When EA released their product schedule for 2011, some took the omission of any Rock Band games as an indication that the publisher was ending its relationship with MTV Games’ rythym-based franchise. This isn’t exactly the case. An EA spokesperson has confirmed that Green Day: Rock Band will indeed be published by MTV Games and distributed by EA, although no release date has yet been assigned.

However, there is irrefutable evidence that Electronic Arts does seem to be cooling its ties to Rock Band. The gaming giant’s contract with Viacom is up this year and company officials have stated their intentions of reducing the volume of releases they do through their distributing arm, EA Partners. Moreover, EA COO John Schappert gave only tepid reinforcement to the idea of continuing their partnership with the Rock Band name.

Additionally, Howard was the starting center of the 2008 U.S. Basketball Men’s Senior National Team which won the gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing. NBA LIVE 10 is currently in development under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and will be available worldwide this October.

Fireburst should send players into a fiery, four-wheeled adrenalin frenzy. Behind the wheel of numerous racers, drivers get to speed along paved race courses or wicked off-road tracks, showing no respect for their rivals. Thanks to a novel boost system, opponents are kept at a distance in spectacular ways in various single and multiplayer modes. The element of fire prominently features in all special maneuvers. For example, players will be able to coat their own vehicles in protective flames, or even blow up an opponents car with a burst of fire.

“With Fireburst, we have reached a new dimension in the racing game genre. This is largely due to the innovative boost system which allows players to attack and destroy opponents’ cars in different ways,” says Birgit Hönsch, divisional manager of Games Publishing & Licensing at RTL interactive GmbH. “Our executive producer Rupert Easterbrook, whose many years of experience in the games industry proved to be a perfect asset to our project, is providing immense support in the development of this game. The production staff and I are proud to have Rupert on board as a producer who already successfully handled projects for major international companies in the sector, such as Electronic Arts, Sony, Take 2, or Sega.”

Some of the key features include:
• Innovative boost system: With the novel 4-stage fire boost, opponents’ vehicles are eliminated in spectacular ways
• Fireburst is developed based on Unreal Engine 3
• Wacky characters
• All kinds of vehicles: From sleek buggies and pimped-up vintage models to massive pick-ups, this fleet leaves nothing to be desired
• Unique combinations of drivers and vehicles: Match a character with the appropriate vehicle to optimize driving attributes
• Game modes offering plenty of variation: Challenge and championship modes, as well as multiplayer options (with up to 16 players online, or up to 4 players offline with a split screen), make for spectacular entertainment
• Surprising twists: 20 huge tracks are divided into ten areas. Each track offers shortcuts and alternative routes
• Plenty of bonuses: Unlock new vehicles, tracks, and game modes
• Sneering and jeering: Each character uses more than 50 different taunts to mock the competition. But beware: The more you provoke the AI drivers, the more aggressively they will race you!

Sounds like another great racer for us to look forward to. We’ll keep you posted as screen shots and videos are available for this upcoming burst of fire.