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Archive for June, 2010
DJ Hero 2 Brings Friends Together For a Digital Rave
Jun 9th
Activision has finally announced the sequel to 2009’s music-mixing DJ Hero. DJ Hero 2 brings an entirely new track list to the party and a host of new multiplayer modes. In celebration of the announcement, Activision is also offering DJ Hero owners a sneak peek on the game’s new track list with a new downloadable mix. The mix features Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and Deadmau5’s “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff,” in honor of Deadmau5 joining DJ Hero 2 as a playable character. The new mix will be available for a free download June 8 to 14 on Xbox Live and PSN.
“DJ Hero was the best music game of 2009 and with DJ Hero 2 we’re delivering a new easy to pick-up, challenging-to-master experience that all players can enjoy together,” said Guitar HeroCOO David Haddad. “With new social game modes, the inclusion of full microphone support, all-new levels of creative freedom and an amazing soundtrack, DJ Hero 2 is the ultimate mixer of music and friends.”
The game will feature new modes, including DJ vs DJ Battles and jump-in/jump-out Party Play. There will also be a new single-player Empire Mode, telling the story of the player’s rise from a nobody DJ to the world’s greatest music mogul.
“We’re improving upon all the gameplay elements from DJ Hero that gamers loved with the all-new freestyle gameplay and a host of new multiplayer game modes,” said Jamie Jackson, Creative Director of DJ Hero developer FreeStyleGames. “But we’re not stopping there either as the award-winning soundtrack is getting bigger songs from hotter artists that our talented crew of DJ’s is spinning into hits that fit the gameplay flawlessly.”
DJ Hero 2 will be available this fall for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Wii. You can pick up the game in either the Party Bundle, which will include the game, a microphone, and two turntable controllers, or the Turntable Bundle for DJ Hero owners, which will have the game and a single turntable controller.
Gibson Settles Rock Band Patent Case
Jun 9th
Gibson Guitar Corp has settled its patent suit against Viacom and Electronic Arts over Rock Bandfiled in 2008. Gibson alleged at the time that Viacom and EA’s Rock Band games violated a patent related to “using a musical instrument to take part in a simulated concert.”
This road has been traveled before, with Gibson having previously sued Activision for the same issues relating to Guitar Hero. That case began when Gibson attempted to get Activision to license their patent, and led to a suit and a countersuit, both which were dismissed following a settlement in April 2009.
The companies told the judge that they had “reached a full settlement” on June 4 and look to move for dismissal of the case by June 14. Terms of the settlement have not been released, andBloomberg was unable to meet any of the parties for comment.
Gibson retains patent infringement complaints against retailers who stocked both games, including Target, Wal-Mart, and Amazon.
Xbox 360 Sees Best Attach Rate in U.K.
Jun 9th
The PlayStation brand has always been historically strong in Europe and Japan, but Microsoft remains committed to both markets with a continued focus on the U.K. Chris Lewis, Microsoft’s VP of Interactive Entertainment Business spoke with MCV about Microsoft’s drive in the U.K.
“We don’t break out figures by country, but the U.K. continues to be a very strong market for us with the highest attach rate in the world,” Lewis remarked. “In the face of price drops, new form factors and massive marketing expenditure by the competition, Xbox 360 still grew full-year market share in [Europe, the Middle East, and Africa] from 2008 to 2009.”
Lewis notes that the attach rate makes the 360 a lucrative platform for publishers in the U.K. “In November, we also celebrated selling 10 million consoles into customers’ homes in [Europe, the Middle East, and Africa]. Our games attach rate remains the highest in the industry, by an increasing margin, which makes us both an enviable platform and a great partner for publishers and retailers alike.”
Sega’s Yakuza 4 Coming To North America and Europe Next Spring
Jun 9th
Once Yakuza 3 had hit a half million units sold in Japan, Sega promptly gifted western fans with a localization of the title. Well, it looks like history is set to repeat. Yakuza 4 crossed 526,000 units sold in Japan as of April 2010, and today Sega has announced a release for North America and Europe. Western Yakuza fans can expect the game, exclusively on PS3, in the spring of 2011.
