According to 1Up, a court in Quebec has granted Ubisoft an injunction that prevents THQ from violating the non-solicit clauses of Ubisoft Montreal’s employees. This development comes after a number of employees at the Assassin’s Creed studio departed from the company under suspicious circumstances.

After leaving Ubisoft Montreal last year, it was announced that Assassin’s Creed creative director, Patrice Desilets, would be heading up a new Montreal-based studio for THQ. Since then, several other Ubisoft Montreal staffers have departed the company for various reasons that have raised some eyebrows.

After being planned for launch in April, 1Up reports that the PlayStation Rewards Program has been postponed.

“Based on what we learned, we have decided the program is not ready to roll out to the public in April as originally planned. But rest assured, we will continue to thank loyal and devoted customers like you with innovative offerings.”

The free program was to have different tiers users could reach depending on how much they played and participated. It would hand out freebies to members like PSN avatars, themes, and sweepstakes entries, to reward loyalty.

Another OmegaBob alert. Why am I not surprised?

Indie developer Adhesive Games is creating a bit of a stir with the debut of a gameplay trailer for Hawken, its multiplayer mech combat game.

“We wanted to bring back the old school FPS view from MechWarrior and Steel Battalion. There is a sort of immersion and claustrophobia you can only get from being in a cockpit. We want the player to see their cockpit with all the complicated screens, switches and dials. To see them scramble when hit by an EMP, to see the sparks and smoke when damaged. To make you really feel like you’re driving a 7 meter walking tank on the verge of breaking down,” said art director Khang Le.

You can see from the trailer that the game certainly packs a punch. Described as a work in progress, without specified platforms, and a “when it’s done” release date, Hawken still has more questions surrounding it than answers.

Paradox Interactive and Arrowhead Studios are preparing to take players into the war torn jungles of Vietnam for the latest expansion of Magicka. Magicka: Vietnam has a firm release date of April 12, and will cost $4.99.

Magicka is an action/adventure title with an emphasis is on humor. Players assume the robes of a wizard from a “decadent” ancient order. The theme behind it is the ability to combine various elements (earth, fire, water, and air) to create a vast array of spells. Sometimes these spells work as planned, but at other times, they can have drastic yet funny consequences.

A portal has opened into the land of Vindictus, and two familiar Valve characters will need help returning home. Today only, players level 10 and above can embark on the “Strange Travelers” quest line to help the Heavy from TF2 and the Companion Cube from Portal to return to their worlds. As a reward, players can receive a special something from the world of Half-Life, such as a trusty crowbar, a stylish Combine helmet or the adorable Headcrab helmet (and this is no joke).

Players can embark on the quest by talking to Ernmass at the Inn in Colhen. This quest line is a one-time only event and ends at midnight tonight. Players who miss out on the event however still have the opportunity to obtain the items from other players or by browsing the auction house.

GameStop just announced the acquisition of streaming tech outfit Spawn Labs and their digital distribution portal, Impulse. Impulse will offer three specific components. First is the client, dubbed Impulse:Client here, which users can use to download games. Next is Impulse:Reactor, which provides content publishers customer friendly DRM and copy protection tools. It also allows developers to enable achievements, account management, friend lists, chat, multiplayer lobbies, and cloud storage within their games. Last is Impulse:Publisher which provides publishers real-time reporting and management tools.

And it looks like GameStop may just have their heads in the clouds. Once the Spawn Labs integration and testing on a new consumer interface is complete, users will have immediate access to a wide selection of high-definition video games on demand on any Internet-enabled device.

According to Rare, the company behind the Kinect, only 10 to 15 percent of the device’s capabilities has been used to date. So we should be expecting a lot more ground being broken by the device in the future. Director, Nick Burton, said that he wanted the Kinect to conform to the player’s control and not the other way around. It will be very interesting to see just what kind of games Rare can produce for Kinect, and if they can pry the hardcore gamers away from their beloved joypad. I’ll never give up my controller!

