Weekend Bytes: Skate Dated

August 4, 2007 2:32 PM

Man, id really doesn't mess around. Between news of the Wolfenstein movie, the id catalog on Steam, the first details of the awesome-looking Rage, and all the other tidbits, CEO Todd Hollenshead and lead programmer John Carmack just kept on trucking through last night's QuakeCon event. After sitting through most of this year's relatively mundane E3 conferences, it's nice to see that someone out there remembers how to put on a good show.

For this special weekend edition of News Bytes, we have a release date for Skate (PS3, X360) and word of an impending Xbox Live demo, a list of 49 EA-published games that will be losing their online functionality, news that Warhawk (PS3) and Dynasty Warriors:GUNDAM (PS3, X360) have gone gold along with pricing info, and the announcement of a simultaneous real-life/in-game wedding at SOE's Fan Faire.

Skate dated, Xbox Live demo soon

[ps3] [xbox360]

EA Black Box's Skate, the studio's eagerly anticipated stab at the genre dominated by Neversoft's yearly Tony Hawk iterations, will hit US stores in September. Specifically, the Xbox 360 version is set to arrive on September 12 in the US and September 14 in Europe, while the PlayStation 3 version ships to US retailers September 24 and those in Europe October 5.
A downloadable demo, containing a tutorial and several challenges set in the San Vanelona community center skatepark, is scheduled to appear on the Xbox 360's online Xbox Live Marketplace August 15.
EA halting online support of 49 titles

[pc] [ps2] [xbox] [xbox360] [psp]

Online support and functionality for 49 older EA-published titles on PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PSP is coming to a halt. The service will for the games will be shut down in two waves, with support for one batch terminating on September 1 and the other on November 1, after which they will no longer be playable online.

Many of the titles on the full list, which includes EA Tiburon's Madden NFL 06 and the Xbox and PlayStation 2 editions of Criterion's Burnout Revenge, have been on the market for nearly two years.
Warhawk, Dynasty Warriors:GUNDAM go gold

[ps3] [xbox360]

Incognito's multiplayer-only PlayStation 3 multi-modal combat title Warhawk and Omega Force's robot-themed hack 'em up Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM (PS3, X360) went gold, meaning that the titles are complete and have entered the manufacturing process.

Both titles ship to stores August 28 and both sell for $59.99, with a Jabra Bluetooth headset included in the Warhawk package. Warhawk will also be available via the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store the same day. To compensate for the lack of a headset and the hassles of physical distribution, game director Dylan Jobe announced the downloadable version will be priced at $39.99.
SOE Fan Faire weds reality with EverQuest II

[pc]

This year's SOE Fan Faire, which is currently underway in Las Vegas, will play host to the "first-ever live and virtual wedding ceremony" of two EverQuest II players. The couple will exhange vows in real life, clad in costume and officiated by a pastor, and within EverQuest II, via a set of computers coincidentally located on the altar.

Scheduled to take place at 9PM PST on Saturday, August 4 in The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, the wedding will be shown on "huge screens" during the SOE Fan Faire's Grand Banquet.