Many fans of Diablo III were angered recently when Blizzard community manager Bashiok (aka Micah Whipple) tweeted that the upcoming game wouldn’t have public chat channels. However, in a shock twist, Bashiok was actually wrong. Public chat channels will be in Diablo III. Not only that, but they will also be included in an “upcoming beta patch.” Bashiok has since taken to the game’s official forums, apologizing for his original misinformation and setting the record straight.

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The latest Skyrim update, version 1.4, is now live on Xbox 360, but PS3 owners will have to wait a bit. “Sony tells us the PlayStation 3 patch will be hitting later today [9 Feb.],” Bethesda said in a blog post, “so stay tuned for more updates.” The developer says the patch, which became available for the PC last week, provides a heap of bug and quest fixes, including “…long term play optimisations for memory and performance,” meaning it should eliminate the game-crippling lag on the PS3.

Developer THQ has announced its list of upcoming releases. Sneaking out first on February 17 is UFC Undisputed 3. Then comes the company’s fiscal 2013 slate, which includes Darksiders II in June, South Park: The Game and a new WWE title in Q3, and Metro: Last Light and The Devil’s Third in Q4. In 2014 and beyond, THQ plans to release an unnamed game from Turtle Rock, inSANE from Volition, Homefront 2 (Crytek), the new game from Patrice Désilets’ THQ Montreal, and Dark Millennium Online, which will be completed with the aid of a “partner,” company boss Brian Farrell has revealed. On top of these, THQ has four unannounced core games in development for release in fiscal 2014.

Earlier this week, executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi characterized Resident Evil 6 as being the largest project undertaken by Capcom so far. “Between the 150 staff members in Japan and everyone around the world, we have more than 600 people involved. A lot of work has gone into this game,” Kobayashi said. “Resident Evil 6 is by far and away the most ambitious game in the series.” Also, producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi indicated that the game will be a blend of action and survival horror, which the team is calling “dramatic horror.” The latest instalment will feature a split plotline, with one thread focusing on Leon S. Kennedy in the US, and the other following Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance member Chris Redfield in China. The game is expected to arrive for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on November 20.

Gearbox has decided to make you wait even longer to see if anyone can hear you scream in space, announcing that Aliens: Colonial Marines has been delayed from a spring release to a tentative autumn 2012 one. According to an official statement from the developer, “Aliens: Colonial Marines is a process of creativity and invention, and those don’t necessarily follow the structure of an assembly line. While setting clear goals, deadlines and predictions is helpful, they are often subjective. We don’t want to sacrifice the creative process just for the sake of following a blueprint. We prefer to have the creative discovery shape that blueprint, because our goal is to make a great game.”

Aeria Games has just launched the website for its upcoming free-play science fiction FPS Repulse. The game, which is still in development, aims to build its own brand of playing style. The sci-fi shooter will have an air of familiarity to fans of developer Queen’s Soft. Repulse began as the open beta for a Queen’s Soft shooter by the name of Genesis AD. Having incorporated Genesis AD‘s best-recieved features into Repulse, Queen’s Soft is working with Aeria on bringing the game to completion. The publisher boasts the new game will feature quick-change character classes, Havok physics, and 16-player battles across nine different gameplay modes. The game is now taking applications for next year’s closed beta.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is making a submission to the US Copyright Office, under the exemptions for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, to legally allow you to mod your game consoles. A previous EFF submission resulted in it being totally legal to jailbreak your iPhone, and so there is reason to believe that their attempt to allow you to alter your consoles stands a good chance of success. Even if the measure works out, however, it would still be illegal to play pirated games on your modded systems. DMCA exemption submissions will be considered in the spring of 2012, so hold in your creative urges until then.

Bethesda has confirmed that their latest game’s full dev tools will release in January. “Beginning in January, PC players will be able to freely download the same development tools we used at Bethesda Game Studios to create Skyrim,” said the developer on its blog today. Green to tool development? Fear not; Bethesda added, “in tandem with the Creation Kit’s release, we will roll out a new Wiki and videos to help you get started.” The kit will also integrate Steam Workshop, which will allow you to publish your creations for others to download.

A t-shirt has been spotted by Chandana Ekanayak, art director and executive producer at Uber Entertainment – the studio behind Super Monday Night Combat – who posted a picture of it on Twitter along with this message: “All I’m saying is I saw this at a local game developer event worn by a Valve employee.” Ekanayak used the hashtag #ValveTrolling, rightly pointing out this could be Valve fanning the flames of desire with some good old trolling. Adding fuel to these rumours was Valve’s recently leaked DOTA 2 beta client by a tester. In it was a folder called “ep3″ and resources for new weapons for the game.

The full list of changes and add-ons for World of Warcraft version 4.3, entitled Hour of Twilight, has gone up on Blizzard’s blog. New dungeons, raids and items have all been added. Specific new features include the new Raid Finder, Transmogrification, which allows for gear customization, and Void Storage, which provides access to deeper storage. There’s also the Darkmoon Faire which features new quests, recipes, toys, souvenirs, achievements, titles, and more. There should be enough here to keep the most enthusiastic WoW player happy.

Seattle-based developer Zipper Interactive has announced that it is developing a new shooter for the PlayStation Vita called Unit 13. The game will allow players to choose one of six operatives in the game, each with unique abilities, as they fight through 36 missions across nine locations. Unit 13 also utilizes the Vita’s WiFi and 3G capabilities in a variety of ways, including leaderboards and co-op play.

Diablo III director Jay Wilson has confirmed that the development team isn’t planning to simply port the game to consoles. “We don’t want to port it,” Wilson said. “We want to build it for console. Our goal is to make a game that feels like it’s natively made for a console. If we make it, we want it to feel like a Blizzard game and that we built it for that platform from the ground up.” Wilson also admitted that Blizzard has never invested in consoles to the degree it plans to with Diablo III.

An intrepid Skyrim explorer has travelled beyond the invisible walls of the game and discovered that Bethesda has included Morrowind and Cyrodiil in the game’s already vast landmass. The lone adventurer, who posted his findings on Tumblr, journeyed to Stendarr’s Beacon, located at the south-eastern edge of Skyrim, along a path that comes to an end at a stone archway and an invisible wall. The land beyond that point is Morrowind. It seems that Bethesda has actually gone to the trouble of recreating these other lands, albeit in a scaled-down, low-res form. One would expect that future expansion packs may well open up these closed off areas!

World of Warcraft is seven years old. To celebrate, Blizzard is giving away a “Celebration Package.” The package consists of a few fireworks, a “feat of strength” added to your achievements, a tabard and a 7% bonus to experience and reputation gains while active. To get the package, you’ll need to log in between now and December 3. Happy birthday WoW!

The first batch of Dead Island DLC, “Bloodbath Arena,” will arrive on November 22. The DLC adds a survival mode, pitting you and your friends against waves of zombies in four different arenas. Survival mode can also be played solo. A new weapon, dubbed the “brain wave bomb,” is rumored to make an appearance in the DLC as well. Leaderboards are also promised, as is the ability to carry experience earned in survival over to the campaign. Bloodbath Arena will cost 800 MS points or $9.99, but will be free to anyone who pre-ordered the original game.