Daily News: 04/30/13

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

How many consoles is too many consoles?

How many consoles is too many consoles?:
We previously explored the possibility of a video game crash in light of the impending platform battle of 2013. And while nothing is yet set in stone, some interesting developments have surfaced. First, a teaser was revealed for the PS4, igniting a fire beneath the impending new Xbox, Steam Box and the slew of other upcoming consoles. Now, gamers are showing some real excitement about the Steam Box, proving there may indeed be room for consoles outside of the three goliaths. Which leads us to wonder… is the market big enough for all of these new consoles? If not, which ones will triumph?

ChangYou's paying user revenue up 77 per cent in Q1

ChangYou's paying user revenue up 77 per cent in Q1:
Profits and revenues on the rise as big spenders keep spending

Nintendo "forgot Marketing 101" for Wii U

Nintendo "forgot Marketing 101" for Wii U:
We speak to analysts about Nintendo's recent fiscal report and the company's move to give Iwata the additional role of North American CEO

For Nintendo, slow and steady makes sense

For Nintendo, slow and steady makes sense:
Software delays on Wii U may frustrate - but Nintendo knows that its long-term success is built on game quality, not "winning" sales wars

80 percent of Wii Us connected to Internet

80 percent of Wii Us connected to Internet:
Nintendo reveals worldwide Internet-connected ratio for platform higher than any past hardware; 3DS connected rate in US at 83 percent. 80 percent of the 3.45 million

Nintendo's Own Stats Show That the World Just Isn't That Into Wii U

Nintendo's Own Stats Show That the World Just Isn't That Into Wii U:
In the first three months of this year, Nintendo sold a mere 200,000 Wii U's in North America. Microsoft sold more Xbox 360's than that in March alone. But, uh,

Nintendo's annual digital sales: $165 million

Nintendo's annual digital sales: $165 million:
Buried in Nintendo's fiscal year results today, the company reported a single pair of sales numbers that were easy to overlook, but important when painting a picture of its

Nintendo misses profits forecasts by 50% due to weak Wii U, 3DS sales

Nintendo misses profits forecasts by 50% due to weak Wii U, 3DS sales:
Only 390,000 Wii U units sold in past three months

3DS US physical software sales hit 20 million

3DS US physical software sales hit 20 million:
Strong starts from Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon help portable software sales hit new milestone. More than 20 million physical 3DS games

Nintendo looks to wireless tech to make buying digital games easier

Nintendo looks to wireless tech to make buying digital games easier:
Nintendo says that it is currently exploring the possibility of utilizing the near-field communication (NFC) functionality in the Wii U GamePad to provide an alternate method

The First-Time User Experience: What Developers Need to Know

The First-Time User Experience: What Developers Need to Know:
There's always new information about FTUE best practices, so we're building the article as it develops. As we go along, we'll talk to experts to help make sense of it all. You can

Secrets From Facebook's Mobile UX Testing Team

Secrets From Facebook's Mobile UX Testing Team:
With Facebook Home, mobile UX is more important to the company than ever. But even with such high stakes, Facebook doesn't let data dictate design. "We try to

Do All Profitable Apps Solve The Same Basic Problems?

Do All Profitable Apps Solve The Same Basic Problems?:
Instapaper developer Marco Arment puts app pricing into binary terms, drawing a distinction between apps that are part of your "big six"--his shorthand for your go-to

Google Glass Will Run Web Apps, Not Native Android

Google Glass Will Run Web Apps, Not Native Android:
Google has revealed that Glass will be built entirely on web apps, not native Android software. Though Glass runs a full Android OS, the first Glass developers in the

Google Releases Glass Tech Specs, Bans Developers From Using Ads And Charging For Apps

Google Releases Glass Tech Specs, Bans Developers From Using Ads And Charging For Apps:
Quicklink Attribution: Fast Company The glasses will work on any Bluetooth-capable phone, but Android's Ice Cream Sandwich will be needed to use GPS and send SMS.

Guild Wars 2: Flame & Frost’s Epic Conclusion

Guild Wars 2: Flame & Frost’s Epic Conclusion:
ArenaNet is getting ready to bring the Guild Wars 2 event, Flame & Frost, to an epic conclusion. We've got the inside scoop on what players can expect. See what's

Postmortem 4-in-1: FTL, Dyad, Dragon Fantasy, War Commander

Postmortem 4-in-1: FTL, Dyad, Dragon Fantasy, War Commander:
Four postmortems to help you stay current on every potential platform out there. Find out what went right and what went wrong in development of these noteworthy games. ...

