March 28, 2007

UK publisher SCi, owners of Eidos Interactive, has announced that the company has acquired online distribution firm Bluefish Media, just days after announcing a deal to release new and back catalog PC titles via Steam.

German firm Bluefish, which specializes in casual game distribution from companies like MumboJumbo, Reflexive, and PopCap, and runs popular German casual game site Gamepueblo.com, has offices in both Bonn and Los Angeles, and will now be re-branded as an Eidos company.

The Bluefish acquisition will cost SCi €3 million ($4.0m) over three years in a mixture of cash and shares, according to an official company statement. An initial cash payment of €1.25 million ($1.7m) will be made immediately.

The stated goal of the acquisition is to increase sales of titles via digital download. The recent deal with Half-Life 2 developers Valve, apparently thinking along similar lines, will see "dozens of new and best-selling PC titles" appear on the PC based Steam digital download service, including franchises such as Tomb Raider, Commandos, Hitman and Championship Manager.

"Bluefish is an important acquisition for Eidos," said Simon Protheroe, new media and IT director at Eidos in a statement. "We expect the digital distribution of products to become increasingly important, offering improved margins and a direct relationship with our customers."

POSTED: 05.31AM PST, 03/28/07 - David Jenkins

 

http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1308/Jetpac-Refuelled/p1/

Jetpac Refuelled Review

 

Latest XBLA release with good review in the 7’s - $5 (400 points)

 

 

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/03/17/xbox-live-activity-for-week-of-3-12.aspx

 

Major Nelson Top 10 Week of 3/26

1 Worms

2 TMNT 1989 Arcade

3 Alien Hominid HD

4 UNO

5 Paperboy

6 Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting

7 LUMINES LIVE!

8 DOOM

9 Contra

10 Heavy Weapon

 

 

 

http://www.gamedaily.com/downloads

Interesting downloads available on Gamedaily – Ciao Bella, Dream Day Wedding 

 

 

 

 

DFC: Be Wary of Entering the MMO Market
By DFC Intelligence	Print   |   Send to a friend   |   Email the editor
Market research firm DFC intelligence warns that the MMO market is "not for the faint hearted," and companies should be cautious when entering the fray. In-depth report from DFC within.
Next month DFC Intelligence will be publishing its latest research on the massively multiplayer online game (or MMOG) market.  This is a well-established, but often misunderstood, segment of the interactive entertainment industry.  The success of World of Warcraft (WoW) from Vivendi Universal Games is leading to interest and investment in the segment that is far above what its current market size and usage can support.  Therefore we feel it is critical to look at some of the factors that could separate the handful of winners from the many losers. Perhaps the most important point to note is that there will be a great deal of money lost.  Since the emergence of the current MMOG market, which we pegged as 1997, there have never been more than a handful of hit products in a given market at the same time.  In North America there has been one product (Ultima Online, then Everquest, then World of Warcraft) which stood head and shoulders above a small group of second tier products that had 25-50% of the top game’s subscriber base.  Never in the over thirty year history of massively multiplayer games has there been more than five top-line products in existence at one time in a given market. Even then, the top two or three games have always commanded between 85% and 90% of the market Below that level, there have been niche efforts and upstarts.  Despite the increasing variety and number of MMOGs in the market, this quasi-network effect appears to be strengthening, not weakening.  The good news, thus far, is that the overall pie does seem to be expanding.  That is to say, the niche efforts now sometimes have 50,000 subscribers instead of 5,000 and the mid-level games have 150,000 subscribers instead of 50,000. The track record of small, independent efforts with MMOGs has not been good. The track record of large, corporate efforts in the online game realm might even be worse. The announcements from a variety of well-capitalized companies about new MMOGs in the market is a sign that WoW’s success seems to have touched off another in a series of boom-bust cycles in the online game realm.  The prize is so big that people have a hard time averting their eyes. That some companies are devoting huge sums of money to capture market share has not prevented smaller companies and passionate development shops from attempting to enter the fray. As DFC Intelligence tracks it there are currently more than fifty potentially viable MMOGs in various stages of development or private and public testing.  This does not count the numerous efforts championed by two or three developers that have no chance of ever seeing the light of day. This also does not count the incredible number and variety of games being produced in Asia, not just in Korea but in China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Some of these efforts are backed by publicly listed companies with millions to throw at the world’s MMOG markets. If history in this industry is any indication, most of these games will disappear, to be replaced by other passionate optimists. The track record of small, independent efforts with MMOGs has not been good. The track record of large, corporate efforts in the online game realm might even be worse. MMOG games have very long development cycles and are notorious for missing initial release dates, often by several years.  As we predicted, the success of World of Warcraft has resulted in the funding of many MMOG products.  This last MMOG boom occurred in the 2000-2002 timeframe after the success of EverQuest.  Despite numerous MMOG products being funded, EverQuest remained the largest Western MMOG until World of Warcraft was released in late 2004.  Most of the projects funded in the 2001-2002 period were delayed or never released.  Two of the largest products that did ship in 2002 were major disappointments, Earth and Beyond and The Sims Online, both from Electronic Arts.  A major problem with both these games was that they were released with many bugs as publisher EA was in a hurry to recoup its significant investment. In 2004 there were some major MMOG projects that were cancelled well into development, including Ultima Online: Odyssey, Microsoft’s Mythica and Warhammer Online.  Until World of Warcraft came out, interest in releasing an MMOG was clearly on the decline. For the market to expand, consumers will have to be converted from more standard interactive entertainment experiences to the MMOG paradigm. This has proven more difficult than many market observers expected. A big reason could be that until very recently, the products in the market were basically variations on a theme. Aside from some expected product failures due to inexperience, bad customer service and/or poor hardware and bandwidth maintenance, the products compete with each other in terms of genre, interface and playing style. Another issue is the limited business model.  Until recently, most MMOGs were only offering consumers the subscription business model, which limited their payment options. Younger consumers, without access to a credit card or unable to get their parents to agree to a $15 a month payment (“That’s as much as cable!”), have been underrepresented in the MMOG space. The average age of an MMOG player was about 25 years old. As discussed in detail in our report, more affordable games like the digitally distributed Runescape by Jagex are finally bringing younger players to the genre. Runsecape has 850,000 subscribers at $5 a month and it was never released at retail. This group of consumers have proven to be a lucrative force in the rest of the interactive entertainment market and they could be the true key for expansion of MMOGs. With the introduction of other business models, such as the Korean imported free-to-play/digital item sales model, the market could broaden even more. Still, time is an asset too and MMOGs are the most time-intensive of all online gaming products, requiring from five to twenty hours per week for a satisfying experience.  One of the big draws of these products is the community of other players which the customer is drawn into; it is one of the reasons players spend that five to twenty hours per week playing the game.  Players can’t and won’t invest time in more than one or two MMOGs at any one time; for most, it is just physically impossible to do more. This is likely to result in the great bulk of the coming games experiencing some initial success, as they are ‘test driven’ by the players, only to be abandoned for other games that better meet the technology, playing and social needs of more customers. This has been a major problem for MMOG developers and operators in the more competitive markets of Korea and China. One of the biggest trends of note in the MMOG space is the products that have experienced success by providing games for underserved segments of the market such as science fiction fans, teenagers, or children. Other games have catered more to fans of purely social worlds, changed game settings, or played with the game mechanics to incorporate new ways of “fighting.”  Examples are Eve Online (science fiction), Habbo Hotel (teens), Second Life (social worlds), Toontown Online (children), City of Heroes (setting change), and Puzzle Pirates (game mechanics changes).   Many games have introduced different revenue models in an effort to draw customers. In short, there is clearly a great deal of room for innovation and growth in the over crowded MMOG market.  Unlike much of the traditional interactive entertainment market, it is not feasible to slap a popular license on an MMOG and hope to collect a big paycheck.  Success with MMOGs requires a disciplined approach to product development, technology, operations, customer service, emerging trends and a solid understanding of the overall competitive landscape.  The MMOG business is not for the faint hearted and those that do their homework clearly have the best chance of success. Thanks to DFC Intelligence.

