Vivendi Games (Page 7)

Developer Valve has revealed that it plans to offer a $9.99 monthly subscription system to purchasers of Half-Life 2, as well as releasing three separate versions of the game - which has now apparently slipped to November.

The long-running saga of Vivendi's entertainment unit - which houses the Vivendi Universal Games division - continued this week with news that the company is seeking new bids, but may decide not to sell after all.

Publisher Majesco has announced that it is to continue its distribution agreement with Vivendi Universal Games into 2004/05, in a deal which will see VUG publishing 15 Majesco SKUs across multiple different platforms in Europe.

Four key staff at Blizzard Entertainment, including vice president Bill Roper and the three co-founders of the unit that created popular RPG series Diablo, have left the company in order to pursue new opportunities.

Reports are suggesting that Vivendi Universal has temporarily shelved the sale of its games division following lower than expected bids, but other conflicting rumours state that Microsoft and Take 2 may have teamed up for a bid.

First quarter results from Vivendi Universal reveal a slide in revenues and increased operating losses - but the future of the division is set to become clearer shortly, with the company planning to collect acquisition bids officially on June 23rd.

A new potential buyer has emerged for Vivendi's entertainment properties, including the Vivendi Universal Games division, with Edgar Bronfman Jr - the man who sold Universal Entertainment to Vivendi three years ago - expressing an interest in the company.

Publisher Take 2 Interactive has announced its financial results for the three months ended April 30th, showing record sales and profit thanks to the launch of several successful titles - and, of course, strong ongoing sales of Vice City.