Video Game Reviews 4 You

Posted September 8, 2011 by James Brightman

Sony has just issued its NPD related statement and as usual the company did not disclose actual sales numbers, but Sony does indicate that sales picked up quite a bit after the $50 price cut in mid-August.

"Despite inventory constraints at retail during the first half of August, PS3 hardware sales were very strong the last two weeks of the month following the $50 price cut and the new inFAMOUS 2 bundle. The new PS3 price point, combined with PlayStation Move and the industry's strongest lineup of exclusive titles, including Uncharted 3 and Everybody Dance, positions us for an amazing holiday season," said Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications at SCEA.

James Brightman has been covering the games industry since 2003 and has been an avid gamer ever since the days of Atari and Intellivision. He was previously the EIC of GameDaily Biz.

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Posted September 9, 2011 by James Brightman

PS3 has been the home for 3D gaming enthusiasts. Sony's pushed the technology from the beginning, not only on the console but with their HDTV business. While the adoption rates for 3D in general have been a bit slow, Sony remains steadfast in its belief that games will only continue to get better as 3D technology improves and more gamers start using it.

Sony's Mick Hocking, who manages Sony London Studios and is the company's internal 3D expert and evangelist, recently spoke to IndustryGamers all about the challenges and opportunities 3D presents to the industry. Hocking believes it's early days still for 3D, though.

"Looking at the future of 3D, I think we’ve really only just begun to realize its potential as a creative medium. With the combination of 3D and motion control gaming with PlayStation Move, I think titles like Resistance 3 are just scratching the surface of what’s possible," he enthused.

"For those who may have been fans of some of the ‘virtual reality’ projects of the late 1980s and early 1990s, improvements in processing power and 3D screen resolution are creating virtual spaces that are more realistic than ever. If you look at what PlayStation is doing now and the innovations that are being worked on in our Studios in 3D gaming, we’re living in one of the most thrilling eras to be a gamer," he added.

Stay tuned, as we'll be posting the full interview with Hocking in the coming days.

James Brightman has been covering the games industry since 2003 and has been an avid gamer ever since the days of Atari and Intellivision. He was previously the EIC of GameDaily Biz.

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Posted September 9, 2011 by M.H. Williams

Yasuhiro Wada, creator of Harvest Moon, and Yoshiro Kimura, creator of Little King’s Story, left Marvelous Entertainment one year ago to join Goichi Suda’s Grasshopper Manufacture as COO and CCO respectively.  Today, Siliconera reports that the two have departed the company.

The studio is currently working on a number of titles, including Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact, Sine Mora, Black Knight Sword, Lollipop Chainsaw, and the Kinect-powered Codename D.  No replacements for the two gentlemen have been named, nor is there any indication where they will end up.

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Posted September 9, 2011 by James Brightman

Game sales took a major plunge in August, dropping 23% year-over-year as software sales in particular really faltered, declining by 34% in a month without the usual Madden spike. While some of the blame can be attributed to the Madden delay, EEDAR's Jesse Divnich sees much bigger problems for the traditional retail side of the business.

Divnich, providing IndustryGamers with exclusive post-NPD report commentary, observed a pretty serious trend in the traditional games industry so far in 2011:  "To date, there have been 18% fewer physical SKUs released compared to the same time period in 2010.  In addition, there has been a 27% reduction in 80+ rated physical games, year-to-date. I have to admit, I am concerned for the traditional physical gaming market as we enter the crucial holiday season."

"It wouldn't be a far stretch to assume that this increase in non-traditional gaming playtime is coming at the cost of the traditional physical experience."

This holiday season is looking fantastic for core gamers with blockbuster titles in the pipeline, including Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Gears of War 3, Uncharted 3, Resistance 3 (it's all about the threes), Skyrim, Zelda: Skyward Sword, and more. But will there be enough cash to go around? "The remainder of the year looks positive for traditional video games as the quality of AAA titles this holiday season is overwhelming, maybe too overwhelming," admits Divnich.

And what if gamers are holding back, saving some money, and spending more time with cheaper mobile offerings?

