Speaking with Eurogamer, Scott Warner revealed that once Pandemic Studios were done with Mercenaries 2 anything is possible - even a handheld version of the game. Here's Scott Warner's words:

At the moment we're only concentrating on the versions of the game we've announced, but I'd love for us to work on a handheld version of Mercs! Anything's possible!

What has Pandemic Studios currently busy at the moment is Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, which is being custom built for next-gen consoles, the PC, and the PS2. After they're done with that game, we just might see more Mercenaries for the PSP or the DS.

Mercenaries 2 is set to feature fully destructible environments and is set to look a lot like Venezuela.

This combination of destruction and Venezuela is something that the aforementioned country doesn't seem to like - heck they even asked Bono to do something about it.

Anyhow, all the mercenary focus on next-gen platforms (and Venezuela) should end by Winter, as Mercenaries 2: World in Flames game is set to be released by then. Will we see a PlayStation Portable version of Mercenaries? We certainly hope.

Speaking to Gamasutra about how business is going and how Electronic Arts underestimated Epic (again) and it's Unreal Engine, and about things like Spore and other IPs, EA CCO William "Bing" Gordon noted something amusing about Ubisoft - one of the other large publishers out there. The creative officer hints that EA fully acquiring Ubisoft is still possible. Here's his words:

I think everybody is for sale. I think in general, successful intellectual properties in all media are undervalued, especially in our media. There's been a lot of acquisitions, but the thing about acquisitions is that the only time it works is if you've got an intellectual property that can succeed without the people, or if the people have a ten-year career path that they're interested in at EA.

When Gamasutra asked if the acquisition would be a bad idea (since it may end up as something akin to a hostile takeover), William Gordon said that when it comes to acquisitions, one has to think if the intellectual property associated can succeed without the people, or if the important people want to get promoted in a big organization.

Rayman Raving Rabbids, Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed, all those other Ubisoft IPs all under EA - now that's a thought isn't it? Well what's your take on that possibility? Are you comfortable with all that being under EA? Let us know.

For some reason that "everybody is for sale" comment reminds this blogger of the British East India Co. but that's just probably because he's still high on Pirates of the Carribean and all that "it's just good business" stuff.

For the complete interview with William Gordon, feel to head to it using our "read" link below.

 

The rumors were hot during the Nintendo Media Summit, and at last Nintendo has finally confirmed the fate of the Nintendo Power Magazine. Talking to Game Informer, Perrin Kaplan notes that the "It’s [magazine] going to be licensed, but it’s going to remain a magazine."

As to who's going to get the details and what changes will be done to the publications, Kaplan says that Nintendo Power is moving to New York, although that doesn't necessarily mean that the owner will be from the same city. As for other details, we get the classic "We will be announcing that soon" response.

When it comes to for E3, Kaplan is a bit mum on details. They don't confirm if Mario, Metroid Prime 3, or the next Smash Brothers will make a "playable" appearance at the event, however they do promise some surprises. Most notable hint is that when asked about the possibility of a Zapper 2, Kaplan responds by asking people to come to E3.

Oh, and speaking of events, when it comes to this year's TGS, Kaplan says that the event is a last minute event for them. She says: "We don’t know yet. We have not decided. We will literally decide TGS at the last minute"

As for criticism that the "core gamer" is being left out in Nintendo's attempt to expand the market and target a new audience, Kaplan says that even within Nintendo they are having these arguments, and they constantly try to look for the right balance. She does drop a helpful hint: "By December I’d love to know if you still feel this way."

Kaplan even has a nice thing to say to the Game Informer interviewer who noted that he felt that there aren't enough Nintendo games out with "meat" in them. She responded:

"So you’re already done with Paper and you’re ready for something next. The average consumer spends a little bit of time with it. You have to remember as a core gamer you have an insatiable appetite. You, at all costs, probably don’t shower or eat until a game is done. You’re a freak. And then you want the next one. I think we’ve launched a lot."

