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July 12, 2011

Microsoft clarifies new Xbox Music service reports

Microsoft has moved to correct reports from earlier this week (link below) which claimed CEO Steve Ballmer announced plans to launch a new console-based service called Xbox Music this autumn. According to the platform holder, Ballmer was referring to Zune Music functionality on the Xbox 360, activated via Kinect voice command. “Reports that Microsoft is launching a new music service on Xbox this fall are inaccurate,” the company said in a statement. “A recent demonstration of upcoming Xbox features showcased what we will deliver later this fall on Xbox, including voice search with Bing on Xbox to locate and access entertainment content on the console. This includes Zune music which has a catalog of more than 11 million tracks.”

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/xbox-music-launch-autumn-report

Xbox Music to launch this autumn - report

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

EA ‘retiring’ multiple online games in the coming months

Electronic Arts is to shut online services for around a dozen games between August and October 2011. Impacted games (a full list can be found through the link below) include entries in the Army Of Two, Battlefield, Medal Of Honor, Need For Speed, Skate, Tiger Woods and Madden NFL series. “The decisions to retire older EA games are never easy,” the publisher said. “But as games get replaced with newer titles, the number of players still enjoying the older games dwindles below a point - fewer than 1% of all peak online players across all EA titles - where it’s feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these games up and running. We would rather our hard-working engineering and IT staff focus on keeping a positive experience for the other 99% of customers playing our more popular games.”

http://www.ea.com/1/service-updates

Electronic Arts

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

EA to acquire PopCap for $750 million

Final payout could hit $1.3 billion if performance milestones are met by the Plants Vs Zombies maker over the next two years.

Electronic Arts has announced that it is to acquire PopCap Games for $750 million, with the deal expected to close next month.

The publisher will pay approximately $650 million in cash and $100 million in shares of EA common stock to be issued to certain PopCap stockholders.

However, the buyout may ultimately cost EA $1.3 billion, as Plants Vs Zombies and Bejeweled maker PopCap can earn up to $550 million more if it meets earnings targets through December 2013.

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via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Trip Hawkins: Game industry in "feudal dark age"

EA and Digital Chocolate founder says developers won't “own the land that they are tilling" unless they focus on open platforms.

Trip Hawkins told attendees at GamesBeat 2011 today that platform holders such as Nintendo are presiding over a "feudal dark age" in the game industry’s history.

According to Gamasutra, the Electronic Arts and Digital Chocolate founder said platform holders "lure [developers] in with false promises of freedom", but that ultimately game makers won't “own the land that they are tilling" unless they focus on an open platform such as the web browser.

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via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Trip Hawkins: Game industry in "feudal dark age"

EA and Digital Chocolate founder says developers won't “own the land that they are tilling" unless they focus on open platforms.

Trip Hawkins told attendees at GamesBeat 2011 today that platform holders such as Nintendo are presiding over a "feudal dark age" in the game industry’s history.

According to Gamasutra, the Electronic Arts and Digital Chocolate founder said platform holders "lure [developers] in with false promises of freedom", but that ultimately game makers won't “own the land that they are tilling" unless they focus on an open platform such as the web browser.

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via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Ubisoft acquires free-to-play developer Owlient

French publisher Ubisoft has announced its acquisition of free-to-play developer Owlient. The studio was founded in 2005 and its horse breeding game Howrse attracts more the two million monthly active users. "We are thrilled to welcome the talented team at Owlient to Ubisoft," says Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. "Over the last five years they have developed an architecture dedicated to delivering and monetizing games as a service, as well as the skills of attracting and retaining online communities.” Guillemot also points out that the company intends to accelerate its free-to-play strategy following last year's launches of Settlers Online, CSI Crime City and Heroes Kingdoms, as well as the recent beta launch of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online. The acquisition is the latest step in Ubisoft's drive to expand its online expertise and infrastructure, which has seen it buy up Massive Entertainment, Nadeo and middleware company Quazal in previous years.

http://www.ubi.com/UK/default.aspx

Ubisoft

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Swedish graduates form ThreeGates

Graduates from Gotland University, Sweden, have formed indie studio ThreeGates, aiming to ship their first title this year. The studio will focus on competitive and co-op multiplayer PC games. “ThreeGates is the result of an incredibly talented group of people that has come together in Sweden with the sole purpose of making great games,” said founder and CEO Don Geyer. “We see online Co-Op, as something that the market is really wanting right now, so we’re working hard to fill that void and give gamers a game that they will want to play.”

http://www.develop-online.net/news/38212/Graduates-form-Swedish-indie-studio-ThreeGates?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+developmag%2Fifbh+%28Develop%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Develop

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Microsoft admits Windows Phone 7 is struggling

CEO Steve Ballmer says company's mobile business has "gone from very small to very small."

Speaking at Microsoft's annual Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in LA CEO Steve Ballmer admitted that Windows Phone 7 has struggled to make an impression on smartphone consumers.

Though reticent to discuss actual figures, Ballmer claimed that Microsoft has sold millions of phones since the launch of the operating system.

