Latest Developments (10 AM EST):
- Official park website now open; visitors can sign up for e-mail updates.
- JK Rowling: "The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed."
Universal Studios and Warner Brothers made a joint announcement this evening from Leavesden Studios on the set of Dumbledore's Office to reveal that a Harry Potter theme park is currently in development. The image to the left is the first piece of concept art for the park: Hogsmeade Village.
Here's what we learned from Potter set designer Stuart Craig and a representative from Universal Studios (both of them hosted the big reveal):
- "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort"
- Announcement was made live via internet at 12:01 AM EST today to select media, including MuggleNet.
- Areas of park to include Hogsmeade, Hogwarts Castle, and the Forbidden Forest.
- 20 engineers working on project.
- Universal came to WB looking for authenticity.
- Potter park to be built in "Islands of Adventure" area of Universal.
- Stuart wants to "take his grandchildren" to the park.
- Opening early 2010.
- Universal's Potter website to be available at this link.
- JK Rowling has been involved "since the very beginning" of the project. Also "supportive and encouraging."
- Stuart thinks that the park will be better off in the United States.
- Have been in design "for at least a year and a half."
- "Important that the theme park represents the entire saga from Book 1 to Book 7"
In a rather cute way to end the announcement, the Universal representative asks Stuart Craig, "Now where's Dumbledore?" Stuart paused for a moment, looked around the office, and replied, "He was just here."
Hunk of English cheddar becomes an unlikely Internet star
A large block of English cheese has become an unlikely star of the Internet. As of yesterday, 1.38 million people had visited http://www.cheddarvision.tv to watch a 20-kilogram round of traditional cheddar slowly age online. That's slowly as in very, very slowly. Indeed.
The round of Westcombe cheddar from the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers co-operative has caught the public attention and attracted viewers from more than 100 countries during the 160 days since it was first put in front of a webcam last December.
Dom Lane, a spokesman for the co-operative, told Double Take that the cheese makers wanted to highlight the difference between a genuine hand-made farm cheddar and a cheese made in a large, commercial creamery. "So we stuck a webcam in front of a cheese." That way, people could watch it age.
Meanwhile, for thrill-seekers who prefer more heart-pounding action in their cheese viewing, there's a link to a time-lapse video on YouTube that shows the cheddar aging three months in a mere minute, from young and smooth to older and mouldy.
Mr. Lane said the co-operative had received lots of e-mails from people asking what the cheese looked like when it was first made. "So we created this time-lapse film and decided that great place to put it was on YouTube."
So far, it has had more than 285,000 viewings there, which is not bad, Mr. Lane said, "considering a late-night political program on BBC-2 television probably wouldn't get that many viewers."
And if you really get caught up in this cheese thing, you can subscribe to the cheese's very own fan club. When asked what benefits club members received, Mr. Lane said: "We didn't know at the beginning and we're not even sure now. But you do get bulletins and we ran a competition recently to name the cheese, so we'll let everybody know what name we choose as the winner. And at the end of the year we're going to run some competitions for people to win a slice of it."
The cheese should be fully mature in December, a year after it was made, and slices will be auctioned off for charity.
After that, is there going to be a sequel? "Well, we could go the route of the Rocky films and make four too many," said Mr. Lane, "but maybe it's best to just finish."
Ramune is a Japanese clear soda-type beverage with a very distinctive bottle. It's traditionally a summertime time beverage. Personally, I love ramune, you might love ramune and Pikachu definitely loves Ramune. Reader Landon spotted this Poké-ramune in Tokyo. And from the looks of it, he had chicken for dinner. Ah, ramune and chicken — Doesn't get any better than that!
2000: Eidos releases Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour for GBC in the US. So why is the racing tour "magical"? Because it's Disney, duh! Magic didn't even exist before their polished animation and happy Grimm tales.
2003: 3DO releases CUBIX: Robots for Everyone: Showdown for GC in Japan. It's based upon one of those newer children's cartoons that my generation frowns upon. Because when I was growing up, we walked 20 miles barefoot in the snow to school. And our robots assembled to make Voltron, which was/is/will always be the coolest thing ever.
In 2006, Nottingham Trent University held a gaming festival, apparently it was enough of a success to warrant a sequel this fall. The GameCity 2007 festival will be held at the university October 24-28. Yes, that's awfully far away, but it gives those Brit cos-players enough of a head start on putting together their outfits.
There is very little information about the festival, but we're guessing it'll be like last year's -- except bigger. According to the website, "among the excellent treats coming very soon is a fantastic competition from PlayStation." We're guessing they mean Sony, which has a strong presence on the island. Most of the festival is free and some of the events are reasonably priced. It's nice to see regional gaming conventions doing well, we're sure to learn more as the fall approaches.
Hasbro has unveiled a series of "Real Gear Robots" as a tie-in to the Transformers universe. What caught our eye particularly is the POWER UP VT6 who, when not moonlighting as a Decepticon, spends its days as the hybrid of a Sega Game Gear and the bottom half of a Nintendo DS.
At $6.99, we're pretty sure it's neither a functioning handheld game system nor a functioning micro killing machine. Drat.
As we first reported the other day, Warner Brothers and Universal have announced plans to build a Harry Potter theme park in Universal Studios Florida. The Sun Sentinel is now reporting that the whole project will cost between $230 and $265 million:
Universal intends to spend $230 million to $265 million to create "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Islands of Adventure along with a previously announced Simpsons attraction, according to a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
This year alone, the expenditure is expected to reach from $75 million to $85 million, the filing said.
The article includes some more details on the deal as well. Universal must pay Warner Brothers undisclosed licensing fees and the current deal lasts for 10 years (with two optional 5-year extensions).
Here's a new video of the developers on the upcoming video game Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This video diary of the developers focuses on the video game settings.
