Doug-Lombardi
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Valve making Portal 2 ads on its own
Who knows how to communicate Portal 2's gameplay and tone better than Valve? Certainly not some ad agency, the company is asserting. Marketing VP Doug Lombardi told MCV that the company is going in-house for its Portal 2 ads, not just because it knows the material, but because it's easier to tinker that way. "With the Portal 2 ad," Lombardi said, "we playtested it and were able to make changes during production. With an agency, those types of tests are too often left to a post-mortem – at which point, the value of those realisations is pretty close to worthless." It's solid advice for anyone with the money lying about to create its own ad division. And good news for people who like to see actually funny things on TV.
Valve denies having a Linux version of Steam in the works
It was a beautiful dream, and someone even went to the trouble of pushing some decent proof, but for now at least Valve is denying any Linux version of Steam in the works. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, when asked about the Linux Steam rumors, Valve marketing VP Doug Lombardi dropped the word: "There's no Linux version that we're working on right now." Of course, things can change, or Valve could be lying to our face in the interest of a good surprise, but for now we're going assume the worst for our freedom-loving brethren. What, are those penguin tears we see? Don't cry, Tux. Don't cry.
Valve talks gaming on the Mac, says best is yet to come
Valve's Jason Holtman and Doug Lombardi recently sat down with GamesIndustry.biz to discuss their big release of Steam on the Mac, and not only do they reiterate that great stat that games released on the Mac see a nice bump in sales, but they say that the best days of Mac gaming are yet to come. They can't share numbers yet on just how many Mac vs. PC players there are (though they say the response has been great, and you can see Mac players in games often), but Holtman and Lombardi both say that from small game developers to big game publishers, Steam on Mac has helped everyone see just how active and important the Mac gaming scene is. There are international users on Macs, and the amount of player interest in games for the platform has made developers rethink their old plans of releasing a Mac port when they get to it rather than day and date with the PC title. That is, in a word, awesome. And Lombardi says now that publishers are interested in the platform as whole, we'll see some "different types of experiment on pricing and promotion and all that stuff on Mac titles," as companies try to figure out how to make the most of this market they've been neglecting for so long. Valve has already said that bringing Steam to the Mac was the most significant decision they've made with the service, but I'd argue that even this early in the process (even Valve admits that it doesn't have a lot of data yet on how people use the two platforms), it was a seismic event for Mac gaming as well.
Valve is 'bummed' by Australia's Left 4 Dead 2 ban
It seems Australian zombie enthusiasts aren't alone in their dismay over the OFLC's recent ban on the sale of Left 4 Dead 2 in the Land Down Under -- Valve's Doug Lombardi recently told Shacknews that the ban came as quite a surprise for the developer as well. "Obviously, everyone at Valve is pretty bummed," Lombardi explained, as a grief-wracked Gabe Newell wept openly into his shoulder. It's a real shame that the OFLC added L4D2 to its expansive list of titles prohibited from being sold in Australia -- not only because Aussies will be robbed of one of the most promising multiplayer titles of 2009, but because it effectively invalidates the two parties' pre-existing peacemaking efforts. %Gallery-64704%
Valve: Left 4 Dead 2 multiplayer demo on its way, pre-order customers get 'advanced access'
Doug Lombardi has told Joystiq that a multiplayer demo for Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 is planned for both the Xbox 360 and PC. According to Valve's PR guru, users who pre-order the upcoming zombie survival title at "participating retailers or [via] Steam" will gain "advanced access to the demo," which will eventually land on both platforms for all users prior to the game's November 17 launch.Speaking with OXM at a recent London preview event, Lombardi discussed the strength of Left 4 Dead's "word of mouth," which has presumably fueled the need for a demo to the sequel. With groups calling for a boycott of Left 4 Dead 2 due to lack of content support for the original title, a demo may be the best way for Valve to prove why it believes its sequel warrants a full price tag. Although, strong pre-order numbers tell us the game is already on pace to decimate sales charts like a zombie tank.%Gallery-64704%
Valve: Steam sales even boost retail games
Worried that those pesky digital shelves are going to put your local brick-and-mortar out of business in the next few weeks? Worry not, friends, as Valve's Doug Lombardi is here to put all your worries to bed. Talking to GamesIndustry.biz, Lombardi claimed that "free weekend" sales on Steam (among others) actually help to bolster sales at physical retail locations as well as online."Recently we've seen data that shows Left 4 Dead free weekends increase the sales of Left 4 Dead on Steam, at retail and on the Xbox 360, which we would never have guessed could have happened, but it's just that word of mouth," says Lombardi. Furthermore, he waves off talk of bad blood between Valve and GameStop over the developer's Steam service, saying, "We spent more money at GameStop in the US promoting Left 4 Dead than we did at any other chain ... we sold more copies of Left 4 Dead at Gamestop than we did at any other chain ... for us, whichever cash register you want to pay at, that's fine." Not that it matters to GameStop anyway, given the lack of a threat posed for at least another five years, right?
