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donniebaseball23 writes:
Each day, more and more gaming companies are adopting the free-to-play online business model. Could the most successful subscription based MMO of all time be next? IndustryGamers writes that Blizzard will inevitably take World of Warcraft in this direction, and it will help their business. Blizzard's already testing the waters with micro-transactions, and by adopting free-to-play WoW will be able to bring back lapsed players and attract new ones.
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donniebaseball23 writes:
In what could be considered a major score, OnLive has secured a patent for an “apparatus and method for wireless video gaming.” The patent gives substantial leverage for OnLive over competing brands in the cloud-based gaming market. "Hundreds of people have worked incredibly hard for more than eight years to bring OnLive technology from the lab to the mass market, not just overcoming technical and business challenges, but overcoming immense skepticism," said OnLive CEO Steve Perlman. "It is gratifying to not only see people throughout the world enjoying OnLive technology in the wake of so many doubters, but also receive recognition for such a key invention."
17946082
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donniebaseball23 writes:
Harmonix, creators of Rock Band and before that Guitar Hero, could potentially be reunited with the Guitar Hero franchise, reports IndustryGamers. Although Activision has yet to confirm an acquisition, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg did sing the praises of the music game developer, which Viacom is looking to sell. "I’ve got a ton of respect for Harmonix...They’re a hell of a developer, and very innovative, and I’ve got nothing but love for them," he said. "As a fan, I can certainly say they are a great developer and they’ve done a great job in this space. For obvious reasons, I can’t comment...There’s so much going on with Viacom and them right now." It's worth noting that Activision boss Bobby Kotick has openly talked about how he regretted not buying Harmonix at the same time that his company picked up Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane.
17916502
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donniebaseball23 writes:
IndustryGamers reports on new research from Interpret, which shows that more and more people are turning to their phones for game time, leaving the DS and PSP behind. 43.8% of the phone/DS/PSP gaming market plays games on phones, which represents a significant 53.2% increase over the past year. At the same time, Interpret says that the proportion of those who play on the DS or PSP has fallen by 13%. The company notes, "Gamers appear to be defecting from their handheld gaming devices to phones to get their gaming kicks: a full 27.2% of consumers who indicate that they play games on their phones only (and not on the DS/PSP) actually own a DS or PSP, but do not actively use the device(s)." Notable games industry analyst Michael Pachter also recently commented that handhelds continue to decline and Sony's much rumored PSP2 would be "dead on arrival" as smartphones continue to gain steam.
17612634
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donniebaseball23 writes:
More and more Japanese game studios and publishers are looking towards the West, but as the industry becomes more global, is this really such a bad thing? IndustryGamers writes: "Gameplay is an art that transcends borders, and it simply makes good business sense to keep your eyes open for opportunities no matter where they present themselves, as Zenimax, EA and THQ clearly have. Far from ruining the Japanese gaming industry, it may in fact save some of the best Japanese developers from considering retirement or a career change. They'll be able to make games on their own terms with their own original IP, and shouldn't it ultimately be about these creative types being able to realize their visions?"
17592210
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donniebaseball23 writes:
Many doubted Activision's capability to once again set a new entertainment record, but Call of Duty: Black Ops has done it, surpassing Modern Warfare 2's 5-day global sales total by $100 million. Black Ops posted sales of $650 million and also broke records on Microsoft's online service, Xbox Live, with over 2.6 million unique gamers playing the game on day one. “Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for two consecutive years across all forms of entertainment,” said Robert Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard. Although the online focus has been on Xbox Live, Sony also said that Black Ops has been driving "unprecedented traffic" to its PlayStation Network.
17579782
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donniebaseball23 writes:
Cloud-based gaming is about to hit your living room, as OnLive is taking its games service from the PC/Mac to the HDTV with its MicroConsole system, which launches for just $99 on December 2, reports IndustryGamers. The company is taking pre-orders right now on its website. Cloud gaming could eventually mean the end of gaming consoles as we know them. “The OnLive Game System marks the start of a new era for video games and home entertainment,” said Steve Perlman, founder and CEO of OnLive. “Not only is the OnLive Game System the fastest, simplest way to play, watch and test-drive top-tier games instantly on the living room big screen, it also opens the door to a new world of options for gaming and entertainment—from media-rich social networking and massive spectating to game portability across TV, PC, Mac and mobile devices.”