 

 

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6168111.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;0

 

WBIE confirms Lego Batman

Publisher enlists Lego Star Wars developer to bring crossover of caped crusader and construction blocks to gaming.

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK

Posted Mar 27, 2007 10:34 am PT

Ever since Lego Batman keyrings were distributed to attendees at the 2006 BAFTA Video Games Awards ceremony in London last year, rumours have been circulating that a new Lego game based on the Batman franchise was in development

The title is finally official, as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment confirmed its existence to US magazine Variety. The company said it would be fully financing and publishing the game itself, as well as handling distribution in North America.

The previous two Lego game titles, Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars II, have both been a resounding success, and UK-based developer TT Games (the marriage of Giant Interactive and Traveller's Tales) recently confirmed to GameSpot that it was working on "more Lego licence games."

Lego Batman will "follow a similar template" to the previous two Lego titles, according to the article, and will be coming on "multiple consoles" in 2008.

 

David Jaffe’s best known as the director of God of War, but it’s smaller downloadable games such as his upcoming Calling All Cars that have won him over as a developer.

 

Addressing negative pre-release criticism from gamers about Calling All Cars, Jaffe wrote in his blog, “I'm no longer interested in going head to head with the likes of Halo, Mass Effect, Resistance, Devil May Cry 4, etc. Hell, I don't even want to go head to head against our own GOD OF WAR. I just want to do smaller, simpler games that focus on the fun.” “So regarding those [negative] comments, if they come from folks who have never even thought—and never will think—about giving arcade and casual games a shot, then I really don't care that Calling All Cars is not floating their boat.” Recent interviews with Jaffe also have revealed for his newfound attraction to development of smaller games. “…We are going to work our butts off to make you love our smaller, downloadable stuff,” he added. Jaffe also said that games such as Mario Kart, Elite Beat Agents, Diner Dash and Bookworm are his “new competition.”

 

Posted by: Kevin Vlaming

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4989&Itemid=2

 

Kongregate, which styles itself as a YouTube social network for gamers, has announced the launch of its beta test

 

The company also secured seed-stage funding from angel investors, including Reid Hoffman; Joe Kraus, co-founder of Excite and Richard Wolpert, an early investor in GameSpy. Kongregate offers 300 free games supplemented with chat, where players can interact with each other, and with the developers of the homebrew games. The business model is based on advertising with developers getting a share. 
Hoffman said, “Kongregate is first to deliver high caliber Web 2.0 features to the gaming segment, and is quickly building an infectious community for attracting innovative game developers, advertisers and millions of game enthusiasts the world over.” 
Participating developers include independent studios such as Flipline Studios, maker of Papa Louie, and Pixeljam Games (Gamma Bros). It also showcases games from high school and college students, including David Silver (True Darkness) and Kevin Barrios (Buzzwerd).

