Sony Computer Entertainment announced tonight that U.S. Studios Senior Vice President of SCE Shuhei Yoshida has been promoted to President of SCE Worldwide Studios, effective tomorrow.

“SCE WWS has been developing global hit titles, sharing resources and know-how within SCE Group since its foundation, and we will reinforce our software business by further enhancing coordination among the studios under a new leader,” said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCEI.  “Under the leadership of Yoshida, who has proven track record in managing creative talent, SCE WWS will accelerate the software development for the PlayStation 3 and PSP platforms and vigorously expand the gaming market.”

Yoshida joined SCEI in 1993, and is credited as one of the key members in establishing the PlayStation franchise. He was appointed Producer of the Product Development Department in April 1996, and joined Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. as Vice President of Product Development in April 2000, where he held various positions in product development, producing many global best selling franchise titles.  In February 2007, Yoshida was promoted to Senior Vice President, US Studios, SCE WWS.

Patrick Kierkegaard, a researcher at the University of Essex, has published his thoughts in the video game violence debate. Writing in the International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry, Kierkegaard states:

“… there is no obvious link between real-world violence statistics and the advent of video games. If anything, the effect seems to be the exact opposite and one might argue that video game usage has reduced real violence.”

He further states that past research has been biased, though also points that everything has been inconclusive at best. Kierkegaard came to his conclusions after studying multiple experiments and brain scans that supposedly linked games and real world violence.

Could Violent Video Games Reduce Rather Than Increase Violence? - [Science Daily]

Nintendo is continuing to sell its Wii console at a record pace, according to the latest sales numbers released tonight by the NPD Group.

Despite the very public launching of Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29, the house that Mario built had an extremely good month selling 714,000 Wiis in addition to 414,800 DSs. The Xbox 360 and PS3 sales pale in comparison, selling 188K and 187K, respectively.

On the software side, Mario Kart Wii even managed to outsell the PlayStation 3 version of GTA IV (1 million units), earning the #2 spot in software sales for April with 1.12 million units sold.

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The Guitar Hero and Rock Band series of games got another competitor today, as Konami announced Rock Revolution for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS at their 2008 Gamers Day event.

Specifically looking to provide a definitive drum experience, the game will also give players the opportunity to play lead an bass guitars as well. The game will ship with 40 songs on disc when it releases this fall, with plans for DLC to be readily available in the future.

The Wii version of the game will take advantage of the Wii Remote, allowing players to use the controller as an air-drum or air-guitar.

“Rock Revolution will be the most innovative and realistic rock game to hit the market, that will provide a quality drum peripheral and music that players will appreciate,” said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “As the originator of music-based games, we are dedicated to bringing fans a truly preeminent music experience. With Rock Revolution, we put the emphasis on the drum kit, delivering an experience unlike any other.”

Unfortuately, vocals won’t be included in the mix and and all the songs have been confirmed to be cover versions, so this game is going to have quite a bit of ground to make up. And that’s AFTER they’ve convinced you to buy another drum kit. Stay tuned for more on this one soon.

After an ESRB listing drew curious eyes earlier in the year, Konami made the next Castlevania DS adventure official by announcing Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia last night at the company’s Gamer Day event. The latest sequel in the extensive, and consistent portable series, will also feature a female protagonist for the first time since Castlevania Legends on the Game Boy.

“We have always felt that the Castlevania franchise has been an excellent fit on Nintendo DS, and based on the popularity of the DS classics, Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, our fans agree,” said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “We fully expect Order of Ecclesia to ignite the fan base once again as it combines the classic Castlevania gameplay with an all-new combat system and outdoor environments.”

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2K Sports announced this afternoon that Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash will grace the cover of NHL 2K9. An All-Star Left Wing, Nash is the youngest player in the league’s history to win the “Rocket” Richard Trophy with 41 goals scored. He also served as a member of the 2006 Canadian Olympic hockey team and was named the MVP of the 2007 World Championships.

“I’ve been a longtime fan of the hockey games from 2K Sports. My idols have all been on the covers of video games as I was growing up, so to be on the cover of NHL 2K9 myself is truly incredible,” said Nash, who scored an impressive three goals in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game. “The set of new features they’re adding is really going to make this game special for hockey fans - I’m hoping they give me a couple extra points to my player rating this year!”