It's probably safe to say that this means that they'll probably come up with a surprise "hardcore" game by December (she did say "by December"), or one of the more anticipated titles like, Metroid Prime 3 Corruption or Smash Bros Brawl will be out by then. We can only hope.

More from the interview with Game Informer via the Read link below.

Square Enix has released its financial earning for the year ending March 31, 2007. Guess what the big news is - they earned a whole lot of money. Whoopee. Not a big surprise for those who could care less about the Japanese RPG giant, but for those who are fans, good, good news.

OK, for those of you who want to hear the numbers, brace yourself, this is a mouthfull: Square Enix managed a 67.5 percent rise in operating profit as compared to the previous year. Total operating profit for the year? US$ 213. Total sales for the year? US$ 1.34 billion. The company shipped 16.93 million games globally, and its packaged games business raked in US$ 133.9 million. Squeenix's online business gained US$ 55.8 million.

Now that's a lot of money.

What's noteworthy is that despite the massive earning, the company still predicts that in the coming fiscal year, its net profits will only climb a modest 3.3 percent and its operating profits will drop considerably by 19 percent. You may think that 19 percent is small but in this case, it's worth 172.7 million.

Despite its slew of upcoming titles, why is the company still seeing a drop in operating profits? Well, this blogger isn't a business expert, so perhaps we'll just have to take Square Enix's word - the same way that we have to accept that there isn't going to be an FFXIII this year (we still hope for a longer preview, or a demo at the least).

For more info on Square Enix's fiscal year, feel free to head to its fiscal report via our "read" link below.

The ESA has officially revealed this year's schedule for the revamped Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). What's nice is that it reveals that the big three - Nintendo Company Ltd., Microsoft, and Sony - will be in attendance this year. Here, ogle the schedule yourself:

Tuesday, July 10

• 8:30 - 9:30pm - Microsoft

Wednesday, July 11

• 9:00 - 10:00am - Nintendo
• 11:30am - 12:30pm - Sony
• 2:00 - 3:00pm - EA
• 3:15 - 4:15pm - Activision
• 4:30 - 5:30pm - Midway
• 5:45 - 6:45pm - Konami

Thursday July 12

• 8:00 - 9:00am - Take Two Interactive
• 9:15 - 10:15am - THQ
• 10:30 - 11:30am - Ubisoft
• 1:00 - 2:00pm - Namco Bandai
• 3:30 - 4:30pm - Disney Interactive

Unfortunately, as informative as this schedule might be, the Venues for the invitation-only platform holder events are yet to be revealed. The rest of the software publisher events will be held at the Starlight Ballroom in Fairmont Hotel, Santa Monica. For those lucky enough to be able/allowed to attend, upcoming games will be previewed at Santa Monica's Barker Hanger.

The revamped E3, now named the E3 Media and Business Summit, will run from July 11 to 13. For more information, feel free to head to the event's official site via our "read" link below.

Around a week ago, we reported that "Nintendo Power" may be facing some form of reorganization or restructuring. It was said that Nintendo of America was sending out layoff feelers to company employees. It was also speculated that the magazine may be shut down. There was another side to the rumor though: "Nintendo Power" may be handed out to another publisher. That side seems to be gaining some ground at the Nintendo Media Summit.

Wired's Chris Kohler saw it fit to report on that rumor. He notes that it's now the hot topic at the said event. The rumor goes that Nintendo is looking to license the rights of the official print magazine to an outside U.S. publisher. This is similar to how the European official Nintendo magazine - it's an independently-run publication produced by Future.

Details are sparse for now, but the current sentiment is basically amusement/puzzlement over the fact that the official US PlayStation magazine works under this model, and Sony decided to end it, whereas Nintendo is looking to jump into something similar to it. Nintendo has yet to give an official comment on the matter. We'll update you as soon as more information is made available.

