Sony: 'Publishers are getting the living crap kicked out of them by Microsoft'

"Publishers are getting the living crap kicked out of them by Microsoft," Rob Dyer, Sony's SVP of public relations, told Industry Gamers in a recent interview concerning Microsoft's publishing policies. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here -- Dyer was provoked by the following information from Microsoft's Content Submission and Release Policy, which forbids its games from being released first or with exclusive content on other platforms:

"Titles for Xbox 360 must ship at least simultaneously with other video game platform, and must have at least feature and content parity on-disc with the other video game platform versions in all regions where the title is available. If these conditions are not met, Microsoft reserves the right to not allow the content to be released on Xbox 360."

Xbox Europe's Chris Lewis defended this policy to Eurogamer, saying, "We're a little biased, so obviously we're going to look to protect our own space as best we can and get exclusivity." And that's where Dyer steps in.

"I think what Chris and the other representatives at Microsoft are doing is protecting an inferior technology," Dyer said. "I think they want to dumb it down and keep it as pedestrian as possible so that if you want to do anything for Blu-ray or you have extra content above 9 gigs or you want to do anything of that nature, you'd better sure as heck remember that Microsoft can't handle that."

While Microsoft tries to force path-dependence on its publishers, Sony's more open policy has earned it a relationship with Valve, which Dyer says is a stark advantage for the company and gamers alike. Microsoft has a relationship with Valve too, but it seems like more of a long-distance, second-cousin-once-removed sort of deal.

Filmmakers share the story behind Find Makarov and Operation Kingfish

Among the festivities this weekend at Call of Duty XP in Los Angeles was the premiere of the second "Find Makarov" short film, subtitled "Operation Kingfish." In case you missed it on the live stream, you can watch the short above -- it's a segment set in between Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2, featuring part of the origin story for soldiers Soap and Price.

The filmmakers from digital agency We Can Pretend and visual effects company The Junction sat down with me here at the convention to chat about how Find Makarov originally came about, how Activision contributed to this Operation Kingfish followup, and what's next for these creatives and the Call of Duty brand on film

Slavery the Game isn't a real game, is a real website, is really uncool

Slavery the Game isn't a game -- at least, we really hope it's not -- but it is a wonderful example of just how warped the Internet's sense of humor and decency is. Slavery the Game's website is horrifyingly legit at first glance, boasting a trailer, contact information, share buttons, the insignia for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and an ESRB rating of AO (Adults Only).

These are lined up at the bottom of the site, right next to the overwhelming sense of relief we felt when we realized neither 360 nor PS3 release AO titles. Further, the ESRB doesn't list a rating for anything called Slavery the Game and the proposed developer, Javelin Reds Gaming, doesn't exist. One YouTube version of the trailer credits The Creative Assembly with making Slavery the Game, but it isn't mentioned anywhere on The Creative Assembly's site. We've contacted The Creative Assembly for clarification.

We do wonder, if Slavery the Game isn't a game (and it's not; notice the lack of italics here), does it have a larger goal, or is this it; a mysterious website with a gruesome reminder that society can be a more powerful force than individual morality? We thought we already had one of those.

Ps3 NINOKUNI

Well the new ps3 coming out only in japan! The new console got 160gb hdd,and its white and with a controller with the same paint job. The new console comes with a game NI NO KUNI. The whole bundel costs $450. But if you want only the game you have to get $100 out of your wallet.

Gaming On Eid

So, Eid is almost finished. Did you get any games on this eid or just cloths? Well game on! And what games you bought or played these days. Well I got platinum on Killzone 3. Infamous 2 here i come.

First Back to the Future episode free for a limited time on PSN

If your PC or Macintosh gaming rig isn't beefy enough to handle the raw, hardware-hogging power of the Back to the Future adventure games, you haven't been able to indulge in the free first episode Telltale's been offering for some time. As of today, however, you can: We bought you a new computer! Just look at its whirring engines and e-chips, all waiting for you to fill them with all the terabytes of gaming software you can get your hands on.

Punk'd! You were totally Punk'd, just then. We didn't buy you a computer. But you can download the entire first episode for free on your PS3 from now until September 27. Go grab it from the PlayStation Store before it disappears -- much like Punk'd has disappeared from the cultural hearts and minds of America.

God, we miss Punk'd.

Tomb Raider

I mean who doesnt like the new Tomb Raider charecter? And what about the gameplay? Its totally different from the previous games. It seems like a strategy game than action which is by the way a great breakthrough for Tomb Raider by Squareenix. We cant wait to get a hand on this. The demo at E3 was hell of an experience and it gets out on 2012.