Strictly exclusive search
With a database of over 4,500 of the best candidates the games industry has to offer, Recruit3D is perfectly positioned to conduct a search and selection campaign aimed at providing your studio with the best staff available.
Taking your job specifications, we will draw up a list of candidates we think are worth approaching on your behalf. At that point, we either discuss our list with you, settling on who you would like us to approach or, if you prefer, we simply "take the ball and run with it', going ahead and networking on your behalf to make the most suitable candidates aware of your requirements and ensure that your studio and the opportunities offered are presented in the best possible light.
Recruit3D operates on a STRICTLY exclusive basis - each consultant works with no more than TEN studios at any one time (and often less, depending on workload), allowing us to focus on delivering the kind of quality you've never before had from a games recruitment agency. If we don't have the capacity to devote to your search, we'll tell you. We won't lead you on. It wastes your time, and gets us a bad reputation.
Just some of the services we offer:
- Active "search and selection" based recruitment - we take your specifications, research the competition from various databases of almost 5,000 candidates currently working in the games industry, and go after those candidates you will want to see.
- Recruitment advertising campaign management, in print and online.
- "Match making" between studios and outsourced service providers. If you're a freelancer, talk to us.
- We can conduct our own first stage interviews according to your specifications - frees up your time and allows us to help you narrow the field.
- VERY competitive fees and rebate periods.
Email office@recruit3d.com for further details.
News: GameStop: Publishers should participate in used game market
GameStop COO Paul Raines has responded to initiatives such as EA's 'Project Ten Dollar' aimed at deterring consumers from buying used games, saying that publishers should participate in its pre-owned business by releasing DLC for popular titles rather than try to restrict it.
Speaking during a call to investors following the release of GameStop's Q4 financials earlier today, Raines added that he didn't believe a $10 piece of downloadable content would be enough of an incentive for consumers to buy new in any case.
"Through our years in the used business, we have learned that the second-hand user is a value-oriented consumer. The average price of a used Xbox [360] game is twenty dollars, so we don't believe that a ten-dollar add-on piece of downloadable content is compelling to a used-game buyer.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 5:28 pm
News: Codemasters appoints Koch as European distribution partner
Codemasters has appointed Koch Media as a distribution partner in Europe, handing marketing and distribution duties for its console and PC titles to the company.
The agreement has arisen following a company review of distribution arrangements in readiness for a refined portfolio of titles for FY 2011, it said today.
Starting immediately, Koch will manage the distribution of Codemasters' back catalogue and future titles in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It will work alongside existing divisions in those regions to facilitate the transition of retail relationships, said the publisher.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 3:21 pm
News: Nordic Game announces keynote speakers for April event
Keynote presentations from representatives of Playfish, Quantic Dream and Remedy are to feature in the line-up for this year's Nordic Game, its organisers have announced.
Playfish CEO Kristian Segerstrale will present the opening keynote, talking on the conference's theme of gaming entrepreneurship.
Following him on the opening conference day will be Guillaume de Fondaumière, co-CEO of Quantic Dream, who will share his experience of working within the field of media convergence.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 2:23 pm
News: GameStop: yearly earnings down 5.3%; Q4 profit drops 7.1%
GameStop's fourth quarter financials have shown a drop in net earnings of 7.1 per cent to $215.9m.
Total sales for the quarter were flat on last year, increasing 0.9 per cent to $3.52bn, while comparable store sales decreased 7.9 per cent.
Net earnings were down 5.3 per cent over the whole of fiscal 2009, totalling $377.3m, while total sales increased 3.1 per cent to $9.08bn.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 1:25 pm
News: Sony launches ideas submission blog
Sony has launched a new section of PlayStation.Blog where users can submit new ideas and feature suggestions for PlayStation products.
PlayStation.Blog Share allows users to post their own ideas and also vote on the suggestions of others, with Sony promising to monitor and act upon the most popular.
The FAQ for the site claimed that Sony is looking for "any idea that will help make the PlayStation experience better. Period. Game title ideas. PS3 ideas. PlayStation Home ideas. Hey, maybe even PlayStation.Blog ideas!"
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 12:07 pm
News: Sony prevails in copyright lawsuit over God of War
Sony and game designer David Jaffe have prevailed in a court battle against screenplay writers who claimed that God of War infringed on their copyright.
Jonathan Bissoon-Dath and Jennifer Dath said that they conceived the idea behind the game God of War, having submitted two treatments and two screenplays based on a story involving a Spartan attack on Athens and the resulting effort by the Greek Gods to restore peace.
But Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled against the pair in her verdict, concluding there were key differences between their story and Sony's, and that the basic idea for a story cannot be owned anyway.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 12:01 pm
News: Just Cause 2 demo downloads hit 2 million
The demo of forthcoming title Just Cause 2 has been downloaded more than 2 million times, according to publisher Eidos.
Launched on March 4 on Xbox Live Marketplace, the PlayStation Network and PCs the demo is claimed to be one of the largest ever for an open world game.
Eidos suggest that the 2 million+ players of the demo have already driven the equivalent distance from Earth to the moon and back four times. 30 million inhabitants of the fictional island of Panau have been killed in total, including 2.5 million headshots.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 11:09 am
News: Turtle Rock studio reforms following closure by Valve
Former Valve-owned studio Turtle Rock has reformed and is working on projects again, according to its new website.
The studio was originally founded in 2002 by Michael Booth and went on to develop the first Left 4 Dead game.
It was later acquired by Valve at the start of 2008, however when Valve moved the studio from Orange County to Bellevue, Washington, it led to its effective closure.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 10:39 am
News: EA PC title requires constant internet connection
EA's new PC title Command & Conquer 4 will require a constant internet connection to play, the company has confirmed, mirroring similar demands in recent Ubisoft titles.
A post on the official Command & Conquer forum, from community manager EA_Apoc, states that the game has "NO DRM" and that players do not need to have the DVD in the drive to play the game. The game can also be installed from the disc an infinite number of times on any machine.
However, to play the game the PC must be connected to the internet at all times. As the review of the game on our sister site Eurogamer makes clear "Just like Ubisoft's contempt-to-the-max DRM system, this will kick you out if your net connection drops for any reason - even in single-player."
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 10:01 am
News: Transmission Games vets form Trickstar
Veterans of Australian developer Transmission Games have founded a new studio named Trickstar, with projects already planned for most major formats.
Although at the time of writing certain sections of the company's website are not functioning, it does indicate that the developer has "a number of exciting new games in production".
Support for the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, iPhone, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade are all implied on the website.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 9:12 am
News: Images claim to prove existence of Xbox 360 Slim
Images of the motherboard for a possible new Xbox 360 hardware version have emerged online, with speculation that it may be intended to coincidence with the launch of Project Natal.
As with many such leaks, such as early glimpses of the PlayStation 3 Slim, the images originate from China. The photos only picture the motherboard and internal components of the supposed console, but based on their size they suggest a console roughly a third smaller than current models.
