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IGN acquired by Ziff Davis
IGN and its related sites have been acquired by j2 Global through its Ziff Davis subsidiary. Although the sale price was undisclosed, Bloomberg cites sources who claim it was less than the $100 million News Corp was asking for the bundle. Ziff Davis will now take over IGN, UGO, 1UP and AskMen.com. According to j2, these sites have over 600 advertisers and 53 million global monthly unique visitors.The historical context for all this gets crazy and incestuous, so strap in, we'll try to make this easy. The zombie Ziff Davis at the heart of this current deal was acquired by j2 Global for $167 million in late 2012, after Ziff's years of financial difficulty and bankruptcy.The incarnation of Ziff Davis that game industry watchers probably remember is the one that once upon a time ran 1UP and EGM. Those properties were sold in 2009 to the Hearst corporation, which had also acquired UGO earlier. This led to the death of EGM and reinterpretation of 1UP.Two years later, News Corp., which owned IGN, took over the Hearst properties and, thusly, the former Ziff Davis site 1UP and Hearst's UGO.So, now, here we are, with the reincarnated Ziff Davis taking over IGN. We think we got all that right.
First impressions of FFXIV closed beta
Final Fantasy XIV's beta 2 stage is underway, and 1Up's Michael Vreeland is one of the lucky holders of a beta key. He's been playing the game for a few weeks, and yesterday he had a chance to post his first impressions. He began with character creation, describing a detailed process that allows the levels of customization we've been anticipating. There were a few exceptions here and there, but the developers promise more options before launch. The next step was exploration of the starting areas and early Guildleves -- both what they look like and how they work for the player. Finally, character growth gets a brief overview. Character growth is said to be the primary theme of FFXIV, and increased character customization with each level is a big advantage. Take a look at the complete story and a new screenshot gallery on 1UP.com.
Google takes a long sideways look at gaming
You might want to strap in, for the road connecting the facts on this one is bumpy indeed -- but intriguing as well. Via 1UP comes the word that search engine giant Google has hired Mark DeLoura to work on game development for the Android and Chrome OS. DeLoura brings with him a truckload of game consulting experience, and had a few interesting comments about the new job on his blog: "Over the years I've seen Google ship products that seemed very useful for game developers, like Google SketchUp and 3D Warehouse. I always wondered why they didn't dive into games further – or, perhaps they were, and they were doing it in secret! :-) Google Lively was probably the closest thing to a game that they produced. When I started hearing about their work on O3D, I began to get very curious about what Google was planning. Clearly there are a number of initiatives going on at Google that can relate to games in some way. Those of you who attended GDC for example saw a massive push for games for Android, with Google giving away perhaps thousands of Android devices. Now seemed like the perfect time to join Google!" So what does this have to do with the world of MMOs? Perhaps nothing, perhaps a great deal. If you'll recall, Google experimented with an online avatar experience called Lively that was closed in early 2009. Even though Lively was not a roaring success, Google's interest in the games market and their prior foray into online worlds could signal a possible future contender in our neck of the woods.
Relaunched EGM subscriptions now available, magazine details remain hazy [update]
Hey, you remember EGM, right? The gaming mag that folded in January 2009 when 1UP/EGM was sold by Ziff-Davis Media to Hearst/UGO? And then the original publisher Steve Harris purchased it for a relaunch earlier this year, only to find out that the relaunch was pushed to April? We have to imagine that, by now, you're positively itching to put your money down on a subscription (if you haven't already subscribed to Kill Screen, of course). It would appear that your wish has been granted, as EGM has officially opened the door to its subscription portal, promising savings of 70 percent off the newsstand price. For 32 issues and access to "EGMi: The Digital Magazine," US customers are looking at dropping $14.99, while 64 issues (as well as the aforementioned digital mag access) will cost $24.99 -- Canadian subscribers are looking at $34.99 and $54.99 for 32 and 64 issues, respectively, minus the digital version. Though we've yet to receive any real idea of the magazine's content, Harris has already signed on ex-EGMers Dan "Shoe" Hsu and Demian Linn, as well as the Co-Op folks, to fill those shoes (or "Hsu's," as it were). We'll certainly find out more this April when the first issue is scheduled to hit subscribers and newsstands. Update: To be clear, the $14.99 and $24.99 subscription deals actually equal a half year or full year of physical magazines (one per month; six and 12, respectively), as detailed in the fine print. "Your subscription includes either six print issues and 26 premium digital issues of EGM[I]: The Digital Magazine for a total of 32 issues OR 12 print issues and 52 premium digital issues of EGM[I]: The Digital Magazine for a total of 64 issues." Confusing enough for you?