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via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Burnout Crash! set for August release

Electronic Arts has revealed that Burnout Crash!, Criterion Games' new top-down XBLA and PSN title, will be released next month. "Burnout Crash! is a crazy mix of pinball and game shows," said Criterion Games creative director Richard Franke. "We've evolved the core gameplay which everyone loved about Crash Mode, and expanded the whole experience using music, style and Autolog to create what we feel is the most mindless fun you can have on any gaming platform." See the game in action below.

http://www.ea.com/uk/news/burnout-crash-is-coming-august-2011?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=socialflow

Electronic Arts

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Burnout Crash! set for August release

Electronic Arts has revealed that Burnout Crash!, Criterion Games' new top-down XBLA and PSN title, will be released next month. "Burnout Crash! is a crazy mix of pinball and game shows," said Criterion Games creative director Richard Franke. "We've evolved the core gameplay which everyone loved about Crash Mode, and expanded the whole experience using music, style and Autolog to create what we feel is the most mindless fun you can have on any gaming platform." See the game in action below.

http://www.ea.com/uk/news/burnout-crash-is-coming-august-2011?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=socialflow

Electronic Arts

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Octodad developers form Young Horses, announce sequel

Several of the members from the DePaul University team that created Octodad, a game about an octopus trying to convince his human family that he is a regular human dad, have formed new independent development studio Young Horses and revealed that Octodad 2 is in the works. The team promises a “much more polished, full-featured and longer game” and a Kickstarter donation page has been opened in order to fund the project, offering backers t-shirts, early beta access and even a framed oil painting of the titular cephalopod. After just one day on the site, the project has already raised $7,299 of its required $20,000. "To wake up this morning and be 34% funded was simply amazing," reads a post on the Octodad blog. "It has been a single day since we launched this campaign and the unwavering support we’ve received from everyone has just been absolutely fantastic. We really want to thank everyone for helping us reach our slippery tentacles a bit closer to our dream of making games for a living."

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1432651738/octodad-2

Octodad 2 Kickstarter

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Octodad developers form Young Horses, announce sequel

Several of the members from the DePaul University team that created Octodad, a game about an octopus trying to convince his human family that he is a regular human dad, have formed new independent development studio Young Horses and revealed that Octodad 2 is in the works. The team promises a “much more polished, full-featured and longer game” and a Kickstarter donation page has been opened in order to fund the project, offering backers t-shirts, early beta access and even a framed oil painting of the titular cephalopod. After just one day on the site, the project has already raised $7,299 of its required $20,000. "To wake up this morning and be 34% funded was simply amazing," reads a post on the Octodad blog. "It has been a single day since we launched this campaign and the unwavering support we’ve received from everyone has just been absolutely fantastic. We really want to thank everyone for helping us reach our slippery tentacles a bit closer to our dream of making games for a living."

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1432651738/octodad-2

Octodad 2 Kickstarter

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Riptide and Projkt Nine announce merger

Developers Riptide Games and Projkt Nine have announced that they will be merging in the next few weeks to form Riptide Games Corp. Both developers have been working together over the past year on Apps such as My Pet Zombie. The new company will be headquartered in Denver but retain Projkt Nine's office in Ottawa as well. “I am very excited about this merger.” said Projkt Nine founder Mike Montgomery, who is assuming the role of Chief Creative Officer for Riptide Games Corp. “With the success of the titles already released, and the current titles in the works, we have a very big year ahead of us.” Riptide founder Brian Robbins, to be president of the new company added: “Our teams are very complementary to each other. Our combined forces bring together extremely talented programmers with amazing graphic and game designers, so we’re perfectly positioned to create the best of tomorrow’s mobile experiences.”

http://www.projkt9.com/2011/07/riptide-games-inc-and-projkt-nine-inc-announce-merger/

Projkt Nine

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

ModernWarfare3.com redirects to Battlefield 3 website

One of the more interesting subplots of last month's E3 was the increasingly snide comments Activision and Electronic Arts made about each other's big 2011 shooters, the highlight of which was EA's reported refusal of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick's request for a Battlefield demo. The two firms have continued trading blows over framerates, engines and likely audience shares ever since, and while there's no suggestion that EA is behind the redirection of modernwarfare3.com to battlefield.com, it is evidence that the publishers' playful combativeness is beginning to trickle down to their audience. Some wacky sorts have also registered modernwarfare4.com, and have relaxed an initial demand for fast cars and ladies of the night. They're now offering Infinity Ward the domain in exchange for the inclusion of dedicated servers in Modern Warfare 2.

http://www.modernwarfare3.com/

ModernWarfare3.com

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

EEDAR: Publishers could profit from Welcome Back model

Results of Sony's PSN apology suggests sales of sequels could increase by giving previous games in the series away for free.

Market research firm EEDAR has today suggested that publishers could benefit from following the example of Sony's Welcome Back programme, and stimulate sales of sequels by making previous games in the series available for free.

