publishing
Latest
First run of ID@Xbox Games arriving on Xbox One closer to March 2014
The broad launch window for the first run of ID@Xbox games is narrowing, as program director Chris Charla said the first set of indie games will start to arrive near the end of Q1 2014. Speaking with Edge, Charla said the launch dates "will be early in the New Year, in the first three months... I would say closer to the third month," placing the games closer to March 2014. Previously, Microsoft Corporate VP Phil Harrison said in September that indie games launching through the program would likely start to arrive in "early 2014." Charla added that it's hard to determine how many games would arrive on Xbox One early in 2014, as each one is still in development, and some have been for months. Microsoft unveiled a list of 33 developers participating in the program earlier this month, which included Halfbrick Studios (Fruit Ninja), Double Fine (Brutal Legend), Crytek (Crysis, Far Cry) and Vlambeer (Ridiculous Fishing).
Medium brings design and photo improvements to its social publishing platform
Medium is debuting a slew of new look-and-feel tweaks designed to let would-be columnists pretend they're working for a well-designed print publication. The site says that one of its initial goals was to empower writers with "dead simple" tools to present their work without a trip to art school. In addition to spacing and typography improvements, now users can add giant cover images and scalable, dynamic photos for each post. Curious to see how everyone can use these tools? Medium has set up a "Beautiful Stories" collection in the hopes of inspiring you to get a little more visual.
First batch of self-publishing Xbox One developers include Double Fine, Crytek
Microsoft listed 33 developers that will be participating in its ID@Xbox self-publishing program for Xbox One. The list of those that applied and were approved by Microsoft included Iron Galaxy (Divekick), Crytek (Crysis, Far Cry), Halfbrick Studios (Fruit Ninja), Demiurge Studios (Shoot Many Robots), Double Fine (Brutal Legend) and Vlambeer (Ridiculous Fishing). Some developers have already announced the games they are bringing to the platform, such as Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9 and Capy's Below. The independent developers program was announced in August, and grants indies access to two Xbox One development kits as well as a license to the Unity game engine in order to create games for the system. Microsoft said the first round of games published in the ID@Xbox program will arrive in early 2014. Microsoft's initial plans to disallow self-publishing on the Xbox One were reversed in July. A list of the participating developers, which Microsoft says is "far from comprehensive," can be found after the break.
Hotline Miami publisher to tackle crowdfunded point-and-clicker Dropsy
Devolver Digital announced that it will publish crowdfunded indie adventure game Dropsy. The game's Kickstarter project, which successfully surpassed its $14,000 goal, is slated to end on November 24. Designer Jay Tholen explained in an update on the project's page that Devolver Digital will help the developer with marketing, QA and localization of the game, and will top off development funds to ensure it reaches its stretch goals. In development since 2011, the PC, Mac and Linux game is a point-and-click adventure game in which characters guide a "misunderstood but cheerful" ex-clown named Dropsy through a "surreal, grotesque world." With his dog Eughh at his side, Dropsy journeys through the world to bring happiness to others, offering unwanted hugs to everyone, as he "doesn't recognize anyone as his enemy." Tholen notes in the game's pitch video that it is almost entirely text-free, replacing traditional point-and-click elements with symbols that players need to interpret on their own to reflect Dropsy's inability to speak. Devolver Digital noted that "any and all funds collected via Kickstarter will of course remain with the developer to fund the development of Dropsy," and that it "is not involved with money from backers nor do we have any say in how it is used." Tholen and his team sought funding on Kickstarter for the game twice before: The developer raised $1,613 in November 2011 before failing to reach its $25,000 goal in July of this year.
Worms developer to publish stealthy PC game Light
Stealthy indie game Light will be published by Worms developers Team17, the publisher recently announced. Currently in development for PC, Mac and Linux by Just a Pixel, Light is a top-down 2D game in which players guide a square icon through a maze of doors and rooms, hacking terminals and avoiding guards along the way. This is Team17's first foray into publishing for almost two decades, as it once funded games like Super Stardust and Alien Breed on Amiga, but has since focused on games in the Worms series, including Worms: Clan Wars and Worms 2: Armageddon. The prototype video of the game above shows off its simple style and basic mechanics, which players can expect to see firsthand sometime in 2014. Light is currently seeking community approval via Greenlight to achieve distribution on Steam.
