What you see above is a supposedly leaked concept art image of a new Tomb Raider game that is in the works. Furthermore, the image was accompained by a few details of the game.

Reportedly, the next Tomb Raider game will feature open-world gameplay with a reworked combat system. And, a hint at the game’s plot lets us know that it will be an origin story of Lara Croft showcasing how she came to be.

I don’t know about you guys, but the image art shows a close resemblance to that of what would be featured in a Final Fantasy game. It would make sense considering Tomb Raider’s developer, Eidos, was bought out by Final Fantasy’s Square Enix.

Read (Joystiq)

R.I.P. Eidos brand.

Just in case you wanted to celebrate the 4th of July in ways other than Double XP, Eidos has you covered. They have recently announced that they are dropping two new DLC packs for their naval warfare title Battlestations: Pacific.

First up is the Mustang Pack which is available now for 160 Microsoft Points. This pack will add 6 new units, including the US P-51 Mustang, along with 18 new designs to paint the front of your ship with.

Second off, the Carriers Battle Map Pack, available on July 23rd for 800 Microsoft Points, will feature 4 new multiplayer maps including Midway, the Leyte Gulf, the Aleutian Islands and the Phillipine Islands.

Make note that both of these packs are/will be available for both the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Battlestations: Pacific.

Read (ThatVideoGameBlog)

This was probably expected but is still news anyways — Back in April Square Enix announced that it had effectively taken over Eidos but ever since we haven’t heard much out of the two companies.

Well, Yoichi Wada, Square Enix’s CEO, was recently quoted to say in an interview with Gamasutra that while it was possible that they would be working on Eidos with an existing IP “but what’s more important is that the two companies, for example, are going to be creating a new IP together.”

So, the guys behind the Final Fantasy series will be collaborating with the guys behind the Tomb Raider series for an all new IP. No way of telling what’s in store for us but let’s hope its good, Mr. Wada.

Eidos has released another super villain trailer for the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum game. This time, it’s Poison Ivy’s turn to showcase her “uncanny ability to control plants.” Everytime I see one of these trailers for the game, I am reminded how powerful the Unreal Engine 3 can be.

Batman: Arkham Asylum will be hitting stores by the end of the Summer for the PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 consoles.

Among them, a new Hitman game, which is in development at Danish studio IO Interactive (the original creators and developers of the series), and he also revealed that a new Tomb Raider and Kane & Lynch sequels were in development. Livingstone declined to give details on the new games, but we can expect much more at E3 next month, which is shaping up to be one of the best in years.

“This additional time will allow us to ensure Batman: Arkham Asylum is of the highest quality for gamers,” explained Warner and Eidos.

The game is due out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 and is being developed at Rocksteady.

Let’s see, we’ve heard of the titles President, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder but Life President? Never. That’s why its so peculiar that Edios recently named Ian Livingstone as the companies new Life President.

GI.biz is reporting that his duties include “overseeing franchises such as Tomb Raider and Hitman, as well as acting as a spokesperson for the Eidos group” and that’s all we have to go by.

Now I wonder, if Square Enix hadn’t taken over Eidos, would this title have come to existence? Hell, it almost seems like a translation error. Oh well, congrats Mr. Livingstone.

Minimum

• CPU: Intel single core 3 Ghz or AMD equivalent
• Memory: XP = 1 GB, Vista = 2GB
• GPU: Shader Model 3 NVidia 6600 or ATI 1300 or higher

Recommended

• CPU: Pentium D 3Ghz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (Dual core)
• Memory: XP = 2GB, Vista = 3GB
• GPU: NVidia 7900 GT or higher

Enhanced for multi-core

The game will be branded under Games for Windows and will support achievements. All three versions of the game are due for release this June.

Despite being bought out by Square Enix, it was recently announced that Eidos is set to remain an independent development studio; this means we won’t be seeing Square Eidos pop up anytime soon.

Furthermore, current CEO of Eidos Phil Rogers will retain control of the studio and report directly to Square Enix CEO Yoicha Wada who issued the following statement:

This is an exciting beginning to what I believe will be an incredible journey. I am very happy that Phil Rogers has agreed to lead Eidos in what I see as an international marriage between our two companies, a marriage that will give birth to great things. Eidos is a content rich company and a culturally significant business to the Square Enix group.

