New DLC coming for SimCity on May 28.

EA has confirmed funfair DLC for its controversial 2013 reboot of SimCity after it temporarily appeared on a retailer website.

While it was quickly removed, the SimCity Amusement Park Pack DLC briefly appeared on UK retailer Green Man Gaming.

The blurb for the expansion offered SimCity players the chance “build the amusement park of your dreams, right in the middle of your city.” The description also offered “classic rides, vehicle rides and thrill rides.”

“Will you focus [on] the aesthetic look or maximising your profits? Perhaps you can have the best of both worlds,” concluded the description.

Following the leak, the official SimCity Twitter feed confirmed a May 28 release for the DLC.

“Some of you may have seen thrilling new #SimCity content that arrived too early at the gate. It’s coming May 28. We think you’ll be amused,” wrote the account.

Earlier this month original series creator Will Wright called SimCity’s unstable launch “inexcusable”.

For more on SimCity, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

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New idea to involve producer of Hellboy and Tomb Raider films; ex-executive VP Danny Bilson adds that his old company “couldn’t change fast enough”.

The former executive vice president of THQ, Danny Bilson, announced a new sci-fi fantasy horror project during the GameHorizon conference in Newcastle, UK.

Ex-THQ frontman Danny Bilson’s next project is a sci-fi game-film tien-in.

According to the presentation (via Eurogamer), Bilson said that the project is a game-and-film tie-in reminiscent of SyFy and Trion World’s Defiance project. His partner in the project is Lloyd Levin, producer of films like Watchmen, Tomb Raider, and Hellboy. He has yet to announce his distribution partner at this point in time.

He plans to launch three two-hour episodes per year, while releasing a narrative of three to four interactive chapters in-between the episodes. He continues, “…let’s take the fan from the film through three chapters of the game right into the next film. We’ve got the writers of the film writing the game narrative. We’ve got the actor’s likeness, voice, and the players – fans – can participate in the narrative, up to a point, and then rejoin the film narrative and it’s all delivered on the same devices: the PC, the pads or any digital device.”

He added that no one has ever been able to move a story from a linear to an interactive form back-to-back because there’s a barrier between the film makers and game developers that restrict them from making creative liberties to that story.

He also said a few things about his time in THQ during the conference. He said that the company “couldn’t change fast enough” from a licensed games-making company to a core games publisher. He said that six out of the 17 studios under the company “didn’t know what they were making”, so he was given the task to manage their direction. During his time, he was also given control of both the production and marketing departments to fix the relationship between the two divisions.

For more information, check out the video of the presentation.

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Fireproof Studios has revealed that its puzzle game for the iOS and Android, The Room, has sold more than two million units, according to a conference attended by Joystiq. The game was released in September 2012 and passed one million units sold in January 2013.

“We did not want to do a better version of someone else’s game, or an update of a genre,” said Fireproof Studios Commercial Director Barry Meade at the Game Horizon conference in the UK. “We thought we’re not doing our jobs properly if we don’t add to what’s out there.”

“As a game creator that’s your responsibility,” Meade continued. “If you’re not doing that, if you’re chasing what other people are doing, you don’t deserve success because you’re not showing respect to the audience.”

A sequel is currently in development and is planned to be released this fall.

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Wal-Mart subsidiary now selling the Wii U for

Square Enix has told GamesIndustry International that the companies UK office is currently under review, due to the poor sales of several of its titles. Square Enix is also expecting redundancies to show up, which means layoffs could be coming in the future.

“We are reviewing our business in Europe to ensure we have the right structure, content and skills for the changing entertainment landscape,” said a Square Enix spokesperson in an email. “We do expect changes to the UK office, which will affect personnel. We will update you when the time is right, but our priority right now is for the people within the business.”

Square Enix had revised in fiscal forecast for the year ending March 31, 2013. The company now expects a loss of

Disc contents exactly the same as the digital release.

The Xbox 360 edition of blockbuster Minecraft will be released physically in the UK on June 28, Microsoft has announced.

The boxed versions will be identical to the downloadable versions, with the exception of a 48-hour Xbox Live Gold code included in the case.

