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Game-related startups raise $600 million in 2009, down 36%
Game-related startup companies raised $600 million throughout 2009, according to GamesBeat's analysis. And while $600 million is a lot of money if you're, say, trying to sell a shooter based on the art of modern warfare, it's not quite that much when you're an up-and-coming game developer. Total investments in the field were actually down by 36% since last year. That's not a bubble bursting, but it does mean that startup investors might be a little more careful with their money in the year to come. The biggest winners in the scene include Zynga, makers of Mafia Wars and a few other popular Facebook titles, who nabbed a big $180 million investment from a Russian technology company, and Playdom. You may not have played Sorority Life, the company's MySpace hit, but Lightspeed Venture Partners must have, because it invested $43 million in the company. If there's a theme here, it's social networking and online games: PopCap is probably the highest traditional game developer on the list, but even its $22.5 million investment was marked for putting its games on the web, mobile platforms, and social networks. Of course, that pull doesn't include the buck we gave them for Peggle.
Venture Beat visits Cryptic to see Star Trek Online
It's no secret that while Cryptic Studios has done well for themselves over the years, Star Trek Online is easily their biggest project yet. In fact, if successful, this game will easily attract a large amount of people who probably wouldn't otherwise look at an MMO, let alone purchase and subscribe to one.With this in mind, it's no surprise that Venture Beat's Dean Takahashi visited the developer for the skinny on everything to do with both the game and the company behind it. The videos and feature are more of a probing look into the people working on the beloved franchise's foray into massively multiplayer online gaming space than a preview on the actual game itself -- and we're all the richer for that. Getting a look at the heart and soul of the people behind any game is supremely refreshing.Check out the video coverage from Venture Beat after the break.
Is China's WoW delay politically motivated?
I don't presume to know much about trade policy or international relations, so I'll just pass you this link to a story over on VentureBeat and let you decide for yourself. You probably have already heard that Blizzard has had plenty of trouble trying to bring World of Warcraft back online in China -- they've been waiting on approval from the Chinese government's General Administration of Press and Publication, which has already mandated a few changes to the game. Dean Takahashi at VB suggests that rather than being a technical issue, the delay may actually be political and/or economically motivated: the US and China have been bumping gently lately over exports and imports, and Takahashi suggests that Blizzard's game may have gotten caught in the middle. The GAPP, he says, may be holding the game back, concerned that such a popular foreign game might be released again on their soil.Fortunately, even Takahashi says it's unsubstantiated -- WoW is likely to go back online in China in a matter of days, and the delays could just as easily have been administrative errors. But I do agree with Takahashi that it's worth watching -- China is cautious about allowing foreign manufacturers to sell to their citizens, and video games are no exception.
Red Eagle Games to develop The Wheel of Time MMO
Red Eagle Games is a relative newcomer to video game publishing, but their first MMO will be based off of a well-established IP -- Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series of novels, which are a blend of fantasy and eastern mysticism. Although Jordan passed away in 2007, he left behind 11 novels and a deep imaginative legacy that could prove to be a popular setting in the MMO world. Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon from Red Eagle Entertainment, which has spun off Red Eagle Games, recently spoke with VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi about their plans to bring The Wheel of Time into the realms of film and games. Film tie-ins with The Wheel of Time IP have already been funded, they're still in the process of raising funds for Red Eagle Games, according to Selvage. "That could prove to be difficult, but he said he has already received an enthusiastic reaction, largely because the rights to the series are considered so valuable," Takahashi writes. Funding issues aside, whether or not Red Eagle Games can break free of the stigma connected with games released in tandem with films isn't clear yet. "Selvage said he is aware of the risks and he believes that most games based on movies fail because they are made in too short a time and there isn't enough cooperation with the movie studio," Takahashi adds. Are you familiar with The Wheel of Time series of novels, and do you think the setting and lore would lend itself well to a massively multiplayer online title?
