Round Up: Dark Messiah Steamed, DNF Devs Depart, Timeshift Delayed

Today's Gamasutra round-up includes news of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic being released this October over Steam, an exodus of Duke Nukem Forever developers from 3D Realms, and Timeshift's move into 2007, as well as the latest GameSetWatch posts, Serious Games Source news, product news, and Gamasutra job postings. - Ubisoft has announced that Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, its upcoming Source Engine powered first-person shooter from Arkane Studios (Arx Fatalis) and Kuju Entertainment (Battalion Wars), will be released over Valve's Steam digital distribution system, in addition to traditional retail channels. The announcement was not completely unexpected, given that the game is built upon an enhanced version of the same engine popularized by Valve's own Half-Life 2. In addition, Ubisoft also today announced plans to release a limited edition of Dark Messiah exclusively at retail for $59.99, which will include a DVD version of the game, in-game extras, unique skins and weapons, the soundtrack and 'making of' video, and collectible trading cards. Both versions of the game will be released this October. - Veteran consumer site Shacknews has reported that according to “numerous reputable sources” close to 3D Realms' long delayed PC project Duke Nukem Forever, "up to 10 major team members have left the company," including several which have left the company "within the past few days." The report also names seven individuals who have left the company since last December, including Scott Alden, Will Bate, Brian Cozzens, Kyle Davis, Andy Hanson, Keith Schuler, and Charlie Wiederhold. It also notes that more information concerning these departures, as well as the fate of Duke Nukem Forever, is expected to be released next week. 3D Realms' George Broussard commented of the story: "Physics and animation systems are virtually finished and shippable. It's simply maintenance and polish from here on out... Things are never as bleak as they appear." - Vivendi today announced that that Saber Interactive's PC and Xbox 360 title Timeshift, which was earlier this year sold to Vivendi by troubled publisher and developer Atari, has been delayed from its expected released date of September 2006 until sometime in 2007. The move was made in order to “give it the time and resources needed to fulfill its potential.” A next-generation first-person shooter, Timeshift's unique selling point is that it will allow players to stop, slow or reverse time. - The latest updates on Gamasutra sister weblog GameSetWatch include Hacker International's obscure Miss Peach World for Famicom/NES, the latest 'Our Blazing Destiny' webcomic (this week featuring Tamagotchi), and commentary on Dead Rising's controversial save system. - Also updated today: Serious Games Source news, including Incident Commander being released to first responders and emergency personnel nationwide, product news concerning Enlight signing an ad deal with Double Fusion, plus the latest Gamasutra job postings, featuring openings from AiLive, Amaze Entertainment, Blue Fang Games, Iron Lore Entertainment, Sennari Entertainment, and THQ.