Video Game Industry Thread: This is the old one, go to the new one

CygnusZ · September 2011

Maddoc wrote:

Dragkonias wrote:

CygnusZ wrote:

Just marginally related, by Tales of Xillia apparently had an amazing first day.
How was it that the PS3 got so far with so few high profile jRPGs? The fanbase is there.

So...does that will Namco will be not-dumbasses and release it overseas?

Hahahaha

You are pretty much guaranteed to get that particular game though. So, why the whining?

Dragkonias · September 2011

Are you talking to me or Maddoc? Because I'm not sure if we're guaranteed to get anything...

Dusda · September 2011

Are there any numbers on Deus Ex yet?

cloudeagle · September 2011

Cade wrote:

Cloud will save gaming

Yes! My genius master plan is to find a way to combine Call of Duty and Angry Birds into a single, squad-based, first-person bird-throwing game in which you fight pigs in cities people actually live in and

(actually reads article)

...poop.

cloudeagle · September 2011

JCRooks wrote:

cloudeagle wrote:

The 360 is down 23 percent year-over-year? Maybe the Kinect bump is petering out.

Was that due to the big bump of sales last year from the 360 Slim?

Hm. Actually that could be the case for the year-over-year drop, since the Slim came out in June. The benefit of that could have carried over into the next July.

The current 360 sales figures still seem a bit lower than the Kinect-bump average, since it was hovering around 350-450K.

darleysam · September 2011

cloudeagle wrote:

Cade wrote:

Cloud will save gaming

Yes! My genius master plan is to find a way to combine Call of Duty and Angry Birds into a single, squad-based, first-person bird-throwing game in which you fight pigs in cities people actually live in and

(actually reads article)

...poop.

Quick man, invent a new genre that is rife with potential for originality but not difficult or costly to turn into a playable game!

L Ron Howard · September 2011

Originality is so 1996.

Forar · September 2011

God damnit, I want my walls chest high, my birds angry and my plots designed by committee.

Santa Claustrophobia · September 2011

darleysam wrote:

cloudeagle wrote:

Cade wrote:

Cloud will save gaming

Yes! My genius master plan is to find a way to combine Call of Duty and Angry Birds into a single, squad-based, first-person bird-throwing game in which you fight pigs in cities people actually live in and

(actually reads article)

...poop.

Quick man, invent a new genre that is rife with potential for originality but not difficult or costly to turn into a playable game!

Rovio already has that market cornered.

cloudeagle · September 2011

Forar wrote:

God damnit, I want my walls chest high, my birds angry and my plots designed by committee.

Awesome'd.

Meanwhile, here's some chest-thumping from EA on Battlefield:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6333124/battlefield-3-preorders-hit-125-million?tag=newstop;title;3

Electronic Arts and Activision will be going head-to-head in the first-person shooter space later this year, and though the publisher has said that it doesn't expect Battlefield 3 to top Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sales, it expects to at least take some market share. And thus far, it appears as if demand is quite high for the EA DICE-developed shooter.

Speaking at the Citi 2011 Tech Conference, EA CFO Eric Brown said that Battlefield 3 has already sold more than a million units at retail. "To date we have about 1.25 million preorders on Battlefield 3," Brown said. "So it's still well ahead of its predecessor title, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, in regards to preorders relative to the same number of weeks to launch, so it's doing very well."

In July, EA said that Battlefield 3 preorders were tracking 10 times higher than those of Bad Company 2 at the same point in development. The game is expected to launch on October 25. Bad Company 2 launched in March 2010 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, and has gone on to ship more than 9 million units.

What's a little eyebrow-raising is that the torso-whacking gets a lot softer when the new Star Wars MMO comes up:

Brown also addressed EA and BioWare's upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic during his Citi 2011 Tech Conference appearance. Of note, Brown said that EA still expects to launch the game this year, but the publisher has allowed in its earnings expectations that the game could slip into early 2012.