Dean Takahashi completes chronicles of Xbox 360 red ring of death
By now we have all heard of (or experienced) the infamous Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death, and we also pretty much know what causes it. Heck, we've even seen ways to avoid it by spending more money on fixes instead of going through Microsoft's replace / refurbish / replace process. In what he calls his final chapter on an extensive bit of investigative journalism, Dean Takahashi uncovers the early quality control-absent rush to market that resulted in a massive number of Xbox 360s being sent to market despite known design flaws. Dean goes on to propose that all this has kept Microsoft from winning this round of the console wars, as costs to keep the consoles working crippled Microsoft from aggressive marketing measures such as price cuts. In the end, he concludes (via an anonymous quote) that Microsoft treated the Xbox 360's launch like a software company would, as if some future patch would cover up the inherent problems with the console's design.
Microsoft's Zune may learn from PSP 'cautionary tales'
Microsoft is not yet ready to unveil a handheld gaming device, and it may not for quite some time looking at the performance of the PSP. While Sony has met moderate success with the PSP, it has struggled against Nintendo in the sector, and in spite of better hardware, has been unable to beat the Nintendo juggernaut.Zune, Microsoft's current music player, can play both music and video -- but will it ever play games? Perhaps. Microsoft's Robbie Bach spoke with Dean Takahashi on VentureBeat, and had a few things to say about what they're learning from the PSP. "The PSP is a reasonably successful product at the profit-and-loss level. But as a product concept, there are cautionary tales to learn from it. While it is good at producing audio, it's not a good music player because it doesn't have local storage (except for flash memory slots). You can't keep your music there. It has a beautiful screen, but you can only get the video under the Universal Media Disc format. That format hasn't been successful. On a game level, it has done well. But even there, it is mostly PlayStation 2 ports. There isn't much original content."Bach's comments ring of some truth, but they seem to based on the image set by Sony during the PSP launch. Since then, PSP can run full-resolution video off Memory Stick (although there are still a number of arbitrary restrictions on video playback). PSP has gained a number of original non-ported games, but it must still fend off the image that it doesn't have original content. "When you do these devices, they can't be pretty good at a lot of things. They need to be great at what they do. Zune is a great music player. We have local storage, a marketplace, the social network. We didn't do video right out of the gate because you want to do those things in a high-quality way. Same thing in the gaming space. It is technically possible to do games on there. But you aren't going to see a broad gaming effort from us until we sort that through and have it figured out."[Via GameDaily]
Takahashi apologizes for his Mass Effect bashing
Last week Dean Takahashi of The Mercury News gave Mass Effect a written review lashing, going as far as to call it "Mass Defect". Takahashi was steadfast in claiming that his Mass Effect experience was lackluster, the game's mechanics were weak and that there really wasn't all that much to enjoy. Overhyped to no end, get the picture? But after a quick replay over the holiday break (and with the help of a few tips), Takahashi retracted his review apologizing to BioWare saying that they made "a better game than I thought" and that it isn't "as flawed as I thought". Interesting stuff.So why a change of heart so quickly after the replay? Well, Mr. Takahashi admitted that he only put in eight hours for his review and seemingly forgot to upgrade his character along the way. But after giving the upgrading system a chance he soon experienced RPG bliss and everything came full circle. It was like a re-birth of Mass Effect.Lesson learned kids. Always navigate a games' menus and be sure to upgrade your character whenever possible. Also, it's okay to admit you're wrong. We all make mistakes. Now group hug.