The technical experts at Digital Foundry, part of sister site Eurogamer, have analysed the images in detail and identified what appears to be a new integrated Xenon and Xenos CPU/GPU processor.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 8:43 am
News: St John: OnLive is the right notion and the wrong execution
Hi5 president and CTO Alex St John has said that OnLive won't work a fact that he says is too bad because "it's the right notion and the wrong execution."
Talking to GamesIndustry.biz at this year's GDC in San Francisco, St John said that now people have more than one TV screen in their homes and 3D chips are in a multitude of devices, the idea of having a games console which sits in the living room is outdated.
However, he argued against the solution being game-streaming services such as OnLive, saying that problems such as latency hadn't been solved.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 8:14 am
Interview: Hi5's Alex St John
When social network site Hi5 last year decided it would focus more firmly on gaming, it brought in WildTangent founder Alex St John as chief technical officer and president to help it to lead the way. And with his vast experience of the industry and clear vision of what a gaming site should be, he seems like the perfect candidate. Since his arrival in December, he has already overseen the acquisition of social games developer Big Six and formation of a new game developer initiative. His opinion is that PC social online gaming is what will drive the next generation, which is why he wants to be there - and he's not backwards in explaining why consoles and cloud gaming services such as OnLive don't stand a chance of competing.
Posted on 18 March 2010 | 8:00 am
News: Resident Evil creator to open new Tokyo studio
Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami has announced plans to open a new development studio in Tokyo.
According to a translated Famitsu article by 1up, the new company will be called Tango and Mikami hopes it can foster new Japanese development talent.
"One of the reasons I'm building a company is to raise the game makers of the future, people who haven't gone pro yet," Mikami told the magazine.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 5:00 pm
News: Rebellion confirms Derby closure, cuts at Oxford studio
UK developer Rebellion has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that it has finally closed its studio in Derby and has also let a number of junior positions go at its main team in Oxford.
The company said in January that it was reviewing the Derby business, originally Eidos' Core Design team, responsible for titles in the Tomb Raider series.
"Sadly we didnt find any solution other than closure for the Derby studio," offered CEO Jason Kingsley. "At the same time as we were considering the options for the Derby studio, we were also looking at our staff needs in Oxford, given shifting business models and opportunities.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 4:42 pm
News: Zynga hires EA Sports vet Steven Chiang
Social games company Zynga has announced the hiring of EA Sports veteran Steven Chiang as president of game studios.
Chiang spent 15 years at Electronic Arts, most recently as VP of EA Sports where he was responsible for the Madden series and the upcoming Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online. He co-founded Tiburon Entertainment, acquired by EA in 1998.
"I am excited that Steven Chiang, a veteran of the videogame industry who is strongly regarded for building high-quality games and scaling development teams and operations worldwide, has joined Zynga," wrote CEO Mark Pincus on his blog.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 4:15 pm
News: Majesco reports Q1 profits of $3.8 million
Cooking Mama publisher Majesco has reported first quarter profits of $3.8 million (£2.4m / 2.7m), down from the $4.2 million recorded for the same period last year.
For the three months ended January 31, net revenues were $29.2 million (£19.1m / 21.2m) compared to $32.8 million (£21.4m / 23.8m) in 2009, with operating income of $2.5 million (£1.6m / 1.8m), down from $3.7 million (£2.4m / 2.6m).
"Majesco had a very solid first quarter driven by strong holiday sales of our Cooking Mama franchise, which once again delivered impressive results, and Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Our results were in-line with our internal expectations and we remain on track to deliver improved profitability for 2010," said CEO Jesse Sutton.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 3:51 pm
News: Former Ensemble designer hits back at crunch claims
A lead designer at the now defunct Ensemble Studios has hit back at claims that the Age of Empires developer closed because of a combination of ingrained crunch culture and spiralling costs.
Writing on his website, Ian Fischer disputed claims made by Paul Bettner at GDC last week, in which he implied that over-spending and excessive work hours irreparably damaged the respected development team.
"Ensemble Studios, while certainly fond of numerous inefficient development practices, was no costlier or less efficient than any other developer of our calibre during this period of operation," wrote Fischer.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 1:31 pm
News: iPhone free-to-play revenues can rival consoles - ngmoco
Neil Young, the CEO of iPhone developer and publisher ngmoco, has said that the revenue made from free-to-play iPhone titles could rival that made from console games in the future if designers are able to deliver compelling enough content.
Speaking at GDC, Young said that ngmoco's own business model which has now moved entirely to free-to-play was developed over time following the company's launch in 2008.
To begin with the company launched two titles simultaneously one, Mazefinger, as a free title and the other, Topple, as a paid app.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 11:42 am
News: Lib Dems hedge bets on games tax breaks
The Liberal Democrats are "sympathetic" to the call for games tax relief, but will not "categorically back it" over concerns the "industry itself is not totally united behind it".
That's the message from Don Foster MP, Culture secretary for the party, whose comments came in the wake of a hint from the government that the measure could appear in next week's budget.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GamesIndustry.biz this week, Foster said: "I'm delighted Stephen Timms, the Minister with responsibility, has recently said the case is coming together. The problem I think we've got is that the case has not been finally put to bed.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 10:38 am
News: Publishers lost over £6m following Red Ant collapse
A year on from the collapse of distributor Red Ant, legal documents have revealed that game companies have lost almost AUS $10 million (£6m / $9.1m) to the Australian company, with former staff still AUS $250,000 out of pocket.
It has also been revealed that before the company went into administration, Red Ant loaned more than AUS $2 million (£1.2m / $1.8m) to companies and trust funds including Mad4Games Australia, Green Monkey and White Commerce Trust all owned by Red Ant managing director Julian White, who also received a AUS 700,000 loan from Red Ant.
In a report published on GamesIndustry.biz today, White said that all loans to companies that he was a director of were for business purposes only, and the companies were now in debt to the bank. White's explanation that the personal AUS $700,000 loan was repaid "by dividends" does not tally with the sum registering as outstanding on legal documents.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 9:47 am
Article: The Rise and Fallout of Red Ant
They were one of Australias largest independent videogame distributors until the Australian dollar crashed and brought them down with it. A year on from the collapse of Red Ant Enterprises, documents have emerged that raise serious questions about unexplained loans made by the company, as well as the movements of its director and his wife.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 9:45 am
News: Court rules in favour of Nintendo, MS over controller patent breach
A Washington court of appeal has ruled in favour of Nintendo and Microsoft following accusations the companies breached a patent relating to controller power conversions.
Patent holder Fenner Investments first sued the two console makers three years ago, reports Gamasutra, claiming that their devices used a design they had patented.
The patent in question is for a 'Low-Voltage Joystick Port Interface' described as an analogue stick which outputs to a digital signal - which is found in the majority of controllers for home consoles.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 9:14 am
News: IGN to reduce in size; staff lay-offs reported across company
Online media site IGN is to lay off staff in every area of the company, according to a leaked internal memo from IGN president Roy Bahat.
The memo says the move is a cost reducing exercise. "While we've been doing well we're still feeling the effects of the economy," it reads.
