A new entry in the long-dormant Max Payne series and a new PlayStation 3 exclusive are both in development at internal Rockstar studios, going by the latest batch of rumors from print magazine EGM and sister website 1UP.

Max Payne 3 is apparently is development up at Rockstar Toronto, the studio responsible for the movie-inspired beat 'em up The Warriors. Considering the upcoming movie, a new game in the action-heavy shooting series would come as little surprise, though studio owner Take-Two has remained tight-lipped.

Originally created by Remedy Entertainment, the first Max Payne debuted in 2001. Publisher Take-Two then purchased the property from Remedy and producer 3D Realms in 2002, with a Remedy-developed sequel following in 2003.

A third game was teased at the end of the sequel's credits, though Remedy--currently at work on Alan Wake--soon noted that it was not developing the next Max Payne.

As for the new PlayStation 3 exclusive, the publication had little to offer, only noting that it is being helmed by Grand Theft Auto IV veterans Rockstar North.

Following Bully's debut on PlayStation 2 and later arrival on Xbox 360 and Wii, Rockstar has confirmed that the academia-themed open-world game will ship for PC in October.

The publisher provided little in the way of details, only confirming to IGN that the port will be based on the enhanced Scholarship Edition that debuted earlier this year.

Developed by Mad Doc Software, now Rockstar New England, the Xbox 360 and Wii versions of Bully built off Rockstar Vancouver's original PlayStation 2 release. The 360 edition was afflicted by numerous glitches upon its release, with a patch resolving some of those issues shortly thereafter.

Nintendo has announced that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be arriving on the Nintendo DS this winter.

The company explained that the game was specially designed for the handheld, and takes place in Liberty City.

Rockstar Games later revealed that the game is in development at Rockstar Leeds -- the company that also handled the PSP titles Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories -- and that the DS touch screen will be used for navigating through the game.

Just 2,676 people stepped forward to file claims in the "Hot Coffee" class action lawsuit against Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PC, PS2, Xbox) developer Rockstar Games, amounting to a payout of less than $30,000, according to the New York Times.

Per the terms of the settlement, customers offended by the so-called "Hot Coffee" content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas—essentially amounting to a sex minigame accessible only by altering the game's code—could submit compensatory claims of $5 to $35 each, or a revised edition of the title stripped of the offending code.

GTA publisher and Rockstar parent company Take-Two estimates that the claims will amount to less than $30,000—much less than the $1.3 million in legal fees the company racked up dealing with the lawsuit.

"Am I disappointed? Sure," said lead plaintiff attorney Seth R. Lesser. "We can't guess as to why now, several years later, people care or don't care. The merits ... Read more

Following Electronic Arts' multiple attempts to acquire Take-Two Interactive and subsidiary Rockstar Games, Rockstar founder Sam Houser has admitted that he sees potential in a pairing with EA.

One of the chief minds behind Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series, Houser told The Wall Street Journal that he views EA CEO John Riccitiello as "the real deal" and has no problems being a "much smaller fish in much bigger pond." In fact, Houser claims that EA turned him down for a position towards the latter half of the 1990s.

That said, Houser is apparently "unlikely" to run subject material past EA in the event the companies form some type of business arrangement.

EA initially made a $2 billion offer to acquire Grand Theft Auto and BioShock publisher Take-Two back in March, and received approval for a $1 billion loan last week. Take-Two said that it would be open to discussing business agreements following the release of Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29.

Houser further revealed that during the production of Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar brought a spiritual healer into its offices after two employees committed suicide. While neither death is believed to be work-related, the healer performed an exorcism-type ritual and noted that an empty desk gave her "pretty strong readings."

Rockstar vice president and Grand Theft Auto IV co-writer Dan Houser said that though the gaming industry has shifted progressively towards casual experiences and a broader market, his company will stick to large-scale productions.

"Fuck all this stuff about casual gaming," Houser told New York Magazine. "I think people still want games that are groundbreaking. The Wii is doing something totally different, which is fantastic."

"We're hopefully going to prove that there's also a very big audience for people who want entertainment in another form, who think of games as being a narrative device that can challenge movies," he added.

Houser noted that future Rockstar productions will continue to focus on themes similar to those established in previous titles.

"They're gonna be about themes that interest us whatever the medium, instead of the weird, special video game-only themes that too many people make—orcs and elves, or monsters, or space," he said. "We felt you could make a good game and have it be about something we could actually relate to. Or aspire to."

Rockstar Games today announced its acquisition of developer Mad Doc Software, which will now be reformed as Rockstar New England.

The Andover, Massachusetts-based studio had most recently worked on the Xbox 360 port of Rockstar's Bully: Scholarship Edition.

"The team at Mad Doc Software is extremely talented," said Rockstar founder Sam Houser. "Bringing them within the Rockstar Games family will enhance our core technology and further support our commitment to creating progressive and innovative gaming experiences."

A patch meant to address freezing glitches and other technical issues in the Xbox 360 version of Rockstar's Bully: Scholarship Edition is now available for download via Xbox Live.