Medium opens its social publishing platform to all Twitter users
Twitter's Ev Williams started Medium to simplify and socialize online article writing, but the service's invitation-only nature has kept many folks on the sidelines. Today, things are opening up: Medium's now accessible to anyone willing to sign into Twitter and verify an email address. Would-be auteurs still have to publish from Chrome, Firefox or Safari on a computer, although plans are afoot for mobile versions. Those eager to share their (mid-sized) masterpieces with friends just need to visit the source link to get started.
Activision Blizzard files an emergency appeal for buyback rights
It seems that Activision Blizzard just can't wait to get free of Vivendi. Not that the company is eager, but it literally cannot wait. The publisher had planned to essentially buy itself from its parent company, but following objections raised by a stockholder, the deal was put on hold by court order. Now the company has filed an emergency appeal, claiming that if the deal doesn't go through now, the company will have lost its window for self-ownership. According to the appeal, it will not be possible to obtain a shareholder vote before October 15th, which is when the deal automatically terminates. This vote by non-Vivendi shareholders is a necessity for the deal to go through, and Activision Blizzard representatives state that this injunction leaves the company in limbo and jeopardizes an $8 billion exchange. The court has scheduled a hearing for October 10th -- a hearing that looks to either make or break the deal as a whole.
DOJ demands Apple terminate publisher deals and rival e-bookstore restrictions (updated)
In a decisive move in the legal battle surrounding Apple's fishy e-book pricing practices, the US Department of Justice has issued a proposed remedy aimed at leveling the playing field. The terms of the proposal, which requires approval by the court, call for an end to Apple's deals with major publishing houses, as well as allowing rival e-book apps, like Amazon's, to link to their own online bookstores. The announcement is hardly surprising, considering that it comes just a few weeks after US District Judge Denise Cote ruled that Apple had conspired to bump up the retail prices of e-books. In the official brief, Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer said, "Under the department's proposed order, Apple's illegal conduct will cease and Apple and its senior executives will be prevented from conspiring to thwart competition in the future." You can read the release in full after the break. Update: Apple has formally responded to the Department of Justice's proposal and predictably, the company isn't happy. In a filing with the United States District Court, Apple said, "Plaintiffs' proposed injunction is a draconian and punitive intrusion into Apple's business, wildly out of proportion to any adjudicated wrongdoing or potential harm." Apple also disputed the DOJ's assertion that its plan is intended to foster healthy competition, arguing that the "overreaching proposal would establish a vague new compliance regime -- applicable only to Apple -- with intrusive oversight lasting for ten years, going far beyond the legal issues in this case, injuring competition and consumers, and violating basic principles of fairness and due process." While the tides seem to be turning against Apple as the case moves forward, Cupertino is evidently not going down without a fight.
Facebook gets into mobile game publishing
Prominent social network Facebook has launched Mobile Games Publishing, a promotional service and distribution platform that aims "to help small and medium-sized developers take their mobile games global." Facebook's pilot program will help secure an audience for "high-potential" mobile developers through promotional support and advertising across Facebook's services. The analytics-driven initiative will target Facebook's 800 million mobile users and 260 million game players across its network, recommending program-supported games to users who dabble in specific genres. The Mobile Games Publishing program's launch follows up on Facebook and social game developer Zynga's split last year, ending exclusivity agreements between the companies and giving Facebook the ability to develop and publish games on its own terms. Ten selected games will take part in Mobile Games Publishing's worldwide launch, including Certain Affinity's Age of Booty: Tactics, Gameloft's Kingdoms & Lords, and Outplay Entertainment's Monster Legacy.
