Could Silicon Knights' new game offering be entitled "Siren in the Maelstrom"? Federal Cultural Agency, Telefilm Canada, has recently listed the said title as the new SK project, but the Canadian developing firm isn't quite ready to make any announcements yet.

Outspoken video game developer and Silicon Knights founder Denis Dyack has opinions. Lots of them. At the Develop Conference in Brighton, Dyack turned his eye onto Quantic Dream's PS3 exclusive, Heavy Rain. His analysis? It could turn out to be one fantastic game.

Madden NFL 09 (Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, DS, PC, PS3, PS2) has dominated the NPD US charts for August. On the hardware side, the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3, but Nintendo's DS-Wii combo is still lording it over the hardware charts.

Or at least we think it's called "Crucible," if the media assets leaked from Intellisponse is to be believed. A gameplay video, which NeoGAF forum member MMaRsu had the impression of looking "pretty complete," was extracted and uploaded to video sites immediately. And though many of the leaked images were soon removed, this video somehow survived. Could this be the same project that Silicon Knights started working on a few years ago? Sega says it isn't. Look to the full story for details.

Anticipation has reached fever pitch as everyone believes Grand Theft Auto 4 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) will raise the bar once again, but it seems Rockstar North is shooting for more than one impressive achievement. If GTA 4 producer Leslie Benzies's estimate was on the money, the upcoming game would have to be the most expensive to make. Find details at the full article.

Remember those talks of a one console future? Well, one former Xbox exec doesn't agree. Sandy Duncan, former VP of Xbox Europe, believes that in 5 to 10 years, there won't be consoles at all. What would the landscape of video games look like in the future then? Read the full article to find out what Duncan has to say on the matter.

Silicon Knight, the developers of the Xbox 360 exclusive Too Human, has announced that it is working on a new third person action/psychological thriller for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the PC. Expected to be released by 2010, this new video game will be funded by a project called the Video Game Prototype Initiative. For more information, head on over to the full article.

It's been a common practice in the video game industry for developers to license game engine technology to avoid having to build the foundations of games, saving time and money in the process. However, some of the industry's best game makers see this as a bad practice, fueling a debate in DICE 2008. Find out who are for it and who are against it, and which side AAA titles like Resistance: Fall of Ma, Ratchet & Clank, BioShock, and Mass Effect fall into when you read the full article ahead.

We've all heard debates about the feasibility and value of a "One Console Future"  where all gaming takes place on a single platform. Silicon Knights President Dennis Dyack and EA executive Gerhard Florin were the last two big names to express support for the idea, and this blogger wants to share some thoughts. I love Fight Night Round 3 and I'm excited about Too Human, but I'd have to disagree with the two bosses on this one.

There's been plenty of talk coming from the movers and shakers of the gaming business about a possible "One Console Future" where one universal platform would apply, and all developers would be placed on the same playing field as far as gaming consoles are concerned.

Electronic Arts executive Gerhard Florin and Silicon Knights President Dennis Dyack were both quoted expressing their favor for the idea, with Dyack implying that the One Console Future is imminent and "everyone would win" in such a scenario. Not everyone, however, was convinced.

Ben Hoyt, a producer at game tools company Emergent, had a particularly different take on the subject. He says that both Florin and Dyack failed to consider some basic realities of the industry.

Hoyt argues that "Florin's vision of a 'box...made in China with a hard drive, a wi-fi connection, and a games engine inside,' conjures eerie images of the aptly-named Phantom Game Console" and "fails to address fundamental technical realities relating to local versus server-based games. Nor does he address the exciting diversification of gameplay experiences enabled by today's variety of gaming hardware options."

Moving on to Dyack's case, there are two points that Hoyt strongly disagrees with. First is Dyack's belief that the competition of today's gaming platforms create an "unhealthy" industry; second is his assertion where he described a one-console industry as a place where "everyone would win."

"I'm afraid that I fail to see how, in a world where our industry is dominated by a single, monopolistic, console manufacturer, 'everyone would win,'" says Hoyt. He went on to raise some points:

What incentive would this console manufacturer have to fund AAA exclusive titles when all titles would be exclusives? Why would they launch new hardware at a loss when anyone who wanted to play console video games would be forced to purchase one of their systems? How much would they charge independent publishers and developers for the right to release games on their platform?

He continues "perhaps most importantly, what incentive would this monolithic industry entity have to absorb the cost of releasing exciting new hardware configurations every five years? Why not 10? Or never?"

"Finally, I ask him to explain how his vision for a 'unified platform' game industry would avoid the classic, Econ 101, pitfalls of a monopoly, in which the only 'winner' is the monopolist," concludes Hoyt.

GamesIndustry.biz says they're waiting for a Dyack response to Hoyt's rebuttals. If he does answer, we'll update you in a hurry. For now, let's hear what you think about a "one console future."