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Archive of "Industry" Category
Notes from the Sony Conference
First off, Sony gave me lunch, which is a sure way to keep me in a good mood. It’s a good thing, too, since the next thing they did was give me 3D glasses. I’ll get it out of the way: I don’t like 3D.
After a brief introduction from Tretton, who touched on the life cycle of a Playstation console and the value of exclusives, Kaz Hirai took the stage for the 3D fest. Highlighting the tenets of Playstation, “innovation and content”, Hirai asserted that “Sony is the undisputed leader in 3D” and ”What playstation did for Bluray we’re now ready to do for 3D as well”. With twenty titles created natively in 3D by March 2011, he said the year would be remembered as, “the year playstation brought authentic 3D to the industry.”
Did I mention I don’t like 3D? It hurts my eyes. It’s really dark. And when things move too fast you can’t tell what’s happening.
We were then treated to some Killzone 3 in a live demonstration. Specifically two sections for the 4th level of the game taking place in the arctic north of Helghan. The first section focused on ground combat and use of the jetpacks while the second on air combat, both heavily featured the destructible environments. It looked cool, but it was so hard to appreciate the gameplay, the environments and the combat when I was so busy just trying to wrap my eyes around the 3D nonsense. They aim ”to deliver the most realistic sci-fi shooter experience available” in February 2011, and it will be fully compatible with Move at launch.
“What tiles like Avatar are doing for movies, titles like killzone 3 will do for games.” Kaz Hirai
The game they used to show off the Move to greatest effect was Sorcery, a 3rd person action adventure game designed for Move. You play as a sorcerer’s apprentice and must rescue the land from darkness by playing through faery realms. The gameplay demo onstage was fun, and I look forward to getting hands-on with the title. Your motions affect power as well as trajectory, and the spell combinations were neat – like the ability to create a wall of fire and then send a whirlwind through it creating a fiery whirlwind that scoops and scorches your enemies. Slated for Spring 2011.
Next up was a demo of Tiger Woods with Move, and golf is still boring.
Heroes on the Move should collect some fans, it features Ratchet, Clank, Sly, Bentley, Jak and Daxter in a playful weapon-heavy romp.
“Gaming is having a ridiculously huge tv in a tiny 1 room apartment.” Kevin Butler, VP of Scene Stealing
Move will ship EU September 15, NA September 19, and Japan October 21. The Move controller is priced at $49.99, the navigation controller at 29.99. Move bundle including a Move controller, PS Eye and Sports Champs game goes for 99.99, while PS3 bundle including a PS3, PS Eye, Move controller and Sports Champs is set at $399.99. Four titles will be available during the holiday with games like Socom 4, Time Crisis, NBA 2k11, Ruse, Killzone 3, Echochrome 2 and Eyepet in the pipe. Games like Toy Story 3, Heavy Rain, and RE5 Gold Edition will have Move compatibility as well.
PlayStation Plus comes out later this month and can be purchased for one year at $49.99, or 3 months for $17.99 – and for a limited time you can get 3 months for free. Plus touts exclusive features and content, early demos and beta access, and discounts on the store.
Quick bites:
Invizimals was quickly overshadowed by God of War: Ghost of Sparta for the PSP, which chronicles Kratos’s rise to power.
Little Big Planet 2 showed off excessive cuteness and some badass real time strategy and shooter levels.
Medal of Honor unveiled Deuce, and said June 28th they will debut a series of videos where tier one operators share their experiences and stories. The multiplayer is being handled by DICE, and we were shown a new map that looked a lot like a game…we’ll call it Small of Pooty. Available October 12, limited edition will include 2002′s Medal of Honor: Frontline.
Dead Space 2 showed off a boss fight and advertised the limited edition pack, you can get Dead Space Extraction and Dead Space 2 with Move support.
Portal 2 Surprise! Gabe Newell showed up to announce Portal 2 for the PlayStation 3, making it ”the best version on any console”. Coming 2011. <3 Glados
Pretty, pretty FF XIV MMO vid.
Mafia 2: Agusut 24, exclusive day one content, for free.
Got a look at Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood online mode, which does not seem to feature any sisters – but those are some elaborately attired dudes. At launch the PS3 version will include an exclusive package of missions and the beta will only be available on PSN.
The GT5 (November 2, 2010) footage was beautiful, and there was even a snippet of The Stig!
The Infamous 2 trailer confirms some icy new powers for Cole, as well as some truly objectionable pantalones. Seriously, change the pants.
