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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 Off to Solid Start in U.K.
Jun 1st
Posted May 28, 2010 by Ben Strauss
Red Dead Redemption was a tale of hype. The very idea that a developer could give gamers a meaningful western oriented story in an age of modern combat type shooters was not something that most analysts believed would happen.
If the U.K. is any indicator, it seems like Red Dead Redemption is not only a hit; it is outperforming every expectation, including retailer estimates. MCV is reporting that the game generated 10 million British pounds (about $14.5 million) at launch.
The underestimation by retailers has led to shortages in stock at many GAME locations as well, and with a possible dispute in distribution between Take Two and Asda, there could be a problem keeping up with demand.
“The launch went incredibly well,” said HMV’s commercial manager for games Jonathan Hayes. “As a relatively new brand, it’s almost done this from a standing start.”
GAME’s head of UK PR Neil Ashurst added: “The game was flying out of the stores. Some branches ran out – particularly of the PS3 version, due to a lower than expected level of stock – but this was apparently felt across all of retail. But we’ve had more arrive and we’re expecting another shipment in the next seven days.”
Even with shortages, the game debuted at the top of the sales charts for the U.K.
Hayes said: “You could argue that a few sales were lost, but not vast amounts. In fact, there’s so much interest now, that this should carry on next week.”
Pokemon Black and White Coming to USA in Spring 2011
Jun 1st
Posted May 28, 2010 by Ben Strauss
For over 14 years now, the media franchise juggernaut Pokemon has torn through ‘fad’ status to become one of the most successful gaming and media brands in the world. Spring 2011, Pokemon plans to continue that success with the release of another set of handheld games for the Nintendo DSi: Pokemon Black and Pokemon White.
To date, sales of the Pokemon video game sales have eclipsed 200 million units, with Pokemon games continuing to draw praise and high scores from various media groups around the world.
“Pokemon is a true worldwide franchise with legions of fans in every corner of the globe,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales and Marketing. “We know these fans will be thrilled to discover this new generation of Pokemon next year.”
The most recent Pokemon games, HeartGold and SoulSilver were some of the highest rated Pokemon games, and were in essence remakes of the original Gold and Silver games from 2000. Sales of those games reached well over 8.4 million units, and Nintendo hopes to beat those sales with an entirely new game.
It says a lot about Pokemon that the original movie continues to be one of the most profitable video game movies ever made. Pokemon truly represents the power of what a motivated company can do with a very imaginative IP to avoid the pitfalls of similar IPs.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Developer Interested in Natal, Move
Jun 1st
Posted May 28, 2010 by Ben Strauss
With Call of Duty: Black Ops finishing up the 2-year development cycle, Treyarch is looking for something new to work with. That could come in the form of using Natal or Move specifically for Call of Duty.
“Perhaps not for Black Ops, but Natal and Move is definitely something that we would want to craft compelling gameplay around,” community manager at Treyarch Josh Olin told MCV.
“We wouldn’t want to incorporate Natal and Move technology just to say that we did it – we’d want to make sure that there’s actually some valid gameplay component there.”
“We’ve had people suggest maybe throwing a grenade with a hurling motion of your hand, and that’s a good example of a gameplay mechanic that might work out for a future title, but there’s no plans for any of that in Black Ops.”
Analysts are putting the sales figures for the upcoming Special Operational Forces-oriented game at around 11 million units. Treyarch is definitely going to want to find something that could help top those figures for the next CoD, and like many developers they’ll no doubt be watching the market reception to both Natal and Move very closely later this year.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Confirmed
Jun 1st
Posted May 28, 2010 by Ben Strauss
With rumors circulating around concerning the upcoming Guitar Hero, Nintendo Power has the reveal in the latest issue. The appropriately named Warriors of Rock will focus on the heavy metal genre.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will continue to hold onto “all the cool features” from Guitar Hero 5, as Neversoft’s Brian Bright put it. The development team has taken its time to focus on “hand-picking” the songs as well as ensuring that they are “guitar-centric rock ‘n’ roll” oriented. The game will focus primarily on the guitar as Bright mentions “so many more people play Guitar Hero on guitar than any other instrument.”