Players will be prompted to download the update when they boot the game while connected to Xbox Live. The patch brings the game to version 1.03, as displayed in the lower-right corner of the title screen.

The delayed release of the patch, which was initially slated to arrive last week, was attributed to longer-than-expected certification times.

Rockstar North's Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii) will finally be released in the UK following a long legal battle to keep the game off of retail shelves, Gamasutra reports.

The UK Video Appeals Committee upheld its rejection of an appeal filed by the British Board of Film Classification, which was passed by the British High Court earlier this year. In a majority decision of four to three, the VAC has ignored the High Court's judgment and granted Rockstar's appeal.

With no legal recourse, the BBFC has confirmed that it will issue the game an 18 and over age rating, allowing Manhunt 2 to be sold in the UK.

"We twice rejected Manhunt 2...however, the Video Appeals Committee has again exercised its independent scrutiny," said BBFC director David Cooke. "It is now clear, in the light of this decision, and our legal advice, that we have no alternative but to issue an '18' certificate to the game."

BBFC's assignment of a rating brings an end to nearly nine months of legal turmoil over Manhunt 2, which was denied rating by the committee last June and barred from sale in the UK. Rockstar successfully appealed to the Video Appeals Committee late last year, forcing the BBFC to assign a rating to the game.

Take-Two Interactive today clarified a number of release dates for its upcoming titles.

The publisher revealed that Gearbox Software's Borderlands (PC, PS3, X360) and 2K Czech's Mafia II (PC, PS3, X360) are positioned for release sometime in Take-Two's 2009 fiscal year, which runs from November 1, 2008 through October 31, 2009.

The new date marks a delay for the co-op friendly Borderlands, which was originally slated to arrive within Take Two's 2008 fiscal year. Prior to today, no release date had been announced for Mafia II.

Additionally, Rockstar San Diego's Midnight Club: Los Angeles (PS3, X360) was confirmed for release in the company's FY2008 fourth quarter, pinning the title's release window between August 1 and October 31, 2008.

The game was originally aimed for a spring 2008 release, but was delayed to prevent competition with Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360).

Rockstar and 2K Games parent company Take-Two Interactive is enacting a severance plan for employees fired in the event of a corporate buyout, reports Reuters.

The severance plan will give executives up to 1.5 times their salary with bonus for up to 18 months if they are fired within a year of a change in corporate ownership and control. Non-executive employees will receive up to six months in salary.

Late last month, Electronic Arts proposed an acquisition of Take-Two at a price of $26 per share, or approximately $2 billion total. Take-Two summarily rejected the offer, suggesting that the bid was "highly opportunistic," and made in an attempt to take advantage of the upcoming April 29 release of Grand Theft Auto IV.

"The bid probably created fairly large internal disruption and without a severance plan, employees are worried about losing their jobs," said Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey. "They want to keep people focused and give them some sort of support."

Update: Take-Two's board of directors has rejected Electronic Arts' proposal.

"After careful evaluation, the Board has determined that EA's proposal substantially undervalues Take-Two's robust and enviable stable of game franchises, exceptional creative talent and strong consumer loyalty," said the company. "We believe EA's unsolicited offer is highly opportunistic and is attempting to take advantage of our upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto IV, one of the most valuable and durable franchises in the industry."

"Electronic Arts’ proposal provides insufficient value to our shareholders and comes at absolutely the wrong time given the crucial initiatives underway," added executive Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.

In what Zelnick calls the "only prudent and responsible" course of action, the board has decided to consider EA's proposal again on April 30, the day after Grand Theft Auto IV's release.

Original story: Publishing giant Electronic Arts last Tuesday proposed an acquisition of fellow publisher Take-Two at a price of $26 per share, or approximately $2 billion total.

Electronic Arts claims the proposal is more than fair, quoting the $26 share price as a 64 percent increase over Take-Two's recent stock value.

"There can be no certainty that in the future EA or any other buyer would pay the same high premium we are offering today," said EA CEO John Riccitiello.

The Take-Two umbrella includes the publishing labels 2K Sports, 2K Games, and Rockstar Games. Together the labels encompass such hit properties as Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto, BioShock 2K Boston's Bioshock, and Firaxis' Sid Meier's Civilization.

The potential acquisition would put sports studios 2K Sports and EA Sports under the same roof, possibly eliminating the already-waning balance of sports franchise competitiveness.

The proposal also reveals that Take-Two recently declined an offer of... Read more

In celebration of Valentine's Day, Rockstar sent over a romantic new trailer for Bully: Scholarship Edition, along with new shots of the Xbox 360 edition and Wii version.

Rockstar Vancouver's heartwarming glimpse of boarding school life hits Xbox 360 and Wii on March 4, complete with new missions, classes, and multiplayer modes not found in the original PlayStation 2 relase.

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The crime-filled open world of Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto IV will sport online multiplayer on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 when it arrives April 29, the developer has confirmed with Shacknews.

