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Everyone agrees: new IP needed for industry 'to survive'
What do Sony's Michael Denny, Square Enix's Yoichi Wada, and Codemasters' Rod Cousens have in common? Okay, they're all middle-aged men that happen to work in the video games industry -- but they also share a common belief in pursuing original IP. "For me the answer is clear, simply, we must support new IP creation to survive as an industry. Consumers crave new things. If we want to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive marketplace, we have to continue to produce new experiences," Denny told GI.biz. Certainly, SCEE has been pushing a lot of new IPs this generation, with Denny overseeing games like Heavy Rain and EyePet.
Wada agrees with Denny's sentiment, noting that "as an entertainment company the business won't be viable if we don't continue to nurture new IPs." This may be ironic coming from a company that's releasing a game called Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers this holiday, and both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIV next year, but we can credit them for making The World Ends With You, right?
Cousens goes a step further, saying innovation has always been at the heart of the industry. "From day one since we walked in the door we've always tried to be experimental, to be innovative, to take things into new areas and to make it interesting." Obviously, the reason why publishers need to invest in new IPs is clear -- let's not forget that games like Madden used to be an original IP at one point.
Source - Sony: Industry needs new IP to survive
Source - Wada: Business 'not viable' without new IP
Source - Cousens: Industry must pursue new IP Everyone agrees: new IP needed for industry 'to survive' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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What's In A Name: Pelfast and 2BeeGames
We don't want the big guys to have all the fun, so this week we're finding out the origins of a couple of indie names. First is Comet Crash developer Pelfast, and then we've got a bonus submission from indie gaming hub 2BeeGames.
"Back in college (early 2000), I needed a company name that represented graphics/animation -- where I thought I would end up. Pixel was a little overused, so I went with the lesser known abbreviation, pel, and ended up with Pelfast after a little brainstorming. A quick internet search turned up only one hit for pelfast: some kind of WWII military ammunition, so I felt it would work."
-John Bates, Pelfast founder
"2BeeGames has several meanings. Originally the 'two bees' referred to myself and my partner who came up with the idea for an indie game destination/community. As the concept of the site evolved into a place where we would hold competitions and publish the best games on the site, the name took on another meaning, as in a place where indie games go 'to be' published onto consoles. Now as our community grows, we're running with the bee theme and our community is called 'the hive'."
-Tony Tran, site manager
What's In A Name: Pelfast and 2BeeGames originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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EA: Downloads offset sluggish retail sales
EA's John Riccitiello has a bit of advice for the anxious investors, analysts, and fanboys that eagerly await the monthly NPD numbers: "There's an entire other world of download, online, all the things that are going on that doesn't really show up in the surveys and I think that's the future." NPD figures only track retail sales, a market that has been challenged by the downturn in the global economy. Games like Madden 10 may sell fewer copies than previous versions, but that doesn't mean investors should jump ship.
"Online games that you download, games you would get by way of iPhone for example, that totally digital business is up so strong that it's actually offsetting the challenge we see at retail," Riccitiello tells FOX Business. Offerings like Madden 10 on iPhone, the upcoming Madden NFL Arcade, and Madden 10 DLC should go far in helping the company's bottom line. "The retail business is down," Riccitiello admits, but "the combination [of both retail and digital] is up."
Riccitiello's belief that digital is the future of the industry echoes earlier sentiments from EA Sports boss Peter Moore, who called the retail model "a burning platform." See Riccitiello's full interview with FOX after the break.
[Via Edge]Continue reading EA: Downloads offset sluggish retail sales EA: Downloads offset sluggish retail sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Thrustmaster puts a board on your (balance) board
For those of you who aren't totally bored with boards and board-based peripherals, Thrustmaster has just the thing for you. Introducing the T-Freestyle NW, a skateboard attachment designed specifically for the Wii Balance Board. The peripheral is crafted of maple and includes "Rolling Motion Board" technology for "true lateral movement capabilities." Also, unlike your real skateboard, the T-Freestyle NW includes a "safety stopper" to keep overzealous virtual skaters and snowboarders from tipping over.
