General gaming news

[6souls]

Microsoft has confirmed to Kotaku that both Robbie Bach, the current head of all things entertainment for Microsoft, and J. Allard one of the top men behind the Xbox and Xbox 360, are leaving Microsoft.

In a memo this morning to Microsoft employees obtained by Kotaku, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that the two were "retiring" from the company.

Ballmer says that after 22 years with Microsoft, Bach, the president, of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, is leaving Microsoft on a high note.

To quote:

"This has been a phenomenal year for E&D overall, and with the coming launches of both Windows Phone 7 and "Project Natal," the rest of the year looks stupendous as well." He will remain with Microsoft until the fall.

"At Microsoft, I've been so fortunate to spend more than two decades of my life working with incredible people and doing amazing things like launching Office, Xbox and Xbox Live, the ‘Halo' franchise, Windows Phones, Zune and more," Bach said in a prepared statement.

"I'm at the time in my life where I want to dedicate more time to my family and my nonprofit work, including my work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I have the utmost confidence in Steve, Don and Andy and their ability to see through our mission of bringing extraordinary entertainment and mobility experiences to life for people around the world."

Ballmer also confirmed rumors that J. Allard, the company's chief experience officer and chief technology officer of the entertainment and devices division, is leaving the company after 15 years.

Allard will continue to work as an advisor to Ballmer, "helping incubation efforts, looking at design and UI, and providing a cross-company perspective on these and similar topics."

http://www.ps3news.com/XBox-360/ball...ing-microsoft/
http://kotaku.com/5547283/father-of-...t-%5Bupdate%5D

[6souls]

http://imgur.com/0lLlM.jpg

SystemLink has shared a scan from the latest Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM issue #45) which confirms the upcoming PS3 3D Firmware update will indeed arrive this June (likely around June 10, 2010) as previously reported.

However, as expected, this PlayStation 3 Firmware update will only bring Sony fans 3D games for the PS3, not 3D Blu-ray just yet.

To quote:

"In Issue 45, on sale now, OPM reveal that a new Firmware, possibly 3.40, is coming to PS3 in June, during or shortly after E3.

The only other information given is that this update will prepare your PS3 for 3D games, and another firmware update later in the year will add the same functionality to Blu-rays."

http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation-3...ware-for-june/
http://systemlink.gamersguidetolife....ming-june.html

http://imgur.com/Z3m3y.jpg

OPM confirmed that the much-anticipated 3D PS3 Firmware update is set for a June 2010 release, and today Sony has listed the initial 3D PlayStation 3 games along with confirming free 3D update patches will be available from PSN.

To quote via ElectronicTheatre.co.uk:

"3D gaming is about to get real. To enable true 3D gameplay on the new BRAVIA 3D TVs, we are releasing a free of charge 3D firmware upgrade for the PlayStation 3.

At the same time, a number of exciting new 3D games will be released including WipEout HD, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, SuperStardust HD and PAIN.

And if you already own these games, you’ll be able to upgrade to the 3D version absolutely free, simply by downloading a patch from the PlayStation Network."

http://www.ps3news.com/PS3-Online/so...tches-via-psn/
http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=247627

[6souls]

Perhaps television truly is a dying breed these days. EA has announced that they will be significantly cutting their spending on television advertisements in an attempt to focus on better things. The gigantic game company will instead be focusing on online advertising as well as putting more time and effort into creating good games. It is obvious that the internet is the way of the future, but it is hard to imagine that advertising on television no longer seems as worth it as it once was. There aren't many times when I flip through the channels only to find myself stopped watching a game trailer. We hope the new focus from EA not only brings in better, and perhaps more interactive forms of advertising on the internet, but we applaud them for taking focus off of advertising to put more time and effort into games. After all if you make a good enough game it will sell itself through word of mouth and reviews.

http://www.neverknowtech.com/home/20...er-things.html
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-substantially

[6souls]

Tucked away in Take-Two Interactive's latest financial results is word that Max Payne 3 has once again been delayed.

Originally slated for late 2009, the Rockstar Vancouver-developed shooter has been moved out of the company's 2010 fiscal year. As a result, the sequel won't be arriving until sometime after October 31.

Not much is known about Max Payne 3 yet, save that it will star an older, more world-weary version of the titular character. It was originally delayed to "benefit from having more development time."

As of right now, L.A. Noire, Civilization V and Mafia II are still on track to be released in the fiscal fourth quarter. With Max Payne 3's release date being as nebulous as it is though, don't be surprised if it's pushed all the way into early 2011 and beyond.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=...%28Sony+PS3%29

[Kaisha]

Looks like PS3 is getting its 3-D update tomorrow.

So for the ultimate question: Who the heck here has the hardware to actually utilize it?

[6souls]

but today we have to deal with...

