By Nadia Oxford on Feb 14, 2011 in Game Design, Motion Controls, Nintendo 3DS
1
The Nintendo 3DS release date is rocketing towards us, and fans of handheld gaming are being swept up in a maelstrom of excitement. The hype, however, is also tinged with a thread of concern. The 3DS has a whack of new features, including a glasses-free 3D display, an gyroscope, and an accelerometer. All three can potentially make for a personal gaming experience like no other. But what if developers feel obligated to implement one (or all) of these shiny new toys...
read more
By Nadia Oxford on Feb 11, 2011 in Business, Journalism, Marketing
3
Guitar Hero is dead, and it didn’t leave behind a beautiful corpse. On February 9, Activision announced the end of the once-lucrative franchise after two years of “steeply declining sales.”
“We’ve made the decision to close our Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on our previously playing Guitar Hero title for 2011,” said Activision Publishing’s CEO, Eric Hirshberg, during a Q4 2010 earnings call....
read more
By Nadia Oxford on Feb 11, 2011 in Culture, Game Development, Publishing
0
Storytelling in video games has been going through a long period of maturation. Though there is a bit of a ways go to before games can consistently sell plots that are as engaging as the average work of literature, there’s no doubt that our favorite pastime is capable of drawing out our emotions. We’ve come a long way from chasing after princesses who are stashed away by giant turtle kings.
So when news got around about video games being eligible for...
read more
By Nadia Oxford on Feb 10, 2011 in Business, Game Development, Online Games
0
THQ recently made a business decision that will disappoint no one: The company is moving away from developing and publishing games based on kids’ movies. This includes games steeped in big-name properties like Disney Pixar’s Cars, The Incredibles, and Dreamworks’ Megamind.
Why abandon such lucrative names? THQ cites a “slowdown in console titles aimed at children.”
“We have re-evaluated our kids movie-based licenses and have...
read more
By Nadia Oxford on Feb 10, 2011 in Business, Retail, Sony
0
The world can do without yet another zombie joke, but it’s hard to avoid metaphors about the living dead when referring to the PlayStation 2. Sony’s follow-up to the PSOne debuted in 1999 and gained infamy after it sparked some magnificent eBay bidding wars. The flashy battles cemented the PS2 as an instant winner in our memories, but few people realize just how successful the PS2 actually is. Not only is the system still being manufactured, but it...
read more
By Nadia Oxford on Feb 9, 2011 in Marketing, Public Relations, Publishing
1
Warning: The following opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those shared by Game Theory or its staff.
Game publishers are not legally obliged to employ good taste in their advertisements, a fact we’re often reminded of when we flip through the channels and pause on raunchy and/or violent game commercials. Shocking declarations made via commercials (“Buy me Bonestorm or go to hell!”) is one of the oldest, most effective...
read more
By Nadia Oxford on Feb 9, 2011 in Business, Game Design, Online Games
0
Game development companies, especially massively-multiplayer online game (MMOG) developers, will often hop up and crow about their latest project garnering record-breaking revenues. Nexon America did the very same late last month with an announcement about increased revenues that were brought in thanks in part to the Big Bang extension for its popular Maple Story MMORPG. According to Nexon America’s CEO, Daniel Kim, Nexon’s revenues jumped 42% in the...
read more
By Nadia Oxford on Feb 8, 2011 in Cloud Computing, Game Design, Game Development
2
Not sure what to make of Sony’s Next Generation Portable (NGP)? Maybe you should listen to Hideo Kojima, the acclaimed director of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. He’s so excited about the NGP’s potential for cloud gaming that we’ll probably have to peel him off the moon at E3 2011.
When Sony unveiled the NGP, Kojima was on hand with Metal Gear Solid 4 (MGS 4) footage to help demonstrate that the NGP is capable of PS3-level graphics. But...
read more
By Nadia Oxford on Feb 8, 2011 in Business, Cloud Computing, Marketing
0
How does downloading a PC game for a mere $5 USD sound to you?
What if you could only play it for five hours?
If your enthusiasm just plummeted to the pit of your stomach, you’re in good company. In spite of heavy skepticism from the gaming community, Direct2Drive, a digital download store, is building an “extended demo” format as a bridge between game rentals and full purchases. For $5, Direct2Drive will let you download five hours of game time....
read more
By Nadia Oxford on Feb 7, 2011 in Business, Digital Distribution, Game Development
0
The rise of digital downloads is the most significant change to happen to the console industry over the previous decade. Digitally-distributed games allow smaller, independent studios create and dole out products without having to deal with the expenses coupled with physical distribution. Players have reason to be happy with digital distribution, too: We have access to thousands of wonderful games for low prices. Trying out some creative developer’s bold new...
read more
Loading ...
Scott Steinberg is the CEO of video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global, and founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV. Hailed as a top technology and video game expert by dozens of publications from USA Today to Forbes and NPR, he’s covered the field for 400+ outlets from Playboy to Rolling Stone. A frequent on-air analyst for networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, he’s also the author of Video Game Marketing and PR.