It adds that job losses will be felt in every part part of the company, despite the company's audience growth of 40 per cent last year.
Posted on 17 March 2010 | 8:31 am
News: OnLive business model a "shot in the arm" for Gaikai
David Perry has pointed out the drawbacks of cloud gaming service OnLive compared to his own Gaikai service, due to launch later this year, in the wake of OnLive's pricing and strategy announcements at this year's GDC.
Although OnLive players can rent games and try free demos, they are being asked to pay for their PC games on top of a $14.99 subscription, a pricing strategy that some are suggesting will hold back any significant growth.
"It's very different to OnLive," he told GamesIndustry.biz. "We're not trying to replace the consoles.
Posted on 16 March 2010 | 12:56 pm
News: British Inspiration Awards to honour UK creative sectors
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg are lending cross-party support to the British Inspiration Awards, a new initiative to honour the UK's creative sectors, including games, film and the arts.
The executive committee for the awards is being led by Nintendo's David Yarnton, and it will also be a charity-facing event with 100 per cent of proceeds split between Games Aid and The Dallaglio Foundation.
"I am enormously proud of the talented people in this country who, through their creative and entrepreneurial gifts, illuminate their lives and enrich ours. And the British Inspiration Awards is a great way of both recognising their endeavours and celebrating our achievements as a nation," said Brown in a statement.
Posted on 16 March 2010 | 10:38 am
News: GAME opens Home space
UK retailer GAME is to open a space in PlayStation 3 Home this week, offering visitors access to exclusive content and competitions.
The company becomes one of the first retailers to make use of the service, which now boasts an audience of over 12 million worldwide.
As well as offering social spaces, the GAME Moonbase will provide free-to-play games for visitors, with rewards for user's avatars on offer.
Posted on 16 March 2010 | 9:35 am
News: Quest Online sacks president, admits MMO "should never have launched"
US developer Quest Online has sacked its president and co-founder Dave Allen for "insubordination" and replaced him with 3000AD president Derek Smart.
Although the developer of the MMORPG Alganon announced the change last week, Smart has since clarified that Allen was fired from the company in February, and director of development Jason Blood and design director Hue Henry have also left the company.
"Dave Allen didn't 'depart' I fired him back in February for insubordination and for acting against the best interests of the company, the LLC investors (who I represent), the game and the team," wrote Smart on the Alganon forums.
Posted on 16 March 2010 | 9:03 am
News: GDC 2010 attracts record industry numbers
The 2010 Game Developer's Conference, which ended in San Francisco on Saturday, attracted a record industry turn out of over 18,000, the show's organisers have confirmed.
In total, 18,250 industry professionals attended the event - surpassing last year's total of 17,000.
The five day event included keynotes from Sid Meier and Peter Molyneux, and Sony also took the opportunity to both showcase the first games for its upcoming motion controller and announce its official name - PlayStation Move.
Posted on 16 March 2010 | 8:39 am
News: Bethesda to publish new title from inXile Entertainment
Fallout publisher Bethesda has picked up inXile's latest dungeon romp, Hunted: The Demon's Forge, for release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
The title is being overseen by Brian Fargo, who has been responsible for titles including Baldur's Gate and Fallout, and game director Maxx Kaufman, who has previously worked on Return to Castle Wolfenstein at Grey Matter.
"We are thrilled to be working with Bethesda Softworks on this upcoming release that takes us back to our roots," said Fargo, founder of inXile Entertainment. "Bethesdas track record speaks for itself and the game we are developing for them is no exception."
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 3:07 pm
News: Registration opens for Develop 2010
Registration is now open for Develop in Brighton, taking place July 13-15, 2010, with a number of early bird discounts on offer until June 7.
One, two or three day passes are available, along with special passes for the Audio Track and for academics and students.
This year's event has already lined up Louis Castle, founder of Westwood Studios and now CEO of Instant Action, as the Evolve keynote speaker, and Unity CEO David Helgason.
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 2:44 pm
News: PlayStation Home audience hits 12 million
The worldwide userbase for the PlayStation Home virtual world now stands at 12 million users, according to comments made by Sony's Jack Buser.
Speaking at the recently concluded Game Developers Conference, as reported by website Joystiq, Home director Buser indicated that the total population had increased by two million since December 2009 and had doubled since June 2009.
Rather than being merely one-off visits Buser claimed that 85 per cent of users that created an avatar for Home returned for at least a second visit. On average each user was said to spend "hours" during each visit.
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 11:59 am
News: Microsoft patents online upselling
Microsoft has patented a new system of purchasing downloadable content via an automatic prompt, which attempts to ensure all players in the game have the same updates.
Discovered by website Broke My Controller, the "automated directed transaction and delivery system for digital content" (ATDDC) is designed to automatically detect if a player has not installed a particular component necessary to take part in an online game.
Once the content, such as a map or character download, is detected a prompt to the user is automatically generated. This allows them to purchase the extra content and automatically download and install it while remaining in contact with the other players.
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 11:42 am
News: Final Fantasy XIII breaks 2010 records in UK
Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 has entered straight in at number one in the UK all formats chart, becoming the fastest-selling title of the year so far.
Despite a more mixed critical reception than normal for a mainline entry in the series the game broke the record for the fastest selling title of 2010, which was set only last week by EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
Unusually for a multiformat title it was the PlayStation 3 version that sold the most, with 54 per cent of sales, reflecting the series' long association with Sony consoles dating back to Final Fantasy VII.
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 10:50 am
News: Realtime Worlds wins Scottish Innovation award
APB and Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds have been awarded the John Logie Baird Award for Innovation in Scotland.
The award was presented at a gala award dinner at the Glasgow Science Centre, with Realtime Worlds winning in one of the seven categories meant to encourage "the commercial exploitation of Scotland's intellectual capital".
"This award means a lot to Realtime Worlds. It feels fantastic to be recognised for all our hard work over the years, and what greater honour than to receive an award which celebrates one of Scotlands greatest inventors John Logie Baird," said studio manager Colin Macdonald.
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 10:15 am
News: Bioshock 2 DLC was already on disc, claim fans
New downloadable content for Take-Two's BioShock 2 was already on the game's disc, according to accusations from fans.
The Sinclair Solutions pack was released on Thursday, March 11 and includes two new playable characters, 20 new trials, new upgrades for weapons and an increase of the level cap to 50. The pack is priced at 400 Microsoft Points (£3.40/$5.00).
Fans on the official 2K Forum message board noticed that the download was only 24K in size on the PC and 108K on Xbox 360, implying that the content was already finished and stored on the game disc.
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 9:32 am
News: Ex-Ensemble dev attacks "workaholic" culture
Former Ensemble Studios developer Paul Bettner has blamed himself and Ensemble's studio culture for the company's demise and has refused to condemn Microsoft for the developer's closure.
Speaking at the recent Game Developers Conference (GDC), as reported by sister site Eurogamer, Bettner commented: "The reality is that every single game we shipped took twice as long as we said it was going to take, and cost twice as much to make."
"Microsoft is a public company, they answer to their shareholders, and we were simply too expensive."