The game does feature a story, and Gene Simmons has been called upon to narrate the story. Other than that, gamers can look forward to more information from Nintendo Power on June 8.
PS3 3D Titles Launch in Japan on June 10
Jun 1st
Posted June 1, 2010 by M.H. Williams
Sony is pushing the 3D revolution hard, with flagship franchise titles Gran Turismo 5 and Killzone 3 both receiving the stereoscopic 3D treatment upon release. Prior to those releases, the hardware and software giant has announced that its first 3D ready titles will be releasing in Japan next week on June 10. As previously reported WipEout HD, Super Stardust HD, and Pain will be the inaugural 3D PS3 games.
All titles will require a 3D enabled television, as well as battery-powered 3D stereoscopic glasses, sold separately. WipEout HD and Super Stardust HD will both be getting free updates to enable 3D content, while Pain’s upgrade will require a ¥300 purchase. It is uncertain how Sony will proceed with future titles.
Sony will also be releasing their new 3D ready Bravia line of televisions at the same time. Purchases of any of these new 3DTVs will also include a voucher for the previously mentioned titles and access to a 3D demo of Motorstorm: Pacific Rift.
This launch is Japan only, with Sony telling Kotaku that details for the forthcoming North American and European launches will follow shortly. The company has already updated the PS3 firmware in all regions to enable 3D support.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is EA’s Biggest Spend for a Game Ever
May 27th
The Old Republic is EA’s new MMO hope, with their previously launched Warhammer game sitting with only “a couple hundred thousand subscribers to date”. EA has high expectations for the game, previously noting that they need 1 million subscribers just to break even. At the Janney Capital Markets’ 2010 Consumer Conference, EA CFO Eric Brown said that The Old Republic was “the largest R&D project EA has ever undertaken in terms of total dollars that we expect to spend bringing the title to market.”
EA and BioWare are moving forward at a pace like current MMO market leader Blizzard, stating the game is “done when it’s done.” Brown noted, “We’re not expecting it to ship in fiscal 2010, nor have we given a specific ship date thereafter. We’re intentionally being nonspecific on the ship date.”
EA is pulling out all the stops to make Old Republic as successful as possible. Star Wars is an immense IP, one of the largest made into an MMO since Turbine’s Lord of the Rings Online. Brown noted that most of the conference’s attendees were familiar with the property. “We think it has very broad appeal,” he said.
“In the past, for MMOs, the type of fiction that has resonated most broadly is fiction based on swords and knights and sorcery, et cetera,” the CFO explained. “Star Wars is analogous to that — instead of the swords, you have the lightsabers; instead of the knights you have the Jedi — we think it’s a fiction that does very well, we think it’s a fiction that spans the decades.”
EA retains full confidence in BioWare’s ability to deliver, noting that the studio’s Mass Effect 2 was “the highest-quality title EA ever released,” with a Metacritic score of 96. “BioWare is one of the highest-rated studios in terms of quality overall,” Brown adds. Bioware’s MMO magnum opus will represent EA’s “principal investment and commitment vis a vis the MMO space.”
Modern Warfare 2 Enters Guinness Record Books
Apr 21st
Shooter grossed more than $401.6 million in its first day of sales.
April 21, 2010 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now officially in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The company announced the latest shooter from Infinity Ward now holds the record for having “the most successful entertainment launch of all time” when it released last November. Verified first-day sales totaled more than $401.6 million worldwide, surpassing the previous record holder Grand Theft Auto IV from developer Rockstar Games.
Grand Theft Auto IV grossed $310 million in its first day in 2008, record-high at the time in video game sales. Halo 3 from Bungie raked in the third highest of $170 million in 2007.
“Video game releases such as the Call of Duty series have outperformed the launches of major Hollywood blockbusters for several years and the day-one sales for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 proved once again that video games have become cultural events in their own right,” said Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition Editor, Gaz Deaves.
The first downloadable multiplayer map pack, the Stimulus Package, sold 2.5 million downloads on Xbox Live in its first week. The PlayStation 3 and PC versions will be released in early May.