Valve 'up' on idea of PS3 development, waiting to build talented PS3 team
Valve isn't quite as against the idea of developing games for the PS3 as we previously thought. Speaking to Valve's Doug Lombardi at the Left 4 Dead 2 event in London today (look out for the full interview soon), we discovered that the company is still "up on the idea" of developing for the PS3 -- it's just waiting until it has hired some decent PS3 coders. "If you look at The Orange Box -- PC: 96 on Metacritic, 360: 96 on Metacritic, PS3 like... 84 or something. That's not even close to where we are right now with the 360 and PC and the reason is people."Lombardi went on to say that "we have to get people under our roof who are dedicated, talented PS3 guys and then all bets are off. We can take the same sort of strides and get the quality out of the box and offer the same support post-launch on that platform, as well." Sounds like Valve-developed PS3 games are more a case of "when" than "if," nowadays. When asked whether Valve is actively seeking to hire PS3 developers, he noted that "Valve is always looking to hire people. So yeah, definitely." Are you a dedicated PS3 coder who wants to make Left 4 Dead 3 for the system? You know what to do. We look forward to seeing your handiwork in late 2010.
Left 4 Dead demo coming early November
We're ready, zombie-plan in hand for the upcoming apocalypse -- sponsored by Valve. While we're confident our survival guide is top-notch we wouldn't mind a test run before the actual catastrophic event takes place, luckily Doug Lombardi confirmed a Left 4 Dead demo is headed our way soon. Speaking with IGN, Lombardi -- VP of Marketing at Valve -- confirmed an upcoming demo of Left 4 Dead will drop prior to the game hitting store shelves and will take place, "from the front of the Survivor's first campaign (including the opening movie)." The two map (or level) demo showcases the first two missions of the game where four survivors attempt to work their way to the roof of Mercy Hospital for extraction. While a specific date for the demo has not been confirmed, Lombardi did tell IGN that gamers should expect the demo to land on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam early in the month of November. Left 4 Dead hits stores on November 17.[Thanks, Patrick]
Valve's Doug Lombardi admits PS3 success, 're-evaluating' development
So, looks like Valve cannot ignore the success of the PS3 anymore. Gabe Newell, head of the critically acclaimed studio sparked a bit of controversy when he repeatedly attacked the PS3's difficult development architecture, calling it a "waste of time." His studio refused to work on a PS3 version of The Orange Box, leaving it to EA to do the eventual PS3 port.However, it looks like the continued success of the PS3 has the studio taking back some of his words. "We're always evaluating what's happening in the marketplace and certainly something that's happening in the last couple of months is that Sony's managed to sell some boxes," said Doug Lombardi to CVG. "So whether or not you like developing for that platform, if they've got millions of people connected to that platform and buying their games you have to take it seriously."While there's "zero chance" for a PS3 version of the upcoming zombie multiplayer game Left 4 Dead this year, there's now a "50-50" chance that it will happen some time next year. While we're fans of Valve's work, we're not entirely sure if the PS3 audience will welcome them with open arms.Update: Huge mistake folks. The headline says Valve's Gabe Newell, when it was in fact, Doug Lombardi that made the comment. We apologize for the mistake -- the article has been corrected.
Got some cash? Valve 'happy' to talk acquisition
Just like your favorite indie band – those guys that issued a giant middle finger to The Man and made it their own way, retaining credibility the way a sponge retains water – Valve isn't averse to an acquisition. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Before you tear down your Gabe Newell poster or throw away your Robin Walker découpaged Trapper Keeper, hear 'em out: Valve's veep of marketing Doug Lombardi simply said, "anything is possible" and that he'd be "happy" to discuss an acquisition of the hugely successful independent developer. He's not talking about "selling out" ... like that band ...Valve's always done plenty in-house, but partnerships with Sierra and now EA Partners have provided the dev with significant marketing and distribution resources that it would rather not take on. Speaking of EA, Lombardi relayed some details behind Valve's decision to partner with the Big Bad Publisher, concluding, "We haven't seen the boogeyman." It's clear both Valve and EA have eyes for each other and, with recently acquired devs like BioWare and Pandemic calling their relationship with the publisher "mutually beneficial," it wouldn't surprise us if EA took Lombardi up on his offer to talk.