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 9:06 am
News: West and Zampella sign with Hollywood talent agency
Vince Zampella and Jason West, the two ex-studio heads at the centre of the controversy between Activision and Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward, have signed with the L.A. based talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
The CAA represents a number of high profile sports and media stars, including Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
According to a Los Angeles Times report at least one other Hollywood agency was looking to sign the pair, although the CAA has refused to clarify exactly what kind of career move Zampella and West intend to make next.
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 8:38 am
News: Denny: Move will "absolutely" sell PS3 consoles
Sony Worldwide Studios European boss, Michael Denny, has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes the forthcoming PlayStation Move motion control system will be instrumental in boosting sales of the PlayStation 3 when it's released later this year.
Speaking shortly after the brand was unveiled during a press conference in San Francisco last week, Denny explained that the release of Move echoed the business strategy previously seen on the company's last generation console.
"It's interesting - you look back at PlayStation 2 and it was about the same time in that console's life cycle that we started introducing new casual/social games and new interfaces, like SingStar, or Buzz!, or EyeToy before that," he said. "It's not new to PlayStation fans having physical gaming, or having new interfaces.
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 8:00 am
Interview: Sony's Michael Denny
One of last year's biggest talking points was the latest clash between Microsoft and Sony in the console space - this time around motion control. While Nintendo surpassed both companies with the Wii, the next-gen rivals announced a specific take on motion-based systems, but while Microsoft detailed it's Project Natal at E3 last year, Sony's version has lacked a brand identity - until last week. The big reveal came at the Sony press conference and revolved around the official unveiling of the PlayStation Move brand, as well as new details on the range of games that it would support. Right afterwards we spoke to Worldwide Studios Europe boss Michael Denny to dig deeper on some of the company's thinking.
Posted on 15 March 2010 | 8:00 am
News: GDC 2010 Coverage
For this year's GDC 2010 event, taking place all this week, we're using a new system for our coverage which is taking the form of an event blog. Every time we hear something interesting - either formally or less so - we'll post it here, with the latest updates at the top. Updates will include interesting snippets from lectures and panel sessions, any announcements we get wind of, plus the general buzz on the show floor - what people are talking about, the issues being discussed, and so on. But we also want to hear from you - if you're at GDC, or you want to react to things we're writing, drop us a line and we may add your thoughts to the blog as well!
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 11:30 pm
News: EA to ditch in-game ad partners and sell direct
Electronic Arts is to drop in-game advertising partners IGA Worldwide and Massive Inc. and sell its ads in-house.
According to a report by digital marketing site clickz, the publisher held an event in New York earlier this week where it pitched its properties to advertisers and media buyers.
Sales operations will go in-house for all titles from major franchises to smaller casual content, when current deals with IGA and Massive owned by Microsoft end this August. The two companies will continue to provide ads until the publisher ships Madden NFL 10.
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 5:16 pm
News: OnLive to offer rentals without subscription
OnLive boss Steve Perlman has revealed that the cloud gaming service will allow users to rent PC titles on a game-by-game basis, highlighting a more flexible approach for customers.
The company said earlier in the week that the basic OnLive packages consists of a $14.99 monthly subscription with games priced on top of that, but a new Portal will not charge for access to selected rental titles and free-to-play demos.
"The OnLive Game Portal is for gamers looking for direct access to OnLive games without being required to subscribe to the features of the full OnLive Game Service," said Perlman.
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 2:13 pm
News: Molyneux "not surprised" by PlayStation Move
Peter Molyneux, Lionhead Studios founder and creative director of Microsoft Game Studios Europe, has characterised the PlayStation Move as "more a device for the core than it is for the casual market".
In an interview with sister site Eurogamer, Molyneux was asked whether he had seen anything of the PlayStation Move at GDC. "Yes, I have seen some of it," he answered. "We're not really surprised, are we? I mean at E3 last year we saw they were having a wand, and that's kind of what I expected."
Although he characterised Move as "not as big a step as something like Natal", Molyneux did imply that Sony's controller may be more precise in its motion control.
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 11:15 am
News: Pac-Man creator to open Festival of Games 2010
Toru Iwatini, the creator of arcade classic Pac-Man, is to open the Festival of Games 2010 event in The Netherlands with a keynote speech.
Iwatani is now a professor at Tokyo Polytechnic University and will demonstrate his teaching skills at an exclusive workshop for game design students at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam.
The Festival of Games is primarily aimed at developers, publishers and investors but comprises several related attractions, including an international matchmaking event, an exposition, a career fair and a showcase for new talent.
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 10:33 am
News: EALA vets form Supergiant Games
Three veterans from Electronic Arts' Los Angeles studio have announced the formation of their own San Francisco Bay Area developer: Supergiant Games.
The new studio has not revealed any details of its initial products, except to say that it is "working on a game for digital download platforms that we hope to released in 2011".
The three founder members are design and direction head Amir Rao, engineering and design expert Gavin Simon and sound and music designer Darren Korb. The studio will also be making substantial use of freelancers and is currently advertising for 2D artists.
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 10:03 am
News: Blossom Pink PSP trounces DS in Japan
Sales of the PSP in Japan almost doubled this week, following the release of a new "Blossom Pink" hardware colour.
As a result the PSP shot past the Nintendo DS in terms of weekly sales, with a total of 66,083 units sold - including 1,275 of the PSPgo.
Despite new title Pokemon Ranger: Tracks of Light at number one in the software charts, DS sales still saw a decrease on the previous week, down just over 2000 units to 42,944 (DSi XL: 23,611, DSi: 15,017, DS Lite: 4,316).
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 9:34 am
News: APB business model is "completely unique" - Jones
Realtime Worlds' highly-anticipated PC game All Points Bulletin (APB) will have a completely unique business model, with the Scottish developer eschewing traditional subscription payments in favour of a "changing, flexible" model that in some instances can offer play for free.
Jones, the creator behind the original Grand Theft Auto series and Xbox 360 smash Crackdown, has been working on the business model for "years and years", and although simple in concept, admitted that it will need to be communicated clearly to players.
"It's not like we're going to say it's completely free for ever more. There is a business model there, but it's a very unique business model because it's a unique game," Jones told our sister site Eurogamer.net.
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 9:11 am
News: NPD: US hardware sales down 20% in February
US hardware sales have, in line with software sales, seen another year-on-year decline in February, down by 20 per cent to a total of $426.4 million.
The latest NPD Group data does show an increase from January 2010 though, with much of the decline attributable to hardware shortages for both the Wii and PlayStation 3.
This gifted the Xbox 360 its best February result in its history and saw it become the best-selling home console in the US for the first time since September 2007 and the release of Halo 3.
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 8:56 am
News: NPD: Games software sales drop 15% in February
US software sales saw another double figure year-on-year decline in February, with revenues down 15 per cent to $624.4 million.
The games market as a whole also fell by 15 per cent, to $1.26 billion. Hardware revenues were down 20 per cent to $426.4 million, while accessories were down 1 per cent to $204.7 million.