Unlike previous installments, instead of focusing on one protagonist Yakuza 4 allows players to experience the story through the eyes of three main characters. Each character has a different fighting style and personality, but all three are related in some way to Yakuza’s classic protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. Die-hard fans have already waded through PSN’s Japanese branch in order to play the demo, which remains up there if you have the patience.
3D Gaming Could Suffer from ‘Poorly Authored Content,’ says Riccitiello
Jun 9th
3D is one of the hottest buzz words at the moment, both in Hollywood and in the games industry. While Avatar showed just how amazing 3D movies could be when the technology is used in a smart way, other studios have simply tacked on the 3D effects in post production (like Clash of the Titans). On the games side, we could see similar disparities emerge between finely constructed 3D efforts and poorly crafted experiences, warns EA CEO John Riccitiello.
As part of an in-depth pre-E3 interview exclusively with IndustryGamers, Riccitiello started by noting just how awesome 3D is. “First off, I will tell you that a great 3D game experience is a truly wonderful thing. I was playing a title we’ve got for fiscal 2012 in 3D yesterday up in Vancouver and it was definitely unbelievably cool,” he said.
The problem is that 3D adoption is likely to be slow to start, and worse yet, some game makers may not give the 3D games the attention they deserve.
“I don’t think [3D is] going to be a big story this year for games; some particular titles are going to play it out. I am a little nervous that some game companies will put out poorly authored 3D content, sort of just put it together, because look, all games, most nearly all games are 3D already. It doesn’t take that much to separate, you know, two and a half inches and sort of redraw the entire frame and have it run through any of the various polarization or the primary blinking system between the right and left eye. It’s quite a different thing to author it in such a way that the “Z-dimension,” the third dimension, is really well done. When it’s not really well done, it’s a new kind of headache that you haven’t ever experienced,” he stated.
Riccitiello continued, “So I’m actually a little afraid this year that we’re going to get less than well-authored content and it’s going to be one of those stories: video games give me a migraine. I think that over time, probably in the course of 2011, 2012, the strongest publishers will author some great content, the installed base will be there, and there will be a good positive growth spurt. I just don’t think it will be this year.”
Nintendo’s 3DS is ‘Cool,’ says EA Boss
Jun 9th
Nintendo’s new 3D-enabled portable could potentially “steal the show” at E3 next week, according to analyst Michael Pachter, and it seems like the device has a fan in EA Chief Executive John Riccitiello as well. Speaking to IndustryGamers as part of a massive pre-E3 interview, the EA boss commented, “I will tell you, I’ve seen it; it’s cool.”
Unfortunately, Riccitiello couldn’t really elaborate beyond that because of an NDA with Nintendo. “…they’ve got a lot to say at E3, and I want to be careful to not accidentally transgress an NDA,” he noted.
Riccitiello did expand on his thoughts about 3D gaming in general, however. He sees a lot of potential in 3D games, but warns that some poorly authored content could drag the experience down.
As for the 3DS, it’s been rumored that Nintendo’s new handheld is more powerful than the Wii and possibly as powerful as a high-definition console. We’ll find out much more next week as we attend E3.
Red Dead Redemption Has Already Shipped 5 Million Units
Jun 9th
Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption has been a breakout success for publisher Take-Two. The company today revealed as part of its second quarter fiscal results that the game had already sold-in (meaning sold to retail, or shipped, not sold through to consumers) 5 million units worldwide in just three weeks since the title launched.
Rockstar said from the beginning that Red Dead would be their “most ambitious game to date,” and the title is currently on a sales path far better than most analysts had expected. Mike Hickey of Janco Partners recently said that the game likely cost around $70 million to develop and would need to sell about 4 million copies to just break even. Based on today’s announcement from Take-Two, it would seem that Red Dead will indeed be a profitable project for the company.
The game is proving immensely popular, and fans will no doubt want to hold onto their copies since new DLC is being planned through this fall.
E3 Will See New Game from Dead or Alive Creator
Jun 9th
Tomonobu Itagaki is a video game rockstar. With his long hair and sunglasses, he has remained loud and outspoken even after leaving his position as the head of Tecmo’s Team Ninja. Via theofficial website of his new studio, Valhalla Game Studios, Itagaki has once again thrown down the gauntlet to other developers. He announced that Valhalla’s first project will be unveiled at the forthcoming E3 Expo.