Today Sony's Sr. Director of Corporate Communications & Social Media Patrick Seybold has confirmed that PlayStation Network will undergo maintenance today, June 9th, 2010.

To quote:

Maintenance is expected to start at 8am Pacific and will last for several hours, until approximately 8:30pm Pacific.

During this time, users won’t be able to access the PlayStation Store or Account Management, and may encounter some difficulty while signing in to PSN.

Stay tuned to the PlayStation Twitter feed for updates and a notice when PSN is fully back online.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

http://www.ps3news.com/PS3-Online/pl...d-maintenance/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/...maintenance-4/
http://twitter.com/playstation

[Kaisha]

Given its duration, they could be doing prep work for the PSN subscription system that we should hear more about during E3.

[Shojin]

Given its duration, they could be doing prep work for the PSN subscription system that we should hear more about during E3.

This is what I guessed at. And it seems very likely.

[Devolver]

I was able to get online at about 4:30 EST. But haven't checked since about 5.

[6souls]

Berlin-based virtual currency monetization platform SponsorPay raised $5 million in a Series A round of funding led by Hasso Plattner Ventures, with previous backer Team Europe Ventures also participating.

The company, which specializes in delivering a payment system for users to purchase virtual currencies and goods in free online games/applications, says it will devote its new financing toward accelerating its growth both in Europe and in international markets.

Established in April 2009, SponsorPay has grown rapidly in its 14 months of operation, now serving local advertising offers to more than 150 million users across 100 countries. Just last February, it acquired its primary competitor GratisPay, also based in Germany.

The firm has also picked up more than 150 partners, such as Gameforge, Bigpoint, Gala Networks, AeriaGames, Innogames, Frogster, and many other major European publishers that monetize their free-to-play titles through microtransactions.

SponsorPay has recently signed contracts with international online gaming companies like China's 6waves and Perfect World, too, and says it expects to work with a minimum of 50 percent of the largest U.S.-based publishers by the end of 2010.

"We have four times the publishers, three times the staff and double the offers for most European markets than our closest competitors," says SponsorPay co-founder and chief revenue officer Janis Zech.

Zech adds, "Most importantly, we consistently generate up to five times more revenue from European traffic when compared with our US-based competitors. Now, it is time to use this clear value proposition to monetize publishers who are not based in Europe but have traffic here."

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2...y_Platform.php

tldr: RMT company pays $5mil to sell currency to a wider market

Activision, typically known for its big budget releases like the Call of Duty and and Guitar Hero franchises, has announced the Activision Independent Games Competition.

This inaugural edition of the competition will comprise of two phases, the first of which invites individuals and teams in the United States to submit their projects. Activision will accept entries, which can be completed or in-development games (as well as concepts and proposals), starting today through August 31st 2010.

The publisher will then announce a first- and second-place winner, bestowing $175,000 to the former and $75,000 to the latter to fund further development of their games, in October 2010. The second phase of the competition will begin at a later date, with details on that round forthcoming.

By the end of the competition, Activision expects to have awarded $500,000 to support independent game developers and their projects. You can read the official rules for the Activision Independent Games Competition and submit your title at Activision's Sweepstakes page.

"This competition underscores our commitment to supporting the creative spirit and innovation of developers," says Activision's EVP of Studios Dave Stohl. "I started my career as a software developer, so this opportunity is something I'm personally very proud to offer to the industry's young visionaries."

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2...y_Platform.php

basically it's a contest to give Activision a new IP.

"Sending in a Submission constitutes entrant’s consent to give Sponsor a royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works from, and display such Submission in whole or in part, on a worldwide basis solely for purposes related to the Contest (including judging, advertising, and publicity related thereto). If requested, entrant will sign any documentation required for Sponsor or its designees to make use of the non-exclusive rights entrant is granting to use the Submission."

"In order to be a Finalist, entrant must sign certain Submission documentation provided by Sponsor, which may include some or all of the following: release of claims against Sponsor; acknowledgement of Sponsor's development of game concepts that may be similar to entrant's Submission; first right of refusal to Sponsor for any development or publishing of Submission; agreement to provide Sponsor with splash/title/credits and logo credit similar to "funded in part by the Activision Independent Games Competition Prize 2010"; grant of name and likeness publicity rights to Sponsor; and full representations and warranties regarding the IP ownership of the Submission."

http://www.activision.com/index.html#sweepstakes|en_US

also the "lawyer speak" in the contract says that they own every idea that is submitted.

[Plow]

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2...y_Platform.php

tldr: RMT company pays $5mil to sell currency to a wider market

"RMT company" isn't exactly... uh... fair?

It's a company that handles payment for games that RMT their own stuff.

There's similar companies for getting cash to/from poker sites and things like that as well.