Supercell: Is This The Fastest-Growing Game Company Ever?

Supercell: Is This The Fastest-Growing Game Company Ever?:
Paananen is CEO of Supercell, a startup that has had astonishing growth almost overnight. It has only two titles in Apple AAPL +2.15%‘s App Store–a tower defense game

Attack of the Clones: Battling Copyright Infringement in the Courts

Attack of the Clones: Battling Copyright Infringement in the Courts:
Several recent court cases, including the EA vs. Zynga lawsuit and the proliferation of “cloned” games, have opened up the debate on how taking too much inspiration

No Sales Projections From Nintendo Hint at the DS Going Into Sunset

No Sales Projections From Nintendo Hint at the DS Going Into Sunset:
The long-lived and long-loved Nintendo DS, the thing that's sold more than 150 million devices (in four formats) and damn near a billion games, received no projected sales

Satoru Iwata named Nintendo of America CEO

Satoru Iwata named Nintendo of America CEO:
Former Nintendo of America CEO Tatsumi Kimishima promoted to general manager. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has expanded his duties to head up Nintendo of

Microsoft keeps quiet, but the numbers say change is needed

Microsoft keeps quiet, but the numbers say change is needed:
There was barely a hint of a new console in Microsoft's earnings call, but Xbox unit sales continue to decline

Xbox 360 March US sales hit 261,000

Xbox 360 March US sales hit 261,000:
Microsoft reveals aging console the top-selling platform in United States last month; total platform spend hits $402 million. Microsoft sold 261,000 Xbox 360 units in the

Ye olde Xbox 360 drove some healthy revenues for Microsoft

Ye olde Xbox 360 drove some healthy revenues for Microsoft:
While Microsoft's next video game console waits in the wings for an expected reveal this year, its seven-and-a-half year old Xbox 360 is still helping drive revenues. ...

NPD: BioShock Infinite soars to top spot in March US sales

NPD: BioShock Infinite soars to top spot in March US sales:
Irrational Games' shooter month's best-seller; overall industry sales slide 10 percent to $992.5 million. BioShock Infinite was March 2013's top-selling title in the

Xbox always-online: Maybe it's not so terrible

Xbox always-online: Maybe it's not so terrible:
Chris Morris explains that having a big company like Microsoft step up could make always-online more palatable for next-gen

Xbox team testing smartwatch - Report

Xbox team testing smartwatch - Report:
Microsoft reportedly prototyping wrist-worn device with 1.5-inch touch-enabled display. A "reliable source" has told The Verge that Microsoft's Xbox team is testing a wrist-worn

Quantic Dream: $100m grossing Heavy Rain proves experiments can be profitable

Quantic Dream: $100m grossing Heavy Rain proves experiments can be profitable:
Guillaume de Fondaumiere says experimental games can be financially successful for publishers and developers

Star Command gets an interstellar release date of May 2

Star Command gets an interstellar release date of May 2:
Long before Tim Schafer turned Kickstarter into the buzzword financial solution that has drawn every developer and their mother to crowdfunding megasite, a little indie studio

Defiance Most Wanted Contest Announced | Ten Ton Hammer

Defiance Most Wanted Contest Announced | Ten Ton Hammer:
Trion offers a new crossover contest that could get a lucky player's face in an upcoming episode of the Defiance television show.

World of Darkness development shown at EVE Fanfest 2013

World of Darkness development shown at EVE Fanfest 2013:
Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, Previews, News Items, Opinion, Events (Massively's Coverage), World of Darkness, Dev Diaries,

Unity is your CTO, says CEO David Helgason

Unity is your CTO, says CEO David Helgason:
One of Gamasutra's bloggers takes on the Unity CEO, getting a bead on what he thinks the company's role is, and what for its relationship with developers should take. ...