David Jaffee and Scott Campbell’s demo of the new Twisted Metal (2011) highlighted the online game mode “Nuke”. Set up as faction v. faction, players must capture the opposing faction’s leader, feed ‘em to the missile launcher and guide their missile to the giant airborne image of that leader. Three times. If you like Twisted Metal, you’ll be happy right about now.
Home has a replicated booth for anyone that wants to experience the PS E3 Booth in virtual space, and Tester fans take note: the casting call for season 2 begins today.
Notes from the Nintendo Conference
Upside? I saw Bowser flame Reggie’s face off.
Fils-aime: Technology is only a tool, the end product, the thing that does matter is the experience. And the best experience only come when technology and game design are perfectly matched.
Happily, the first title revealed was The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which allows you to use the Wiimote and Nunchuck as the sword and shield. Shaking your hand will pull out the sword, and you are able to swing at “any angle”. You can use the Z button to target, and defeat enemies by slashing their weak points.
Until I get hands-on time of my own, the effectiveness of the control scheme is dubious. Miyamoto came onstage to show Bill Trinen how it’s done, but the controls were jumpy and a number of the attacks and defensive moves – like using your shield to fling a projectile back toward an enemy – failed. The guys on stage attributed the spotty performance to “wireless interference”, and I honestly couldn’t tell you if they were joking or not.
Sword is still your weapon of choice, however, and in addition to cutting grass it now fells trees and even serves to confuse those pesky eyes guarding locked doors. Holding the sword aloft charges it with power from the heavens and allows you unleash special attacks. To access the rest of your arsenal, stored in your pocket, hold B. Some quirky items are the beetle, which you steer through the air to pick up items, and the whip, which cuts grass and antagonizes enemies.
Graphically, it looks like a Zelda title for Wii – unimpressive. At least you have until 2011 to muster more enthusiasm, development is set to continue through the remainder of the year.
On sports titles, Fils-Aime juxtaposed realism and fun, as though the two are mutually exclusive. Since they then announced Mario Sports Mix (2011), I’m guessing they went with realism.
Getting around that Pierce Brosnan problem, the recently leaked and now officially announced Goldeneye game will feature Daniel Craig as James Bond. The Activision title is set to release this holiday season.
Epic Mickey looks different from those beautiful concept art shots we saw so long ago, but it also looks like fun. Warren Spector and Adam Creighton showed us two distinct parts of the game, which takes place in Wasteland. We began in Ventureland, a quest zone where you can talk to characters and pick up quests as well as tools and other items. Kicking off with Mickey having a chat with Smee, from Peter Pan, it’s clear the game full of old characters and places, including one of my childhood favorites: the Swiss Family Robinson House. Also shown was a Travel Zone, which are side scrolling platformers you use to get from one area to another based on old cartoons – like Steamboat Willie – and classic platforming. You are equipped with paint and paint thinner, which means you can opt to remove obstacles or restore them, with the latter effort requiring a bit more creativity. The game’s producer said that how you choose to play will not only affect how the world looks and how character’s respond to you, but how the game ends for the characters with choices between completing smaller quests or those the target the “greater good”.
Officially revealed today was the 3DS, with improved graphics capability and, oh yeah, 3D. The new 3DS adds a slide pad to the controls, a motion sensor and gyro sensor. Additionally, it’s possible to watch 3D movies, and two camera lenses on the outside of the DS are for taking and viewing pics in 3D.
It was then explained that Project Sora was established to create a game designed specifically for Nintendo 3DS. Satoru Iwata teased, “We felt that such a game deserved to feature a character that is already familiar to you”. The game is Kid Icarus Uprising, and the release date is unannounced.
Also likely to have a release date along way off? The 3DS. While we were allowed brief hands-on time with the handheld (each of which was tethered to a model), what I saw was interesting, but not really impressive. It reminds me of what is being done with 3D for the iPhone, a fixed image around which you can rotate. How it will work with a game and in game camera is unclear. If during the course of play you tilt the device, the image is no longer 3D and flickers in and out.
Partial list of games that will be developed for 3DS: Kingdom Hearts, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Saints Row, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, Resident Evil Revelations,Madden NFL, Batman, Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed Lost Legacy, Dead or Alive 3D, Samurai Warriors, Ninja Gaiden, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, FIFA Soccer, Metal Gear Solid and Ridge Racer.
Some “also announced/shown” titles:
Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Fall 2010Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, DS: Arrives in US in 26 days
Metroid: Other M, August 31, 2010
Fils-Aime: “What hasn’t been lost is a sense of isolation and exploration that has always been the hallmark of the franchise.”
