q1 2010
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EEDAR: 2010 delays smart decision for game publishers
With so many publishers intentionally pushing games out of the holiday season, Q1 2010 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive release windows in the history of gaming. Bayonetta, Army of Two, Dark Void, MAG, BioShock 2, Dante's Inferno, Lost Planet 2, Heavy Rain, Aliens Vs Predator, Final Fantasy XIII, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, God of War III, Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, No More Heroes 2, and Red Steel 2 are just some of the games to come out in the first three months of 2010. Doesn't it seem as though the industry is preparing for yet another cannibalistic quarter, akin to the holiday? EEDAR's Jesse Divnich doesn't necessarily think so. He argues that "publishers who purposely diverted their AAA holiday titles into 2010 made the proper decision and will likely realize stronger sales with a post-holiday release than a holiday release." And the reasoning? The combination of Mario, Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 predictably impacted the sales of all other games. "High quality games are selling less units in the 2009 holiday season compared to 2008," Divinich noted by analyzing the sales of games with Metacritic scores of 80 and above. Still, we can't help but look at the first paragraph with awe. Can our wallets even survive an onslaught of that magnitude? We have an easy solution for publishers: there's an entire "summer" season to consider when releasing games.
Final Fantasy XIII launches March 9, 2010 on PS3, 360
Download in HD from BigDownloadFinal Fantasy XIII will launch in North America and Europe on March 9, 2010, just a few months after it debuts in Japan and nearly four years after it was originally announced. Since that time, Square Enix's flagship role-playing game has become a multiplatform project -- the English version will debut on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously -- as well as the first part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series. It's also no longer the highest-numbered Final Fantasy game."We know that our fans have been eagerly awaiting the next installation of the franchise -- FINAL FANTASY XIII will exceed all expectations," said John Yamamoto, president, chief executive officer and official title shouter of Square Enix, Inc. "Coming simultaneously to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for the first time, FINAL FANTASY XIII will be available to all players who are looking for the most immersive gaming experience of 2010." And you'll have to look -- we hear Q1 2010 is already swamped with immersive gaming experiences. That's not a complaint!%Gallery-41346%
Rising Star's Q1 lineup for Europe includes Fragile, Way of the Samurai 3
Rising Star Games has announced a European release for Fragile (as Fragile Dreams), Namco Bandai's action-adventure game about exploring a haunted, post-disaster Japan, in March 2010. That's around the same time XSEED plans to bring the Namco Bandai title to North America. Also in March, the publisher will release Rune Factory Frontier on Wii, and Avalon Code and My World My Way on DS. Before that, in February, Rising Star will release Half-Minute Hero on PSP, and, through "affiliate label" Gamebridge, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Way of the Samurai 3. We've got Rising Star's full lineup listed after the break.
DSi XL dated for Q1 2010 release, Nintendo confirms
Not only will the first few months of 2010 play host to the release dates of a squadron of delayed aught-nine blockbusters, it's also when we can expect to see the recently announced, seriously embiggened DSi XL hit North American and European store shelves. According to a Nintendo spokesperson, the new model of the handheld will be released stateside (and ... union-side?) in the first quarter of 2010. That just leaves us with one final, appropriately oversized question: How much is it going to cost? Don't get us wrong, we love the idea of buying a bigger version of a smaller version of a smaller version of an originally bulky handheld -- but based on the sheer number of titles we'll be buying in the dawn of next year, we're probably going to be kinda strapped.