The UK release date follows the previous announcement that the retail Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition will launch in North America on June 4. It had previously been scheduled for an April 30 release.

Minecraft’s ever-growing sales numbers currently sit at over six million for the Xbox 360 version and 10 million copies on the PC.

A Time magazine poll has also named Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson the second-most influential person in the world, behind Egypt president Mohamed Morsi.

Developer Mojang has said it will “consider” releasing Minecraft for Sony platforms once its exclusivity deal with Microsoft lapses.

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All Xbox Live accounts get Gold features from May 3 to May 5.

Xbox Live Gold will be free this weekend in the UK, Microsoft has announced.

The promotional period will run from 12:00 on Friday, May 3 to 23:59 on Sunday, May 5, allowing free Xbox Live account owners to access online multiplayer and the service’s other premium features.

Double XP weekends will also be running on the multiplayer modes of Gears of War: Judgment, Assassin’s Creed III, and Far Cry 3.

Apps like Netflix and Lovefilm will also be enabled for non-paying Xbox Live customers; these subscription services are normally available to Gold account holders only.

In January, Microsoft announced that it was investing more into advertising on Xbox Live.

A recent rumour also suggested that Microsoft was looking into creating its own original programming for Xbox, including a revival of the sci-fi drama Heroes.

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Square Enix layoffs to hit European and UK offices; exact employee numbers unknown.

Square Enix has begun a round of layoffs in its UK and European offices.

In a statement to MCV UK, the company confirmed the news. The announcement comes after the publisher saw an “extraordinary loss” for the financial year ended March 31.

Speaking to the trade publication, Square Enix said, “We are reviewing our business in Europe to ensure we have the right structure, content, and skills for the changing entertainment landscape.”

“We do expect changes to the UK office, which will affect personnel. We will update you when the time is right, but our priority right now is for the people within the business.’

Last month, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada resigned from the company following the announcement of an expected 10 billion yen loss for the 2012-2013 financial year. Despite being well-received critically, sales for big-budget Square Enix titles Tomb Raider, Hitman: Absolution, and Sleeping Dogs failed to meet expectations in the North American market.

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[UPDATE] Tesco product page suggests Microsoft making new Halo for Xbox 360 this year; company says listing “not indicative of a Halo product launch.”

[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, a Microsoft representative told GameSpot that the Tesco product listing is “not indicative of a Halo product launch.”

“This listing is not indicative of a Halo product launch,” the representative said. “We have no news to share of future Halo titles.”

The original story follows below

Not only has United Kingdom retailer Tesco revealed Call of Duty: Ghosts today, but the shop has outed (via Videogamer) a product currently listed as “Upcoming Halo.”

The listing includes generic Xbox 360 box art and a 2013 release date. A Microsoft representative was not immediately available to comment.

Microsoft has previously confirmed Halo 5 and Halo 6, as part of the Reclaimer Trilogy. The most recent entry in the science-fiction shooter series was November’s Halo 4.

A new Halo game has come to market every year since 2009, those being Halo 3: ODST (2009), Halo: Reach (2010), Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011), and Halo 4 (2012).

Microsoft is openly hiring for the future of the Halo brand, which may include games for the company’s rumored next-generation platform, believed to be announced next month. The Halo team is seeking, among other developers, a person with MMO experience.

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Box art for what could be 2013′s Call of Duty appears in supermarket listing

UK supermarket giant Tesco has a product listing and box art for currently unannounced Call of Duty: Ghosts.

The listings cover Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms, though the Xbox 360 listing has already been removed. The PlayStation 3 listing remains at time of writing, however.

The box art features Modern Warfare character Ghost and the Infinity Ward logo, though many recent Call of Duty games have split development duties across multiple studios. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was predominantly developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games.

A leaked image from US retailer Target has also appeared, showing a preorder offer for the title. Both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 logos can be seen, and a release date of November 5, 2013 is given.

Activision regularly announces its annual Call of Duty title at this time of year, with 2010′s Black Ops, 2011′s Modern Warfare 3, and 2012′s Black Ops II all being revealed in late April/early May.

Activision declined to comment when approached by GameSpot.

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