Casual News – Aug. 7, 2009

Oberon Media dives into the microtransactions market with Bubble Town: Party Planet; Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort sells half a million copies; and Sarbakan shifts from work-for-hire to original games. These headlines and more below.

News

• Oberon Media announces Bubble Town: Party Planet; company’s first game to feature micro-transactions
• Sarbakan shifts from work-for-hire to original video games
• Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort sells more than 500,000 units
• Merscom to publish Edna & Harvey in North America
• Exponential Entertainment launches its first Hollywood-based casual games
• Games for Windows – Live 3.0 launches with new in-game features
• GameStop appoints digital distribution chief
• Playdom releases Mobsters 2: Vendetta for Facebook
• Lifetime Digital Media and King.com announce exclusive online games alliance 
• Game Developers Conference Austin adds Smedley keynote on SOE’s Free Realms
• DSi sells over 3 million in Japan
• Zoo Entertainment opens its doors to developers
• Natsume reels in Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream on the Wii this month
• World of Zoo developer Blue Fang Games lays off 15
• Disney Interactive Studios ships Hannah Montana: Rock Out the Show for PlayStation Portable

Features

• Social Games: The industry’s new wild west
• Is there money to be made in indie games?
• Postmortem: ngmoco/Demiurge Studios’ WordFu
• Meet the characters of Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger
• iPhone Games – Hits vs. Hype

Erin Bell