Bloomberg guesstimates that Microsoft's Xbox Live service "probably" surpassed $1 billion this past fiscal year. The financial outlet came to that conclusion using fancy mathematicals after Microsoft claimed that half of Xbox Live's 25 million users paid the annual fee, and Xbox COO Dennis Durkin stated "in an email" that product sales on the service surpassed subscription revenue. Now, we all know there are ways around the $50 annual Xbox Live fee, but let's surmise Bloomberg is right with its estimate of $600 million in revenue. That would mean the service generated $1.2 billion in sales last year.

Contacted for comment, Microsoft's official statement read: "We do not have any more details to share. Microsoft does not break out Xbox LIVE earnings." At the end of the company's third quarter, it did say that Xbox Live was a major contributor to revenue for the division that houses the Xbox. The company will officially announce the results of its fiscal year, which ended June 30, on July 22.

We know Dead Space-dev Visceral Games has had its eye on the downloadable space -- along with the rest of EA -- for some time now with the oft-rumored Jack the Ripper title and something else. Well, that something else is Dead Space Ignition, "the first of many exciting game extensions we have planned for the launch of Dead Space 2," says Dead Space franchise exec producer Steve Papoutsis.

From what we can gather from the press release (embedded after the break), Ignition is a "Choose Your Own Adventure," comic-style story with "three unique hacking mini games." Ignition will provide a "unique perspective leading up to Dead Space 2" and fill in new players on all the backstory they need to shoot monsters' limbs off. Depending on which adventure you choose, you'll earn one of four endings (replayability!) and those endings will reward you with in-game trinkets for Dead Space 2, "including an exclusive suit."

Like 2008's Dead Space comic series, Ignition is again tapping comics author Antony Johnson to weave a tale of suspense, horror, mystery and (oh, right) dismemberment! Dead Space Ignition is being co-developed by Visceral Games and Sumo Digital for a Fall 2010 release on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Considering the promotional nature of the title, we're hoping the asking price is a reasonable one.

[Editor's note: The image above was posted yesterday on the Dead Space Facebook page teasing today's announcement. The alien jargon in the upper right spells out "Ignition."]

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So what's it gonna be this week? A strictly multiplayer first-person shooter or a strictly single-player third-person laugher? On the one hand there is Blacklight: Tango Down, an FPS that promises extensive customization player progression. On the other is Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, which comes packed with a new adventure for Guybrush Threepwood and, of course, yuks.

Blacklight will set you back 1200 MS Points ($15), while Monkey Island 2 costs 800 MS Points ($10, conveniently only half as much as you should ever pay for a computer game).

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There are new Xbox Live Arcade games released every week. We realize that our readers are busy, attractive people, and may not have time to download and examine each and every new XBLA game. You've got busy, attractive person stuff to do, after all. Not to worry though, because we've done the work for you, downloading every single trial game and giving you a taste of what to expect. Watch XBLA in Brief every week to see which games deserve a closer look. When you have the time, of course.

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This is part two of a four-part review of Realtime Worlds' new MMO APB. Yesterday, I talked about installing the game and creating a character. Today: the grind.

Life in San Paro is pretty simple. Rob as a Criminal, or stop Criminals as an Enforcer. I chose to be an Enforcer, and after a short tutorial level, fell into the standard MMO grind -- go here, pick this up, go there, rinse and repeat. Unlike most MMOs, APB plays like a shooter -- there's a reticule, and you've got to line it up on your target to get anything done. But its "missions" are definitely MMO fare -- they're standard, multi-step and pretty interchangeable: hold this point, deliver this item, steal this car.

But here's how APB sets itself apart: while you play the game, you're constantly being offered missions and being grouped with people on the same job, but the other side is getting offers too. When they're paired up in the same mission you are, an APB goes out, sirens flash on the screen, and then it's on, one faction against another.

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European participants in the StarCraft 2 beta -- which shut down exactly one month ago today -- recently found themselves the recipients of a surprising package: a patch for the dormant pre-release of Blizzard's blockbuster strategy game. Blizzard has since announced the patch for the US, and released patch notes for what is now known as Patch 16, which includes Zerg balance fixes, new Achievements and six AI difficulties.

Considering that the beta was supposed to reappear "several weeks" after the first phase ended, we wouldn't be surprised if this patch served as a harbinger for the beta's return -- especially since the retail version of the game is due in just 20 days. We think it's safe to start working on bolstering your APM once more.

Level-5 fans have a lot to look forward to. Akihiro Hino, president of Level-5, confirmed to Nintendo Power that some of its original non-Layton games would be coming Stateside, specifically Inazuma Eleven and Ni no Kuni: The Another World. It appears the company is already making good on its promise to promote its "overseas business."

The soccer-themed Inazuma Eleven franchise has been a surprise hit in Japan, having already spawned two sequels on the DS (with a new console version in the works). And while Ni no Kuni isn't a proven franchise yet, it has already generated quite a bit of buzz -- particularly the graphically-intense PS3 version. Although Hino doesn't offer specifics about a release date for either project, he does say that "I don't think it will that be long before you're able to play these games." Unfortunately, we don't think he means they'll be here "tomorrow."

The full interview with Akihiro Hino can be found in Nintendo Power #157, available now.

[Thanks, Paul!]

The upcoming camera-enabled launches of EyePet and Invizimals in North America may not be available to PSP Go owners at all. PlayStation.Blog's Sid Shuman accurately admits that the upcoming PSP camera was "designed for pre-Go models only," and the "current camera will only fit onto the larger PSP model."

Shuman suggests there are "no workarounds," suggesting he has forgotten about the rarely-seen PSP Go "converter cable," introduced at Tokyo Game Show last year. Whether or not the attachment will ever find a Stateside release is still up in the air. "We don't have any information yet on a peripheral attachment for the Go," a Sony rep told us, neither confirming nor denying the possibility. Of course, should SCEA choose not to ship the cables, there's another solution: importing from Japan.