11/12, 1:32pm
Suit claims Blizzard made $26 million on extra security
Blizzard is facing a class-action lawsuit over its sale of authenticators. Benjamin Bell is suing both Blizzard and corporate parent Activision Blizzard for making $26 million by "deceptively and unfairly" charging for the $6.50 keychain, which gives the entire Battle.net system a second layer of security, and to stop the company from requiring its users to sign up for a Battle.net account in order to play games such as World of Warcraft and Diablo II.
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09/11, 10:15pm
Watermark by Blizzard found in images captured since 2008
Blizzard has reportedly been caught watermarking screenshots generated by one of its games. Sendatsu, a user of the OwnedCore forums, claims to have noticed what appears to be artifacts in a screenshot that, after examining multiple images going as far back as 2008, was apparently found to contain details about the user, items not initially viewable from looking at the screenshot subjectively.
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08/09, 9:25pm
Lost data reportedly insufficient to allow illicit battle.net access
World of Warcraft and Diablo III developer Blizzardhas announced an intrusion into its internal network. Some data was illegally accessed, including the global Battle.net user email list outside of China, the answer to personal security questions on North American servers, encrypted Battle.net passwords, and information relating to Mobile app and Dial-in authenticators. According to Blizzard, the information alone isn't sufficient for unauthorized parties to gain access to Battle.net accounts.
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05/25, 5:50am
Activision-Blizzard also addresses security concerns
Diablo III will get its first patch next week, according to Activision-Blizzard community manager 'Nethaera'. The incoming client-side patch will fix a number of bugs, including one that breaks the game, as well as a number of alterations to class skills to balance gameplay. Security concerns and the real-money auction house were also discussed in the forum post.
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05/23, 9:15pm
Global sales head Spence leaves RIM
Patrick Spence, 14-year veteran of Research in Motion (RIM) and its head of global sales, has departed the company. Spence "will be taking on a leadership position in a different industry," according to RIM spokeswoman Rebecca Freiburger. No comment has been made if the move is in response to the announcement of RIM's new Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer three weeks ago.
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08/18, 9:30am
Software Restore Solutions claims Apple copying
Software Restore Solutions late Wednesday sued Apple (below) over claims Mac OS X copied its technology. According to the complaint, "at least" the Disk Utility feature in every version of Mac OS X from the 2001 original through to Snow Leopard copies one claim in a workgroup network manager patent from 1998. Apple supposedly knows the automated repair features could infringe on the patent but has shown "deliberate indifference" towards the consequences.
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06/10, 9:45am
Licensed accessories enhance D3 game experience
Steelseries has announced two new game-themed accessories, the Diablo III mouse and Diablo III headset. Game-specific design features include Diablo III artwork and "demon red" LEDs that can be set to pulse at different rates. On the practical side of things, they use double-braided nylon cord to reduce tangling and gold-plated connectors. The headset has 50mm drivers and a retractable boom mic. The ambidextrous mouse has seven programmable buttons and a CION laser sensor that can be set up to 5,000 CPI.
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07/30, 12:05pm
Sequel arrives after 12-year wait
Blizzard this week launched StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the long-in-development sequel to its popular 1998 real-time strategy game. The new title follows Jim Raynor, who has become a rebel leader trying to bring down the Dominion for crimes of genocide. While the original StarCraft had Terran, Protoss and Zerg campaigns, the sequel revolves mostly around the Terrans in a 29-mission single-player mode. A few side missions give players a taste for Protoss units.
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06/15, 4:00pm
Razer shows StarCraft II branded peripherals
Computer gaming peripherals maker Razer on Tuesday partnered with game maker Blizzard Entertainment on three new StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty-branded gaming peripherals. This includes the Spectre mouse, Marauder keyboard and the Banshee headset. The three share Razer's APM (Actions-Per-Minute) lighting system, have StarCraft styling cues and are portable.
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08/11, 4:25pm
Razer to intro peripherals
PC gaming peripherals maker Razer on Tuesday announced it will soon reveal some new, high-end controllers for Blizzard's StarCraft II strategy game, with some placeholders already on its site for upcoming peripherals that include a mouse, keyboard and headset. The hardware maker promises the devices will be tournament-grade, though no other specific information was revealed.
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03/26, 3:30pm
Microsoft Talking New Xbox
Blizzard executive VP Rob Pardo yesterday told guests of the Luminaries Lunch that his company and Microsoft were already discussing the latter's plans for a sequel to the Xbox 360. While not providing details on any of Microsoft's goals for the future game system, the developer mentioned to GI and others that his firm was in active talks and suggested he would advocate for a new controller method that would solve many of the roadblocks for porting over PC-like games that need more advanced input, such as real-time strategy games like Starcraft II.
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