It wasn't exactly an MMO game; more of a graphical chat room. But it was created by one of the biggest Internet based companies in the world. Yet even the power of Google couldn't get people to try out their Lively virtual world. This week the company announced that Lively, launched in beta form last July, will shut down by the end of the year.

Many people believed that Lively could have been the first step in a plan by Google to get more into actual PC gaming but as Google's blog site states, "...we've also always accepted that when you take these kinds of risks not every bet is going to pay off. " As it turned out not many folks showed up to participate in Lively which may mean that Google's low key approach didn't get the attention it first expected

[Via Massively]

The Trion World Network has continued to keep details about its first game projects under a deep curtain for the most part but today the MMO based company revealed two new hires for their previously announced game-TV show collaboration with the Sci-Fi Channel. Former Blizzard team member Kevin Beardslee joins Trion as the Senior Development Director for the unnamed game. Beardslee was a "key member" of the World of Warcraft team and most recently worked at NCsoft's Carbine Studios on their unnamed MMO.

In addition, Trion and Sci-Fi have hired veteran TV scriptwriter Peter Egan to write the pilot episode of the joint venture. Egan's credits include the Sci-Fi Channel's own TV series The Dresden Files along with other shows like Medium, Over There and Playmakers.

[Via email press release]

Just before the launch of Warhammer Online, book publisher The Black Library released the first novel, Empire In Chaos, based on the fantasy MMO. Today the game's publisher Electronic Arts announced details of the second Warhammer Online novel, titles Dark Storm Gathering.

Scheduled to be released to stores this spring, the novel will have the following storyline from author Chris Wraight : "Human and Elf adventurers are forced to form an uneasy alliance with the armies of the Empire to repel the forces of Chaos. Across the lands, the grim march of Tchar'zanek, dread Champion of the fell powers of Chaos, is underway. Throughout the Empire of Man, the toll from plague and mutation continues to grow, and hope begins to fade. Only the intervention of the High Elves offers respite, but they are beset by foes of their own, the murderous Dark Elves. When the prospect of treachery behind Imperial lines looms, four heroes based on careers in the game – Archmage, White Lion, Witch Hunter and Knight of the Blazing Sun – must work together to uncover the corruption before all is lost."

Sony Online's long running sci-fi MMO Star Wars Galaxies has always been set in between the films Episode 4: A New Hope and Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back. Today the publisher and LucasArts announced that the game has finally given its players a long awaited encounter; Empire's famed Battle of Hoth sequence.

Our sister site Massively has the info on the new addition to Star Wars Galaxies which allows players to join either the Imperial landing force to destroy Echo Base or as the Rebels who are simply trying to get out with as many people and stuff as possible. There are some other new additions in this latest free content update and Massively even has a dev diary from Sony Online on the new features.

The latest Prince of Persia developer's diary goes in depth about the approach toward level design and story creation.

Download HD Prince of Persia Developer Diary #4 (112 MB)
Check out all Prince of Persia downloads

It's been known for some time that a game based on the upcoming summer 2009 movie release Terminator: Salvation has been in the works but today it was revealed that developer GRIN will be handling the reigns of actually making the game itself. The film, which stars Christian "Why did I take this role? I'm freaking Batman, for goodness sakes." Bale as John Connor, finally reveals the "future war" in full that has only been briefly shown in the first three Terminator movies. The third person title will feature you controlling Conner as he fights the many different Terminator models that will be shown in the film as well as new enemies made for the game.

GRIN is one busy developer these days. They released the highly sucessful downloadable game Bionic Commando Rearmed earlier this year. In addition to Terminator: Salvation they have two other AAA games in the works; the full fledged Bionic Commando retail game and another movie based property Wanted: Weapons of Fate.

Usually when we think of 7-Eleven we think of quick stops to get snacks or a Slurpee. Now the convience store is making a major push into video game retailing. We've already reported on how the company is teaming up with casual MMO company Nexon for a Slurpee promotion but now 7-Eleven wants to sell even more games to its customers.

This month, 7-Eleven stores will sell seven major game titles including the PC version of Fallout 3 and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. This is not just something the company is doing for the holidays but a new year-round product catagory that they see expanding into not just the big high profile games but also smaller value priced titles. We will have to see if 7-Eleven can seriously challenge the Walmarts and Gamestops of the world.

