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February 08, 2012

Report: EU to ban game tax relief

European Union legislation may outright forbid its member countries from offering tax incentives to local game developers. Develop reports that France's games tax relief, which was introduced in 2008 and allows the nation's videogame companies to reclaim 20 per cent of production costs, expired in January.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/39724/EU-wide-ban-on-game-tax-breaks
Develop

European Union legislation may outright forbid its member countries from offering tax incentives to local game developers.

Develop reports that France's game tax relief, which was introduced in 2008 and allows the nation's videogame companies to reclaim 20 per cent of production costs, expired in January.

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Out There: "Lazy" designers

It's a real problem that gamers don't understand how much work goes into making a quality game, plus Blizzard's political correctness gone soft.

One of the points in our recent editorial on gamers' sense of entitlement was that many players have almost no sense of what it takes to make a game. Dinofarm Games' dissection of what it took to make a single small asset for its forthcoming strategy RPG, Auro: The Golden Prince, shows how this lack of understanding can be a real problem for developers.

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Out There: "Lazy" designers

It's a real problem that gamers don't understand how much work goes into making a quality game, plus Blizzard's political correctness gone soft.

One of the points in our recent editorial on gamers' sense of entitlement was that many players have almost no sense of what it takes to make a game. Dinofarm Games' dissection of what it took to make a single small asset for its forthcoming strategy RPG, Auro: The Golden Prince, shows how this lack of understanding can be a real problem for developers.

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Haunt review

NanaOn-Sha's Kinect ghost story is reliable but unremarkable.

You can read this review in full in our print edition.

Our March issue, which is on sale February 15, features reviews of all the most important releases, together with in-depth Post Script articles, including Final Fantasy XIII-2, WipeOut 2048 and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

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Square Enix announces Sleeping Dogs

True Crime: Hong Kong renamed, with publisher's London studio assisting United Front Games with development.

True Crime: Hong Kong has been renamed Sleeping Dogs and will be released later this year, publisher Square Enix has confirmed.

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Seropian leaves Disney as losses widen

Disney has confirmed that Bungie co-founder Alex Seropian has left the company's employ on the day it announced that losses in its Interactive division more than doubled in the final three months of 2011. Seropian joined Disney in 2009, rising to SVP and general manager of core games after Disney restructured in January 2011. The company confirmed his departure to Gamasutra, naming Bill Roper, formerly of Blizzard and Cryptic Studios, as his replacement. Roper was appointed as SVP of the Marvel franchise last July.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/40164/Bungie_cofounder_Alex_Seropian_leaves_Disney.php
Gamasutra

Disney has confirmed that Bungie co-founder Alex Seropian has left the company's employ on the day it announced that losses in its Interactive division more than doubled in the final three months of 2011.

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No UMD Passport for US Vita owners

SCEA has confirmed that the UMD Passport scheme, which lets Japanese users buy Vita licences for their PSP games, will not launch in the US. Announced last November, UMD Passport is an application for PSP that allows users to register UMD games to their PSN accounts, and download them to their PS Vita for a nominal fee.
http://www.giantbomb.com/news/umd-passport-program-not-coming-to-north-america-updated/3970/
Giant Bomb

SCEA has confirmed that the UMD Passport scheme, which lets Japanese users buy Vita licences for their PSP games, will not launch in the US.

Announced last November, UMD Passport is an application for PSP that allows users to register UMD games to their PSN accounts, and download them to their PS Vita for a nominal fee.

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D3 picks up THQ's Dreamworks deal

D3 Publisher has secured the licensing rights to three upcoming films from Dreamworks Animation, which were held by THQ until the troubled publisher announced its withdrawal from the licensed kids' game market. The deal, announced in a press release, gives D3 the rights to develop and publish games based on Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Rise Of The Guardians, and The Croods.

D3 Publisher has secured the licensing rights to three upcoming films from Dreamworks Animation, which were held by THQ until the troubled publisher announced its withdrawal from the licensed kids' game market.

The deal, announced in a press release, gives D3 the rights to develop and publish games based on Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Rise Of The Guardians, and The Croods.

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Microsoft 'returning hacked accounts in three days'

Microsoft claims it has made improvements to the way its support centres handle compromised Xbox Live accounts, and in most cases is returning them to their rightful owners within three days. The claim comes from Alex Garden, general manager of Xbox Live, in a post on Major Nelson's blog to coincide with Safer Internet Day. He stresses the importance of users being vigilant in their use of personal information online, and says that much is being done at Microsoft's end to ensure its systems remain secure.
http://majornelson.com/2012/02/07/a-letter-from-alex-garden-your-security/
Microsoft

Microsoft claims it has made improvements to the way its support centres handle compromised Xbox Live accounts, and in most cases is returning them to their rightful owners within three days.