This video shows the games version of Hogwarts and how its put together. The developers tried to have Hogwarts stay constant to that of the Hogwarts portrayed in the previous movies and books. Here the developers show parts of the enormous castle and areas within the game.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is said to be released on DS, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PC on June 25
Yesterday the geek-turned-hero who was shot tackling two robbers in a railway station was released from the hospital. Adam Mapleson was on his way home from work less than two weeks ago when he saw two men struggling with a security guard. When he stepped in to help, he was shot in the chest. Doctors listed him as "serious but stable" when we last reported on the situation, and some gaming forums compiled Get Well Soon cards in response. Now that Adam is all patched up and back in the wild, he can sit down for some well-deserved gaming time.
Due to some fascinating legal chicanery, the sequel to horror shooter F.E.A.R. can't actually be called that. Rather than hire some high falutin creative types, Warner Bros. and Monolith are turning to the hive mind of fandom to help them name the next game. The prize for the top three names? Their likeness in the game and a tour of Monolith. After that, fans will be able to vote on the official name.
Entrants aren't just being forced to set out on their own, they've been provided some helpful naming tips like "Some ideas for the Sequel associations: Frenetic Action, Horror (Asian), Destruction, Apocalypse, Paramilitary, Gore." So, we guess it's time for us to reveal our entry: Calamity Samurai Scare Blast End-time Soldier Entrails. But hey, we've already entered. What are your ideas?
A recent market study revealed that consumers in the U.K. are spending more money on downloading games than ringtones, music, or videos. Research firm GfK M² estimates the mobile gaming market is worth nearly four times the current value of music downloads and eight times the video download market.
Surprisingly, much of this growth has taken place over the last year, says GfK. In 2006 there was "less activity in the mobile gaming market as well as poor phone functionality, limited game offerings and perceived high prices". Even though most game downloads in the U.K. go for £5 or more, gamers seem happy to pony up the cash. It's only a matter of time until free ringtone sites convert their annoying banner ads and "give away" cheesy game knock-offs.
1994: Philips Media releases Zelda's Adventure for CD-i in the US. The game was born from compromise between Nintendo and Philips, after the SNES CD add-on failed to come to fruition. Unlike other CD-i Zelda titles, Zelda's Adventure uses an overhead camera just like in the original. I wouldn't mind trying it out. Any fans out there play the game?
2002: The UK's Independent Television Commission asks Microsoft to stop running their commercial, Champagne. The received a number of complaints, especially from the pregnant and elderly.
If you check out http://www.apple.com/itunes/ , you will see that Apple has released the new iTunes Plus. Its features include apparent better quality downloads, and best of all, DRM protected free music. Too many people have been complaining about how hard it is to transfer music to different computers due to the protection. I think that more piracy will arise, but iTunes will definitely get more sales due to this.
TOKYO - Thirsty Japanese will soon be able to drink coffee or other non-alcoholic beverages at a low price or even for free — as long as they watch a 30-second advertisement on the vending machines.
Vending machine operator Apex Corp. will start a service next month to turn its machines into a new medium for advertisers, who will pick up the partial or full cost of drinks. Apex runs 35,000 vending machines across Japan that serve drinks in paper cups, generally priced at 70 to 120 yen (60 cents to one dollar) a cup.
Under the ‘MediCafe’ project, the vending machine will play an advertiser’s video for around the 30 seconds it takes to pour the drink and dispense a paper cup with an advertisement printed on it. ‘We will select the locations of vending machines which would best suit the customers targetted by advertisers,’ said an Apex company official.
Hollywood has its first resident videogame publisher.
Brash Entertainment, the private equity-backed game publisher co-founded by Legendary Pictures' Thomas Tull, is coming out of stealth mode today with the news it has raised $400 million and will focus exclusively on games developed from movie, TV and music licenses.
Company has projects in the works based on movies from five studios and has multigame deals with several of them. It's already working on a dozen movie-based titles, including one based on Lionsgate's "Saw" franchise and another, sources confirmed, based on "300." First games will come out this holiday season. While Brash is remaining tight-lipped about its initial release slate, one title will almost certainly be tied to "Saw 3."
Warner Bros. will exclusively distribute all of the new company's games worldwide through its homevid operation, which recently started distributing games in North America for Eidos and Codemasters. Studio is expected to partner with Brash on several games, some of which it may co-finance and co-publish through its Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment vidgame division.
Idea for the company came from Mitch Davis and Nicholas Longano, former heads of in-game advertising company Massive, and Atlanta businessman Bert Ellis, a Massive investor. They started developing the idea together last year after Microsoft bought Massive. Ellis connected the group to Tull, a former business partner, who used his experience putting together Legendary's fund to help raise money. Abry Partners, a major investor in Legendary, is also lead investor in Brash.
Davis and Longano are serving as CEO and prexy, respectively. Ellis and Tull are both on the board. All four are investors.
"The folks I do business with have been watching the space for some time, trying to figure out the right vehicle to put money in," said Tull. "It's hard to think of too many other sectors with this kind of growth, and I think there are really compelling things you can do with movie-based games."
Although its dozen games in production, along with another 40 in development, immediately put it in the ranks of a midsize publisher, Brash's business model is different in many ways than that of its competitors. Besides a complete reliance on licensed properties and partnership with WB for distribution, it is also bucking industry trends by working entirely with independent developers to make its games. Most videogame publishers have been acquiring game studios or building them inhouse in order to control the production process completely.
Though titles based on Hollywood properties like "Star Wars," "Lord of the Rings" and numerous kids properties remain popular among gamers, many publishers have been trying to reduce their reliance on them. Electronic Arts, for instance, has told investors it will try to develop more original properties in order to build franchises it completely owns and can profit from in the long run.
Brash execs say they may consider original properties in the future, but for now, they're building the business entirely on licenses. Though the potential upside isn't as big, since it has to pay royalties to licensors and a distribution fee to WB, the young company will get the benefit of lower marketing costs by tying into studio ad campaigns when it releases day-and-date with movies, as Brash intends to do in most cases.
"It's a slightly different risk profile," granted Davis. "We may not have the breakout success of (hit original games) 'Gears of War' or 'Halo,' but we have a big ambition to produce high-quality, commercially successful games around licenses."
Because so many of its operations are outsourced, Brash has a lean staff of about 50 people, many of whom are game producers with previous experience working on licensed titles.
