates by providing opportunities for the site’s readers to come together with the Game Trust experts to form critical opinions and share essential information around their passion for games and games culture.

Crispy Gamer has taken a bold stance in refusing to accept advertising from game publishers. This financial freedom allows for fearless and credible industry reporting, which draws a discerning and informed audience. Crispy Gamer believes its insistence on independence, authenticity and its fresh approach to community building also benefit its non-endemic advertisers eager to connect with the tough-to-reach-and-influence gamer demographic.
Crispy Gamer’s lead backer, Constellation Ventures, is a New York City based media, communications and technology-focused growth equity fund that manages over $500 million in capital. Tom Wasserman, managing director of Constellation Ventures, has joined the board of Crispy Gamer. The Crispy Gamer board also consists of Chris Heldman, founding president and CEO Crispy Gamer; Chris Early, general manager of Windows Gaming; and Rick Sirvaitis, 36-year media veteran and former president and COO of GM Mediaworks.

“Crispy Gamer is the destination for today’s and tomorrow’s serious gamer,” Tom Wasserman, managing director, Constellation Ventures, said. “We are confident in the diverse expertise the Crispy Gamer leadership brings to its razor-sharp vision for building an independent media business that relies on a credible voice, a vibrant user community, and a philosophical stance that will set it apart from its predecessors.”

For more information about Crispy Gamer, please visit: www.crispygamer.com

Monday, October 27, 2008–Austin, TX–The Women in Games Special Interest Group of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has announced their new Chairperson, Fiona Cherbak, a game industry marketing and human resources executive. Committed to supporting women in games, the IGDA Women in Games Special Interest Group is a sub-organization of the International Game Developers Association.

Cherbak is taking over the IGDA leadership role from accomplished game developer and writer Heather Kelley, who held the chairperson position for more than six years. Cherbak will continue to push the mandate of certain initiatives and awareness programs, including those that challenge the way women are portrayed in games; support women as professional game designers and developers; and explore the wants and needs of the female game player.

Cherbak is an accomplished recruiting executive in the games industry, expertly placing professionals in key positions at leading games, mobile and Internet companies around the world while working with agencies such as GameRecruiter, Mary-Margaret and Enterprise Talent. Cherbak is also a co-founder and advisory board member of Women in Games International, and established as one of its major tasks the goal attracting more women to the industry. Presently VP of Marketing for GameRecruiter, she got her early start in entertainment recruiting and human resources at The Walt Disney Company, and joined the game business as a marketing consultant for Origin Systems ten years ago.

Kelley offers, “ It has been a great pleasure seeing the role of women in games grow over the past seven years, and see so many positive changes take place - but needless to say, there is definitely more that can be done. I am confident that under Fiona’s leadership, IGDA Women in Games is going to expand and change in dynamic new ways to not only respond to, but also help direct the progress of our ever-changing industry. Fiona comes to us with extensive experience in leadership and advocacy from her professional work as a game industry business developer and recruiting specialist. I am excited by the enthusiasm and know-how that Fiona brings to the role of IGDA Women in Games Chair, and look forward to the years ahead under her guidance.”

Cherbak adds, “From a personal perspective, I have a real passion for a set of objectives that we hope to achieve over the long haul with IGDA Women in Games. These goals include encouraging young women to join the games industry, acknowledgement of women doing significant things in games, increased employment support and exposure opportunities for female game careerists, and ongoing development and implementation of activities that promote IGDA Women in Games membership. A big focus in 2009 is our development and launch of an online mentorship program for game students.”

Cherbak’s first public outing on behalf of the IGDA Women in Games Special Interest Group is production of a featured panel at the East Coast Games Summit, part of VGXPO in Philadelphia this November. Entitled “What’s Next?: Women in Games,” Cherbak will moderate this panel of esteemed industry experts, taking a close look at what women have accomplished in games and what happens next for female professionals and players alike. The panelist line-up includes Gano Haine, Principal, The ONAG Group; Amber Dalton, PMS Clan Leader; Kim Callery, Game Design Program Chair, IADT-Detroit; and Jill Duffy, Editor-in-Chief, GameCareerGuide.com and Senior Contributing Editor, Game Developer. More info atwww.igda.org/women.

In addition to her new roles as Chair for the IGDA Women in Games Special Interest Group (SIG), Fiona is also on the advisory boards of Women in Games International, SXSW Screenburn 2009 and America’s Video Game Expo. Fiona has participated as a game career speaker at numerous industry and college events, including GDC and the Game Career Seminar. Fiona is an editorialist on hiring practices and diversity issues in the games industry, and is often interviewed by mainstream media on games career-related topics.

