Archived News:
Take-Two Interactive Software reports their Second Quarter Fiscal 2010 Financial Results, saying: "Net revenue for the second fiscal quarter was $268.0 million, an increase of approximately 54% compared to $174.3 million for the same quarter of fiscal 2009. Second quarter fiscal 2010 sales were driven by the launches of BioShock® 2, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City on the PS3 and PC, and Major League Baseball® 2K10, along with continuing strong sales of catalog titles including NBA® 2K10 and Grand Theft Auto IV." The report also has word that Max Payne 3 is delayed, saying: "The launch of Max Payne 3 has been moved out of fiscal 2010."
VG247 reports a rumor that Valve's E3 surprise will be the announcement of the Source Engine 2. They attribute this to a "VG247 source," who wishes to remain anonymous. Their source also suggests the possibility this will be shown off running Half-Life 3, showing even rumors can bury the lede.
This month's issue of Game Informer Magazine reveals that Telltale Games is making an episodic game series based on the Jurassic Park movie series, reports TheNPCs. Word is this will be a "cinematic adventure," which befits a movie game, and that the first episode is expected for multiple platforms before the end of this year, barring events unforeseen even by chaos theory. Thanks Strategy Informer.
A thread titled "DICE rubbing it in our faces" on the Electronic Arts UK Community Forums features users voicing complaints over something that was noticed in the recent trailer promoting the VIP Map Pack #3 for Battlefield: Bad Company 2, DICE's military shooter sequel. The clip shows the M14 with a 4X optical sight, which is not available in the game. This has lead users to draw the conclusion that this is an old video shot before the M14 optics were removed from the game prior to release, suggesting the new VIP content was ready prior to release. A post by Barrie "Bazajaytee" Tingle says the video is actually recent, and explains that: "The optics shown in the video are an option the video recording team have access to that can show optics enabled versions of the guns instead of the ones in the final game. Whether optics get added into the game is still a decision that lies with Demize99." This has lead to a lot of posts calling shenanigans, and general discontent among the thread participants. Thanks joao.
The Men Of War: Assault Squad interview on Rock, Paper, Shotgun chats with DigitalMindSoft CEO Chris Kramer about this upcoming installment in the Men of War series of military RTT games. Topics include the role of "hero" units, how the series has been received in the west, the thinking behind Assault Squad, co-op support, modifications, and more.
BradentonHerald.com reports on the formation of mPlay, a licensing and merchandising company formed by former Microsoft Xbox exec to focus on the world of video games. Word is their first product is Realtime Worlds' upcoming All Points Bulletin, so don't be surprised when the APB Happy Meals show up at Mickey Ds. "Anyone in the interactive entertainment industry knows how costly it is to develop a videogame let alone make it profitable, yet few companies realize how impactful a licensing and merchandising program can be directly to the bottom line when approached strategically and as an integral part of a game’s business plan," says Ed Ventura, a partner in the project. "Most companies consider licensing only after a game’s release and then without proper approach, which can hurt the brand and leave potential revenue on the table."
Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson announces the Games for Windows Games on Demand program is getting day and date releases, providing some games for download at the same time they are released at retail. Here's word:
- Major game publishers have committed to delivering new day-and-date releases as well as back catalog titles to Games on Demand starting this week
- Games on Demand is expanding as of today to offer an even larger library of blockbuster titles starting with the day and date release June 8 of “Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands”
- To celebrate, Microsoft and Ubisoft are offering 75% off on the previous two games in the series, “Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within” and “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”
- Games on Demand offers both LIVE and non LIVE titles
- New titles will ship on Games on Demand every week
- We expect more than 100 titles available on Games on Demand by the end of 2010.
Thanks Acleacius and Mike Martinez.
I had a little bout with a computer virus today after checking a link a reader said was carrying malware, yup, he was right! It took me a while to get things back on track, and it seems I still have some work to do to shake the infection even after a system restore. Sigh.
EA is offering the chance to get to see footage of their E3 demo for Dead Space 2 in advance of the show. Those who register on this page will receive the E3 clip from the third-person shooter sequel on June 14. Those who are already signed up for Dead Space updates are automatically signed up for this. Update: EA sent along a clarification that the footage they will send out in conjunction with this is not actually from their E3 demo, but is a separate new clip, apologizing for giving the impression this would be their actual E3 presentation.
