According to a Variety report, Electronic Arts has canned its original IP-driven Blueprint division in light of financial woes and job cuts. The Blueprint initiative, started by ex-EA employee Neil Young in 2007, was a internal project aimed at working with smaller developers to create original intellectual properties at a lower cost.

The tentatively titled and yet-to-be-announced Boom Blox 2 was said to be a Blueprint effort, but following the closure of the division, EA has reportedly handed development duties over to its casual label.

Electronic Arts shuts down Blueprint, making Boom Blox 2 [Variety]

PlayStation Network director Eric Lempel is at the frontline once again, informing us of the impending PSP firmware 5.02 release in a post on the official PS Blog. This minor system software update promises to improve “system software stability during use of some features,” including the built-in PlayStation Store component. As soon as it hits we’ll let you know.

PSP Firmware (v5.02) Coming Soon [PS Blog]

According to a report stemming from one heavily Datel-sponsored website, the aforementioned code-pilfering peripheral maker has succeeded in accessing service mode on the PSP-3000. It was previously reported that the Pandora exploit did not work on the 3000 units due to various hardware-level changes, but Datel reckons they’ve discovered a workaround with the help of an all-new battery product, which is being produced by them, naturally.

As skeptics rightfully point out, there is no solid proof that Datel has actually managed to hack anything. As with the first revision of the TA-088 motherboard, the fact that a green LED turns on, does not mean homebrew code or custom firmware can be installed. File this one under wait and see.

About new D@tel Battery [Dark-AleX.org]

FrozenIpaq has released Squarez: Puzzle, a PSP homebrew effort developed by Socals. Intended to be included in a later release of Squarez, the project was passed along to beta testers but never saw the light of day as an official release. Until now, that is.

In Squarez Puzzle, players are tasked with moving a series a blocks in order to reach each level’s goal. Coupled with the fact that players can create their own levels, the simple but addictive premise allows for endless hours of gameplay enjoyment.

Download Squarez Puzzle

[MfM Release] Squarez Puzzle [M for Mature]

Following in the footsteps of Sony, Microsoft will give Capcom its personal “branded destination experience” tomorrow, to coincide with the launch of New Xbox Experience. The hub will serve as a sort of one-stop shop for all things Street Fighter. Related add-ons and content, as well information on upcoming releases, will be accessible from one single destination. Check it out above.

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It was bound to happen. Not a month goes by when Japan doesn’t get any cool oddities and special edition hardware packages. The newly released Nintendo DSi is no exception. According to a Dengeki report, Square Enix plans to release a Kingdom Hearts branded DSi to coincide with the release of DS title Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

At the moment, there’s no word on color or design yet, but it’s almost a given that this particular DSi will fetch a pretty penny at importing shops as well as eBay. Look for it to hit later next year.

『キングダム ハーツ 358/2 Days』のニンテンドーDSi同梱版が発売決定！ [Dengeki]

Publisher Ignition Entertainment today officially announced that The King of Fighters XII, the twelfth installment in SNK’s long-running fighting franchise, will hit North America and Europe 2009.

The King of Fighters XII features high-resolution 2D graphics, drawn entirely by hand, complemented by stunning 2D backdrops. Look out for a firm release date, along with all the nitty gritty gameplay details and new screenshots in the coming months.

Sit back and watch as Gabe of Penny Arcade fame puts his formidable artistic skills to the test in creating illustrations for the 32-page Prince of Persia storybook in this new video clip Ubisoft has released. An HD version is available here.

The comic, which is being released on a page by page basis, can be viewed on Ubisoft’s site. Be sure to check it out for an in-depth look at the backstory of Elika, the game’s main heroine and companion to the Prince.

The Prince of Persia reboot is slated to hit on December 2 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Just like that, Nintendo has rolled out yet another Wii System Menu update. This is a required update to maintain Shop Channel access that features enhanced parental controls, USB keyboard support for Mii Channel, and vague system function improvements. What the changelog fails to mention, and understandably so, is that the ability to run homebrew applications has once again been blocked.

Developers over at Wii Brew note that the update blocks the usage of the Twilight Hack and reports are floating around that it even removes the Homebrew Channel upon installation. Of course, a workaround is being looked into.

Additionally, Nintendo has updated its Network Service Private Policy, warning that they may “download updates, patches, upgrades and similar software” to a Wii console without the user’s consent or knowledge. Looks like it’s going to be more difficult to avoid future updates short of disconnecting your Wii from the internet.

System Menu 3.4 [Wii Brew]

Speaking in a recent interview, Rare studio head Mark Betteriedge remarked that the company is aiming to surprise gamers with its future slate of titles. Just as they helped change the perception of the Xbox 360 into a family-friendly console with titles like Viva Pinata and Banjo-Kazooie, Rare also hopes radically change the way folks look at entertainment products.

It’s more about what we will do to change conventional thinking of games and entertainment. I don’t see us fighting the same battles as everybody else, I think some of the products we’ll do going forward will surprise a lot of people, both in terms of what they are and the different styles. I think that will be good.

Hmm. Hopefully these plans involve a new title in the Killer Instinct universe.

Rare: Our future products will “surprise” people [GI.biz]