Gameloft has come under fire by a former head studio programmer who worked for the company in New Zealand. The ex-Gameloft employee named Glenn Watson told games.on.net a story about how Gameloft teated its employees in New Zealand. Watson spoke about excruciating long hours, lies from upper management and violations of New Zealand law.

A publicity stunt to promote Xbox 360 game Splinter Cell Conviction in New Zealand resulted in a police response, several frightened pub patrons and stern warnings for the marketing agency responsible.

Some 20 pubgoers were alarmed when an actor dressed as game hero Sam Fisher began brandishing a plastic gun outside Degree, an establishment in Auckland’s Viaduct Basin.

Someone shouted, “He’s got a gun,” and people began diving under tables. A spokesman for Monaco Corporation, the company hired to promote the game, told the Herald it had another marketing company set up the event and didn’t know a gun would be involved. Senior Sergeant Ben Offner told the Herald the fake plastic gun could have passed for a real weapon until officers inspected it. Offner cautioned anyone planning a similar promotion to think twice.

Nexon has opened up Mabinogi to more regions. As of June 20, 2008, people from Australia and New Zealand can now register and play the casual, life-sim MMORPG. Previously, Mabinogi was released in North America on March 27, 2008, after being available in Korea since June 2004 and both Japan and China since early 2005.