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Speculation surrounding a new Star Wars game, which is set to be uncloaked at this weekend's Spike Video Game Awards, has now grown to include a database entry from Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification. "Star Wars Legends" seems to have slipped by undetected when it was classified back in June of this year, though it's unclear if the listing was withheld from public view until more recently. According to the online entry, Legends is being produced by LucasArts and published by Activision Blizzard.

Star Wars Legends was first spotted in a trademark filing in July 2008, when LucasArts claimed the title for use as "computer game software" and "entertainment service provided online."

Also: Many tired Star Wars references died to bring you this information etc.

[Via Kotaku.com]

Erik Estavillo has been given a handful of nicknames by the press recently – he listed "Professional/PSN Plaintiff," "The Serial Suer" and a few others when he spoke with Joystiq this morning. He assured us though, time and time again, "That WoW lawsuit, that's my final lawsuit. So people know, I'm not suing any more companies." In case you missed it, Estavillo is currently engaged in four separate lawsuits – one with Microsoft, one with Nintendo, one with Sony (in both Federal and State court), and one with Activision Blizzard. "One lawsuit for each major console maker and one for the PC, so four total," he clarified to us.

Aside from seeking money (anywhere from as low as $180 to $1 million, depending on the case), we asked Estavillo what his intentions were behind launching the multiple lawsuits. "What I wanted to do was exploit the weakness of each console and show that they're not impervious to flaws ... each console has a flaw and they should fix it," he said. During the interview as well as in some of his court filings, Estavillo claimed to be suffering from a variety of psychological maladies, and has repeatedly stated that he uses online gaming as his primary form of communication. "I told this other interviewer and it's true – I actually have no friends. I rely on online gameplay for socialization."

Though he's yet to win a case, his first (by default) could come as soon as December 3 – the end of Sony's 30 days to respond to a summons. If he does, that would mean $180,000 and a "no contest" ruling against Sony. Though he said he'll keep some of the money he may win, he noted that, "Half the money I get is gonna go to God. I'm giving half the money I get to CBN [Christian Broadcasting Network], local churches, charities, or poor people on the street."

We talked to Estavillo about a variety of other topics – from what games he plays to why he's subpoenaing celebrities instead of experts – but due to sheer length we've broken the rest of the interview out after the break.

Update: Erik Estavillo emailed us this evening to say that Sony has responded to his summons, thus closing out the possibility of a default settlement. The first hearing will be in early 2010.

Mother of pearl! We thought it was safe to assume that Shanghai-based MMO operator The9 would lose a chunk of its revenue after handing the license for World of Warcraft over to competing company NetEase. By "a chunk" we, of course, meant "a fraction." Not "almost all revenue," which according to the company's Q3 2009 financial report, is how much it lost year-over-year after passing off the rights to run WoW.

To put it numerically, The9's revenues dropped 94 percent from the same quarter last year. A hit that big must have left a sizable dent in the ol' pocketbook -- however, we're guessing the company's board members take some small, spiteful satisfaction from the tribulations the game has brought to its new operators.

Serial suit launcher Erik Estavillo is making a little name for himself in the game space, as his latest complaint seeks $1 million in damages from Activision Blizzard over the design of World of Warcraft. GamePolitics reports on the complaint, which claims that the publisher maintains a "harmful virtual environment to many of its customers by forcing them to follow the game's sneaky and deceitful practices." Estavillo alleges that the "calculated slow pace" of the game makes turning quests in take longer and thus generates more subscription revenue for Activision Blizzard.

If that wasn't enough, Estavillo also subpoenaed actress Winona Ryder and Depeche Mode's Martin Lee Gore to testify on his behalf regarding alienation. He explains that his health issues, which apparently include OCD, agoraphobia, depression (and more), mean that he "relies on video games heavily for the little ongoing happiness he can achieve in this life."