Given its headquarters in Hollywood and close partnerships with studios, Brash is aiming to work early in the development process with talent attached to movie, TV and music projects. That effort will be headed by chief creative officer Larry Shapiro, who recently joined Brash from CAA, where he co-led the vidgame department (Daily Variety, April 27).
"We're taking a new creative approach, working with some of the best Hollywood and videogame talent," Davis said. "What we've seen thanks to Larry and Thomas is that a lot of folks in the entertainment community are excited and sophisticated about the opportunities in videogames."
It remains to be seen whether Brash will be bidding for the biggest licenses against major publishers like EA, Activision and THQ, which already have successful deals for major properties like "Harry Potter," "Spider-Man" and the Pixar films, respectively.
Entry of another big player in licensed games can only benefit studios as increased competition helps them get better royalty terms or make deals for less desirable properties. It should also help the growing number of producers, agents and consultants in Hollywood working on the vidgame biz.
Brash execs say they have a diverse slate of games in development, including action, adventure, family and music-based titles. It will develop for all the major consoles, handheld and mobile devices.
Not content with inflicting both the iDog and iFish on the world, Sega thinks we need more animal-like speakers toys in our lives - and has launched the iPenguin in Japan.
Apart from being in the shape of a penguin (or a PC mouse with arms and legs if you like), it follows the same well-worn steps of previous Sega toys. That means it operates as a speaker for your (i)tunes, reacting to the music you play with a series of movements, flashing lights, burst of happiness and the occasional strop.
No news about this making the trip out of Japan, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does. After all, everyone loves a penguin.
1999: It's reported that a 5-year-old boy Eskimo boy shot his 7-year-old brother while fighting over the use of their Nintendo. No positive spin on that one. Ed note: and that was not a challenge.
2000: Activision releases Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption for PC in the US. I was so excited for this game—all the elements were in place and the press leading up to release was very positive—and I desperately tried to enjoy playing...it just wasn't very good. I came back to it a year later, thinking I was unfair. How could I NOT love this game?? Same results, though I almost beat it the second time (damn AI walking through sunlight.) But what did you think?
For a video game legend, Wednesday's release of "Pac Man Championship Edition" for Xbox 360 will mark the end of a nearly three-decade career for one of gaming's most illustrious developers.
Toru Iwatani, now 52, will retire from Namco -- the company that helped propel his game to worldwide acclaim -- and turn his focus to mentoring the next generation of developers by teaching at Tokyo Polytechnic University.
1990: Capcom releases Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers for NES in Japan. Great, now I'll have that cartoon's theme song stuck in my head for the rest of the day. It wasn't even a show I watched, yet 17 years later I can't get the thing out of my head. And by the way, you're welcome.
1999: Sony announces a new laser for their upcoming PS2 console that can read both CDs and DVDs, eliminatiêg the need for separate components. Kinda neat, in a 1999 sort of way.
This is the nightmare come true. Nothing hurts more than going online and getting whupped by some one who clearly has the voice of a person the fraction of your age. The New York Times yesterday did a story on one of their East Coast natives who is N-I-N-E and is considered by the Guiness Book of World Records as the world's youngest professional Gamer. Victor M. De Leon III has been playing on the professional circuit for the past five years (which, if my math serves me well made him four when he started), and he has won thousands of dollars in prizes and endorsements. I know for a fact I couldn't tie my shoelaces properly in the first grade, which would have made me 6 and this kid went on 60 Minutes as one of "the seven most amazing youngsters".
A substantial number of staff at Take-Two's European arm are being laid off as the company seeks to restructure the European part of its business.
CVG learned from sources this morning that the publisher's entire UK PR team has been made redundant, with trade magazine MCV reporting that the redundancies will likely extend to European territory bosses and additional management staff.
It's expected that the staff layoffs will be officially announced on Monday, says MCV.
Take-Two's shake-up of its European operation follows the replacement of the company's board of directors and the departure of CEO Paul Eibeler in March, which came as a result of shareholder attempts to introduce huge changes.
A brief history lesson: Before creating industry uber-brand, the PlayStation, Sony was working with Nintendo (of Wii fame) to create a SNES CD add-on. But that wasn't it! They were also working on a separate, Sony branded console that would play CDs and SNES cartridges. That console, like a mythical beast roaming the expanses of the digital world, had never been spotted ... until now. Like a lost Picasso finding its way to a humble garage sale, this early PlayStation pops up at game-rave.com (if you couldn't tell) and encourages us to think back at what could have been. Y'know, it could have been the PlayStation with the motion-sensitive controller. Oh, wait ...
There's no way to verify the veracity of game-rave's claim that "it's real," but they promise updates "very, very soon." Like now? How about now? Are there updates ... now?
Sega Mobile hasn't exactly been a driving force in the North American mobile gamescape as of late, especially considering how they were seen as a Very Big Deal when cellphones went color and Super Monkey Ball made a splash on Sprint handsets. However, Sega made a big hire recently when Linda Chaplin joined the company as Vice President of Sega Mobile. Chaplin came from Electronic Arts, where she oversaw the software giant's mobile gaming initiative.
At Sega Mobile, Chaplin will oversee the mobile games business for the Americas -- South, Central, and North. Previously, the operations were handled by Sega of Japan, which helps explain why Sega Mobile's American presence has been so low-key with few releases, such as Sonic Jump or the classic platformer Wonder Boy. IGN Wireless was able to ask Chaplin about her new role at Sega Mobile and how she wants to drive growth in the sector and at her company.
IGN Wireless: What are the first three changes you want to make at Sega Mobile?
Linda Chaplin, Sega: Build an experienced and dedicated mobile publishing team and infrastructure to support the platform. Inspire creative thinking about the mobile platform possibilities throughout the Sega organization. Expand distribution.
IGN Wireless: Sega has an extensive catalog of IP, from Sonic to Samba de Amigo. How will you choose which IP should be extended into the mobile space?