Spector explains disparity between Disney Epic Mickey concept shots and reality
If you're anything like us, you may have felt a bit ... underwhelmed by the recently released screenshots of Warren Spector-lead project Disney Epic Mickey, especially when compared to the magic-filled concept art leaked so many weeks ago. Speaking to 1UP in a recent interview, Spector says he works on creating concept art that will find the metaphorical "line" by "pushing past it." For him, it is a question of finding the boundaries for not just himself and his development team, but also Disney. "I know where my lines are, but I don't know where Disney's are."He additionally teases, "Some of what you saw was beyond the line ... some of it was early design ideas that are no longer relevant ... some of it is stuff that's still in the game, and I'm not saying what." If the recent steady stream of information on Disney Epic Mickey continues, we'll likely see at least a few of those original concepts in their current form at a point in the not-too-distant future.%Gallery-76724%%Gallery-68993%
Progression and building in LEGO Universe
Information on LEGO Universe has been somewhat thin as of late, but that's beginning to change. Over at 1up you'll find a meaty preview that covers quite a bit of ground, including basic MMO features like progression to LEGO specific stuff like building quests. The building mode is of course the keystone to this game, and the fact that a player cannot be harmed when entering the mode speaks volumes about its importance. Aside from building mode, zones in LEGO Universe are likely to be distinctly memorable due to the licenses' ability to have pirate, ninja, robot or even Star Wars themed planets -- assuming they're capable of using any of their real world toy lines within the game. And as for combat? If you've played any of the console LEGO games, then you'll know what to expect, which is essentially action-based combat. There's a lot more detail in the actual preview, so check it out if building with bricks is how you get your kicks.
Kojima and Desilets trade praise over Assassin's Creed 2 and Peace Walker
Assassin's Creed 2 head Patrice Désilets and MGS: Peace Walker head Hideo Kojima had a war of compliments in the most recent issue of Famitsu. It seems that the two gentlemen have a bit of a game industry bromance going on, lauding the other's current project in a back and forth translated by 1UP. "I think there are three games that stand out above the rest of the pack in the remainder of this year. One is Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, one is Uncharted 2, and the third is Assassin's Creed II," said Kojima."If I had to give my impression of Peace Walker, I'd have to say that I want to play more," Désilets responded. "It was great fun; I can't wait for the retail version." Kojima expanded a bit on his appreciation for Désilets' "focus on game design" over style, and said that he's currently considering the possibility of them "maybe, kinda" going steady. Okay, we made up that last part.
Gran Turismo 5's Yamauchi: 'We could release it any time we want'
Gran Turismo 5's Kazunori Yamauchi says he could give you his studio's next entry in the venerable racing-sim series right now ... but he won't. Speaking with Famitsu last week (translated by 1UP), the Polyphony Digital studio head explains that while "We could release it any time we want," he's more interested in trying to give the game "that classic GT-style." And though "daily progress is slow," the Japanese developer assures us that "it's still going forward at a steady clip."Unlike the PSP iteration's somewhat lackluster feature set, Yamauchi intends on going "way beyond gamer expectations" with GT5, even confirming the export of cars earned in GT PSP to next March's PS3 sequel. We're hoping he goes way beyond our expectations as well and delivers the game to other territories in a more timely fashion.%Gallery-71410%
Garnett Lee becomes editorial director for GameFly media, including Shacknews [update]
1UP editor and podcast personality Garnett Lee has joined GameFly to become the editorial director for all of the game rental service's media properties. He will now take charge of GameFly's recently acquired and created sites, which include Shacknews, FileShack, Ponged and Gameanswers.com. Lee was one of the few survivors in the great 1UP culling that occurred earlier this year, when the former Ziff-Davis property was purchased by UGO. GameFly, as we've mentioned before, is slowly shifting from its core competency of being a game rental service to becoming an internet publishing outfit.Update: We spoke with Garnett Lee and his comments about the change are after the break.
