IN BRIEF: What’s Happened Today? (August 16th 2012)

Gamescom 2012 may well be winding down for the year, but there’s no let up in the frantic rollercoaster that is the global video games industry.

Free-to-play seems to be flavour of the day, what with Ubisoft adopting some of its biggest IP to the model and existing F2P titles making millions a month.

Elsewhere, hackers have been lying about a fresh attack on PSN. Though fortunately EA has not been lying about the existence of Frank Gibeau.

And here it is:

• Warren Spector admits to actively trying to shame John Carmack and Tim Sweeny into making less violent games. Perhaps he’s also trying to bully them into making games that don’t score higher than his on Metacritic? – LINK
• The latest Add To Your Bookmarks takes a look at the wonderful world of Olaf in CVG’s brilliant video series Skyrim: Rags to Riches – LINK
• EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau admits to having seen the PS4 and Xbox 720. Even though the definitely don’t exist – LINK
• Free-to-play iOS title CSR Racing made $12m in its first month – LINK
• We speak to Games Media Awards hall of famer Jonathan Pile – LINK
• The creator of Day Z told MCV that he turned down a number of publishing deals – LINK
• HMV vows to adopt a new responsible” take on the selling of pre-owned games – LINK
• Sony is spending more on Vita marketing this Christmas than it did for the machine’s launch – LINK
• New Super Mario Bros 2, which is out tomorrow, is today’s Game Of The Day – LINK
• A host of developers supporting PlayStation Mobile are revealed – LINK
• Anonymous reckons it has hacked PSN. It hasn’t – LINK
• Capcom admits that it’s facing a lose-lose battle in the fight to win over Dante’s critics – LINK
• Ubisoft brings out its big IP guns for its new free-to-play push – LINK
• Kairosoft’s Caf Nipponica gets some MCV loving in yesterday’s Game of the Day – LINK
• Capcom reckons Resident Evil 6 has a little something for everyone – LINK