Chaplin: Sega has some of the most recognizable brands in the videogame business, and in the short term, it will make sense for us to build on those in the mobile space. We must also be cognizant of the current capabilities of the hardware, which can help us determine which properties translate best to mobile phones.
IGN Wireless: To compete, how much does Sega Mobile need to look beyond Sega's back catalog and current IP library? NiGHTS may be huge with hardcore gamers, but not necessarily with the Bejeweled crowd.
Chaplin: Sega has the best vault of classic IP in the industry, and we plan to utilize all the gems in the vault to a point that makes sense given the demographic of the mobile gamers. Sega as a company is strategically expanding its title library, with new and innovative IP as well as top-flight licensed properties. It will be the same in the mobile space.
IGN Wireless: Mobile strikes me as a chance to test out new IP that could later be expanded into console or PC without breaking a quarterly result. Is there any movement in Sega Mobile to use mobile as a testing ground for new ideas and concepts?
Chaplin: The nature of the mobile platform lends itself to creativity and literally thinking outside the box. Sega of America is a company that has the vitality of a start up and the legacy of an industry icon with franchises spanning virtually all platforms. There is no doubt we will continue to expand on our brands and franchises, however, we continue to explore and create new game concepts for the console market and now the mobile platform.
IGN Wireless: In the announcement that you were going to Sega Mobile, the release specifically mentioned the need to create Western content for Western gamers. What would you say are the differences between North America and Japan or Korea?
Chaplin: Most of Sega's content catalog has broad cultural appeal; however, there are certain product categories that appeal primarily to this region. One great example comes from the recently acquired Marvel superhero licenses. We expect these to be big sellers in the West, and while they will appeal to some Japanese gamers, they won't be our biggest hits in that region.
IGN Wireless: You are overseeing not just North America, but Central and South America, too. What kind of content is best tailored for these territories?
Chaplin: Again, our top brands and franchises are known in these territories as well and our intention is to localize for the region.
1998: THQ releases Quest 64 for N64 in the US. The game uses an unconventional level-up system. For instance, if your character gets beat up, they gain hit points. Little do they know, these hit points are really just scar tissue that will one day require surgical removal and skin grafting.
1999: Nintendo releases Mario Golf for N64 in Japan. The series never worked logically: Mario has absolutely NO leisure time available with the flighty Princess getting kidnapped all the time. Though, all those gold coins could certainly fund the country club lifestyle.
Electronic Arts has revealed that the company will be bringing some of its most popular franchises to the Mac platform for the first time.
The news was announced by CCO Bing Gordon, who shared the stage with Apple CEO Steve Jobs at today's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
TransGaming's Cider engine, an interpreter that eases the porting process to OSX, will help EA shorten the time between PC/console and Mac releases.
"Traditionally Mac users had to wait to play the latest blockbuster games," said TransGaming CEO Vikas Gupta.
"We're thrilled that TransGaming's Cider engine will dramatically decrease the time it will take to bring EA's hit portfolio of games to a thirsty Mac market."
According to EA, the first four titles to be released on the OSX this summer will be Command & Conquer 3, Battlefield 2142, Need For Speed Carbon and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Later on in the year, Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 will arrive on Mac at the same time they are released for consoles.
Take-Two has announced financial results for the quarter ending April 30, 2007, posting net revenues of USD 205.4 million - down by almost USD 60 million compared to the same period last year.
Take-Two attributed the decrease in net revenue to significant sales of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 2006. Net losses for the recent quarter were USD 51.2 million, or USD .71 per share, an increase of USD .8 million compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2006.
Take-Two said its operating results benefited from the closing of development studios in the prior year, but were offset by expenses associated with stock option grant investigations and responses to the New York County District Attorney's subpoenas as well as recent business reorganisation expenses.
As part of Take-Two's restructuring, the company plans to consolidate the management, marketing and business development operations of the 2K and 2K Sports labels on the West Coast and consolidate third-party PC distribution into North American sales. There are also plans to realign the company's international operations according to business discipline rather than geography.
In addition, Take-Two has announced the appointment of Lainie Goldstein, most recently the senior VP of finance and interim CFO, as permanent CFO.
"When our management team took on a leadership role at Take-Two, we committed ourselves to making this the most creative, the most innovative and the most efficient company in our industry," said chairman Strauss Zelnick.
"We also pledged to our shareholders and employees that we would present a detailed action plan within our first 100 days. With over one month remaining, we have already made significant progress in assessing the organisation and launching a major restructuring initiative."
Take-Two's upcoming releases include All-Pro Football 2K8, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Manhunt 2, The BIGS and The Darkness in its third fiscal quarter 2007, and BioShock, Carnival Games, Grand Theft Auto IV, NBA 2K8, and NHL 2K8 for Q4.
Games announed for 2008 include Beaterator, College Hoops 2K8, Grand Theft Auto IV - Episodic Content, L.A. Noire, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Major League Baseball 2K8, NBA 2K9 and NHL 2K9.
Capcom will become the first Japanese publisher to distribute its games through Valve Corporation's Steam content delivery network.
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Onimusha 3, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix will all appear on the service soon. "Future PC titles" are also promised.
Capcom's executive vice president, Mark Beaumont, said the company's newfound interest in digital distribution was a natural off-shoot of its increasing thirst for PC market-share.
"Steam is the right place for us to go with our titles. Valve has created a huge installed base of gamers who naturally fit with the profiles of the titles that Capcom develops," he added.
The first Capcom game on the service will be Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, which is set to arrive "later this week", to be followed "in the next few weeks" by Onimusha 3.
Then Lost Planet: Extreme Condition will be introduced on June 26, while Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - also due out on PlayStation 3 Store and Xbox Live Arcade - will arrive "later this year".
Steam already boasts accounts with a wide range of Western firms including Activision, Eidos, PopCap and Empire Interactive, and of course uses it to push its own game series, including Half-Life.
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has forecast that the NPD sales data for May will show a year-on-year increase in game sales of 16 per cent to reach USD 333 million.
According to Pachter, the rise will be driven by sales of titles such as Pokémons Diamond and Pearl, Guitar Hero II, Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Forza Motorsport 2 and Mario Party 8.