Though he would not reveal The Old Republic preorder figures, Brown did say that demand for the game is tracking in line with the company's expectations. Previously, EA has said that SW:TOR has broken its record for preorders. The publisher has also said that it intends to limit sales of the game to ensure a smooth launch.

Couscous · September 2011

darleysam wrote:

cloudeagle wrote:

Cade wrote:

Cloud will save gaming

Yes! My genius master plan is to find a way to combine Call of Duty and Angry Birds into a single, squad-based, first-person bird-throwing game in which you fight pigs in cities people actually live in and

(actually reads article)

...poop.

Quick man, invent a new genre that is rife with potential for originality but not difficult or costly to turn into a playable game!

Pornographic videogames?

DoctorArch · September 2011

Couscous wrote:

darleysam wrote:

cloudeagle wrote:

Cade wrote:

Cloud will save gaming

Yes! My genius master plan is to find a way to combine Call of Duty and Angry Birds into a single, squad-based, first-person bird-throwing game in which you fight pigs in cities people actually live in and

(actually reads article)

...poop.

Quick man, invent a new genre that is rife with potential for originality but not difficult or costly to turn into a playable game!

Pornographic videogames?

Tracy Jordan?

cloudeagle · September 2011

Gears of War seems fine and all, but you know what the second sequel needs to truly make its experience complete?

Random celebrities!

Valleo · September 2011

Doesn't Ice T voice Griffin in the new game? Not so random to me.

V Faction · September 2011

It's a legit piece of promo in that particular case. The man has got some respect for the medium.

Also, "Whore Mode Confirmed"

Forar wrote:

God damnit, I want my walls chest high, my birds angry and my plots designed by committee.

This is so easily quotable.

Cade · September 2011

Time to start bleeding out the will....

Blizzard three-year plan includes two World of Warcraft, Starcraft II add-ons
By Tom Magrino, GameSpot
Posted Sep 8, 2011 11:57 am PT

Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl says publisher expects six releases from studio, including Diablo III and one expansion.

Blizzard Entertainment is notorious for not committing to a release window until it is absolutely sure the game is done. However, the studio remains but one among the Activision Blizzard umbrella, and its corporate partner is expecting Blizzard to release a number of products over the next three years to grow the publisher's top and bottom line.

Tippl believes the Starcraft II trilogy will conclude by 2014.

Speaking at the Citi 2011 Technology Conference today, Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl said that over the next three years, the publisher is expecting six "proven property" releases from Blizzard. These releases include two expansion packs each from World of Warcraft and Starcraft II.

While Blizzard has not indicated any expansion pack plans beyond WOW's cataclysm, it has been more forthright with its Starcraft II plans. The game's second installment, Heart of the Swarm, focuses on the Zerg faction, and Battle.net project director Greg Canessa indicated it will be available in mid-2012. The series will conclude with Legacy of the Void, which focuses on the Protoss camp.

The remaining two releases pertain to Diablo III. While Blizzard maintains that it hopes to release Diablo III in 2011, Tippl said that the game has not been factored into its earnings report expectations for the calendar year. Tippl also expects a Diablo III expansion will be available before the end of 2014.

Of course, Tippl's word choice also left the door open for Blizzard to release an as-yet-unproven property in the next three years, namely its newest massively multiplayer online role-playing game Titan. According to a purportedly leaked, and thus far accurate, release schedule, Blizzard is planning on releasing Titan in fall 2013.

Blizzard had not responded to a request for comment on Tippl's statements as of press time.

Nocren · September 2011

Well, the two Starcraft add-ons were essentially confirmed already weren't they?

Warlock82 · September 2011

Cade wrote:

Time to start bleeding out the will....

Blizzard three-year plan includes two World of Warcraft, Starcraft II add-ons
By Tom Magrino, GameSpot
Posted Sep 8, 2011 11:57 am PT

Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl says publisher expects six releases from studio, including Diablo III and one expansion.

Blizzard Entertainment is notorious for not committing to a release window until it is absolutely sure the game is done. However, the studio remains but one among the Activision Blizzard umbrella, and its corporate partner is expecting Blizzard to release a number of products over the next three years to grow the publisher's top and bottom line.

