Microsoft has issued an official press release that confirms the existence of the new parental control feature, the Xbox 360 Family Timer.

Press release:

Microsoft Corp. today unveiled a new parental control feature, the Xbox 360 Family Timer. The Family Timer will enable parents for the first time to set the appropriate amount of gaming and entertainment time for their kids, on a daily or weekly basis.

“As a leader in interactive entertainment, it’s Microsoft’s responsibility to provide parents with tools they can use to manage their children’s video gaming and online experiences, and we have made that a priority from the very start,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft.
The Xbox 360 Family Timer is an addition to the console’s existing set of industry-leading parental control features. Similar to its Windows Vista counterpart, the new Xbox 360 Family Timer can restrict children’s activity time and can be set on a per-day or per-week basis. Helpful “notifications” will appear to warn the gamer that the session is nearing the end and the feature will automatically turn off the console when a pre-determined time limit has been exceeded. The Family Timer feature will be available for download via Xbox LIVE in early December.

Xbox was the first video game and entertainment system with built-in parental controls for both online and offline use. Known as Family Settings, these controls allow parents and caregivers to set guidelines for which games work for them, make informed choices about content, and decide who their children can play with online. Earlier this year, Windows Vista launched with a set of similar parental controls that allows parents to guide children's game playing, web browsing, and overall computer use. These controls help parents determine which games their children can play, which programs they can use, which websites they can visit—and when.

According to Bach, with more than 13 million Xbox 360® consoles sold worldwide, the company’s drive to empower parents is a core Microsoft responsibility. “We’ve seen a tremendous response to the robust parental controls offered on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista, and the Xbox 360 Family Timer will continue to deliver on our promise to provide safer, balanced and fun entertainment for everyone,” said Bach. “Professionally, I am proud of my division’s work in this area, and personally, as a parent of three school-age children, I know how important it is to be engaged in an ongoing dialogue with my family in order to uphold our household screen time rules.”

NCsoft announced this morning that they've acquired the intellectual and proprietary rights to both the City of Heroes and City of Villains franchises from Cryptic Studios.

From the press release;
Cryptic Studios™ announced today that the development house has sold its intellectual and proprietary rights to both the City of Heroes® and City of Villains® franchises to publisher NCsoft. As part of the agreement, NCsoft is licensing Cryptic’s engine technologies for use with future games.

“City of Heroes and City of Villains players should be assured that Cryptic Studios will be working closely with NCsoft to ensure a smooth, seamless transition,” said Michael Lewis, President and co-founder of Cryptic Studios. “City of Heroes was Cryptic’s flagship product and we are proud of this title and the many millions of characters that have entertained over a million people worldwide. The decision to sell the franchise allows us to focus resources on our soon to be announced first-party projects.”

Petroglyph Games have updated their careers page with information that reveals that they are currently looking for a MMO Game Designer to help them with an upcoming Massive Multiplayer Online game that is currently in development.
Details are:

The MMO Game Designer is responsible for understanding, refining, maintaining, and disseminating the game design vision, game design, mission building, gameplay balancing, and game proposal development of a Massive Multiplayer Online Game. Typically reports to Lead/Sr. Designer or Producer.

Duties include:
* Responsible for designing and developing project story lines, including writing proposals, treatments, levels and scenarios on a console project
* Develops concepts and treatments for products
* Creates game and AI scripts using LUA, or similar C/C++ structured languages
* Works with the team to define the creative vision and fun factor, as well as product content and schedule
* Writes and maintains design documents for the MMO project
* Works closely with members of the production team to execute design and work through revisions as needed
Qualifications:
* Minimum of 3 years game design experience in the game industry, with design credit on at least one shipped MMO title
* Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
* Exceptional organization, communication, and writing skills
* Expert knowledge of game design trends
* Self-directed, detail oriented, problem solver with a burning desire to contribute to a uniquely creative environment
* Knowledge of scripting languages such as LUA and C++ structured scripting languages
* Experience and a thorough knowledge of how the major game design elements all work together
* Proven success in creating compelling game-play, scenarios, activities, and encounters
* Strong organizational skills: ability to keep track of minute details as well as the big picture while multitasking
Ability to both conceptualize and implement game ideas using various tools and technologies
* An avid gamer with a strong interest in pushing the industry forward creatively Send your resume to careers@petroglyphgames.com. No phone calls please.

