Lots of surprises are being popped in this year's DICE, and Microsoft's Shane Kim is no exception to the activity. In this update, we get the skinny on a LOT of upcoming titles from the man himself, as well as the reason for a certain MMO's cancellation. Check it out in the full article.

Here's an update on the DICE Summit 08: Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime and VPs Rob Pardo and Frank Pearce talk about how they were able to develop their company.

They also shared how they were able to achieve much success due to their operations without corporate interference. More information in the full article.

During the DICE Summit, Michael Gallagher, CEO and new president of the ESA, told the audience that the video games industry has become mainstream.

It all started with Pong, the game industry has finally arrived with games reaching millions of households in the US and throughout the rest if the world. Details of his speech in the full article.

For those of us engrossed in the world of MMORPGs, this latest discussion between developers brooks the question: while Free-to-Play payment schemes may be making MMORPG gaming more accessible, is it having a detrimental effect on the quality of games? Check out  what Nexon America's Min Kim and veteran game publisher Kelly Flock had to say about this during the DICE Summit. Read on in the full article to find out.

Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today that it has finally found the replacement for former president Doug Lowenstein in the person of Michael D. Gallagher.

Prior to this, the trade group representing U.S. computer and video game publishers went without a leader for almost five months. Gallagher used to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information is currently the Communications Practice chair at leading international law firm Perkins Coie.

His academic background includes a degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley as well as Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles. ESA Board of Directors Chair Robbie Bach had this to say:

Mike's outstanding technology, policy, and government relations experience makes him a strong fit for the ESA, where issues like intellectual property, self-regulation, and industry social and economic contributions are at the forefront of the agenda.

It should be remembered that Lowenstein fired some shots at the DICE Summit saying that he is sick and tired of the people in the video game industry sitting on their hands and letting others do the hard work. The former president was particularly articulate about the seeming lack of participation by the industry in pushing for video game-related legislation.

Despite the scathing comments from the ESA's former head, it looks like Gallagher is quite happy and excited to man the position. Here's what the newly-named president, who will begin his term later this month, said:

It is a privilege to represent the dynamic entertainment software industry. From consoles and PCs to handhelds and broadband enabled cell phones -- the business is poised for tremendous growth. I look forward to working with federal and state leaders to foster an environment where the industry and its consumers can thrive.

As promised, we've got the second part of the Voodoo Extreme's DICE Summit interview with Ultima Online">Richard Garriott (and a new screenshot to boot!). The transcript has already been posted and we're surprised that the brother, Robert Garriot, also decided to drop in a couple of thoughts during the interview.

As the sit-down progressed, they went on talking about the status of NCSoft through the years. It is, after all, the 10th anniversary of Ultima Online. So how far have they gone and what can they expect in the next couple of years, especially with Tabula Rasa?

Robert Garriot answers this with a quick recap of recent history, with UO setting the standard with its 50,000 sign-ups for beta and eventual 100,00 sold out during its first run. And then EverQuest came out and flushed UO to the side. And eventually, more games came out, each of them surpassing the 100,000 mark of UO.

Richard Garriot then continues the conversation and brings it over to Lineage - yet another market hit. It's even reported that one out of ten people in Korea have a Lineage II account. They go on with talking about market saturation and what it takes for a "next-gen" MMO to survive in the cutthroat battlefield of online accounts - including sticky reticles and more gameplay mechanics.

Check out the full interview found behind the "Read" link below.

The folks of Voodoo Extreme were able to sit down with Richard Garriott at the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences DICE Summit in Las Vegas. Garriott was able to give out some good info on how Tabula Rasa has been developing so far, and he adds in some of his reflections on Ultima Online, and what MMOs in the next generation are going to need to do to succeed. Below are some of the more interesting parts of the interview.

When asked about which features of the TRhave they been working on in the recent months, Garriott had this to say:

I'd say missions and combat are the two areas we've been focusing on most.... Instead of like with most MMOs in combat, you highlight a target, then you ignore the target, because he's just going to stand there and whack you... Tabula Rasa is a game where you're really shooting through the reticule. You're constantly observing what's happening on the screen where you're aiming. It's still a role-playing game in the sense of when you shoot at something, it's based on your equipment and attributes as to who will be injured…but they're not just sitting there hitting you. Your opponent is moving and is aware of, say, if you're behind sand bags, he has a lower probability of hitting you, so he may instead run around to the side, kick you to the ground and start rifle-butting you as required, or however they can find their best position to engage you.

So it's no longer what I consider plodding-MMO-historical-type. This is an action-based role-playing game where you're having to pay more attention to what's going on on the battlefield.

When asked if things like flanking, and looking for cover have been added into the AI, Garriot explains that this is one of the aspects that the development team is most pleased with. He says that they worked hard to make sure that "each creature has an AI associated with it that will change the way you need to engage it."

They go on to discuss things like PvP functionality and things like end-game options - you know, when you're all decked out already and are at level 70 plus plus or something. But we'll let you folks get to those details yourselves via our "read" link below. Anyway we'll leave you folks with a rather amusing bit from the interview:

VE3D: What's your character's name?
Richard Garriott: What would you guess it would be?
VE3D: Umm...Commander British?

The gloves come off for former Entertainment Software Association (ESA) president Doug Lowenstein.

In his final speech over at the DICE Summit, Doug fired off rockets at game developers, the game press, and publishers for their failure to protect the future of the video game industry. "I'm sick and tired of people in this industry sitting on their hands and waiting for others to do the hard work," he said.

Lowenstein targetted the industry's lack of participation in the likes of video game-related legislation, further elaborating on the poor presence shown in movements like the Video Game Voters Network.

"You have to go on a website, click a few keystrokes, and you can send letters to Senators and Congressmen. And 90 percent of the people in this room who have a stake in the future of this industry haven't bothered to take the time to do that. And it makes me sick."

Moving on, Lowenstein also presented stern words for developers and their stance on creating controversial content in their products (like, say GTA?). "If you want to be controversial, fine - that's great. But damn it, don't duck and cover when the sh*t hits the fan."

Lowenstein went on to state his view of the the gaming press, which he felt was not holding up to its role as an informative entity for the gaming and non-gaming community "I think the games press doesn't ask enough of itself, and I hope that it does. It needs a higher level of maturity. It needs to take itself seriously," Lowenstein said. He further criticized the press for their allocation of resources to controversy-related topics - such as the likes of anti-gaming lawyer Jack Thompson - and the press' lackluster coverage of the ESA's activities.

Lastly, Doug lamented on the E3's notorious downsizing. "It put this industry on the map like nothing else could have done. We never could have drawn the mass-media without a central event," he said. "In 1994, this industry was unknown, it was backwater, it was the stepchild of entertainment."