Tippl believes the Starcraft II trilogy will conclude by 2014.

Speaking at the Citi 2011 Technology Conference today, Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl said that over the next three years, the publisher is expecting six "proven property" releases from Blizzard. These releases include two expansion packs each from World of Warcraft and Starcraft II.

While Blizzard has not indicated any expansion pack plans beyond WOW's cataclysm, it has been more forthright with its Starcraft II plans. The game's second installment, Heart of the Swarm, focuses on the Zerg faction, and Battle.net project director Greg Canessa indicated it will be available in mid-2012. The series will conclude with Legacy of the Void, which focuses on the Protoss camp.

The remaining two releases pertain to Diablo III. While Blizzard maintains that it hopes to release Diablo III in 2011, Tippl said that the game has not been factored into its earnings report expectations for the calendar year. Tippl also expects a Diablo III expansion will be available before the end of 2014.

Of course, Tippl's word choice also left the door open for Blizzard to release an as-yet-unproven property in the next three years, namely its newest massively multiplayer online role-playing game Titan. According to a purportedly leaked, and thus far accurate, release schedule, Blizzard is planning on releasing Titan in fall 2013.

Blizzard had not responded to a request for comment on Tippl's statements as of press time.

I'm not sure how this is any different from what was expected - Blizzard releases a WoW expansion every other year, with the next expected to come in 2012. That's two expansions in a three year period. Heart of the Swarm is probably coming in 2012, which gives Legacy of the Void another two years with that timetable (not impossible, it's only an expansion). And Diablo III is obviously coming either this year or early next year. So again, two years for an expansion (and they typically only take one with all of their expansions)

cloudeagle · September 2011

...that sound you hear is Warlock's heart breaking.

I kid, I kid. Actually that list o' stuff doesn't really seem too unusual for Blizzard, especially since we knew that Starcraft II was getting two expansions and that WoW tends to get expansions every two years.

reVerse · September 2011

I'm most interested in Titan. It'll be interesting to see if it's something good or just EQ+++.

cloudeagle · September 2011

As long as Titan's been in development I'd be shocked if it doesn't try to be something we haven't really seen before.

Cantido · September 2011

You must belieeeeve in the heart of the swarm!

Warlock82 · September 2011

cloudeagle wrote:

...that sound you hear is Warlock's heart breaking.

I kid, I kid. Actually that list o' stuff doesn't really seem too unusual for Blizzard, especially since we knew that Starcraft II was getting two expansions and that WoW tends to get expansions every two years.

?? Like I said, that list was pretty much what everyone was expecting. There is absolutely nothing unusual about it based on their past release timetables (even before Activision)

Honestly I'm more amazed at how long they are taking with Heart of the Swarm. I can only assume they're really focusing on keeping multiplayer balanced which is taking awhile.

Henroid · September 2011

Couscous wrote:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-08-dead-island-developer-techland-disturbed-by-feminist-whore-skill

Dead Island developer Techland has apologised for a line of code that referred to a skill called "Feminist Whore".

The controversially named ability - "FeministWhorePurna" - was found within the Data0.pak\Data\default_player_setup.scr file by Steam forum goers.

Feminist Whore is thought to have become Gender Wars, a skill that allows Purna - in the final game - an extra 15 per cent damage against men.

"It obviously violates professional and ethical standards at Techland and should never have happened," Blazej Krakowiak, international brand manager, told Eurogamer. "We're investigating this right now and we'll issue a statement later.

"For now, I can only express my sincerest apologies for this incident and assure you that whoever acted so irresponsibly did not represent the views and opinions of Techland.

"I'm equally sure that aside from the author of that unfortunate line of code, everyone at the office is as disturbed by this as you are."

The other skills mentioned in the Dead Island .scr file also had their names changed for the final game.

An incorrect version of Dead Island made its way on to Steam this week. That has now been replaced and Deep Silver has promised a hefty patch for Europe's Friday launch.