Valve's Doug Lombardi denies PS3 version of Left 4 Dead
It appears that the internet was too quick to celebrate a potential EA-developed port of Left 4 Dead (us included). Supposed scans of the Official PlayStation Magazine quickly stated the title was going to eventually hit PS3 through an Orange Box-like deal, with EA handling porting duties of the game. However, Valve's big man in charge, Doug Lombardi, denied the existence of a PS3 port in a short and sweet statement to TGN: "There's no PS3 version of L4D currently in production."Apparently, the scan which turned into the talk of the town was taken out of context: it was simply a bullet point in a regular rumors column. However, considering the positive response to a PS3 version of Valve's upcoming multiplayer zombie apocalypse game, we'd think it foolish for EA to pass on an incredible opportunity like this.
Valve would 'love' to see its older titles on XBLA
In an interview with Official Xbox Magazine UK, Valve's Doug Lombardi revealed that the company will "certainly consider" bringing some of its older titles to Xbox Live Arcade. With Valve already bringing Portal: Still Alive to XBLA, it would certainly make sense for Valve to look at placing its older titles on XBLA. Lombardi seems to agree, noting, "We'll certainly consider it. If you look at what we've done on Steam, we try to make all our games available and we're always reviewing the prices to keep them current." He added that Valve would "love" to bring it's older titles to XBLA but that "Portal: Still Alive is our first step at doing that beyond the PC." Lombardi also reiterates Valve's current strategy of working with the PC and 360 saying, "Right now, Valve's doing PC and 360 stuff, so anything we would iterate on would be on Xbox. We don't have any immediate plans to do this on PS3 or Nintendo."Can anyone say Counter-Strike?[Via Joystiq]
Valve committed to XBLA, re-releases possible
With excitement still brewing for the upcoming GlaDOS-free follow up to Portal, developer Valve has come forward, throwing its considerable weight behind Xbox Live Arcade while adding that the company is 'considering' bringing other titles from its catalog to the service as well. Says Valve's Doug Lombardi, "We'll certainly consider it. If you look at what we've done on Steam, we try to make all our games available and we're always reviewing the prices to keep them current. We'd love to do that, but Portal: Still Alive is our first step at doing that beyond the PC."While Lombardi adds that the studio currently has no "immediate plans" to test the waters of either the Wii or PlayStation 3, this remains great news for owners of Microsoft's console, possibly giving those who missed Valve's boat the first time around a second chance to climb on board.
Portal: Still Alive additional levels based off Portal: The Flash Version, won't include GlaDOS
There's been an understandable amount of excitement regarding the pseudo-sequel to 2007's "Game of the Year", Portal, following the E3 '08 unveiling of Portal: Still Alive. However, little was announced about the title by its digital anti-heroine at the Microsoft Press Conference -- luckily, Valve's Doug Lombardi spilled the beans about the game's new features, and its relationship to the first groundbreaking title, in a few interviews during last week's shenanigans.In one such interview with GameSetWatch, Lombardi explained that Still Alive is a standalone version of the original Portal. The additional maps and challenges that were revealed on Gamerscore Blog will be pulled from the Portal: The Flash Game map pack, a 3D rendition of the award-winning web game based on the original pastry-rich puzzler. This map pack, lovingly crafted by We Create Stuff (the minds behind the Flash game), is available (and free) to download for PC portal-hoppers now.Unfortunately, neither GlaDOS, nor any other "story elements", will be included in the extra content. As excited as we are for this expansion, the prospect of zipping around an abandoned research facility without the accompaniment of an unsettling, sing-song voice just doesn't seem right.
Valve's Lombardi talks Portal XBLA, achievements and other platforms
Valve's Doug Lombardi (seen muzzled by an X3F sticker at E3 2008) recently cleared up some confusion regarding the content of Portal: Still Alive for the Xbox Live Arcade in an interview with OXM. "It's just a series of new challenges," Lombardi told the magazine. "[Portal: Still Alive is] another way for people to experience Portal, without having to buy the full Orange Box."We can't say we're surprised. With such a focus on story we didn't expect Valve to do anything exclusively for the Xbox that would factor into actual canon of the series.Lombardi later detailed that Valve has new projects in the works for the Xbox 360 but remain firm on its disinterest for PS3 and Wii development. It was also confirmed that Team Fortess 2 that the achievements and content added to the PC version of the game will come to the Xbox 360 at some point, when Valve has worked out how it wants to package and release that content.