Regarding the actual game, 2K Sports also unveiled that Visual Concepts has officially taken over developing duties on the title and are “building a brand new experience from the ground up with the ultimate goal of creating an addictively fun sport simulation of the NHL.”

NHL 2K9 will hit the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 2 sometime this fall.

One of the more under appreciated titles of the PlayStation 2/Xbox era was Ubisoft’s Beyond Good & Evil. Aided by the hand of Michael Ancel (King Kong, Rayman), the game took players to a fantasy world of photography, boat racing, beat-em-up action, and one of the best story lines to date. With lackluster sales, the chances of sequel seemed slim.

However, French site JeuxVideo has an interview with Ancel that confirms the game has a small team currently working on a sequel, and they’ve been doing so for a year. The sad news is that Ubisoft has not greenlit the project to date nor have they assigned it a full staff.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 in Pre-Production - [JeuxVideo.fr]

The latest PS3 firmware is now available for download. No new features have been added in the update, and the only noted change is to “improve the stability of some PS3 titles.” Those hoping this is the patch to fix Grand Theft Auto IV will be sorely disappointed. Al de Lon quickly replied to the news on Sony’s PlayStation blog to clarify:

“I just want to clarify that this upcoming firmware update isn’t related to GTA IV. For those of you who may still have an issue playing the game on your PS3, we have identified a solution that should resolve the issue.”

Firmware (v2.35) Coming Soon - [PlayStation.Blog]

After what seems like months of rumors and speculation, Sega finally confirmed this morning via press release that they have indeed formed a partnership with PlatinumGames.The studio, whose developers created or worked on a number of franchise games over the years such as Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and Okami, are developing three new games for Sega.

In addition, a fourth unannounced title by Shinji Mikami was also revealed, with details to come at a later date.

“The creative forces at PlatinumGames bring a new level of imagination into the SEGA family at a pivotal time in the video game industry when the demand for quality, originality and fun has never been greater,” said Tatsuya Minami, President and CEO, PlatinumGames. “These new titles will contribute meaningfully to SEGA’s brand, while adding a new level of depth to the strategic portfolio of games in our library.”

“This relationship underscores SEGA’s continuing drive to bring high-quality content to Western audiences, pushing current standards of innovation in gameplay by introducing fresh, original IP that plays to the strengths of the individual platforms,” said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA of America.

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Leslie Moonves, President and CEO of CBS Corporation, announced this morning that CBS will make a cash tender offer for all outstanding shares of CNET Networks (owners of GameSpot) to acquire the company. The acquisition of the shares, valued at $11.50 a piece and equaling $1.8 billion altogether, has already been approved by CNET’s Board of Directors.

“There are very few opportunities to acquire a profitable, growing, well-managed Internet company like CNET Networks,” said Moonves. “CBS stands for premium content and unparalleled reach, and CNET Networks will add a tremendous platform to extend our complementary entertainment, news, sports, music and information content to a whole new global audience.”

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NCsoft announced their sales results for the first quarter of 2008 (ending March 31, 2008) yesterday evening. Overall sales for the year came to $84.2 million, with an operating income of $18.9 million and net profit of $7.7 million.

Citing a reduction in the cost of operating expenses due to the growing popularity of the Lineage series in Asia, as well as the Guild Wars and City of Heroes series in North America, the company significantly increased their operating profit by 63%.

“As proven once again in the Q1 financial results, we strongly believe our key franchise products, such as Lineage and Guild Wars, will meet our sales target with a strong customer base and continued content updates going forward,” said NCsoft CFO Jaeho Lee. “We plan to ensure the smooth launch of many new products in the next two to three years, which will strengthen our position as a global leader in online games.”

East Texas based Anascape Ltd. is on the receiving end of a $21 million payday, as Nintendo of America was ordered to pay the company by a federal jury today on the grounds of patent infringement.

The original lawsuit, filed in 2006, stated that Nintendo infringed on the company’s patent during the designs of the Wii Classic, Wavebird and Gamecube controllers. Neither the Wii Remote or the Nunchuck controllers were named in the suit according to Nintendo spokesman Charlie Scibetta, who also expects the amount to be reduced following an appeal.