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via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Space Invaders movie in production

According to The Hollywood Reporter, producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Gigi Pritker have optioned the movie rights to the 1978 arcade game. Quite what form the eventual film will take is anyone's guess, but we're assuming it starts off pretty slowly and gradually picks up the pace ahead of a frantic conclusion. Di Bonaventura, who has previous in adapting 80s pop culture icons having produced GI Joe and Transformers, has also picked up the movie rights to Asteroids.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/space-invaders-video-game-headed-208968

The Hollywood Reporter

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Dark Horse to release Valve comics

A listing on Comic Book Resources reveals that Dark Horse will release Valve Presents: The Sacrifice And Other Steam-Powered Stories in the US this November. The 300-page, hardcover collection will feature comics based on Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress and Portal, and retail for $29.99.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=33181

Comic Book Resources

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Schafer: BAFTA is "way out ahead of the Academy"

While Hollywood was left starstruck by British royals, stars from the game industry were struck by BAFTA's support of gaming.

The inaugural event in the BAFTA Brits to Watch initiative met large-scale success on Saturday, with the appearance of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stealing worldwide attention towards its showcase of British entertainment talent.

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via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Report: EA acquires social studio Ohai

According to VentureBeat, Electronic Arts has continued its expansion into mobile and social games with the acquisition of Ohai, a San Francisco-based developer of social games whose CEO, Rex Ishibashi, was formerly general manager of EA Japan. Its Facebook MMOG, City Of Eternals, never took off following its release in 2009, but the studio is to again seek success on the social networking site in the near future with the release of Unicorn Parade. While the deal has yet to be confirmed, VentureBeat believes it was completed for "a relatively low price."

http://venturebeat.com/2011/07/11/ea-buys-social-gaming-firm-ohai-exclusive/

VentureBeat

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Levine: Irrational has "no plans" for Wii U

Despite his inclusion in the video of developers enthusing about Nintendo's new console during its E3 press conference last month, Ken Levine told IGN: "Just to be clear, there are no plans. I'm not saying it can't happen, but we have no plans to do any games for that platform." While his studio Irrational may not be making games for Wii U, Levine remains vocal in his support for the new system, saying: "There are things about it that, as a core gamer, really appeal to me. We're now getting to a place with Vita and what Nintendo's doing where that's not necessarily going to be the case, where you can play full-on hardcore games in bed with the lights out while your wife's asleep. I like that a lot. That means a lot to me."

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/118/1181645p3.html

IGN

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Capcom to unveil new game at Comic-Con

A list of videogame panels set for next week's Comic-Con in San Diego reveals that Capcom will announce a new game on Friday July 21. Hiroyuki Kobayashi, producer of Killer7, Devil May Cry 4 and the upcoming Dragon's Dogma, will be on hand to reveal more about his next project, and Capcom is also widely rumoured to be announcing a new iteration of Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and more characters for its Namco crossover Street Fighter X Tekken. Other videogame panels planned for the four-day event in San Diego include: Activision, featuring Marvel legend Stan Lee; new character announcements for Batman: Arkham City; Cliff Bleszinski with "key announcements" for Gears Of War 3; and more.

http://www.destructoid.com/all-the-game-panels-at-san-diego-comic-con-2011-listed-205854.phtml

Destructoid

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Trenched trademark holder ready for Microsoft fight

Rui Alipio Monteiro, the Portuguese whose First World War-themed board game Trench was revealed last month to be the reason for the European delay of Double Fine's XBLA title Trenched, appears ready to fight publisher Microsoft every step of the way. Explaining that his trademark covers electronic games as well - and claiming that one is already in development - he said in a statement: "[Microsoft], until the present date, has never contacted nor has any relation with Rui Alipio Monteiro. [Portuguese firm] Criações a Solo and Rui Alipio Monteiro, taking into account all investment already made, cannot do anything but obviously defend all their author's copyright and intellectual property against any infringements, as any designer would."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-11-trenched-trademark-man-vows-to-fight-on

Eurogamer

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Eidos producer joins Mediatonic

Pete Hickman appointed head of production at Who's That Flying? developer.

Former Eidos executive producer Pete Hickman has joined London-based Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess and Who's That Flying? developer Mediatonic.

Hickman is appointed head of production and brings with him 20 years of experience in production roles at publishers such as Virgin and Eidos.

0

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Electroplankton dev making Final Fantasy music game

Gamasutra reports that Indies Zero, the Tokyo-based independent studio behind experimental DS music game Electroplankton, has been tasked with development of Theatrythm Final Fantasy by Square Enix. Announced last week, the 3DS rhythm action title features characters, music and settings from all games in the series, with character levelling and collectable music and video clips.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35803/Electroplankton_Team_Developing_Final_Fantasy_Rhythm_Game.php

Gamasutra

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

Electroplankton dev making Final Fantasy music game

Gamasutra reports that Indies Zero, the Tokyo-based independent studio behind experimental DS music game Electroplankton, has been tasked with development of Theatrythm Final Fantasy by Square Enix. Announced last week, the 3DS rhythm action title features characters, music and settings from all games in the series, with character levelling and collectable music and video clips.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35803/Electroplankton_Team_Developing_Final_Fantasy_Rhythm_Game.php

Gamasutra

via Edge Magazine - Main feed

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