 

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13233

 

Research: Western MMO Market Passes $1bn In 2006

 

Research: Western MMO Market Passes $1bn In 2006

A new report from media research company Screen Digest suggests that the Western market for massively multiplayer online games surpassed $1 billion dollars for the first time in 2006, thanks in no small part to the continuing success of Blizzard's MMORPG powerhouse World of Warcraft as well as the introduction of more casual MMOGs.

 

Altogether, the subscription market accounted for 87 percent of the total massively multiplayer online market last year, and was dominated by North American subscriptions totaling $576 million compared to $299 million in Europe. In addition, other sources of revenue such as virtual item sales and in-game advertising also contributed to the market's growth over the past year.

 

During 2006, the report found World of Warcraft to be the most popular subscription game “by far,” with Blizzard's role-playing opus accounting for 54 percent of the annual subscription market with revenue of $471 billion. UK developer/publisher Jagex's Runescape was the game's nearest competitor.

 

The success of traditional MMOGs has also spurred growth in social networking sites and casual online games, which have been to adopt similar business models as those exhibited by more traditional MMO titles.

 

Looking ahead, Screen Digest anticipates that the MMOG market will include over 10 million MMOG user subscriptions and will generate $1.5 billion by 2011. However, the research firm predicts that the European segment is poised to grow substantially over this period of time, with the region exhibiting stronger growth compared to that of North America. “Over the five year period, Germany will remain the largest subscription market in Europe, followed by the UK,” writes the report.

 

“During the past few years the Western landscape for massively multiplayer online games has become increasingly fragmented following the introduction of new genres of games including social networking, virtual pet rearing and virtual world building titles,” wrote the report's author Piers Harding-Rolls. “These new games and platforms have brought with them many new gamers and also new business models that are generating revenue that is largely incremental to the incumbent subscription business.”

 

 

http://www.gamedaily.com/canvases/gd/_a/feature-top-five-most-overrated-industry/20070321142209990001

Feature: Top Five Most Overrated Industry People

 

 

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23631

1,782 titles playable on launch day

 

Sony has revealed that 1,782 PlayStation 2 titles will be playable on the PlayStation 3 when it launches in Europe this Friday.

 

"Our engineers have been working overtime, and have succeeded in delivering a significant number of playable PS2 titles for the European launch," commented David Reeves, president of SCEE.

 

However, the UK boss reiterated the company's main focus in the future will be on PlayStation 3 development, not on the delivery of backwards compatible PS2 games.

 

"We will be adding additional titles to this list in future firmware upgrades, but as we have made clear before, in the future our resources will be increasingly focused on developing new services and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, rather than on delivering PS2 backwards compatibility."

 

The full list of all 1,782 compatible titles is available here.

 

Consumers will be able to play PS2 titles by downloading and installing the latest 1.6 firmware upgrade, available from midnight on Thursday.

 

 

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23619

Google Confirms Adscape Acquisition

 

Search specialist moves into growing in-game ads market

 

Google has confirmed the acquisition of in-game ads company Adscape Media.

 

"In-game advertising is an area where we believe Google could add a lot of value to users, advertisers and publishers," details the company on its website.

 

"Adscape Media's technology and talented team are a great addition to Google's current advertising solutions for advertisers and publishers."

 

Rumours of the search giants interest in Adscape Media came to light in 2006, followed by a report in February of this year that stated the company had paid USD 23 million (EUR 17.5m) for the San Francisco-based specialist.

 

"As more and more people spend time playing videogames, we think we can create opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audiences while maintaining a high quality, engaging user experience," commented Google.

 

 

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23614

Key titles to miss PlayStation 3 launch

 

Ubisoft and Vivendi put back release of hit franchises

 

Ubisoft and Vivendi Games will not have a number of key titles available for the European launch of the PlayStation 3.

 

Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Double Agent is due a week after launch, while award-winning Bethesda RPG Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion won't be released until April 27.

 

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, currently at number two in the UK's All Formats charts, has been put back until June, while a spring date is mooted for Rainbow Six: Vegas.

 

All titles are currently available for Microsoft's rival Xbox 360 console.

 

With these popular franchises missing from the day one launch, Ubisoft is left with only Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII and Enchanted Arms for the first weekend of sales of Sony's next-gen machine.

 

Vivendi Games has also put back the release of the PlayStation 3 version of F.E.A.R. The game has already enjoyed critical and commercial success on the PC and Xbox 360, but will not arrive for PS3 in Europe until April 20.

 

 

http://www.gametab.com/news/850704/

 

Xbox Live Security Compromised, Accounts Commandeered? (Updated) [02:25 pm]

110 Comments - Chris Remo

Over the last several days, large numbers of Xbox Live users have claimed that they have been locked out of their Xbox Live accounts, in many cases with the credit cards tied to the accounts being used to purchase Xbox Live Marketplace's currency of Microsoft Points. Following online reports of Halo 2 developer Bungie's player network being compromised, Digital Munition security researcher Kevin Finisterre posted to the security-centric mailing list Full Disclosure that his account too had been stolen. After accounts are stolen, thieves appear to have a window of time with which to misuse the account before it is detected and banned, but even after the accounts have been banned there appears to be no real recourse for the accounts' original owners. Finisterre claimed that a Microsoft technical support representative admitted, "Hackers have control of Xbox live and there is nothing we can do about it." (The veracity of this claim seems dubious.)

