We’ve finally got some results on some of the rumors we’ve posted in previous editions, so before getting to this week’s rumors we’ll give you a rundown of the results along with our hits or misses.

Current score

Andrew Passafiume: +5

Graham Russell: +5

Shawn Vermette: +40

Results

Xbox 360 exclusivity for GTA4 expansions to end

Take Two announced Friday that Episodes from Liberty City would be available for the PS3 and PC at the end of March. This ends the timed exclusivity that Microsoft reportedly paid $50 million for prior to the release of GTA4.

Andrew 90% = +40

Graham 55% = +5

Shawn 85% = +35

 

ESPN to start streaming sporting events over the 360

Microsoft seems to be getting into the business of making the 360 do ‘everything’ lately. The newest rumor of multimedia to join the 360 slate is ESPN. Rumor has it that they’ll start streaming sporting events over the 360. No word yet whether this proposed service would be available to Silver and Gold members or exclusively for Gold members, though recent history would seem to suggest that it would only be available for Gold members.

Andrew: This is definitely something I see becoming a possible new (and popular) service on the Xbox 360. Microsoft wants to capture gamers and non-gamers alike, and I think they have done fairly well by offering services that generally are not video game related with things like Netflix and last.fm. 85%

Graham: I can’t say I’d be surprised if this happened. ESPN already has a deal with EA to stream ESPN Radio in its games. Plus I’d watch it. They’ve mastered video streaming with Netflix, so it’s not a technical hurdle, and with all the Madden players, we know there’s an audience for ESPN’s content. Should it happen? Yes. Of course, things that should happen don’t always happen. 85%

Shawn: Considering how much extraneous stuff Microsoft keeps adding to the feature list for the 360(and how much of it is Gold only recently). I actually think this rumor stands a fairly good chance of being true. Sports are more popular than ever in the US, and finding new ways to watch them seems to be the order of the day over at ESPN(they’ve already announced an iPad app to watch their station on the go), so why not add the 360 to the list for ESPN. 80%

Valve to skip Half Life 2: Episode 3 in favor of Half Life 3

No one would debate that the episodic content thing hasn’t really worked out for Valve. Since Half Life 2 came out in 2005, they’ve released only two of the three proposed episodes that were originally scheduled to come out every six months. Now rumor has it that not only is Episode 3 not scheduled to come out in 2010, but Valve is considering skipping it altogether and simply starting the story again with Half Life 3 in a few years.

Andrew: With all of the delays that Episode Three has suffered, something like this wouldn’t surprise me. But I’m still on the fence. They are considering “starting the story again”? I don’t think Valve would leave things that happened at the end of Episode Two that way without having some kind of continuation or conclusion. I’m sure Gordon Freeman will still be the protagonist either way, but starting again is kind of referring to the way Half-Life 2 began after the events of the first game. I’m not entirely convinced on this one. 60%

Graham: Will Valve abandon the story? No. I think it’s possible for them to call the next game “Half-Life 3” or something, but it has to continue and complete the Half-Life story or fans will be furious. They might as well just call it Episode 3, as we know the advances in E2 were big enough that the new installment can be more visually impressive.  This is all semantics. 40%

Shawn: This honestly wouldn’t surprise me. The whole episodic thing really doesn’t work for Valve so I wouldn’t be surprised if they just gave up on the whole thing and started from scratch with a new graphics engine and a new full-sized game. Time will tell, but I think if they are going to continue with Episode 3, it really needs to come out this year. 70%

Elder Scrolls to have an MMORPG released for it in 2011

Bethesda has been quietly developing an MMORPG for a couple years now, and until now there were just two franchises that gamers felt it could possibly be- Fallout or Elder Scrolls. However, thanks to the ongoing legal spat between Interplay and Bethesda over Fallout, it has become clear that Fallout is not the focus of this MMORPG. Thus, rumor has it that Elder Scrolls is the series that is becoming an MMORPG.