However, some saved games created while playing the incorrect version of Dead Island may be in danger, due to the incompatibility between the two builds. The danger, in this case, being a wiped Dead Island saved game.

...

Man, what a botched release.

... Fucking wow. Not just to the "Feminist Whore" thing, but the save file issue.

Lilnoobs · September 2011

Yeah, the release has steered me away from Dead Island. Maybe the game is fun, but it seems like a project thrown together by a bunch of kids and goofballs. Not really something I care to support or something I see a long term investment in.

Warlock82 · September 2011

I still don't know what that game is about - based on the commercials I assumed it was a Left4Dead ripoff

But I never really bothered to research

cloudeagle · September 2011

Warlock82 wrote:

I still don't know what that game is about - based on the commercials I assumed it was a Left4Dead ripoff But I never really bothered to research

It's more or less Left 4 Dead with Dead Rising's weapon system and a tropical setting.

Couscous · September 2011

cloudeagle wrote:

Warlock82 wrote:

I still don't know what that game is about - based on the commercials I assumed it was a Left4Dead ripoff But I never really bothered to research

It's more or less Left 4 Dead with Dead Rising's weapon system and a tropical setting.

It is Borderlands with a focus on melee and a tropical setting.

Renzo · September 2011

cloudeagle wrote:

Warlock82 wrote:

I still don't know what that game is about - based on the commercials I assumed it was a Left4Dead ripoff But I never really bothered to research

It's more or less Left 4 Dead with Dead Rising's weapon system and a tropical setting.

A friend described it to me as Borderlands with zombies. But no guns. Only melee weapons.

cloudeagle · September 2011

Well, color me corrected.

Meanwhile, in case you care, Sony is releasing a 4G version of the Xperia Play on AT&T for 50 bucks.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/08/xperia-play-4g-hitting-atandt-on-september-18-for-50-on-contract/

Why, I have no clue, but here it is.

Warlock82 · September 2011

Because Xperia was doing so great on the Verizon network (this is sarcasm), they wanted to move it to a network most people hate?

I suppose at this point they are just trying to cut their losses with the thing by whoring it out. Amazed they are only going to AT&T (and not Sprint, T-Mobile, etc), but I suppose they signed whatever dumbass agreement with them for Vita, so maybe this is another part of that.

DoctorArch · September 2011

cloudeagle wrote:

Well, color me corrected.

Meanwhile, in case you care, Sony is releasing a 4G version of the Xperia Play on AT&T for 50 bucks.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/08/xperia-play-4g-hitting-atandt-on-september-18-for-50-on-contract/

Why, I have no clue, but here it is.

Volumes will be written on how Sony screwed up something that was such a potential cash cow.

cloudeagle · September 2011

DoctorArch wrote:

cloudeagle wrote:

Well, color me corrected.

Meanwhile, in case you care, Sony is releasing a 4G version of the Xperia Play on AT&T for 50 bucks.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/08/xperia-play-4g-hitting-atandt-on-september-18-for-50-on-contract/

Why, I have no clue, but here it is.

Volumes will be written on how Sony screwed up something that was such a potential cash cow.

Volume one will be the failure of the Xperia Play. A likely volume two would be Sony's failure to make a PlayStation tablet. As a reminder:

Edit: looking at it again, why the Christ did they make the screen end so far from the physical edges if you're supposed to use your fingers on those virtual buttons?

reVerse · September 2011

I don't understand the point of having a dual screen tablet. The point of those things is to be small(ish) and easy to use, right?

Bastable · September 2011

The popularity of clam shell phone designs in the Japanese domestic market. So Sony is trying to go with a popular handheld design? WHich does not make sense as the new domestic touch screen phones are candy bars like the iPhones.

