Presented in glorious alphabetical order, New Media: Retail Roundup is your indispensible checklist of the home console and handheld titles arriving in stores this week. What will you be playing?

MICROSOFT Xbox 360 Nothing

NINTENDO Wii Nothing 3DS Nothing DS Nothing

SONY PS3 Nothing PSP Nothing

VARIOUS PC Nothing

New Media: Downloadable Digest is your handy reminder of the new downloadable titles released during the past week.

MICROSOFT XBLA Fruit Ninja Kinect

NINTENDO WiiWare Nothing eShop Nothing DSiWare Nothing

SONY PSN Galaga Legions: DX * Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team Minis Hysteria Project 2

VALVE Steam ArmA: Cold War Assault * The Clockwork Man * Edge * Trauma

Recent instalments of New Media: 07.08.11 l 31.07.11 l 24.07.11 l 17.07.11 l 10.07.11

The world is about to become a little less colourful.

THQ has pulled the plug on its Australian development interests, conceding that 200 jobs will be lost as a result of the closure of its two local studios. As reported by Tsumea, the businesses in question are Blue Tongue Entertainment and THQ Studio Australia. The publisher attributed its “strategic realignment” to a desire to move away “from licensed kids titles and movie based entertainment properties”.

Melbourne based Blue Tongue certainly did produce its share of licensed content, 2009’s Marvel Super Hero Squad being the most recent example. However, it was also responsible for de Blob, a delirious anti-establishment platformer aimed at gamers of all ages. The final project to emerge from the developer was this year’s multiplatform effort de Blob 2. Visitors to Blue Tongue’s website were today greeted with the bittersweet image reproduced above.

Located in Brisbane, THQ Studio Australia produced eight games in as many years, including titles inspired by licenses such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Avatar: The Last Airbender and, most recently, Megamind.

If you were involved with either studio and wish to express a view on these developments, please contact us.

Presented in glorious alphabetical order, New Media: Retail Roundup is your indispensible checklist of the home console and handheld titles arriving in stores this week. What will you be playing? Hint: not much.

MICROSOFT Xbox 360 Nothing

NINTENDO Wii Nothing 3DS Nothing DS Nothing

SONY PS3 Nothing PSP Nothing

VARIOUS PC Nothing

New Media: Downloadable Digest is your handy reminder of the new downloadable titles released during the past week.

MICROSOFT XBLA Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

NINTENDO WiiWare Nothing eShop The Lost Town: The Dust DSiWare The Lost Town: The Dust

SONY PSN Back To The Future: Episode 5 Minis Arcade Sports Bundle * Ducati Challenge * Monochrome Racing

VALVE Steam Demolition Company: Gold Edition * Limbo * Pirates of Black Cove * Quake IV

Recent instalments of New Media: 31.07.11 l 24.07.11 l 17.07.11 l 10.07.11 l 03.07.11

In this episode: Lollipop Chainsaw, Dishonored, Hard Reset, Shadows of the Damned, Hunted: The Demon’s Forge, R18+ breakthrough, 3DS price cut, Gears 3 leak and much more!

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The Panellists: Erin Marcon (@ErinMarcon), Karen Jacobson (@KarenMJacobson), Peter Nickless and Joel Guttenberg

Twitter: @BlackPanelDaily l Facebook: Black Panel Readers’ League

Related links: Who is Lollipop Chainsaw intended for?; Australia edges towards R18+; Arkane emerges from the Shadows; PopCap sells to EA; Robots set to betray humanity yet again; Gears 3 leaked; Art attack; 3DS price slashed, early adopters compensated; Shadows of the Damned Review; Hunted: The Demon’s Forge Review Red Faction: Armageddon Review; Dungeon Siege III Review; F.E.A.R. 3 Review; Bastion Review

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