"Grand Theft Auto IV will support multiplayer on the Xbox 360 AND Playstation 3," a Rockstar representative told Shacknews.

The official word on multiplayer comes about as clarification to statements made by Microsoft executive Don Mattrick on the latest Major Nelson podcast, which insinuated that multiplayer would be exclusive to the Xbox 360 edition. "That's something that's unique to 360," Mattrick stated after mentioning the game's online modes and content.

Rockstar was quick to respond, informing media outlets that both editions will have multiplayer. It is likely that Mattrick was referring to the Xbox 360 version's exclusive downloadable content.

While Rockstar had briefly mentioned the possibility of online multiplayer during a Grand Theft Auto IV blowout in magazine Game Informer, the developer had remained tight-lipped on the feature ever since. No further details, such as multiplayer modes and player counts, are currently available, though rumors have been circulating.

Rockstar Games has relaunched the official Grand Theft Auto IV site, offering information on characters and locations in the form of a crazy amount of screenshots and five in-game movies.

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More videos after the click through ... Read more

Publisher Take-Two Interactive Software may be the target of a $1.5 billion buyout offer from entertainment conglomerate Viacom, according to "industry rumors" reported by MCV.

If true, the move would mark the latest in the recent rash of video game buyouts and mergers, the most notable of which was Activision Blizzard, the unexpected $18.9 billion combination of major publisher Activision with Blizzard Entertainment owner Vivendi Games.

The Take-Two umbrella encompasses multiple successful franchises and their respective developers, including the crime-life simulator Grand Theft Auto, underwater story-driven shooter BioShock, turn-based city builder Sid Meier's Civilization, along with the Midnight Club and Carnival Games properties.

The company also publishes titles based on the Go, Diego, Go! and Dora the Explorer brands, which are owned by Viacom subsidiary Nickelodeon. The varied... Read more

Rockstar has denied recent allegations that a Grand Theft Auto film adaptation starring rapper Eminem was nearly complete before the developer backed out.

Variety's gaming blog reported Monday that a deal was all but finalized between a major movie studio and Rockstar, but fell apart before plans could be firmed up. In response, Rockstar creative development VP Dan Houser has stated that his company never seriously considered any such proposal.

"Some movie producers were trying to put something together to entice us to make a movie," Houser told MTV Multiplayer. "This proposal was no more interesting than the numerous others we receive. We never entertained proceeding with the project." Houser added that Rockstar currently has no intentions of green-lighting a GTA picture anytime soon.

The GTA series has sold over 65 million units in total, making the license an extremely attractive property for interested film studios. The series is receiving a boost in attention due to Rockstar North's upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360), due out on April 29.

A deal over rights to develop a film adaptation of Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto series came very close to completion but fell apart at the last minute, says Variety's Ben Fritz.

Writing in a blog post, Fritz says that a deal between one of the six major US film studios and Rockstar was "virtually in place" to begin developing a Grand Theft Auto film, and Eminem was considered for the starring role. But before any plans could be firmed up, the deal dissolved.

"I'm told [Rockstar parent Take Two Interactive] couldn't finalize terms with the studio," wrote Fritz. "I'm not sure if it was a purely financial issue or if, in the end, the publisher got cold feet about giving away rights to its baby."

Fritz speculated that the deal came about as a result of corporate restructuring at Take Two. After former Take Two CEO Paul Eibeler was outed during an investor coup last year, Strauss Zelnick—once a CEO at BMG Music— was installed as his replacement. Zelnick's ties to the film and entertainment industries were the likely grease on the proverbial wheels of the GTA film project.

In today's press and analyst financial conference call, Electronic Arts executives weighed in on the matter of PlayStation 3's development difficulties as they relate to multiplatform releases.

Likely in reference to games such as EA and Pandemic's own Mercenaries 2, EA executives were asked whether the challenges in development multiplatform games on PS3 have cleared up. "Not quite," responded EA CEO John Riccitiello.

"There's no doubt that Electronic Arts along with many publishers had some challenges...on the PS3," Riccitiello went on, referring mainly to the early generation of multiplatform games released on both PS3 and Xbox 360. Still, the situation is improving greatly as developers become more acquainted with the hardware. The CEO estimates the issues is only about a third the problem it once was.

He pointed out that parallel development on both systems is when difficulties are most present. Games developed primarily for PS3 tend to go much more smoothly in development, he said. For example, Criterion Games, a studio which prides itself on its strong familiarity with the PlayStation family, had few issues development Burnout Paradise (PS3, X360), whose lead platform was PS3.

Recently, PS3 development issues were named as a contributing factor in the delay of Rockstar North's highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 4 (PS3, X360).

Rockstar Games sends along the first trailer for Bully: Scholarship Edition (X360, Wii), showing the Xbox 360 version of the game in action. Originally a PlayStation 2 title, the Scholarship Edition of Bully will feature eight new missions, four new classes, and two player offline minigames. The game ships March 4.

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