events-2012
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Events 2012: SOPA
The Stop Online Piracy Act, had it been successfully enacted, would have given US law enforcement agencies the ability to legally bar search engines from linking to websites that were deemed to host copyright-violating content (whatever that may be), provided said agencies were able to obtain a court order.It also would have given law enforcement the ability to bar advertisers and e-commerce payment providers from doing business with offending websites, but the bill's real party peace was its ability to block access to infringing websites at the ISP level.If you think that sounds oddly familiar, that's because it's essentially what The Patriots were trying to accomplish in Metal Gear Solid 2, although the bill's less clandestine methodology wouldn't have required the construction of a massive submersible aquatic fortress. As troubling as all that sounds, internet legislation isn't really in our wheelhouse since we're a video game website and everything. Once Nintendo, Sony and EA all put their weight behind the bill, however, the issue suddenly fell under our jurisdiction and became much more complicated, especially once Microsoft, Apple and a consortium of other tech giants expressed their support. Of course, anything that threatens the Internet's right to free speech is swiftly met by the razor-sharp blade of e-activism, with the whole of the Internet collapsing into a singularity of outrage aimed directly at the companies in support of the bill. As public objection grew, Microsoft, Apple and the other members of the Business Software Alliance rescinded their support almost immediately. Nintendo, Sony and EA followed suit shortly thereafter, though the ESA (of which they are all members) remained in support of SOPA. Rep. Lamar Smith (who had originally authored the bill) eventually announced that he was removing the DNS-blocking portions of the legislation, making the proposed bill somewhat less insane, but still plenty dangerous. Shortly thereafter, House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa cancelled a scheduled hearing and indefinitely postponed voting on SOPA, effectively placing the bill into a state of suspended animation. A similar hold was placed on SOPA's Senate sister PIPA, which sought to accomplish the same goals. It was not until both pieces of legislation had effectively been killed that ESA withdrew its support.
Events 2012: Steam Greenlight
If 38 Studios was a gaming story for the mainstream audience and Kickstarter was the industry insider's dream, Steam Greenlight was the event for the rest of us. At least, that's how Valve presented it, as a fresh, innovative way to directly involve players in the selection of games, crowd-sourced style. In execution, however, it ran into a few problems.Any service launch has its issues, and online the audience is privy to every blemish and backtrack, including Steam Greenlight's. Greenlight lasted five days in its initial form, allowing anyone at any time to submit a game for crowd consideration, regardless of its validity or morality. Following a slew of Half-Life 3 scams and other games in ill taste, Valve initiated a $100 entrance fee for the program. Today Greenlight has a free Concepts option, hosts non-gaming software and has accepted 32 games, 12 of which have launched on Steam. There are plenty more to come, Valve promises.With a new system comes new problems – or, at least, a period of adjustment – and Greenlight saw a fair share of frustrations and unexpected legal issues from indie developers during its infancy in 2012. When indie developer Colin Northway expressed his annoyance with Greenlight on Twitter, he noted the main issues in transitioning from a professional game-selection process to a chaotic, public one. And then he told us his story. Faceless attempted to use the popular Slender Man lore, and despite being on top of the voting pile since Greenlight's launch, it's yet to do so because of legal issues. As more indie developers attempt to break onto Steam via Greenlight, it can alter the way they pitch their games and how they think about production.
Events 2012: Kickstarter
If 38 Studios was the mainstream game industry story of the year, then crowdfunding site Kickstarter is indisputably the industry watcher's story of the year. Kickstarter has changed the way developers fund and market games into the foreseeable future. It altered the industry so radically this year that we had to discuss and create a new internal ethics policy at Joystiq about contributing to Kickstarter projects. Furthermore, based on the number of tips we receive about new Kickstarters every day, we could create a new site called Kickstiq... or Joystarter, and never want for content.In discussing video game funding on Kickstarter, we must recognize it in terms of Before Double Fine (BDF) and After Double Fine (ADF). Kickstarter had been around for a while, but it became the multi-million dollar headline-capturing phenomenon after Double Fine's $3.3 million haul for Double Fine Adventure. This also led to the $8.5 million for Ouya, the first crowdfunded console. We have not a clue how the ADF era will play out, but 2013 and the (hopeful) eventual release of many of this year's funded projects will determine Kickstarter's viability for video games. 'Code Hero: The dangers of a Kickstarter success story.' The story we don't want to write all through 2013. Code Hero earned $171,954 at the transition point of the BDF in late February. Promised deliverables have yet to exist. Jessica Conditt covers the BDF of Kickstarter in an editorial written during Double Fine Adventure's record-breaking ascent. Joystiq Editor-in-chief Ludwig Kietzmann's editorial examines the rise of the fund-it pundit.
