It looks like the critically-acclaimed sleeper hit Psychonauts by Tim Schafer and Double Fine Productions (for the first Xbox, PS2 and PC) will finally get some love it deserves: the latest update in Double Fine Productions website features banners for their two current gaming projects. Of course, Brütal Legend for the PS3 and Xbox 360 is featured in one of the banners, while the other one bears the silhouette of Psychonaut's main character, Raz, with the message "Coming Soon" stamped on top.

The banner is just a mere teaser, and Double Fine's website doesn't offer any more details about their plan to revive their top-notch title. As there isn't much details to work on regarding this matter, we still can't give you a clue as to even just for which console this will be appearing in, although Eurogamer is guessing that the new Psychonauts title will be most probably for the Wii.

But don't you worry. You can trust us to sniff out more news, so stay tuned!

Video game designer Tim Schafer's upcoming title Brutal Legend has landed a cover spot on the latest issue of Game Informer. This is according to a post on the official Double Fine forums.

Not much is known about Brutal Legend just yet, but the mag describes it as "A Rock n' Roll roadshow". Actor Jack Black will apparently be voicing roadie Eddie Riggs, presumably the game's main protagonist. We'll report more details as soon as soon as they surface.

Schafer's most recent project was the 2005 platformer Psychonauts. The game received critical acclaim but suffered from lackluster sales.

The industry-focused leg of the Games Convention at GCDC 2007 will take place">Leipzig is expected to break its previous record of 650 attendees, after Leipziger Messe GmbH announced through press wire that the registered attendee tally for the 2007 event has hit 850 attendees. The Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC) will take place on August 20-22, just before the consumer and retailer exhibition.

 

Hailing from 35 countries all over the globe - 60 percent from the North American and UK regions - participants have the opportunity to witness the delivery of more than 80 event keynotes from over 120 speakers. And representatives from their respective industry segments - namely handheld, mobile, console, PC, Mac, and online markets - will expound on visions, themes and issues relevant to the industry's times.

Although much of the planned discussions will be focused on the industry side, there will also be discussions on how society and political bodies can properly recognize the gaming industry, and the significance of associations representing the game industry to the outside world.

And in another note, Leipziger Messe has particularly named Tim Schafer of Double Fine Production (Grim Fandango, Psychonauts) to deliver his keynote speech entitled "Games and Creativity," adapted for the new age of game development. If memory serves us right, Schafer and his studio has been secretly at work on a game project under Vivendi's revived Sierra Entertainment label.

It was claimed to be titled "Brutal Legend", but that has been under question for some time since it was retracted. But if former Leipzig revelations are were groundbreaking, then you may count that fellow blogger Schafer will spill more details on his ambitious "labor of love."

The 2007 Games Convention Developers Conference opening remarks will be delivered by none other than the Chairman of the European Games Development Forum (EGDF), Fred Hasson. More GC and GCDC news coming your way, before the Leipzig-filled week begins next Monday.

Yes, the Game Developer's Choice Awards, one of many the peer-based awards in the gaming industry, will be hosted in March 7, 2007 at the Esplanade Ballroom of the Moscone Center's South Hall. The GDCA Advisory Board now has announced the names of fellow legendary developers to be awarded special honors during the award ceremony hosted by Tim Schafer.

Jamil Moledina, Executive Director of the Game Developers Conference, said:

This year’s recipients of the Game Developers Choice Award special honors reflect the dramatic impact of their visionary creations and industry work. Our four honorees are each responsible for inspiring the industry to creative heights through personal example and challenging conventional wisdom.

The legends and their awards are as follows:

• First Penguin Award - Alexey Pajitnov (Tetris)
  
• Maverick Award - Greg Costikyan (pioneer of indie games)
  
• Community Contribution Award - George "The Fatman" Sanger (game audio developer)
  
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong, Mario Bros.)
  

The First Penguin Award acknowledges developers who venture into unknown territory and pave the way for the rest of the development community. The Maverick Award recognizes those who take risks by experimenting with unconventional methods. The Community Contribution Award is presented to a developer who embodies the spirit of community and encourages improvement among peers.

Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award are selected by the Choice Awards Advisory Board, who are a collection of developers from around the globe. Past recipients of this award include Richard Garriott, Eugene Jarvis, Mark Cerny, Gunpei Yokoi (posthumously), Yuji Naka and Will Wright.

The tallies have been counted and the finalists have been singled out. Capcom Entertainment and Clover Studio's (though sadly, now dissolved) Okami and Bethesda Game Studios and 2k Games' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (coming out on  PC, the X360, and PS3) bagged four nominations each, including being finalists in the category Best Game. This puts both titles ahead of all other nominees, of which thousands were submitted from all over the globe.

The Game Developer's Choice Awards will determine this year's Best Game at the Esplanade Ballroom of the Moscone Center's South hall on March 7, 2007. Developers from all over the world will finally see the recipients of the assortment of GDC awards lined up for this year.

Also taking place is the Independent Game Festival Awards, whose recipients will also be announced at the same ceremony. Tim Schafer from Double Fine Productions is lined up to host the GDCA while Andy Schatz of PocketWatch Games will host the IGFA.

Now we know that both games are great, despite being available for different platforms. But like we said before, not everyone can vote or nominate their favorite games. Yes, like the award ceremony's title implies, only the developers' thoughts count.

Who will bag the ultimate prize? Well, stay tuned to find out.

Psychonauts. (One of the) Winner of the BAFTA video game awards, but much like other highly-acclaimed titles like Clover Studio's Viewtiful Joe and Godhand titles,it slowly faded from the gaming scene.

We can't really do anything about Clover getting re-absored into Capcom, but we can tell this to the guys who'd like to get another crack at Psychonauts: Majesco's just announced that this title is now available for digital download through Macrovision’s Trymedia Network.

Psychonauts puts players behind the controls of psychic Raz (Razputing), who must go from area to area in the game's  environments in an attempt to save his fellow cadets from the clutches of an evil mastermind. The game was developed by Double Fine Studios, which in turn was founded by game dev Tim Schafer, famous for his earlier titles like The Secret of Monkey Island, and Full Throttle. Access the site here to download a sample of the Psychonauts game, and check out their other titles while you're at it.

Double Fine Productions head honcho Tim Schafer (of Psychonauts) may have something big up his sleeves. But what it is, we can't say for sure. In an interview with 1Up, Schafer described his company's upcoming project as a "big one." And it's almost done, too, since they have been playing with the "big one" behind closed doors.

When pressed for more info, Schafer turned uber-coy by not confirming if the "big one" will be a comedy. "There are other things to do other than shooting things. And even if you are shooting things you can do funny things," he says.  Since Schafer is famous for his story-telling and comedy writing abilities will the "big one" be an FPS-comedy? He did say the "big one" has great music and may or may not have a score system.

Well, now we're not even sure he's talking about a videogame.