Although it seemed likely that NHL 2K11 was getting canned by Take-Two, it appears that there still might be hope. A recent ad listing, picked up by a Kotaku tipster, points out that 2K Sports is seeking musicians for the NHL 2K11 soundtrack.

"2K Sports is looking for a band who can provide a song to help round out the NHL 2K11 soundtrack," reads the listing. "NHL 2K11 is the latest in a series of critically acclaimed hockey games, due out in September 2010." Bands that are chosen will receive $3,000 compensation (as well as some nifty exposure).

The posting expired January 20, and it was created January 6, which was well after 2K's announcement saying the company was "evaluating" its sports portfolio.

EA announced during its investor call that its FIFA 10 had sold 9.7 million units by the month ending December 31, 2009. The game launched outside North America in early October with a late October release stateside. It's very likely that the title has already broken the 10-million mark by now considering the dated information EA divulged. It's estimated the game sold 5.2 million units in December alone.

The publisher recently announced 2010 FIFA World Cup would be releasing April 27.

[via GI.biz]

EA announced that it intends to bring Madden NFL on Facebook. The announcement came from EA Sports president Peter Moore in an interview with Bloomberg TV. "We have to make Madden more accessible," he said. "You'll see us on Facebook going forward."

Unfortunately, Moore would not reveal what exactly Madden on Facebook would entail other than the fact that it's coming in some shape or form. Moore did offer that it would be a "simpler experience" than the console versions, but obviously that comes as no surprise.

[via Bloomberg]

A letter to the New England Medical Journal from Karen Eley of Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust reports that a 14-year-old girl in the UK fractured her foot when she fell off a Wii Fit Balance Board.

"In the United Kingdom, a healthy 14-year-old girl presented to the emergency department at Horton General Hospital in Banbury (near Oxford), having sustained an injury to her right foot with associated difficulty in mobilization," writes Eley. "She had been playing on her Wii Fit balance board and had fallen off, sustaining an inversion injury. (The Wii Fit replaces handheld controls with a pressure-sensitive board about 2 in. off the ground that lets the user participate in tricky games that can improve balance.)"

I realize she probably carelessly fell off, but we like to think it pushed her off because it makes the article more interesting. This certainly isn't the first case of a Wii-related injury as Eley points out numerous other examples of reported injuries.

[via The Wiire]

We've known that the third installment in the Deus Ex series has been in development for some time, but will it sell under the moniker Deus Ex 3? Perhaps not, if a recent trademark filing by Square Enix means anything. Siliconera picked up on the filing for "Deus Ex: Human Revolution," which was made in Europe.

Developed by Eidos Montreal in collaboration with Square Enix, Deus Ex 3 will be a prequel to the original Deus Ex. It was originally announced as a PC-exclusive, but I wouldn't rule out a console port just yet. It's set to release later this year.

Earlier today, Ubisoft community developer Kimi Matsuzaki revealed that a "big announcement" from the studio would be coming soon. "Xbox Live - where you want to keep an eye on for the Big announcement," she tweeted.

Now she has given us even more details, saying when we can expect the big news, and it's in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow.

"Check Xbox Live around 2 am PST/5 am EST/11 am CET for that announcement I mentioned..." she later added.

[via The Lost Gamer]

It seems to be the trend these days for PS3 games to require a hard drive install -- BioShock 2 and Heavy Rain come to mind. Considering the voluminous amount of cinematics in Final Fantasy XIII and the fact that it spans three discs on the Xbox 360, one would expect an install to be absolutely necessary for the game. Surprisingly, it's not. The EU PlayStation Blog recently interviewed producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama, who revealed that no install is required.

"There is no installation, the game runs directly from the disc," they clarified.

There's no word on whether there will be an optional install or not.

Of course, the game's been out since mid-December in Japan, so this may not actually be news for some. The Western version doesn't release until March 9.

[via GamesThirst]

Barnes & Noble has the PC version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 listed for pre-order at $19.95, but it appears that this actually covers the entire game. It's unclear whether this is a mistake or not on the retailer's part, but if you plan on getting Bad Company 2, you should definitely go ahead and buy this in the event that they do honor it. The game normally retails for $50.

However, it's interesting that the listing notes "Available for Pre-Order from GameStop."

Try your luck, here's the link.

Bad Company 2 releases March 2.

[Thanks, Nate]

More news from the EA conference call that took place earlier today, this time on the Mass Effect front. EA says to expect "something far-reaching from Mass Effect" sometime in its fiscal 2011.

"Winter of 2011 marks the chilling return of Dead Space, a highly rated, fully-owned franchise," said COO John Schappert. "Another big driving simulation from Need from Speed, a new shooter being developing by Epic Studios and co-published by EA, and finally something far-reaching from Mass Effect."

So what do you reckon it could be?

[via Destructoid]

Those of you who have played Mass Effect 2 are no doubt familiar with its in-game DLC service Cerberus Network. In a recent financial conference call, the company revealed that all of its fiscal 2011 games will feature some sort of "online component" along the lines of Cerberus Network.

"In fiscal 11, we will continue to introduce new service and product features that benefit the unique registered purchasers on PC and console games," said EA CFO Eric Brown. "Our most recent example is the Cerberus content network introduced with Mass Effect 2."

This is all part of EA's obvious initiative to boost new game sales, which is something retailers like GameStop aren't going to be too happy with.

[via Destructoid]