Scott Stuber has signed on to produce and begin work on the script for the Gears of War film, Variety has reported.

Talks to adapt Epic Games’ third-person shooter Gears of War for the big screen have been underway for several years. The project, which was revealed in 2007, encountered development troubles in 2010 and was reportedly revived in 2012.

Stuber is no stranger to the action genre, having produced such films such as Safe House and the upcoming 47 Ronin.

Several Hollywood names have been attached to the project in the past, including directors Tony Scott (Top Gun, Man on Fire), Len Wiseman (Underworld: Evolution), and writer Chris Morgan (Wanted; The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift). The Creative Arts Agency, which represents Epic Games, was reportedly eager to meet with producers to discuss the film in October last year.

Lord of the Rings studio New Line originally picked up rights to the movie adaptation, but the project was put on hold in order to focus efforts on the Hobbit trilogy. Stuber reportedly has a first look deal with Universal.

Digital distribution service Steam just launched an Unreal Indie Bundle deal that features seven PC games built using the Unreal Engine 3.

Dungeon Defenders is one of the games on the Unreal Indie Bundle.

The bundle is a joint collaboration between Epic Games and independent developers. The deal costs $19.99 and features the following titles: Sanctum, Dungeon Defenders, Primal Carnage, Q.U.B.E, Unmechanical, Waves, and The Ball.

The sale will last from today until May 5. Visit the official Steam page for more information.

Square Enix has begun a round of layoffs in its UK and European offices.

In a statement to MCV UK, the company confirmed the news. The announcement comes after the publisher saw an "extraordinary loss" for the financial year ended March 31.

Speaking to the trade publication, Square Enix said, "We are reviewing our business in Europe to ensure we have the right structure, content, and skills for the changing entertainment landscape."

"We do expect changes to the UK office, which will affect personnel. We will update you when the time is right, but our priority right now is for the people within the business.’

Last month, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada resigned from the company following the announcement of an expected 10 billion yen loss for the 2012-2013 financial year. Despite being well-received critically, sales for big-budget Square Enix titles Tomb Raider, Hitman: Absolution, and Sleeping Dogs failed to meet expectations in the North American market.

The Kickstarter campaign for Big Blue, an oceanic adventure game being made by team members who created the Ecco the Dolphin series for Sega, has failed to meet its goal.

Despite the Kickstarter failure, the creators will still work on a small-scale version of Big Blue.

The page raised $55,764, with its target goal being $665,000. Creator Ed Annunziata revealed his contingency plan in the form of a project called Little Blue. The game will serve as a small sampling of the original Big Blue project and requires less funding.

Due to its smaller scale, the game will have fewer environments and creatures compared to the original project. If the funding for Little Blue is a success, the game will be out for free and will have a link that will bring players to an additional Kickstarter for a full-fledged Big Blue.

The date for the Little Blue Kickstarter has yet to be confirmed. For more information on what could have been, check out GameSpot's coverage on Big Blue.

Activision has released a new trailer for Call of Duty Online, which states that the China-based PC game's alpha phase will start on April 30.

This version of Call of Duty will be set in the Modern Warfare timeline.

The new trailer shows off maps and features alpha testers will be experiencing. Players will get to play on maps called Storm, Crash Tropical, Bog, Desert Border, Underpass, and Estate Tropical.

The game modes on this build are Kill Confirmed, a standard team deathmatch mode where collecting dog tags from dead opponents net a team points. Story missions will also be available; players will have to form a team and complete objectives ranging from capturing enemy informants to surviving waves of enemy soldiers.

In addition, an Activision 2012 financial report said that Call of Duty Online may be released outside of China (via Seeking Alpha). Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg said that there are other regions where the game would be relevant, but did not announce plans at this point in time.

Call of Duty Online has been in development for two years and is set in the Modern Warfare timeline. Chinese internet provider Tencent will be publishing the game in the country.

The first information about Respawn Entertainment's debut effort may have been exposed. Several sources have told Kotaku that the studio's first game will be a multiplayer-focused, always-online Xbox 720 exclusive. A version may also release for Xbox 360, but iterations for PlayStation and Nintendo consoles are not in the cards, one source said.

Call of Duty studio Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella created Respawn Entertainment in 2010 after Activision fired them, claiming insubordination. The studio's first game will be published by Activision rival Electronic Arts.

