As dust continues to settle from this year’s E3, analysts’ price-cutting speculation is giving way to a bundle of retail clarity: Sony remains bullish on its stagnant profit strategy amid mounting losses and cost cutting initiatives. Publishers are growing weary. While time reveals all, the PS3 will probably not see a price drop until end of summer at the earliest. Instead, recent leaks from Best Buy and Game Stop reveal a mediocre bundling strategy coupled with an aggressive Experience Playstation Now project aimed to educate and communicate to consumers the inherent value of the powerful, but expensive, sleek, but game deficient $399/$499 priced, black glossy console. Supposedly, Best Buy will receive a “limited edition” 80GB SKU including two games at $399. Game Stop is rumored to offer a limited time Final Fantasy VII Blu-ray 80GB bundle priced at $399.

MDY INDUSTRIES vs. BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT
A Primer

 If Blizzard bans me, ah well, time to go out and get another CD key and start it all over again, not like I lost a lot of hard work.
-WowGlider customer

The EULA will again be front and center as Blizzard and MDY prepare to square off in litigation that will seemingly have to address the state of play, the nature of MMORPGs, contracts, and intellectual property. In light of recent reports by WoWInsider (1) (2) that Blizzard has filed countersuit against Michael Donnelly, owner and founder of MDY Industries (maker of WoWGlider, popular but highly controversial automation software for World of Warcraft), I thought it would be a good opportunity to examine some of the compelling issues surrounding this case set to begin initial proceedings in Federal Court early this spring. Donnelly asserts that his business has in no way violated any rights owned by Blizzard who has in fact created “an actual controversy” through accusatory “threats and actions” (See claim).