While Visual Concepts' NBA 2K10 won't be available at retailers until later in the fall, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners will be able to get a head start on training custom players in September with the downloadable release of NBA 2K10: Draft Combine.

Priced at $5 (400 Microsoft Points), the game lets players build up their custom character with skill points through various drills and 5-on-5 skirmishes. Those custom characters can then be imported into NBA 2K10 once the game hits stores.

"We're giving our dedicated NBA 2K fans an incredible opportunity with NBA 2K10: Draft Combine," explained 2K VP Greg Thomas. "Gamers will have exclusive access to online content and get to test drive NBA 2K10's new gameplay features, advanced... Read more

The mysterious "well-known videogame developer" behind new Duke Nukem series entry "Duke Begins" is Gearbox Software (Brothers in Arms, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Borderlands), Take-Two has revealed in court filings uncovered by Shacknews. Gearbox was named within Take-Two's answer to a counterclaim filed by series creator 3D Realms/Apogee Software Ltd. The increasingly complicated lawsuit sees publisher Take-Two going after 3D Realms for the incomplete state of the long-in-development shooter Duke Nukem Forever, with 3D Realms labeling the lawsuit as a "bully tactic."

Duke Begins emerged from a 2007 Agreement between 3D Realms and Take-Two, with development taking place at an external third party studio now known to be Gearbox. As part of the deal, 3D Realms received a $2.5 million advance to help fund... Read more

Duke Nukem series creator 3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. has responded to publisher Take-Two's lawsuit over the incomplete state of Duke Nukem Forever, revealing that 3DR is continuing to work on the long-delayed title alongside word that a previously unknown separate Duke game was in the works at a "well-known videogame developer."

The new effort, titled "Duke Begins," was part of the October 2007 Agreement that saw Take-Two provide 3D Realms with $2.5 million. That sum was paid July 2008 in order to "help fund the development of the DNF game," with 3D Realms having previously said the money was "in connection with another agreement for an unannounced game."

The Take-Two-published Duke Begins was slated for release by mid-2010, with development set to begin within 2 months of the October 2007 agreement and 3D Realms stating that it needed to approve "any changes to that... Read more

An unlikely pair bonded mostly by critical acclaim and a mutual publisher, 2K Boston and Australia's narrative-driven shooter BioShock will soon be sold in a bundle alongside the standard edition of Bethesda's open-world fantasy RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Publisher 2K Games announced the package today, boasting that the games have a "combined bounty of more than 80 Game of the Year awards."

The "BioShock & The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Bundle" arrives at North American retailers on July 7, with the Xbox 360 edition going for $39.99 and the PC release at $29.99.

Update: 3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. founder Scott Miller has chimed in with his thoughts:

Do readers here realize that filed lawsuits are entirely one-sided statements, based on knee-deep BS and with more spin that[sic] a top?

3DR has been in nearly a dozen lawsuits (including against Warner and Fox). We're always innocent, and we always win. This one is no exception. Give it a year, then the truth will come out.

Original: More documents relevant to the ongoing courtroom drama between Duke Nukem Forever developer 3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. and publisher Take-Two have been released, shedding new light on the circumstances that lead to the termination of the game's dev team and the subsequent lawsuit over the game's incomplete state.

The team handling the long-in-development shooter was let go on May 6, with 3D Realms later explaining that this stemmed from funding issues after negotiations with Take-Two fell through and the publisher made an "unacceptable" last minute proposal "to acquire the Duke Nukem franchise and the 3DR development team."

The court documents reveal that those negotiations were related to an Xbox 360 port of the anticipated game, which Apogee subsidiary 3D Realms was crafting for the PC.

