Revision 63044741 of "February 2006 in video gaming" on enwiki

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{{February 2006 events| in video gaming}}
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!Related pages
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!Months:
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|• [[January 2006 in video gaming|January]]
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|• [[February 2006 in video gaming|February]]
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!Years
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|• [[2006 in video gaming]]
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|• [[2005 in video gaming]]
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|• [[2004 in video gaming]]
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|• [[2003 in video gaming]]
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|• [[2002 in video gaming]]
|}

<div id="28_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 28]] [[2006]] (Tuesday)===
* The brand [[Acclaim Entertainment]] officially returns to the video game industry. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8338 (Gamasutra)]
* [[Shanda]], a Chinese developer of [[MMORPG]]s, announces financial results for the fourth quarter of 2005. Net revenue was 360.5 million RMB ($44.8 million), a 16.3% decrease, and net loss was 538.9 million RMB ($67 million) compared to the Q4 2004 profit of 231.4 million RMB ($28.7 million). [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8335 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="27_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 27]] [[2006]] (Monday)===
* Details of Microsoft's [[Origami Project]] are leaked. [[Halo (video game series)|Halo]] is among the applications seen running on the portable device. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8305 (Gamasutra)]
* [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] Japan unveiles [[PlayStation Spot]], a service that allows [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]] owners to download content and [[game demo]]s at participating locations. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8312 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="26_February_2006"> </div>

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<div id="23_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 23]] [[2006]] (Thursday)===
* [[Midway Games|Midway]] announces financial results for the last fiscal quarter of 2005, ending December 31, 2005, as well as the full fiscal year. Net revenues for the quarter were $69.8 million, down 9.6% from 2004. Quarter loss was $37.8 million, compared with profits of $17.6 million in 2004. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8284 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="22_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 22]] [[2006]] (Wednesday)===
* Professional gaming league [[Major League Gaming]] announces that it has secured an investment of $10 million. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8254 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="21_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 21]] [[2006]] (Tuesday)===
* Mark "Chip" VanDeVelde, a vice president of [[Crave Entertainment]] and a long time video game industry veteran, dies. Crave Entertainment starts a scholarship fund for VanDeVelde's daughter who is then 11 years old. [http://www.gamespot.com/news/6144684.html (Gamespot)]

<div id="20_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 20]] [[2006]] (Monday)===
* [[David Perry]], founder of [[Shiny Entertainment]], has quit the company. [[Atari]], which owns Shiny, recently announced that it would be selling off all its internal development studios. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8225 (Gamasutra)]

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<div id="17_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 17]] [[2006]] (Friday)===
*[[Atari]] releases a statement stating that they are restructuring the company "which will result in a worldwide workforce reduction of approximately 20%". [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8224 (Gamasutra)]
* [[CERO]], the Japanese video game [[rating]] organisation, will implement a new rating system, starting from March 2006. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8213 (Gamasutra)]
* [[NVIDIA]] releases financial results for the quarter ending January 31, 2006. Revenue was up 12% to $633.6 million, and profits were up 104% to $98.1 million. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8217 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="16_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 16]] [[2006]] (Thursday)===
* A study done by [[ABI Research]] indicates that the [[video game industry]] should double in size by [[2011]]. [http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=11879 (GameDaily BIZ)]

<div id="15_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 15]] [[2006]] (Wednesday)===
* [[Nintendo]] unveils a [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]]-based web browser and a [[TV tuner]] for the [[Nintendo DS]]. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8173 (Gamasutra)]
*The [[Government of the People's Republic of China|Chinese government]] announces new legislation that will prohibit teenagers from entering [[Internet cafe]]s or [[Karaoke#Public places for karaoke|karaoke bars]]. Also, it will be illegal to display ''"audio and video products and [[video games|electronic games]]" that threaten [[national security]] or disparage other nationalities or [[races]]. Specifically, the entertainment may not "damage China's unification, sovereignty, or territorial integrity"''. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8185 (Gamasutra)]
*A [[bill]] proposed by [[Utah]] Rep. [[David Hogue]] that equates [[violent video games]] with [[pornography]] was passed by a  Utah House committee vote. [http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/207897.html (Gamepolitics)]
*''[[Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure]]'' has been refused a classification by the [[Office of Film and Literature Classification (Australia)|Australian Office of Film & Literature Classification]] (a body of the [[Australian Government]]), effectively [[Censorship in Australia#Computer games|banning]] its release in the country. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8177 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="14_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 14]] [[2006]] (Tuesday)===
* [[NCsoft]], the [[Korea]]n company behind titles such as ''[[Guild Wars]]'' and ''[[City of Heroes]]'', reported financial results for the [[fiscal year]] ending December 31, 2005. Revenues were up 17% to 338.8 billion Won ($346.5 million), a record high for the company. Operating income fell to 76.6 billion Won ($78.3 million), due to rising costs and expenses. [http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=11856 (GameDaily BIZ)]

<div id="13_February_2006"> </div>

===[[February 13]] [[2006]] (Monday)===
* [[Ralph H. Baer|Ralph Baer]], the inventor of ''[[PONG]]'', receives the [[National Medal of Technology]] "for his work in developing and commercializing interactive video games, which spawned related uses and mega-industries in both the entertainment and education fields". [http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/13/bush-to-baer-be-my-valentine/ (Joystiq)]
* [[JAMDAT Mobile]] has announced that its shareholders have approved its acquisition by [[Electronic Arts]] for $680 million. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8139 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="12_February_2006"> </div>

<div id="11_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 11]] [[2006]] (Saturday)===
* [[VGMix]] is closed temporarily due to hacking attempts.