Estavillo had previously sued Sony after being banned from PSN and also has another suit against Microsoft and Nintendo, for his Xbox 360's Red Ring of Death and Nintendo's disabling of the Homebrew Channel in an update. Perhaps he'll have more luck suing over the design of a game in which millions happily pay to participate.

In a statement to AU GameSpot, South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson said he plans to appeal Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's MA15+ rating in the region. If successful, the game will be banned in Australia and this would be Atkinson's first time intervening on a rating by the Classification Board. Atkinson explains, "I worry about any game that encourages gamers to perpetrate extreme violence and cruelty on screen, but this game allows players to be virtual terrorists and gain points by massacring civilians." Those points for killing civilians aren't the only ones Atkinson is missing.

The anti-game antics of Atkinson are coming dangerously close to reminding us of the United States' disgraced, former attorney Jack Thompson. The Age reports Atkinson was recently on Aussie national radio and expressed that the Classification Board in Australia "does everything" to "get games in under the radar, and film, generally." Later, he stated that he has "no trust" in the board to apply guidelines, thus drawing up guidelines for games to have an R18+ classification "would be to draw them up in sure and certain knowledge that they would be stretched and then broken." So, games aren't being rated properly, but he won't support an R18+ rating. Feel free to drop your "facepalm" reactions below in the comments.

Source -- Atkinson confirms MW2 appeal [AU GameSpot]
Source -- No confidence [The Age]

With the season of bargain hunting upon us, Amazon has a special today on DJ Hero "Renegade Edition" for $150. The set, regularly priced at $200, includes a turntable featuring gaudy gold nobs, a case that converts into a stand and a two-disc CD set featuring Jay-Z and Eminem's block rockin' beats.

The deal is for today only and supplies are limited, so if you're looking to grab the game for the holidays the $30 difference between the "Renegade" version and the standard edition seems much more tolerable.

Remember that silly, insane rumor from back in 2008 about Diablo 3 being released by Blizzard before StarCraft 2? Turns out that Blizzard's Rob Pardo thinks that's a bunch of hogwash. Rather, that's at least what we can infer from his recent conversation with Techland on the subject. "We always announce all of our games too early," he says. "I think it's safe to say that, yeah, [Diablo 3] is not going to be out next year."

Considering StarCraft 2's delay to 2010, we think it's fair to assume that Diablo 3 will in fact not be arriving before a StarCraft sequel. Pardo adds that it's not a question of lacking resources, as "each game has individual development teams; it's just that the way that we develop games, we develop them very iteratively." Worse yet, there doesn't seem to be a finish line in sight for D3. "Now when we announce [a game] we just go, 'Here's the game we're working on, we're going to start talking about it and who knows when it ships.'" If any of you were still holding your breath for Diablo 3's release, now might be a good time to exhale.

[Via Big Download]

What does an Activision Blizzard CEO do to celebrate the most successful launch in entertainment history? Sell his stock, of course. Earlier this week, CEO Bobby Kotick sold nearly two million shares, roughly 40 percent, of his investment in Activision Blizzard alongside the launch of Modern Warfare 2. GameSpot notes that the sale earned Kotick approximately $20 million, with a gain of about $10 per share sold.

While Kotick's sale couldn't have come at a better time (for someone looking to sell), his massive stock dump could be cause for concern for investors. Consider that there may be a few weaknesses in Activision's current strategy, including relying on sales of music games, a vital part of the publisher's empire, which have been slowing down. Activision's focus on iterative brands may also be vulnerable to sales slumps, as EA discovered when consumers became disinterested in worn-out franchises like Medal of Honor. Certainly, Kotick's stock sale could indicate that Activision has peaked as a publisher.

Then again, chances are, it hasn't.

Update: A reader informs us that Kotick still has many "unvested holdings," and with these stock options expiring in the spring, Kotick is forced to sell his remaining vested stock "or else he just gives up those millions for free." Essentially, this sale doesn't relate to his valuation of the company's economic position.