With regard to hardware sales, Pachter estimates sell-through of 400,000 Wii, 225,000 Xbox 360, and 100,000 PS3 systems - predicting that Nintendo's next-generation console will outsell Sony's by a factor of 4:1.
"Most of the major US publishers reported solid March quarter results, with each forecasting at least 10 per cent growth in 2007," said Pachter.
"We expect sales growth in May after a relatively weak April. Notwithstanding the decline in April, US software sales are up approximately 20 per cent year-to-date, and we expect sales growth of 18 per cent for the full year."
Pachter said higher than average console prices will continue to be an impediment to sales. "We expect cycle-to-cycle declines of 10 per cent or more for hardware sales to persist through the end of summer 2007," said the Wedbush analyst.
"It is possible that Sony’s cost of production for the PS3 has declined to the point that the company may consider a hardware price cut some time this summer, and we may see a price cut for the PS2 and Xbox 360 before the holidays."
Pachter went on to state that he expects PS2 software sales strength to persist throughout the rest of the year, thanks largely to licensed film-themed games released between May and July as well as sales of those games during the holiday season when the movie DVDs are released.
He concluded, "We expect major share price appreciation for the major video game publishers by the end of the year as the next-generation console cycle is in full swing, and recommend that investors accumulate Activision, Electronic Arts, GameStop, THQ, and Ubisoft shares at current levels."
1998: Capcom, Konami, Namco, Sony, and Square file a lawsuit against a Tokyo game shop for selling used games. Having failed a campaign to make resale of games illegal, they now prefer to supervise the resale of games.
Because when you buy something, it's not yours to sell. And you should know that by now. On one hand, resellers are selling games for less than their new counterparts. Of course, this also means that these games once sold as new and profits were made. From the other perspective, resellers might be charging MORE than retail value for a title, in which case there is an easy way to fix that supply and demand structure...
Given the strong state of Japan's game shops, I'm assuming the big companies failed. But ask Ash. He knows everything about Japan since he lives there. Absolutely everything.
Most of the news lately about PS3 robberies have involved violence and/or tragedy. Well, not today. Two teenagers from Florida were able to beat a couple of robbers without getting a scratch on them.
Damian Fernandez and his sister were at home by themselves when knocking at the front door turned into two men trying to pry the door open. After picking some jewelry, they headed into Deanne's room where she was hiding in the closet. The robber found an empty Playstation 3 box and darted out of the room where Deanne's brother, a brown belt in Karate, was waiting for him and said:
"Once I saw him take off running back, I jumped off my (bunk) bed and I grabbed my sword ... and I just waited for him".
Damian said he lunged at him with his samurai sword, striking him in the chest. "He freaked out," Damian said.
The burgular ran out of the house, but was found by a K-9 police dog hiding behind a neighbor's palm tree. The second burgular hasn't been found. Even though nobody was hurt, the father of the two children was still concerned, saying, "If he would have had a gun, I could have lost one of my children".
Dutch artist Arno Coenen has taken his love of art and crossed it with a healthy gaming obsession to create some of the most impressive mosaics we've ever seen. It makes St Mark's Basilica look a tad drab, if you ask us. The mosaics depict retro gaming scenes with characters ranging from Donkey Kong to Lara Croft.
The work was commissioned for a primary school in Amsterdam, officially making it one of the coolest schools in the world. Coenen was also commissioned to create Virtual Fairytale 2.0 for a school in Utrecht, transforming the entire square to a collage of retro gamescapes.
The boys here at the Tower are absolutely nutty for shoes so they are going to freak out when they see these classic Converse Chuck Taylors decked out with their favorite Nintendo characters. I like them too, but the women's sizes start at 6. Not only do you get a custom paint job that takes 20 hours, but you can even choose what color you want your laces to be. That's not a bad deal for $159 [around £80] if you keep them away from your skateboard. Then they just might live past the summer.
2000: EA releases Shogun: Total War for PC in the US. It's a combination of RTS and turn-based strategy...otherwise known as Total war. Not just partial war like the other games.
2005: THQ releases Juiced for PS2, XBOX , and PC. It's either a non-franchise NFL spinoff or a street racing game. Or baseball—it could definitely be baseball. Or...ooohh...DS smoothie game!
He was stabbed in the back as he was playing the PlayStation with a friend in Pontevedra on Wednesday
A 24 year old man died in Pontevedra on Wednesday in an argument with a friend over a PlayStation.
Named by 20minutos as Marcos Múñiz Calviño, he died at around 4.30 on Wednesday afternoon in the Oubiña area of Cambados, when he was playing the PlayStation with his friend, Juan Carlos G.A., who is now under arrest.
So, you've got the T-shirts. You've got a couple of keychains. You even have your own replica Pokeball, where you imagine Pikachu is hanging out inside, kicking it on the couch sipping a cold one, ready to emerge and kick the crap out of any other Pokemon at a moment's notice.
You might want to see a doctor, because you're obsessed. Or, if you're perfectly fine with the addiction, check out these Japanese headphones, depicting several different Pokemon. They're the kind of headphones that scream "Go away, I'm trying to level up my Manaphy."
Robert Lukic, managing director of GAME Australia, has revealed that the retailer plans to open more than 25 new branches by the end of 2007.
"We plan to expand rapidly over the next three years. We'll open in excess of another 25 stores prior to Christmas this year," he told Gamespot.
"Given that property is opportunity-led, quite often you don't get the opportunity to open stores at, let’s say, three a month. We have some months coming up where we will open 10 stores at a time, and we'll have other months where we'll only have one or two stores opening."
Lukic went on to confirm that GAME Australia will be launching an online store within the next two months, and that users will be able to log in and customise their entry page.
"We'd also like to incorporate a pay-per-month downloadable game content service, and we're working on that currently. And we're working on how we would link some of our pre-owned offerings on our web site," he added.
Lukic admitted that EB Games is still dominant in Australia "in terms of their geographic locations", stating, "I think EB's leading market position will be here for some time."
