PS3 Confirms Saints Row
January 31, 2007
THQ has confirmed that Saints Row will debut for the PS3 this spring, following the successful debut of the game on Xbox 360 last August. Developed by Volition, Saints Row has sold over 550,000 copies for Xbox 360 in North America since its debut, has been largely well-received critically since its debut.
The Grand Theft Auto-inspired title will include multiplayer elements on the PS3 version, commenting that the game will bring open world gaming to the PS3 system for the first time, allowing gamers to battle rival gangsters in a variety of single and multi-player modes and will support players online via the PlayStation Network.
So it looks like Sony has resolved issues with apparent late delivery of multiplayer SDKs for the PS3 launch, which saw third-party launch titles such as Tony Hawk’s Project 8 lacking significant multiplayer and networked high-score functionality compared to the Xbox 360 version of the same title.
“Saints Row has established itself as one of the most successful original properties in next generation gaming, and we’re excited to bring the groundbreaking experience to PlayStation 3 system fans worldwide,” said Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, THQ.
Examining Video Games’ Life Cycles
January 30, 2007
In the new issue of Video Game Journal, authors Jason Kraft and Chris Kwak explore the deterioration in the video game sales throughout the console life cycle.
According to the article, a majority of video games that are released generate nearly 85% of their lifetime sales in the first year of availability; after that many of these games are replaced by newer versions. Some annual treats like as Electronic Arts’ NCAA Football, actually generated more than half of their lifetime sales within the first three months at retail, according to the most recent NPD data. Such a trend, however, does not apply to all titles or franchises, such as those which may be influenced by one-time events, such as EA’s FIFA Soccer.
In addition, the writers further add that a game’s life cycle may also be impacted by the sale of used games, particularly by major U.S. video game retailer GameStop, though the report notes that very little information concerning used game sales figures has been released by the retail chain.
Kraft and Kwak believe that “used-game sales probably explain a significant portion of the phenomenon of the shrinking half-life of games through the cycle. It is not that used games take up more shelf-space (the premier AAA titles, we contend, remain untouched).
“It is that used games are substitute-SKUs not captured by NPD. So while the data may suggest that demand for a title falls more rapidly through the cycle, we posit that it is not the demand at issue but rather the supply meeting some of the demand that NPD data does not capture,” they report.
When a game console’s user base is rapidly growing within its first two years of availability, “the revenue concentration distribution is distorted by the sheer force of the new consoles entering the market.”
Their article hypothesizes that the quicker a console’s installed base expands, the broader its software sales distribution will become. However, as a console’s installed base slows following its first two years of availability, the writers note that “sales distribution [should] ease into a stable curve where non-console factors have a greater impact.”
An example: “Imagine if Europe received one unit of the PS3 in November 2006 and Resistance: Fall of Man were attached to that game. If no new PS3s came to Europe until March 2007 (when Sony dropped 1 mln PS3 units), Resistance: Fall of Man would generate 0% of its first twelve months revenue in the first three months.”
Kraft and Kwak note that very little may be done to extend the life of titles on retail shelves: “The various causes of the phenomenon we observe (especially console installed base and brand expansion) will likely repeat every cycle. The used-game phenomenon, however, may be something the industry could address. Addressing this issue would probably temper the slope of the trend.” The “ideal solution,” the authors maintain, would have GameStop releasing used-game data with NPD for analysis of its impact.
Analysts: Sony Profit to Fall 50%
January 29, 2007
A median estimate from five analysts surveyed by news agency Bloomberg has predicted that Sony’s third quarter results could see profits fall by a half, due to slower than expected sales of its flagship PlayStation 3 video game Blu-ray Disc console.
New estimates suggest that the company will see group income fall to ¥84.1 billion ($689 mil.) for the three months ended December 31st. Sales for the games division alone are estimated at ¥390 billion ($3.20 bil.), with operating results predicted at a loss of ¥50.9 billion ($417 mil.).
The “unexpected” success of the Wii, rather than direct competition from the Xbox 360, is cited as the major reason for the shortfall. However, the group as a whole may still exceed its full year profit targets thanks to a weak yen, good sales of the Bravia range of high-end televisions, and growth in the company’s movie division.
