Source: Another rumor-provoking preview over at UK game site Computer and Video Games.

　　The official story: See below.

　　What we heard: There weren't too many attendees at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo who even knew that Mercenaries 2 was at the show. That's because the game was only shown off behind closed doors to esteemed members of the press at the developer's booth. The demo was shown off on a PlayStation 3 dev kit, and Pandemic has not made any mention of other platforms.

　　Pandemic also never spoke of a publisher for the game. Mercenaries was published by LucasArts in the US and by Activision in Europe. However, the developer joined forces with BioWare and Elevation Partners, a venture-capital firm, late last year and formed BioWare/Pandemic, which frees up the two indie studios to take control of the creative, while Elevation provides the cash. With financial backing from Elevation, it isn't even clear whether Pandemic will need much help from a publisher.

　　Though the developer has been quiet on many of the game's details, some of Pandemic's secrets may have been revealed today. CVG has posted a preview of an Xbox 360 version of the game and has listed the game's publisher as Activision.

　　Mercenaries 2 on the Xbox 360 wouldn't really be too surprising, as the original Mercenaries was released on both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. When Merc 2 was first announced, Pandemic said it was merely headed to "next-gen consoles," further opening up the possibility that a multiplatform release is in the works. CVG admits that a 360 version hasn't been announced but says it has it "on very good authority that it will be Xbox 360 bound..."

　　As for the game's publisher, it appears that CVG isn't even sure about its own information. In the first paragraph of the preview, CVG says, "Pandemic haven't [sic] even signed a publisher yet, but we can tell you that it won't be LucasArts/Activision again."

　　When asked for comment, a Pandemic rep would only say that no publisher has been announced, and only a PlayStation 3 version has been confirmed. The rep was also quick to point out that the screenshots in the preview were from the PS3 version.

　　The whole platform dispute resembles the confusion surrounding another announced game for the PS3--Assassin's Creed--right down to the CVG exposé. So why would Pandemic wait to announce an Xbox 360 version? One possibility is that Sony may be trying to wrangle Mercenaries 2 as an exclusive, and the two companies may be in negotiations. The game may also be a timed exclusive, such as how the Grand Theft Auto games were for the PlayStation 2.

　　As far as Activision signing on to publish, it looks as though it may just be a database error on CVG's part, particularly since the body of the preview seems to contradict that info. But while an Activision rep had not responded to requests for comment as of press time, a LucasArts spokesperson made it sound like his company is having zero involvement with the game. "We have the utmost respect and appreciation for Pandemic and their new endeavor with Elevation," the spokesperson told GameSpot. "Mercenaries is a great franchise, and we wish them continued success with it."

　　Bogus or not bogus?: Headed to the Xbox 360? Probably not bogus. Activision publishing? That's less clear. But one thing's for certain: Many publishers would love to have Mercenaries 2 in their portfolio.