Xbox One's ability to play in-development code has Minecraft-esque implications for gamers
The Xbox One's retail units will also run in-progress game code and function as debug units for budding devs, but Xbox VP Marc Whitten says not all of that functionality will be available when the console launches this November. More details will be available during Gamescom 2013 this August, but he told us in an interview this afternoon that "some of this won't be there for launch." Self-publishing for indies, however, is already on the table, though Whitten didn't provide a specific roadmap for when and how it'll work. "It's something we've been working on for a long time -- how do we shorten that process, how do we automate a lot of the core requirements checking and some of those things. That'll continue to be our focus around that," he said. Nor would he confirm the turnaround time, said to be close to Apple's 14-day turnaround, though he did suggest it could be even shorter. Again, more details will arise closer to Gamescom, but in the meantime Whitten says: "As games move towards games as a service, that becomes a more important part of the cycle. It's the reason that we dropped the title update fees, as an example. We'll announce more on the specifics, but our goal is frankly just to minimize that." Beyond benefitting indie devs, Whitten spoke to the implications of retail consoles running in-progress code could have on gamers. "I'm not confirming any feature or anything like that," he prefaced. But? "This idea of how can [Xbox] Live and the console work on a certain set of code which is what you need to do when you're the developer. Well that also opens up these sorts of ideas around early access to betas or these types of features, and that's foundationally what we've been working on around the architecture of the system," he said. As expected, that content won't live in the same marketplace as completed code (read: finished games), but it does sound like the Xbox One has room for the Minecraft model of game launches.
Microsoft to allow indie self-publishing on Xbox One, retail consoles will double as debug units (updated)
Microsoft's Xbox One is getting decidedly more indie-friendly with today's confirmation from Microsoft that its forthcoming game console will double as a developer debug unit. In so many words, each $500 unit purchased at retail this holiday will also run in-progress game code, enabling developers to get in on the action all the more affordably (debug versions of game consoles cost far more than retail game consoles, and tend to look slightly different from their retail counterparts). "Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development," Xbox corporate VP Marc Whitten said in a statement. Of course, such a move wouldn't make much sense without eased publishing regulations -- the Xbox 360 allows for self-publishing only in its ghettoized "indies" section, and all other games require a Microsoft-certified publisher to distribute physically or digitally. Going forward with the Xbox One, developers can publish their own games; Microsoft's looking at a quick turnaround on that code certification as well, according to reports, though we're told there'll be more info at Gamescom come late August. The full statement from Whitten can be found just below the break. Update: We've also added responses from indies to today's news below.
EA bringing FIFA Online 3 to China, TenCent publishing
EA will bring FIFA Online 3 to China with TenCent as its publisher, EA announced in its Q1 2014 financial results report. The online soccer game was published in Korea by Nexon, where it found some success; EA reported that digital net revenue from the game grew 88 percent in the first quarter (April 2013 through June 2013) compared to the likes of FIFA Online 2 on a non-GAAP basis. The earnings report notes that details of the publishing partnership between TenCent and EA will be announced in the future. TenCent also published NBA 2K Online in China in September 2012.
Sony's four pillar approach to game publishing on PlayStation 4 aims to level the playing field
Sony's already said that it's making game publishing on PlayStation 4 even easier than it is on the PlayStation 3, but Senior Account Manager of Development at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Agostino Simonetta today explained exactly what that means. Sony's apparently applying a "four pillar" approach to publishing, as follows: "Every developer is a publisher" "Equality of opportunity" "Personal relationship" "No hurdles, just games" It's this multi-tiered approach that Sony believes will attract developers to the PlayStation 4. "Every single developer is a publisher, as far as we're concerned. We don't separate, we don't segregate indies from traditional publishers," Simonetta said, in reference to the current console generation's "segregation" of indie (primarily digital) games from more traditional publishers (primarily disc-based). More specifically, individual devs can work with Sony one-on-one to establish promotions and other details. Perhaps most importantly, all developers will hear back on publishing approval within one week from Sony. Head to the source link below for more details from Simonetta, straight out of the annual Develop conference.