<div id="10_February_2006"> </div>

===[[February 10]] [[2006]] (Friday)===
* [[Valve Corporation|Valve Software]] reveals that the planned expansion pack for ''[[Half-Life 2]]'', previously known as ''Aftermath'', has been renamed ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode One]]'', and will be the first in a series of [[Episodic games|episodic content]] released on [[Steam (content delivery)|Steam]]. [http://www.gamespot.com/news/6144151.html (GameSpot)]
* [[Blizzard Entertainment]] officially apologises to a ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' player over a warning the player received for recruiting other players to a [[LGBT]]-focused guild. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8132 (Gamasutra)]
*[[Microsoft]]'s [[Peter Moore (Microsoft)|Peter Moore]] states that all [[Xbox 360]] shortages should be over within four to six weeks. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8126 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="9_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 9]] [[2006]] (Thursday)===
*[[Nintendo of America]]'s [[Reggie Fils-Aime]] announces several new features for the [[Nintendo DS]], including a new DS download service, and a voice chat feature to be included with ''[[Metroid Prime Hunters]]''. The company also has a new overall strategy dubbed ''[[Blue Ocean]]''. [http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=11820 (GameDaily BIZ)], [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8100 (Gamasutra)]
*[[Microsoft]] announces that ''[[Halo 2]]'' will be released on the [[PC game|PC]] exclusively for ''[[Windows Vista]]''. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8106 (Gamasutra)]
*[[Atari]] publishes results for the third quarter of [[2005]], with revenue down to $100.8 million, as compared with $156.4 million in the same period in 2004. The company posted a loss of $4.8 million ($19.6 million profit in Q3 2004). Atari [[Chief Financial Officer|CFO]] Diane Baker resigned, although the company stated this was not directly related to the poor results. [http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=11825 (GameDaily BIZ)]
*''[[God of War]]'' wins seven awards, including [[Game of the Year]], at the 2006 [[Interactive Achievement Awards]]. Other winners include ''[[Guitar Hero]]'' (5 awards), ''[[Shadow of the Colossus]]'', and ''[[Battlefield 2]]'' (both 3 awards). [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8121 (Gamasutra)]
*[[1UP]] announces the results of its [[Game of the Year]] competition. Among the winners are ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'' for "Game of the Year", and ''[[Nintendogs]]'' for "Most Innovative". [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3147833 (1UP)].

<div id="8_February_2006"> </div>

===[[February 8]] [[2006]] (Wednesday)===
* [[Jack Thompson (attorney)|Jack Thompson]] writes an [[open letter]] to [[U2]] singer [[Bono]]. Thompson calls for Bono's [[Elevation Partners]], which has been seen as a potential candidate to purchase [[Take-Two Interactive]], to distance itself from any such action. [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/news.php?aid=14650 (GamesIndustry.BIZ)], [http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/202166.html?thread=13231030#t13231030 (Gamepolitics)]
* [[Capcom]] publishes results for the third quarter of [[2005]], showing a 418% increase in profit over the previous year. The company also announces that ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'' has sold over 3 million copies. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8086 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="7_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 7]] [[2006]] (Tuesday)===
* [[Satoru Iwata]], President of [[Nintendo]], will deliver the keynote address at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]]. The title of the keynote is ''Disrupting Development''. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8078 (Gamasutra)]
* ''[[EVE Online]]'', the [[MMOG]] by [[CCP Games]], reaches 100,000 subscribers. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8072 (Gamasutra)]
* [[Multiverse Network]], Inc. debuts its ''Multiverse Platform'', a free [[middleware]] platform to help independent developers enter the [[MMOG]] market. [[James Cameron]], who recently announced his ''[[Project 880]]'', is on the Multiverse board of directors. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8068 (Gamasutra)], [http://www.multiverse.net/index.jsp (Multiverse)], [http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_07/b3971076.htm (Busniness Week)]
* [[Sega Sammy]] announces financial results for the first nine months of its fiscal year, with revenue up 5.4% to 420.8 billion yen ($3.56 billion) and profits of 63.5 billion yen ($537 million), up from 46.2 billion yen ($391 million). [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8069 (Gamasutra)]
* ''Casuality Europe'', a conference on [[casual games]], gets underway in [[Amsterdam]]. [http://europe.casuality.org/html/index.htm (Casuality)], [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=14476 (GamesIndustry.biz)]