From the cult movie legend that is John Carpenter, and the man behind 30 Days of Night, John Niles, the third part in the successful and eerie F.E.A.R. series has arrived with a pretty spooky trailer. The game is being developed by Day 1 studios and is coming out for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 May 25. If Carpenter can bring in the elements from The Thing in this game, I think I’ll have to give it a pass to avoid a heart-attack.

1Up reports that Microsoft is looking for “multiple thousands” of testers for an Xbox 360 system update preview program. This one involves discs being sent to participants, as it’s intended to help Microsoft prepare for an updated Xbox 360 disc format. While precise details are few at this time, the program will be kicking off in the next two weeks, so those who apply should receive notification by email fairly soon if they’ve been accepted. You must be an Xbox Live member located in the United States in order to participate, and Xbox Live Gold members will have a better chance of getting in. Those who are accepted will receive a copy of Halo: Reach “along with other possible rewards.”

Thanks go out to OmegaBob for bringing this to our attention.

GameSpot reports that Atari is taking another crack at the classic arcade title, Warlords. The publisher has enlisted Griptonite Games to develop the game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with a summer release in mind.

The downloadable revamp is being billed as a “whimsical reinvention” of the arcade classic, which saw players slide Breakout-like paddles around castle walls, attempting to deflect a fireball away from their own keep and into the heart of their opponents’ strongholds. The Griptonite remake will attempt to maintain its predecessor’s multiplayer focus with online and offline cooperative and competitive modes. It will also add a new layer of strategy where players will now need to marshal soldiers to capture control points.

Gentlemen, start your engines! Ed Martin, Executive VP of Eutechnyx North America, joins the Avault Podcast team for Episode #126 to discuss NASCAR 2011, and shares how a kid from Boston finds his way into the racing genre.

This week in games saw the launch of NASCAR‘s polar opposite with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters, and there’s more Crysis 2 to discuss. In other news, Mass Effect: Arrival has released (prelude to ME3?), the Nintendo 3DS launched to little fanfare, and Duke Nukem: Forever…is still delayed!

Who wants a monster gaming rig? Enter the MASSIVE Mass Luminosity Giveaway for a shot at taking one home!

( listen now… )

Capcom has announced the development cancellation of Mega Man Universe. The company did not provide specific details for reasons behind its cancellation, though the recent departure of former Capcom R&D chief Keiji Inafune might be a factor. The game, originally set for release this year through the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, blended classic 2D Mega Man gameplay with 3D character models and included customizable characters and a level creator.

What? If you are a fan of augmented reality games then this one could be for you. YD Online has released Geo Hunters a fantasy RPG in which you must defeat hordes of monsters – right in your backyard! The app reads your GPS location and pulls in satellite pictures from Google Maps to use as background. Once defeated, monsters are added to your collection, but beware, as other players can steal them from you. The app also connects online to scan the latest news headlines and identify what areas around the globe are dominating the top stories. Players are able to travel to those areas and attack monstrous forces to restore peace. If that wasn’t enough, if players run or jog while carrying their iPhone, their in-game character will become healthy and strong.

Dr. Hyun Oh Yoo, CEO of YD Online explained, “We wanted to create a mobile game that combines actual geography with fantasy, while creating a community of engaged competitive players. GEO Hunters has all these qualities, giving great replay value to players.”

LastStandStan is an arcade-style space shooter for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. LastStandStan is a “STatic Alien Neutraliser,” and the last of his kind. Stan’s last stand is defending the final world of the peace loving Po’Trubians against the predictably unpleasant Sleevils. The “static” designation describes Stan’s inability to travel, so campaigns come to the player in this game. Stan functions as sort of a rotating space turret, mowing down Sleevils with a variety of weaponry.

LastStandStan requires iOS 3.2 or later to play and is available for $0.99.

The PlayStation.Blog has extended their service to Latin America. Over the past few years, PlayStation has increased its presence in Central and South America, and as of yesterday the’ve added PlayStation.Blog en Espanol. Content will be similar to what’s already in the site, to those in Canada and the US that might be more familiar with Spanish language content are invited to check it out. Your existing login will grant access.