 

Digital Munition has now posted an audio log of one of Finisterre's many calls to Microsoft support, which seems to indicate that the representatives are aware of the issue but unable to take any meaningful action. Based on comments made by the support techs, the partial reason for this appears to be that some of Bungie's online community features are independent from Microsoft's broader Xbox Live systems, and Microsoft support cannot reverse account changes made by Bungie's system. Finisterre was assured that an account hacker would not have access to his credit card information, though that does not prevent somebody in control of an account from using the saved--but private--credit card information to buy any number of Microsoft Points before the account is banned.

 

Finisterre appears to have been targeted specifically. He recounts being told by his opponents during a game of Halo 2 that his account would be stolen--and the next day he discovered that it had. Other Xbox Live users tell stories of their credit cards limits being maxed out by purchases of thousands of dollars' worth of Microsoft Points, and their home addresses and phone numbers being acquired and abused.

 

Many of the incidents seem to be the work of clans dedicated to account theft not by technical means but by simply misleading Microsoft support personnel--though this would not explain the apparent sudden sharp rise in the number of cases. One of these clans identifies itself very publicly as -INFAMOUS-, and has no reservations in describing how its members call Xbox Live support with convincing stories, pretending to be account holders unfairly locked out of their accounts. The success of the clan's system again seems to stem in part from the discrepancy between the available support responses between Microsoft and Bungie personnel. -INFAMOUS- claims to steal "10 accounts a day depending on there [sic] levels." The site further warns, "If you talk shit we will mod on your account until it is banned. If the levels on it are good we will use the Credit Card on your account to then change the gamer tag."

 

Microsoft's official response to the matter appears to be scattered. In a statement given to CNET, the company said simply, "Recently, there have been reports of fraudulent activity and account theft taking place on the Xbox Live network. Security is a top priority for Xbox Live, and we are actively investigating all reports of fraudulent behavior and theft." Shacknews has contacted Microsoft for further comment. At the moment, the company's current line is that affected users should call Xbox support at 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

 

Update: Microsoft employee Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has commented on the current situation, stating that, as was suspected, these incidents are the result of malicious users obtaining the account information of others through various means, and using that information to take control of accounts. In a blog post, Hryb recommends Xbox Live users peruse a Microsoft document on preventing identify theft.

 

 

http://www.gametab.com/news/851190/

Arcade classic Gyruss to blow Xbox Live Arcade streak

 

Gyruss is listed on Konami's website as a March 2007 Xbox Live Arcade release. We're sure that a cursory, even perfunctory, glance at your word-of-the-day desk calendar will remind you that there's only one more Wednesday in store for March, leaving little room for interpretation here.

 

Just when we were getting used to this -- Alien Hominid HD, followed by Worms, followed by Konami's coin-op classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (with co-op multiplayer!), and then today's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -- Gyruss comes along and spoils our fun. Maybe they want to pile all the Konami offerings in a row, or maybe they didn't want us to get too used to the streak of desirable titles; either way Gyruss is launching us back to the dark times of back to back releases of Root Beer Tapper and Paperboy.

 

 

http://kotaku.com/gaming/clips/clip-castle-crashers-barbarian-bash-245938.php

Clip: Castle Crashers Barbarian Bash

 

Another Behemoth title, the makers of Alien Hominid

 

 

 

 

 

The Big Four Get Bigger

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1004675&src=article1_newsltr

 

Certain industry pundits have written recently on the "de-portalization of the Internet" and the "death of the portal." But a quick look at the numbers show that their premonitions are premature.

eMarketer estimates that net US ad revenues at Yahoo!, AOL, MSN and Google represented 57.4% of the total Internet ad spend in 2006.

 

 

Lessons Learned from a Day with CBS March Madness on Demand

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2007/03/15/lessons-learned-from-a-day-with-cbs-march-madness-on-demand

 

TV Networks Give Emerging Media a Shot
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1004660&src=article2_newsltr

 

 

Google Acquires In-Game Advertising Firm Adscape

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2007/03/19/google-acquires-in-game-advertising-firm-adscape

 

Frengo Debuts Text Message-based Social Mobile Games

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2007/03/19/frengo-debuts-text-message-based-social-mobile-games

 

 

Nexon's "MapleStory" Game Hits 3 Million North American Players

Los Angeles - Nexon America, the U.S. arm of the Korean multiplayer online game developer, announced on Monday that its "MapleStory" title has surpassed 3 million registered users in North America, making for a total of nearly 60 million worldwide. The company added that it plans next month to launch "Audition," a free, massively multiplayer online dance game.

 

 

Medio Systems Launches Pay-Per-Click Mobile Ad Network

Seattle - Medio Systems announced on Monday the launch of its pay-per-click mobile advertising network, which will initially drive ad placement on search results pages for mobile virtual network operator Amp'd Mobile. Seattle-based Medio said its technology takes into account search behavior, click-through history, user demographics, geography and behavioral trending analysis when delivering ads to consumers.

 

 

Video Ads Get the Clicks

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1004696&src=article2_newsltr

 

 

Xbox LIVE extends to Windows Vista to create single online gaming service starting with "Halo 2" on May 8.

http://www.gamespress.com/release.asp?c=t%0C%CBo%BD%01%B6j7%C4m%AC%D8

 

Namco Networks And KDDI Partner To Bring Hit Mobile Games From Japan To North American Market

http://www.gamespress.com/release.asp?c=t%0C%CBo%BD%01%B6j7%C4b%AD%DC

 

 

 

José María Aranda | Sierra Online | PH: 310.431.4736 | FX: 310.431.2736

 

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/12998/Microsoft-to-Debut-Windows-LIVE-this-May/

 

Microsoft to Debut Windows LIVE this May

Press Release

Mar. 14th, 2007 12:12 am

 

Microsoft Corp. today announced the extension of the Xbox LIVE® games and entertainment network to the Windows® platform, bringing together the most popular online console game service with the most popular games platform in the world. Debuting on May 8, 2007, with the launch of the Windows Vista™ version of the Xbox® blockbuster “Halo® 2,” Games for Windows — LIVE will connect Windows gamers to over six million gamers already in the Xbox LIVE community. Then, launching in June, “Shadowrun™” will for the first time connect Windows gamers with Xbox 360™ players in cross-platform matches using a single service. “UNO®,” releasing later in 2007, will also support cross-platform play between Windows and Xbox 360.