Open Air sees e-book sales success by publishing in the App Store
Paid Content is a fantastic blog for freelance and office professionals that covers paid-content business models for furthering the reach of your work. They've just published a useful interview with Jon Feldman, the CEO and founder of e-book publisher Open Air, about what it takes to get an e-book published in iOS. Open Air sells exponentially more titles through the App Store than it does via the iBookstore, between 10 to 30 times as much depending on the situation. Originally the company just published their books through the App Store, but when iBooks Author was launched, the company adapted its titles for the new market. What they thought would be a massive jump in sales turned out to be just another smaller market. Although iBooks Author allows publishers to make highly interactive e-books, consumer perception is that an app will be more interactive than an e-book. Accordingly when a customer visits their website and is given the option of an app or e-book version of a title they tend to move towards the app version, even when they feature similar content. According to Feldman, "My advice for publishers would be to carve out a digital-first division that would allow them to play in that space without having to think about Barnes & Noble or a shelf or a piece of paper at all." Head over to Paid Content for the rest of Feldman's advice. It's a wonderful look at the way small publishing dynamics are changing as the digital economy continues to grow.
Strange Flavour previews new iOS games
Strange Flavour is an iOS app developer (founded back in 2000) with a long history behind it. Coder Aaron Fothergill used to program games for Mac and consoles, until he switched over to iOS, and made apps for the old dev/publisher Freeverse. Freeverse was later bought by Ngmoco, and now Fothergill is on his own, getting a few games together under the banner of Strange Flavour (the "u" needs to be there: he's English). In this video from WWDC over at iMore, Fothergill talks about a few of the games the company is working on. There's a new version of Slotz Racer, which will send the game over to your Apple TV via AirPlay. The company is also getting into publishing, and Fothergill seems excited to work with other developers. There's a game called Apple Bash coming soon that's sort of a Donkey Kong-style platforming challenge with a cool parallax background trick, and another game called Any Landing, which lets you crash airplanes. Fothergill seems excited about his work lately, and he's certainly got the developer creds to make some great games. We'll look forward to seeing what Strange Flavour puts out in the future.
Amazon opens up Kindle Worlds Store, for all your licensed fan fic needs
Come on now, why are you wasting your time here, when you could be reading some Gossip Girl fan fic? Roughly a month after announcing its licensed character publishing platform, Amazon has taken the wraps off of Kindle Worlds. The site currently offers up 50-plus commissioned stories based on properties like The Vampire Diaries, Valiant Comics titles, and yes, Gossip Girl. Worlds' Self-Service Submission Platform is open to the public as well, letting interested parties make some cash (up to 35-percent royalties) by putting their fan fiction up on the site. Stories are largely priced between $1 and $4. You can take a gander in the source link below, to make some sweet Gossip Girl of your own.
Daily iPhone App: Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage is a tasty cold cut from Rovio Stars
Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage is the very first title from the Rovio Stars program, a publishing initiative from the makers of Angry Birds. The company has a whole lot of infrastructure and expertise, but not a lot of good new ideas flowing, so it's decided to publish other developers' titles, and if Icebreaker is any indication, they're going to make some good choices. Icebreaker is a really excellent puzzle game that has clearly been polished to a Rovio-level shine, and it's a perfect start for the publisher partnerships. Just like Angry Birds, Icebreaker is a casual, physics-based puzzle game, where you can cut various items in the environment by dragging your finger across them. Cut the Rope obviously used the idea of cutting in this way previously, but Icebreaker adds the ability to cut ice chunks, which then slide over each other in physics-based ways. Each level has a number of Vikings that you need to get sliding aboard a ship, and then your little hero on the ship can break up the ice (as long as it's cut small enough), free the Vikings and set sail in triumph. Icebreaker's super cute -- the little Vikings have some hilarious chatter, and sliding them around in the physics engine is tons of fun. The puzzles are clever, too: A few levels in, you'll be using the ice to create bridges, and going after optional coins to collect and treasure chests that also slide around. Despite being US$0.99 to download (or $2.99 for an HD version on the iPad), the game does have ads included in the pause screen, and there are powerups you can purchase via IAP, so Rovio isn't letting any opportunity to make money pass them by. Still, the game is great, and this is likely the start of a whole new industry for a company that's so far been propelled by what's essentially just one property. If all of the Rovio Stars title are of this quality, we'll look forward to playing all of them.