Analysts predict that Sony’s game division will lose as much as ¥191.9 billion ($1.57 bil.) for the full fiscal year, compared to a profit of ¥8.7 billion ($71 mil.) the year before. The company’s official fiscal results for the third quarter are expected to be released later this week.
PS3 sales in Japan dropped further in the week to Jan. 21 as the games market there suffered from lackluster demand compared to recent week. PS3 suffered its worst week of sales since launch for the second week in a row. A total of 21,105 of the consoles were sold during the week, said Media Create Co. Ltd.
Sales of the Nintendo’s Wii console and Microsoft Xbox 360 were 8,395 and 7,041for that week, Media Create said; both down from the previous week.
Bungie: We Screwed Up on Halo 2
January 26, 2007
In an Edge Online (UK) article, Bungie’s Halo staffers discuss working with Microsoft and the Halo series’ ups (3) and downs (2).
“We had about four to five weeks to polish Halo at the end. No more than that. And that last five per cent is responsible for 30% of the success of the game, or more. That’s the period in which we really had a perfect storm,” said technical lead Chris Butcher. “The team was all there, everything was working great, the Xbox hardware was finally there and good, and we just were able to relentlessly execute on that. The entire game came together within that four- to six-week period.”
None of that “polish” time, Butcher says, was there for Halo 2. “We miscalculated, we screwed up,” he said. “We came down to the wire and we just lost all of that. So Halo 2 is far less than it could and should be in many ways because of that. It kills me to think of it.”
The multiplayer experience for Halo 2, Butcher adds, “is a pale shadow of what it could and should have been.” And actually playing Halo 2 multiplayer? “I cannot do it. And that’s why I know Halo 3 is going to be so much better.” Wow.
Bungie composer Marty O’Donnell discussed working with Microsoft: “The concept that Bungie wouldn’t have a launch title for the Xbox 360 was almost impossible to conceive of. That was really hard for the suits to swallow. It was like, no no no, we have to have a Bungie launch title. But I remember saying that there’s nothing better than for Bungie not to be able to have a launch title, and for Bungie not to be defining the Xbox 360. I know it’s scary for everybody, but it’s not scary for us. We make games. We don’t ship platforms. We don’t push platforms. As soon as we think that that’s what we’re about, as soon as we think that Bungie’s a platform company, we are, in my opinion, doomed.”
Well, let’s raise our glasses to Halo 3, right, guys?
Nintendo’s Wii News Channel
January 25, 2007
The Wii News Channel, scheduled to debut Saturday, will primarily feature top news stories and photographs from The Associated Press. Consoles with a broadband Internet connection and the Opera Web browser will be able to access the free news channel, which will offer AP news in multiple languages. Japanese-language news will come from a separate agency.
There were no immediate plans to sell advertising space, said Perrin Kaplan, vice president for marketing at Nintendo’s U.S. headquarters. News will be displayed through an interactive map, which users can navigate with the Wii’s wireless controller, Kaplan said. “The beauty of it is it zooms in and out of areas of the world. So if you really want to focus on regional news or national news versus international, you just blow up the map of the U.S.”
The AP has a two-year contract to provide news and photos to Nintendo, and would like to provide multimedia in the future, said Jane Seagrave, vice president of new media markets for the New York-based news cooperative. “It’s a very innovative new application of what we’re doing generally, which is to try to get our content to new audiences on new platforms,” Seagrave said.
A recent report from market research firm NPD Group said the Wii has sold 1.1 million units since it was released in the U.S. on Nov. 19, with 604,200 of those units sold in December.
Nintendo isn’t the only company hoping to offer more from its video game console with online connections; Xbox scored an early hit with its Xbox Live online gameplay system, and has since begun offering more perks to Internet-connected users.
AP will supply news for the Wii in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, and Swiss-German, Seagrave said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Japanese news company Goo will supply Nintendo’s Japanese-language news, Kaplan said.
