So World of Warcraft recently hit 11 million subscribers–big freakin’ deal. It turns out that Call of Duty 4 has 14 million (though in all fairness, it’s not terribly surprising that more people are playing a 5 minute multiplayer action game than a 300 hour MMORPG). In apparent celebration of this fact, Robert Bowling, Infinitum Ward community manager posted some basic descriptive statistics about the popular FPS on his blog.

Probably the most interesting factoid is that, of all the people kicking your butt when you log on, only about half have bothered to complete the game. It’s certainly true that fighting humans demands a different skill set than fighting scripted AI, but this means that most players have missed Call of Duty 4′s succinct and generally excellent campaign mode. Hell, after listening to the chatter, I’m pretty sure that half of them don’t even know what a ghillie suit is.

Ziff Davis announced today that it has sold 1up.com, GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com, GameTab.com, and print magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly to UGO Entertainment. Rumors have been flying to this effect as speculators noted that the electronic gaming network has lost money over its 5 year run.

Said the 1up network director Sam Kennedy, “We are extremely excited to join the UGO team. Relying on UGO’s publishing platform will allow us to focus on what we do best — creating great content and ‘owning the conversation’ among gamers through our unique, authentic and definitive voice and community.”

Although much of the official press surrounding the buyout has been positive (Ziff Davis for example, will be able to use this transaction to pay off some of its debt) and focused on the growth opportunity this represents for UGO, the buyout was born of money troubles in a tough economy and there have been casualties. The most visible to consumers will be the closure of EGM magazine after its January issue, with corresponding layoffs. Furthermore, much of the podcasting and video podcasting staff from 1up have also been terminated. All told, approximately 30 gaming journalists and related staff are on the streets today as a result of the buyout.

Kennedy defended UGO’s downsizing, saying, “UGO did what they could to, what I consider, ‘save’ 1UP. Obviously, all of us would have wanted to see things go differently . . . If any company out there would have been willing to support us as we were, they certainly didn’t step up.”

It’s difficult to blame Kennedy for making the best of the situation and looking to the future, but those journalists on the street tonight are entering an unfavorable job market. Best wishes to those affected.

Once upon a time there was a little company called Working Designs. Before indie developers came to the limelight and before community development became a packaged commodity, they were the closest thing to nerds like us delivering games. Perhaps most famous for adapting the Lunar Series, Working Designs localized games as a labor of love (love steeped in fart jokes and ephemeral political humor perhaps, but love nonetheless).

When Working designs eventually folded, founding father Victor Ireland didn’t give up the dream. Instead he founded a newer, leaner company by the name of Gaijinworks to fill the legacy that Working Designs left.

There, um, hasn’t been much filling in the intervening years, but the localization giant has just stirred. Ireland himself has announced an upcoming announcement (meta-announced?) for a game Gaijinworks will release around the summer. The announcement is due in a month or two, so if you’re the speculating type, now’s your chance. Otherwise, if you yearn hard enough, perhaps your pet game will be the project announced.

The new year is upon us and so it’s time to take a look back. For gaming websites like this one, that usually means some sort of game of the year award where the editors of the publication get together and vote/argue for their personal picks.

How myopic. It’s a new year; some perspective is in order.

Ok, by now everyone who has so much as touched a computer has experienced the effects of anonymity on human behavior (nsfw). We need feedback from vocal tone, facial expressions, and general body language to keep us grounded, especially as we develop. When you lose the feedback, you can’t judge when you’ve overstepped yourself. Need [...]