Many many many years ago The Gia was a great site for all things usually to do with RPG's and the like, they had some well known names on staff that later went onto other ventures and had ties in the video game world. They even got leaks of the designs for one of the Final Fantasy games in the day that gave the first look at it.
They had some server issues here and there, so people would contribute money and keep them going, this happened twice if I recall right. Now they were famous for doing April First jokes when many people back then kept falling for them, so not long after the second donation for new servers April First came around, when people went to the site they announced they were closing.
People had a good laugh, thought it was brilliant to make that their April First joke, the day came and went, the next day, still wasn't open. People were confused and getting worried then, took a few days for most people to find out they were serious. The place really had closed. That was the joke.
To say people were pissed off, outraged and mad is putting it lightly. Especially since many had donated cash not so long before to keep the place going. A shame really, they were damn good at what they did.
I distinctly remember this. Annoyed the shit out of me.
Video game and software retailer Gamestop has acquired TechCrunch50 company Spawn Labs, a startup that develops game streaming technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In addition, GameStop also announced the acquisition of game distribution platform Impulse, which is a division of software company Stardock.
Spawn Labs launched in 2009 as a Slingbox for video games. Via, Spawn Labs appliance and computers apps transmit HD-quality (720p) content over the Internet so that players can use the peer-to-peer game streaming service to play games simultaneously.
The Spawn Labs team will work closely with GameStop’s existing R&D group to further develop the product, according to a release. Once the Spawn Labs integration and testing on a new consumer interface is complete, users will have immediate access to a wide selection of high-definition video games on demand on any Internet-enabled device.
Impulse’s platform allows users to access to a library of more than 1,100 games to be downloaded. Impulse also provides content publishers DRM and copy protection tools and allows developers to enable achievements, account management, friend lists, chat, multiplayer lobbies, and cloud storage within their games. GameStop says that it will maintain Impulse as a business and will integrate the platform with its own site in the next few months.
GameStop has been on a bit of a shopping spree. Last year, the company bought Kongregate, a social gaming destination and community site for gamers. For GameStop, these acquisitions are the mechanism by which the retailer is pushing its digital strategy in the gaming space.
In its biggest push yet into the digital game market, major video game retailer GameStop today announced a pending purchase of Stardock subsidiary Impulse Inc., including the Impulse digital delivery service, as well as the acquisition of streaming technology company Spawn Labs.
The Impulse purchase, expected to close in May 2011, will give Gamestop a major foothold in the digital delivery market, and will also include the company's Impulse: Reactor and Impulse: Publisher middleware tools.
Stardock's Brad Wardell estimated Impulse had 10 percent of the PC digital game delivery market in late 2009, with Valve's Steam service taking up a massive 70 percent of the market.
Spawn Labs has been working on a consumer-facing game streaming service since its founding in 2009. Since then, major competitors including OnLive and Gaikai have launched similar services that stream high-definition games run on servers to all manner of internet-enabled devices.
“With these important acquisitions, we will continue to make appropriate investments related to our multichannel strategy. GameStop is uniquely positioned to be the leader in both the physical and digital gaming space," GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines said in a statement.
After establishing a digital business group in 2009, GameStop purchased web game portal Kongregate last year. The company has also been expanding in-store sales of digital content for consoles with promotions including digital pre-order incentives.
[UPDATE: An FAQ on the acquisition posted by Stardock promises no disruption in Impulse service or changes to Impulse accounts in the immediate future. The company says it doesn't expect any layoffs to be associated with the purchase, and notes that Stardock is actually hiring fora variety of positions.]
And the hits just keep on coming. THQ has confirmed to Gamasutra that it has reduced the staff sizes of Red Faction developer Volition, Inc. and Homefront developer Kaos Studios. Volition, whose team of around 200 is also working on the next, bonersword-equipped installment in the Saint's Row franchise, had its headcount cut by 16 positions. Kaos Studios, which employs more than 100 developers, lost 17 across its departments.
In its statement to Gamasutra, representatives for THQ explained, "The changes are not expected to affect any current or future titles in development with Volition." The statement adds that Kaos has a "dedicated team in place" to continue supporting Homefront with post-launch content while preparing for future projects. We wish the 33 folks affected by the cutbacks the best of luck in getting back on their feet.
Yeah I saw Angry Birds for the first time recently and thought "THIS is what everyone has been talking about? I played this as a free flash game 5 years ago."