He concluded, "We certainly plan to deliver, on a location by location basis, the best possible consumer experience."
A Take-Two spokesperson has told GamesIndustry.biz that some staff from the company's UK office have been made redundant as part of new restructuring plans.
The PR and marketing departments were hit hardest but there will be some reorganisation of roles, according to US spokesperson Ed Nebb.
"While some marketing and PR positions were eliminated in the UK, others were transferred to specific labels, such as 2K," he confirmed.
It also seems that job cuts and transfers are planned within Take-Two's other offices. Nebb stated, "This approach is consistent across our international operations."
News of the UK job losses comes after Take-Two confirmed the closure of 2K Games' New York office, adding that some projects in development had been cancelled.
The publisher announced it would be embarking on a restructuring programme earlier this week after posting Q2 net losses of USD 51.2 million.
2000: Capcom releases Tech Romancer for DC in the US. Let's see: two giant robots battle to the death in 3D. Why are people still making games? Things may have peaked.
2002: Sony announces a $250 million campaign to promote the PS1 and PS2 in the United States. Needless to say, that's a lot of money. Instead of advertisements, Sony should just give away $X million in product. That would give them a.) instant install base b.) a shitload of free publicity.
1999: Eidos releases Official Formula 1 Racing for PC. Today is an admittedly light day for gaming history, so let me ask this question:
Does anyone care about "official" or "licensed" games? Would you opt for an official game, just to play with real jersey or team names, especially if the unofficial game looked or played better?
Why not make a weekend update complete with a little hands on with the gorgeous Jessica Alba. The actress, whose likeness appears in the upcoming Fantastic Four game, recently revealed her love for Nintendo Wii.
Speaking to Yahoo Games, Alba was asked what she likes about the Wii - "I play all of the Wii Sports games, like bowling, tennis, and baseball. That's a lot of fun". said the Dark Angel star, "I think the physicality of the Wii gets people off the couch. Sometimes you can just sit there playing a video game for hours and never move and you're brain is just zapped from playing the game. With the Wii, you're up on your feet and moving around.
The physical aspect of it is great, especially for kids. They actually call it the Wii Diet, since active players can burn calories!"
1985: Nintendo releases Wrecking Crew for NES in Japan. It's an arcade/strategy game where Mario and Luigi make an appearance, along with a bad guy named "Blackey" (Spike in the US). Good change? Probably.
2002: Atari releases Neverwinter Nights for PC in the US. These Bioware RPGs are so fantastic, I don't even know where to begin. If only they featured some setting to freeze time and let us play longer—that's all they really need.
Electronic Arts' exec David Gardner has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's birthday honours list.
The award is recognition for Gardner's support for the UK as a source for creative talent and games development.
"It is enormous value to the UK to have such as influential and respected senior level executive speak so openly and regularly about the strengths of the UKs creative industry," offered Martin Uden, the British Consul General in San Francisco.
"David is always quick to highlight the UK as an attractive location for first class development and creative talent."
Born in the US, Gardner became a naturalised British citizen while living and working in the UK and is credited with building the European division of Electronic Arts to a business worth USD 1 billion.
"We congratulate David on this respected honour. It is testament to his personal passion for British lifestyle and culture and his remarkable professional achievement for EA and for our industry," added Larry Probst, chairman of EA.
TOKYO - At 111, the world’s oldest man keeps a daily diary, drinks milk and stays away from alcohol and smoking.
“I don’t want to die,” Tomoji Tanabe told reporters Monday, while receiving a certificate from the Guinness World Records at a ceremony in southern Japan verifying him as the world’s oldest male.
Tanabe, who lives in the southern city of Miyakonojo, took the title in January following the death of Puerto Rico’s Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, who at 115 was also the oldest human. But Tanabe, born Sept. 18, 1895, was certified by Guinness only earlier this month, according to Kyodo News agency.
Tanade, a former city land surveyor, thanked his children and grandchildren for caring for him over the years and described Monday’s event as “nothing special.”
Coincidentally, the world’s oldest person, a woman, is also Japanese. Yone Minagawa, 114, was born Jan. 4, 1893.
The number of Japanese living beyond 100 has almost quadrupled in the past 10 years, with the once-exclusive centenarian club expected to exceed 28,000 this year. Experts often attribute the longevity to a Japanese diet rich in vegetables and fish.
Nola Ochs is a living textbook. During history courses, the 95-year-old regaled her much younger classmates with memories of dodging the dust storms in the 1930s that threatened to destroy her family farm in Kansas. “It was dark as night, even after we turned the lamps on,” Ochs says. She also shared tales of cattle drives, life as a farmwife, and living without running water.
Ochs made history when she graduated in May 2007 with a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. She’s the oldest college graduate in the world and will be entered in Guinness World Records 2008.
Learning keeps her alive, she says. Come September, Ochs plans to head back to school--and start working on her master’s degree. “There’s something within me that wants to keep learning,” she says. “I just can’t quit.”
If you ever find yourself in Oslo, Norway, during your travels, you might just run into a few familiar faces. That would be the faces of sprites from Nintendo mascots and other gaming characters alike, gracing trash cans and signs all about the town. And, upon looking at TheFunkyHorror's Flickr photo set, we wonder how much walking around the guy did to take all of these pictures.
Is it just us, or do some of those pictures look photoshopped, though?
1997: GT Interactive releases Blood for PC in the US. At least they were upfront about it. Parents can't complain about the content on that one...though "Grand Theft Auto" is fairly upfront about its content as well.
1997: Square Co. releases Final Fantasy Tactics for PS in Japan. Final Fantasy fans—do your thing.
2006: Microsoft announces that half-billion games of Halo 2 have been played on Xbox Live. With around 7.4 million copies sold at the time, that means the average owner played over 100 matches online. And that's a moderate success. Too bad I don't enjoy Halo's multiplayer.
Global spending on videogames is set to outpace the music sector this year, according to new research by Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
The videogame market is expected to grow above the average rates of other entertainment industries until at least 2011, fuelled by new consoles, wireless gaming, in-game ads and online play.