In early 2009, Take-Two "solicited" 3D Realms to see if the studio could co-develop an Xbox 360 edition. In the following negotiations, 3D Realms apparently "demanded that Take-Two fully fund Apogee's reaching certain milestones" if it was... Read more

Following the sudden shut down of Duke Nukem Forever developer 3D Realms last week, rumors began to circulate that the studio had opted to close instead of selling the overall Duke Nukem property to publishing partner Take-Two for some $30 million. Now, 3D Realms co-founder Scott Miller has outright denied those rumors, telling Shacknews that the studio "would have taken this offer without hesitation" if it meant finishing DNF, indicating that the reality is "Not. Even. Close." to the rumors.

Responding to one reader that claimed they would have "sold the IP in a heart beat and created a new IP with that 30 million," Miller said "Hell, I would have also... Read more

Update: Documents for the case have appeared online, revealing that, among other things, Take-Two is demanding a copy of the Duke Nukem Forever source code.

Original: Take-Two Interactive, publisher of Duke Nukem Forever, has filed suit against the remains of Apogee Ltd./3D Realms for failing to deliver the long-awaited title.

Take-Two claims that an agreement to finish the shooter was breached when 3D Realms shut down development last week. At the time of the studio's closing, Duke Nukem Forever had been in development for over 12 years.

"Apogee continually delayed the completion date for the Duke Nukem Forever," says Take-Two in the complaint, according to Bloomberg. "Apogee repeatedly assured Take-Two and the video-gaming community that it was diligently working toward competing development of the PC Version of the Duke Nukem Forever."

Take-Two paid $12 million to former DNF publisher Infogrames for the exclusive publishing rights to the game in 2000. According to the publisher, a second unspecified agreement was struck between Take-Two and 3D Realms in 2007.

Following the closure last week, Take-Two spokesman Alan Lewis confirmed that the publisher was not providing 3D Realms with "ongoing funds... Read more

Though Take-Two has confirmed that BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams is "destined" for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the publisher has still yet to say what platforms the narrative-driven shooter sequel will hit when it launches between August and October.

In an earnings statement issued today, Take-Two Interactive again stated that BioShock 2 is due out by October 31, 2009, but listed the platforms it'll hit by then as "TBA."

The first BioShock debuted on PC and Xbox 360 in 2007, and arrived on PS3 over a year later. However, the PS3 port was not started until after the other versions released.

The advertising campaign for the the sequel, in development at 2K Marin, is now underway. The game will be featured on more than 30 magazine covers next month.

After conducting a review of strategic alternatives and discussing possible business arrangements with companies such as EA, Grand Theft Auto and BioShock publisher Take-Two Interactive Software has concluded that it will remain independent.

"Our strong cash position--with no debt and an undrawn $140 million credit facility--gives us the financial flexibility to continue to do what we do best: innovate and create the great games that our customers have come to expect," said CEO Ben Feder.

In addition to its ownership of the Grand Theft Auto and BioShock brands and their respective developers, Take-Two's portfolio includes such notable items as the ever-profitable Carnival Games series, the Max Payne property, and the Sid Meier's Civilization franchise along with developer Firaxis.

Electronic Arts' oft-extended deadline for its hostile takeover of Grand Theft Auto owner Take-Two Interactive Software will expire today, the companies have confirmed.

With the takeover threat no longer looming, EA will sign a confidentiality agreement that will provide it with the "in-depth management presentation" that Take-Two is using in the "formal process to evaluate strategic alternatives" it mentioned back in March.

The owner of multiple successful properties, including Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, Civilization and BioShock, Take-Two was first presented with EA's unsolicited $2 billion buyout offer in February. It declined the offer, prompting EA to pursue a hostile takeover.

"We are continuing to consider all alternatives that will maximize value to our stockholders," noted Take-Two CEO Ben Feder. "We are engaged in discussions with other parties as part of a formal process to generate greater value and will act quickly to assist EA in moving expeditiously through our process."

Below are letters exchanged between EA CEO John Riccitiello and Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick, which further explain the decisions... Read more

Take-Two Interactive today announced that it will be handling publishing duties for Champions Online, the next MMO from City of Heroes (PC) developer Cryptic Studios. While Cryptic has been tight-lipped about the game's console release, Take-Two specified that the MMO will hit Xbox 360 in addition to PC next spring.