Rumorang: Jade Empire sequel in the works
With Mass Effect developer BioWare no doubt busying itself with post-acquisition shenanigans and practicing game of the year acceptance speeches in the mirror, it's understandable that news has been sorely lacking regarding the studio's upcoming releases. Nowhere has the rumor mill been more silent than with the follow up to Jade Empire, the as-yet-unannounced sequel to BioWare's 2005 action RPG with an Asian flair.Despite any official confirmation, we presumed the game to be in development ages ago, though since that time there has been little to go on. Now, however, San Jose Mercury News game journo Dean Takahashi has taken a break from sipping eggnog long enough to mention that he has spoken with "someone" who has actually been in the presence of "code for Jade Empire 2." While the rumored confirmation ends there, we believe it's only a matter of time before Jade Empire's successor becomes a reality. Our only request is that BioWare leave the project in the oven until it's done, unlike the studio's last serving of 'Shepard's' pie.[Thanks, Kyle]
Jack Tretton talks about the PS3 'disaster' (and Home beta)
SCEA boss Jack Tretton is a man with a plan. In a lengthy Q&A with Dean Takahashi, he says that in spite of all the bashing the PS3 has received in its first year, he's confident of his plan. Takahashi used the word "disaster," to wish Tretton replied: "If we have 67 percent growth over last year in our revenue, and if 45% of all software sold is on our three platforms, I'll take that kind of disaster all year long."Many criticize PS3 for its Swiss Army Knife approach to electronics. But ultimately, the PS3 is a gaming machine -- something Tretton is quick to reiterate. "I think gaming is always going to be the key. The platform that's perceived to have the best games, the most innovative games, is going to be first and foremost. And then I think the value proposition. I don't think it's all about price. I think a lot of it has to do with value: what are you getting for the money that you're spending, and is that of interest to you. And I think price matters, but not price for the sake of price."Finally, when asked when the general public can play with the delayed Home, the SCEA boss offered a vague timeline. It's been continuously pushed, so we won't be too surprised if we're still talking about Sony's online offering at the same time next year. "Sure, we're looking to do a beta in the first quarter of calendar 2008. And then we're not 100 percent sure on when the full-blown release will be in terms of an actual date, but obviously following the ... data."Read the complete Q&A here.[Thanks, Terry C.!]
Microsoft 'Falcon' to bring cost reductions, 65nm CPU to the Xbox 360?
We knew it was coming, but it sounds like we finally know what it's all about: the 65nm Xbox 360 is apparently being code-named Falcon, according to Dean Takahashi. Stands to reason we can expect long-fabled cooler / less failure-prone / cheaper 360s to be Falcon's result, but hey, we'd take just two out of three at this point.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Miyamoto talks user-generated content, critical of PS Home [update 1]
Speaking to The Mercury News' Dean Takahashi, designer Shigeru Miyamoto gave a slight jab to the PlayStation Home for its familiarity. "What they're doing already exists in one form on the PC," he said. "Our focus [with Miis] is always to be different and do something that's different." Miyamoto furthers his opinion by expressing how the Mii system embraces but isn't focused on the internet, while noting that the character system took 20 years to "come to fruition." We assume much of that time was just Miyamoto circling the idea in his head, as his GDC keynote places the Mii conception alongside the Nintendo 64 era."We are trying to do something that is different and create something that hasn't been there before," he said. A caricature creation system may not have been done explicitly on consoles before, but we still wouldn't call it an entirely new concept. Nor would we give the same honor to Home, but their integration is indeed a first for game consoles.Miyamoto went on to address the idea the user-generated content, citing it as an inevitability. "It's not simply the question of whether there is a game editor," he said. "It is what form does that editor take." We have some idea.Also of note, Miyamoto gave the obvious revelation that a Wii fitness game, tentatively titled health pack or Wii Fit, is underway to ride the wave of success of Wii minigame collections Wii Play and Wii Sports.[Update 1: There was some confusion as to what Miyamoto said in the third line and what we added following the quote. The editorial has been given its own paragraph so as to alleviate some confusion.]