Square Enix near to announcing another Nier game
It might not be the game we were most excited by at E3 2009, but upcoming action game Nier is apparently already getting the franchise treatment. According to a two-page ad spotted by 1UP in the most recent Famitsu, "Nier Replicant" is set to be detailed in next week's issue of the Japanese magazine. The spread features a scantily clad white-haired lady with a single line of text that reads, "Beyond revenge lies crazed desperation." Given the absolute dearth of information we have on the Nier franchise, we're sorry to say we can offer little more than our furrowed brow to assuage your confusion over Replicant's tagline. We do know that the name could very well change before it's formally announced on Western shores, as Nier was recently announced in the same edition of Famitsu as "Nier Gestalt" -- known as to us as just Nier. It appears as though at least some of our questions will be answered in next week's issue.%Gallery-64593% [Image credit]
Star Trek Online video footage an early look at starship combat
The Massively team wasn't at Gamescom this year but if we had been, the Cryptic Studios video presentation for Star Trek Online and its space combat definitely would've caught our attention. Our friend Gary Gannon from the Game Breakr podcast pointed us in the direction of some 1up video footage showing all manner of space carnage in Star Trek Online, with some footage of away mission encounters as well. It's not an official trailer by any means, but it is a closer look at the gameplay of Star Trek Online. We've got an embed of the video for you after the jump.
WoW Insider Show with guest Phil Kollar at 3:30pm today
The podcast returns this afternoon with our first special guest in a while: Phil Kollar will join Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington, Turpster, and I for a spirited chat about the latest news in the World of Warcraft. He's a former editor on 1up.com, and is currently working as an associate editor at Game Informer magazine (that's the one they sell you with the card at Gamestop). And oh yeah, he's quite the WoW player as well. We'll be talking about all of the most popular stories of the last week, including faction changes and how they're going, what's up with the jousting in the 5-man, and what it means that a guild toppled one of the hardest bosses in the game.. in blue gear.Plus, we'll be answering your emails (send along whatever you'd like us to talk about to theshow@wow.com), and just in general having a great time. Everything will kick off at September 5, 2009 3:30 PM EDTvar date_span = document.getElementById("date"); var date = new Date(date_span.innerHTML); var monthname=new Array("Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug", "Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"); var weekday=new Array("Sunday","Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday", "Friday","Saturday"); var year = date.getFullYear(); var day_of_month = date.getDate(); var month = monthname[date.getMonth()]; var day = weekday[date.getDay()]; var hour = date.getHours(); if (hour > 11) { if (hour > 12) {hour -= 12} am_pm = "PM"; } else { am_pm = "AM"; } var minute = date.getMinutes(); if (minute < 10) { minute = "0"+minute; } date_string = day + ", " + month + " " + day_of_month; date_string += " at " + hour + ":" + minute + " " + am_pm; offset = -date.getTimezoneOffset()/60; if (offset >= 0) { offset = "+"+offset; } date_string += " in your time zone GMT"+offset; date_span.innerHTML = (date_string); right over on our Ustream page, so if you're around and interested, stop on by and say hello. See you there!
Bayonetta coming to Japan this October
Bayonetta has received a release date of October 29 in Japan, reports 1UP. Not only that, but those who pre-order the game in the region will also receive a CD entitled "Rodin's Selection." The soundtrack disc contains ... well, we don't exactly know, but it comes in a neat case, designed to look like a pub menu.We've contacted Sega to see if it's still planning on a simultaneous global release for the game. We'll update if we hear back.
Champions Online open beta coming in August
Mark your calendars, because according to fansite Champions Online Daily News -- and confirmed by Cryptic themselves -- August will be the month when everyone can flood into Champions Online's open beta. This information came from Daily News' recent visit to Cryptic's actual studio in Los Gatos, CA where it sounds as though the design team is sweating plutonium to get the game ready for public play.We know many of you have been waiting to hear this news. With the game launching in September, it was only a question of whether or not a beta would happen -- August was mostly a foregone conclusion. Still, now that it's officially coming you can toss up your hats (or whatever article of clothing you would like to remove and hurl into the air) and celebrate. Beta's only a couple months away... just a couple more months.[via 1up; Thanks, Kinnetik!]