The launch of Games for Windows — LIVE marks a major expansion of the Xbox LIVE service across multiple platforms, uniting gamers with a single identity, a single gamertag, a single friends list and a single list of achievements attainable on the Xbox 360 and a Windows-based PC. Games for Windows — LIVE gamers will be able to easily find and play supported titles online with their friends across a Windows computer or an Xbox 360. As a unified service with Xbox LIVE, Games for Windows — LIVE will be available in every country and region supported today by Xbox LIVE.

“Five years ago, we began building a service that now defines the bar for online gameplay,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “The benefits of expanding Xbox LIVE to Games for Windows titles is twofold: We’re bringing together two communities that share a passion for playing online games, and we’re enhancing the online experience for PC gamers who have long desired seamless game and voice connectivity — it’s a win for everyone.”

Members of Xbox LIVE automatically receive the functionality of Games for Windows — LIVE, using the same gamertag and friends list at no additional cost. For a single, unified service, the pricing of the LIVE services across both Xbox and Games for Windows is identical. In addition, Games for Windows — LIVE introduces the best of Xbox LIVE functionality to please PC gamers, such as in-game voice chat, integrated achievements and dedicated servers. The offering of both Silver and Gold memberships will remain in place for gamers on the Xbox 360 and Windows PC. There is no cost associated with signing up for a Silver membership. Gold memberships will deliver the premium online network experience for $49.95 (U.S.) per year. Current Xbox LIVE Gold members will automatically have access to Gold features on Games for Windows — LIVE titles.

Silver Membership Features

·                  Single gamertag

·                  Common gamer profile

·                  Common gamerscore

·                  Single player achievements

·                  Private chat via text and voice

·                  Common friends list and online presence

·                  PC only multiplayer including browsing a list of active PC games

Gold Membership Features

·                  All Silver membership features

·                  Multiplayer matchmaking with friends

·                  TrueSkill™ matchmaking

·                  Multiplayer achievements

·                  Cross-platform gameplay

These features of the LIVE services will enable gamers to communicate online and play supported games across both of Microsoft’s gaming platforms, bringing more players and their friends together to connect in new and exciting ways. The following games make up the first wave of titles to support the Games for Windows — LIVE service:

“Halo 2” for Windows Vista (Microsoft® Game Studios). Release date: May 8, 2007. The highly anticipated title brings Master Chief to Windows Vista and is the first title to incorporate the new Games for Windows — LIVE service. Windows Vista gamers will be able to challenge each other in PC-to-PC multiplayer matches and earn achievements for the first time in the “Halo” franchise, as well as communicate via voice or text with other Xbox LIVE or Games for Windows — LIVE members. The visually enhanced classic includes an all-new Map Editor, which will allow for new content and greater game customization. “Halo 2” will be playable with mouse and keyboard or the Xbox 360 Controller for Windows.

“Shadowrun” (Microsoft Game Studios). Release date: June 2007. The intense first-person shooter will let gamers rewrite the rules of engagement as they vie for supremacy in an experience that rewards cleverness, cunning and split-second improvisation through a unique combination of modern weapons, ancient magic and advanced technology. The first title to connect both Windows Vista and Xbox 360 gamers in cross-platform competition will let up to 16 players battle online. Cross-platform play will require Gold level membership. More information can be found at http://www.shadowrun.com.

“UNO®” (Carbonated Games/Mattel Inc.). Release date: 2007. The classic party card game that’s a No. 1 hit on Xbox LIVE Arcade is also coming to Windows Vista and Games for Windows — LIVE. Gamers will be able to compete against three other players on the Xbox 360 or Windows Vista platforms to match colors and symbols and be the first to play every single card in this award-winning game. For gameplay today, “UNO®” is currently available on MSN® Games, Messenger Games and Xbox LIVE Arcade.

POSTED BY: Kevin Vlaming

 

 

http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2007/03/06/542176.aspx

Xbox LIVE Reaches 6 Million Members 4 Months Ahead of Schedule

At E3 this past year, Microsoft announced the goal that the Xbox LIVE community would be 6 million members strong by June 2007. We underestimated ourselves.

Microsoft is proud to announce today that more than 6 million gamers worldwide are connected to Xbox LIVE, a milestone that was reached 4 months ahead of schedule. Xbox LIVE, the premier online entertainment network, offers the best in online gaming, ubiquitous voice, video and text chatting, Achievements, demos, trailers and more.

 

And, with Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, gamers can download thousands of hours of premium entertainment content, from high-def TV shows like “CSI” or “Robot Chicken,” to full-length films such as “Saw III” or  “Crank.” And, as announced this past week, Xbox LIVE members can download the first ever HD episode of “South Park,” exclusive to the Xbox 360 and available free starting today, March 6.

 

Below you will find the latest in Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE momentum data, including how many Achievements have been unlocked to-date and the top 5 Xbox LIVE Arcade list.

