Welcome everyone to the first edition of New Gamer Nation’s Weekly News. This edition is heavy on Sony, however there are a few items that may effect everyone in the near future. So allow me to slip into a suit and tie, here’s the news for the first week of the year.
Anonymous Aims Attack Toward Sony, Not Playstation Network
Playstation gamers are fully aware of the hacker group Anonymous, and after the Playstation Network was shut down earlier this spring. Anonymous has targeted Sony again, however does not make any plans on shutting down PSN. After Sony showed support for SOPA, Anonymous aimed to “deface” Sony Executives. As of right now, Sony’s music division is on the SOPA list, not Sony Computer Entertainment.
Kazuo Hirai To Be Named Sony’s President
According to a report from Nikkei, Kazuo Hirai is about to get a promotion. Currently the Executive Deputy President of Sony Computer Entertainment, Hirai will replace Howard Stinger as early as April. Stringer will continue to act as CEO and Chairman.
Playstation Vita Sales Tumble
More bad news for Sony as Playstation Vita sales have fallen over the last few weeks. In it’s first week of launch the Playstation Vita sold 325,000 units. In only it’s second week sales dropped to 72,500 units sold, followed by third week sales of just 42,600 units, according to sales tracking group MediaCreate. Keep in mind, the Vita has only been released in Japan, with the American and European launch due in February, there is no word on a price drop.
Evo Championship Series Lineup
In the final bit of news, the Evo Championship Series, the largest and longest running fighting game tournament in the world, has announced their lineup for 2012. Culminating in Las Vegas, in The Evolution 2012 Main Event, 5 games have been announced for the tournament. The games include:
Street Fighter X Tekken
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition 2012
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
Soul Calibur 5
King of Fighters 13
Mortal Kombat
God of War IV Accidentally Announced?
Heard around the rumor mill, Timothy Williams, a composer who worked on the musical arrangements for Valve’s upcoming Dota 2 as well as a number of Hollywood films, has listed God of War IV on his resume. Nothing has been officially announced by Sony, and everything is involving the title may be unofficial. However it will be interesting to see where this title takes us, if we are indeed to see a fourth God of War (that is not a prequel) come to consoles. My guess is that it could be a Playstation Vita title.
2012 E3 Could Showcase New Consoles By Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony
Final story of the week, according to a story on UK based publication, MCV (The Market for Computer and Video Games), the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo will be the first time it’s 17 year history that Nintendo, Microsoft, AND Sony will showcase and/or announce the next generation of gaming consoles. The Wii-U was officially announced at the 2011 E3, and rumors have appeared over the past few months of Sony’s and Microsoft’s follow up to the Playstation 3 and X-Box 360. It’s only the first week of the year, and the 2012 E3 is about 6 months away so rumors will be running even more rampant as the June show approaches.
So, do you support Anonymous over Sony or the other way around? Is Kaz Hirai the next face of Sony? What game/tournament are you most looking forward to at Evo 2012? What do you think is next in store for the God of War franchise? E3 is about six months away, do you think we’re going to see an announcement of 3 new consoles? Let us know in the comments below.