Anascape also sued Microsoft for patent infringements prior to the start of the trial against Nintendo, but reached an agreement earlier this month on May 1.

Jury orders Nintendo to pay gaming company Anascape $21M - [Yahoo News]

The Los Angeles Film School announced today that it has added an associate of science degree offering for students interested in game development. The program, which won’t officially begin until September, will focus on the aspects of game creation, structure, production, A.I., along with game engine creation.

In addition, the school announced a new animation program set to begin in the fall as well.

“These degrees are a natural addition to the curriculum at The Los Angeles Film School,” comments Los Angeles Film School CEO Diana Derycz-Kessler. “Game developers and computer animators have stories to tell, much like our filmmakers.”.

Los Angeles Film School Offers Game, Animation Degrees - [Animation Magazine]

2007 was a great year for the video game industry, but according to a senior executive at Ubisoft, its peak might not be arriving until next year.

Speaking to Reuters, Ubisoft North American president Laurent Detoc thinks that all three console makers (Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony) are in a position to sell more hardware than ever this year, and could lead to the industry peaking as a whole in 2009.

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After putting out the flames following his Super Smash Bros. Brawl review, Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw is back to business this week with his review of Grand Theft Auto IV.

For his thoughts on dodging cops, going to social events, and even a bit of Skid Row, check out the video above.

Microsoft unlocked an achievement of its own today, as the company announced that their Xbox 360 console has sold over 10 million units in the United States. In doing so, the system is the first in this generation’s batch consoles to do so.

“This year will be the largest in the history of the video game industry, with Xbox 360 leading the charge in the U.S. and abroad,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft.

“History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle. We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry.”

Two more titles are due for addition into the Xbox Originals program. Stubbs the Zombie is an adventure title with a satirical edge set in the 1950s. Players take control of Stubbs from a third person view in the zombies never ceasing appetite for brains. Stubbs has the distinction of being the only game to use the Halo engine as its base (aside from Halo of course).

Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows was another attempt to resurrect the Gauntlet franchise after two previous attempts did well in arcades and at home. Sadly, Seven Sorrows was not up to the basic enjoyment level of previous games given the ridiculously short length and monotonous gameplay.

Both games are due May 19th and will carry the usual price of $15, or 1200 MS Points.

Xbox Orignals: Stubbs the Zombie and Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows - [Major Nelson]

For the second year in a row, Nintendo will be the lead sponsor for London’s Handheld Learning Conference. Slated to take place on October 13-15, the conference (now in its fourth year) aims to demonstrate the capabilities of handheld devices and how they affect learning for people of all ages.

“We are proud to be supporting this important event once again and look forward to hearing from the some of the world’s leading thinkers in the field of learning,” said Darren Gorton, Business Development Director for Nintendo. “With over 70 million DS units in peoples hands we are genuinely interested in the positive impact that they can have for self-improvement and collaborative learning.”

Graham Brown-Martin, founder of Handheld Learning, said, “We are delighted to receive such confident support both from government agencies and industry alike. The provision of the Nintendo DS handheld is far from a gimmick as we are encouraging delegates to do the kind of things during the event that are often not allowed in classrooms throughout the world despite the power and possibilities of such devices”.

Sony’s game division performed beyond their expections, as the company announced their results for the fiscal year yesterday. Overall, the PlayStation brand increased 26.3 percent to 1.284 trillion yen in total sales for the fiscal year.

“Despite an expected decrease in game segment sales as a result of a decline in sales for the PlayStation 2 business, the game segment as a whole is expected to have positive operating income for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009 as the profitability of the segment will improve significantly due to hardware cost reductions and an enhanced line-up of software titles in the PS3 business,” said the company in their results statement.

Breaking it down by system, the PSP displayed the best efforts selling 13.89 units. The PS2 and PS2 were second and third, moving 13.72 million and 9.24 million, respectively.

A new bipartisan bill recently introduced would require retailers to check identification for all customers buying video games.

Last week, Congressman Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Lee Terry (R-Nebraska) announced the “Video Game Ratings Enforcement Act.” The bill, as to be expected, has received strong responses from supporters and detractors alike.

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