Members of the community have noted that it can be difficult to find other players in The Matrix: Mega City. The current level of population density can limit opportunities for socializing with other players which are such a key part of our worlds, so on August 2, 2005, Sony Online will be merging the nine current worlds into three new worlds. This merge should help to increase the number of players on any world at any given time. One world will be Hostile while the other two will run under normal PvP rules.

In the game, players enter the world of Narnia, a land frozen in a 100 year winter by the evil powers of the malevolent White Witch. In order to end this frigid captivity and free his people, the mighty lion Aslan invokes an ancient prophecy. It will become the destiny of four siblings from our world: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie to work together and use their unique combat skills, weaponry and abilities to defeat the Witch and her armies to save Narnia.

Activision extends license with Marvel Enterprises to expand their long-term, broad-based strategic alliance through an additional license agreement for a non-persistent role playing game (RPG).

UFO: Aftershock follows directly from one of the endings of UFO: Aftermath, where the player agrees to hand over the Earth to the Alien scientists, who are trying to change the planet into a giant living organism. The Council of Earth and their followers take refuge on an orbiting satellite prepared for them by the aliens, but not all the survivors of the original invasion where re-located.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that the new Interactive Media Agreement, which secured higher wages and increased benefits but no residuals (i.e. profit-sharing) for the SAG members who lend their voices and likenesses to video games, was approved by 81.2% of the members who voted on the contract.

Sports Interactive have released the first patch for their latest hockey manager, bringing your retail game to v2.0.2 and addressing a massive amount of issues, AI tweaks, localization & engine updates. Read more for details and download links ...

Worms 4: Mayhem is a return to the series' trademark gameplay and sees Team 17's core Worms design and development team regrouping for a game of explosive annelid annihilation. Codemasters has released a multiplayer demo with new content (including maps and weapons), and also updated code correcting some issues of the first demo. Read more for download links ...

Set atop the smoldering ruins of a fictional United States torn apart by civil war, Shattered Union is an action-packed strategy game for console and PC. Gamers will play through an exciting single player campaign to reunite the country by force, or online in one-on-one matches.

Maxis-EA is redefining this highly-acclaimed franchise and will deliver classic open-ended gameplay along with exclusive new features. Aspirational gameplay and fully customizable content will give players the most authentic Sims experience to date on console, and will allow players to make their dreams come true while avoiding their innermost fears. And, for the first time, players will be able to take direct control of their Sim without having to use their cursor.

Fable: The Lost Chapters will feature a host of enhancements from its top-selling Xbox version, including new quests to conquer, areas to explore, creatures to slay and story elements to discover. Fable: The Lost Chapters is expected to reach store shelves this fall.