Rumor-shot down time! Unfortunately, Battlefield Heroes will NOT be coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360, contrary to the reports that we've seen recently. No less than DICE executive producer Ben Cousins put this rumor to rest.

Lots of surprises are being popped in this year's DICE, and Microsoft's Shane Kim is no exception to the activity. In this update, we get the skinny on a LOT of upcoming titles from the man himself, as well as the reason for a certain MMO's cancellation. Check it out in the full article.

There was a time when developing games in your own garage would have made you rich beyond your wildest dreams. That dream is getting farther and farther out of reach as the video game industry is becoming larger and more complex. EA CEO John Riccitiello remarked in his DICE keynote speech that by 2010, the garage studio dream will no longer be possible. More in the full article.

Here's an update on the current DICE Summit 08: Roger Hector, Vice President of Development at Namco Bandai, gave a short talk on how video games have made fictional characters into living icons. He even mentioned one of the greatest icons living until now. Details in the full article.

Masaya Matsuura made a name for himself when he introduced the Parappa the Rapper series and set off a growing trend in the rhythm-based video game genre. The founder of NanaOn-Sha talks about the potential of the now flourishing game genre and how developers should explore its vast potential. You can read about his interview in the full article after the jump.

Here's an update on the DICE Summit 08: Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime and VPs Rob Pardo and Frank Pearce talk about how they were able to develop their company.

They also shared how they were able to achieve much success due to their operations without corporate interference. More information in the full article.

DICE Summit 08 had much to offer with the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and games such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock, and The Orange Box came home as big winners, garnering four awards each.

Individual achievements by Mike Morhaime and Ken Kutaragi were also recognized by The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Details in the full article.

During the DICE Summit, Michael Gallagher, CEO and new president of the ESA, told the audience that the video games industry has become mainstream.

It all started with Pong, the game industry has finally arrived with games reaching millions of households in the US and throughout the rest if the world. Details of his speech in the full article.

Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today that it has finally found the replacement for former president Doug Lowenstein in the person of Michael D. Gallagher.

Prior to this, the trade group representing U.S. computer and video game publishers went without a leader for almost five months. Gallagher used to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information is currently the Communications Practice chair at leading international law firm Perkins Coie.

His academic background includes a degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley as well as Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles. ESA Board of Directors Chair Robbie Bach had this to say:

Mike's outstanding technology, policy, and government relations experience makes him a strong fit for the ESA, where issues like intellectual property, self-regulation, and industry social and economic contributions are at the forefront of the agenda.

It should be remembered that Lowenstein fired some shots at the DICE Summit saying that he is sick and tired of the people in the video game industry sitting on their hands and letting others do the hard work. The former president was particularly articulate about the seeming lack of participation by the industry in pushing for video game-related legislation.

Despite the scathing comments from the ESA's former head, it looks like Gallagher is quite happy and excited to man the position. Here's what the newly-named president, who will begin his term later this month, said:

It is a privilege to represent the dynamic entertainment software industry. From consoles and PCs to handhelds and broadband enabled cell phones -- the business is poised for tremendous growth. I look forward to working with federal and state leaders to foster an environment where the industry and its consumers can thrive.

Microsoft's deployment of Xbox Live via Windows Vista obviously faces the problem that PC Gamers are used to, and are mostly expecting, that multiplayer online gaming is something that is free. Charging PC Gamers to play multiplayer games will be something of a step backwards for the company, and according to Shane Kim, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Game Studios, Microsoft is aware of this.

Speaking with 1UP at the DICE Summit, Kim addressed these possible XBL roadblocks by saying:

Not all customers have to pay for Xbox Live on Xbox 360 [Silver and Gold], in the same way you're going to have a similar approach when we bring Live over to Windows. Those details are going to be announced pretty shortly. We have big value offering to customers because we can create an integrated Live experience across platforms

...We do recognize that, unlike the Xbox 360 environment, there's existing competition in the PC online space. So we have to take that into account as we think about how we're going to structure our services, what they'll pay for and what they won't.

Of course, the danger here is that if PC gamers will have altered payment schemes and that Silver member PC Gamers can get certain services for free, while console gamers on the Xbox 360 continue to pay, there might be some backlash. Especially now that Sony and Nintendo are promising that they'll get their online network/community up to par with Microsoft's.