Perhaps such a peripheral could interfere with games designed to work with a naked Balance Board but, assuming it works as advertised, the T-Freestyle NW just might be the thing to make your extreme games that much more extreme. For the asking price of $29.99, it had better.
Expect the T-Freestyle NW to hit shelves at the end of November.
Thrustmaster puts a board on your (balance) board originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Gentlemen, please note that Time Gentlemen, Please is now half-off
The adventure game genre has begun to rally back into the hearts and minds of all gamerkind, largely on the backs of re-released LucasArts classics and high-minded, hand-drawn indie darlings. But let us not forget about the role played by Zombie Cow's Ben There, Dan That and its successor, Time Gentlemen, Please -- both of which reminded us that adventure games, above all else, should be irreverent and, when that fails, should be just plain incoherent.
If you skipped out on the latter game due to that completely prohibitive £2.99 (about $5) price tag, you've got a chance to redeem yourself. Speaking to Eurogamer, a Zombie Cow representative confirmed that the price of Time Gentlemen, Please has been cut down to £1.49 (call it $2.50) in an effort to make the wait for Modern Warfare 2 a bit more bearable. "So it's a humanitarian thing, really," the spokesperson explained. Just visit Zombie Cow's site, enter in the code: MW2AAAAGES, and watch the price tumble.Gentlemen, please note that Time Gentlemen, Please is now half-off originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Left 4 Dead 2: now with 4 times as many pre-orders
As if blissfully dancing on the grave of its opposing and recently deceased boycott, Valve's shambler-shooting sequel, Left 4 Dead 2, seems destined to surpass its predecessor. Speaking to CVG, Chet Faliszek revealed that pre-orders for the game had quadrupled those enjoyed by the original game. "As we get closer to launch we see the reaction to the demo, pre-orders are four times what Left 4 Dead 1 was, people's excitement, the boycott itself and how it's changed..." he said. "I think people are just excited now."
Having tested what the power of the people can accomplish (most of all when wielding skull-smashing implements) Valve can finally let that excitement wash over them, content that fans have latched on to what's in the game -- and not what's missing. "Honestly I made the joke and it's true: If you put $20 in a box and charge $10 for it someone would complain you didn't put $50 in a box," added Faliszek. "Not to say some of the concerns raised aren't valid, but you're always going to have some kind of upset and that's not how we work. We work at looking at the project and trying to get it out."
Valve gets Left 4 Dead 2 out on November 17th.Left 4 Dead 2: now with 4 times as many pre-orders originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone plays Doom, but what about Doom 3?
id Software's John Carmack estimates that the iPhone version of iconic first-person shooter Doom took "maybe six weeks of serious work" to come together. Borrowing time -- and an artist -- the prolific programmer managed to assemble a port that, according to a recent VentureBeat interview, "plays great on every iPod Touch and iPhone ever made." But what if he focused effort on the iPhone 3GS, the latest and more powerful variant of Apple's killer app-platform?
"I think we could do the real Xbox Doom 3 game on a 3GS if we targeted it exclusively," Carmack notes. "That is pushing it a bit. You could probably get that kind of visual fidelity." And here we thought portable devices were only good for recording spooky audio logs and unlocking doors within exploding barrel research laboratories.iPhone plays Doom, but what about Doom 3? originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Torchlight to explore retail shelves in January
Torchlight, the action-RPG from Runic Games, is available right now via the game's official site or Steam. However, early next year, the game will also be available at brick-and-mortar shops, Joystiq sister site Big Download confirms. The news comes from Runic Games' head of PR, who says that a boxed version will hack and slash its way to retail shelves sometime in early January.
Currently, Torchlight is only compatible with Windows, however the team is hard at work getting it ready for Macs and is also preparing the game's first patch and mod tools. If you fancy yourself a fan of the Diablo
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