EA is acknowledging that, "there will be a physical business [for games] probably for a long period of time." Finally.
This comes from EA CFO Blake Jorgensen, speaking at the UBS Global Technology Conference. "I also think that used games are an important part of the industry," Jorgensen said. "People think about the prices of games based on the fact that they can still return that game and they need a physical disc to do that,"
This is almost surprising coming from EA, but Jorgensen is the one who earlier this year admitted while he might want the used market gone, the liquidity of the market and health of retailers might be beneficial for publishers.
Of course, he also talked about how develoeprs, "might extend the gameplay on [a disc game] by 10 or 12 months based on digital extensions to it where all that comes via downloads coming in smaller pieces," so it's not like we're going to see anything resembling an end to microtransactions, day one DLC, and the like.
EA: Used games are important to the industry [GameSpot]
The PS4 is off to as good of a start as Sony could have hoped for with over one million consoles sold in the first 24 hours of its North American launch. Those are some powerful numbers, some of which come from America's northern neighbor, Canada.
Speaking to GamesIndustry International, Sony Canada VP and GM Steve Turvey called the PS4 launch, "by far the largest launch in gaming history in Canada." Indeed, Turvey said the system was sold out throughout Canada, save for pre-orders that weren't picked up yet. Don't fret, though, as he also said they, "have a nice healthy supply of inventory" ready to "flow into the marketplace."
Despite the grandiose numbers, Turvey kept some reservation, stating, "It's great when something is received well by your customer base on day one and out of the gate...But as we've been through other iterations of PlayStation, the lifecycle is a long one. ... The long-term success is built over time."
Anyone here, in Canada or otherwise, struggling to find PS4s on store shelves, or did you get your orders sorted ages ago?
PS4 biggest launch in Canadian gaming history, says Sony [GamesIndustry International]
As reported earlier this morning, Electronic Arts won't be making any Star Wars games based on the upcoming movies as part of its licensing deal with Disney. We let out a collective sigh of relief. Granted, there are plenty of rubbish games not based on films, so who knows what will come of DICE's Star Wars: Battlefront and the other titles due out in the coming years.
Speaking about the deal, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen noted that it'll last a decade. "[It] allows us to be able to build games in many different genres across multiple types of platforms over 10 years and we'll leverage the strength of the Disney marketing associated with the Star Wars properties both in movies and other things that they may do over the timeframe. We'll try to align those with that marketing, power the Disney has so it will get aligned with timing around the movies, but it won’t necessarily be aligned with the movie."
Don't screw this up, EA. There's so much potential here. We needs this. Star Wars needs this.
Electronics Arts' Management Presents at UBS Global Technology Conference (Transcript) [Seeking Alpha]
The first time I met Dennis Wedin, co-creator of Hotline Miami, I could not stop looking at his arms. His body is adorned by awesome unique tattoos, and his latest piece takes the cake.
Dennis got a new tattoo on his chest based on this wonderful fanart piece created by Mark Penman. The new ink features all the animal masks you can wear in Hotline Miami, and Dennis intends to get the piece colored too.
Few things scare me more than clowns and as much as I find the protagonist of Dropsy to be unsettling, the game itself is also admittedly rather charming. This is a point-and-click adventure which emphasizes exploration, and visual storytelling over written dialog. The game has been going strong on Kickstarter -- enough that funding is locked in, with four days remaining -- and now publisher Devolver Digital has announced its involvement with the project.
While the team will help with aspects of production like marketing, quality assurance, and localization, to be clear, "Devolver Digital is not involved with money from backers nor do we have any say in how it is used. We're going to provide additional funds beyond Kickstarter to make sure that all stretch goals are met and that any additional features or content the team envisions for the game are possible because we love Dropsy and want it made without compromise."
Do take a look at the Kickstarter pitch -- it's well put together and there are GIFs. You like those, right? Dropsy seems to be right in Devolver's wheelhouse, which pleases me so. It's planned for release across Windows, Mac, and Linux in October 2014. Look at that dog!
As a young gamer, often times my first foray into the wide world of sports was through videogames. Before I knew how to run a slant route in a real-life game of football, I knew how to run something in Tecmo Bowl and Madden.
The same could be said for the greenest of all sports, which was first introduced to me by way of Nintendo's Golf for the NES. Even though I had no idea what "par" was or the difference between a driver and a wedge, there was something tranquil about hitting a tiny ball down a giant digital course.
Powerstar Golf for the Xbox One captures that feeling as well, even if it has a few other issues in tow.
Bricks shouldn't cost upwards of $500, and yet, the Xbox One does. But like a fairy godmother, Microsoft's big day-one patch will magically transform your heaping black box into a full-fledged videogame console, even if you're not connected to Xbox Live!
In all seriousness, most everyone can anticipate that the stress and server load of so many systems trying to update at once will inevitably lead to some issues. For that, Microsoft has drawn up a system that will allow users to update an Xbox One offline.
The Emergency Offline Update (EOU), is not unlike what we saw with the PlayStation 4 update solution, whereby users are allowed to download the patch onto a properly formatted flash drive. There are a few stipulations to this, as not all Xbox Ones will be running the exact same operating system, so for a full breakdown and instructions, check here on Xbox's official support page.
Xbox One will support offline OS updates, here's how to get them [Xbox One Daily]
Funny how these things turn out. The long-awaited Steam version of Mutant Mudds Deluxe is actually releasing earlier than expected -- it's now ready to launch on November 21, 2013. The Wii U version's 20 new ghost levels are making it in, and the price has been set at $9.99.
Glad to see this finally come through after being stuck in the Steam Greenlight process for over a year. There are still the pending PlayStation 3 / PS Vita versions coming later this year, and nothing against those (quite the opposite!), but Steam can be crucial for a game like this.
Mutant Mudds Deluxe Launching on Nov 21, 2013 [Steam Greenlight]
You may have gotten this PS4 update without realizing it -- system and game updates are, by default, automatic in North America when in stand-by mode -- but here's a quick overview of 1.51.
According to Sony, this improves the stability of system software and introduces some tweaks to the user interface, with the only example given being that there's now a clear indication when a game and a game patch are being downloaded simultaneously.
Plenty more where that came from. How are you enjoying your console, if you snagged one?
PS4 System Software Update 1.51 Coming Soon [PlayStation Blog]
When this past generation began, fighting games seemed to be on their last legs. Capcom fighters were nowhere in sight, Sega’s Virtua Fighter laid hidden in the deepest of digital fight clubs, and Namco’s Tekken and SoulCalibur began to wane after a few uninspired sequels. But to the hardcore, fighting games never went away; their devotion kept the once booming genre alive -- even if it had been relegated to a “niche” category.
Then Street Fighter IV happened. Like an injection of Red Bull straight into the vein, the genre got its renaissance. Doors were opened and more and more fighters saw, not just daylight, but also success. The power of the Xbox 360 and PS3 brought more realistic and jaw-dropping 3D models, and increased memory gave us high-definition 2D sprites that rivaled the quality of hand-drawn animation.
The advent of live streaming has additionally kept the viability of the genre flowing, especially in the wake of EVOs recent tidal wave of popularity growth, and in the public eye for the foreseeable future. Additional platforms, like XBLA, PSN, and Steam, also afford us more venues for fighting games to come out on. Pair that with the closing of this current generation, and a few titles that would normally not see the light of day are beginning to radiate through the cracks.
