As 2009 started to mature the tide was changing in Japan as PS3 overthrew Wii as the country’s best selling console. The arrival of the DSi provided some good news for Nintendo, but sad news came as the industry had to say goodbye to the much loved David Reeves.
Q2 also saw the world take on BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay, though battles closer to home revolved around the credit crunch, with UK publisher Empire going to the wall.
E3 came and went, bringing with it arguably the largest ever pre-show news leak ever in the form of Sony’s PSPgo video and motion sensing controllers for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Oh, and Heather Mills had a paddy because Capcom wouldn’t let her play the protagonist in Bionic Commando.
APRIL
In the first hint at the upcoming role reversal in Japan, PS3 overtakes Wii in the country’s monthly hardware sales charts. Sony really means business
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Nintendo’s DSi finally arrives, selling an impressive 91,000 units in its launch weekend in the UK
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Konami kicks off a storm with news that it intends to publish Atomic Games’ Iraq war themed Six Days in Fallujah – a decision it will alter reverse
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It’s the end of an era as Sims creator Will Wright confirms his departure from current Maxis owner EA
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The feasibility of mature-orientated titles on the DS is questioned as Rockstar issues a vague reassurance that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars hasn’t flopped on DS
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Yet more eras are ending with the sad news that industry favourite David Reeves is to step down as the boss of PlayStation Europe
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It’s not just gaming – big names are struggling in other industries with the troubling news of a 90 per cent drop in profits at Finnish mobile giant Nokia
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The founders of Pirate Bay lose their court case – though it’s news that proves to be nowhere near as decisive as had been originally hoped
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Britsoft publisher Empire tumbles into administration after failing to secure a last-minute buyer
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As the industry slowly starts to look away from consoles and instead towards digital and casual gaming, Xbox strategy boss Richard Teversham makes the move from Microsoft to Apple
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MAY
Phil Harrison famously shunned the idea of paying for platform exclusivity. Well guess what, Phil? You’re not at Sony now. And if they want to pay for a period of timed exclusivity on Ghostbusters, you’re not going to stop them
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Adding some more instruments to Guitar Hero is simply not enough – say hello to Band Hero and DJ Hero
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Showers are forecasted at MTV and EA as it is revealed that Activision’s Guitar Hero series is outselling Rockband by 10-to-1 in Europe
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Charlie Brooker, the man behind Newswipe and Gameswipe, reveals that he’s working on a brand new video games themed instalment called Gameswipe
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The first signs of big changes at Atari emerge with the news that it won’t be at this year’s E3
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In a sign of things to come on this side of the Channel, France approves a “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” policy on internet file sharing
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1m subscribers to Sony Online Entertainment’s free-to-play MMO Free Realms sounds impressive – but there’s a lot better to come
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The future may digital, but boxed product proves it’s not quite dead yet with Warner reversing its digital exclusivity plans for the episodic games tie-in to Hollywood blockbuster Watchmen
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We had to include this one for the image alone – in one of the best stories of the year, it emerges that a proposed union between Heather Mills and Capcom was scrapped when the erratic amputee demanded a starring role in the publisher’s upcoming Bionic Commando. Honestly
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The foundations are laid for Warner’s partial purchase of Midway with a $33m bid from the emerging games power
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Nintendo knows 2009 isn’t going to be its year with Iwata admitting that the recession isn’t helping the platform holder’s fortunes
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You could argue that the announcement of some DLC isn’t particularly notable, but only Rockstar would be bold enough to call an expansion pack for one of the biggest selling games of modern times ‘The Ballad of Gay Tony’
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Microsoft refuses to give up on the Zune, and whilst it won’t be bringing games to the device for a few months yet, its decision to rebrand the Xbox 360’s video offering with the Zune moniker is a possible sign of things to come
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The scope of both the UK games industry and the Call of Duty franchise are demonstrated with a massive deal to screen Activision’s latest COD ad during the Champions League final
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The Sims 3 becomes one of the most high-profile victims of online piracy ever with news that illegal copies have already cost EA $9m
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Microsoft signs a deal with Sky to bring the satellite firm’s TV offering to Xbox 360 owners
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The new look Atari takes shape as games industry legend Phil Harrison makes a departure that’s almost as surprising as the initial appointment
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Was the emergence of Sony’s E3 PSPgo video the highest profile leak in the history of the industry?
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JUNE
E3 kicks off with a personal appearance from the two remaining Beatles – Paul McCartney and Ringo Star – in a PR move that truly elevates gaming to the mainstream
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Laugh at the Wii no longer – Microsoft proves that Nintendo got it right with the unveiling of its own motion-tech, Project Natal
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The world of gaming and social networks become all the more intertwined with news that microsoft is brining Twitter, Facebook and Last.FM functionality to Xbox 360
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Following its surprise reveal of Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360 the year before, Microsoft puffs its chest once more by announcing that the next Metal Gear Solid will also be coming to its machine
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Video games retail suffers another chilling blow with Microsoft’s decision to bring a digital publishing service for full-price games to Xbox Live Marketplace
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And as if to further worsen the blow, Sony confirms the arrival of the world’s first download-only console in the shape of the PSPgo
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Microsoft may have grabbed FFXIII last year, but Sony gets its own back with the world exclusive reveal of MMO Final Fantasy XIV
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Not to be outdone by Microsoft, Sony too confirms its intention to take on the motion controlled gaming market
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Few things are able to stir the fanboy juices as much as new Nintendo hardware, but the Vitality Sensor is probably not what most Nintendo loyalists had in mind
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Peter Molyneux, one of the UK’s most cherished development legends, takes charge of Microsoft Games Studios
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The iPhone 3GS, Apple’s third iteration of the iPhone, is dated
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The fierce war of words between PEGI and the BBFC is drawn to a close with news that the government is to stick with the PEGI ratings system, affording it new powers in the process
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Bobby Kotick threatens to drop the PS3 unless Sony cuts the price – was this the moment the balance of power shifted from platform holders to content creators?
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