Weekly News Roundup: 13 May 2012

Happy Mother's Day (to those moms who read this)!  I know I missed last week, not really sure what happened there.  So, without further yammering, here's a few news stories of the last couple of weeks that caught my eye!

THQ Skips E3 Booth this Year

THQ continues to struggle

Troubled publisher THQ has decided to skip E3 this year, according to the company. While the games in development will be shown in other areas, THQ will not have dedicated space. The company has struggled financially this year and has canceled many projects and was hit with major layoffs earlier this year. It will be interesting to see which projects are shown, as those will be some that survived the cuts. A spokesperson for the company said that while THQ will not have a booth this year, it is healthier now. Let's hope so because I, for one, would love to see Homefront 2. (via Game Informer)

Gamescom Will Be Without THQ and Sega

Trade show Gamescom will be without THQ and Sega

In addition to the above story, THQ has said they will be skipping a booth at Gamescom, too.  Not really heartening news.  Another company struggling financially, Sega, has announced that they will skip the Gamescom festivities as well.  Troubled companies can save a lot by skipping shows like this, but it also means less press for their games.  I hope both companies turn things around!  (via Joystiq)

Camaflaj Adds Jennifer Hale and David Hayter to Republique

Camaflaj adds some heavy-duty voice talent to Republique

Awesome news!  Superstar voice talent Jennifer Hale (Commander Shepard from Mass Effect) and David Hayter (Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid) have signed on to Republique.  The game, a PC/Mac and tablet experience, will focus on players helping a woman escape from an oppressive, Orwellian city by hacking cameras and security systems.  It looks rather good, in my opinion.  And now it sounds even cooler!  (via Game Informer)

Republique Makes Kickstarter Goal with 6 Hours to Spare

Can you save her?

The above story relates to this one.  Start-up studio Camaflaj needed a half-million dollars from fans to fund the project.  The studio said that they could easily get another half-million from outside investors, but that Republique would cost just north of one million dollars to make.  The Kickstarter for Republique (and who doesn't have one of these now?) was short until the last minute.  With just over six hours to spare, fans had chipped enough in to make the goal.  Now we just have to see if the outside investors come through.  (via Joystiq)

In case you are unsure about Republique, check out this trailer and interview with Camaflaj!

The official trailer for Republique

EA Investing in Next Generation

The giant publisher is ready for the "next generation"

EA has started to put money toward "next generation" games.  The publishing giant has not just started investing, they've jumped in whole heartedly.  The company announced that $80 million (!!) has been allocated toward making games for the Durango (Microsoft's Next Box) and the Orbis (the PS4).  Though I'm sure I'm wrong, I would hope that the investment is going toward new ideas, too, not just prettier versions of Medal of Honor and the like.  (via Game Informer)

Activision VS Infinity Ward May Have Implications for CoD: Black Ops 2

This fight might get even more interesting than this!

With the 2 May announcement of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Activision added another wrinkle to their lawsuit against former Infinity Ward members.  The contract dispute between Jason West and Vince Zampella and their former employer Activision has been on-going since the two left Infinity Ward after Modern Warfare 2.  In their contract, Activision could not produce a game in the "future or near future" without consent of West/Zampella.  That may come into play with Treyarch's Black Ops 2, as it is set in the "near future."  Grab the popcorn, court watchers, this could get ugly.  (via Game Informer)

Sony's Yearly Report Filled with Red

Financial troubles at the giant

Sony did not have a great year.  Their annual earnings report is awash in red ink.  While this includes areas outside of gaming, it's still a lot of money gone.  The company needs to turn things around, or Sony may be faced with the unfortunate prospect of layoffs and downsizing.  Sony is in good (sure...good) company: other loss-heavy companies include Nintendo, THQ, and Sega.  (via Joystiq)

More Silliness From Google

Boom-tis-boom-tis-unce!

If you wander over to Google Translate, this might be a bit of fun:

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Have that text translated from German and click Listen. Enjoy the phat beats.  (via a friend)