Like weeds: new Natal Xbox rumor shot down, 3D Xbox rumor pops up to take its place
Rumor mongers seem hell bent on Microsoft building a brand new Xbox, despite what we assumed was wonderful news that current Xbox owners wouldn't have to shell out for new hardware to handle Project Natal. Well, Microsoft has already hit back against 1UP's rumor of a new Xbox coming in Fall 2010, calling the report "nonsense." Others have pointed out that the camera hardware actually does almost all of its own processing, so a slight hardware bump to the 360 would be kind of pointless -- though most seem to agree that Microsoft will package Natal with the 360 in a new SKU akin to the Arcade or Elite. Meanwhile, TeamXbox, the ones who seemed to think the Zune HD was a portable game console of sorts, have a new rumor in the works: the next Xbox 360 won't be out in 2010 because Microsoft is going to wait for 3D-capable TVs to become more commonplace and launch a stereoscopic 3D console at that time. It sounds enticing, but given the fact that the Wii has succeeded directly in the face of its next-gen television empowering PS3 and Xbox 360 competition, we can't say it's the most likely of ideas -- if anything, Microsoft will need to have some solid backwards compatibility for us 2D "Take On Me" types. [Via PC World] Read - Microsoft sources play down reports of new Xbox Read - TeamXbox predicts 3D Xbox
Two new characters for King of Fighters XII coming home
In addition to the ultra smooth (and likely quite sophisticated) King of Fighters XII anti-aliasing graphical update, it appears as though the home version of the game will be coming with two new characters. Elizabeth Blanctorche and a character known only as "Mature" will be joining the ranks of the already 20-character strong roster as a result of the move to console from arcades.1UP claims the game's Japanese language website also teases, "the art of K' and Mai Shiranui in the style of KOFXII," though it remains unconfirmed whether or not the console release will see more exclusive characters. The game releases this July, and in the meantime, we'll be over here looking through the beautiful gallery full of artwork we already have.[Via 1UP]%Gallery-47801%
Rumor: Differences between FFXIII demo and retail version
A fan on 2ch has a list of expected differences between Final Fantasy XIII's demo and retail versions, cobbled together from statements made in Famitsu, Famitsu PS3 and Dengeki PlayStation. 1UP reports the list is everything that FFXIII director, Motomu Toriyama, claims will be changed. A bento sampler: Battles will be harder in the retail version. Players can issue orders to party members in the final build. Most important: The Final Fantasy victory song will be present in the final game. Check out the full list of alleged changes over at 1UP.
Square Enix teams with V Jump mag on 'epic' project
Japanese isn't exactly our strong suit here at Joystiq, though one intrepid staffer has the ability to make those crazy shapes interpretable. And he's explained that the teaser for next month's issue of J-mag V Jump has some enticingly vague information about an upcoming collaboration between the magazine and publisher Square Enix. Out of the six lines of indecipherable glyphs (to our gaijin eyes, at least), he gleaned this gem: "Together with Square Enix, we're producing the next generation epic 'Project V!' Could your ideas become reality!?" For clarity's sake, the snippet isn't referring to that other Project V.We're not quite sure our ideas will become reality, but we suspect we'll at least find out more about the partnership in next month's issue. (And if you're one of those people with the amazing ability to read Japanese, you'll want to head over to the magazine's website and look out for the symbol you see on the right.)[Via 1UP]
GamePro to publish indie games, free magazine
Set to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year, GamePro -- and parent company IDG -- has made an unexpected announcement: it's getting into the business of publishing games. As reported by GameDaily, the newly formed label, GamePro Labs, will focus on publishing games from independent developers.The label's official site makes mention of Xbox 360, PC, Zune, iPhone and PlayStation Network platforms, but is light on specific release plans. Game submissions are being accepted, although GamePro does say it will only be publishing a limited number of tiles each year. The company will act as a sort of "middleman" between indie devs and platformer holders, in addition to handling payouts and "regular promotion in GamePro Magazine." The latter hopefully refers to ad space and not any sort of paid editorial consideration. Titles from three currently signed developers will be announced at GDC later this month.GamePro has also announced plans to produce a free, custom edition of its magazine for distribution exclusively at 7-Eleven stores. The convenience chain began selling games last year (and breaking street dates on them shortly thereafter).
Cory Barlog penning a script for Sony
Did you know Cory Barlog has an awesome name? That's not actually what this post is about, but we spend hours wondering why the ex-God of War II director doesn't just go the whole hog and get those R and L letters swapped round. Anyway, in a recent interview with 1UP, Barlog reveals that he's working on a script for Sony. It's unclear what this script is for, whether it's for a game or some other project. A movie perhaps? Whatever it is, Barlog says that it'll be "something that everyone's fairly familiar with." A God of War movie script then, maybe? We know a movie is in development and who better to write the script than someone who has worked so closely with the franchise? It's all speculation at this point, but we're certainly intrigued to find out more. Hopefully soon.
