Last December, Cryptic Studios packed up and moved in with Atari and Infogrames, in effect turning over all of their proprietary IP, tools, technology and even WIPs to their new parent company. Inside sources are now alive and abuzz that part of the turned over WIPs would be an MMO version of Neverwinter Nights.

Cryptic Studios, independent developer for games like Star Trek Online and Champions Online, will soon be officially acquired by Atari's parent company, Infogrames Entertainment, this according to a press release sent out today.

The end of physical media is nigh! That's according to Phil Harrison, at least. See, he's "pretty confident [kids] will never buy a physical media product" in the future - that's counting CDs, DVDs, games in boxes... Man, could you imagine talking to your future kid? "Err, daddy what's a dee-vee-dee? Daddy, is it a title of an emo song?"

Atari may have a future in going online, or so Infogrames new CEO David Gardner believes. With Atari's rich history of IPs, there are just so many resources and inspiration to dip into. However if Gardner had his way, Atari may just make online a bit more accessible. Read the full article to find out why.

Have you always been asking yourself, where did Phil Harrison go? Well, he joined Infogrames. The ex-Sony Computer Entertainment president now plays a significant role in Atari's slow comeback - though that would be an understatement in itself. He is the president of Atari-parent Infogrames, after all. More at the full story.

Now, videogames may not be the first thing that comes into people's heads when they hear "France," but the fact of the matter is that three of the world's biggest videogame manufacturers - Ubisoft, Infogrames Entertainment and World of Warcraft publisher Vivendi Games - call the country home.

According to Culture minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, local production of videogames is as important to France's national identity as the Louvre, and he is now calling for laws that would prevent the country's videogame companies from outsourcing their production to low cost countries.

One of the things he is suggesting is to give France's game producers the same tax breaks that are given to cultural institutions.

"Call me the minister of video games if you want; I am proud of this," said Donnedieu de Vabres, in a recent interview with the International Herald Tribune. "Video games are not a mere commercial product," he continued. "They are a form of artistic expression."

Of course, the heads of France's videogame industry are all going for the idea. They've even pledged not to even think about outsourcing if the French government agrees to the deal. Says Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, in an interview with the Herald Tribune, "Without production in France, we lose the creativity and diversity that this country offers."