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Defining the modern indie game

Robin Hunicke, Jakub Dvorsky, Dino Patti and Brian Provinciano discuss the nature of indie games.

The mainstream videogame industry, like Hollywood, is a production line of marketable high concepts and ‘sure-fire’ franchises. With teams now hitting 200 and budgets in the multimillions of dollars, the number of original and innovative projects seems to dwindle a little more each year.

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First images of Disney's videogame animation Wreck-It Ralph

Originally announced last August at the company's D23 convention, the film follows the titular Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C Reilly) as he becomes tired with destroying buildings in his 8-bit arcade game only for Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) to clean up the mess and take all the glory. When a modern first-person shooter (Hero's Duty) is installed in the arcade, he spots an opportunity to become the hero and escapes his dated enclosure via the power lead. Of course, calamity ensues and Ralph has to team up with a character from a racing game (played by comedian Sarah Silverman) to save the arcade before it closes down.
http://www.cineheroes.net/les-mondes-de-ralph-premieres-images-pour-le-prochain-disney-avec-john-c-reilly
Cineheroes

Disney has released the first images of its upcoming animated film Wreck-It Ralph, which tells the story of a videogame villain unsatisfied with his lot in life.

Originally announced last August at the company's D23 convention, the film follows the titular Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C Reilly) as he becomes tired with destroying buildings in his 8-bit arcade game only for Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) to clean up the mess and take all the glory.

read more


First images of Disney's videogame animation Wreck-It Ralph

Originally announced last August at the company's D23 convention, the film follows the titular Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C Reilly) as he becomes tired with destroying buildings in his 8-bit arcade game only for Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) to clean up the mess and take all the glory. When a modern first-person shooter (Hero's Duty) is installed in the arcade, he spots an opportunity to become the hero and escapes his dated enclosure via the power lead. Of course, calamity ensues and Ralph has to team up with a character from a racing game (played by comedian Sarah Silverman) to save the arcade before it closes down.
http://www.cineheroes.net/les-mondes-de-ralph-premieres-images-pour-le-prochain-disney-avec-john-c-reilly
Cineheroes

Disney has released the first images of its upcoming animated film Wreck-It Ralph, which tells the story of a videogame villain unsatisfied with his lot in life.

Originally announced last August at the company's D23 convention, the film follows the titular Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C Reilly) as he becomes tired with destroying buildings in his 8-bit arcade game only for Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) to clean up the mess and take all the glory.

read more


Jaffe clarifies Eat Sleep Play exit

David Jaffe has moved to clarify reports he is quitting Eat Sleep Play, the studio he co-founded in 2007, to develop casual games for mobile platforms. Yesterday, co-founder Scott Campbell told the Salt Lake Tribune that not only was the studio refocusing on mobile now work on Twisted Metal is complete, but that Jaffe would be leaving to work on similar projects by himself. In a series of Twitter posts, however, Jaffe sets the record straight.
https://twitter.com/#!/davidscottjaffe
Twitter

David Jaffe has moved to clarify reports he is quitting Eat Sleep Play, the studio he co-founded in 2007, to develop casual games for mobile platforms.

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Unity coming to LG TVs

Unity Technologies has announced an agreement with LG that will see Unity-authored games playable on the South Korean company's range of Smart TVs. The deal, announced yesterday, will begin with LG's 2012 range of TVs. It follows a similar deal with cloud gaming service Gaikai, announced last month, as LG seeks to reposition its products not just as TVs, but all-in-one multimedia systems.

Unity Technologies has announced an agreement with LG that will see Unity-authored games playable on the South Korean company's range of Smart TVs.

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Skyrim Creation Kit released

Bethesda has released the Creation Kit, a suite of modding tools for the PC version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, along with a high-res texture pack. The Creation Kit lets players create, share and download user-generated content through the Steam Workshop. Bethesda will be releasing a series of tutorial videos, the first of which is below, to help modders of all levels.
http://www.bethblog.com/2012/02/07/happy-modding-day-creation-kit-skyrim-workshop-high-res-texture-pack-released
Bethesda

Bethesda has released the Creation Kit, a suite of modding tools for the PC version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, along with a high-res texture pack.

The Creation Kit lets players create, share and download user-generated content through the Steam Workshop. Bethesda will be releasing a series of tutorial videos, the first of which is below, to help modders of all levels.

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February 07, 2012

The Darkness II review

The visceral horror shooter returns with a greater focus on action.

You can read this review in full in our print edition.

Our March issue, which is on sale February 15, features reviews of all the most important releases, together with in-depth Post Script articles, including Final Fantasy XIII-2, WipeOut 2048 and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

read more


Triple Town review

Spry Fox’s inspirational match-three puzzler loses little in the transition to smartphones.