 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

 

 

Xbox 360  |  Momentum Fact Sheet

---

Xbox 360

• More than 10 million Xbox 360s have hit store shelves since launch in November 2005, and more than 160 high definition games are now available, including Viva Piñata, Gears of War and Crackdown.

 

• Xbox 360 is available in 37 countries.

 

• The overall software attach rate for Xbox 360 is 4.6 titles per console in the United States with a record-breaking accessory attach rate of 2.9 units per console.

 

Xbox LIVE Connectivity & Usage:

• More than 6 million people are members of Xbox LIVE.

 

• Following the launch of the Xbox LIVE online gaming network in November 2002, gamers have spent over 2.3 billion hours on the network playing games online with their friends around the world.  This is equal to 95 million days of gaming or over 260,000 years.  With our top title, Halo 2, which is being played on both the Xbox and Xbox 360, gamers have spent over 710 million hours playing online with over a half a billion games played.

 

• In fact, online gaming through Xbox LIVE is now a proven form of mainstream entertainment. The 18-34 male audience is comparable in size to the same audience tuning in to see the most popular network TV shows like CSI or The Office.

 

• Xbox LIVE on Xbox 360 continues to grow as a social community; we are seeing an average of over 2,000,000 text and voice messages sent every day between members on the service. 

 

·         The average Xbox LIVE Gold subscriber has 22 friends on their Xbox LIVE friends list.

 

·         To date, Xbox 360 owners have unlocked nearly 300 million Achievements. All of those unlocked Achievements have created a total combined Gamerscore of nearly 7.5 billion.

 

• Top WW Xbox LIVE Titles on Xbox 360 to date:

           

1                Halo 2

2                Gears of War

3                Hexic HD

4                Call of Duty 2

5                Ghost Recon 3

6                Call Of Duty 3

7                Oblivion

8                PGR3

9                Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas

10             Perfect Dark Zero

 

            (Based on the number of unique users)

 

Xbox LIVE Marketplace:   

• Consumers have quickly jumped to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace as their one-stop download center.  More than 70 percent Xbox LIVE members are downloading content from Marketplace, driving more than 135 million downloads since the launch of Xbox 360.

 

• Xbox LIVE Marketplace is home to more than 7,000 pieces of individual gaming and entertainment content, downloadable at the click of a button.

 

• Gamers have also quickly adopted the new Microsoft Points stored value system, with more than 5 Billion points activated on Marketplace to date. 

 

• Online entertainment through Xbox LIVE is not just limited to games.  Xbox 360 is the only console offering movie and TV downloads, and the new Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace is packed with HD content from top partners such as Paramount, MTV Networks and CBS. As a result, nearly 50% of Xbox LIVE members in the U.S. log into Xbox LIVE Marketplace every time they turn on their console.

 

Xbox LIVE Arcade:

 

• Xbox LIVE Arcade has been an instant hit on the Xbox 360, with nearly 70% of all connected consoles already downloading and playing Xbox LIVE Arcade titles. 

 

• Xbox LIVE Arcade has now surpassed 25 million downloads from its diverse library of original development and classic titles from the world’s best independent and established developers and publishers.

 

• Top worldwide Xbox LIVE Arcade titles  on Xbox 360 to date (based on total number of full game downloads):

1.     Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting

2.     Bankshot Billiards 2

3.     Marble Blast Ultra

4.     UNO

5.     DOOM

 

 (this has to be wrong, where is Geometry Wars?!)

 

 

 

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3157812

Sega's Pachinko Game Using Miis, Wi-Fi

Didn't we just hear this wouldn't happen till 2008?
By Dan Dormer, 03/07/2007

 

In an odd turn of events, it's being reported by Cubed3 that Sega Sammy's Jissen Pachinko/Pachislot Hisshouhou! Sammy's Collection Hokuto no Ken Wii is going to be using both the Wi-Fi and Mii capabilities of Wii. Take a look at the screen to the right, and you can see clearly a Mii in usage within the game's menus.

This flies directly in the face of what we reported earlier this week, when an EA producer said that Nintendo hadn't provided any third-party developers with the tools to use Miis in their games. Now, since Pachinko games are directed towards Japanese gamers, chances are it won't show up here, either. You have to wonder when a non-Nintendo game will include online play or utilization of the Miis.

 

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3157807

EA Expects PS3 to Lose Ground this Gen

Sony will still win, but they'll pay a price this time around.

By Patrick Klepek, 03/07/2007

 

There's no doubt Microsoft and Nintendo came with guns blazing this generation. Even if PlayStation 3 avoided many of the roadblocks that have plagued Sony, Xbox 360 and Wii have surprised a great number of people, so it's hardly a surprise they would lose some key marketshare to the two giants. Electronic Arts, speaking during an webcast investor conference listened in on by Reuters, agrees.

"We expect that there will be a more level playing field this time around than last time. I think the issue is that (the PS3 is) expensive. This should not have surprised anyone," said company CEO Larry Probest, simultaneously warning that "No one should count Sony out at this point in the game. This is going to be a long race."

To EA and other companies that have so heavily invested in Sony products in the past, however, the concern isn't really so much if Sony will lose marketshare, but how much, and what does that mean for the next set of consoles?

 

http://www.gamedailyxl.com/2007/03/07/gdc-little-big-planet/

GDC: Little Big Planet Impressions

Posted Mar 7th 2007 1:31PM by Bob Workman

Filed under: PS3, GDC, GDC Game Impressions, GDC Live Updates

 

Sony's new little wonder could change the face of game creation as we know it.