The game is reportedly a future-set online multiplayer shooter and was described as a battle of Davids and Goliaths. It is not clear if a traditional single-player campaign will be included or if there will be any way to play the game offline.

"The Davids are heavily armed foot soldiers. The Goliaths are giant exoskeletons--Titans--that these soldiers can pilot. These Titans are big, mech-style walkers that move with an agility not seen in games like Mechwarrior or Steel Battalion," Kotaku writes.

Respawn Entertainment recently filed a trademark application for the name "Titan," suggesting this may be the title of the company's first game.

The new game is reportedly being made on a modified version of Valve's Source engine and not internal technology from Electronic Arts like Frostbite, which powers the Battlefield series, among others. Respawn is handling development of the Xbox 720 version, one source said, noting the company is in the process of choosing another studio to make the Xbox 360 version.

Neither Respawn nor EA could be reached for comment. A Microsoft representative said, "We do not comment on rumors or speculation. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform, but we don’t have anything further to share at this time."

Gamers may not have long to wait to learn official details about Respawn's first game. If the game is in fact an next Xbox exclusive, Microsoft may choose to show it off during the platform's reveal event on May 21.

If the game is a no-show at Microsoft's event, it will likely be unveiled just weeks later. Zampella said last month that Respawn will attend the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo in June, adding "I have no intention of showing up empty-handed!"

West has since left the company to take care of "family issues."

Respawn's first title was previously hinted to be, by EA Labels president Frank Gibeau, a first-person science-fiction shooter. It may support 3D.

Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts' upcoming space simulator Star Citizen today reached $9 million in crowd-funding, up from $8 million in the middle of February.

The game's Kickstarter campaign closed with $2,134,374, while funds through the Roberts Space Industries website stand at $6,885,668 million and climbing.

The funding milestone for Star Citizen comes a week after developer Cloud Imperium Games announced it would expand its network of studios and open an office in Santa Monica, California.

Star Citizen has been in development at Cloud Imperium Games for more than a year. The game itself includes a "sophisticated storyline" that is set in a persistent online universe. According to Roberts, it will fuse elements of his previous games, Wing Commander and Freelancer, and support for the virtual reality headset Oculus Rift is planned.

Much like Guild Wars II, Star Citizen will be available through a one-time purchase, but will not require a subscription. Players can also purchase virtual items with real-world money to customize their ships.

Nintendo is now selling refurbished 3DS and DSi XL portables through its online store, with offers beginning at $99 and scaling to $170 for software bundles. Notably, Nintendo's prices are as much as $30 below what GameStop charges and are only available in the United States and Canada.

The secondhand units come with a one-year warranty and have been cleaned, tested, and inspected to "meet Nintendo's high standards." They are sold directly through Nintendo and are guaranteed to be fully functional, though "minor cosmetic blemishes" may exist.

Available refurbished units include $99 Metallic Rose or Midnight Blue DSi XLs, or in the same colors with Mario Kart DS packed in for $130.

Those in the market for a 3DS can grab an Aqua Blue or Midnight Purple system for $130, or a bundle with the same color units and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for $170.

The prices Nintendo is offering are below what GameStop charges for refurbished units. The retailer's price for a standard refurbished 3DS unit is $160, while DSi XL units go for $110.

A GameStop representative was not immediately to comment.

Gamers who preorder Diablo III for PlayStation 3 will receive the exclusive Infernal Helm (below right), which grants users an XP boost, Blizzard Entertainment announced today.

"Wearable at level 1, the Infernal Helm confers a +EXP bonus to help you whip your new PlayStation characters into tip-top shape," Blizzard said in a statement. "Plus, it looks sweet as hell (pun intended) on all five mortal heroes of Sanctuary--Witch Doctor, Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Wizard, and Monk."

Currently, Diablo III for PS3 is scheduled to launch sometime in 2013, with the Infernal Helm becoming available on launch day. The item will apply to all PS3 characters, but will not transfer to any characters from the PC version of the game.

Diablo III was announced for the PS3 and PS4 during Sony's major media event in February and was playable at PAX East in March. Diablo III for consoles features a new interface and control scheme, allowing players to directly control their character.

