Video Game Development – Page 38

Blockbuster releases to be more spread out in future, says analyst

It seems that gaming publishers may finally be getting the message, shouted daily from countless enthusiast web communities, that we want to play good games all year round, not just in the fall. About damn time too; when a quirky, niche Atlus title is the most exciting release for three months, while the next three feature Mario, Mass Effect, and Uncharted, there’s something wrong. Thankfully, the SimExchange’s Jesse Divnich says there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

A broader release schedule could positively affect retailers such as GameStop and make them more attractive to the investment community as they will have more months of strong sales to hedge themselves against any negative short-term economic factors

It’s the same logic we enthusiasts have been using against game developers for years: while releasing at the end of the year is good for those who can stand out from the pack, just as many titles see decreased sales from increased competition. The logic hasn’t changed from last year, and sales numbers this holiday season were up from last year, so why expect change? While Jesse doesn’t offer an explanation for the publishers’ change of heart, he does provide ample evidence for his claims.

Before the first half of 2008 ends, we can expect the release of AAA titles such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl (expected to achieve 13.95 million units of GLS [global lifetime sales]), Wii Fit (expecting 8.7 million units of GLS), Grand Theft Auto IV (expecting 17 million units of GLS), and Metal Gear Solid 4 (expecting 4.7 million units of GLS).

While I’d be surprised if even half of that list actually releases in Q1 or Q2 2008, the point is well taken. This year’s early releases are the best recent memory. Call me cautiously optimistic that, burned by flops like Stranglehold and Blue Dragon, publishers will be less likely to flood the retail channel around the holiday season.

For more, see here.

Ron Gilbert allies with Hothead for hilarious RPG-Adventure “DeathSpank”

Among the gaming halls of fame is a platinum bust of Ron Gilbert, famed video game designer, two great works of his being Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island. If you had any assumptions that Mr. Gilbert had been abducted by adventure-game-loving aliens, think again, because you were somehow right. HotHead Games, developers of… uh… have taken dragged Ron Gilbert into their fortress of doom to design a video game he had in his mind for a long time – DeathSpank! This video game will truly be used for nefarious purposes to enslave mankind!

DeathSpank will be an RPG-Adventure hybrid, and I have a feeling we’re talking real adventure here, because that’s Ron Gilbert talking. He describes it as a Diablo-Monkey Island hybrid, which sounds like beautifully twisted fun for all ages. It will be an episodic game, with its first episode titled rather sombrely as “Orphans of Justice”, which will be coming rather soonish, according to the big poster on their website.

And now, because your subconscious mind really asked for it, here’s the official press release(!):

HOTHEAD GAMES TO PUBLISH NEW RON GILBERT GAME DEATHSPANK
Gilbert joins the Vancouver crew as Creative Director

The Great White North, January 9, 2008 – In a move that may upset the balance of the universe (or at least that around the 49th parallel), Hothead Games announced plans to publish Ron Gilbert’s long-awaited RPG-Adventure game, DeathSpank. Described as “Monkey Island meets Diablo”, the game will be released in episodic format and feature Gilbert’s unique style of humor and storytelling. In a related move, Ron Gilbert will be joining the company’s Vancouver-based studio as Creative Director, effective immediately.

Speaking from his secret game design cave, Ron Gilbert said, “I’ve spent over four years trying to find the right publisher for this strange little game. Now that I’ve done it, you just know that somewhere four horsemen are saddling up.”

The episodic game follows the thong-tastic adventures of a misguided hero named DeathSpank, a character that first appeared on Gilbert’s Grumpy Gamer website in a series of animated comics he penned with long-time creative collaborator, Clayton Kauzlaric.

Hothead prepared for Gilbert’s arrival by ordering the finest morsels of jellied moose meat and lager brewed with water from the nearest available glacier. “We’re all huge fans of Monkey Island and we love Ron’s unique vision and sense of humor,” said Joel DeYoung, COO of Hothead Games. “Ron shares Hothead’s goal of bringing much-needed humor and innovation into games, so having him here in Vancouver as our Creative Director is an excellent fit.”

“I’m really excited to be working with Hothead Games not only on DeathSpank, but as their new Creative Director,” said Gilbert. “I got to know everyone at Hothead while I was helping with On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. They really understand humor and being creative like very few publishers do.”

As Creative Director, Gilbert will work in the Vancouver-based studio on all of Hothead’s games. He is also expected to improve his hockey skills substantially during his stay.

