We haven't run out of Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) reports as of late (with recent freezing problems and banning in other countries). This only goes to show that as far as popularity goes, GTA IV is on top of the list. But business publication Forbes wants to know if this hype will be enough to give the Nintendo Wii a run for its money. More at the full article.

In this day and age, it would seem that the boundaries of traditional gender roles are blurring, even with regard to electronic gaming. Forbes, for example, has recently picked up on what appears to be a surge of female interest in the casual game market.

If this sounds interesting to you, feel free to turn to the full article after the jump for more on gender-related gaming.

Atari just received a warning from NASDAQ stating it may be delisted for low stock market value. Even after patching things up with FUNimation, it seems the video game company is in the red once more. Find the details at the full article.

 

A new Forbes report informs us that Namco Bandai Holdings' net profit for the fiscal year (ended March 31) climbed by 71 percent.

This was due to brisk sales of DVDs and game software. The company however predicts slower earnings this year because of the lower-than-expected sales of games for Sony's PlayStation 3. Bandai President Takeo Takasu notes:

PS3 did not make a good start, which will make the transition from the old game console to the next generation system more prolonged than we had earlier thought.

...This will keep a lid on sales of our video games in the first half, although we believe that sales of PS3 will increase in the second half (to March 2008)

Namco bandai says that it has only sold 300,000 copies of Gundam Musou, far lower than their expected 500,000 copies. It is reported that because of this Namco Bandai plans to release only 23 titles (still a lot if you ask other folks) for the PS3 this fiscal year, compared to the 24 titles for Microsoft's Xbox 360, and the 37 titles for Nintendo's Wii.

Forbes recently reported on some happenings in the PS3 world, but not for the same reasons we normally ascribe to. Their recent report talked about the recent discussions Sony has been having with companies for the potential commercial use of the PS3, specifically its cell processor.

One of the many non-commercial, but similar, uses the PS3 has been going through recently has been the rise in the awesomeness that is distributed computing.

Through the PS3 Folding@Home network, PS3 users everywhere have had the chance to help unlock the secrets of human diseases in an effort to find a cure. Of course, there's a long way to go, but it does show that the Cell processor has a ton of power that can be used for something other than gaming and entertainment.

What we want to know is this, what company do you want to see utilizing the power of the Cell? What commercial do you think the PS3 and its processor should have, in addition to being a great George Foreman grill clone? If you're lucky, someone from Sony may be reading this and saying, "Of course! We should try that!" Talk about unintended influence, right?

Heads up everyone, as a dark and unholy alliance has been forged between Sega Sammy and Sanrio, as announced on Forbes this Christmas day.

In any case, we are still trying to wrap our minds around the fact that Sammy, who is known for the versus game series Guilty Gear, and Sanrio who has spawned the evil that is Hello Kitty, will be teaming up content-wise. According to the report, the companies will be sitting down to "discuss jointly developing new products based on their stable of characters, as well as examining new joint services and online businesses, among others".

Uh-oh. Does this mean that the next Guilty Gear installment will have Bridget walking around with a Kero Keroppi plush toy while Eddie turns... gulp... pink?

Video-gaming's big business these days, if the financial reports on bigwigs like Ubisoft and Blizzard developers are a clue. And for the guys who'd like a slice of the pie, business magazine Forbes just laid out some interesting info for the gamer who thinks he/she has what it takes to make headway in game dev.

It's a short how-to guide on what one has to do to get into game development, and for the benefit of the guys who prefer a summary, here's a brief:

Seek an internship: EA's executive producer on the Madden NFL franchise, Dale Jackson, reiterates on this one. His department hires interns from Georgia Tech, University of Southern California and Carnegie Mellon on an annual basis to let the students work on real title. And for prospective fans, the turnout's promising: Jackson says that at least half of the guys who intern end up becoming full-time employees at EA. The bad news? Most companies don't have an internship program, which leads us to option two...

Make mods: Synonymous with homebrews, hacks, Addons...you get the idea. By consistently working on freelance projects like these, aspiring game developers are letting companies know that they're serious about their commitment. Plus, it makes for a good portfolio. As Coray Seifert, associate producer for studio Kaos says, "If we see someone who makes games in their spare time for fun, then we know they will be dedicated employees."

Be a playtester: MMORPG gamers are definitely familiar with this. Beta testers are the unofficial crash-test-dummies guinea pigs of big-laden prototypes, and as such, expect plenty of headaches and frustrating moments as you pore through hours of game time trying to iron out the errors. If it's any consolation, guys like Dennis Allard Crow, associate producer of Kaos started out by play-testing for Activision.