“The Nintendo Wii demographic is definitely a wider demographic than your traditional hardcore gamer,” said Billy Pidgeon, a video game industry analyst at IDC in New York. “It kind of makes sense for other types of content to be made available on the Wii.”
Sony Europe Reveals PS3 Launch Specifics
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has officially unveiled its PS3 launch date and prices for the UK, revealing a 60GB-only March 23 lkick-off at £425 ($842). The continental European price for the console is 599 Euros ($778), and the Australian price is set at $999 Australian ($791 U.S.).
As previously rumored, the UK launch will only include the 60GB model (1 million units of which are being made available the first day), rather than the choice between the 20GB and 60GB models launched in Japan and the USA.
SCEE says the single model launch is in response to ‘retail and consumer demand.’ The 20GB model, says SCEE, will be offered later in the year.
SCEE has also said that the European PlayStation Network will offer a full selection of downloadable titles, including Gran Turismo HD Concept and a localized version of Tekken: Dark Resurrection, previously only available to Japan and Hong Kong. Go! Sudoku, Go!, Puzzle, Blast Factor, and flOw are also promised for day-one availability.
The full game list supplied by SCEE, including both network and Blu-ray-based games, is as follows (alphabetically!):
Blast Factor
Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII
Call of Duty 3
Def Jam: Icon
Enchanted Arms
F.E.A.R.
Fight Night Round 3
flOw
Formula One Championship Edition
Full Auto 2: Battle Lines
Genji: Days of the Blade
Go! Sudoku, Go!
Gripshift
Gundam – Target in Sight
Lemmings
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
MotorStorm
NBA 2K7
NBA Street 4 Homecourt 2007
Need for Speed Carbon
NHL 2K7
Puzzle
Resistance: Fall of Man
Ridge Racer 7
Sonic the Hedgehog
Super Rub’a’Dub
Tekken: Dark Resurrection
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Godfather: The Don’s Edition
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Tony Hawk’s Project 8
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Virtua Fighter 5
Virtua Tennis 3
World Snooker Championship 2007
SCEE has also made available pricing information for peripherals and accessories, as follows:
SIXAXIS Wireless Controller - £34.99 ($69)
Blu-ray Disc Remote Control - £17.99 ($36)
HDMI Cable - £17.99 ($36)
AV cable - £17.99 ($36)
Component AV cable - £17.99 ($36)
S Video cable - £12.99 ($26)
Microsoft Talks Games, Live Services For Windows Vista
January 24, 2007
Microsoft’s director for Windows gaming business, Rich Wickham, noted that 2006 was “the best year we’ve ever had” for Windows gaming, and suggested that the launch of Vista and the migration of Live services onto Windows should continue to expand PC gaming’s horizons.
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade’s gigantic 2.4 million unit sellout in the first 24 hours gave Wickham good reason to smile, and he had hopes Vista will sell at the same or better rate. He went on to praise the role of gaming in shaping the overall Vista platform: “Gaming and DirectX have brought 3D to the [Vista] platform,” and revealing that both Crysis and Age of Conan were running at the event using DirectX 10; other major titles being showcased included Hellgate London and Supreme Commander.
He also discussed Microsoft’s gradual roll-out of the Live service, including Achievement Points and cross-platform play, to Windows Vista over the course of this year. Being shown at the event in cross-playable PC and Xbox 360 forms were Uno (for which Wickham quipped that the casual game “may not be that casual after all,” thanks to its addictive nature) and Shadowrun.
In addition, single-player PC casual titles which will allow Achievement Points, including Geometry Wars, which will ship later in 2007, were also shown. There was also confirmation that Xbox Live Arcade title Crystal Quest is also coming to the PC, presumably with a Live-enabled scoreboard and Achievements.
Wickham also talked about the new marketing campaign behind Windows titles. Retail boxes including the Games For Windows logo will be placed on games that work perfectly with both Windows XP and Windows Vista, and he also discussed backwards compatibility issues for Vista and other PC games. Wickham indicated that over 1,000 games have been tested for backward compatibility, commenting, “I feel better about where we are [on backward compatibility] with Vista today than I have with any other operating system.”