A Year’s Supply of BAWLS Guarana Caffeinated Drinks Up for Grabs

Durham, NC – October 23, 2008 – Calling all amateur commercial producers and professional couch potatoes! The Escapist, the Webby award-winning gaming destination, and BAWLS Guarana, producer of the highly caffeinated non-alcoholic beverages BAWLS and G33K B33R, have created a contest as part of the second annual The Escapist Film Festival with a grand prize that will keep you bouncing for hours: a year’s supply of BAWLS Guarana.

Starting today through November 19th, we’re asking contestants to submit a 15-second to one-minute video in any format type in which both The Escapist and BAWLS Guarana brands and products appear. We’ll choose five of the best commercial entries and post them for The Escapist community to vote on and declare a winner. The grand prize winner will take home a year’s supply (12 cases) of BAWLS Guarana, and the four runners-up will receive an amazing prize package which also includes a case of BAWLS Guarana.

“BAWLS Guarana has a huge following in the gaming world,” said Jeff Palumbo, brand manager of The Escapist. “Working with BAWLS Guarana allows us to create yet another creative avenue that focuses on the core of who we care about and cater to, not to mention an excellent addition to The Escapist Film Festival. Gamers are some of the most imaginative people around, so we look forward to seeing what types of commercials are submitted.”

Rules and submission guidelines for The Escapist and BAWLS Guarana Commercial Challenge and the second annual The Escapist Film Festival video contract contest can be seen atwww.escapistmagazine.com. The window for entries is closing fast, so grab your camera, dust off your computer, get creative and submit to win!

New York – Oct. 27, 2008 – Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Epic Games, Inc., proudly presents Gears of War® 2 The Soundtrack. The original soundtrack from the highly anticipated blockbuster Xbox 360™ action video game will be released on Nov. 25, 2008 to retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works record label www.sumthing.com, and for digital download at www.sumthingdigital.com.

Gears of War 2 The Soundtrack features a new original music score composed by Hollywood composer Steve Jablonsky (“Transformers”, “The Island”, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”) and recorded with the Skywalker Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus at the world famous Skywalker Sound.

Epic Games wanted every aspect of Gears of War 2 to be “bigger, darker, and crunchier” than the original game, including the bombastic orchestral soundtrack. Drawing on his extensive experience scoring big budget action films as well as a unique musical repertoire and Hollywood production values, Jablonsky was the perfect match for creating the adrenaline-pumping, emotionally charged Gears of War 2 score.

“It’s been a real treat working with Steve on the score for Gears of War 2. We have a tremendous amount of confidence in him, and believe the Gears community will embrace the new sound,” said Mike Larson, Audio Director of Epic Games. “We’ve designed Gears 2 to impact players on a deep emotional level, and much of that connection is made with music that grabs their attention and makes them feel personally involved with the game universe. We have aimed to create something a bit more serious, cinematic, and refined with a harder-hitting approach toward composition and production.”

“Epic gave me a blank canvas, which was really great,” said Steve Jablonsky, Composer for Gears of War 2. “I experimented with a lot of hybrid organic/electronic elements, and combined them with the power of a large orchestra and choir.”

Track Listing:

1. Return Of The Omen
2. Hope Runs Deep
3. Green As Grass
4. Expectations
5. Finally, A Lead
6. Armored Prayer
7. Hold Them Off
8. Derrick Chase
9. Building Thunder
10. Hell Breaks Loose
11. Bedlam
12. Breakneck
13. Landown
14. Racing To Extinction
15. If They Can Ride Em
16. Hollow
17. Unexpected Changes
18. March Of The Horde
19. Highway
20. Denizens Of The Deep
21. With Sympathy
22. Insurmountable Odds
23. Bump In The Night
24. Frenzy
25. Outpost
26. Finale
27. Autumn Of Mankind

Gears of War 2 tells the story of humanity’s last stand against the nightmarish, underground Locust Horde, and is the follow-up to one of the most popular Xbox 360 games in history. Gears of War 2 blends best-in-class third-person shooter action with unsurpassed high-definition visuals, all layered on top of an engaging story of survival, loss and retribution. Gears of War 2 will be available worldwide on Nov. 7 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. For more information, visit http://gearsofwar.com.

dx, a leading custom hosting solutions provider dedicated to the games industry, is pleased to announce that it is providing managed hosting for Fantastic Contraption the 9/10 rated level-based physics puzzler.

The crushing weight of success enjoyed by Fantastic Contraption had left the main web and dB server struggling to cope with the huge level of demand. dx put forward an instant solution as well as a sensible upgrade path to allow Fantastic Contraption to cope with extraordinary levels of demand. As the reviews first started appearing new users registered at the rate of 25,000 a day and clocked up 200,000 plays of the game on a single Sunday.

dx supplied enterprise level hardware and managed the whole migration minimising downtime whilst providing a firm foundation upon which Fantastic Contraption can continue to flourish.