[Updated - Sledgehammer Games's  COD title is not the 2011 title mentioned in the press release. The 2011 COD title is referring to yet another title not mentioned in the release and the developer of that title is unknown. However if history suggests anything it could be the MW2 successor, developed by Infinity Ward. Via: G4TV]

After the events of last night, today’s press release only confirms what we were fearing: a new direction for the Call of Duty series. In the press release Activision also confirmed that Jason West and Vince Zampella are “no longer with Infinity Ward”. However, that was only a portion of news, with Activision looking to push the franchise into new territory with Sledgehammer Games developing an action-adventure game based on the Call of Duty franchise which will be released in 2011.

Taking the place of the former Infinity Ward heads are two senior Activision members, Steve Ackrich and Steve Pearce who will lead IW on an “interim” basis. There has been no word as to why the West or Zampella were removed from their positions, but we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors. There was no indication of whether or not Infinity Ward would continue to work on the Call of Duty series.

You can catch all the juicy details after the break, including Activision’s view on DLC (hint: money maker):

Originally thought to be slated for a 4th quarter release, Nintendo announced today at their Media Summit that the "first 3D Super Mario sequel for a single Nintendo console" will hit store shelves in three months time on May 23rd.

The release date isn't all that's new folks! Nintendo has also provided an all new trailer which you can view after the break.

New Super Mario Bros. was a major accomplishment made by Nintendo and sold over ten million copies worldwide. Unlike most games, this was released in Australia before any other county.  Like most popular games, it gets pirated in large quantities and gets uploaded before the release date, which in this case was over a week before the worldwide launch.

Nintendo was able to track down this pirate using "sophisticated technological forensics" and made the offender pay a sum of $1.3 million. According to Nintendo, this large sum of money is to compensate the company for the loss of sales revenue. In my opinion, that's a high price to pay just for getting "internet props." This incident could also affect the release dates of games in Australia and since this exception didn't go over well, publishers might be reluctant in the future to make the Aussie's games first to be released.

Nintendo Sues Pirate [Gamespot AU]

As it turns out, "Project Needlemouse" did turn out to be another Sonic the Hedgehog project, only the one we thought would materialize much sooner. Heading back to the basics, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode One brings us back to the classic 2D gameplay with revamped 3D graphics. The game will be available this summer as a downloadable title via the PlayStation Store, Xbox LIVE Arcade, and WiiWare. For a brief trailer that showcases about three seconds of the new gameplay, see below.

Thank you SEGA.

In 2009, 17 out of the 20 top spots for most rented games were owned by Xbox 360 titles according to the Rentrak Corporation, a company whose focus is tracking media like this. The remaining three titles belonged to Nintendo's Wii system, which oddly left Sony's PlayStation 3 nowhere to be seen. In addition to taking over the top 20 rental list, the Xbox 360 also owned the lion's share of Rentrak's most advertised games of 2009 list. A correlation that may just explain the below results. If anyone has any thoughts as to why none of the PlayStation 3 heavy hitters were present, feel free to let us know.

Follow the break for both lists.

Nintendo Wii owners today will be finally be able to join in the movie streaming fun as Netflix's online streaming service hits the Wii console. Similar to the situation this service presents on the PlayStation 3, users will need to use a Netflix DVD in order to launch the streaming program. One significant downside to this new option is the fact that the Wii cannot display high-definition streaming videos like the counterpart services on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 can. (Unless of course the rumored Wii HD decides to make an appearance this year.)

This is a smart move by Netflix to get a stranglehold on the home console market allowing no room for any competitors to step in. With the Wii numbers still crushing those of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it will be interesting to see how well received this service will be. I'd be willing to bet that every home with only a Wii console will try to take advantage of this and sign up for the $9 per month Netflix subscription.

In a press release that was shot out earlier today, Electronic Arts hosted a conference call for their investors about the downturn in the 2010 financial projections. The end result is that the primary contributing factors to the change in expectations are the result of "weakness for EA and the overall packaged goods sector in Europe, " and "a product mix shift to lower margin distribution products in the December quarter, primarily in North America." In layman's terms, the profit margin for their top sellers in North America were not very big.

The full scale of the losses don't look that big at first glance, but they really are some decent sized swings in the wrong direction. It will be interesting to see how the other big publishers weathered the Holiday Season this year, and chances are good that EA won't be alone with a negative projection year over year. If you're interested in seeing the full financial numbers, follow the break:

Speaking in a recent 1UP podcast, Sega of America's Constantine Hantzopoulos lamented that disappointing sales of Madworld and The Conduit has made the company rethink its plans for the Wii. While internal research suggested there was a viable mature market out there, Constantine believes Sega's gamble did not pay off, further noting that the company is "probably" done with developing titles aimed at the 17 plus bracket on Wii. Looks like their attention towards this particular market segment will stay locked on the Xbox 360 and PS3 going forward.

“Are we going to do more mature titles for the Wii? Probably not. I have to say that it was a space that was open and we took a gamble on it. It’s like, ‘Wow, there’s no mature games on the Wii. Is there an audience out there?’ We did some research, it said there was an audience out there.

Despite garnering positive reviews from critics, MadWorld shifted a meager 66,000 units in its launch month, well below expectations. Shame, but you can't blame 'em after not seeing a sizable return on investment. We'll take it this means a sequel is out of the question, at least on Wii.

Sega “Probably” Done Developing Mature Wii Titles [eXophase.com]

Over the holidays, it can become very stressful with overwhelming purchases, impulsive spending, and the overall business. Come Boxing Day, its important to take advantage of the incredible bargains stores offer to you to relieve the stress of the holidays. Here at mformature.net, we will keep you updated on where all the latest sales are to get the most for your money.

First off on our sales list is EB Games. I do realize this is a Canadian ad, but it gives you an idea of what's to come in the Gamestop flyer with the added currency exchange. In my opinion, this year's flyer doesn't live up to its expectations, although if you want to pick up a PSP 1000, Nintendo DS or Wii, you might be excited to see this. Follow the link to RedFlagDeals to view pictures of the flyer.

- Save 50% on the price of a used Wii Console with the purchase of 2 used Wii Games of $19.99 or more ($89.99 after savings)
- Save 50% on the price of a used Nintendo DS with the purchase of 2 used DS Games of $19.99 or more ($54.99 after savings)
- Save 50% on the price of a used PSP 1000 with the purchase of 2 used PSP Games of $19.99 or more ($54.99 after savings)
- Madworld (Wii) - $19.99
- Gears of War 2 (xbox 360) - $19.99
- End War (PS3) - $3.99

Original Flyer [RedFlagDeals]

Speaking in a recent interview with Official Nintendo Magazine, director Eiji Aonuma confirmed that the next Legend of Zelda installment is poised to make an appearance at E3 2010, noting that development is "well underway." While keeping understandably coy on details, he revealed that the scenario or storyline is already being plotted out and level designers are hard at work on fleshing out the dungeons Link will traverse.

You may be under the impression that we are still only in the early stages of development – [but] in fact we are well into the making of the game. Our team has been working on making the building blocks regarding the action – the scenarios, dungeon-making and so on. We are well underway.

Further to this, Aonuma added that "I hope that we can show you something at the E3 show next year and it is something we are hopeful will be surprising."