JeuxFrance alerts the internet surfing populace that NGamer Magazine has a few images of gameplay in Ubisoft's Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. While we've informed you already about the announcement at NGamer Magazine, this time around we've got a scan thanks to Jeux France. Check out the scan, ogle if you wish. (Don't get frustrated like an Ubi-bunny. Relax, its only a thumbnail. Click it and it gets bigger. Just like Thor's hammer, rub that and it gets bigger.)

Anyhow, the screenshots suggest that Ubisoft is sticking to their mini-game formula in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. The magazine scan also hints that the sequel should offer a more coherent gaming experience that includes a narrative involving Rabbids training for world domination.

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 is set to be released for the DS and the Wii.

Bunnies with cellphones... who'da thunk?!

 

Motomu Toriyama, writer and director of FFXII: Revenant Wings, and Eisuke Yokoyama, producer of the said game, spoke to 1UP and mentioned several tidbits on why there is a delay when it comes to releasing Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings to North America.

Aside from the obvious localization, Motomu Toriyama noted that they still have to tweak the interface a bit, and make the game slightly more complex. Toriyama reasons that since the Japanese market isn't too familiar with RTS styled games, FFXII: Revenant Wings was designed more for beginners. They'll change that for the US version.

And no, Revenant Wings does not use the same engine as Heroes of Mana for the DS. Eisuke Yokoyama says: "It's not at all related."

As for the story of Revenant Wings, Toriyama notes that since it's set after the events in FFXII, it'll deal more with showing how things came about in that particular version of Ivalice. Hopefully, it'll give us a better idea where all of the Occuria - Esper - Magicite plot-bunnies in XII came from.

In related news, regarding another game set in "Ivalice", Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Director Yuicihi Murasawa and Ivalice Alliance Executive Producer Akitoshi Kawazu talked about how their sequel to the GBA title is shaping up.

When it comes to gameplay, Murasawa says that while they kept the Law Card system, they changed the features of it a bit just to be fresh. Also while it follows the same basic system of FF Tactics Advance for the GBA, they added in a lot of new details like mini-games and missions.

Other noted gameplay additions include the removal of "bones" (dead characters) that litter the battle field, the ability to revive KO'd characters anywhere in the stage, and a more balanced character progression - every single clan member gets experience points after a party clears a battle.

Murasawa also noted that now that they've got two screens, managing your characters, and doing all the usual upkeep things like checking skill progression and equipment should be a lot easier.

For the complete interviews, feel free to head to the 1UP report via our Read link below.

Australia's game charts are turning out to be mighty predictable this month.

What's new? Aside from the fact that Spider-Man 3 is top Xbox 360 game down under, nothing much. There still isn't much motion in the Wii charts. The PlayStation 3 charts still has Resistance: Fall of Man on top, and World of Warcraft is still wowing people, so to speak. Perhaps the most noteworthy game this week is Guitar Hero II, whose large fan-base pushed big sales on the Xbox 360.

As for the all format charts, God of War 2 for the PS2 is still king, but you probably expected that.

The GfK Australian Game Sales charts follow below. If you want to take a look at them in closer detail, just click on the pics to magnify.

    
   

Given that our last report on this game was last February, we'll be a bit more detailed about what the game's about in this post.

If the trading card game (TCG) by Upper Deck Entertainment wasn't enough for you, then the video game version of the cardboard hobby might satisfy. For one thing, the videogame version of the card-game boasts that it allows players to compete in cross-platform online play.

What platforms you ask? Well, the PSP version's been out since February, and there are reports of a PC version. What's news here is that Konami has announced that the Marvel Trading Card Game will be released for the Nintendo DS by next week. For EU folks, The PSP and PC versions should be out by May 31st, and the NDS version should roll in by July.

Yes, more platforms, more players for the online player community that Konami likes to boast about. The online community service should allow players to trade cards, purchase cards from an online store, and let players compete in various game modes and tournaments.