News: Evolved games market has stumped next-gen console plans
Alex St John has told Industry.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 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.
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/evolved--market-has-stumped-next-gen-console-plans”>
Read more…
News: PC games revenues up 3% in 2009
Software revenues for the PC 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, top 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 market.
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/pc--revenues-up-3-percent-in-2009″>
Read more…
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.
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/final-fantasy-xiii-ships-5-million-units”>
Read more…
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.
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/arc-but-not-natal-support-for-tiger-woods-11″>
Read more…
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.
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/movie-studios-sign-for-playstation-network”>
Read more…
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 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.”
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/ea-to-distribute-rock-band-3″>
Read more…
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 and wrestling licenses.
And according to David Adams, general manager at Darksiders outfit Vigil , the publisher has put great faith in its new creative talent and intellectual property, supporting its developers rather than pressuring them to churn out 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.
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/vigil-thq-has-taken-a-lot-of-bullets-while-restructuring”>
Read more…
Interview: Maintaining the Vigil
Vigil 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.
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/maintaining-the-vigil-article”>
Read more…
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 , 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, ,” commented Curt Schilling, founder of 38 Studios.
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/ea-partners-to-publish-38-studios-rpg”>
Read more…
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 , but Ubisoft claim these are incomplete versions.
<a href="http://www.industry.biz/articles/ubisoft-drm-servers-attacked-again”>
Read more…