 

During last night's pre-GDC conference with Sony, Phil Harrison introduced two development team members from Media Molecule, the creators of the innovative PC game Rag Doll Kung Fu. The members then introduced a new project for the PlayStation 3 service, aptly named Little Big Planet.

 

Think it's just another take on the "cute little mascot" in a "cute little created world"? You might want to think again. Little Big Planet covers a whole lot of territory.Little Big Planet is a game where players take the role of characters that look like stuffed monkeys. Players can manipulate the arm movements of these cute little creatures with the analog sticks, allowing them to wave them with careless abandon. Multiple players can enter into this universe at once, as the demo showed four characters interacting together all at once.

 

The Media Molecule team members showed off a small portion of the game's creative field in the beginning, an area enclosed with tarps. From there, they called up several icons with the press of a button, including a pirate ship steering wheel (in which the characters could hang off of and run on top off with continued momentum), a huge soccer ball, and an orange, which they happily decorated with eyes and a goofy smile. The two messed around with slapping the terrain with all kinds of wacky designs... but that was just the beginning of the demo.

 

From there, the two were joined on stage by two other Media Molecule members, each dressed up in interesting garb, including a spaceman's outfit and some kind of twisted Chinatown-like outfit. They even put accessories on each other, like ear bobblers and other small things. But then the four broke free of the small contained area, entering into an even larger, pre-designed world. Here, they competed in a contest across the vast level, collecting yellow globs while working competitively...as well as cooperatively.

 

Confused? Here's an explanation The competitive angle of the demo came in the form of collecting the globs, seeing who had the most picked up over the journey. However, parts of the level required teamwork to get ahead, such as activating a lever or pulling down something so the other characters could access it. The game went through many twists and turns, showing off several fantastic lighting and animation effects before eventually coming to a close, with the four cute little characters riding on a skateboard down a steep ramp and waving us off with smiles on their faces.

 

The best part about all this? Little Big Planet lets players design levels such as this without requiring previous experience. Seriously. The Media Molecule team promised easy-to-use tools to be on hand, along with lots of interactivity. How much interactivity? Players can download other levels created by other users with the mere push of a button. They can upload their levels as well.

 

Little Big Planet won't be available for a little while, as it's not set to debut until fall 2007. But the promise of this project looks very, very fulfilling thus far...and those characters are just too damn cute to ignore, aren't they? Look for more coverage on this innovation in the weeks ahead.

 

 

 

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23339

Guitar Hero developer on board with EA for MTV-branded title

Electronic Arts has used its pre-GDC event in San Francisco as a platform to announce a new publishing deal with rhythm action specialist developer Harmonix.

The deal will see the next game from the developer, which is best known for the hugely successful Guitar Hero titles, being published by EA, and was announced by EA Partners boss David DeMartini and Harmonix founder Alex Rigopoulos last night.

Harmonix is owned by MTV Networks, having been purchased by the media giant in a $175 million deal shortly after Guitar Hero's publisher, RedOctane, was snapped up by Activision for over $90 million.

The developer is no longer working on Guitar Hero titles, with work on the franchise being brought in-house by Activision to its wholly owned Neversoft subsidiary, and Harmonix' next title will instead use the MTV branding of its new parent company.

The deal with EA gives MTV and Harmonix access to the most powerful marketing, sales and distribution channels in the industry - for a game which Harmonix CEO Rigopoulos told US website GameSpot last night would be "by far our most ambitious undertaking ever."

 

http://www.gametab.com/news/835480/

Microsoft's sneaky Xbox 360 "update"

Posted Mar 6th 2007 1:17PM by John Bardinelli

Filed under: Culture, Hacks, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online

In an underhanded move -- some would say, without honor -- Microsoft has covertly patched a security vulnerability in Xbox 360 that allowed hackers to run their own software. Disguised as an "operating system update," the patch seals off the console's non-privileged memory areas, which hackers are using to do such depraved things as write "Hello World" and try to run Linux. The update will be included with all games released after February 20 and is available to download via Xbox Live or the Xbox website (burnable onto CD or DVD). You best grab it before the uncontrollable urge to indulge in naughty hackery takes hold.

Next time, Microsoft, tell us what we're downloading instead of slipping us a patch in an update's clothing. We're on to your shenanigans...

 

http://www.gametab.com/news/836129/

GDC 2007: Games for Windows Live Pricing Revealed

Will PC gamers be willing to spend $49.99 a year?

By Dan Dormer, 03/06/2007

During a press event attended by Game Informer, Microsoft finally, finally revealed just how much they're going to be charging for the Games for Windows Live and despite popular speculation (and hope), it's no where near free. In fact, the model rings in at the same price as a yearly subscription to an Xbox 360 membership: $49.99 a year ($7.99 a month, $19.99 for three months) for Gold, while Silver, as it is on Xbox, is free.

However, if you're already a subscriber to Xbox Live via Xbox 360, Microsoft won't be forcing you to shell out any more cash -- the subscription carries over. Outside of MMOs, multiplayer gaming on the PC has been a free experience for a very long time. With Live working as a matchmaking service and not hosting games (that's actually what you're doing), is it fair for Microsoft to expect PC owners to pay the same for the Live experience? On a console, there are no options without Live, whereas plenty of games don't require a paid matchmaking system on the PC.

 

http://www.gametab.com/news/834705/

Nintendo's corporate briefing: declassified!