Andrew: This could either be Elder Scrolls or an entire new franchise/universe created specifically for an MMO. I think we may still see Elder Scrolls V in some form or another, and there definitely is a good chance of it being an MMO, but it’s always hard to tell with Bethesda. They are generally very secretive about their projects until they are officially announced, but I can see it happening. 70%

Graham: MMOs are risky propositions. Besides World of Warcraft, there isn’t much success in the industry, and Bethesda’s franchises are too critically acclaimed to try that. There’s room for this, though, in the Guild Wars model: sell games, expansions and DLC, but don’t charge a monthly fee. That, with a solid offline single-player component, could very well be the model for a new Elder Scrolls. Still…the series dominates its genre, and making a jump would be unwise. 60% 

Shawn: Unfortunately, this rumor doesn’t surprise me either. It seems every franchise with a strong history and story is being outfitted with an MMO these days. I honestly just don’t see the point of such rampant MMO building. Almost anyone who is willing to pay $10-15 per month to play a game is already playing WOW, and you’ll end up alienating most of your normal fan base with such a move. I personally know anyone that would be willing to pay to play a Fallout or Elder Scrolls MMO despite knowing a great deal of people who love both series. On the other hand, Bethesda is definitely making an MMO…and I don’t know of any other series Bethesda holds the rights to that would be worth such an investment. The only thing keeping me from giving this a 100% likely is the timeline, so I’ll reluctantly say I expect this to be true. 75%

We’re back with another edition of Snackbar Speculator.  This week’s topics: The DS2 and lots of internal politics. 

Current scores:

Andrew Passafiume: -35

Graham Russell: 0

Shawn Vermette: 5

Nintendo readying ‘DS2’ for mid-2011 release

The Game Boy Color was released in 1998. The Game Boy Advance was released in 2001. The Nintendo DS was released in 2004. It has now been almost 6 years since the release of the DS, and history tells us that a new handheld system should be on the verge of being released. Nintendo still refuses to discuss the possibility, but there are rumors swirling now that not only is Nintendo readying a new handheld, but it is aimed for a June 2011 release, with information on it to be released at E3 and the Tokyo Game Show this year. There’s no question that the DS is starting to show its age, but is Nintendo ready to move on considering how much of a cash cow the DS has been for them?

Andrew: Knowing Nintendo, this seems like a pretty good possibility. But what else could they do with the DS aside from simple upgrades that we’ve seen? That is uncertain, but people would buy the system nonetheless. I can definitely see this happening. 75%

Graham: If you look at the GBC, GBA and DS, it seems like it’s time.  We have to remember, however, that the original Game Boy lasted for nine years.  After the GBA, the company was so nervous about the short lifespan that it came up with the whole “third pillar” spiel to cover for it.  Is Nintendo working on a successor?  Of course.  It’s not inconceivable that it won’t come out until 2012, though, since they might want to give the DSi more time. 50%

Shawn: The only advantages the PSP seems to have over the DS are its graphics and multimedia capabilities. I can definitely see Nintendo announcing a new system that has all the abilities of the DS and the connectivity and graphics (or better graphics) of the PSP. And, following standard Nintendo policy for handhelds, it would not be launched during the holidays so mid-2011 is as good a time as any to predict. 75%

Modern Warfare 3 not on Infinity Ward’s plate

After creating the Call of Duty series and then rejuvenating it with the Modern Warfare sub-brand, word is that Infinity Ward won’t be working on the next installment in the Modern Warfare series. For a while, Infinity Ward has wanted to get away from working solely on Call of Duty, but they’ve never had a chance due to the lack of another high-profile studio that could take over for them. Reports are now surfacing though that Infinity Ward is working on an all-new IP rather than beginning preparations on Modern Warfare 3. Activision has a new studio headed by the men behind Dead Space, but would Infinity Ward be willing to hand over the reins to a new studio, regardless of its pedigree?

Andrew: I can see this happening, and I think Infinity Ward would want to get away and work on something new. Activision knows any future Call of Duty game will be successful either way, no matter what developer is behind it, so either way Modern Warfare 3 is bound to be successful. Whether or not Infinity Ward will allow another studio to take over is hard to figure out, but I could see it happening. 60% 

Graham: Bungie wanted to escape Halo.  Infinity Ward wants to escape Modern Warfare.  This is the kind of craziness we have in the games industry.  What other developer out there wouldn’t want to be at the helm of an incredibly successful franchise?  But people get restless, and Infinity Ward has only been partially responsible for the series.  (Their installments are generally accepted as better, but still.) Bottom line: it’s possible.  It’s stupid too. 40%