Expect more details on Champions Online to arrive next week during the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit.

Two gamers have filed a class-action lawsuit against Madden publisher Electronic Arts. Filed in the US District Court of Northern California, the suit states that EA's 2004 and 2005 obtainment of the exclusive NFL, AFL and NCAA licenses constitutes "blatantly anticompetitive conduct."

In response to the allegations, the duo wish to see EA surrender the profits that stemmed from those actions, the voiding of the exclusivity contracts, and restitutions offered to those that have purchased any EA-branded football game since 2005.

EA's exclusivity arrangements came after publisher 2K Sports debuted a competing football title, NFL 2K5, at $19.99 in 2004, causing EA to drop the price on Madden 2005 from $49.99 to $29.99.

"This vigorous competition benefited consumers," claim court documents obtained by GameSpot. "Electronic Arts could have continued to compete by offering a lower price and/or a higher quality product. Instead, Electronic Arts quickly entered into a series of exclusive agreements with the only viable sports football associations."

Only one 2K Sports-branded football title has been released since then, the league-less All-Pro Football 2K8, which sold just over a quarter of a million units.

Mega-publisher Electronic Arts has once again extended the deadline for its hostile takeover bid of rival publisher Take-Two Interactive Software, giving Take-Two shareholders until June 16 to consider EA's $25.74 per share offer.

Take-Two is the owner of numerous popular properties, such as Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne and BioShock, along with multiple development studios, including the various branches of Rockstar, 2K Boston, 2K Marin, 2K Czech, and 2K Australia.

EA first made the unsolicited $2 billion offer to buy Take-Two in late February. After it was rejected by Take-Two's board of directors, EA made the same offer to the company's shareholders in an attempt at a hostile takeover.

As of May 16, EA claimed that 6.21 million of Take-Two's 76.87 million shares, roughly 8%, had been tendered and not withdrawn from the offer. Today's ... Read more

Following Electronic Arts' multiple attempts to acquire Take-Two Interactive and subsidiary Rockstar Games, Rockstar founder Sam Houser has admitted that he sees potential in a pairing with EA.

One of the chief minds behind Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series, Houser told The Wall Street Journal that he views EA CEO John Riccitiello as "the real deal" and has no problems being a "much smaller fish in much bigger pond." In fact, Houser claims that EA turned him down for a position towards the latter half of the 1990s.

That said, Houser is apparently "unlikely" to run subject material past EA in the event the companies form some type of business arrangement.

EA initially made a $2 billion offer to acquire Grand Theft Auto and BioShock publisher Take-Two back in March, and received approval for a $1 billion loan last week. Take-Two said that it would be open to discussing business agreements following the release of Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29.

Houser further revealed that during the production of Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar brought a spiritual healer into its offices after two employees committed suicide. While neither death is believed to be work-related, the healer performed an exorcism-type ritual and noted that an empty desk gave her "pretty strong readings."

Following publisher Take-Two Interactive Software's recommendation that its stockholders deny a hostile takeover attempt by rival publisher Electronic Arts, EA has submitted a slightly amended offer to the company's shareholders.

Take-Two Interactive is the owner of numerous popular properties, such as Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, and BioShock, and development studios, including the various branches of Rockstar, 2K Boston, 2K Marin, 2K Czech, and 2K Australia.

While the basic premise remains the same--a payout of $26.00 per share--Electronic Arts extended the deadline by a week to reflect Take-Two's week-long delay of its annual stockholder meeting, which is now scheduled for April 17. The offer now expires on April 18, 2008.

According to EA, the offer of $26.00 per share represents a 64% premium over Take-Two's closing stock price on February 15, which was the last trading day before EA sent its revised proposal to Take-Two. As of this writing, Take-Two's stock is valued at $25.55 per share.

The other major shift in EA's offer concerns Take-Two's so-called "poison pill" plan, which adopted on March 24 to prevent a hostile takeover at what... Read more

Speaking at the 2008 Smid Cap Conference, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick mentioned massively multiplayer online editions of BioShock and Civilization as examples of the company's "potential untapped opportunities."