That could be the case, if you ask Divnich. "Our industry thrives on momentum and habit.  The first thing a gamer says when they finish a great title is, 'What can I play next?' and when the answer is nothing that consumer begins to look elsewhere to satisfy their entertainment needs.  From our consumer surveys and market analysis, the level of activity occurring in non-traditional gaming markets such as mobile, tablet, and social have skyrocketed over the last 3 months."  

He continued, "We've done the surveys and we know that over 51% of traditional console owners have engaged with mobile and social games over the last 6 months. It wouldn't be a far stretch to assume that this increase in non-traditional gaming playtime is coming at the cost of the traditional physical experience.  The scary question is whether these consumers have simply gone dormant, waiting for the next big Xbox 360 game, or if we have lost some, even if it is a relatively small percentage, to these non-traditional gaming markets forever."

In the end, while EEDAR is concerned about the market, Divnich remains mostly optimistic that sales will turn around for Q4, even if the industry packed too much into the holiday period.

"Personally, I've always felt our industry has learned that the core gaming engagement isn't seasonal, in which strong AAA core targeted titles can thrive at any point of the year, but looking at this year's lopsided release schedule, I have to wonder if we are straying a little too far off our own beaten path. That said, I remain positive about this industry and truly believe that traditional gaming will recover this holiday season, but it would be fair to say that I and many others will be anxiously sweating it as we enter this period."

James Brightman has been covering the games industry since 2003 and has been an avid gamer ever since the days of Atari and Intellivision. He was previously the EIC of GameDaily Biz.

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Posted September 9, 2011 by Ben Strauss

EA and Playfish have broken through a major barrier, becoming the second most popular game on Facebook.  The Sims Social, a title specifically tailored for Facebook, has already racked up an astonishing 9.3 million daily active users.  That figure puts the title ahead of Zynga’s venerable FarmVille.

According to data gleaned from App Data, the game has also been well received by many players.  With over 90,000 posted reviews online, the game is hovering at a 4.0 out of 5. 

EA has stated that the new title is one of several that are meant to help diversify EA into the social gaming atmosphere, specifically on Facebook.  

Ben Strauss is a student at Xavier University studying Marketing and Philosophy. He has been an active gamer since he got his hands on a Nintendo, and looks to help further gaming as a legitimate creative and entertainment development entity.

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Posted September 9, 2011 by M.H. Williams

A brand-new indie studio has appeared!  Tribute Games has launched in Montreal, formed by ex-Ubisoft and Eidos employees Justin Cyr, Jonathan Lavigne and Jean-François Major.  Lavigne announced the new venture on his personal blog.

“Jean-François Major, Justin Cyr and I have been working together for several years and we also developed Wizorb together during the past 6 months. So, we decided to join forces and form our own video game company. Justin is an awesome pixel artist, animator and aspiring sound designer and Jean-François is our mastermind programmer,” he wrote.

“We chose the name Tribute Games because when we make games, we want to pay tribute to all the cool games from our childhood. We’re passionate indies aiming at making entertaining games with a focus on pixel art and classic game design (sometimes with a modern twist).”

Wizorb, the title mentioned in the post will be coming to Xbox Live Indie Games this month.  No concrete release date has been given.

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Posted September 9, 2011 by Ben Strauss

The digital downloading race has increased pace with EA’s big push with Origin.  EA has announced that the new service has hit over 4 million installations, and that the publisher is close to opening up distribution options to third-party vendors. 

"Initially, Origin is set up to deliver EA games, but very soon, we'll be delivering third-party content to Origin," said Eric Brown, EA CFO. 

The games giant had recently mentioned that content from other developers and publishers would certainly be welcome on the platform.  EA SVP of global online David DeMartini noted to IndustryGamers that the overall strategy is to be a platform where all publishers could see the value in such a digital distribution-centric system. 

EA plans to “leverage our backend infrastructure -- the 130 million-plus registered users that we have, the multitude of digital payment methods, et cetera."  Brown did not go into detail on which third-party groups would be signed up for distribution on Origin at this time.

