Now, this is a rumour we didn't see coming.
According to industry trade mag MCV, Sir Richard Branson may be about to make a shock announcement at the upcoming E3 expo, regarding a potential return to the games industry for his company, Virgin.
Widely expected to be in the form of an online games service, the as yet unnamed scheme will apparently run across "leading console formats", including Xbox Live, and the company are rumoured to be actively seeking agreements with leading publishers and developers, for access to the industry's biggest titles.
Whether we're looking at a digital distribution service, or some other sort of system, remains to be seen, but MCV do mention that the new service will be "challenge based". Make of that what you will.
Virgin was one of the pioneers in the games industry throughout the late 80s, and well into the 90s.Going on to reach global revenues of $210m, the company had some of the industry's greatest minds under its umbrella, including Westwood, the studio behind the incredibly successful Command and Conquer games. To put their size into perspective, the company were regularly competing with EA for market leadership, at one point claiming a 16% share of the entire industry.
It's this past success that has people so excited about the announcement that's rumoured to be forthcoming at E3. Quite what it is, is anyones guess - but the current signs suggest it's going to be something big.
We'll be keeping our ears to the ground, and will bring you more when we get it.