Events 2012: PS Vita launch
Sony's second dedicated portable gaming platform, the PlayStation Vita, launched in North America and Europe back in February, bringing the phrase "rear touch" into our lives. As of this summer, the device had sold 2.2 million units worldwide, putting it behind even the pre-price-drop 3DS.The first year of the Vita's life saw the system struggling to find a wide audience, thanks in part to its lack of mainstream appeal – there's no Monster Hunter in Japan as there was on the PSP, and the Call of Duty game we got was far from system-seller material. Truly great games were there for those who found themselves with the hardware, but those big franchises weren't there to entice everyone else. PlayStation Vita review: The hardware itself is beautiful, though the choice of a touch-only interface at launch caused some confusion. That has since been fixed. Other issues: like "what is Near?" remain. Status Report: the PlayStation Vita, three months in: We talked about the Vita's then-upcoming game lineup with Sony VP of Product Development Scott Rohde, just after an E3 during which Sony seemed strangely quiet about the Vita. Vita's PSOne support is a Classic blunder: When PSOne Classics support launched on the Vita, trying to find a classic game to play on the system was a messy, complicated process.
Events 2012: THQ's collapse
"Who the @!#* is Kevin Dent?" That's how the 2012-encapsulated story of THQ's demise as a publicly traded company began in January. Dent, an industry insider who also chaired the IGDA Mobile SIG, became a bomb-dropping soothsayer of THQ's future. Industry pundits didn't know what to think about him, but as 2012 concludes, it's clear he was the Cassandra of the year.With the financial and human toll of THQ becoming bleaker as the year pressed on, the company finally admitted in early November it was seeking "strategic alternatives" and its stock plummeted 50 percent. THQ announced in mid-December it had filed for bankruptcy, gone private and even revealed a couple unannounced projects. Some highlighted features from the beginning, middle and end of THQ in 2012: The Joystiq Show at DICE with Kevin Dent from early February. We spoke to Dent to get better idea of who he was and why he spoke out. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says THQ "won't be around in six months" and then apologizes. But, in the end, he was pretty much on the mark. Wedbush Securities' Michael Pacter explains THQ bankruptcy on day it occurred.
Events 2012: Wii U launch
Depending on who you ask, the next console generation may or may not have started this year. The confusion stems from the fact that this new console is the Nintendo Wii U, which, following the example of the Wii, innovates with a crazy new control method instead of pushing graphical capabilities far forward.Following its November 18 debut, the Wii U has enjoyed robust sales, though it doesn't appear to be the genuine cultural phenomenon the Wii was, which Nintendo was surely hoping for. On the upside, that means you can find one. Its launch was also marred by the need for a gigantic day-one patch which added all of the online functions, plus Wii backward compatibility.It's honestly too early to predict how the Wii U will affect the industry as a whole. Remember that it took the 3DS a year of near-death and a price drop to become a massive success. But as we go into 2013, you can read up on what we thought about the thing. Wii U review: Our comprehensive overview of the hardware itself found that the weird GamePad controller is a success, loaded with features, easy to use, and greatly enhancing the convenience of console gameplay, thanks to its built-in screen. The new online features are addictively fun, too, if plagued with confusing interface issues. Trying to set up the friends list was one of the hardest puzzles of 2012. Wii U GamePad: console gaming with no TV required: In this brief roundtable, three new Wii U users discussed their experiences with the off-TV play of the Wii U. We were all impressed by the ability to enjoy full-size console games without hogging the TV, even if it didn't work in the bathroom. Shigeru Miyamoto on how the Wii U could change games: The world-famous game designer talks to Joystiq about the possibilities created by Wii U's motion controls and second screen.
Events 2012: 38 Studios
38 Studios was the video game story of the year with mainstream appeal. Much of that mainstream appeal had to do with Curt Schilling, the former baseball player for the Boston Red Sox who went on to found his own video game studio. But the story was way more than Schilling.The state of Rhode Island and its taxpayers were on the hook for a $75 million loan given to the studio as part of an economic development deal. As the video game industry in the US works toward tax incentives to stop the slow brain drain to the north, the very public collapse of 38 Studios and its relationship to the government is exactly what those working on industry tax breaks – especially in neighboring Massachusetts – did not need. 38 Studio is a saga, but we've selected a couple pieces to highlight here that took place in the middle of the studio's collapse and its aftermath. 'Editorial: 38 Studios and the Dunkin delusions.' As evidence mounted against 38 Studios' survival, Alexander Sliwinski took a post at the Dunkin Donuts across the street and listened. The TV Stuff: News Editor Alexander Sliwinski appears on WPRI's Newsmakers to discuss 38 Studios as part of roundtable. Sliwinski on WFXT on day of studio layoffs. The 38 Studios auction closes down studio, grossed approximately $650,000.