Couscous · September 2011

NPD

4-week tracking month; Reporting Period 7/31/11 through 8/27/11

Software
01. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (360, PS3, PC)**
02. NCAA Football 12 (360, PS3)
03. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, NDS, Wii, PC)**
04. Phinear and Ferb: Across the 2nd (NDS, Wii, PS3)
05. Cars 2 (NDS, Wii, 360, PS3, PC)
06. Just Dance Summer Party (Wii)
07. Just Dance 2 (Wii)
08. Lego PIrates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Wii, 360, NDS, PS3, 3DS, PSP, PC)
09. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)
10. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Wii, 360, PS3)

**(includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)

On the hardware front, Frazier noted the PS3 sales uptick but also pointed out that portable saw a bump thanks to the 3DS price cut too. “All platforms (if you combine DS and 3DS) saw unit sales increases over July. The 3DS price cut drove portable hardware sales into positive territory, to a year-over-year increase in both unit and dollar sales," she said.

DoctorArch · September 2011

The Xperia Play was crazily positioned to be successful, as there is a definite market for a workable smartphone/game system, but Sony couldn't run with that could they? Sub-par hardware, sub-par software, sub-par lcd screen, Playstation suite wasn't ready until months after launch, and last but not least, they don't even release it into the U.S. until well after the rest of the world got it. It was like Sony wanted it to fail.

Couscous · September 2011

majornelson Larry Hryb
#NPD TIme: Xbox 360 sold 308,000 units in August, maintaining the # 1 console spot in the U.S. for 2011

Nintendo press release

Nintendo 3DS Sales Up 260 Percent Following Price Reduction

Nintendo sold more than 235,000 Nintendo 3DS™ portable entertainment systems in the United States in August, and the system finished as the No. 2 best-selling dedicated game system for the month, according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. About 185,000 units were sold following a price reduction on Aug. 12, an increase of more than 260 percent during the comparable 19-day time period in July.

“Consumers are responding very positively to the new suggested retail price of $169.99 for the Nintendo 3DS,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With Star Fox 64 3D and the new Flame Red color launching tomorrow, and Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 arriving later this year, Nintendo 3DS will offer consumers cutting-edge entertainment and tremendous value this holiday season.”

Other Nintendo milestones reached in August include:

Nintendo sold more than 590,000 total hardware units in August, including more than 190,000 Wii™ systems and more than 165,000 units of the Nintendo DS™ family.

For the third month in a row, the majority of the best-selling software SKUs play on Nintendo platforms. August featured five of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20.

So far in 2011, more than 50 million units of software have been sold for Nintendo platforms.

In total, 540 million units of software have been sold for the Wii system and Nintendo DS family of systems combined.

Sony

"Despite inventory constraints at retail during the first half of August, PS3 hardware sales were very strong the last two weeks of the month following the $50 price cut and the new inFAMOUS 2 bundle. The new PS3 price point, combined with PlayStation Move and the industry's strongest lineup of exclusive titles, including Uncharted 3 and Everybody Dance, positions us for an amazing holiday season," said Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications at SCEA.

UncleSporky · September 2011

DoctorArch wrote:

The Xperia Play was crazily positioned to be successful, as there is a definite market for a workable smartphone/game system, but Sony couldn't run with that could they? Sub-par hardware, sub-par software, sub-par lcd screen, Playstation suite wasn't ready until months after launch, and last but not least, they don't even release it into the U.S. until well after the rest of the world got it. It was like Sony wanted it to fail.

Worst of all was the price, wasn't it?

Couscous wrote:

Nintendo press release

Nintendo 3DS Sales Up 260 Percent Following Price Reduction

Nintendo sold more than 235,000 Nintendo 3DS™ portable entertainment systems in the United States in August, and the system finished as the No. 2 best-selling dedicated game system for the month, according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. About 185,000 units were sold following a price reduction on Aug. 12, an increase of more than 260 percent during the comparable 19-day time period in July.

Whoa whoa whoa. Really? Pachter said 135,000 units. Are you telling me he was wrong about something?

Couscous · September 2011

235k is also the second best for the month.

Penny Arcade

Video Game Industry Thread: This is the old one, go to the new one

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