E3 Returns to LA Convention Center

After this year’s miserable E3 fiasco, I’m so grateful to hear that E3 is returning to the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 15-18th, 2008. If E3 stayed in Santa Monica it would have surely died a horrible death. Even if booths will remain less about flashy showings and more about industry reflection, isn’t that a good thing? Being able to see and discuss video games with fellow developers will only help the industry.

The event is still closed to the public, but that’s why we have the new E For All Expo. If you’re still angry about E3 being closed off to the public first remember that it always was a private industry event and secondly read this post for more information why E3 cracked down.

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Harmonix, Activision brawl over Guitar Hero PS3 controllers

In what is a most amusing series of events, Harmonix and Activision are fighting like kindergarten kids over who’s responsible for not releasing a patch for Rock Band.

Harmonix, with some help from MTV, thought that releasing a patch for Rock Band, which would allow Guitar Hero III controller compatibility is a good idea. The idea did, after all, come after thunderous public request. However, it didn’t go down as well as they had expected. Harmonix’s patch was approved by Sony, but not by Activision, who supposedly objected to the patch.

This makes Harmonix and MTV heroes who want a free and liberal gaming area and where everything is good and compatible. Activision is suddenly a dark, evil EA-esque villain who wants the depraved gamers to buy Rock Band controllers. And because we need a fine background for a fight, we have Sony and their PlayStation 3.

Sony promptly replied that this is a matter out of their hands, and one that should be “amicably resolved” by Harmonix, MTV and Activision. Well, at least Sony has nothing to do with the whole fiasco. Then again, it’s the ill-fated, all-cursed PlayStation 3 that serves as a setting for this tale.

Activision struck back yesterday by saying that MTV/Viacom is unwilling to participate in a healthy ~~tussle~~ discussion about the issue. According to their press release, Activision were the good guys all along and Harmonix/MTV have been the ones who were not talking with Activision about their technology.

This fight is almost like the Silicon Knights/Epic brawl, except there’s no legal matters here and the subject is ridiculous. What’s bad is that the gamers are suffering in the long run. They are the ones who haven’t gotten the patch yet, while the big corporations talk about how they love gaming and want gaming to be accessible.

How will Harmonix/MTV respond? Is the PS3 really cursed? Isn’t watching this silly fight fun? Comment and conquer!

Call of Duty 5 heading to Pacific theatre?

As we have reported earlier, Activision has taken the dark corporate path of the EA, and will now most likely exploit two of the most succesful current franchises – Guitar Hero and Call of Duty, so that a new version of each game comes out every year. Check out the article above for more and the interesting rumour.

Call of Duty 5, is reportedly (but unofficially) under production at Treyarch, and some interesting rumours have invaded the Internet about it, saying that with no. 5, the CoD series shall return to its roots in World War 2. However, Kotaku has been tipped that not only will CoD 5 go back to World War 2, but it’ll actually give the Pacific theatre of the war a shot. Of course, we know nothing more than this, so we are left with speculation.

Since Call of Duty games have a tradition of letting you play the war from the perspective of various countries, I wouldn’t be surprised if the game took you to Pacific islands, to play as an American, and then Burma, China or other Asian countries, to play as a dapper Englishman. It would be interesting to play as an indigenous soldier fighting in the war, to see the war from his perspective (check the map I hijacked via Google above).

We are not sure if this game will turn out to be actually good, even though it’s taking a different angle at the War. The Medal of Honor series took a shot at this with Pacific Assault, which was somewhat lacklustre. Add the fact that Treyarch is developing this, whose CoD 3 is already considered the black sheep of the CoD line. Treyarch has a lot to prove, certainly!

Microsoft Steps on Xbox Live Silver Members

The disadvantages of being a Xbox 360 Xbox Live silver member have outrageously grown today! Microsoft has revealed that silver members will now have to wait an extra week after a demo has been released an Xbox Live before they can download it!

This is ludicrous. As an Xbox Live silver member, I want me demos on time. I do not want to pay extra to receive content that should be free!

Demos give me evaluations as to whether or not I want to purchase a game. Microsoft is hurting the industry by making gamers wait an extra week to download the demo.

The video game industry was going on such an amazing streak of success with stealer games being released this year, but these past couple of weeks have just outrightly sucked.

It’s time for gamers to take back their industry!!!