The console version allows for offline play, while the PC and Mac iterations mandates that players be connected to Blizzard's Battle.net service, even when playing single-player.

BioShock Infinite's first downloadable content expansion may add a new artificial intelligence (AI) companion character. A 2K Games developer has listed "DLC1" on his LinkedIn page (via Superannuation), with work including "animation and R&D for a new AI companion character."

No further details about this character were divulged and an Irrational Games representative was not immediately available to comment.

Elizabeth is the main AI character in BioShock Infinite. It is unclear how this new character, if it is added to the game, would affect Elizabeth's role in the game.

BioShock Infinite's $20 DLC season pass includes three expansions for the first-person shooter, said to provide "hours" of additional gameplay and include new stories, characters, abilities, and weapons.

The official Call of Duty website main landing page has been taken over by a cryptic fan mosaic, potentially teasing the next entry in Activision's popular first-person shooter series.

Gamers can add their Twitter or Facebook profile picture and a message to the mosaic, in an effort to presumably reveal the next Call of Duty game. At press time, the mosaic is fairly sparse, though it appears to depict a face of some sort.

Activision is rumored to officially announce 2013's Call of Duty game on Wednesday, May 1. Retailers Tesco and Target have revealed this game to be an Infinity Ward-produced Call of Duty: Ghosts running on a next-generation engine, but Activision has not commented on this.

The fan mosaic on the Call of Duty website does not appear to be an accident, as Activision community manager Dan Amrich is promoting the teaser through his website.

"Something’s up at callofduty.com," he wrote. "You might wanna check it out."

New York City-based filmmaker Shannon Sun-Higginson has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a film aimed at "exposing the harassment of women in video games." Sun-Higgison is seeking $20,000 for the film, to be called GTFO: A Film About Women In Gaming.

The film will feature gamers, bloggers, scholars, developers, and "experts." A trailer is available on the campaign's Kickstarter page.

"I am just a casual gamer, so I was shocked about a year ago when a friend told me about the abuse that many female gamers and other industry figures endure on a daily basis," Sun-Higginson wrote. "I immediately began researching and filming this documentary, titled 'GTFO' in reference to the exclusionary response that many women encounter while gaming."

Sun-Higgison acknowledged that not all gamers are "trolls or abusers," but wants to make GTFO: A Film About Women In Gaming because sexism in games "is a real problem and it's time that the non-gaming public know about it."

"Nobody should have to endure being called a derogatory term simply because of their gender (or race, religion, or sexual orientation, for that matter)," she said. "It is not only offensive to the victim and detrimental to the public image of the industry, but it also discourages countless women who want to be part of new and creative media."

The purpose of the film, Sun-Higginson said, is to reveal the experiences of women in the gaming industry "both good and bad," and also to lay out steps that can be taken to "change the environment for the better." She said she has already filmed various interviews, tournaments, classes, and conventions, but needs the $20,000 to finish the project.

Sun-Higginson also published a budget plan for the $20,000, should the project be successful. Thirty percent will go towards shooting expenses, 30 percent to post-production costs, 30 percent to licensing rights for game footage, and the remaining 10 percent for festival submissions and promotion.

At press time, the campaign for GTFO: A Film About Women In Gaming had amassed $11,584 from 322 backers with ten days remaining. If successful, the film will launch by March 2014.

Rockstar Games is holding an online casting call, giving fans an opportunity to appear as one of five Epsilon Program members in this September's high-profile open-world sandbox action game Grand Theft Auto V.

To participate, fans must fill out the form on the Epsilon Program website by May 27 and upload a photo of themselves. Rockstar said this photo should be well-lit and focus closely on the person's head and shoulders, similar to a passport picture.

"We recommend that you look straight into the camera and that you do not wear anything that obscures your features such as glasses or a hat," the company said.

If chosen, a person's features will be used to create one of the five characters in GTAV. It was not divulged what role these characters will play in the game.

Last week, Rockstar teased GTAV in a new video related to the Kifflom fictional cult religion that is the focus of the Epsilon Program viral marketing for the game.

GTAV launches September 17 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. New trailers for the game will be released tomorrow, April 30, at 11 a.m. EDT.

