Only a week after closing Pandemic Studios, EA has confirmed that a new Mercenaries title is in the works. No platform or release date information has yet been provided.

The series kicked off in 2005 with well regarded sandbox action game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. Three years later, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames received mixed reviews and attracted the ire of the Venezuelan government for depicting a US-lead overthrow of their regime.

Some have speculated that the announcement of the new game (working title: Mercs Inc) was prompted by the publication of leaked test footage on Bitmob (reproduced above). Alternatively, the leak could be seen as confirmation that the Venezuelan secret service has infiltrated EA.

The announcement of Mercs Inc confirms the publisher’s intention to exploit the handful of original properties generated by Pandemic. The Full Spectrum Warrior series of army-themed first person shooters is one candidate for revival. Destroy All Humans, in which the player assumes the role of an alien invader, is another.

Pandemic’s swan song, The Saboteur is due for release on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on Thursday 3 December 2009.

Care to join me guys? The water’s fine. Where are you going? Hey, guys?

Ubisoft have unveiled their new Uplay service, with the owners of Assassin’s Creed 2 being the first to try it via an in-game interface. Those not purchasing Assassin’s Creed 2 (shame on you!) can access the new,  free to use, service directly through www.uplay.com or upcoming Ubisoft releases, like Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction.

According to the press release announcing the service, ‘Uplay is Ubisoft’s online destination where gamers are at the center of a connected gaming universe…’. Uplay offers an online hub of services, including Uplay Win, Uplay Help, Uplay Share & Uplay Shop, although only Uplay Win is available right now, with the others to become available in the coming months.

An interesting concept, Uplay Win enables players to exchange special units earned in-game for exclusive real world objects, like a costume replica of Altair’s outfit from Assassin’s Creed, or in-game content, like access to secret areas or unique items. A cool concept indeed. What makes them even cooler is the fact that, not only can you save the units earned in one game and use them for items from other upcoming Ubisoft titles, but the units can be collected from multiple platforms (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) to the same account.

Details are scarce at the moment, but it appears that Uplay Help will offer walkthroughs and guides for Ubisoft titles, and Uplay Shop will offer both real world and in-game items for sale. I don’t know about you readers, but I think this is a great concept and I’ll definitely be watching to see how this develops in the coming months.

Sony and Unifted Front Games have issued a new trailer for the PS3 exclusive ModNation Racers. The 90 second clip showcases the numerous customisation options available to creative players. Drivers, cars and tracks can all be heavily modified and shared with the online ModNation community. Somewhere along the line, an actual race takes place, time permitting.

ModNation Racers, together with Microsoft’s avatar compatible Joyride, represents a potential critical renaissance for a much maligned sub-genre. Following the 1992 success of Super Mario Kart, the market was flooded with scores of cynical knock offs, none more shameless than M&M’s Kart Racing. Crazy Frog Racer does come perilously close, however.

A public beta test of ModNation Racers is due to commence in December this year, with some North American copies of LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition containing invites. Though Sony is yet to specify a release date, it seems the game is nearing completion.

Bust mad tricks while defiling historically significant locales.

The Saboteur escapes the clutches of EA bean counters yet again.

Visually distinct World War 2 action title The Saboteur is alive and well, according to a post on the game’s official website. While the Saboteur has survived EA’s decision to pull the plug on original IP development, the team responsible for the game has been considerably less fortunate. As reported by Kotaku, EA elected to close Pandemic Studios just days after development wrapped.

Despite the physical closure of the studio and the dismissal of key staff, EA spokesman Nick Earl was upbeat. “I want to make it clear that the Pandemic brand and franchises will live on.” Translation: Rest assured that we’ll be stripping Pandemic of its assets before we turf most of its workers onto the unemployment line.

At its apex, Pandemic launched a range of successful properties, including Mercenaries, Destroy All Humans and Full Spectrum Warrior. Hopefully The Saboteur will serve as a fitting reminder of the now defunct studio’s talents.

The Saboteur is due for release on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in Australia on Thursday 3 December 2009.