As detailed by The Hollywood Reporter, Pricewaterhouse Cooper predicts the gaming market to be worth USD 48.9 billion by 2011 (EUR 36.4 bn) with a growth rate of 9.1 per cent, compared to the entire entertainment market growing by 6.4 per cent annually, over the same period.
However, the firm's analysis does not include consumer spending on hardware and accessories, only on software.
"Videogaming is one of the most exciting stories in terms of pure growth numbers," commented Marcel Fenez, global managing partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
The Asia Pacific region will see the highest overall spending, expected to reach 18.8 billion (EUR 14 bn), or compound annual gains of 10 per cent, by 2011.
The EMEA regions are expected to see gains of 10.2 per cent and the US gains of 6.7 per cent, or 12.5 billion (EUR 9.3 bn) during the same period.
1994: Playmates Interactive releases Earthworm Jim for SNES in the US. It's rare that a hugely publicized game can live up to its hype, but this title was so refreshing during an era inundated with sidescrollers...even if it came out for Genesis two weeks earlier and I missed it.
2000: Eidos releases Deus Ex for PC in the US. Take everything I said above about Earthworm Jim, replace sidescrollers with FPSs, and you'll get the point.
Today is Sonic the Hedgehog's 16th birthday. He was cute as a baby and burst into the world with the delightful Sonic the Hedgehog. As of late though, he has certainly been experiencing the highs (Sonic Rush) and lows (Sonic on Xbox 360) of being a teenager. However, like a 16-year-old, Sonic may finally be coming into his own after Sega said that their mascot is going on a blue ambition reinvention tour.
The most shocking news of Sonic's reinvention isn't even his pairing with Mario for an Olympics game. Something that we might have cared about and made our head explode in the the early '90s. Nope, the most shocking news came two days ago when BioWare (Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic) announced that they were working on a Sonic RPG for the Nintendo DS, the game is expected in 2008. Who knows, maybe when Sonic turns 18 he'll be cool again. And then he can go pick up a pack of smokes from the corner store, fly to Europe, and party to the point where he forgets everything between the late '90s and now. Happy birthday Sonic!
This is the current weekly hardware sales situation in Japan. As usual the DS Lite and Wii systems top the list. The PSP and Xbox 360 have seen an increase in sales while the PS2 and PS3 stay roughly about the same to last weeks' reading.
DS Lite: 118,684
Wii: 65,521
PSP: 33,359
PS2: 11,974
PS3: 9,481
Xbox 360: 7,583
GBA SP: 472
Game Boy Micro: 371
Gamecube: 223
GBA: 24
DS Phat: 0
Straight from the streets of Seattle, Washington comes this bit of Mario street art. I say "bit", but in reality, this must have taken quite a bit of time. Each of those little squares of paper is stapled onto this utility pole to create a cool pixel/mosaic effect. I'm always amazed that stuff like this happens to completion in a public place without anyone getting all hot under the collar about it. Many cities would have stopped this project after the first 20 pieces were in place. If it were Boston, they'd call out the bomb squad.
Snapped by my friend Kat W. as we wandered around Ximending - one of Taipei's painfully hip and trending shopping areas, as well as a great place to nose around for video game related stuff, but that usually happens in stores, not on benches.
The application apparently didn't manage to hold on both benches, but I thought it was pretty cute and clever, all things considered. The people sitting on the bench next to us thought we were crazy as we took a photograph; I've gotten the same reaction photographing some of Taipei's astonishingly cool regular paint-on-wall graffiti as well.
1996: Nintendo releases the N64 console in Japan, along with Super Mario 64. The system goes to sell a little over 30 million units with this Mario launch title becoming the most successful software released for the console.
But it's actually a sad story, given that Sony's Playstation goes to sell almost triple the units than videogame veteran Nintendo. And it's a rough, transitional time for games in general as programmers learn the dos and don't of programming in 3D.
That's not to say the N64 didn't have some great titles that still bring tears to the eyes of grown gamers everywhere. So commenters, what were your favorite N64 moments?
1999: Eidos releases Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for PS in the US. Confession: I played this game for 10 minutes at a demo unit and could make absolutely no sense of the game. Since then, I've stubbornly assumed that hordes of people play the series only with the addiction to one day actually understanding how to play, let alone how to beat, the game. And no one can change my mind.
2003: Activision releases Star Trek: Elite Force II for PC in the US. You've gotta feel sorry for the Star Trek special ops guys at the bar. "So what do you do?" "I'm part of an elite force." "Really...wow. For whom." "Uhh...that's classified."
"What? Two game cakes in one day? How incredibly fortunate we all are!" These are probably the words that are running through your mind right this minute. Or at least some form of those words, possibly rearranged with some added expletives.
Apparently, a gal named Ana who is a friend of faithful Kotakuite Grap3fruitman made this Sonic cake in honor of Sonic's recent sixteenth anniversary. Well done, Ana. If more people made cakes for fictional video game character's anniversaries, the world would be a better place.
See the image above? Someone has put on eBay some 67 games consoles and 1,420 games for a total price of $18,000 which comes to about £9,000 in the UK. More details of the auction and pictures can be viewed here.
Leading doctors have stated that 'videogame addiction' is not to be recognised as a mental illness, or put in the same category as addiction to drugs or alcohol.
A debate at the American Medical Association found that doctors were opposed to such a classification, believing that more research needs to be done
"There's nothing here to suggest that this is a complex physiological disease state akin to alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders, and it doesn't get to have the word addition attached to it," said Dr. Stuart Gitlow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
The group stated that if research shows that videogame addiction is legitimate, it could be included in the American Psychiatric Association's next diagnostic manual in five years time.
The American Medical Association is to make a final recommendation on the subject later this week.
Kuju has rebranded its Sheffield studio as Chemistry.
The team will focus on development using Epic's Unreal Engine 3, on titles such as the forthcoming To End All Wars for publisher Ghostlight.
"We've decided to specialise in Unreal Engine as it's clearly an awesome next-gen toolset that frees our staff to focus on bringing their creative talents to bear without worrying about low-level nuts and bolts," said Simeon Pashley, studio head.