Shawn: I can definitely see Infinity Ward being tired of working on nothing but Call of Duty. After all, that’s all they’ve worked on for nearly a decade. However, considering the lack of success Treyarch has had living up to the quality and reputation of Infinity Ward developed CoD games, I can see how Infinity Ward would have trepidation over giving it over completely for a cycle. Given the amount of money and effort Activision has put into building this new studio, however; I believe it is likely that there’s faith in that studio to at least do as good a job as Treyarch. Due to this, I find this rumor entirely believable. 75%

Midnight Club canceled by Rockstar after internal studio strife

The game industry was hit years ago with a work scandal at EA in the now-infamous incident over unpaid overtime that resulted in millions paid out in class-action lawsuits. Now that same scene is repeating over at Rockstar San Diego. Accusations of the same treatment and unpaid vacation/overtime have been leveled at the management of Rockstar San Diego by numerous spouses and former employees. The key to this rumor though is the accusation that the Midnight Club development team has been dismantled and everyone either fired or farmed onto game projects that have been struggling for years. That there is strife and disarray is unmistakable, but would Rockstar have really allowed such a profitable series to fall by the wayside?

Andrew: I really find this one hard to believe. Rockstar doesn’t seem like the kind of company to do this, their development studios definitely seem a lot more lax than most. I doubt they would let something like this happen, and I doubt a fairly popular game series would be canceled because of it. If the series is canceled, this reason seems highly unlikely. 5%

Graham: The bottom line of this is Midnight Club’s cancellation.  It’s certainly possible, since 2K seems to be impatient with any Rockstar series that isn’t GTA.  It’s a fairly popular series in a genre that was recently vacated by the other giant, EA’s Need for Speed. If it’s gone, it’s a tragedy. 30%

Shawn: I find this rumor somewhat unfathomable. After the turmoil and bad press the game industry received last time, I was sure no other major developer would do these things; however, apparently the IGDA has offered to step in and help with some conflict resolution at the studio, so there may be some truth to these rumors. That something is going on over there is obvious, but I doubt Rockstar will simply cancel the Midnight Club series because of it. 10%

Max Payne 3 to be delayed due to internal studio strife

Mirroring the strife at Rockstar San Diego, it appears Rockstar Vancouver has also had the same charges leveled at management there. Rumors are swirling of 14-16 hour workdays being enforced at Rockstar Vancouver for all employees working on Max Payne 3. Despite these long workdays, it appears the strife and discord brought on by working conditions there are having more of an impact than the increased workload, as its being rumored that Max Payne 3 will be delayed again because of it.

Andrew: This is a tough one, because I can see Max Payne 3 being delayed, but I very much doubt this reason is valid (for the same reasons I stated above). I can see the game being delayed though, and if it is, I can’t imagine us finding out why. I will say there is a good chance the game is delayed, but I doubt it’s for this reason. 50%

Graham: Man, Rockstar has some issues, doesn’t it? Yeah, games get delayed, and Max Payne 3 is no exception.  There’s no way to know whether this strife was the cause of the delay, because they won’t ever admit it.  Therefore I can’t say anything. 50%

Shawn: Considering the game is scheduled to come out in August, such long days and ‘crunch time’ management seems to be to be a bit far-fetched for the moment. I agree with Andrew on this one, the game will likely get delayed, but I doubt this will be the reason…if we ever even know the reason. 35%

We’re back with another edition of Snackbar Speculator.  This week’s topics: The return of Vice City, the demise of NHL 2K and the PSP’s identity crisis.

Current scores:

Andrew Passafiume: -35

Graham Russell: 0

Shawn Vermette: 5

Grand Theft Auto V to take place in Vice City

Rockstar has made a habit of revisiting locales from previous Grand Theft Auto games, and rumor has it Grand Theft Auto V will be no exception. The instruction manual for the recently released Episodes from Liberty City featured a fake poster for a movie titled Liberty City, It’s Over. However, that fake poster appeared to be plastered on top of a different poster. This poster, when compared with some in-game posters from GTA: Vice City, appears to be the exact same poster. This has led to speculation that the next GTA will in fact take place in Vice City.