Hopefully we'll learn more about this MMOG soon.

Sony Computer Entertainment America confirmed this morning that God of War III is currently in development for the PlayStation 3 at SCEA's Santa Monica studio. Although this is great news, there was some bad news to go along with it.

Cory Barlog, game director for the God of War series will be leaving the company, so his skills won't be available for the production of GOHIII which could lead to some noticeable changes in the series, but we'll have to wait and see how God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP turns out to get an idea of this effect.

Sony's statement stated; “We can confirm that Cory Barlog, game director for God of War II, is leaving the SCEA [Santa Monica] Studio and we are grateful for his work and creative vision for the critically acclaimed God of War franchise.

“Moving forward, we are confident in the God of War team, as they are an extremely talented group of people that are passionate about the franchise and dedicated to creating even more epic content with God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP and God of War III for PS3."

Check back in the future for more details on God of War III.

EA Chicago has gone down for the count. I can exclusively report that EA is closing the studio effective immediately. Word is that EA is working hard to place many of the 150+ employees at its other studios around the world. What does this mean for the future of the Def Jam fighting franchise and the forthcoming Marvel fighting game? I'm still looking into that, but it sure seems like those games won't be coming anytime soon.

EA Chicago is reported to have closed down. Kotaku has received an official memo from EA that reveals this news to be true which effectively means that production on Def Jam: Icon 2 has been canceled and EA's forthcoming Marvel game is likely to be passed on to another team.

Here's the memo;

“FROM FRANK GIBEAU Today we are announcing the closure of our studio in Chicago. This is a difficult decision but we are convinced it's the right thing to do for the future of the Games Label and EA.
Within the EA Games Label, we are committed to running each franchise and facility as a city/state, teams with unique creative identities as well as responsibility for product quality, ship dates and profitability. We recognize that games require large investments and extended development cycles. We're willing to take risks, make long-term investments, and to support teams and individuals between launches. But each team is responsible for staying on a reasonable path to profitability. Sticking to that strategy is what gives us the financial resources and flexibility to take risks on new projects.
Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn't been able to meet that standard. The location has grown dramatically in the past three years while revenue from the games developed there has not. The number of employees has grown from 49 in 2004 to 146 people currently in the new facility in downtown Chicago. As it stands, EA Chicago has no expectation of hitting our profitability targets until FY2011 or later.
Closing EA Chicago is the toughest decision I've made in my career - one that in no way reflects on the talent and dedication of the people who work there. I've enjoyed their games and consider GM Kudo Tsunoda to be one of the best creative minds in our industry. The people impacted by this decision will be treated fairly - we're offering relocation opportunities to many and there will be outplacement assistance and severance for all eligible employees.
I know this decision will be unsettling to many beyond those who work in Chicago. It's important that you understand that we are willing to take creative risks and make long-term investments in people and projects. But the city/state philosophy demands that every project be committed to delivering a reasonable expectation of profitability. It's a performance commitment that binds us together and ensures we have the resources we need to invest back into our people and creative output.
Finally, when EA announced our quarterly earnings last week, John and Warren referenced facility closures. We had planned to include Chicago in that communication but a personal tragedy in the studio - the death of a colleague - resulted in our delaying the announcement out of respect for his family and friends. I apologize for any confusion or concern that caused.
I think you'll find that in addition to tackling some serious challenges, we are making great progress on our business. Consumers have responded well to our new IP and quality scores are tracking up. We are proud of our recent hits, such as Skate and the success we have made in making a solid game with The Simpsons. And we're looking forward to breakout hits like Need For Speed Pro Street, Rockband, Burnout Paradise, Battlefield Bad Company, Army of Two, Crysis, and more in the future with Mass Effect and Mercenaries 2 World in Flames.
We're definitely headed in the right direction.
Frank”

It's bad news for the 150+ employees at the studio but hopefully most of them will get integrated into other teams throughout EA.