Sony Computer Entertainment UK boss Ray Maguire has told us that 3D gaming is a natural evolution for the medium and one which the company’s rivals would be unwise to ignore.
At an event to mark the rollout of PS3’s first stereoscopic 3D games today, we asked Maguire whether he expected Microsoft to embrace 3D gaming on Xbox 360.
At a press briefing held today to mark the rollout of PS3's first stereoscopic 3D games, we had the opportunity to talk to Sony Computer Entertainment UK boss Ray Maguire about a number of pressing PlayStation issues, including the potential of 3D gaming, the company’s plans for E3, its ongoing PSPgo experiment and corporate smack talk between rivals.
The Wii and DS markets have “collapsed”, according to Namco Bandai’s VP of sales, marketing and publishing Olivier Comte.
The executive believes that consumers have lost faith in the quality of software for Nintendo platforms, which have also been held back by rampant piracy.
Social gaming developer Playdom has announced plans to expand its reach in Europe by fully localising a number of its top MySpace and Facebook games in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.
The first game to be fully localised will be Bola, an arcade-style football title that will be free-to-play on Facebook "shortly".
Second Life creator Linden Lab is to lay off approximately 30 per cent of its workforce as part of major strategic restructuring efforts.
The company's product and engineering divisions will be combined, its software development teams consolidated in North America, and customer support reconfigured to provide more scalable services.
"Apple does not support Flash because it is so buggy. Whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it’s because of Flash. No one will be using Flash. The world is moving to HTML5."
With the LA game expo almost upon us, here's our guide to what's on when, and what to expect.
Sunday June 13
Microsoft kicks the week off with the unveiling of Natal - or whatever it's to be called - at 7pm. Wave? And $149? Expect Rare to be among the developers showing off the first set of games.
Monday June 14
Sony will release the first stereoscopic 3D games for PS3 tomorrow.
The stereoscopic 3D collection pack will bundle 3D versions of WipEout HD, SuperStardust HD and Pain, plus a single level demo of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, for £23.99 / €29.99.
The titles will be downloadable from the PlayStation Store or free with new Sony Bravia 3D TVs.
EA has announced that it will release FIFA 11 this autumn on multiple platforms.
The latest update to the annual football franchise will introduce a new passing mechanic and promises to “redefine player authenticity” with a new personality system.
SCEE president Andrew House has said that Sony introduced the PSPgo to test consumer appetite for digital-only hardware.
When asked by MCV whether the company thinks the handheld has been a sales success, the executive said: “It was introduced in a mature lifecycle to learn more about what the consumer wanted and we’ve definitely learnt a lot. Is that measured by success in sales? I don’t think it is.
Digital Chocolate has received a multi-million dollar revolving line of credit “for general corporate purposes” from Bridge Capital Holdings.
Founded in 2003 by Trip Hawkins, who was also the founder and CEO of Electronic Arts, the California-based social games developer has released over 80 titles for mobile phones, the web and Xbox Live in more than 80 countries.
Free US video website Hulu is reportedly planning a new subscription-based service and looking to roll out its content on consumer devices like Xbox 360 and iPad.
The ad-supported site hopes to launch its new subscription model within the next couple of months, according to Reuters sources. It's expected to continue to offer newer episodes of TV shows for free, but charge users a monthly fee to access older content.
Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello believes “poorly authored” early 3D content could cause the industry – and consumers - a headache, but he thinks that the technology will shine further down the line.
LucasArts has named Paul Meegan as its new president and general manager.
Meegan was most recently CEO at Epic Games China, and previously held senior positions at Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Shanghai and Jaleco Entertainment.
He’ll take on the role from mid-June, reports IGN. His appointment follows the sudden resignation of LucasArts top brass last month.
During its second quarter financial results briefing publisher Take-Two revealed a number of product milestones and one significant game delay.
Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption, launched on May 18 in the company's third fiscal quarter, has sold in over five million units to date and garnered a Metascore of 95.
Take-Two swung to a profit in its second financial quarter ended April 30, 2010.
The company posted a profit of $16.9 million, compared to a loss of $10.4 million a year earlier, while revenues were up 54 per cent to $268.0 million.
Quarterly sales were driven by BioShock 2, GTA: Episodes From Liberty City for PS3 and PC and Major League Baseball 2K10.
Highlights from our community-written blogs, including the online pass debate, videogame novels and poorly designed puzzles.
Guitar manufacturer Gibson has reached a full settlement with Viacom, MTV, EA and retailers over a 2008 Rock Band patent suit.
Gibson had sued the parties for allegedly infringing upon a 1999 patent for a way of using a musical instrument to take part in a simulated concert.
Activision has announced that DJ Hero 2, a sequel to the “number one new videogame IP of 2009”, is in development at UK-based FreeStyleGames.
Set for release this autumn on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, the title will feature “a host of all-new social multiplayer game modes” and tracks from artists including Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and “over 85 others”.
Embattled Japanese publisher Marvelous Entertainment is implementing major restructuring plans in a bid to ease its financial worries.
Oxford-based Ant Games has announced its entry into the games industry as a worldwide multiplatform publisher.
Headed by former Microprose UK managing director Stewart Bell, the company will launch two titles this month - Fallen Earth: Blood Sports and Warbirds: Dogfights.
When talking about AI, most MMOG industry professionals immediately think of simulating lifelike behaviours by NPCs. However, AI can also be used to solve some of the most difficult issues facing companies trying to provide a safe, quality user experience. Intelligent agents working in cooperation with live staff is the next evolution in game moderation.
Social gaming and apps developer RockYou has secured $10 million (£6.93m) in a new round of funding led by SoftBank, and announced the acquisition of a majority of the shares in its joint venture, RockYou Asia.
The California-based developer’s social games and apps currently have more than 280 million monthly users worldwide, and the latest funding brings the company's total amount raised to date to $127 million (£88m).
Capcom CEO Haruhiro Tsujimoto has said that the company’s just as excited about the business model Nintendo will adopt for the 3DS as he is about the device’s 3D capabilities.
"Of course, it allows us to do things that couldn't be done until now, so the development staff is showing great interest, but what's important is how much the users themselves want 3D content,” he told Nikkei (via Andriasang).
Four ex-EA LA employees have established new independent developer Haunted Temple Studios.
The company said it will embrace downloadable games for next generation platforms, beginning with debut project Skulls Of The Shogun, an XBLA and PC strategy title.
The studio was founded by artist Jake Kazdal, who has worked on the likes of Space Channel 5, Rez, Boom Blox and Command And Conquer 4.