The latest figures from the NPD Group are in line with expectations, with analysts from both Wedbush Morgan and Cowan and Company having both suggested that a genuine recovery would not been seen untill at least March.
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 8:43 am
Editorial: Moving On
It is no great surprise that, despite Microsoft's slowly building focus on Natal, Sony is likely to beat it to market with its PlayStation Move motion controller. The noise and heat generated by the rumbling PR campaigns behind both technologies occasionally mask the reality - that this is, on one level, a battle between a company usually seen as a technological imitator which has unexpectedly taken on the mantle of cutting-edge innovator, and a firm which has prided itself on high-end engineering R&D suddenly embracing the "disruptive" ideal by employing cheap, tried-and-tested technology.
Both companies are arguably outside their comfort zones. Natal is technologically ambitious, which is not something Microsoft attempts often. PS Move is a low-cost, robust approach, which is equally alien to the neophiliac, technology-obsessed culture which has dominated Sony for decades. Even with both firms playing away games, however, Move's simpler technology was always likely to be first to market, and may well end up sporting the cheaper price tag of the two.
Does this matter? Probably not. It's yet to be confirmed whether Move actually will beat Natal to market (this is simply the relatively sane assumption that's being drawn from Sony's bombastic GDC performance this week), but even if it does, it's likely to be only by a handful of weeks, since Sony has committed itself to "autumn" and Microsoft to "before Christmas".
Posted on 12 March 2010 | 8:00 am
News: Pricing could stunt OnLive growth
A number of factors are pouring cold water on the launch plans for cloud gaming service OnLive, including an installed base too small to be meaningful for larger publishers, and a pricing model that could prove too expensive for consumers.
That's according to Signal Hill's Todd Greenwald, who also pointed to problems with lag, and no support for home TVs or 1080p HD output until after the June 17 PC and Mac launch.
"While we find the service compelling and exciting, we are somewhat sceptical that OnLive will really turn the gaming world upside down any time soon," wrote Greenwald in his latest note to investors.
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 5:11 pm
News: UK govt: Case for games tax relief is "coming together"
Stephen Timms MP, Minister for Digital Britain, has offered renewed hope to the UK games sector, revealing the argument for tax breaks is "getting stronger", with an "update" likely in this month's Budget.
The Minister argued, in an exclusive interview with GamesIndustry.biz, that "things have changed over the past couple of years", with the industry now viewed by the government as well placed to help drive economic recovery.
With the UK "emerging" from the economic downturn, Timms insisted fellow ministers were clear on the "need to support those parts of UK commerce with the best prospects for growth in the future".
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 4:20 pm
News: Valve and Epic ink Steamworks deal
Valve Software and Epic Games have inked an agreement to include Valve's Steamworks suite of tools and services to all licensees of Epic's Unreal Engine 3 middleware, free of charge.
"Epics technology is one of the most widely used engines in the industry and has powered many of the best games created in the past 10 years, on multiple platforms," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve.
"Its an honour to have Steamworks included in the technology offered to all Unreal Engine 3 licensees. Its hard to think of a larger, better targeted group of developers who could derive more benefit from the Steamworks services."
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 3:58 pm
News: Image Metrics settles $8 million funding deal
Leading facial animation technology firm Image Metrics has announced the closure of an $8 million round of financing, which it intends to use to increase the scope of its sales and marketing efforts for software products such as Faceware.
The company is also intending to expand its business into online markets such as virtual worlds and social networks, although no specific partners have been announced as yet.
At the same time the company has also agreed to become a wholly owned subsidiary of International Cellular Accessories (ICLA), with Image Metrics exchanging all of its outstanding shares and becoming a publicly traded company as a result.
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 2:30 pm
News: Old Republic EA's "largest ever" game
EA chief financial officer Eric Brown has claimed that BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic is the publisher's most expensive game in the company's nearly 30 year history.
Speaking to a Wedbush Morgan Securities audience in New York, as reported by sister site Eurogamer, Brown commented that the massively multiplayer online game was the "largest ever development project, period, in the history of the company".
Although he did not put a specific figure on the development costs Brown indicated that a standard packaged title cost around $30 million but "any MMO costs significantly more than that".
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 10:16 am
News: Third Pokemon Ranger title tops Japanese charts
The third entry in the Pokemon Ranger series on Nintendo DS has cruised to an easy victory in the weekly Japanese sales charts, with sales of 161,000 units. Its predecessor sold 193,337 units in its debut.
The second highest new entry of the week, at number two, is Namco Bandai's .hack//Link with 60,000 unit sales. The new title is intended to be the last entry in the cross media franchise but is the first to be released on the PSP.
New at number three is the budget-priced re-release of Square Enix's Dragon Quest IX on DS, which despite record-breaking sales on its original release still managed to sell another 41,000 units. Square Enix also re-released its other Dragon Quest DS titles this week on the same Ultimate Hits budget label, with Dragon Quest V re-entering at number 20 and Dragon Quest IV at number 30.
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 9:26 am
News: No EA Sports Active 2.0 for Natal
EA has announced that EA Sports Active 2.0 will be released this autumn on the Wii, PlayStation 3, iPhone and iPod touch - but not the Xbox 360 or Project Natal.
The original title was released on the Wii last spring and used the standard Wii controllers, bundled accessories and, optionally, the Balance Board. The title proved a substantial hit for EA, after a heavy marketing push and even two dedicated retail stores in the US.
The third game in the series, after expansion EA Sports Active: More Workouts, will feature new leg and arm straps with motion sensors, a heart rate monitor and a new online hub to "track and share workout data".
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 8:47 am
News: GamesIndustry.biz to launch German edition in April
A German edition of GamesIndustry.biz is to launch in April, with MCV founder Christoph Holowaty acting as managing editor.
The site will offer market-leading daily news, analysis, interviews and features, with exclusive German market editorial alongside the current English-language content.
"Launching a GamesIndustry.biz product in Germany is something we've wanted to do for a long time, but for us the most important element was finding the right person to do it," said Phil Elliott, managing editor of GamesIndustry.biz.
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 8:00 am
Interview: Nexon USA's Daniel Kim
Free-to-play is a sector of the online business that's grown significantly in the past five years, and with MapleStory present through that whole time, Nexon can certainly be attributed some of the responsibility. But the quality bar for what constitutes a free-to-play game is rising - here Nexon USA CEO Daniel Kim reflects on another year of growth, and explains how the company is helping to change the perception of free online products.
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 8:00 am
News: Sony names motion controller PlayStation Move
Sony has finally announced the name of its PlayStation 3 motion controller now officially known as PlayStation Move revealing that it will also operate with a 'sub-controller' alongside the PlayStation 3 Eye
The platform holder said that a bundle of the controllers will sell for below $100 when launched in "fall", adding that 36 third-party developers and publishers are on board to support the new platform.
Sony says the sub-controller is designed to further expand gameplay options it features an analog stick and directional buttons but users can also use the regular DualShock controller for the same effect.
