Hold on to your hats, folks. There's a chance that Capcom may be gearing up for a late 2009 release for Lost Planet 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360). According to a slide spotted at the Xbox 360 Invitational in Korea, anyway.

This one's definitely no rumor. Funcom itself has announced on their official homepage that they are cutting "around 20% of the staff...mostly in the Company's Norwegian subsidiary."

They're not saying anything about the PS3 Firmware issue, but they are saying something about the next console cycle. Electronic Arts, through Chief Creative Officer Rich Hilleman, is saying that they expect Sony and Microsoft to bring it all out in their updates for their existing hardwares before launching their next-gen consoles.

If you thought growing up on your hood was tough, wait 'til you experience THQ's Homefront, yet another FPS coming to the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Developed by Kaos Studios, this new shooter takes the fight out of the usual jungles, complexes, and fictional planets. Homefront, as the name implies, will have you defending your very own backyard against invading foreigners, and when they walk into your place with guns, you know things are gonna get personal.

Electronic Arts is still running with the Dead Space (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) -got-banned-in-three-countries storyline in the January issue of Game Informer. The difference in the dialogue, however, is that while Germany did intend to ban, they  apparently "came around" eventually and let the game pass through. As for Japan, he cites a very vague "cultural difference" as the reason, while the China/ Korea "ban" was left untouched. See Schofield play the consistency card in the full article.

With the crappy economy snapping away at gaming heels, Korea decides it's time to go Indiana Jones and walk over the economic crocs' backs. They're certainly taking a big risk here, investing millions of dollars to back their gaming exports. More in the full article.

Nexon CEO Joonmo Kwon addresses the issue of low console sales in the Asian region. And no, he's not pointing to piracy as the reason why. Instead, it's got something to do with the Asian taste and preference for games. See what he's got to say after the jump.

Criterion Games has some semi-bad news for Burnout Paradise (PS3, Xbox 360) fans. The Cagney update for the game's Xbox 360 version will not go live as expected on July 10. Even though the PS3 version is still on track, the Game Calendar events will be affected by the Xbox 360 version's delay. More in the full article.

Okay, so you've got your agenda finalized. What's the next thing to do? Why, it's to announce the All-Star Speakers, of course.

Evergreen Events, the organizer of the 2008 ION Game Conference, has done precisely that. It's mentioned four important names to take note of. Find out who these four people are after the jump.

Take-Two Interactive Software, the distributor of Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) and other games, has given word that it is planning to expand into Asia Pacific markets. The company has tapped an experienced senior executive to help them establish a foothold in Asia. For more information, don't hesitate to click on the "read more" link below.