To be clear, we can't be certain that the massive creature seen above is actually called a Brutalisk. We're just assuming so, based on the image's filename. That said, look at that thing. It's humongous. The StarCraft II Twitter account implies that the massive creature is a "custom" unit from the single-player campaign. Given that the first installment of the game, Wings of Liberty, will focus on the Terrans, we get the feeling that players won't be controlling this bad boy. Our suggestion for dealing with the insectoid pest? Two words: Yamato cannon.

[Via Big Download]

The virtual lands of World of Warcraft have played host to a number of strange sights these past few days -- and we're not just talking about the Halloween festivities which have turned once proud heroes into foam-mouthed candy addicts. No, we're talking about the new "Race Change" feature, which has basically turned the game's sociological landscape into the ending of the music video for Michael Jackson's "Black or White." Only ... with, like, Trolls and Orcs and stuff.

For a cool $25, players can change the race (provided that race is in the same faction -- changing that costs extra!), gender, appearance and name of their character. We realize there's a number of people who wouldn't mind freshening up their old avatar, but why not just start a new character for free? Seriously, you haven't sunk that much time into your current level 80 Rogue, have you? Oh, you have? 2,800 hours, you say? That's ... that's actually really depressing. We're depressed by that.

Round and round the DJ Hero pre-order bonuses go. Who has the best one? Nobody kn -- oh wait, we do! Planning on putting down the cash for the Activision turntable simulator at the end of October? Let's see which major retailer has the best deal:

• Amazon – $10 video game credit. (Sounds solid.)
• Best Buy – Receive a free code that unlocks a Daft Punk level. (A "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" level?)
• GameStop – Two free playable song downloads.
• Guitar Hero Store – Free two-day shipping (Sooo, pre-order to get the game two days later?)
• Hollywood/GameCrazy – Receive an exclusive turntable slipmat. (A turntable doily.)
• Walmart.com – $10 electronic gift card. (Bingo!)

Those who are preparing to scratch, what say ye to these offers?

Activision's Shaba Games, which most recently developed Spider-man: Web of Shadows, has allegedly been shuttered. Kotaku reports that sources with knowledge claim the studio closed yesterday; attributing the corporate downsizing to sluggish sales of Guitar Hero 5.

Approximately 30 employees were reportedly laid off at Shaba, which is roughly half the workforce Shaba claims to have -- an eerily similar fate that apparently befell Activision's 7 Studios earlier this week. We're currently following up and will update with any new information.

Update: Activision confirmed the studio's closure with this statement: "Activision continually evaluates the resources at our studio properties to ensure that they are properly matched to our product slate and overall strategic goals. As part of this process, we recently made the difficult but necessary decision to close Shaba Studios. We are grateful for the studio's contributions and wish this talented team success in their future endeavors."

We've contacted 7 Studios for comment on the reported workforce reduction. Stay tuned.

The industry analysts at Game Developer Research could have saved themselves a whole mess of time and money by releasing the following statement in lieu of the latest edition of their annual Top 20 Publishers report: "See previous year." Differentiation from last year's top five ranks -- which, let's be honest, are the only ones you really care about -- is almost non-existent: Nintendo placed first (again), EA came in second (again), Activision Blizzard followed in third (again), Ubisoft retained its fourth place position (again), and Take-Two moved up from sixth to fifth, bumping Sony out of the top five.

The full, totally unsurprising list -- which was calculated based on number of games released, average review scores for said games and estimated revenue for each company -- can be found after the jump. Comments stating why Publisher A is still infinitely better than Publisher B can be found further below.

[Via Gamasutra]

Activision Blizzard has dropped the list of all DJ Hero's block-rockin' beats that players will be mixin' for mad points. The full catalog on the disc consists of 93 tracks covering several genres of music -- the kids (both young and old) aren't likely to be disappointed.

DJ Hero releases on October 27 and October 30 in North America and Europe, respectively. Expect DLC tracks soon after (and maybe a sequel soon after that). Check out the full scratchable set list after the break and let us know what you think.