Anime/Manga
Hachette Press Group is combining two of its imprints, the manga line Yen Press and the sci-fi fantasy line Orbit, into a single division of the company. The Yen magazine and Yen manga will continue to bear that name, however.
Video Games
EA's Xbox 360/Playstation 3 third-person shooter Army of Two is slated to be adapted into a movie by Universal Pictures that will be written by Bourne Ultimatum screenwriter Scott Burns. Production is scheduled to begin next year.
The launch of the upgraded PSP-3000 has been a success in Japan, selling 159,816 units. The PSP has been the handheld of choice on that side of the Pacific for some time – it remains to be seen whether the success can be duplicated here, where gamers prefer Nintendo's DS.
Ubisoft has surpassed expectations for the second quarter, with sales for the first half of its fiscal year up 31.5 percent over the same period of 2007 thanks to the successful launches of Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway and Soulcalibur IV.
Nintendo's new release of the Wii system software apparently contains a block on homebrew applications, bad news for those who want to use the network to spread their own wares.
Technology
Microsoft had an extremely profitable third quarter, with revenues up nine percent from the same period last year. Interestingly, though, the company closed the quarter with less cash, cash equivalents and shor-term investments than Apple, since it has been more aggressive in recent years with putting money into shareholder dividends, stock buybacks, and acquisitions.
iPhone tethering for 3G laptop browsing may be delayed because AT&T is apprehensive about its ability to meet the demand, according to the Gizmodo blog. It'll be interesting to see where this goes, especially as this may set a precedent for 3G technology across the board.
Yahoo is said to be building a major facility
Publishing
Radar magazine is folding and its online division is being purchased by American Media, Inc., publishers of the National Enquirer, who will continue the celebrity gossip site. Yet another sign of the move from print to cyber for the overall industry.
– Bonnie