Donkey Kong Country Returns, Holiday 2010Wii Party, Holiday 2010
Just Dance 2, Fall 2010
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, DS, Holiday 2010
Nintendo Press Conference, Nokia Theater, Los Angeles, June 15th
Dear E3 Diary, Day Two
Just got back from second night at The Broadway Bar, this time the tab was on VGchartz. Again, Will, Amanda and Sam were kind enough to keep me and my drinks company, along with Cade and some of the Sarcastic Gamer crew. They were helping me sort through myriad emotions following the strangest event yet – Activision’s.
There was music: Usher, Eminem, Jane’s Addiction, Maynard from Tool, Rhea, NERD, Chris Cornell…which had almost nothing to do with games. There was also a pole dancer on the world’s largest pole which prompted two troubling questions: Is giant pole the next peripheral? and, Is it possible to get pole burn?
And the Black Ops trailer was very fiery.
I was a bit cranky about the whole thing since the first 3 hours of the event involved being shuffled from one sweaty line to another, and when we were finally herded to our “VIP” destination, there weren’t any drinks. Not even complaining about lack of booze, I couldn’t get a water. Ended up trading in those seats for a suite with some icy drinkable goodness shortly afterward. (thanks, Andy and Gretchen!)
Some things happened before that. Like eating at Roscoe’s – mmm, chicken and waffles – picking up the badge holder and pre-registering for Sony’s press conference, and then Oprah giving away some Xbox 360s.
Tomorrow: Nintendo and Sony pressers!
Dear E3 Diary
Yesterday I forgot about timezones and almost missed my connecting flight to L.A. like some kind of air travel n00b. Made it from LAX to the PlaystationBlog meet-up – just in time to miss Kojima! I had this great idea that I’d be able to grab a bite to eat between the 7 p.m. end time and Kotaku’s 9 p.m. party, but with an open bar on offer at the latter the line was already forming (if there’s one thing geeks have perfected, it’s queueing).
Will, Amanda and Sam steered me safely to this particular line outside The Broadway Bar. About those guys, a lot of people kept coming up for pictures with “Cyrus”, “Amped” and “Doc”.
So…that was weird.
Amanda and I managed to have some girl gamer solidarity without getting matching tattoos or starting an alliterative website about our femaleness and gaming, so I’m putting that in the “win” column. Oh, and Tester fans, at no point in the evening did Sam eat beer-ios, make of that what you will. (Ladies, be advised, he’s off the market)
The Kotaku party was a great mix of game makers, journalists, PR types and more – and since no E3 badge was required for entry, general public nerdiness. One big difference between PAX and E3 is that when I introduce myself at PAX, I tend to get a blank stare and it’s a smidge awkward trying to explain N4G. “So there’s this website – wait, no let me start at the beginning. There’s this thing, it’s called The Internet…” I love getting to meet the writers that populate our pages, the developers that track their games’ news on our site, and most of all I like letting people know there’s a person in there. Hiya!
Mostly, I’m already tired. It’s Monday morning, and E3 is sneaky, very sneaky – it’s all “I’m from Noon on Tuesday to Thursday evening, but what it means is “you will be on your feet nonstop from Sunday through Friday”. Jerk. I need some of that Zombie Blood.
Insomnia
Early today news broke of Insomniac’s deal with EA Partners, and their planned new IP for both PS3 and 360. Shortly thereafter, a rather specific part of the internet exploded. (more…)
Community Managed
I work for people I’ve never met in a place that doesn’t exist with a community of people the world over that are completely apart.
Since my recent bout of island life I’ve been playing some internet catch-up (in the midst of final stage beta testing for the new N4G, of course!). Today’s fashionably late episode comes courtesy of this piece by GamePro. The article has a number of CMs all in a frenzy, so I had to give it a read. I was prepared to not give a rip from the outset because, let’s face it, if I was prone to getting up in arms about things people say on the internet…well, you can imagine the dark road that would be.
The source of the chronic crankypants syndrome stems from this sentence:
Before Xbox Live’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb — who holds the ambiguous title director of programming for Xbox Live — community managers were mostly forum moderators, people whose job entailed monitoring message boards and weeding out trolls.
As my (admittedly, jet-lagged) brain susses out the kerfuffle, the first assertion is that Hyrb is the first notable CM. I suppose people could debate with all their internet know-how of “I knew so-and-so, the true pioneer” but the fact remains, we CMs hold a job that until recently didn’t exist under that title. We made it up! Kudos to us for carving out our very own niche, but you won’t see me entering the ring over such a “I knew that band before they were cool” style debate. Thing is, many a CM existed – with or without that title, with or without recognition – and Hyrb is among the earliest to popularize the role. What does popularity get us? High school elections and legitimacy. Look it up.