<div id="6_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 6]] [[2006]] (Monday)===
* [[Wired News]] unveils its 2005 Vaporware Awards. A number of video game related products are included in the list:
:7. ''[[Team Fortress 2|Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms]]''
:6. ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]''
:5. ''[[StarCraft: Ghost]]''
:2. [[The Phantom (game system)|Phantom Game Service]]
:1. ''[[Duke Nukem Forever]]''
:''Duke Nukem Forever'' had previously won the awards in [[2001]], [[2002]], and was given the Vaporware Lifetime Achievement Award in [[2003]]. [http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,70143-0.html (Wired)]
* [[Activision]] announces revenue for third fiscal quarter of [[2005]] was $816.2 million, while profit dropped 30% from $97.3 million to $67.9 million. The company joins rivals THQ and EA in showing poor results. The company also revealed that an extension of it's [[Tony Hawk]] franchise, ''[[Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam]]'', will be released in [[2007]]. [http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=11786 (GameDaily BIZ)], [http://videogames.yahoo.com/newsarticle?eid=435761&page=0 (Yahoo)]

<div id="5_February_2006"> </div>

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<div id="3_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 3]] [[2006]] (Friday)===
* ''[[Famitsu]]'' releases a survey of readers, game developers, and retailers on the level of interest in both next-generation and current game consoles. The results indicate that the [[PlayStation 3]] is first, closely followed by [[Wii]]. [http://www.revolutionreport.com/index.php?act=articles&code=read&id=287 (Revolution Report)], [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8036 (Gamasutra)]
* [[James Cameron]], director of ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', ''[[The Terminator|Terminator]]'', and ''[[Aliens (1986 film)|Aliens]]'', announces that his new project, ''[[Project 880]]'', will be launched as a [[MMOG]], followed by a [[motion picture]] release. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8041 (Gamasutra)]
* [[THQ]] announces the opening of [[Kaos Studios]]. The new development studio will be comprised of veterans from [[Trauma Studios]], the company behind ''[[Desert Combat]]'' and ''[[Battlefield 2]]''. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8029 (Gamasutra)]
* THQ also announced revenue for the third fiscal quarter of [[2005]] of $357.8 million and a profit of $47.6 million, exceeding the company's own expectations. Revenue was down over the same period last year, however. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8032 (Gamasutra)]

<div id="2_February_2006"> </div>
===[[February 2]] [[2006]] (Thursday)===
* Following yesterday's lay-offs, [[Electronic Arts]] today announced that net revenue for the third fiscal quarter of 2005 was down 11% compared to the quarter in 2004, to $1.27 billion. Profits were down 31% to $259 million . [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8024 (Gamasutra)]
* The winners of the 2006 [[Imagina Games Awards]] are announced. The winners:
**Best Concept: ''[[Feel the Magic: XY/XX]]'', by [[Sonic Team]].
**Best Graphics: ''[[F.E.A.R.]]'', by [[Monolith Studios]].
**Best Technology: ''[[F.E.A.R.]]'', by [[Monolith Studios]].
**Grand Prix: ''[[World of WarCraft]]'', by [[Blizzard Entertainment]]. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8008 (Gamasutra)], [http://www.imagina.mc/layout05.php (Imagina)]
* In response to recent accusations that [[Activision]]'s title [[GUN]] promotes [[racism]] and [[genocide]], the company stated ''"Activision does not condone or advocate any of the atrocities that occurred in the [[American Old West|American West]] during the 1800s. GUN was designed to reflect the harshness of life on the [[American frontier]] at that time." ... "It was not Activision’s intention to offend any race or ethnic group with GUN, and we apologize to any who might have been offended by the game’s depiction of historical events which have been conveyed not only through video games but through films, television programming, books and other media."'' [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/news.php?aid=14446 (GamesIndustry.biz)]

<div id="1_February_2006"> </div>

===[[February 1]] [[2006]] (Wednesday)===
* [[Electronic Arts]], the worlds largest [[game publisher]] announces that it will cut worldwide staff by 5%. [http://videogames.yahoo.com/newsarticle?eid=434699&page=0 (Yahoo)]
* [[UbiSoft]] announces that they will publish several [[Capcom]] titles on the [[personal computer game|PC]]. Titles include ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'', ''[[Onimusha 3: Demon Siege]]'', and ''[[Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening]]''. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7998 (Gamasutra)]
* An [[United States Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] filing reveals that [[Gizmondo]] parent company [[Tiger Telematics]] has managed to obtain a $5 million lending agreement with [[Laffitte Partners]]. Last week, Gizmondo Europe had filed for [[bankruptcy]]. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7996 (Gamasutra)]
</div>

{{Events in video gaming by month links}}

[[Category:2006 computer and video games]]