Report: Nexon and NCsoft Trying to Acquire Valve

UPDATE: We've just received the following quote from NCsoft, which seems to quash the claims raised by this report.

The company has told IGN that "There is no truth to this rumour."

ORIGINAL STORY: A new report is claiming that two Korean game publishers, Nexon and NCsoft, are currently raising money to try and buy Valve.

According to a report on Korea's JoongAng Ilbo, the companies are generating funds through stock sales and real estate deals after CEOs from both companies met in September to plan an acquisition of the Portal maker.

In June, Nexon bought a $685 million stake in NCsoft, becoming the company's largest shareholder. It's this that the report, which comes from an anonymous industry source, cites as evidence along with Nexon's decision to sell off real estate that the company is amassing cash for something big; supposedly, the acquisition of Valve.

We reached out to NCsoft for comment but were told the company "didn't comment on rumour and speculation."

Earlier this month, reports surfaced that EA had tried to acquire Valve only for Valve co-founder Gabe Newell to share his view that the company would "disintegrate" should it ever be bought.

"It’s way more likely we would head in that direction than say, ‘Let’s find some giant company that wants to cash us out and wait two or three years to have our employment agreements terminate,'" he said.

Thanks, Polygon.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: Killzone Trilogy Incoming for Playstation 3

A listing on Amazon France suggests that Sony will release the Killzone games as a boxed trilogy this October.

The posting, which you can see below, claims that all three of Sony's shooters will be released on October 24 for €59.99, which works out as roughly £47 or $75.

While nothing has been confirmed, and the price and release date for other territories could change even if the posting is correct, Amazon France has previous form in accurately leaking the existence of titles. It was the website that first listed Call of Duty: Black Ops II, outing the identity of this year's Call of Duty shooter, and it did the same for the Ratchet & Clank Trilogy (or Collection, if you're American).

It's this second title that's most interesting to consider in relation to the Killzone Trilogy, as all three games in that collection were originally released on PS2 just like the first Killzone. As they all received HD remastering before coming to PS3, could this mean that the same is in store for the shooter that started the series off? We heard rumours earlier this year that Killzone 1 would be released on PSN as an emulated and updated version, but this was later "delayed indefinitely".

If the game is about to come to PS3 at long last, it'd make sense that they'd want it to compare favourably in terms of visuals with others in the series, especially if updating the graphics has been mentioned before.

We've reached out to Sony for comment and will update the story with any comment we received.

The original Killzone title released on PS2 in 2004. This was followed up by Killzone 2 in 2009 and Killzone 3 in 2011, both on PS3. The next Killzone title currently confirmed as in development is Killzone: Mercenary, which is planned for a 2013 release on Vita.

Thanks, TheSixthAxis.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and was always more of a Resistance guy. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Three Hobbit Movies Still Possible?

Could Peter Jackson's upcoming Hobbit films still expand into a trilogy? Recent claims seem to suggest a third movie is indeed feasible.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. is considering one more feature for J.R.R. Tolkien's classic tale, or so says an inside source close to the production. However, this would require additional shooting which would begin this summer for about two months in New Zealand. This would also mean securing new actor deals and story rights.

"If we’re going to do it, we have to make a decision soon," said the insider. "It’s strongly driven by the filmmakers' desire to tell more of the story."

It's important to keep in mind that this same rumor was debunked a few weeks ago prior to The Hobbit's Comic-Con panel. Nevertheless, Jackson did tease the following day that he wanted to shoot more footage. As a result, speculation surrounding the notion of a third movie has only accelerated, with this report being the first real sign of any substantial news on the subject.

In the meantime, we do know that the first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, is scheduled for release on December 10, 2012, with The Hobbit: There and Back Again slated for December 13, 2013. A third film would likely be released the following year in 2014 -- much like Warners did with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was spread across three consecutive years.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com