Consoles should empower players to create content, says Raptr boss

Consoles should empower players to create content, says Raptr boss:
Raptr CEO Dennis Fong believes Sony's new 'Share' button on the DualShock 4 is a small step in the right direction

5 Things You Should Be Doing With Mobile And Data Right Now

5 Things You Should Be Doing With Mobile And Data Right Now:
Cameron Clayton of the Weather Company outlines how companies can harness data via mobile, guided by the golden rule--user experience. Big data has enabled many

Heroes and Villains releases trailer, revamps website

Heroes and Villains releases trailer, revamps website:
Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items Spiritual successor Heroes and Villains is marking City of Heroes' ninth anniversary

With The Press Of A Button, This Game Changes Everything Around You

With The Press Of A Button, This Game Changes Everything Around You:
When I first saw it earlier this year, indie platformer Oliver & Spike looked like one of the most interesting games of the year.Read more...

The Next Game From The Makers Of Quantum Conundrum Is Funky As Hell

The Next Game From The Makers Of Quantum Conundrum Is Funky As Hell:
This is Soul Fjord, the next game from Airtight Games, the folks behind last year's excellent first-person puzzler Quantum Conundrum.Read more...

Marvel Heroes NDA Lifted, Open Beta Announced | Ten Ton Hammer

Marvel Heroes NDA Lifted, Open Beta Announced | Ten Ton Hammer:
Did you play in this weekend’s Marvel Heroes beta event? You can now share the details, images, and videos of your experience.

Blog: An argument for Android over consoles

Blog: An argument for Android over consoles:
Jasper Smith thinks Android game devices will eclipse consoles -- which makes sense, as he's CEO PlayJam, the company behind the Android-based GameStick. But

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Run (iOS) review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Run (iOS) review:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Run (hereafter Rooftop Run) is a new iOS game from Nickelodeon. It’s available now as a $1.99 download from the App Store, and

Rockstar co-founder joins Soul and Vibe advisory board

Rockstar co-founder joins Soul and Vibe advisory board:
Jamie King will advise the publisher on the launch of its first games

NCsoft Launched First Mobile Games Lineage: The Second Moon

NCsoft Launched First Mobile Games Lineage: The Second Moon:
NCsoft's first mobile game based on its hit online games, Lineage: The Second Moon, launched in Japan recently. Co-developed with mobile giant, GREE, the storyline of the

Neverwinter: Review In Progress #1

Neverwinter: Review In Progress #1:
Neverwinter has entered the "soft launch" and is primed and ready to go for our patented Review in Progress. We'll be spending the next several weeks playing

Blog: The failures of Guild Wars 2's player economy

Blog: The failures of Guild Wars 2's player economy:
Monetization consultant Ramin Shokrizade is back with an in-depth look at the popular MMO's economy -- and he doesn't like what he sees. ...

Killing Yourself Is Fun In They Need To Be Fed 2

Killing Yourself Is Fun In They Need To Be Fed 2:
Every level of They Need To Be Fed 2 ends with you hurling your big-headed black and white body into the gaping maw of a carnivorous plant. Trust me, it's for the best.

Riot: Don't ban your players, reform them

Riot: Don't ban your players, reform them:
Riot is taking a very scientific and psychological approach to player behavior, and it's only helping to increase League of Legends' popularity

Draw Something 2 Review

Draw Something 2 Review:
Gamezebo Rating: I’ll admit I wasn’t really expecting much when I first heard that Zynga was coming out with a sequel to their smash mobile phenomenon Draw

Industry instability is here to stay, says The Behemoth

Industry instability is here to stay, says The Behemoth:
BattleBlock Theater devs say chaos will keep everything moving forward, studios big and small always face the same hurdles

Call of Duty Online (CN) Alpha Test Begin on April 30

Call of Duty Online (CN) Alpha Test Begin on April 30:
Currently only available for China, Call of Duty Online will begin its official Alpha test phase tomorrow. While majority of the elements are from the Modern Warfare

GDC Next and App Developers Conference announced

GDC Next and App Developers Conference announced:
UBM Tech is accepting presentation submissions for both events

Escape From Hell Review

Escape From Hell Review:
Gamezebo Rating: My frustration will sometimes get the best of me. In those instances, I usually stop what I’m doing, take a break, and come back to it

Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's latest exploit, and city-building with Prime World

Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's latest exploit, and city-building with Prime World:
Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, Launches, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively,

Farm Heroes Saga takes the top spot for second week in a row in fastest-growing Facebook games by MAU:
King’s Farm Heroes Saga is this week’s fastest-growing Facebook game by monthly active user, bringing in 5.2 million monthly active users (MAU) for a 81 percent gain.