 

Mario factory releases full transcript and video presentation of its recent management policy briefing that details its vision for the Wii.

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot

Posted Jun 21, 2006 4:59 pm PT

Two weeks ago, Nintendo's top brass held a media briefing in Japan behind closed doors. This week, the company made a translated version of the meeting available to the public. The video and accompanying PowerPoint presentation can be viewed via Nintendo's investor-relations webcast partner, irwebcasting.com.

Unsurprisingly, the presentation focuses on the success of the Nintendo DS, which Nintendo now claims has greater market share than the PlayStation 2 in Japan. In one chart, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata displayed how the DS has sold 8.43 million units in just 18 months in Japan--outpacing the adoption rates of the both the PS2 and Nintendo's best-selling platform, the Game Boy Advance.

Iwata also talked up Touch Generations, the subbrand which targets nontraditional gamers such as seniors and women. The division has enjoyed phenomenal success in Japan, as Iwata illustrated with another graph showing off how Touch Generations' top title, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, has defied the usual downward postrelease sales trend.

On its own site, Nintendo also released the transcript of a Q&A session held after the event with Iwata and legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. When asked about the exact price and launch date of the Wii, Iwata said he "believe[d] we will need to announce the precise price and launch date of Wii in or before September this year." He also reiterated his belief that, unlike the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, the Wii will not be sold at much below its manufacturing cost. "We do not intend to lose a great deal of money from the hardware sales," he said.

Iwata dodged questions about whether Nintendo intends to lower its software prices to promote adoption of the Wii. "Many in this industry once appeared to believe that marking down hardware prices or attaching free software was the only way to expand the installed base," he said. "What is notable today is, people are actively purchasing a 15,000 yen [$130.69] DS or a 16,800 yen [$146.37] Lite just because they want to play 2,800 yen [$24.39] software."

Iwata was then asked about how he expects Wii sales to stack up compared to the GameCube, whose third-place finish in the current-gen platform race has been considered a disappointment, given Nintendo's former console supremacy. The executive was blunt in his appraisal: "Wii will be a failure if it cannot sell far more than GameCube did," he said. "In fact, we shouldn't continue this business if our only target is to outsell GameCube. Naturally, we are making efforts so that Wii will show a far greater result than GameCube." Later on in the Q&A session, he would predict that Nintendo expects to ship 6 million Wii hardware units and 17 million Wii software units during its current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2007.

Iwata also tacitly admitted that the GameCube had not lived up to expectations. "When we launched GameCube, the initial sales were good, and all the hardware we manufactured at that time were sold through," he said. "However, after this period, we could not provide the market with strong software titles in a timely fashion. As a result, we could not leverage the initial launch time momentum and sales of GameCube slowed down."

Then it was Miyamoto's turn. A questioner asked the Legend of Zelda creator how he thought consumers would react to the Wii's dramatically different, motion-sensing control scheme. "We believe that we have already reached to the stage where we need to show the new vision for the whole entertainment," he said. "This is why we have decided to alter the game-control interface significantly, not just slightly." Displaying his trademark playfulness, Miyamoto added, "I have just been trying to make something fun."

Naturally, the subject of the Wii's name came up, and Iwata was quick to shoot down conspiracy theories that the moniker was some sort of elaborate hoax. "I am one of the people who have decided this final product name," he said. "Of course, I am not the only person to make this decision, but I have never thought that it was a mistake to name it 'Wii.' I understand that a great many people have already accepted this product name. When someone has some hesitation today, we'd like to make efforts so that they will come to like this name in the end."

Genyo Takeda, general manager of Nintendo's Integrated Research & Development division, also chimed in on the process of making the Wii. "Talking about the process on how we come up with new console ideas, Wii development was the hardest in my own experience," he said. "Nintendo has developed NES, Super NES, N64, and GameCube, and when we looked back, I felt that we were just rushing forward following Moore's Law, or just making new products in the linear extension line following the evolution of semiconductors. Now that we have broken away from the boundary, we are committing ourselves to see and exploit the technologies in order to extend the entertainment into any direction. I think we have reached the level that will allow us to do so."

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/playstation-home-the-free-virtual-world-of-playstation-3/

PlayStation Home, the free virtual world of PlayStation 3

Posted Mar 7th 2007 1:31PM by Jared Rea

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, MMO

Sony has validated the "blackball rumor" with the unveiling of PlayStation Home -- a free to download, virtual world for the PlayStation 3. While earlier murmurings mentioned customizable avatars and achievements, our brief demonstration revealed that to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Comparable to Second Life, PlayStation Home is a virtual community of PS3 owners living together in both public and private environments. Users will be able to login, chat with both text and speech and play casual games together such as pool, bowling and even embedded arcade machines. And when the old stand-bys grow stale, users can invite one another into other PlayStation Network titles outside of PlayStation Home.

Every user will have their own virtual apartment to decorate with furniture, their trophies from various games (see: achievements) and content from their own PS3s. For example, Phil Harrison took a snapshot of us in the crowd, slapped it onto a USB stick and right into a picture frame in his virtual flat. Not content at just images, users will also be allowed to share both music and videos with friends inside their private homes, which will most likely lead to some sort of underground pornography syndicate on the PlayStation Network.

Check out video footage of PlayStation Home after the jump!

And while the download itself is free, users can choose to accentuate their looks with additional clothing for an unspecified fee. The PlayStation Home will also feature dynamic advertising -- the details of which are not currently known. A large scale beta for the service begins this April with the final product to see release this Fall.

 

 

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KATHERINN TRAN