 With its friendly pastoral setting and diminutive residents that would be equally at home in Camberwick Green, Spry Fox’s match-three puzzler appears a simple and sweetly innocent confection. But behind this welcoming exterior lies a game of fierce intelligence and almost bewildering depth. Complex but accessible, inventive yet familiar, a game that has gripped browser windows is every bit as troublingly addictive in the palm of your hand.

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Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning review

An attempt to streamline the RPG leaves too little meat on its user-friendly bones.

You can read this review in full in our print edition.

Our March issue, which is on sale February 15, features reviews of all the most important releases, together with in-depth Post Script articles, including Final Fantasy XIII-2, WipeOut 2048 and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

read more


Report: David Jaffe to quit Eat Sleep Play

David Jaffe is to quit Eat Sleep Play, the studio he co-founded in 2007, according to reports. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that, with work on Twisted Metal now complete, Eat Sleep Play has laid off eight staff - around 20 per cent of its workforce - and is refocusing its efforts on mobile games.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/53456556-79/game-company-games-campbell.html.csp
Salt Lake Tribune

David Jaffe is to quit Eat Sleep Play, the studio he co-founded in 2007, according to reports.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that, with work on Twisted Metal now complete, Eat Sleep Play has laid off eight staff - around 20 per cent of its workforce - and is refocusing its efforts on mobile games.

read more


Solitaire Blitz preview

We play PopCap's new dopamine-fuelled one-minute score challenge.

Solitaire. Next to Minesweeper it’s one of the most popular videogames of all time. It’s a safe bet that you’ve already lost hours to the hunt for one of gaming’s finest rewards: the bouncing cards that marked a successful run at Wes Cherry’s classic, which shipped with Windows from 1990. And you should therefore be very excited by PopCap appropriating the game for its Blitz series, joining Bejeweled and Zuma, both released in 2010.

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Game Group confirms head office layoffs

Troubled retailer Game Group has this morning confirmed the loss of 46 jobs at its Basingstoke headquarters. The UK's largest specialist videogame retailer told MCV that the cuts were part of a restructuring drive. One of those leaving is Dave Hughes, who oversaw the relaunch of Game's website and will officially depart in March.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/game-confirms-46-job-losses-from-basingstoke-hq/090842
MCV

Troubled retailer Game Group has this morning confirmed the loss of 46 jobs at its Basingstoke headquarters.

The UK's largest specialist videogame retailer told MCV that the cuts were part of a restructuring drive. One of those leaving is Dave Hughes, who oversaw the relaunch of Game's website and will officially depart in March.

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Flipper 2: Flush The Goldfish review

The goldfish is back, but the voxels are gone.

For the first Flipper, designer Hugo Smits built a voxel engine that worked on the DS, and used it to power a series of simple obstacle course challenges that took place across a destructible environment. For the sequel, the Dutch developer has dropped all that and turned in an arcade platformer depressingly reminiscent of Ninjadoodle’s One Button Bob. All told, it’s a disappointing creative trajectory.

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Schafer wants to make Psychonauts 2

Double Fine founder Tim Schafer has said that he wants to make a sequel to 2005 platformer Psychonauts. "I would love to do Psychonauts 2, I've actually pitched that to publishers several times and no-one has taken the bait so far," Schafer told Digital Spy. "So it is hard because fans don't often know how the business works, with the difference between a developer and a publisher, it's hard to explain that. "I'd love to do that game, but I'd have to convince someone to just give me a few million dollars, that's all."
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a363781/psychonauts-2-pitched-several-times-says-tim-schafer.html
Digital Spy

Double Fine founder Tim Schafer has said that he wants to make a sequel to 2005 platformer Psychonauts.

"I would love to do Psychonauts 2, I've actually pitched that to publishers several times and no-one has taken the bait so far," Schafer told Digital Spy. "So it is hard because fans don't often know how the business works, with the difference between a developer and a publisher, it's hard to explain that.

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This week's opportunities on Edge Jobs

Find your future translating Japanese for Nintendo, designing games for core x group, or supporting the UK's nuclear deterrent.

If you're a fan of Introversion's Defcon, how about taking things one step further? AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) is responsible for maintaining the UK's nuclear deterrent and supporting national nuclear security.

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Tiny Tower passes 10 million downloads

Tiny Tower, the iOS resource management sim developed by three-man indie studio Nimblebit, has been downloaded ten million times, the developer has announced. The milestone was revealed on Twitter by Nimblebit's Ian Marsh. "To celebrate Tiny Tower reaching 10 million iOS downloads," he writes, "we're giving away over 10 million Tower Bux to players."
https://twitter.com/#!/eeen/status/166551489597284353
Twitter

Tiny Tower, the iOS resource management sim developed by three-man indie studio Nimblebit, has been downloaded ten million times, the developer has announced.

The milestone was revealed on Twitter by Nimblebit's Ian Marsh. "To celebrate Tiny Tower reaching 10 million iOS downloads," he writes, "we're giving away over 10 million Tower Bux to players."

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