Various questions from the small group assembled at San Francisco’s Dogpatch Studios included a query about Xbox 360 vs. PC ‘exclusivity’ or staggered release dates for any of the big titles coming out this year for both systems. Wickham commented that, for third parties, “It’s for them to decide…we’ve made it much easier to make simultaneously shipping games.” He also commented that he believed a number of the major titles coming out for PC and Xbox 360 this year will ship at the same time on both platforms.
Nintendo Teams Up with Six Flags
January 23, 2007
Nintendo of America officials have announced a marketing partnership with national theme park chain Six Flags, which named the Wii as the Official Gaming Console of Six Flags amusement parks.
So how exactly does that work? Nintendo will introduce complimentary Wii video game stations throughout select Six Flags amusement parks, and the companies will collaborate on marketing initiatives, including a national sweepstakes promotion for Six Flags on Nintendo’s official website.
“This agreement with Nintendo enables us to partner with a company, and a product, that has major relevance in the lives of today’s families,” commented Mark Shapiro, Six Flags president and CEO. “When this audience is not in our parks, more often than not they are at home playing video games - and now they can do both in one place as we continue to build Six Flags into a supermarket of entertainment.”
Nintendo’s Perrin Kaplan added, “We look forward to continuing to build the Wii’s leadership position in video gaming by making the system available to millions of guests who visit Six Flags every year. The Wii system is dedicated to reaching a broad audience, and we look forward to sharing the ultimate gaming system with Six Flags guests beginning in 2007.”
NPD: Top Sellers for 2006
January 22, 2007
The NPD Group, a consumer research firm, has released its overview of U.S. PC game sales for 2006, with retail revenues over $970 million, a 1 percent increase over PC based revenue posted in 2005.
The firm detailed the top ten PC titles in the U.S. for the entirety of 2006, which saw World of Warcraft on top of the annual chart; this chart does not yet track digital downloads of games.
Electronic Arts’ popular The Sims 2 franchise that enjoyed the most representation on the chart, with the core game and three of its existing expansions being counted among the year’s top 10 PC releases in the U.S.
Top 10 PC games of 2006:
1. World Of Warcraft
2. The Sims 2
3. The Sims 2: Open For Business Expansion Pack
4. Star Wars: Empire At War
5. The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack
6. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
7. Age Of Empires III
8. The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff Expansion Pack
9. Civilization IV
10. The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack
The overall game market in 2006 was $13.5 billion in North America, and turning to the console market, it was EA’s seminal Madden NFL 07 that managed to secure the top sport in game sales within the U.S.
EA titles proved to be the dominant force on the console chart for the year, with NCAA Football 07, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and Fight Night Round 3 also being represented.
Top 10 console games for 2006:
1. Madden NFL 07
2. Cars
3. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
4. NCAA Football 07
5. New Super Mario Bros.
6. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
7. Gears of War
8. Call of Duty 3
9. Lego Star Wars
10. Fight Night Round 3
Gears Hits 3 Million Mark for Sales
January 19, 2007
Microsoft officials have announced that Gears of War has sold more than three million units worldwide since its release ten weeks ago, with the action shooter being the top-selling title game across all platforms in December.
Microsoft also revealed that Gears of War’s latest downloadable content (released for free on January 10 and includes two new multiplayer maps) has garnered an impressive 750,000 downloads. In total, all of the game’s available Xbox Live content (including the maps, themes and video walkthrough) have seen 1.5 million downloads thus far, according to the company.
A month ago, Microsoft noted that Gears of War was the fastest selling Xbox exclusive title in history. Microsoft has since revealed that Gears of War was recently awarded a Platinum award by noted Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, making the game, alongside Blue Dragon, the second Microsoft Game Studios title in the past two months to receive this honor.
“Like blockbuster titles from Microsoft’s Halo franchise and the Grand Theft Auto and Zelda franchises, Gears of War is tracking to be one of the best-selling video games of all time and has established itself as the most successful new IP of the next generation,” commented Microsoft’s Jeff Bell.
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