The next bit, that “community managers were mostly forum moderators” is suffering from a terrible bout of reading incomprehension. Boards are alight with accusations of “just forum moderators” – where does Glasser say “just”? Is it somehow implied in the “forum moderator” title? It’s not there, it doesn’t exist, she simply wrote “were mostly forum moderators”.
As I vividly recall, I technically started as a “forum member”. Just a forum member? Then came forum moderation, then administration, and before I even realized it (I think Vegard and Haavard clued in before I did) I’d made up my very own CM job.
Where is the offense, then? Is it in being likened to a largely volunteer workforce of tireless internet peace advocates, or the fear of having your job description pared down to the lowest denominator? My colleagues are talented, engaging people that conjured up a profession out of blood, sweat and fanboy tears. Me, I’m only as good as my last PM.
Like the CM position itself, the piece AJ Glasser is writing is much bigger than what can be put to paper. Her discussion of the inherent difficulties of your CM role with a company are worth reading:
Increasingly, the proving ground for community managers seems to be crisis situations.
Can I get a “Yes. Definitely.” It’s when we encounter a Poo-Meet-Fan situation that all that CM mettle is tested – and moderation as well, because rarely does a situation crop up that isn’t also testing the fortitude of grace for our moderation staff.
So here I am, caught marveling at what people are taking away from the piece. The out of control nature of the reaction, of the point people are focusing on, is in itself a fantastic illustration of the hazards of being a CM. You represent a company, you respond to huge numbers of people, and while you’re making a sandwich that thing you tweeted to an acquaintance last weekend blows up all over the internet.
Boom, you’re [just] a CM.
Made Up Holiday. Day. (and How I Learned to Love the Internet)
The other day I learned from fellow industry type person Sam Houston that what I was blithely calling “Monday” others had jazzed up with “Community Manager Appreciation Day”. I felt a little ripped off. There I was, already a few hours into what should have been a very self congratulatory affair and not a parade in sight – just me, my laptop and the kitchen table. Which didn’t even have a tablecloth on it.
My job is pretty amorphous, and mostly serves to baffle well-intentioned family members that can’t quite get a handle on what it is I do. So, Dad, this is for you (though in fairness I went most of my life having no clue what you really do at work!): I work for the N4G Network. I am one of three Administrators for the Network and a Reviews Editor for Network site ZTGD. At the crux of the N4G Network is, unsurprisingly, N4G, and there I function essentially as a Community Manager, tackling the news, the forums, member issues and the like.
As far as I can suss out, “Community Manager” is a made up job that emerged in recent years and that in many ways I carved out for myself in the N4G sphere. My colleagues are talented, engaging people that conjured up a profession out of blood, sweat and fanboy tears – it’s only fitting that someone (one of us?) make up a day of observance for all those labors.
Here’s the thing though – for as bizarre, stressful and trying as the job can be, I am incredibly blessed by the work I do. I delight in the bizarre, relish conquering the stress and thrill in solving problems. The next time CoManAppDay (what?) rolls around, I fancy myself toasting the internet for making crazy things possible 24-7.
I work for people I’ve never met in a place that doesn’t exist with a community of people the world over that are completely apart.
Miguel Caron appointed as CEO of Funcom Games Canada Inc.
Funcom, developer and publisher of online games such as Age of Conan, has appointed Miguel Caron to the position of CEO for their recently established Montreal division, Funcom Games Canada.
From the press release:
The award-winning Miguel Caron – who brings with him over 15 years of organizational leadership experience – has been appointed to serve as the CEO for Funcom Games Canada Inc.
“We are thrilled to have Miguel join us at Funcom,” says Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas. “Our Montreal based Company is central to a string of new business initiatives in Funcom, both in the high-end MMO space and in the casual MMO space. Mr. Caron will be instrumental in developing and expanding those initiatives. We have already found Quebec and Montreal to be an excellent location for business and we look forward to further expand our operations here under the leadership for Miguel.”
Miguel Caron has a proven track record of driving strong, sustainable revenue and productivity gains within highly competitive national and global markets. Mr. Caron will take on leadership of several strategic initiatives for Funcom, in several different areas of the exciting MMO games segment. One of his first mandates will be to lead the growth in employees at the Montreal company.
“Funcom is renowned for quality productions such as ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ and the ‘Longest Journey’ series. I have found its management team to be extremely competent, which is of course a key aspect of being successful in such a competitive market. I look forward to bringing my business experience to help that management team generate even more value to all Funcom stakeholders,” stated Miguel Caron, the newly appointed CEO of Funcom Games Canada.
Mr. Caron has led successful public and private businesses such Lyrtech Inc. He was instrumental to the growth of many high-tech companies and won many awards like the Arista price for best young entrepreneur of the year for mid and large size company as well as the Deloitte Canadian Fast 50.