1C Publishing announces development of Men of War: Vietnam, though the cat was let out of the bag on this project last week. The Vietnam War installment in this military real-time tactics series will feature special operatives in a "story-driven campaign shows the explosive mix of the jungle, Hueys and rock-n-roll in 1968." Word is: During this conflict the US troops were using not only new weapons, but new tactics as well. The war in Vietnam became the first military conflict where helicopters played a significant role, and this is one of the major features of this game. The campaign is 10 missions and focuses on a team of elite special ops soldiers, and each one of them has a personality. The unit includes Sergeant John Merrill, machinegunner Jim Walsh, sniper Sonny Armstrong, grenade launcher operator Carl Dillan and combat engineer Bill Kirby. In some missions they can count only on themselves, while in the others they act together with regular US and South-Vietnamese troops.
This page on the ARMA II Website outlines preorder options for ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead, the now gold standalone expansion for Bohemia Interactive's military shooter sequel. Preorders are also underway for ARMA 2 - Combined Operations, which bundles the new expansion with the original game. For some reason the preorder pages list a June 24 release date, rather than the just-announced June 29 date. Thanks KaBoNG.
UK paper the Telegraph reflects the results of research into the idea of computer games as sport, where the abilities of pro gamers were compared to professional athletes. The gamers were comparable in a number of respects, including reflexes (saying they "reacted to visual stimuli almost as fast as fighter jet pilots") and mental outlook (their "reaction time, motor skill, competitiveness and emotions were pretty close"). Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, they found a 20-year-old to be surprisingly out of shape, saying in spite of looking fit, "tests revealed he in fact had the lung function and aerobic fitness of a heavy smoker in his sixties." This prompts University of Essex researcher Dr. Dominic Micklewright to say: "Someone of this age should be much fitter, but perhaps this is the occupational hazard of the professional gamer who can spend around 10 hours a day in front of a screen." There's no word on how fit Dr. Micklewright is. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
A Facebook Post by Vince Zampella and Jason West says we should expect some news about what Respawn Entertainment is up to at E3 next week. Word is: "Vince Zampella and Jason West big time announcement at E3 next week. stay tuned, kiddies!" Thanks 1UP.
ICARUS STUDIOS and Fallen Earth LLC announce the launch of a Fallen Earth mobile app for iPhone and Android devices. This will allow players of this MMORPG to check in-game mail, interact with clan members and online friends, keep tabs on the auction house, examine character profiles and equipped gear, and more.
Gamasutra - Three Reasons Why We Buy Those Crazy Steam Bundles. Thanks Mike Martinez.
First, In marketing there's a well worn principle called "the scarcity effect." When something is scarce, it automatically becomes more desirable to us than it would be if it were available everywhere we looked. This "available in limited number" trick shows up everywhere from collectible trading cards to special "limited" editions of new game releases (which usually aren't all that limited in all actuality). Ever noticed a store front that had a "going out of business!" sign in the window for months on end? That's the owners trying to capitalize on the scarcity effect. Buy now, sucker, or it'll be gone!
Koku Gamer - Overcompensating with CG Trailers. Thanks Ant.
However in gaming, CG trailers are normally nonsensical and have little, if anything, to do with the game itself. In fact, video game trailers rarely give any information about the game and are meant to impress visually. Essentially this says that gaming, as an industry or an art, is not good enough alone to impress people so excitement is outsourced by throwing together a CG trailer with graphics of such quality and atmospheres so epic that they would never run on this generation of consoles. This is where the CG trailer’s natural faults will kill it. The reality is that gamers are coming to the point where they feel that if there is no gameplay in the video then they will not spend their money.
Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
I am sad to see that the Dr. Demento show (thanks Ant via Slashdot) is coming to an end, as his broadcasts of novelty songs were a staple of my youth. To be honest, I wasn't aware the show was still on, as it left the New York area long ago, and considering one of my memories of the show was how some songs got played every week for lack of material, it is kind of amazing it continued on for decades. The show will continue on the internet, so I will have to give it a listen to fuel some nostalgic flames.
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