Gaming Essence

Kaz Hirai becomes Sony president on April 1

2012-02-01T16:43:51Z

As expected, Kazuo “Ridge Racer” Hirai will be taking over the job as president and CEO of Sony. Effective April 1st, Hirai will take the company’s top position after nearly 30 years of working at Sony.

Hirai joined the company in 1984 as part of the music group. However, his rise to fame happened once he transferred to Sony Computer Entertainment in 1995. Called “instrumental” in launching the PS2, PSP, and PS3, Hirai has a long legacy of managing successful PlayStation products.

On April 1st, Hirai will become president and CEO of Sony, replacing Sir Howard Stringer. His challenge as the company’s new leader will be to turn around the “unprofitable TV business and computers” business, according to Bloomberg. Hirai is largely credited for turning around an unprofitable PlayStation division, when it was originally run by Ken Kutaragi.

The growth of the PlayStation Network (and the Sony Entertainment Network) will be key to the company’s future. “His experience in building the PlayStation Network, which despite an embarrassing hacking scandal last year still has 90 million registered account users, offers a template for how Sony wants to be more than a manufacturer of stand-alone devices,” the Wall Street Journal commented.

“I am grateful to Sir Howard and to the Board for their confidence in me, and I look forward to working with everyone at Sony more closely than ever before to build a strong future for our customers, shareholders, partners and employees,” Hirai said in the announcement. “The foundations are now firmly in place for the new management team and me to fully leverage Sonyâ€™s diverse electronics product portfolio, in conjunction with our rich entertainment assets and growing array of networked services, to engage with our customers around the world in new and exciting ways.”

Forza 4 ‘American Le Mans’ DLC announced

2012-02-01T16:43:33Z

A new month has dawned, and so approaceth a new round of Forza Motorsport 4 downloadable content. The ‘February American Le Mans Series Pack’ will add a strange and unusual mix of extra cars, including Le Mans racers, vintage rally cars, and a Dodge Challenger owned by UFC fighter Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

The ten new cars are listed over on the Forza site, with all the gory details your petrol lust craves. Which car’s engine was described as sounding like “being stung by seven thousand wasps?” You’ll never know unless you click the link, already know, or find out elsewhere.

The American Le Mans pack will hit Xbox 360 on February 7, ‘free’ for DLC season pass holders and 560 Microsoft Points ($7) for everyone else. Look, here are the cars driving:

News: Digital Capital ready to fund digital games

2012-02-01T16:43:23Z

Swiss company Digital Capital has launched itself as a “funding vehicle” for digital games, offering funding to mobile, console and PC developers.

“With the growth of digital distribution there are so many opportunities for investors,” said co-founder and veteran business advisor Todd Tribell.

“Our focus will always be on quality, with the sole aim of bringing success to all of our partners – both developers and investors.”

News: DeNA joins forces with Chinese internet service provider

2012-02-01T16:43:13Z

DeNA has signed a deal with Chinese internet company Baidu to promote the Mobage platform.

Chinese Android phones using the Baidu Yi OS and marketplace will soon feature a dedicated category for DeNA’s Mobage titles.

“Through this alliance, DeNA plans to expand the Mobage user base in China, thereby providing an increasing range of opportunities in China to game developers worldwide,” said DeNA’s official statement.

News: Channel 4 Education launches Sims 3 show

2012-02-01T16:42:27Z

Channel 4 has launched a new online show, SuperMes, which was created by UK production company Somethin’ Else using The Sims 3.

“It’s no surprise a game like The Sims 3 can be put to such creative use, but we are still incredibly excited by this truly novel use of our world-beating technology,” said Claire Ridley, UK business lead for the EA franchise.

The series was commissioned by Jo Twist before her move to UKIE, and aims to teach life lessons to teenagers through the popular game.

Gotham City Impostors Coming Out Next Week to Let You Shoot Bats or Jokers in Batman’s Hometown [Blip]

2012-02-01T16:41:52Z

At Least One Person Believes Final Fantasy V is the Best Game in the Series [Speak Up On Kotaku]

2012-02-01T16:41:39Z