Keeping your eyes open in the cold of Company of Heroes 2
After navigating a troubled road alongside former owner and publisher THQ, developer Relic Entertainment has found a new home for its library of titles with Sega. Though shifting to a new company with different policies and directives could hurt a studio's progress, a recent mission playthrough at E3 tells us that Company of Heroes 2 has not suffered in the transition. Last December, Relic previewed the seasonal combat on show in the multiplayer mode (which has been in open beta for most of June), its E3 demo for Company of Heroes 2 focused on a single-player mission, one based on the historic Battle of Leningrad between the Russians and Germans in World War 2. In addition to Relic's RTS design expertise in action, the mission had a new technology on display: a feature known as "TrueSight." Using this new system, darkened areas of a map only become visible based on the realistic line of sight a soldier has on the battlefield, with terrain and objects able to obstruct their views to the dangers that lie in wait.%Gallery-191374%
Rovio Stars says publishing was a 'logical step' for Angry Birds maker to take
The good folks at 148Apps have an interview up with Kalle Kaivola, Senior VP of Product and Publishing at Rovio, about the company's new Rovio Stars program, a publishing initiative putting out third-party titles under the Rovio banner. Kaivola says publishing was "was a pretty logical step" -- the company has extensive experience, of course, putting things out on the App Store, and sees creative titles being pitched all the time. And in a more practical sense, the company of course has a stable of successful games on the App Store already, set to be used as a platform for launching other titles as needed. Rovio Stars has already announced a few titles, two games called Icebreaker and Tiny Thief, which are set to hit the App Store soon. Kaivola says that the games Rovio Stars chooses to publish will fit the Angry Birds mold, so we won't see "FPS or survival horror titles" coming from them in the future. The Rovio Stars mark, in other words, is meant to serve as "the stamp of quality that tells the gamer that the game they are about to buy has the same level of polish, engaging gameplay and quality fun as Rovio's titles," says Kaivola.
EA/Chillingo's E3 2013 offerings: Plants vs Zombies 2, Fightback and more
Chillingo, unfortunately, wasn't mentioned at all during EA's press conference last week. I thought the big publisher would at least give a little nod to its extremely successful mobile publishing arm, but no such luck. I did, however, go and see the team gathered in their annual suite near the LA Convention Center, and got a nice look at their upcoming slate for the next few months. Here's a quick title-by-title rundown of what Chillingo and parent company EA were showing off. Plants vs. Zombies 2 This is technically not a Chillingo title, as it's being developed by Popcap and published by EA. But it was probably what will turn out to be the biggest title in the suite for sure. Plants vs. Zombies was a huge hit on mobile, and so Popcap is bringing it first to iOS later on this month. In addition to new plant types and lots of new stages, the title has a time traveling theme. Crazy Dave will take you and your plants back through time to fight zombies in Ancient Egypt, the Wild West, and the pirate-infested seas, with one more (probably a future) level coming soon after launch. This time around, the game is based on that series of worlds, so each world will have its own core levels, challenge levels, and then endless levels to play through. Levels are unlocked as you open them up with keys that you collect, and you'll need to earn a certain number of stars to open up "star gates" and move to the next world. Gameplay is as colorful and fun as ever in the very popular Plants vs. Zombies series, though there are a few new elements, like the ability to drag across the screen and pick up sunlight, rather than having to tap on each sun separately. There are also new touchscreen-based powerups to play with, and this is where the game's biggest issue comes in: It's a freemium title. The original Plants vs. Zombies was very much a premium game, in that you paid once and played forever. But Popcap has elected to go freemium with PvZ2, so it'll be free to download, and then various currencies and items will be available via in-app purchase. Popcap's reps were very clear to say that players would be able to see the whole game for free, and that's true, but even in my short playthrough, I saw no end of reminders that I could spend real money on in-game items. Powerups cost currency to use, which you can earn in-game, or you can spend real money on them if needed. And a special item called plant food provides your plants with a big boost, and can be collected from certain zombies or purchased directly. The jury's out on this one for now -- we'll have to wait and see if the changes bother Popcap's audience at all. Popcap believes there's more money to be made with a freemium scheme, and that's almost certainly true. But the freemium elements may turn off a sizable part of the audience that doesn't want to be continuously bothered for cash, and could taint the series' otherwise sterling reputation for quality. Plants vs. Zombies 2 is due out very soon. Fightback Fightback is a Chillingo-published