Exactly. And this is fine, whatever. But when you start attacking some of the greatest games of all time for being "49 dollar pieces of plastic," then it might be time to stfu. It's kind of confusing too because I would have thought that a game developer has played a lot of games, including those pieces of plastic. And therefore fully realize why those games are 49 dollars as opposed to 1 dollar. Those games often take years to create, have huge development teams, and can take hours upon hours to complete. People play Angry Birds while they're taking a dump. He also has to know that his game is not innovative or original, and in fact a stolen idea. I don't know though, maybe this guy really is this dumb.
I'm eagerly awaiting his next title. Which will probably be Angry Birds 2. Or Angry Birds Deluxe. Or Angry Birds: Enhanced Edition.
Cause that's how far his talent goes. Let's be honest here.
Let's be honest here. If I had created Angry Birds, my next title would probably be Angry Birds 2. I mean, artistic integrity and trying out new game ideas is great and all, but free money is awfully nice too.
Agreed. You can't blame the guy if he makes AB2, as it just seems the logical step if you want to make money. Angry Birds, whether you like it or not, has become huge. I'm sure he wants to capitalize on that before it fades away, as you would if you were in his shoes.
No one is mad at the guy for making money and if I was in his shoes, then yeah, I'd be making Angry Birds 2 also because it will sell and make lots of money. But I sure as hell wouldn't open my mouth and openly criticize other games simply because they aren't 1 dollar. What am I suppose to do? Rather than buying a well made Nintendo game like New Super Mario Brothers for 50 dollars, buy 50 copies of Angry Birds? The success of Angry Birds has obviously gone straight to his head and has somehow made him forget that he doesn't actually create awesome games. I don't care if he makes Angry Birds 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 just don't trash games that people work their assess off to make just because they, rightfully so, charge more than a dollar for them.
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The_SpaniardIt's never lupinesIrvine, CaliforniaRegistered Userregular
In its biggest push yet into the digital game market, major video game retailer GameStop today announced a pending purchase of Stardock subsidiary Impulse Inc., including the Impulse digital delivery service, as well as the acquisition of streaming technology company Spawn Labs.
The Impulse purchase, expected to close in May 2011, will give Gamestop a major foothold in the digital delivery market, and will also include the company's Impulse: Reactor and Impulse: Publisher middleware tools.
Stardock's Brad Wardell estimated Impulse had 10 percent of the PC digital game delivery market in late 2009, with Valve's Steam service taking up a massive 70 percent of the market.
Spawn Labs has been working on a consumer-facing game streaming service since its founding in 2009. Since then, major competitors including OnLive and Gaikai have launched similar services that stream high-definition games run on servers to all manner of internet-enabled devices.
“With these important acquisitions, we will continue to make appropriate investments related to our multichannel strategy. GameStop is uniquely positioned to be the leader in both the physical and digital gaming space," GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines said in a statement.
After establishing a digital business group in 2009, GameStop purchased web game portal Kongregate last year. The company has also been expanding in-store sales of digital content for consoles with promotions including digital pre-order incentives.
[UPDATE: An FAQ on the acquisition posted by Stardock promises no disruption in Impulse service or changes to Impulse accounts in the immediate future. The company says it doesn't expect any layoffs to be associated with the purchase, and notes that Stardock is actually hiring fora variety of positions.]
And thus, the digital distribution wars began.
I can't wait for the first time Gamestop tells a publisher to make a game's PC port Impulse-exclusive or else they're not going to carry the console version in stores. :?
korodullin on
- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (2017, colorized)
I'd blame Activision for the way they shafted Blur with the advertising.
I wonder what the reaction to the game might have been if they didn't try to lump it in/make fun of Mario Kart, when they did that the reaction was pretty fierce, not just from the Nintendo fans either. Mario Kart appeared to have a lot of fans no matter what main system they had. It had that kind of appeal that if you bashed it then people were not going to take it well and not only the ones that you thought would be angry.
Quoting from yesterday, but I'm only now catching up, and I think this is a good point. Perhaps Activision forgot everyone and their dog owns a DS with Mario Kart DS. You don't have to be a Wii owner to be a Mario Kart fan.
In its biggest push yet into the digital game market, major video game retailer GameStop today announced a pending purchase of Stardock subsidiary Impulse Inc., including the Impulse digital delivery service, as well as the acquisition of streaming technology company Spawn Labs.
The Impulse purchase, expected to close in May 2011, will give Gamestop a major foothold in the digital delivery market, and will also include the company's Impulse: Reactor and Impulse: Publisher middleware tools.