Read (GameInfoWire)

To be available from Xbox Live Marketplace and Games for Windows Live Marketplace, the demo will offer a glimpse of the WWII sea and air combat game. There will be one single-player mission from the US campaign, along with an offline-only sampling of two multiplayer modes.

The full version of the game is set for release on May 12 and 15 for North America and Europe, respectively.

The publisher revealed that the Final Fantasy series has sold over 85 million games in the series’ lifetime, which began with Final Fantasy 1, released on the NES in 1987.

Square Enix also revealed that Dragon Quest lifetime sales have reached 50 million copies, the newly acquired Lara Croft series has sold 30 million in its lifetime, while the Hitman series have sales of 8 million units. Also, quite interestingly, the controversial Kane & Lynch: Dead Men game sold almost two million copies – despite all the negative press surrounding the game.

Warner Bros. Interactive has released a new Batman: Arkham Asylum video showcasing “The Man who Broke the Bat”, better known simply as Bane. The trailer demonstrates what the character will look like in the game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum will be hitting shelves this June for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Priced at $100, a $40 premium over most other collector’s editions, the package will come with the game bundled with a 14″ Batarang (with stand) that matches the in-game design; a full, embossed leather dust jacketed Arkham doctor’s journal; 2 sleeve Digipak containing the game disc and a behind-the-scenes DVD; and a code for the exclusive downloadable challenge map “Crime Alley”. Oh, and a full-color manual.

As a silver lining of sorts, the regular PC version of the game will cost $49.99, $10 cheaper than the console versions.

According to reports, Eidos will continue to operate from London and maintain some degree of independence when it comes to developing games. Square Enix will take over two very known franchises in the process; Tomb Raider and Hitman.

Having recently been delayed, Eidos today announced that the first of two Xbox 360-exclusive downloadable episodes for Tomb Raider: Underworld will be released come Tuesday, February 24.

Dubbed “Beneath the Ashes”, the episode picks up after the game’s initial ending, offering a new level and enemies. It will cost $10.

The second expansion – “Lara’s Shadow” – is dated for release on March 10.

“Beneath the Ashes” will be accompanied by a pretty big patch that will resolve several issues and bugs. That was the reason why it was delayed in the first place.

Eidos was acquired by SCi a couple of years ago, but has met with ever-worsening financial conditions. The publisher is host to various big name franchises, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Hitman and Kane & Lynch.

“Eidos’ products are highly complementary to our business and will accelerate our aggressive expansion into Western markets,” said Square Enix president Yoichi Wada.

The move will have to be approved by shareholders before going through. Square notes that its offer represents a 129% premium over the worth of Eidos’ stock.

An “unexpected technical issue” is blamed for the delay. No release date was mentioned, though they assured us that it will be released soon.

The expansion, which would cost $10, takes place after the end of the game, offering new levels and enemies. Another add-on is promised – “Lara’s Shadow” – for release on March 10.

- The game takes place in five well-known metropolises, three of which were mentioned: Shanghai, Detroit and Montreal
- Bosses will be present and their difficulty will depend on your previous actions
- The events of the game will lead to the establishment of UNATCO
- The main villain will be similar to Jensen
- The world is ruled by megacorporations who are more powerful than national governments
- There will be squad-based combat AI with a visually identifiable squad leader

Deus Ex 3 is due out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Eidos has announced that the first of the two Xbox 360-exclusive downloadable levels for Tomb Raider: Underworld, originally expected last month during the holidays, will finally be released on Xbox Live Marketplace on February 10.

Dubbed “Beneath the Ashes”, the pack will see the story pick up right after the main game, with Lara Croft exploring caverns underneath her ruined estate. The pack will include six new costumes and 125 gamerpoints worth of achievements.

The second pack – “Lara’s Shadow” – will be released on March 10, bringing a new playable character to the game.

Price for the packs is yet to be revealed, though GameStop will be selling a $20 bundle with tokens for each episode, suggesting each episode to be worth 800 Microsoft points ($10).