The Catch-Up: July 2nd, 2013 – EA CEO Hunt “Back to Square One,” NPD set to Track Digital Game Sales, Next Mass Effect Gets a Senior Development Director

In case you missed it, it’s a pretty crazy PlayStation Store update today. Not only is Battlefield 3 free for PlayStation Plus members, there’s a Summer Blast saleThe Walking Dead: 400 Days is out, and so is Velocity Ultra (expect a review soon).

General News

  • Killer is Dead is now confirmed for an August 27th release date at $59.99. All first-run launch copies will come with an 80-page hardcover art book, soundtrack CD with 25 songs, and Smooth Operator DLC, which includes in-game Gigolo Glasses, alternate costume for Vivienne and Mika, bonus Gigolo Mission with Betty, and an entire additional episode with the vampiric Sebastian. [Press Release]
  • Thanks to many vocal fans, the voice of Max in Mad Max from Avalanche Studios, scheduled for 2014, will have an Australian accent. [Twitter]
  • Capcom won’t be at gamescom this year. Aww. [Source]
  • If you missed out on any Future Shop steelbooks, they are selling them off right now at $4.99 a piece, or 3 for $10. [Check Out The Sale]
  • Michel Ancel explained how he though doing Beyond Good & Evil 2 on current generation consoles “was possible, but it’d be painful.” With the next-gen coming up, he’s hoping “good things will come for this project very soon.” [Source]
  • Chris Wynn, Senior Producer on Gears of War: Judgment, let it be known that he has joined BioWare as the Senior Development Director on the next Mass Effect. [Twitter]
  • Ubisoft is bringing South Park: The Stick of Truth, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Rayman Legends, and Watch Dogs to Comic-Con San Diego, with panels accompanying all except Rayman Legends. [Press Release]
  • Michael Pachter, Analyst, is reporting that Don Mattrick was a “front-runner” for the EA CEO position before he took the job with Zynga. Because he’s taken now, Pachter says they are “back to square one” in their search, with COO Peter Moore and EVP Frank Gibeau the top two choices moving forwards. [Source]
  • CCP Games, DUST 514, has hired Sean Decker as its new Senior Vice President of Product Development. Coming from EA, he’ll help the company “build upon the launch od DUST 514, expand EVE Online, continue development of World of Darkness, and kick start out efforts in mobile gaming.” [Press Release]
  • Mystic Chronicles from Natsume, something they call “a perfect fit for fans of retro 16-bit RPGs,” is releasing on the PSP (PS Vita compatible) in North America on July 16th for $14.99. [Press Release]
  • In awesome news, the NPD is planning on being able to track digital game sales for both full games and DLC worldwide. Though there’s no time frame as of right now, they are hoping to get it done “quickly” with the launch of PS4 and Xbox One rapidly approaching. [Source]

New Videos

  • Check out the history of General Zod with this video:

  • Pinball Heroes: Complete released for the PlayStation Vita today and here’s the trailer to celebrate it:

If you were a super hero who had the power to be really good at pinball, what would your name be? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to check out the rest of the articles published throughout the day on PSLS.

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