Dead Island and Call of Juarez series developer Techland today announced Hellraid, the game formerly known as Project Hell. Due out in 2013, the first-person hack-and-slash game is coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Hellraid features a single-player campaign and a "unique" cooperative multiplayer component that pits four players against creatures of Hell.

"The armies of Hell brought pain and destruction to the realm of man, and only a select few have the fighting skills necessary to confront the devilish monstrosities," the game's description reads.

Hellraid promises to combine elements of hack-and-slash role-playing games, first-person shooters, and online multiplayer games. The title also sports a Game Master system that claims to make "each game a different experience" by placing loot and enemies in different places and generating random online challenges.

Techland's current project is Call of Juraez: Gunslinger, which launches May 22 on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC for $15.

Ubisoft has announced that its upcoming open-world title Watch Dogs will be released in North America on November 19.

The game will reach Europe three days later on November 22.

The dates apply to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC versions of the game. A PlayStation 4 version is confirmed, and Ubisoft says that version of Watch Dogs will be available "at the launch" of the console, whenever that might be. Sony has said the PlayStation 4 will launch later this year.

As for Microsoft's yet-to-be-unveiled next Xbox--which the company will formally unveil on May 21--Ubisoft adds that Watch Dogs "is also planned for other next generation consoles."

Ubisoft also detailed the various special editions of the game that will be made available.

Purchase the game through Ubisoft's Uplay store to get the Watch Dogs Uplay Exclusive Edition, which comes with three additional single-player missions. Ubisoft says the trio of objectives add almost 60 minutes to the game.

The three missions are called the Palace Pack, Signature Shot, and Breakthrough Pack. They're all offered in various other combinations with various other retailers, and offer bonuses after completion that will help out in the rest of the game.

The most expensive edition of Watch Dogs is The Dedsec Edition, however, which offers up a 23cm figurine of protagonist Aiden Pearce, a steelbook case, an artbook, soundtrack, map of Chicago, four collectible cards, three badges, and all three extra missions. The Watch Dogs Deadsec Edition is available at selected retailers.

This story contains Heavy Rain spoilers

Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain, and Beyond: Two Souls studio Quantic Dream has explained why it does not make sequels. Speaking with GameSpot during the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumiere said doing so doesn't make sense from a story standpoint.

"We are not fundamentally against sequels," de Fondaumiere said. "We haven't done it before because the stories we wanted to tell were basically finished. Ethan Mars loses another son? You know, it just doesn't make sense."

In January, Quantic Dream head David Cage claimed that sequels suppress innovation.

"If you're interested in innovation and believe that games could be more than shooters, then you realize that sequels kill creativity and innovation," Cage said at the time.

Heavy Rain sold over 2 million units and grossed $100 million for Sony. Were Sony and Quantic Dream missing out on business potential by not making Heavy Rain 2?

"To a certain degree, yes," de Fondaumiere said. Sony reportedly never asked for Heavy Rain 2.

However, Quantic is making sequels, if the franchise is thought of as "Quantic Dream and David Cage," de Fondaumiere explained.

"But on the other hand, we think the franchise is Quantic Dream and David Cage. And this is what we are trying to accomplish game after game," he said. "You see this progression and [fans] are following us. And so the brand is really Quantic and David Cage and that's what we really push forward. Hopefully it works."

Beyond: Two Souls launches October 8 exclusively for PlayStation 3.

A team at the Netherlands-based Leiden University has published a research paper that says video games, specifically first-person shooters, enhance the memory capacity of players.

The results, published in the journal Psychological Research (via Science Daily), are based off a test comparing the working memory of those who played at least five hours of shooter games weekly to those who never played video games.

Working memory can be thought of as the brain's short-term memory, according to the BBC. "Working memory can help us overcome a particular problem or perform a task, like mental arithmetic, using a phone number, or following a set of directions. However the amount of information we can hold is limited and the information itself is very unstable - a sudden distraction and the information is lost and you have to start again from scratch."

Dr. Lorenza Colzato, who works at the Leiden University's cognitive psychology unit, said that "we think that video game experience trains your brain to become more flexible in the updating and monitoring of new information, enhancing the memory capacity of the gamers."

Colzato says FPS games "require players to develop a flexible mindset to rapidly react and monitor fast moving visual and auditory stimuli."

"We believe that gaming is a fast and easy way to enhance your memory," concluded Colzato.