Valve wants to keep it free, with Team Fortress 2 DLC
There's no such thing as a free lunch, but Valve's Doug Lombardi figures you already paid your meal ticket when you purchased Team Fortress 2 on the PS3 or Xbox 360. That's why he wants all future downloadable content for the console versions to be completely free of charge. Of course, it's not entirely up to him, but Lombardi hopes to get at least some content -- like the upcoming map packs -- over to players at no additional charge. According to him, DLC isn't about earning increased return on games, but rather about "keeping the customer happy." He sees the work as being an investment in future projects, as it builds consumer trust with the Valve label.No official date has been set for the first TF2 console DLC. Let's just hope that Valve's admirable philosophy wins out in the end.[Via Game|Life]
Valve likes the look of Wii
Valve's take on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360? They're not massively keen. But what about the Wii? Nintendo's console is rarely mentioned by Valve bods; indeed, it's fair to say that Valve and Nintendo may not seem like an obvious partnership, given the former's reputation as a developer of PC games (and a damn fine one, at that). Then again, marketing director Doug Lombardi seems to think the Wii might be worth investigating. Doug, we totally agree!Chatting to videogaming247.com, Lombardi revealed that Valve would be more likely to develop for the Wii than either of its more powerful rivals, thanks to the fact that "it's growing, there's already a huge user-base, and it's fun." What's more, Lombardi reckons that getting Source (Valve's proprietary 3D game engine) running on the Wii would be realistic: "Source is really scaleable. We can do that."Oh, man. Half-Life 2 or Portal with the Wiimote, anybody?
Half-Life 2 Orange Box -- console owners get a steal [update 1]
For the uninitiated, Valve initially intended to release Half-Life 2 in two different options for the consoles. One was the Black Box that contained HL2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The other is the Orange Box that contained the aforementioned plus Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 expansion. Notice our tenses. One was. One is. That's right -- the Black Box is gone. Doug Lombardi, Valve's marketing director confirmed it. "The Black Box has been cancelled. We're going to have one package, The Orange Box, available on the PC (US$49.99) as well as the 360 and PS3 (US$ 59.99)." While we're sad to see a cheaper alternative go down the garbage disposal, it's for the better. Getting the whole package is always a better alternative to getting a partial package. The only ones who seem to get screwed here are the PC owners. If they've already got the original game, they've got to buy it again if they want to get all three new products. Buying them separate might prove more expensive, anyway. Well, at least the console-lovers get everything at once, right?[Update: Changed the title of the article to better reflect the idea of the post -- indeed, the Black Box was due out only on PC, as it would be silly to not give console owners the actual game. But console owners get a fantastic deal with the Orange Box, no?]
Possibility of some Valve action on the Wii
Looks like the folks at Valve are a little late to the Wii party. We can forgive them; after all, they've been busy crafting some of the best games ever. But in this new interview with GameTrailers, Valve's Director of Marketing, Doug Lombardi admits that they didn't really get the console's potential. "I'm just going to be blunt with you -- we missed the Wii," he said. Well, at least he's honest. While Lombardi said they have no plans at the moment to develop anything for the Wii, he did add that he "wouldn't be surprised" if someone came up with an idea they just had to pursue. Well. At least now we have a candidate for today's most vaguely optimistic news award.He did assure us that they are all "super big fans" of Nintendo over there at Valve. We're certainly reassured. Now get in the studio and build us some games! We've included the video after the jump, though the Wii-relevant information is all the way at the end.
Joystiq interviews Doug Lombardi about Xbox 360 Source
Yesterday, Valve released the Source Engine middleware for the Xbox 360. But what does that mean for Xbox 360 games, PC games, and modders who use Valve's free version of Source? Valve intends for big developers to fluidly move between the two platforms. But the announcement also means one less hurdle for home developers to release an Xbox game, assuming they attract a publisher to clear the maze of licensing and distribution.Valve's Director of Marketing, Doug Lombardi answered a series of emailed questions to delve deeper into these issues. He explained the general difference between the free and middleware versions of Source, how this announcement could still apply to modders, and how PC and Xbox versions of Source games could technically be networked immediately.