Posted on 11 March 2010 | 1:00 am
News: MySpace hopes games will emulate music success
MySpace has told GamesIndustry.biz that it hopes that its concentrated push into games will emulate the success it's already achieved in the music business.
Speaking in an exclusive interview published today, co-president Mike Jones said that his goal is to have up to 60 per cent of users playing games on the social networking site within a year.
"Just as they use MySpace to discover and listen to music, I want them to use MySpace to discover and play games. It's an absolute big, big part of our mission," he said.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 8:12 pm
News: OnLive to launch June 17 in US
OnLive, the cloud gaming service announced a year ago at GDC, will launch on June 17 in the US.
The service, which grants access to a range of PC games from EA, Ubisoft, 2K Games, THQ and Warner Bros, will charge a subscription fee of $14.95 per month, with special offers and longer subscription deals also on the cards.
"This marks a huge milestone for both OnLive and the interactive entertainment landscape as a whole, changing the way that video games are developed, marketed, accessed and played," said Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive. "We are opening the door to incredible experiences for gamers and enormous opportunities for developers and publishers."
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 7:12 pm
News: Former Facebook director joins Gaikai
Cloud gaming service Gaikai has announced its first senior management appointment will be Michael Bowen, the former director of technical operations for Facebook.
Bowen will join the company as VP of operations, taking responsibility for managing the worldwide, server-based technology as it is readied for a 2010 launch.
He has worked with Facebook since 2008, prior to which he spent five years at Sony Online Entertainment overseeing the launch of over 20 MMO titles.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 6:48 pm
Interview: MySpace's Mike Jones
It's been impossible to get away from the talk surrounding social network games in the past six months, and well into 2010, it's looking a lot like being the hot topic for this year - alongside motion control, of course... But while Facebook has dominated that space so far, now MySpace is making a bid to capture the imagination of game developers - here co-president Mike Jones explains just how important games are the social network's future.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 6:00 pm
News: Nintendo "not there yet" on new console, says Fils-Aime
Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime has claimed that the company is not yet ready to seriously think about releasing a new home console.
Speaking to Forbes, Fils-Aime commented: "When the software developer comes forward with an idea that can't be executed on the current platform, that's when we start thinking seriously about the next system. We're not there yet, from a Wii perspective."
Fils-Aime was also lukewarm about the importance of high definition graphics and 3D technology, saying: "For us, technology is not an endpoint. Technology is an enabler for fantastic consumer experiences. So from a hardware standpoint, we are always looking at technology. But in the end, the technology has to enable a new, unique experience."
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 11:59 am
News: Evolved games market has stumped next-gen console plans
Alex St John has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes the reason Microsoft and Sony haven't announced a new generation of consoles is because it's no longer clear what they can do to improve on the systems they are already offering.
The former executive at Microsoft and WildTanget, and now president of social games business hi5, said that the Wii proves that high-tech consoles aren't the next step in home entertainment, and cheaper social gaming via the web has left manufacturers in a niche market.
"This is usually when you announce [consoles]. It's 2010. No rumours either. There's two reasons for delaying. The reason for the delay is the reason I'm right," said the out-spoken executive.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 10:23 am
News: PC games revenues up 3% in 2009
Software revenues for the PC games market rose by 3 per cent last year to a total of $13.1 billion, according to the new 2009 Horizons Report from the PC Gaming Alliance (PCGA).
The non-profit corporation, which includes members such as Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Epic, NVIDIA, GameStop and Dell, sources data from every region in the world and covers retail sales, online gaming, digital distribution and online advertising.
The latest report was prepared by market research firm DFC Intelligence, who found that the Asia Pacific region was fuelling the majority of growth in the global PC games market.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 10:10 am
News: Final Fantasy XIII ships 5 million units
New release Final Fantasy XIII has shipped 5 million units worldwide on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, according to publisher Square Enix.
The game was released simultaneously in North America, Europe and other PAL markets on Tuesday, 9 March with the game previously having been released, as a PS3 exclusive, in Japan on December 17, 2009. Shipments outside of Japan have already surpassed 3 million units.
Launch events were held in San Francisco and Paris on Monday, March 8 and in London on Tuesday March 9. Around 3500 fans gathered for the French event on the Champs-Elysees, while the US launch party featured "talk show" style discussion with Square Enix staff and displays of scenes from the game in 3D.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 9:40 am
News: Arc but not Natal support for Tiger Woods 11
Electronic Arts' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will include support for the PlayStation motion controller - currently believed to be codenamed "Arc" - but not Microsoft's Project Natal.
The latest iteration of the franchise was unveiled at the ongoing Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and iPhone.
The game is due to be released on June 8, with the PlayStation motion controller not expected to be released until the autumn. Nevertheless, in comments made to website VG247 an EA spokesperson indicated that "timing" was the sole reason for the lack of Natal support and that it would be introduced in the next iteration.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 9:33 am
News: Movie studios sign for PlayStation Network
20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution are all set to offer HD movies for purchase and download via the PlayStation Network.
Initially announced only for the US, the service will be the first on a home console to offer movies to buy as well as just rent. The support of all six major movie studios also gives Sony a considerable advantage when competing against the more established Xbox Live service.
Sony has stated that a similar service will launch soon in the UK, France, Germany and Spain, although traditionally the content available, and sometimes the providers, has varied considerably between different territories.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 8:38 am
News: EA to distribute Rock Band 3
After initial doubts about its involvement in future releases, Harmonix has confirmed that Electronic Arts is due to distribute MTV and Viacom's Rock Band 3 this Christmas.
Earlier in the year Viacom had said that it was still in negotiations over a future distribution deal for its Rock Band series, after slower than expected sales hit the franchise and its big Beatles tie-in failed to meet expectations.
"Harmonix is developing Rock Band 3 for worldwide release this holiday season," announced Harmonix on the game's official Facebook page. "The game, which will be published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts, will innovate and revolutionise the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and The Beatles: Rock Band."
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 8:34 am
News: Vigil: THQ has taken "a lot of bullets" while restructuring
The restructuring of THQ, which has resulted in cancelled projects and studio closures, has been necessary to help turn around the company and change perceptions that it's not just a house for kids games and wrestling licenses.
And according to David Adams, general manager at Darksiders outfit Vigil Games, the publisher has put great faith in its new creative talent and intellectual property, supporting its developers rather than pressuring them to churn out games on demand.
"THQ went through a lot of pain and restructuring - they took a lot of bullets so we could continue to make our game, and that's a good indication of their faith in us, and their drive to make great-quality products," said Adams, speaking in an exclusive interview published today.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 8:00 am
Interview: Maintaining the Vigil
Vigil Games was founded in 2005 by David Adams and Joe Madureira, and acquired by THQ in 2006. Earlier this year the team released the critically-acclaimed Darksiders as their first full internal project - a game in the works on and off for five years. Additionally, the studio is working on an MMO based around the Warhammer 40,000 universe, while also going into production on a Darksiders sequel. At the recent DICE Summit we caught up with David, general manager, and Joe, creative director, to look back on the studio's history, talk about the reinvention of THQ, ponder the Darksiders development process and look ahead to Warhammer 40K.