Seven busted 360s? Ouch
Dean Takahashi, Xbox guru and writer for Mercury News, recently wrote an article about a friend of his. The friend, Rob Cassingham, 42, has been through seven different 360 units, and all of them have failed. Cassingham purchased four at the the Zero Hour launch event, and all four "croaked." While waiting for his seventh unit to arrive from Microsoft, Cassingham wrote Takahashi to let him know that he was fed up with the console, and planned on selling the final unit when it arrived. Takahashi then sent Cassingham's complaint directly to Peter Moore, who in turn has had his console replaced with a brand new unit. Cassingham is still torn about the affair, and admits that part of him would rather sell the unit and be done with it. Still, he plans on keeping the machine and to purchase an extended warranty.With stories like Cassingham's piling up, Microsoft's continued claims that 360 failure rates are within the standard will not hold up much longer.[Via Joystiq]
Shadowrun: Dean Takahashi is unimpressed
Dean Takahashi of the Mercury News has posted his impressions of Shadowrun, the upcoming Live Anywhere launch title from FASA Studio. He takes some time to discuss the game's story and then gets down to the nitty-gritty. He briefly mentions many of the things we've covered before: magical powers, gliding, etc. In the end though, Takahashi seems less than impressed. He notes that the graphics "aren't anything special," adding that they are more or less on par with Halo 2. He also cites the game's multiplayer focus as a risky maneuver by Microsoft, as it may only appeal to the hardcore gamer set.Our own impressions of the game (listen to our podcast for more) were much more favorable. Then again, we are the hardcore gamer set, so we may not be the best judges. What do you think? Based on what you've seen and read, are you looking forward to Shadowrun?See Also:Shadowrun: CTF with a magical twist (Video)
Takahashi talks shop with Peter Moore
Dean Takahashi recently sat down to talk with Peter Moore at CES. Some of the topics discussed include IPTV, gaming on Windows Vista, MMOs on 360, the importance of 1st party developers, Microsoft's hopes in Japan, and of course, a little offhanded PS3 and Wii bashing. Moore makes a particularly interesting point about the necessity of 1st party development. Takahashi points out that Microsoft doesn't have as many 1st party developers as Sony and Nintendo. Moore replies that Microsoft has many 1st party games being created by studios not owned by Microsoft. Examples of this include Bioware's Mass Effect, Silicon Knights' Too Human, and of course Epic's Gears of War. Moore notes that Microsoft has a great publishing model in which MS aids in funding and publishing externally developed titles. He further states that while these are developed by a third party, they are unmistakably 1st party 360 titles.The interview is a little over half an hour long, and worth a listen to any dedicated 360 fanboys. Hit the "read" link to check it out.
Xbox 360 hits 10.4 million, announces IPTV
Microsoft is expected to announce Sunday night that it has sold 10.4 million Xbox 360 units, actually making good on their promise to surpass 10 million by the end of 2006, according to San Jose Mercury News' Dean Takahashi. In addition, Robbie Bach and Bill Gates are to announce that Xbox 360 will be able to act as a set-top box for Internet Protocol Television (IPTV).As the video marketplace is doing surprisingly well, surpassing other video-on-demand services, offering television as well sounds like a natural progression. However, we're not looking forward to leaving a heat-loving console on continuously, nor does a 20GB HDD sound ideal for any DVR features including in IPTV. Perhaps the announcement will coincide with a new Xbox 360 model and larger HDD?Bach and Gates are expected to make the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show Sunday night. Official NPD figures for console hardware sales should be revealed January 11.[Update: The article has been taken down. It was dated for January 7; was it leaked a bit too early? Also, many are opining in the comments that the 10.4 million figure is "shipped" and not "sold." We'll know the wording chosen by Microsoft on Sunday and the official NPD numbers within the week. Update: The article is back up with only minor (i.e. typographical) revisions.]
Merc reporter on 2007: PCs bounce back
Dean Takahashi posts about what he anticipates for 2007; the San Jose Mercury News reporter writes mostly an overview without wild predictions of the year. Instead, Takahashi includes lots of release numbers, cites scheduled games, and gives a bulletin of what to expect.Mentioning that the most significant, recent PC game releases were in 2004 and 2005 -- Half-Life 2 and F.E.A.R. -- Takahashi thinks that 2007 will bring a resurgence to PC gaming; he cites Windows Vista and DirectX 10, new video cards, and a handful of important game releases to back up the claim.We hope that PC gaming bounces back, but we're more skeptical. Is Vista going to improve gaming, or just create another upgrade hurdle for consumers? Will PCs always be relegated to first-person shooters, MMOs, and casual titles?
