Newsbriefs: Games That Matter, Lost Planet Ships A Million, Battlestations XBL Demo

Author: by Staff

[UPDATED: 1:05pm PST] Today's regularly updated newsbriefs include news of a new studio called Games That Matter formed by founders of Rockstar Vienna, Capcom's Lost Planet for the Xbox 360 shipping a million units worldwide, and a multiplayer Xbox Live demo for Battlestations: Midway. - Following the May 2006 closure of Rockstar Vienna (known primarily for its conversion of Grand Theft Auto for the original Xbox), former studio founders Hannes Seifert and Niki Laber have announced that the duo has teamed with Funsoft founder Jürgen Goeldner to create a new company, Games That Matter Productions GmbH. Aimed to deliver a “new company with a visionary game production business model,” little else has been revealed save for a placeholder website. However, according to the information posted on the website, a press conference is planned to announce the new company's goals and business model on January 25. - Following news earlier month that Capcom's zombie-slaying Xbox 360 exclusive Dead Rising had sold more than a million copies worldwide, company officials have now confirmed that the recently released Lost Planet: Extreme Condition has shipped over a million units globally following its December 21 release in Japan and subsequent January 12 release in Europe and North America. Taken together, Capcom notes that the success of both of these titles makes the company the most successful Japanese software publisher producing games for the Xbox 360. Lost Planet, a third-person action title that pits players against both aliens and pirates on a snowy ice-covered world, has been met with generally positive reviews since its release, and boasts both a single player campaign, as well as multiplayer modes with support for up to 16 players via the Xbox Live. - Eidos has announced plans to release a multiplayer demo for the forthcoming Battlestations: Midway for the Xbox 360 on January 18. According to company officials, the demo will feature the Island of Solomon multiplayer map where players will face off between American and Japanese forces as they take part on battles over land, sea, and air. Battlestations has itself had a somewhat rocky road in making it even this close to retail, most notably due to allegations brought by MGE and Mithis Entertainment in mid-2006 concerning alleged theft of the game's code by SCi employees, claims which were soon afterward catagorically denied. Battlestations: Midway will be released in North America on January 30 for the Xbox 360 and PC.