New ESPN Arcade goes live

ESPN has unveiled the new ESPN Arcade, ESPN.com’s casual online games destination, The new Arcade introduces new games and more advertising opportunities in the marketplace, which rally doesn’t concern players too much. The relaunch also marks the debut of ESPN Arcade’s ESPN Cameraman game under a new franchise titled ESPN Zoom, available online and coming soon to the iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Beginning today, ESPN Zoom will feature Sportscenter’s weekly Freeze Frame photos of the day in a special ESPN Zoom: Freeze Frame edition, both online and in a free mobile app, sponsored by Bud Light.

ESPN says that, with today’s relaunch, ESPN Arcade is adding new opportunities for “engaging and bolder advertising options.” Advertisers will have the option to sign on for traditional ad units, expandable rollover ads, video ads, branded ad “skins” on the ESPN Arcade page and in-game advertising including video pre-roll ads, dynamically served ads outside of game play and contextual ads within the game for many of the games on the site. Sounds dreamy.

For more info check out www.espn.com.

Gameforge CEO to keynote GDC Europe

Klaas Kersting, CEO of German browser game company Gameforge, will deliver a track keynote at the 2009 Game Developers Conference Europe. The keynote, “Changes in the Games Industry - Free-to-play vs. Payment Models,” will look at the success of the free-to-play model that is used by Gameforge. That model allows gamers to play games for free, while premium items within the game or specific services are that enhance the play experience cost a small amount of money.

GDC Europe will take place from August 17-19, 2009 at the Cologne Congress East Center in Cologne, Germany. With an expected 1,500 attendees from 48 countries, GDC Europe will be Europe’s most important game developers conference. Learn more about GDC Europe at www.GDCEurope.com.

Starsiege: Tribes Returns

Fans of the classic team-based shooter Starsiege: Tribes will fall in love all over again because InstantAction’s GarageGames owns the rights to the game series and plans on actually doing something with it. The first thing that the company plans to do is deliver a browser-based version of the game, which will be shown off for the first time at the Game Developers Conference.

With the success of Quake Live, I guess this makes sense, though the company doesn’t plan on giving this version any kind of graphical make-over like id Software did for its game.

Nevertheless Tribes fans should feel right at home. InstantAction intends to demonstrate a browser-based version of Starsiege: Tribes, and plans to update the title with bug fixes. The game will be playable via the InstantAction web based gaming platform but there is a promise of a stand-alone, playable version of the game as well. The game is priced to move for sure: free is the best price after all.