[Hiryo]

I know there was PSN maintenance yesterday, but is anyone else having trouble with it today? Mostly the store, I went to get a game about an hour ago and it wouldnt load for crap. Lot of "This service is not available in your region" errors too lol

[Trigun]

Yes I had the same trouble, lag and errors w/o really being errors. Chalk it up to pre-E3 bs.

[Kaisha]

Ditto, but I'm on the Canadian server and it's pretty lol anyhow.

[Hiryo]

Seems fine now. Downloading Pixel Junk Shooter >D

[6souls]

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - Celebrating the long-awaited release of Tales of Monkey Island on the PlayStation 3 system, Telltale – a leading independent digital publisher and developer of episodic interactive entertainment – announced today that the entire Tales of Monkey Island five-episode series will be available for $19.99 on PlayStation Network and on Telltale's website www.telltalegames.com.

Tales of Monkey Island can be purchased and downloaded in North America from the PlayStation Store at this great price starting June 15, 2010. In celebration of the release, PC and Mac customers can also purchase the full series now from Telltale's website for $19.99!

"Tales of Monkey Island has been an incredible hit, and we're excited to bring it to PS3 gamers next week," says Telltale Senior VP of Marketing Steve Allison. "If you haven't grabbed Tales of Monkey Island yet, now is a great time."

Tales of Monkey Island will also be released on PlayStation Network in Europe, with final dates to be announced shortly.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/109/1096605p1.html

As a long-time point & click adventure player, this excites me.

[Kaisha]

Sweet stuff, and cheap to boot.

Played the first episode back when TTG released it for free on International Talk Like a Pirate day and enjoyed it. So $19 for the whole thing? Sure! Will be getting it on PS3 since PC controls are weird, that, and easy trophies.

[6souls]

Sony Associate Marketing Manager Ami Sheth has announced today that this Tuesday PlayStation Move for PS3 will be demonstrated at select Best Buy Stores in Los Angeles, California.

To quote: The launch of PlayStation Move this fall is shaping up to be one of the biggest gaming events of the year, and we know all of you are eager to try Move out for yourselves.

With the big E3 Expo happening next week, we’ve partnered up with Best Buy to bring PlayStation Move to you ASAP.

On Tuesday, June 15, from 6 – 9 p.m., we’ll be at three different Best Buy locations in the Los Angeles area. Stop by and you can be one of the first to get your hands on the PlayStation Move and try out PlayStation Move games like Start the Party and Sports Champions before this fall’s launch of PlayStation Move.

We’ll have our PlayStation reps out there to help you with any questions. And let’s not forget, if you are one of the first 125 people at each location, you’ll get a $5 Subway Card — just the right amount for your favorite $5 Footlong.

Here’s where we’ll be - Locations:

Best Buy – Culver City
10799 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

Best Buy – Westfield Mall
6000 Sepulveda Blvd.,
Culver City, CA 90230

Best Buy – Burbank
1501 N Victory Pl
Burbank, CA 91504

We are excited about this event and hope you are, too. See you on Tuesday, LA!

http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation-3...-this-tuesday/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/...t-los-angeles/

[Shenrien]

just the right amount for your favorite $5 Footlong.

..until the tax..

[6souls]

Square Enix's acquisition of Eidos has worked out well thus far and makes for a stronger company -- and social networks may be its next target, president Yoichi Wada tells Gamasutra.

Last year the company acquired UK-based Eidos, and this year it posted record results, bolstered in part by strong sales of the company's Batman: Arkham Asylum, on top of its home-grown hits Dragon Quest IX and Final Fantasy XIII.

Of the merger, Wada tells us, "we were able to complete it in one year, and I am very satisfied with that." He puts that down to "creators being highly motivated" in the merged companies. 


"We respect the culture of each other and try to co-exist with the different cultures, and through the interactions we generate something new," he says. "When we acquire another company, it's not just for the purpose of becoming bigger corporate entity. It's to bring in different blood. By mixing with something totally different, our intention is to become a stronger organization."

The mergers are part of a plan he has been executing for the future of the company, based on his vision of industry trends. "Without a wider skill set and without the people with wider backgrounds, I felt that we would not be able to fight in this battleground," he says of the current market.

On that note, he expects that social networking may be the place where Square Enix sets its sights for a new acquisition target. "Of course I will always do it [pursue an acquisition] when the right opportunity arises. For example, new culture is needed. There is a need for social networking type services. When it comes to that, maybe the resources we have today may not be enough to address that market."

However, given that Japan and the U.S. use very different social networking services, he does recognize that finding a solution may not be simple. "I believe that network community is very local. The newer the community, the more local it is, it seems. When we try to launch such services it would be important" to have a local appeal, he says.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/2...y_Continue.php