Posted on 10 March 2010 | 8:00 am
News: EA Partners to publish 38 Studios RPG
EA Partners has sign up to publish 38 Studios' single-player role-playing game, codenamed Project Mercury.
The game is in development at the recently acquired Big Huge Games, under the leadership of Elder Scrolls lead designer Ken Rolston, and based on the fantasy world of RA Salvatore and comic book artist Todd McFarlane.
"From day one, 38 Studios has been focused on creating the next generation of entertainment experiences that embrace all mediums, including film, television, comics, novels, toys and, of course, games," commented Curt Schilling, founder of 38 Studios.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 3:38 pm
News: Ubisoft DRM servers attacked again
Ubisoft has revealed that the problems with the company's newly implemented DRM solution for new PC titles are due to ongoing attacks from hackers and not as a result of high demand, as previously implied.
According to the latest Twitter updates the servers were under attack again yesterday, with some users experiencing trouble signing in. Ubisoft claim that 95 per cent of players remained unaffected and that login servers were fully re-established at 1am CET.
Ubisoft also claims that Assassin's Creed II and Silent Hunter 5 "are withstanding the efforts to crack them" and that "no valid cracked versions exist". Most torrent sites do contain links to both games, but Ubisoft claim these are incomplete versions.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 11:50 am
News: Full Natal line-up due at E3
Microsoft is due to unveil its "full line-up" of Project Natal games at E3 2010 in June, according to comments made by Mindy Mount, CFO of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices division.
Speaking at the Jefferies Annual Global Technology Conference in the US, as reported by website IGN, Mount claimed that the company's best designers were working on the platform.
With Microsoft's stable of first party developers having shrunk considerably in recent years it was unclear which developers she was referring to, although Rare are known to be heavily involved with the project and Lionhead Studios are implementing Natal features in Fable III.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 11:26 am
News: Analyst: PS3 to outsell 360 and Wii by cycle end
The PlayStation 3 will outsell its rivals over its lifetime, becoming the best selling home console of the current generation - according to a new report by the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices (SACHD) service.
The prediction is based on the PS3 remaining a commercial platform for five years after the Wii has been replaced. Report author David Mercer predicts a 127 million unit lifetime title for the PS3, compared to 103 million for the Wii.
The global totals for the three consoles currently stand at approximately 68 million for the Wii, 38 million for the 360 and 32.5 million for the PS3.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 11:03 am
News: Sony: God Of War III budget is $44 million
The budget for Santa Monica Studio's imminent PlayStation 3 exclusive God of War III has been placed at $44 million, according to an interview with director of product development John Hight
Speaking in an interview with website Giant Bomb, Hight commented: "We are stamping discs now, so we're effectively done, just got a couple of countries that we're finishing up on this week, and we've spent $44 million on God of War III."
"Believe it or not, that's right within budget," he added.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 10:22 am
News: Games success influencing movie industry, says MW2 director
The high-profile success of titles such as Modern Warfare 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV has turned around Hollywood's perception of videogames, as the film industry looks to alternative mediums for new movie content.
That's the view of Keith Arem, director of the Call of Duty and Modern Warfare series', who said that both industries can learn from one another as they continue to grow as the leading entertainment mediums.
"The success of the games industry is going to benefit those other movie industries. It's providing more work, it's providing more content," said Arem, speaking in an exclusive interview published today.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 9:26 am
News: Modern Warfare 2 hits 25 million unique users
Infinity Ward director of communications Robert Bowling has announced that the total number of unique users for Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has hit 25 million players.
Writing on Twitter, Bowling also stated that Modern Warfare 2 downloadable content details would be released this week.
Modern Warfare 2 was the best-selling title of 2009, with 11.86 million units sold in the U.S., UK and Japan alone, comfortably ahead of second placed title Wii Sports Resort on 7.57 million.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 9:08 am
News: Indie veterans form Tomorrow Corporation
The creators of indie titles such as World of Goo and Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure have formed a new development studio named Tomorrow Corporation.
Although the team is yet to announce its first title the founders include Kyle Gabler, best known for co-founding existing indie studio 2D BOY and working on the critically acclaimed World of Goo.
Kyle Gray created Nintendo DS title Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure during his five year stint at EA. The third member of the team is Alan Blomquist, also an ex-EA employee and co-developer of World of Goo.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 8:29 am
News: Globex signs Pandemic vets for US expansion
Some of the leading talent behind Pandemic's most successful hits including Mercenaries, Star Wars Battlefront and Destroy All Humans have been signed by Globex Studios to open a new LA-based development house.
The company already has studios in China and Taiwan, but this move marks a significant expansion into the North American market, with plans to offer direct-to-consumer games for online audiences in the US and China.
"The ability to innovate and be agile has become essential for creating great games," said Benjamin Chow, CEO of Globex Studios. "By putting together this highly creative international team, we are bringing together the highly sophisticated gameplay of a western game with the unique social gameplay of a Chinese MMO - effectively delivering engaging gameplay experiences that reach broad consumer demographics on a global scale.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 8:22 am
Interview: Hooray for Hollywood
As a creative talent Keith Arem has worked on multiple games, most recently as director on Activision's Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, but also on the performance side of game development for Sony, THQ, EA, Ubisoft and more. He also runs his own PCB Production business, as well as graphic novel projects including Ascend and Dead Speed, and has now taken on in his first movie directing role with upcoming feature film Frost Road. In this exclusive interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Arem talks about the transition from games to film, the differences between working in both mediums, and how the two can influence and inform each other as entertainment sectors continue to evolve and converge.
Posted on 9 March 2010 | 8:00 am
News: Valve confirms Steam for Mac
Valve has confirmed that it will be bringing Steam, its market-leading digital download services, to Mac formats this April.
The service supports a library of games including Valve's own Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal and the Half-Life series, and the recently announced Portal 2 will be the company's first simultaneous Windows and Mac release.
"As we transition from entertainment as a product to entertainment as a service, customers and developers need open, high-quality internet clients," said Gabe Newell, president of Valve. "The Mac is a great platform for entertainment services."
Posted on 8 March 2010 | 6:58 pm
News: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 storms UK chart
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has become the fastest-selling new title of 2010 so far in the UK, snatching the title away from Sega's Aliens vs Predator.
The multiformat title outsold the well-received original by a factor of 3 to 1, with 53 per cent of sales on the Xbox 360, 31 per cent on the PlayStation 3 and 16 per cent on the PC. The game also topped all of the relevant individual formats charts.
Ubisoft's Wii exclusive Just Dance saw sales fall by 15 per cent but still managed to rise one place to number two, pushing Aliens vs Predator down to number three as sales dropped 61 per cent.
Posted on 8 March 2010 | 10:58 am
News: More trouble for Ubisoft's DRM system
Users of Ubisoft's PC games Assassin's Creed II and Silent Hunter 5 have been unable to play over the weekend as the servers for its digital rights management system have been inaccessible.