"It's also perfect for our future plans as at allows us to look forward without worrying about technology stability," he added.
The studio has recently completed a move into larger offices and intends to expand beyond its current 30 staff.
"Chemistry impressed us earlier this year with a very interesting UE3-based prototype and we're equally impressed with their business strategy as well," commented Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games.
"By specialising in Unreal Engine 3 they're going to get continuously more proficient at using it and develop increasingly polished games over time. We know this strategy very well because it is exactly what we're planning."
The Sheffield rebranding follows Kuju's Brighton studio renaming itself Zoe Mode in March.
The ban in the UK and Ireland slapped on Take Two's Manhunt 2, and its subsequent AO rating in North America, is a response to the company's previous controversial content, according to one analyst.
Nollenberger Capital Partners' Todd Greenwald told the Associated Press that various controversies in titles such as the Grand Theft Auto series and Bully (Canis Canem Edit in Europe) have contributed to the recent lambasting by the BBFC and the decision by Sony and Nintendo to refuse the release of Manhunt 2 in the US.
"It does seem that Take Two is being a little bit unfairly singled out... because of their history of provocative games," commented Greenwald.
"They're being burned by their past, " he added.
The publisher has come under fire for the Hot Coffee scandal, accusations of racism and subject matter in Bully, amongst others.
As a result the company has faced various lawsuits, bad press, political questions and even titles withdrawn from sale.
Last week the BBFC banned Manhunt 2 in the UK, citing the games "unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone."
2002: Atlus releases Skygunner for PS2 in the US. It's a steampunk flight sim, which is a pretty cool concept. Any fans out there?
2003: LucasArts releases Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb for PS2 in the US. I didn't realize that for the game, 33 minutes of original music were recorded by a 65-piece orchestra. It's too bad that the game itself wasn't better—maybe LucasArts should have made nice with Eidos to do the game some justice.
The Insider recently aired some brand new footage from the fifth Harry Potter movie, including a thrilling look at the Occlumency scene with Harry and Snape.
Additionally, in KABC's report on the recent press junket for the film, they included some new footage from the film - Harry talking to Sirius about becoming bad.
2003: SOE [Sony Online Entertainment] releases Star Wars: Galaxies for PC in the US. It's a controversial title, as making Jedi proved as difficult as becoming the real thing, and eventually "New Game Enhancements" were released that threw the game's basic setup out the window. But as for the original time it took to unlock Jedi powers, I think it cements the difficulty in designing an MMO. If achievements can be scored too easily, your audience complains about it...as in WoW's expansion. But if they are too difficult, gamers start claiming the unlocked content doesn't even exist, as with SWG.
Specialist retailer GameStop has announce that it now owns more than 4800 stores around the globe, with over 1000 of those located outside the US.
In the last month, GameStop has opened new branches in Canada, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
There are also stores in Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Spain, Ireland and the UK. The total number now stands at 4816.
This tote bag rocks, and not just because it has Mario on it, but because TheFennec on Etsy actually made a bag you can wear. Other Mario totes have been shown before, but you know, at the end of the day, you can't take those kinds of things to outside without looking about 12. This bag isn't busy, it's got an awesome pockets, and most of all, it looks expensive. Fortunately, it's not. A $10 [£5] tote? You can't go wrong.
In San Diego, a modder named Frederick Brown was arrested after his house was raided by the San Diego Computer and Technology High-Tech Response Unit (otherwise conveniently known as "CATCH"). Brown had advertised on Craigslist and other website as being able to install mod chips and provide counterfeit games. The raid in his home proved he had over a thousand copies of pirated games as well as a large number of mod chips and hard drives preloaded with games that could be installed onto Xbox consoles.
Brown allegedly was turning modding into a business, so it does make sense that the ESA chose pursue a criminal case against him. However, what does that mean for the average kid who just wants to mod their console to play games from other countries? It seems like console manufacturer's have avenues other than physically blocking modders to get them to stop like making every game available to every one at the same time. It's called subtitles. Tell your game developers to use them.
It's a tale of dueling trajectories -- global trends will converge this year, a new study says, and the video-game industry in the U.S. will surpass the music industry in 2008.
By Reuters
The video-game sector will remain one of the above-average growth segments of the global entertainment industries through 2011, with global games spending set to exceed music spending this year, according to consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
In the United States, the size of the games market will exceed that of the ailing music sector next year, PricewaterhouseCoopers projects.
Key growth engines will include online and wireless games, new-generation consoles and the burgeoning in-game advertising business.
The predictions are all part of the eighth annual edition of PwC's "Global Entertainment and Media Outlook" report, released last week.
By 2011, the worldwide gaming market will be worth $48.9 billion at a compound annual growth rate of 9.1% during the five-year period, with gains slowing every year because of the maturation of the current generation of consoles, according to the report. The compound gains handily exceed the 6.4% advance that PwC foresees for the overall entertainment economy during the period.
Its data include consumer spending on games, but exclude spending on hardware and accessories.
"Video gaming is one of the most exciting stories in terms of pure growth numbers," said Marcel Fenez, PwC's global managing partner for its entertainment and media practice.
For the U.S. gaming business, PwC projects 6.7% compound annual gains for the five-year period, to $12.5 billion.
Asia-Pacific should remain the region with the highest overall spending on gaming during the period and reach $18.8 billion in 2011, PwC forecasts.
Despite its leading size, its 10% average annual gains will only be exceeded by the combined region of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), which is pegged for a 10.2% compound annual gain and is set to remain at No. 2 in terms of worldwide gaming.
6/26/2007 3:00 PM ET
source: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...kingMusic.aspx
2001: Funcom releases Anarchy Online for PC in the US. After writing about Star Wars Galaxies yesterday, Anarchy Online makes me remember a time when I thought, "Can anyone ever beat EverCrack? MAYBE Anarchy can do it...but probably not."
2002: Codemasters releases Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing for PS2 in the US. It's not quite the same as my favorite NES boxing game. Maybe it's the more complicated controls, maybe it's the ear-biting. But somethi
