Sony has confirmed that Qriocity, a new cloud-based, subscription model music and video streaming service, will be launching on a several hardware devices later this year in Europe.

Video on demand via Qriocity has been available in the US since April, but this year will see the launch of new music streaming service Music Unlimited.

The service has been announced for PS3s, Bravia televisions, Blu-ray systems and VAIO computers at launch, but will be coming to more Sony hardware in future.

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UK studio Blitz has confirmed it will build “full motion control functionality” into its BlitzTech middleware engine.

The SDK now includes features designed to work with both Microsoft’s Kinect and Sony’ s Move.

The new tech was created over the last year, for forthcoming Blitz titles Yoostar2 and The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout.

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Activision Blizzard’s parent company, French media conglomerate Vivendi, has today increased its profit predictions for 2010 – despite recording a dip in second-quarter profits of 3.7 per cent to €669 million (£552.6m) from €695 million (£574m) last year.

Vivendi did not hesitate to point out that the increase in predicted profits was due to an unexpectedly good performance from Activision Blizzard’s properties, in which it owns a 52 per cent controlling stake. The drop in second quarter profits was ascribed to fewer music releases from Vivendi’s major artists such as Eminem and Lady Gaga.

Last month, the company’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 became the UK’s best selling game of all time.

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Micropayment firm ATLAS Interactive has appointed a new Chief Operations Officer.

Andreas Pritzlaff has been promoted after two years working in Mobile Solutions at the German firm, and will now head up business operations including product management, purchasing, business development and customer care.

Said Marco Priewe, Managing Director of ATLAS, “Mr. Pritzlaff has in the past two years contributed significantly to the development of Mobile Solutions and has several years of experience in the telecommunications industry. I am pleased that our management team consisting of Andreas Syska-Funk and I could expand further with Mr. Pritzlaff, an important member.”

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Game Connection Europe 2010 has been confirmed as taking place in Lyon on 16 to 18 November. In addition, four brand new events have been confirmed for the conference.

Firstly, there’s Game Connection Selected Projects. This event is focused on rewarding exciting innovations and exhibitions of skill within the industry, giving twenty carefully chosen companies the chance to show off their talents to Game Connection attendees. Applications for Selected Projects are online now.

A second event, Game Connection Invest, is similar, but will allow more established companies the chance to pitch to investors for funding. Applications for companies looking for investment are open until 5 October.

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German AI middleware developer Xaitment has secured €2.4 million (£1.98 m) in investment funding, largely from the Triangle Venture Capital Group, with co-investment from ERP Startfonds.

The company, which produces out-of-the-box AI solutions to game developers, will use the money to continue its business expansion, as well as improving the five development tools which it currently offers to market.

“AI middleware is an exciting topic of discussion in game development circles and has the most potential for growth. Xaitment’s AI solutions bring the time and cost saving percentages that game developers need in this extremely competitive field of gaming,” said Xaitment CEO Andreas Gerber.

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While social game companies are over-valued, online publisher Bigpoint is eyeing traditional console makers for acquisition as they represent better value and are struggling in their own market.

Speaking to Industry.biz today, CEO Heiko Hubertz said that deals like Disney’s $763 million buyout of Playdom are “crazy” and he doesn’t expect valuations to drop to realistic levels for at least another year.

“There are many companies that have paid crazy valuations, just look at the Disney and Playdom acquisition, that was a crazy valuation from my point of view,” said Hubertz.

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German online publisher Bigpoint is growing significantly in an expanding market, striking big-name deals with SyFy, Universal and Playboy, and at the same time making itself more attractive to independent developers through its self-publishing operation DevLounge.

Industry.biz recently sat down with CEO Heiko Hubertz to catch up with the company and to find out how it can protecting its interests in the web space, why it’s approaching console developers for acquisition, and where it sees further growth in the next two years.

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Beleaguered firm Interplay is to step back into the publishing business. It yesterday announced its new Discovery program, intended to offer “great new at great new prices” from small developers worldwide.

Interplay shut down active business in 2004, but was kept alive as a corporate entity solely as a result of selling the Fallout license to Bethesda in 2007.

However, it retained rights to publish its own Fallout MMO were certain funding and deadline conditions met. In January this year, the publisher confirmed Masthead Studios is working on the MMO, codenamed Project V13 – but it must release it in 2011 or the rights default to the Bethesda.

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Electronic Arts has revealed that its internal estimates make this year’s edition of Madden NFL the best-selling game for August in the US, across all platforms.

The publisher announced that sales of the game were up 5 per cent year-on-year, with the release of the Ultimate Team mode at launch propelling digital revenue up by 200 per cent.

“Madden NFL 11 is the number one selling game in August, and the game has created enormous enthusiasm in the online community,” said Peter Moore, president of EA Sports. “Each day on consoles, fans are playing as many online as the equivalent of 750 full NFL seasons.”

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