The company's DRM came under fire from the moment it was announced, as it requires that users connect to the internet while playing the games even the single-player elements.
"Due to exceptional demand, we are currently experiencing difficulties with the Online Service Platform. This does not affect customers who are currently playing, but customers attempting to start a game may experience difficulty in accessing our servers," said the company yesterday. "We are currently working to resolve this issue and apologise for any inconvenience."
Posted on 8 March 2010 | 10:22 am
News: Gamers overwhelm Australian ratings inquiry
The Australian government has received 55,000 submissions as part of its public consultation concerning the introduction of a restricted 18+ age rating for videogames.
The consultation was announced in late 2009, with Australian citizens being asked to submit their views before a February 28, 2010 deadline. In order to rally support the "Grow Up Australia" campaign was launched, with prominent support from retail chain EB Games.
Although Australia has an 18+ age rating for films and DVDs, the highest rating for video games is 15+. This has led to games which would receive the highest rating in other Western countries being either severely censored before release or refused classification.
Posted on 8 March 2010 | 10:08 am
News: Majesco receives new Nasdaq warning
US publisher Majesco has been given 180 days to raise its share price above USD 1 or face delisting from the Nasdaq stock exchange.
The warning came as Majesco's share price remained below USD 1 for 30 consecutive days. This follows the company's disappointing fourth quarter results that showed a $7.2 million loss, despite improvements in revenues and profitability.
If Majesco does not raise the share price, which currently stands at $0.99, above the minimum amount for 10 consecutive days of trading it will receive written notification that a delisting is pending.
Posted on 8 March 2010 | 9:17 am
News: "Triple-A indie" projects can be financially viable - Hecker
Independent game development for home consoles now has proven financially viable routes to market following the success of hits on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.
That's according to Chris Hecker, ex-Maxis developer, who said that although he is funding his own game project through savings and the help of family and friends, he's confident it can be profitable in the long term.
"The good thing about nowadays when it comes to financing is that there are proven good games of this size that have been profitable," said Hecker in an interview published today. "Before I joined Maxis I was working on an indie game for a long time and never finished it, but back then there was shareware on the PC, but no real console model - no way to monetise it.
Posted on 8 March 2010 | 8:59 am
News: Nintendo developer Cing files for bankruptcy - report
Japanese developer Cing has filed for bankruptcy in Japan, with the company reportedly suffering from liabilities of 256 million yen (USD 2.9m/EUR 2.1m).
A brief report on the Japanese language site Net-IB, as translated by Web forum NeoGAF, suggests that the firm was forced to make the filing on 1 March.
A small studio with less than 30 staff, Cing was founded in 1999. Its debut title was the Japan and Europe-only release Glass Rose for Capcom.
Posted on 8 March 2010 | 8:53 am
News: Free Realms hits 9 million subscribers
The total number of subscribers for free-to-play massively multiplayer online game Free Realms has hit 9 million users, according to a statement from Sony Online Entertainment.
The publisher has attributed the game's continuing success to constant development of new features, themed in-game events and "persistent marketing support".
"With Free Realms, we've been able to reflect the needs and wants of our players by keenly listening to their suggestions and feedback," said SOE president John Smedley.
Posted on 8 March 2010 | 8:31 am
Interview: Going Solo
Chris Hecker has been working in the games business for about 15 years, having first made the transition following a trip to what was then known as the Computer Games Developer Conference - CGDC. More recently he worked at Maxis on Spore, before going solo on his own title - SpyParty. Here he talks about the challenges of lone development, why he left Maxis in the first place, and explains in some detail the process of putting the GDC event together from the perspective of an advisory board member.
Posted on 8 March 2010 | 8:00 am
News: iPad to launch in April
Apple has announced the iPad will go on sale in the US on April 3 and in the UK in late April.
The US will see the release of the Wi-Fi model at the start of April, but will have to wait until late April for the Wi-Fi and 3G iPad. The end of April is also when consumers in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland will be able to buy both iPad models.
"iPad is something completely new," said Apple's CEO Steve Jobs. "Were excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."
Posted on 5 March 2010 | 4:35 pm
News: Molyneux: Natal improvements are "countless"
Peter Molyneux has moved to dampen fears over Project Natal lag, insisting there have been "countless revisions of cameras and countless revisions of software" since the demo units shown to press and celebrities in recent weeks were produced.
Following a recent London showcase, British TV personality Jonathan Ross commented via his Twitter account that Natal was "not quite there yet", which prompted Microsoft PR to confirm the hardware and game demo Ross played dated back to summer 2009.
Molyneux, who hosted an event with non-specialist media early last week at the same venue in London's Fitzroy Square, expressed his frustration at not being able to show the latest iteration of the Xbox motion-control technology.
Posted on 5 March 2010 | 4:09 pm
News: XBL rule change allows users to express race, sexual orientation
Microsoft has amended its Xbox Live terms of use, allowing users to express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation, if they choose, in their Gamertags and profiles.
Xbox Live GM Marc Whitten said the move had been made in response to feedback from customers who had felt excluded from the community, adding that the company's original stance had a arisen from a desire to protect its users from abuse.
"The Xbox Live Terms of Use and Code of Conduct are designed to create a place where people can safely enjoy all of the ways to interact on our service, be it online multiplayer gaming, photo sharing, Netflix parties, or social games such as 1 vs 100, without fear of discrimination or harassment," said Whitten, in an open letter published on Xbox.com.
Posted on 5 March 2010 | 3:32 pm
News: GamesIndustry.biz launches free iPhone app
GamesIndustry.biz is pleased to announce the launch of its free iPhone app, designed for industry professionals to access the leading trade site and its growing network of users.
The app will grant users access all of the site's news and feature content, as well as enable them to leave comments on stories. It's also fully compatible with Network features, so users will have access to the full directory of Network members and be able to add contacts and send messages via their iPhone.
"I'm really excited to launch the GamesIndustry.biz iPhone app - having all of our main news and network functionality in a streamlined and dedicated environment makes it easier to keep up with the key games business movements, wherever you are," said GamesIndustry.biz managing editor Phil Elliott.
Posted on 5 March 2010 | 2:48 pm
News: Piracy-targeting law firm investigated by watchdog
A law firm acting on behalf of games publishers that include Codemasters and Atari against alleged file-sharers is being investigated over claims of bullying and harassment.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority, an industry watchdog, has said that it is investigating a complaint brought against London-based solicitors firm Davenport Lyons by consumer group Which?, The Guardian reported today.
Which? lodged its first official complaint against Davenport Lyons back in 2008, after the firm served notices to 25,000 internet users accusing them of illegal file-sharing.
Posted on 5 March 2010 | 1:14 pm
News: EA Partners signs indie titles DeathSpank and Shank
EA Partners has announced a deal with indie studios Hothead Games and Klei Entertainment to distribute their forthcoming titles DeathSpank and Shank.
Both games are digital releases coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network - and also PC in the case of Shank.
The move highlights the importance to the publisher of building relationships with the world's top indie developers, EA said today.
Posted on 5 March 2010 | 10:40 am