Funcom is a world leading independent developer and publisher of online games, and was founded in 1993. There are currently over 300 talented individuals from over 35 different nationalities working at Funcom, spread out across offices in Norway, China, Switzerland, Canada and the US. This makes Funcom one of the most multi-cultural game development studios in the world. The company is responsible for multiple award-winning titles such as the ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ and ‘Anarchy Online’ MMOs, as well as the ‘The Longest Journey’ and ‘Dreamfall’ adventure games.
Harmonix Teams With Gaming Industry Vets for ÜMLOUD!, a Rock Band Night for Child’s Play Charity
From my inbox – the one labelled cool stuff our industry does:
Gamers Give Back with Charity Event Supporting National Children’s Hospital Organization
San Francisco, California—November 19, 2009—Do not miss out on the San Francisco gaming charity event of the year! Ümloud! is an annual fundraiser event for Child’s Play Charity, a “gamers’ charity” started by Penny Arcade’s Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik that provides toys and games to Children’s Hospitals around the country, including Oakland Children’s Hospital. (more…)
Rewriting Games Journalism
Digital Trends’ Players Only with Scott Steinberg delivers a memorable season finale that addresses the evolution of games journalism and its place in the industry. (more…)
ngmoco Hires MySpace Executive Jason Oberfest to Helm Social Applications
From the press release:
SAN FRANCISCO – Sept. 16, 2009 – ngmoco, leading developer and publisher for iPhone games, has added MySpace executive Jason Oberfest to its executive team to lead its expansion into the social web. Following his role at MySpace as the Senior Vice President of Business Development and General Manager for the social network’s open platform, Oberfest will bring his extensive knowledge of social applications and new media to ngmoco’s swiftly expanding network of games. (more…)
PAX 2009 Best in Show: Business Cards
Collecting swag is a given at a games show, and collecting business cards is just as fun. Not only does it mean I’m getting to meet people that live outside my kitchen, but I get to go all design geeky and assess the relative awesomeness of the ultimate business trading item. That’s right, I bring you the best of PAX. Stuff you didn’t even know you wanted to see. (more…)
Funcom Establishes New Development Studio in Montréal
From the press release:
Durham, USA – September 1st, 2009 – Funcom is pleased to announce the establishment of a new development studio in Montréal, Canada, where it will build a strong and competent development team that will work on several games in the Funcom portfolio. Besides tapping into the excellent talent pool available in the region, Funcom will also move a certain number of key personnel over to the new studio.
“Montréal has established itself as one of the world’s most important locations for video game production, and we are looking forward to taking part in that success,” says Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas. “In addition to strengthening our North American presence, the new studio will take advantage of the great incentive programs offered by the Québec region, incentives that makes Montréal one of the most cost effective locations in the world for developing MMO games. This will in turn allow us to better balance our costs, making it possible for us to continue to expand our investments into the MMO segment.”
Funcom is one of the most multi-cultural game developers in the business, with over 320 employees from all corners of the world employed at the company’s offices in Norway, the US, China, and Switzerland. The company is responsible for the best-selling MMO `Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ that shipped over 1.2 million copies to retail in 2008, as well as the pioneering sci-fi MMO `Anarchy Online’. The company has developed more than 20 titles since its founding in 1993; including the critically acclaimed `The Longest Journey’ and `Dreamfall’ adventure games. Funcom is currently working on the expansion pack for `Age of Conan’ called `Rise of the Godslayer’ as well as its new MMO `The Secret World’. Developers at the Montréal studio will play an important role in the development of both of these games.
“It has been a pleasure for us to work with Investissement Québec in setting up our Montréal studio and we are very thankful for the strong support they have given us throughout this process,” says Ole Schreiner, CEO of Funcom’s new Montréal studio. “We are excited about the opportunity that Montréal represents to our company, not only because of the great incentives offered by Québec, but also the authorities’ strong commitment to training qualified video games personnel and building a video games cluster in Montreal and Quebec.”
PAX 2009 Schedule Released
The schedule for this year’s PAX has been posted! Looks like I’ll be keeping plenty busy that weekend. What panels interest you most?
Apple Eyes EA
Ok, so forget Cinco de Mayo, today is Apple takeover rumors day! This one, from TheStreet, has Apple buying out EA;
Adami noted that there is chatter that Apple (AAPL Quote) is eyeing Electronic Arts(ERTS Quote) as a takeover target.
“Adami” is the Fast Money man Guy Adami, and his predictions are…well let’s just say, Apple Rumor Shenanigans, Round 2.
About
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Check out my about.me profile!
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