Andrew: Rockstar themselves have said they are done with Liberty City, so it wouldn’t surprise me that they decide to go back to Vice City. There was also the website that showed plane tickets bought by GTA IV’s main protagonist, Niko, for a trip to Vice City. It seems like the fairly obvious choice. 80%

Graham: It’s a good a place as any.  They’re invested in the places they’ve created, and they haven’t seemed eager to revisit San Andreas.  65%

 

Shawn: Considering the Grand Theft Auto series has only visited three cities over the course of its existence, one of which was just used in Grand Theft Auto IV, the odds are fairly good that Vice City is the next stop. Add in all the little hints that Rockstar has dropped over the past year, and I’d say it is a pretty good bet that Vice City will play host to Grand Theft Auto V. 85%

Take Two cancelling its NHL 2K series

Outside of its NBA 2K series, Take Two has released dud after dud in its various sports series. In fact, Take Two has announced that they may lose up to $30 million this year thanks to its sports portfolio. Now there’s rumors that they are considering cancelling their NHL 2K series entirely rather than spend the money to try to compete with EA in hockey. There’s no doubt that if Take Two put the effort into a sports game, they can compete with EA as NFL 2K5 and MLB 2K5 and their entire NBA 2K series can attest to…but do they want to continue doing so anymore?

Andrew: This seems a bit unlikely, seeing as their NHL 2K series is next to NBA as their most popular sports series, both in terms of sales and critical acclaim. It seems incredibly unlikely they would decide to cancel that series out of all of them. But they is always a possibility, albeit a very small one. 15%

Graham: Let’s be honest here.  Hockey isn’t that popular nationally, so a second-place game, even if it’s better, doesn’t have great prospects.  2K looks at games like GTA and the piles of money they bring in…and then they look at an NHL game.  See what I’m saying? 50%

Shawn: For the last couple years, the NHL 2K series has pretty much sucked, especially compared to EA’s NHL series. Considering the beating Take Two has taken recently in the sports arena, it might be smart to at least give it a rest…but somehow I doubt they’ll do the smart thing. 35%

Sony readying yet another PSP redesign

Sony loves to redesign their systems, as the PS3 and PSP can attest. Sony has released 8 different configurations of the PS3 to date, and 4 different designs of the PSP. However, Sony may not yet be done redesigning the PSP. Rumor has it that because of the failure of the PSP Go to take off, Sony may be readying another redesign already, this one with the UMD drive intact.  

Andrew: Although the Go was pretty much a failure, I could see another PSP re-design (along with a small price drop) being one that boosts the sales of the system a bit. I think they had the right idea with the Go, but the steep price point and lack of UMD support really killed it. I would be very surprised if we don’t see another PSP re-design this year. 85%

Graham: They’re readying something.  Past experience with Sony and Nintendo would suggest that they’re always working on a new revision of (or successor to) everything.  I think they’re going to ride out the PSP as long as they can, and a new UMD-enabled PSP would serve as a mea culpa for the Go.  It’d also be a white flag…but there are times for that. 70%

Shawn: The PSP Go was a stupid idea from the start. However, every other redesign of the PSP has resulted in a boost in PSP sales for awhile. Because of this, I would be shocked if Sony DIDN’T redesign the PSP again in the near future. 95%

We’ve finally got some results on some of the rumors we’ve posted in previous editions, so before getting to this week’s rumors we’ll give you a rundown of the results along with our hits or misses.  Since this is the first time we’ve had confirmations, here’s how we keep score:

True: Guess – 50

False: 50 – Guess

Sticking your neck out with a 5% or 95% score is risky, as is should be.  50% is lame.

Cross-game chat to be present in next PS3 Firmware update

Well, next update came out, and it didn’t show any sign of having cross-game chat.

Andrew Passafiume 95% = -45

Graham Russell 70% = -20

Shawn Vermette 65% = -15

Facebook integration to be present in next PS3 Firmware update

This rumor turned out to be true, as the same update that did not have cross-game chat had Facebook in it.

Andrew 85% = +35

Graham 60% = +10

Shawn 95% = +45

Phoenix Wright coming to the Wii

This was decided almost as soon as we posted it, as Capcom has confirmed that ports of all three Phoenix Wright games are coming to WiiWare early next year.

Andrew 25% = -25

Graham 60% = +10

Shawn 25% = -25

Current standings:

Shawn: 5  

Graham: 0

Andrew: -35    

Now, on to the rumors.

 

Scribblenauts 2 drawing on Wii, DS, and PC

Scribblenauts was a small indie title going into E3 and a media phenomenon coming out. Now there are rumors that Scribblenauts 2 is in production. Not only that, but it is rumored that Scribblenauts 2 will be coming to the Wii and PC in addition to the DS this time around.

