Activision and EA aren’t going away anytime soon, 
but the never ending clash of the video game publishing titans has opened the door for a newer, more nimble type of competitor.
Their names — Zeptolab, Mojang, LimaSky — certainly don’t demand attention like the major console publishers. But their products are as familiar to the gaming world as many titles from the big guns. And, in some circles, they’re perhaps even better known.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Max 
Payne – that godawful 2008 Mark Wahlberg movie notwithstanding.
There hasn’t been a new game in the series for eight years. And while Rockstar Games announced two years ago that a third installment was on the way (and initially planned for a holiday 2009 release), the only time it has mentioned the game since is to announce delays. Over the course of the past week, though, the hype machine started to churn once again.
The Nielsen Company, that arbiter of television ratings, has 
released a study breaking down American gaming habits. The study, part of its March 2011 State of the Media report, finds that Americans spend an average of 13 minutes playing video games on a television each day.
That might not sound like a lot, but keep in mind that the data was taken from Nielsen homes, which are made up of a wide swath of people, many of whom are not core gamers – and many of whom don’t even own a gaming console.
While it rules the retail sector when it comes to video 
game sales, GameStop hasn’t exactly been leading the pack when it comes to digital distribution. Now, it’s starting to play catch up.
The company plans to buy Stardock — and its Impulse digital delivery service — as well as the game streaming service Spawn Labs to prepare for its future. In other words, GameStop is putting Steam and OnLive in its crosshairs.
Historically, injuries haven’t really been a big part 
of video game sports. Showing the real-world effects of the devastating hits from an NFL linebacker tend to remove players from the fantasy environment.
With the next installment of its flagship Madden franchise, however, Electronic Arts plans to emphasize the seriousness of player concussions by preventing in-game players who suffer the head injury from returning to the virtual field.
Everyone knows a new Grand Theft Auto is coming. It is, 
after all, one of the biggest franchises in the video game industry. But to date, Rockstar Games hasn’t dropped many hints about what to expect.
Over the past few weeks, though, there have been some cracks in the armor, indicating that work is well underway on the next installment in the iconic series.
Ten years ago, the thought of a battle
in the portable gaming market was ludicrous. Nintendo had held such a dominant position in the space for so long that it seemed impervious to any sort of challenge.
The field was littered with failed opponents, but things started to get a little more interesting in late 2004, when Sony jumped into the market with the PSP. By the time Apple launched the App Store in 2008, a full-fledged war was underway.
No system launch is ever completely smooth, but the 
last thing a company wants to hear are reports that its new product is crashing when it gets in the hands of consumers.
Nintendo is in that uncomfortable situation, however, as a small number of new 3DS owners are discovering a bug causing an error screen — or worse, making the screen go completely dark.
Nintendo has some pretty loyal fans – but none of 
them can compete with Isaiah ‘Triforce’ Johnson.
Johnson was the first person in America to buy a 3DS when they went on sale Sunday, waiting for five chilly days outside a Manhattan Best Buy to claim those bragging rights. As signs of dedication go, it’s a pretty hard one to top — until you realize that five years ago, he spent more than 200 hours in line to be the first to buy a Wii.
Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood moguls 
responsible for everything from the Scream franchise to last year’s Academy Award-winning The King’s Speech, are getting into the video game business.
The Weinstein Company announced plans Friday to launch TWC Games, its first entry into the interactive space. The company hopes to develop and publish games built around the deep selection of properties in catalogs owned by the Weinsteins and Dimension Films.
Chris Morris: Journalist 