If anything, the true push of Origin should be coming for this holiday.  Now that EA has tied Battlefield 3 together with Origin, there is strong backing to get gamers signed up. 

"We're fairly excited about Origin," Brown mentioned. "We have about 4 million installs of the client; we expect that number to climb substantially as we enter this ... holiday season."

[via Gamasutra]

Ben Strauss is a student at Xavier University studying Marketing and Philosophy. He has been an active gamer since he got his hands on a Nintendo, and looks to help further gaming as a legitimate creative and entertainment development entity.

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Posted September 9, 2011 by Ben Strauss

EA has successfully argued that First Amendment speech outweighs privacy concerns for use of sports figures within video games.  The case was originally brought up from Rutgers University quarterback Ryan Hart, who believed his likeness was not being used with his consent.

While EA did not use the player’s name in the game, Hart believed that the ‘virtual QB’ for Rutgers was eerily similar in appearance and stature.  Hart also alleged that the use of his attributes, number and appearance were too similar to be ignored.

U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson disagreed, however, stating that First Amendment rights outweighed the right to privacy of NCAA players such as Hart.  Wolfson had previously dropped a similar complaint by Hart back in 2010. 

EA lawyer Elizabeth McNamara commented on the ruling, saying that this “validates Electronic Arts’ rights to create and publish its expressive works.”

Other cases remain active; Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller and former Cleveland Browns player Jim Brown are in legal battles with EA, saying their likenesses were improperly used.  

[Thanks Reuters]

Ben Strauss is a student at Xavier University studying Marketing and Philosophy. He has been an active gamer since he got his hands on a Nintendo, and looks to help further gaming as a legitimate creative and entertainment development entity.

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Posted September 9, 2011 by M.H. Williams

IndieCade 2011, the fifth annual festival of independent gaming, has announced that Uncharted lead designer Richard Lemarchand will be the keynote speaker for the event, taking place on October 6-9, in Culver City, CA.  Lermarchand’s talk will be entitled ‘Beauty and Risk: Why I Love Indie Games’.  Other speakers will include Braid creator Jonathon Blow, Shadow Physics co-creator Steve Swink, and Canabalt creator Adam Saltsman.

“IndieCade brings together the community to check in on what people have been up to over the last year, celebrate our successes, honor creativity, innovation, get inspired and see what is in store for the year to come,” Andy Nealen, co-creator of the hit Osmos and IndieCade Conference Co-Chair, said.

The full conference costs $195 in advance and $250 at the door.  Tickets can be purchased on the official site.

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Posted September 9, 2011 by M.H. Williams

THQ has shut down a number of studios this year: Homefront developer Kaos Studios in June, two studios in Australia, and the internal MX vs. ATV developer located in Phoenix, Arizona.  Speaking at the Citi 2011 Tech Conference today, THQ CFO Paul Pucino outlined why those studios had to go.  THQ has decided to streamline its operations to create a few AAA releases each year, with successive iterations every two years.

"In respect to not talking about it at our annual meeting it's because we simply weren't able to announce it at that time," Pucino said. "We think the best position we can be in with respect to studio structure is fewer is better."

"The two we just shut in Australia were working on games that aren't consistent with our strategy anymore - one on a movie tie-in, one on a kids' game," Pucino said. "Our strategy now is bringing fewer, bigger triple-A titles to market: one or two original IPs each year, and sequelling them every two to two-and-a-half years."

Pucino highlighted the new THQ Montreal studio, headed up by Ubisoft-expat and former Assassin’s Creed creative director Patrice Désilets.  THQ believes the new studio will allow them to create AAA games cheaper and more efficiently.

"We're trying to reduce the cost of bringing high quality games to market," Pucino said. "Our studio in Montreal will grow from 150 to 400 employees in the next couple of years. We're going to be able to make games there for 40 percent less than some of our other studios."

Does THQ have a chance against Activision, EA, and Ubisoft?  Homefront didn’t sell as well as it could, the publisher just killed the Red Faction franchise, and its collaboration with director Guillermo del Toro won’t see fruit for many years now.  Is the publisher moving in the right direction?

[Via Edge]

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