Stardock's Brad Wardell estimated Impulse had 10 percent of the PC digital game delivery market in late 2009, with Valve's Steam service taking up a massive 70 percent of the market.
Spawn Labs has been working on a consumer-facing game streaming service since its founding in 2009. Since then, major competitors including OnLive and Gaikai have launched similar services that stream high-definition games run on servers to all manner of internet-enabled devices.
“With these important acquisitions, we will continue to make appropriate investments related to our multichannel strategy. GameStop is uniquely positioned to be the leader in both the physical and digital gaming space," GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines said in a statement.
After establishing a digital business group in 2009, GameStop purchased web game portal Kongregate last year. The company has also been expanding in-store sales of digital content for consoles with promotions including digital pre-order incentives.
[UPDATE: An FAQ on the acquisition posted by Stardock promises no disruption in Impulse service or changes to Impulse accounts in the immediate future. The company says it doesn't expect any layoffs to be associated with the purchase, and notes that Stardock is actually hiring fora variety of positions.]
And thus, the digital distribution wars began.
I don't think I've heard about the Impulse middleware stuff before. Is it comparable to Steamworks and are there any games that use it?
Although the Xbox 360 leads the PlayStation 3 in the U.S., the global picture shows Microsoft's console has lost ground to Sony's as of the end of 2010, says a new report from data firm Strategy Analytics.
According to the company's data, the Nintendo Wii continues to enjoy the world's largest install base with 75.5 million active units worldwide, but the active install base of PS3s reached 43.4 million at the close of 2010 versus Xbox 360's 42.9.
Strategy Analytics says that Xbox 360's relative weakness in Europe and Asia "acts as a drag on its global performance," even factoring in the boost the console saw from the launch of the Kinect motion-sensing peripheral.
Just today, GameStop cited data from IDG that showed that while the Xbox 360 still led the PS3 in the U.S. by 10 million units, Sony's console retailed a slightly bigger share of the European audience, with 14.7 million units to the Xbox 360's 13.7 million units.
"While the Kinect peripheral has given a boost to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 strategy, the console’s performance outside of the U.S. continues to disappoint,” says Strategy Analytics' Digital Consumer Practice analyst Jia Wu, who authored the report.
"Global demand for Sony’s PS3 has exceeded that of the Xbox 360 in each of the past two years, and we expect that to continue over the coming years," Wu adds, recommending Microsoft "continue to innovate around its motion sensor technology, which will become increasingly relevant in the smart home era."
The report predicts that Xbox 360 will grow its global sales by 13.7 million by the end of this year, while PS3 will also expand to 15.7 million units. The Wii, conversely, is expected to continue declining (a contraction on which Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews says the Xbox 360 can capitalize).
Strategy Analytics says Wii's sales will fall by just over 10 million units over the year, leaving it in third place in hardware rankings -- and making it an opportune time for Nintendo to "launch a Wii successor within the next 12 months."
Analyst are always good fun for news no.
I remember the last time it was explained the PS3 had past the Xbox 360. The explanation apparently required ~5 million Xbox 360s vanish off the face of the Earth, presumably because they were raptured into Heaven.
So has there been any increase in the average price of iPhone games or is it still mostly a bunch of very small development teams that are capable of making on a profit on fairly low sales of really cheap games? I can't imagine the five bajillion angry birds crap required that many people.
The explanation apparently required ~5 million Xbox 360s vanish off the face of the Earth
That is called the red ring of death. :P
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
"Not everyone's goal in life is to run a thousand person company," said Stardock founder Brad Wardell, who just today announced that he's sold the growing digital distribution arm of his company, Impulse, to GameStop for an undisclosed sum. "Certainly the path of least resistance would have been to just grow with Impulse and become a digital retailer, but that's not what I signed up for."
Impulse was originally started as a way for Stardock to distribute its own games and software digitally, and was opened up three years ago to other developers. Since then, it's grown to compete with the big player in digital distribution, Steam. Wardell, speaking with Joystiq in an interview today, said that the growth in revenue actually became a cause for concern. "When Impulse became our number one source of revenue," said Wardell, "I realized it was time for us to look at our options there."
"Last year, because Impulse's revenue was growing so much, more resources were being dedicated to it," said Wardell. "We were either going to have to become a retailer, or we were going to have to find some other way." Wardell decided to find another company to run Impulse as an online retailer, but he wanted to be picky about who should do it. "At that point, who would be the best partner who was already a retailer? Not some startup, not someone who's getting into retail, but someone who knows retail and who knows games, who would provide the biggest boost to the PC market?"