Valhalla’s independence was a primary reason for Itagaki leaving the company he rebuilt, in addition to issues surrounding bonus pay.
“Our motivation was always to come up with a project from scratch, to gather together and work together as comrades, and to create something that all of you gamers can enjoy,” he said. “It was for this simple goal that we decided to go independent.”
Itagaki tends to talk big about his games, and this time is no different. “In the past, I created four unique games - Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, DOA Xtreme, and NG Dragon Sword. Thus, this announcement will be the fifth all-new project in my lifetime,” said the designer in his blog post. “I don’t know if that number is large or small, but I know as a fact that every one of these announcements was a presentation of a new gaming paradigm from me to all of you. This time, it is no different.”
He also talked about the excitement surrounding the announcement: “My heart pounds with anticipation every time I make these announcements. It’s not something one can get used to – complacency is never an option for me.”
Take-Two Sees 50% Sales Jump in Q2, Delays Max Payne 3
Jun 9th
Today, Take-Two Interactive announce their financial results for the second quarter ending on April 30, 2010. Net revenue for the second quarter was $268 million, a 54% increase compared to $173.4 million for the same quarter last year. Net income saw a dramatic turnaround, rising to $16.9 million compared to a loss of $10.4 million in the second fiscal quarter of 2009.
“Our better than expected second quarter results reflect the solid performance of our triple-A titles and continued strength of our catalog business. The successful worldwide launch of Red Dead Redemption reflects the unparalleled creative talent that is a distinguishing strength of Take-Two, and the title has set new benchmarks for quality and innovation,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two. “We are incredibly proud of our creative teams and their success in delivering some of the best interactive entertainment experiences. We have raised our outlook for 2010 to reflect these achievements.”
The company also reported on the six months ending on April 30, 2010 – a report that was still positive overall, but not as up as the second quarter. Net revenue came to $431.2 million compared to $323.6 million for the same period last year. The company suffered a loss of $16.9 million, but that remains an improvement over the $64.3 million loss last year.
Second quarter sales were driven by the excellent launches of Bioshock 2 (360, PS3, PC), Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City (PS3, PC), and Major League Baseball 2K10 (All systems). The company also saw exceptional continued sales of NBA 2K10 and Grand Theft Auto IV. Grand Theft Auto IV alone has sold over 17 million units globally since launch.
Heading into the third fiscal quarter, Take-Two subsidiary Rockstar Games released Red Dead Redemption to blockbuster sales, having already sold 5 million units. The company also has a marquee lineup planned for the rest of the fiscal year with Rockstar’s L.A. Noire, 2K Games Mafia II, Sid Meier’s Civilization V for PC, New Carnival Games for Wii, NBA2K11, and NHL 2K11.
“The successful diversification of our portfolio and the ability to leverage our proven franchises has enabled Take-Two to strengthen its position as an industry leader. Our core business continues to gain momentum, and Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption is proving to be a hit,” said Ben Feder, CEO of Take-Two, commenting on recent and forthcoming releases. “We’ll continue to build upon this success in the second half of our fiscal year with the release of several titles from our proven franchises, including Mafia II, Sid Meier’s Civilization V, NBA 2K11 and New Carnival Games.”
Unfortunately Max Payne 3, previously slated for this year, has had its release date moved outside of fiscal year 2010. 2K Marin is also working on a 360 and PC-exclusive “re-imagining” of the classic X-COM franchise, with no release date at this time.
LucasArts Names New President
Jun 9th
Following last month’s sudden resignation of former LucasArts President Darrell Rodriguez and several key executives, Lucasfilm’s Jerry Bowerman was temporarily heading the company. Rodriguez marks the second abrupt departure from the company, with Jim Ward having resigned in April of 2008. Hopefully, those days are over, as today LucasArts confirmed withIndustryGamers that Paul Meegan has been appointed President and General Manager.
Starting mid-June, Meegan will report to Lucasfilm President and COO Micheline Chau. Prior to adopting his new role, Meegan was the Chief Executive Officer at Epic Games China. He was the founder of Sinister Games, Inc., a developer that was later acquired by Ubisoft. Meegan has also held executive positions at Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Shanghai, and Jaleco Entertainment.
IndustryGamers wishes him the best of luck in his new position.
Posted June 8, 2010 by M.H. Williams