17572716
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donniebaseball23 writes:
Millions of people are playing online in shooters like Call of Duty, and analysts believe that means they're less likely to buy new games. Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter has talked about Activision launching a subscription service for some time now. He's now explained how the plan could work: "We expect a hybrid offering, with everyone offered free online multiplayer game play, and with gamers offered a menu of options ranging from virtual items for $1 apiece, $5 monthly subscriptions that entitle the gamer to play one game online and have access to all virtual items and map packs, $10 monthly subscriptions that offer all of that plus access to three or four games, and $15 subscriptions that offer all of that plus access to every game made by a particular publisher."
17553476
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donniebaseball23 writes:
According to the Newzoo MMO Games Market Report 2010, as reported by IndustryGamers, there are more than 47 million Americans playing massively multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft. While WoW is a subscription-based online game, the free-to-play market is quickly taking over, as 90% of the MMO players are playing free titles. Overall, Newzoo found that total spending on MMOs has risen 30% compared to 2009.
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donniebaseball23 writes:
IndustryGamers reports on some interesting new research on video games as it relates to gender: "New research led by Rani Desai of Yale makes a compelling case for the benefits of video games for boys at least. A cross-sectional survey of 4,000 high-schoolers ages 14 to 18 found that boys who played video games were less likely to use marijuana and more likely to get better grades. Unfortunately, the same survey found that female game players were more likely to get into fights or carry weapons."
17537284
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donniebaseball23 writes:
Microsoft's massive half-billion dollar ad campaign for Kinect is starting to bear fruit, as the company announced today that the motion camera peripheral has sold over 1 million units worldwide in just 10 days, reports IndustryGamers. Kinect could have an installed base of 10 million by end of 2011, according to industry analyst Michael Pachter, and Microsoft said today it's on target to still hit 5 million sold this holiday.
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donniebaseball23 writes:
Reporting on new research from WIREs Cognitive Science, IndustryGamers writes: "Action games like Call of Duty and Halo can enhance visual attention, the ability that helps us focus on relevant visual information. The mental mechanism allows people to select pertinent visual information and ignore irrelevant information. It suggests that action titles can be used to augment military training, educational tools, and correct visual deficits." Shawn Green, co-author of the study, commented, "At the core of these action video game-induced improvements appears to be a remarkable enhancement in the ability to flexibly and precisely control attention, a finding that could have a variety of real-world applications. For example, those in professions that demand 'super-normal' visual attention, such as fighter pilots, would benefit enormously from enhanced visual attention, as their performance and lives depend on their ability to react quickly and accurately to primarily visual information."
17497282
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donniebaseball23 writes:
The worldwide sales gap between Xbox 360 and PS3 continues to narrow, and it's now down to just 3 million units, despite the fact that Microsoft launched its Xbox 360 a full year ahead of Sony's PS3. Whether Microsoft squandered its head start in the market is up for debate, but in the next year Microsoft may completely lose its lead, according to DFC Intelligence's David Cole, who told IndustryGamers: "We have been forecasting for the past 3 years that the PS3 would catch up to the 360 by 2011... Going forward I don't know if there is much they can do. They will try with the Kinect but I don't see that working. I think the PS3 will soon pass the 360 for good."
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submission
donniebaseball23 writes:
Despite having a one-year head start on the market, Microsoft's Xbox 360 is in danger of losing its lead on Sony's PS3. The gap in installed base has been consistently narrowing, and EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich believes PS3 will permanently overtake Xbox in worldwide sales by the end of 2012. The impact of the blockbuster Kinect launch won't be enough to stop Sony's momentum globally it seems. Divnich notes, however, that specifically in North America it will be much harder for Sony to take the lead.
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donniebaseball23 writes:
After Microsoft raised their Kinect forecast from 3 million to 5 million units, more and more retailers have reported being sold out of the motion camera. The blockbuster launch is likely to help Microsoft sell Xbox 360 consoles this holiday, notes M2 Research analyst Billy Pidgeon, who also hinted at a future price cut. "Kinect will move new Xbox 360 consoles, but I believe at least half will be sold into the installed base," he told IndustryGamers. "Here's an interesting scenario: a tactically deployed Xbox 360 price cut could give Kinect the capability to accelerate penetration to the point where Microsoft could gain a large mainstream user base while still leveraging a very active hardcore base."