Andrew: This seems like it is inevitable. Knowing how successful the original title was, despite its shortcomings, is a clear sign that people loved the concept and want to see it go even farther. I think this title, like a lot of DS to Wii games, is a very easy transition. A PC version seems unlikely, but it could work just as well as a Wii version, so I can’t see why not. 75%

Graham: The main shortcoming in Scribblenauts was the controls.  The Wii and PC both offer the potential for a more suitable scheme, and yes Shawn, people buy PC games.  Especially quirky stuff.  I’m hoping for a Steam release.  Regardless, a sequel is what 5th Cell needs to fix the issues with the original, and I’d love to see some multiplayer of some sort. 65%

Shawn: The only thing about this rumor that sounds iffy to me is the PC edition. 5th Cell has already said they want to make games for systems other than the DS, and Drawn to Life 2 was made for the DS and Wii. A PC edition would work, but I’m not sure that enough people purchase PC games anymore for it to be worthwhile anymore. 90%

 

 

 

WiiHD coming in 2010

Nintendo is being frank about the relatively slow sales of the Wii this year, with Iwata saying the Wii had “stalled”. There have been rumors of a “WiiHD” for awhile now, but with it being publicly acknowledged that they aren’t happy with the performance of the Wii, it is now being rumored that the “WiiHD” is closer than many would think…next year, in fact. Is it possible that this rumor will finally get answered one way or another?

Andrew: This is one rumor I am completely on the fence about. On one hand, the market for the WiiHD might not even be there. The people who actually care about it seem to only make up one small part of the Wii’s entire audience. But on the other hand, it could become an even bigger success than the original Wii if marketed correctly. I’m still completely unsure, and Nintendo is a company that continues to surprise us (for better or for worse). 50%

Graham: I can’t see there being a WiiHD.  At all, really.  Yes, Nintendo will have a followup console sooner or later, and it’s possible they’ll keep the framework for backwards compatibility.  But releasing a HD system with no other upgrades would just confuse the market of casual gamers they created and rode back to the top of the industry on.  Also, the whole WiiHD concept is one of those Pachter-isms, and…I just don’t know why he’s become this authority. 5%

Shawn: I fully believe Nintendo will release a “WiiHD” at some point in the near future. I just don’t believe it will happen next year. Nintendo has enough first-party games coming out next year to support the Wii for one more year, but after that I just can’t see how Nintendo can keep the Wii afloat after that unless the third parties finally figure out how to make good games for it. 25%

 

 

 

Logitech to offer UMD accessory for PSP Go

The PSP Go has had many detractors since it was announced that Sony would not offer any kind of conversion program for owners of UMD games who bought a PSP Go. However, one company may be taking advantage of this lack of conversion. Rumor has it Logitech is working on an accessory for the PSP Go that would enable the PSP Go to play UMD games. Given the furor over the lack of a UMD drive in the Go, it seems there would indeed be a market for such a device, but is it really being produced?

Andrew: This has to be the dumbest idea a company could have ever thought of. I think a lot of people who bought a PSP Go knew what to expect, they knew they could not play their old UMD games on it. Even if they didn’t, I’m sure the entire point of it was complete portability. To have all of your games, music, movies, all right there in the palm of your hand and hassle free. To release a bulky attachable UMD device not only ruins the purpose, but could also just make you want to go back to the original PSP. 10%

Graham: Is it a dumb idea?  Yes.  Do I think someone would still make it?  Absolutely.  Is it Logitech?  I doubt it.  For one thing, they’ve never been one for niche products…they’re an accessory titan and they cater to the mass audience.  Also, well, they put out a statement saying, and I quote, “This is not something that our company is working on.” 5%

Shawn: Unlike Andrew, I actually think this idea has some merit. Logitech makes more, and better, accessories than even the first party companies do. I wouldn’t be surprised if Logitech has perceived a need that Sony refuses to even admit exists. Most PSP Go owners probably realize that the PSP Go won’t play UMDs, but at the same time, not having the ability to buy them greatly increases the amount of money they have to spend to buy games digitally. My hesitation for this rumor is whether or not enough people even bought the PSP Go for Logitech to bother making this accessory. 60%