"Xbox 360: Zero Hour"; BioWare + Pandemic; Take-Two + Firaxis ...

1. Countdown to "Xbox 360: Zero Hour"
2. Take-Two Interactive buys Firaxis Games
3. BioWare and Pandemic Merge
4. Popular Science calls Xbox 360 "Top Tech Home Entertainment Innovation of 2005"
5. Next Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run to star Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson
6. AT&T to support Xbox 360 MMOGs

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NEWS:

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1. Countdown to "Xbox 360: Zero Hour"

I've talked about hex168.com, and Microsoft's revealed that winners of that Alternate Reality Game (ARG) will join thousands of gamers in at a "gamer's mecca" November 20-22 -- in the Mojave Desert.

At an abandoned aircraft hanger, there'll be "hundreds of gaming stations, live entertainment and around-the-clock gaming at a venue immersed in the Xbox 360 experience."

Can't get people to vote your wonky photos as winners over at hex168.com? You'll have the chance to win tickets (on a first-come-first-served basis) starting November 10, from sights listed on www.microsoft.com/xbox/zerohour.htm.

One of the first-revealed participating sites? Teamxbox.com, where 100 tickets will be available Thursday (11/10/05) at 12:01 am PST, which’ll be distributed on a first come, first serve and random drawing.

More info here.

2. Take-Two Interactive buys Firaxis Games

Take-Two Interactive Software announced yesterday they acquired Firaxis Games. Firaxis is home to Sid Meier, and franchises Pirates! and Civilization.

3. BioWare and Pandemic Merge

Wow. BioWare Corp (Jade Empire, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect) and Pandemic Studios (Star Wars Battlefront, Full Spectrum Warrior, Destroy All Humans) have merged, "creating one of the world’s best-funded and largest independent game development houses."

Each of the companies' two co-founders will become shareholders and senior executives in BioWare/Pandemic Studios.

Ray Muzyka, joint CEO of BioWare Corp, said, "In a business where developers often must sell out to survive, this deal is refreshingly new: a partnership of equals."

Both companies will keep their separate brands and creative teams, and continue in their respective cities (BioWare Corp in Edmonton, Canada and Pandemic Studios in Los Angeles and Brisbane, Australia), with plans for expansions at these and other locations. I'm going to contact both and say they should consider expanding in Austin. And hire me for voice work.

BioWare/Pandemic Studios is the first investment by Elevation Partners, made up of partners Fred Anderson (former EVP and CFO of Apple Computer); Bret Pearlman (former senior managing director of The Blackstone Group); Marc Bodnick (a founding principal of Silver Lake Partners); John Riccitiello (former president and COO of Electronic Arts); Roger McNamee (a co-founder of Silver Lake Partners and Integral Capital Partners); and Bono, lead singer and co-founder of U2.

4. Popular Science calls Xbox 360 "Top Tech Home Entertainment Innovation of 2005"

The most widely read December issue of Popular Science (on newstands November 15) has named the Xbox 360 the Grand Award winner in the Entertainment category:

"The first of the next-generation gaming consoles, the new Xbox 360 is not just about games -- the 360 is poised to take over the living room as well. The 360 is the first Media Center extender that receives and plays back HDTV from Media Center PCs, and it comes with a free lifetime subscription to the Xbox Live online service."

5. Next Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run to star Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson

The next iteration of the Spy Hunter franchise from Midway Games, and will star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The game will also take players out of the iconic Interceptor and on foot, adding melee combat to the mix.

Given the last Spy Hunter did so poorly, and Driv3r from Atari did miserably when it diverged from the franchise formula, I hope this doesn't hurt a cool franchise.

And I'm trying to figure out which location is doing the development, but I suspect it won't be the Austin Studio.

6. AT&T to support Xbox 360 MMOGs

AT&T has won a $9.5 million, 3-year managed hosting contract from Microsoft Game Studios. The "Gotham TV" feature of Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360), and the Vanguard (Microsoft Windows) will be two of the first services hosted by AT&T.