"Having someone like GameStop get involved and become a major player in this space greatly increases the opportunities for developers like us" - Brad Wardell
Of course, GameStop fit the bill. "Impulse obviously is not the number one by far in terms of market share," admitted Wardell, "but it has three, four million users and is growing rapidly. So when you combine our technology, which is start-of-the-art and continuing, with GameStop's user base and retail experience, you have a pretty compelling story."
Though Impulse will be completely separate from Stardock when the deal goes through, Wardell said Stardock's games will stay exclusive on Impulse "for the foreseeable future." "Stardock is now using Impulse like any other publisher would," he said. In fact, Stardock plans to make full use of Impulse's various developer services, including the Impulse Reactor free-to-play options, so Wardell says that Stardock is still "actively engaged with GameStop on a day-to-day-basis and we expect that to continue."
There are a few functions in Stardock shared among the various Impulse and Stardock teams, including "operations, payroll management, technical support, and those kinds of things," said Wardell, but any redundant staffers will simply be brought back into Stardock. Does he expect any layoffs as a result of the deal? "Nope," he answers matter-of-factly.
But the most important effect of the deal, according to Wardell, may be a solid boost to the PC gaming market. "This is such a huge win for PC gamers," he said. PC gaming is a market that's long been declared dying, but Wardell says it's just moving away from traditional retail channels, and into digital distribution. "As far as the PC, there's so many other ways to interact with digital entertainment than going to a brick-and-mortar store and buying a box. So having someone like GameStop get involved and become a major player in this space greatly increases the opportunities for developers like us and all of the other indies out there."
Wasn't Impulse basically propping them up after the Elemental shitstorm? The amount of sales they must have lost, and then the amount of free content they gave away to people who did buy it..aren't they still working on the expansion that are being distributed for free?
Personally I think he's made a mistake selling it off, it was a nice earner and could have covered the costs of a small additional department to run it while everyone else makes games.
Rami on
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So what are the advantages for GS to own a digital distribution service? Impulse would have to get pretty huge to make up for their retail stores losing marketshare. And I don't see how there would be any synergy with their main operation.
Hmmmmm.
lowlylowlycook on
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
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The_SpaniardIt's never lupinesIrvine, CaliforniaRegistered Userregular
Next gen is way too early. Nobody is abandoning physical media in a big way for a few decades minimum.
DD will continue to increase though. Traditional (physical) retailers would be utterly moronic not to get started on DD platforms of their own right now. And now GS can advertise buying content from them digitally, from their own DD platform that already has over 5 million users. The benefits are kind of obvious.
Rami on
Steam / Xbox Live: WSDX NNID: W-S-D-X 3DS FC: 2637-9461-8549
So what are the advantages for GS to own a digital distribution service? Impulse would have to get pretty huge to make up for their retail stores losing marketshare. And I don't see how there would be any synergy with their main operation.
Hmmmmm.
It's the age old conundrum that faces an old world company in a new world setting. Do you double down on the old model and ride it into oblivion or do you cannibalize your old model to give yourself a shot at a future.
themightypuck on
“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
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HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
So, what was it really? (I'm at work and can't download it.)
EDIT: Nevermind, I misread the article (as was intended, probably)
But yeah, that joke is indicative of everything that has become wrong about April Fool's day. It's not funny, it's not clever, and they didn't even release it on the right day!.
Even if DD only becomes super lucrative at some point, you will always see physical games in stores, or at the very least, boxes with download codes in them.
This is because Nintendo will never drop the physical model, and can you imagine the other two letting them be the only platform left with racks of games on store shelves?
Even if DD only becomes super lucrative at some point, you will always see physical games in stores, or at the very least, boxes with download codes in them.
This is because Nintendo will never drop the physical model, and can you imagine the other two letting them be the only platform left with racks of games on store shelves?
Used games provide a huge incentive to get away from physical media. Consoles are a way off, but who buys PC games in a box these days?
themightypuck on
“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
― Marcus Aurelius
Data demand goes up, internet throughput does not scale. We're in for awesome times. But that's another crazy-rant.
That is why I find it hilarious how Sony is simultaneously talking about how digital is the future while also doing shit that requires lots of data. For example, KZ3 comes out to like 40GB. That would be absolutely fun to download.
Even if DD only becomes super lucrative at some point, you will always see physical games in stores, or at the very least, boxes with download codes in them.
This is because Nintendo will never drop the physical model, and can you imagine the other two letting them be the only platform left with racks of games on store shelves?