Quantic Dream co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumiere met with prolific Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio in 2004 to discuss whether or not the Titanic star would partner with the French studio for his first game. Ultimately, he declined over concerns of image and doubts that technology at the time could faithfully replicate his actions.

In the time since, Quantic Dream released Heavy Rain, a game that de Fondaumiere described during a New York City event on Saturday as a "tipping point" for Hollywood. He said this game has changed actors' mindsets about games from "Oh, it's kind of interesting. Yeah, I'd be tempted" To "Yeah, I want to be part of it."

"This is really a game that had an impact in Hollywood," de Fondaumiere said. "People are talking about [Heavy Rain] on good terms and saying 'this is a possible avenue now for talents to express themselves.'"

De Fondaumiere wouldn't say if he's held any additional meetings with DiCaprio since 2004, but explained that the stigmas attached to games--"they're addicting," "they lead to violence"--have been "exaggerated" and are generally not accepted by consumers at large.

"I think that things have evolved. I think people understand that some of the criticism that has been on gaming; the stigma that has been on gaming’has been exaggerated," de Fondaumiere said.

Still, he explained that games must go further and show the entertainment industry that games can convey messages with meaning.

He believes an example is Beyond: Two Souls, which features not only the voices, but also body movements, of actors like Ellen Page (Inception, Juno, Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The Boondock Saints), Kadeem Hardison (A Different World), and Eric Winter (Days of Our Lives, The Mentalist), among others.

"There needs also to be projects, or products, if I may say so, that show that we’re doing something meaningful," he said. "I think that our responsibility as a medium is to be maybe a little bit more meaningful with what we're doing."

"I think that our responsibility as a medium is to be maybe a little bit more meaningful with what we're doing."

Still, some games are just supposed to be fun and not require gamers to think too much, de Fondaumiere said. There is a place for these types of games in the industry, but don't expect Quantic Dream to make an over-the-top shooter anytime soon.

"I think there are certain games that are just fun. And that’s great. When I come home, sometimes I just don’t want to think too much about anything. It's like watching an action film. Or playing an action game," he said. "What we're trying to do at Quantic is show that--we're not the only ones, of course--that there are a number of creators today that want to bring something more meaningful. And that's what interests us."

The stakes for Beyond: Two Souls are serious, according to de Fondaumiere. He explained that Quantic Dream has a responsibility to the industry at large to make sure the PlayStation 3 exclusive shines as brightly as it can because the future of the medium may depend on it.

"Not only do we have a responsibility towards our employees, our shareholders, Sony--who's financing this project--but to a certain degree I think also towards the industry to succeed," de Fondaumiere said. "I hope that we're going to show that Hollywood talent brings something. That these actors have an incredible talent and that they're going to raise the bar in terms of what you consider as being the benchmark for characterization."

"Whether the game sells or not, it's not irrelevant, it's important; but it's less important. I think the minimum is that there is a critical consensus that this is the way forward."

Beyond: Two Souls launches October 8.

[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, Rockstar Games confirmed it will release new Grand Theft Auto V trailers tomorrow, April 30, at 11 a.m. EDT.

The original story follows below

Rockstar Games will introduce gamers to Grand Theft Auto V protagonists Michael, Trevor, and Franklin next week through a trio of trailers, the developer suggested today in an update to its website.

No further information was divulged.

GTAV is the first entry in the open-world series to feature multiple playable protagonists for its main storyline. Players can switch between them at "nearly any time." Sometimes the three will work together, with players able to swap back and forth in a similar way to the Lego series of games.

Michael, Trevor, and Franklin each have a distinct personality, skill set, and posse of friends. When players are controlling one of the characters, the other two will leave and do something else on their own.

To date, Rockstar has released two GTAV trailers. The first was released on November 2, 2011 and provided the first look inside the gameworld, believed to be larger than Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and GTA IV combined.

The second trailer launched November 14, 2012 and focused on protagonists Michael, Trevor, and Franklin. It highlighted the stories of the three characters, as well as new areas of the game's fictional setting of Los Santos.

Earlier this week, Rockstar teased GTAV in a religious cult video showing off the fictional Kifflom religion and Epsilon Program viral marketing campaign.

GTAV launches September 17 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Wii U and PC versions are "up for consideration."