Mercury News: PS3? Wait and see
Dean Takahashi compares the three-console showdown beginning this week. His overview is mostly recap for us: the Wii is for new -- and unproven -- family gameplay, and the Xbox 360 is for hardcore gamers. The PS3? It's for techies who need the glossiest gadgets.He doesn't find much reason to pick a PS3 over the 360, other than being the cool kid on your block. But he also mentions that his opinion could be swayed if unique games come out for the new system.Do killer apps drive console sales? We can't think of a standout that would justify buying the hardware for any of the three consoles -- maybe Gears of War. Maybe that's why we have mixed feelings about the two launches. But we expect next year's game releases to warm us up to the new hardware.
Takahashi talks console wars
Xbox scribe Dean Takahashi posted a nice summary of the current console war outlook based on the recent round of financial reports. Excerpt:On the bright side. Microsoft has more than 4 million Xbox Live subscribers worldwide and it plans on hitting 6 million by June 30. It will have 160 games out by the end of the year. In the U.S., Microsoft has sold 2.9 accessories per console and software sales are at 5.1 games per console. Those numbers probably don't hold up worldwide. But I'm told that the attach rates and Xbox Live subscription numbers are ahead of plan. There is even some good news in Japan, since the limited edition run of Hironobu Sakaguchi's Blue Dragon game – bundled with the Xbox 360 – sold out.Follow the link for Dean's take on Sony and Nintendo's respective situations.
What'll Bungie do after Halo?
Xbox boardroom biographer and industry observer Dean Takahashi wonders what's next for Bungie. They're currently holed up in their fancy new headquarters working (tirelessly we imagine) on the third installment of Microsoft's Xbox-selling secret weapon, Halo 3. But what else are they working on in their Dr. Pepper and Dorito encrusted fortress? Takahashi's inside sources tell him they're working on not one, but maybe two other projects. Just like Xbox's J Allard disappeared suddenly from the limelight, only to turn up working on another not-so-secret project, Bungie's general manager, Pete Parsons, is mysteriously no longer their general manager. Takahashi intimates that Parsons is now leading a secret second team at Bungie while other Bungie all-stars, like "Jason Jones, the project lead on the Halo games, and Chris Butcher, the top programmer," are working on yet another project "beyond the Halo universe."If Halo 3 is to be the final installment of a Halo trilogy, is Microsoft going to sit back and let their most lucrative franchise go out in style or continue to milk it for all it's worth? With a Halo movie in the works, what about the inevitable tie-in game? After all, a Bungie with business sense would make Halo 4 and 5 and ... we'd also take LEGO Halo. Seriously.[Via Xboxic]
XBL gets its mouth washed out with soap
The sometimes forgotten reality of Xbox Live is how much of a scurrilous cesspool it is. This was brought into pie chart form by one Mr. Josh Smith last February after he recorded nearly 34 hours of Halo 2 then dissected it with a keen eye on the cussin'. Dean Takahashi, author of Opening the Xbox and Xbox 360 Uncloaked, writes a column this week for The Escapist on the Xbox platform's best feature: Xbox Live. Oh yeah, except it's not about how great it is, it's about how much profanity there is. Of course, Microsoft has taken measures to address this shortcoming with the 360's four different gamer "zones" and a feedback system. Takahashi writes, "Taking a cue from eBay, the service now has a feedback system where gamers can rate their rivals. Each player carries a reputation with him. By clicking on someone's gamertag, it's easy to file a complaint about someone. If the complaints pile up, Microsoft can remove the gamer from the service."With Halo 2 still dominating Xbox Live charts, it's hard to tell if the new features are going to be effective in making the 360's first multiplayer killer app fun to play.