Used games provide a huge incentive to get away from physical media. Consoles are a way off, but who buys PC games in a box these days?
It'd be interesting to see a study on that. Probably a lot more than you think. A lot of games that are a few years old get down to impulse buy price in stores, and there's always a long line at every store whenever a WoW expansion comes out.
Even if DD only becomes super lucrative at some point, you will always see physical games in stores, or at the very least, boxes with download codes in them.
This is because Nintendo will never drop the physical model, and can you imagine the other two letting them be the only platform left with racks of games on store shelves?
Used games provide a huge incentive to get away from physical media. Consoles are a way off, but who buys PC games in a box these days?
It'd be interesting to see a study on that. Probably a lot more than you think. A lot of games that are a few years old get down to impulse buy price in stores, and there's always a long line at every store whenever a WoW expansion comes out.
I actually know a few people who have PC's and don't have internet access at home. Yes, it's shocking. I don't know what they use their PC for other than gaming... doesn't make much sense to me to own a PC and not have internets. But those kind of people would buy boxed PC games.
Personnally, the only time I buy a boxed game is when I order it from Amazon. I haven't bought a PC game from a brick and mortar in a very long time.
Dyvion on
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I distinctly remember this. Annoyed the shit out of me.
And thus, the digital distribution wars began.
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Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
Didn't think it'd be with Stardock though...
Twitter
Yeah, if anything, I would have expected them to go for the more corporate D2D instead
Not gonna happen. D2D is owned by IGN/GameSpy which is owned by FOX.
Also as much as I defend Angry Birds, its success does seem to be going to the guy's head.
Red Faction Guerilla did okay, and Armageddon isn't out yet.
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I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (2017, colorized)
Quoting from yesterday, but I'm only now catching up, and I think this is a good point. Perhaps Activision forgot everyone and their dog owns a DS with Mario Kart DS. You don't have to be a Wii owner to be a Mario Kart fan.
I don't think I've heard about the Impulse middleware stuff before. Is it comparable to Steamworks and are there any games that use it?
No one wants to see that happen, mang.
Also ...
Too soon?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
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I remember the last time it was explained the PS3 had past the Xbox 360. The explanation apparently required ~5 million Xbox 360s vanish off the face of the Earth, presumably because they were raptured into Heaven.
So....is this more accurate?
That is called the red ring of death. :P
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Personally I think he's made a mistake selling it off, it was a nice earner and could have covered the costs of a small additional department to run it while everyone else makes games.
Hmmmmm.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
GameSpy and FilePlanet fail at April Fools.
This could explain gamestop's acquisition of impulse.
DD will continue to increase though. Traditional (physical) retailers would be utterly moronic not to get started on DD platforms of their own right now. And now GS can advertise buying content from them digitally, from their own DD platform that already has over 5 million users. The benefits are kind of obvious.
It's the age old conundrum that faces an old world company in a new world setting. Do you double down on the old model and ride it into oblivion or do you cannibalize your old model to give yourself a shot at a future.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
So, what was it really? (I'm at work and can't download it.)
EDIT: Nevermind, I misread the article (as was intended, probably)
But yeah, that joke is indicative of everything that has become wrong about April Fool's day. It's not funny, it's not clever, and they didn't even release it on the right day!.
This is because Nintendo will never drop the physical model, and can you imagine the other two letting them be the only platform left with racks of games on store shelves?
That is going to seem quaint in a few years.
Data demand goes up, internet throughput does not scale. We're in for awesome times. But that's another crazy-rant.
Not if AT&T has anything to say about it. I hope you like downloading your games over a four month period!
Used games provide a huge incentive to get away from physical media. Consoles are a way off, but who buys PC games in a box these days?
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
It'd be interesting to see a study on that. Probably a lot more than you think. A lot of games that are a few years old get down to impulse buy price in stores, and there's always a long line at every store whenever a WoW expansion comes out.
that doesn't even make sense
they have steam to put their demo out on
they put zero thought into this
I actually know a few people who have PC's and don't have internet access at home. Yes, it's shocking. I don't know what they use their PC for other than gaming... doesn't make much sense to me to own a PC and not have internets. But those kind of people would buy boxed PC games.
Personnally, the only time I buy a boxed game is when I order it from Amazon. I haven't bought a PC game from a brick and mortar in a very long time.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
You expect console games to be sold on third party distribution channels?
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
I bought Left 4 Dead from a retail store for the disc so that I had the game and could install it quickly.
Imagine how pissed I was to find out that the disc inside only had steam on it and I had to download it online anyway.
Enraged.