Last year Blizzard had some fun with their World of Warcraft commercials, having actors like William Shatner, Verne Troyer and especially Mr. T explain their "love" of the game (more likely the love of getting some cash to do the TV ads). Now Blizzard has prepared two more similar commercials for the launch of the expansion pack Wrath of the Lich King.

One of them is very brief and shows rocker and actor Steve Van Zandt doing his Sopranos character but the second is the funniest commercial yet for the game. It features none other than Ozzy Osbourne himself taking on the Lich King in the game. That commercial is above you. You can see the Steve Van Zandt clip after the jump.

[Thanks WoW Insider]

These new The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria videos take viewers through some of the different areas players can find new expansion. The video shown above is for an area called Zelem-melek, and videos for The Great Delving and The Redhorn Lodes are available for download. Tolkien fans can experience these new areas themselves, since the Mines of Moria is out in stores now. The expansion also includes two new player classes and the ability to custom level legendary weapons.

Download HD Mines of Moria Zelem-melek Trailer (51 MB)
Download HD Mines of Moria The Great Delving Trailer (49 MB)
Download HD Mines of Moria The Redhorn Lodes Trailer (41 MB)
Check out all The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria downloads

Activision and Treyarch have released the official mod tools for Call of Duty: World at War, allowing users to manipulate the game and create their own designs.

Download the Call of Duty: World at War Mod Tools (1.1 GB)
Check out all Call of Duty: World at War downloads

It was a case of "good news-bad news" today for game retailer Gamestop. The good news is that the company, even in the midst of a bad economy, had a profit of $46.7 million for its latest quarter that ended Nov. 1. The bad news is that its profits were lower than the same period a year ago when it earned $52 million.

The results missed expectations from Wall Street analysts and as a result Gamestop's stock has taken a hit today, going down as much as 8 percent in trading. The retailer also cut its forecasts for the current quarter and the full year in earnings due to the uncertain economic situation. Gamestop also completed its recently revealed purchase of the France-based retailer Micromania for $636 million, less than its previously predicted price of $700 million.

If you are unfamiliar with the fable of Cinderella, then you have either been deprived of perhaps the most cherished tale of rags-to-riches and foot fetishes ever told, or spared a constantly regurgitated litany of self-pity and wishful thinking. It's all about perspective. This week's episode of American McGee's Grimm finds the disgusting do-badder out to make Cinderella's life that much more difficult rather than send her on her way to happily ever after. Is picking on Cinderella as enjoyable as other entries in the Grimm series? If you enjoy Grimm, then yes. If not, then no. Are you surprised?

There are two demos available for the point-and-click adventure game Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches. In Demo #1, players play Chapter 1: Arrival, where they may explore the remote Welsh farmstead known as Ty Pryderi. In Demo #2, players can have a go at Chapter 5: Boswell's Office, an underground office located beneath Ty Pryderi. These demos highlight the engaging and unusual challenges unique to Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches.

"Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches, a game based on the gripping tales of the Mabinogion, a collection of stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts, is deep rooted in Celtic mythology and follows the present day haunting of a lonely teenage girl named Rhiannon, as she unwillingly enters a world filled with supernatural phenomena, magic, and legend."

Download Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches Demo #1 (75 MB)
Download Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches Demo #2 (79 MB)

Already revealed via a brief IGN interview last night, Codemasters has now issued the official press release for DiRT 2, the upcoming off-road racing sequel to their 2007 released game. The press release claims the sequel, due out sometime in 2009, will have "contemporary off-road events, taking players to the most diverse and challenging real-world environments"

The press release comes with the first official screenshots from the game showing off some of the new settings for DiRT 2. We can expect locations to include "canyon racing and jungle trails to city stadium-based events." The game's EGO graphics engine has also gotten a revamp which will allow DiRT 2's visuals to be "twice as detailed as those seen in Race Driver: GRID." The publisher also promises powerful vehicles to drive right from the start with seven different character classes.

We knew that it was going to be huge and it was. Blizzard has announced this morning that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King sold a massive 2.8 million copies in just its first day of release. That shattered the previous one-day PC game sales record set by the last World of Warcraft expansion pack, The Burning Crusade, in early 2007.

Blizzard's 11 million strong subscriber base for the game came out in droves last week to buy the second expansion. Now the question is can the game keep the sales momentum up for the next month. The Burning Crusade sold 3.53 million copies in its first month and one financial analyst has already predicted Wrath of the Lich King will sell as many as 5 million copies in its first month.