title being developed by Ninja Theory, the talented folks behind the great Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and the recent DmC: Devil May Cry, both for traditional consoles. Fightback is a much simpler action game with an '80s feel, as you play a muscle-headed thug fighting through floor after floor of various towers, trying to save his oft-kidnapped sister. The game features a simple control scheme (tap to punch, swipe to kick or duck), and challenges the player to keep an attack combo going and defeat all of the baddies within a certain time limit. Fightback seems simple but fun -- one level takes place in an arcade, and the neon signage and fictional arcade cabinets add a nice bit of fun to the fisticuffs happening in the foreground. It too is a freemium title, and in addition to upgrading weapons and equipment, the hero can also get tattoos, which provide special buffs and abilities. Fightback should be an excellent but simple action title, and a nice entry into iOS for the veterans at Ninja Theory. It's set to arrive sometime this summer. Zya Zya is the product of a company called Music Mastermind, and it has already picked up 300,000 users courtesy of a PC-based beta last year. It's a music creation app, though while most music creation tools are buried under complicated UIs and science, Zya instead goes with cute characters and flashy graphics, and turns the process of creating and mixing a song into a game, of sorts. You start by choosing a series of music tracks (including a bass line and a rhythm section), either picking from the original pieces provided, or using licensed music from artists like Kelly Clarkson or Madonna. You can then add a melody, again from a licensed piece, or simply by singing your own into the iPad or iPhone's microphone. The game will then mix all of your tracks together (courtesy of a cute cartoony dog hitting a big green "Mix" button), and then reward you various points and achievements based on the mix you chose. You can then share that mix via YouTube or other social networks, with friends or online with the public. Zya seems like a great idea -- it combines some really impressive music creation and mixdown tools with cute characters and a very clear interface. There are only 20 licensed songs to start, but of course the company is ready to add more, if the app sees the popularity it needs. Zya will be out later this year, on iOS first, with an Android version to follow. Icycle Icycle was my favorite game at GDC this year, and we chatted with creator Reece Millidge just a while ago. The good news about Icycle is that it's just as beautiful, charming, and well-made as it was at GDC, and it's even closer to release (though obviously Chillingo is putting the time in to get it right). The bad news, however, is that some freemium elements are creeping into the gorgeous gameplay. Now, when your character dies, you're presented with a button to retry right from where you started, with a small cost of currency to pay (undoubtedly available via in-app purchase). There are also various boosts and other items buy, and unfortunately the menus for those items just appear garish and commercial when overlaid on the spectacular game itself. Icycle has to make money, of course, but it's a little depressing to see commerce invade what should really be held up as pure art. We'll have to see how that balance plays out -- it would be a shame for Chillingo to ruin such an excellent experience with a few overly crass sales pitches. Icycle is almost done, I'm told, and we should see it on the App Store soon. Ultima Forever Finally, Ultima Forever was on display yet again. I saw this in action at GDC for the first time, and it was and impressive retake on the old Ultima RPGs, made directly for iPhone. Unfortunately, it too suffers a little bit from the freemium focus that Chillingo has had lately, using a relatively annoying scheme of requiring keys of various qualities to do RPG-standard things like open chests and repair damaged equipment. Fortunately, senior producer Carrie Gouskos seems particularly sensitive to the freemium concerns, especially after what sounds like a very enlightening Canadian beta. She told me that she's very dedicated to not only making sure there's a free-to-play path through the game that's fun and rewarding, but has also been lowering prices lately, trying to get the in-app purchases to a place where they're both profitable (for Chillingo's sake), and tolerable (for the audience's). We'll be able to see the game soon -- it's set for a worldwide release sometime in July. Chillingo is one of my favorite publishers on the App Store -- the staff over there has made some terrific decisions in partnering up with quality developers, and all of these titles seem like great, well-polished experiences. Freemium is turning into a bad word with these titles, however, even when it doesn't have to be. We've seen in the past that audiences on iOS are more than willing to pay for high-quality experiences, and while the constant ask may make Chillingo more money in the end, it could sully the company's reputation, especially as there are more and more great experiences on the App Store that don't constantly pester for cash. Hopefully this company can find a good balance between profitable and fun, and keep publishing these great titles without having to cram them full of controversial freemium pitches.