Following the release and strong sales performance of 2K Boston and 2K Australia's story-driven underwater shooter BioShock (PC, X360) last summer, Zelnick noted Take-Two's intent to transform BioShock into an ongoing franchise.

A sequel to BioShock, announced earlier this month and developed by 2K Marin with the involvement of creator Ken Levine, is slated to arrive on unspecified platforms between August and October of 2009.

As initially reported by MTV Multiplayer, other opportunities for Take-Two, which today told its stockholders to reject a hostile takeover bid from Electronic Arts, include a film adaptation of BioShock as well as mobile phone iterations of both BioShock and Carnival Games.

Responding to Electronic Arts' attempt at a hostile takeover, Take-Two Interactive's board of directors has advised its stockholders to reject EA's buyout offer of $26 per share.

In a statement released today, Take-Two--which owns such beloved properties as Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, and BioShock--labeled the offer as "inadequate in multiple respects and contrary to the best interests of Take-Two's stockholders."

Though this marks the second time that Take-Two has officially spurned EA's unsolicited attempts to acquire the publisher, the company revealed that it is interested in business agreements with EA and other parties.

While now open to discussing possible business combinations, Take-Two affirmed its intent to remain independent and stated that it will not enter into negotiations until after the release of Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360) on April 29.

Labeling Grand Theft Auto as "one of the most valuable and durable franchises in the interactive entertainment software industry," Take Two noted its belief that "the full commercial potential of [Grand Theft Auto IV] will not be evident until after its release."

Publisher Take-Two dodged questions about a possible sequel to the Max Payne franchise of action titles during a financial conference call held this afternoon.

"It's a little early to comment on any particular title but we have a lot of interesting things going on," a Take-Two representative said when asked about the potential of future Max Payne titles. "What's the saying? We will sell no wine before its time."

The last entry in the Remedy-developed franchise, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, arrived on PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2003. An adaptation of the series is currently being filmed for cinematic release, with Mark Wahlberg starring as Max Payne himself and Mila Kunis as Mona. The movie is set to be released this October.

During the call, Take-Two, which owns the Max Payne property, made repeated references to reviving past notable Rockstar properties, though it failed to specify any particular franchise.

Publisher Take-Two Interactive today officially confirmed that a sequel to 2K Boston and 2K Australia's underwater shooter BioShock will arrive during the company's fiscal fourth quarter in 2009.

Take-Two's fourth fiscal quarter runs from August through the end of October.

BioShock 2 is under development by the Novato, California-based studio 2K Marin. The new development house is rumored to consist of several former 2K Boston and 2K Australia employees.

The publisher also announced that BioShock creator Ken Levine will be involved in the development of the sequel, though his role on the project was not specified. Levine's home studio of 2K Boston is rumored to be working on a new X-COM title.

"[Ken Levine] is critical to BioShock," said a Take-Two representative.

No platforms were announced. The game will likely make an appearance on both Xbox 360 and PC, and comments made earlier in the year by 2K Games president Christopher Hartmann indicate the game could also be released on PlayStation 3.

Take-Two Interactive today clarified a number of release dates for its upcoming titles.

The publisher revealed that Gearbox Software's Borderlands (PC, PS3, X360) and 2K Czech's Mafia II (PC, PS3, X360) are positioned for release sometime in Take-Two's 2009 fiscal year, which runs from November 1, 2008 through October 31, 2009.

The new date marks a delay for the co-op friendly Borderlands, which was originally slated to arrive within Take Two's 2008 fiscal year. Prior to today, no release date had been announced for Mafia II.

Additionally, Rockstar San Diego's Midnight Club: Los Angeles (PS3, X360) was confirmed for release in the company's FY2008 fourth quarter, pinning the title's release window between August 1 and October 31, 2008.

The game was originally aimed for a spring 2008 release, but was delayed to prevent competition with Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360).