Xbox division a bright spot on Microsoft's quarterly report
Despite a year-over-year dip in both revenues (14%) and net income (18%) for the company as a whole, Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division – which houses the Xbox, Games for Windows, and Zune brands, amongst others – nearly doubled its operating income in the period ending September 30, thanks to "decreased Xbox 360 platform costs," meaning console production costs. The company reports that "EDD revenue was flat with growth in Xbox 360 platform and PC game revenue offset by decreased revenue from the non-gaming portion of the business" (think: Zune, Windows Mobile). Even with "decreased revenue per console resulting from price reductions during the past 12 months," Xbox 360 platform and PC game revenue increased by 8% "due mainly to increased revenue from Xbox Live and Xbox 360 video games." While the 2.1 million Xbox consoles shipped for the quarter just misses the 2.2 million mark from last year, those reduced production costs help. With the Xbox sharing top billing with Microsoft's flagship money maker, Windows, on the earnings announcement – both "exceed[ing] expectations due to strong consumer demand" – it seems that Microsoft finally has a consistent hit on its hands. Now, let's talk about accessory pricing ... Source – Microsoft Reports First-Quarter Results Source – Xbox Division Doubles Profit in Q1
Star Trek Online engaging retail Q1 2010, beta 'around the corner'
Cryptic executive producer Craig Zinkievich has confirmed with Videogamer that the upcoming Star Trek Online is set to launch during the first quarter of next year -- which falls in line with an Atari document we reported on back in May. Zinkievich also confirmed that Cryptic will soon offer gamers a taste of the experience to come, stating that the game's closed beta is "right around the corner."Though Videogamer set its phaser to "pester," Zinkievich wouldn't budge on any details about release date beyond the quoted Q1 2010 placeholder, citing that he would receive the full wrath of the marketing department should he crack. We'd like to imagine said department being full of Klingons, but we all know Cardassians really make the best marketers.
Dark Void touching down January 12
Sure, we were upset when the gorgeous and fun Dark Void got pushed into 2010, but we guess if you have to be next year, this isn't a bad spot: Capcom announced this morning that you'll be able to strap in to Will's jetpack and helmet on January 12th in the US and January 15th in Europe.So, just hold on to that electric beard massager for an extra week or two before you exchange it, and Aunt Stephanie will have bought you a totally bitching Christmas gift.
Dante's Inferno escapes hell development in February
EA's jaunt into the underworld finally has a firm release date: February 9 in North America and February 12 in Europe. Dante's Inferno is set to release simultaneously on the PS3, PSP and Xbox 360, with an animated feature launching alongside the game and a comic arriving in December. If you're wondering what you should do with the months leading up to the game's release, might we suggest reading Divine Comedy to observe all of the differences between the game and the original work? We don't mean to nitpick, but we've already noticed a few here and there.
MAG deploying in North America on January 26, 2010
The exact release date for Zipper Interactive's multi-multi-multi-man FPS MAG has been up in the air for a while now -- but a recent announcement on PlayStation.Blog has made the game's launch date decidedly cemented. It's hitting store shelves on January 26, 2010, landing atop an ever-expanding aggregate of first-quarter blockbusters. However, most of its seasonal competitors don't allow for four to the fourth power players to square off in a single battle, so we don't think it'll have any trouble holding its own.Honestly, we'd hoped it would land a bit closer to the game's initial announced fall launch window -- but hey, at least now Zipper's got a bit of extra time to nail down an actual title for the game.
Ship Simulator Extremes to blow the doors off ship simulation genre
This ain't your papa's ship simulation game. This is Ship Simulator Extremes, the latest entry in Dutch developer VSTEP's series of nautical piloting sims. The press release which announced the game includes a lengthy list of features, but all you need to know is in the title -- it'll be "Extremes." Not just "Extreme," mind you -- but "Extremes." As in, more than one "Extreme." We can assume this means the game will take you to the razor-sharp edge of seafaring Extreme-ness, then, just for kicks, it'll take you a bit farther.The game sounds like it'll go over quite well with the world's expansive community of boat enthusiasts -- we just hope it can stay afloat (nailed it!) in the crowded waters of Q1 2010.[Via Big Download]
Army of Two: The 40th Day joins the Q1 2010 party
EA has announced that Rios and Salam's latest outing, Army of Two: The 40th Day, is headed to the crowded Q1 2010 quarter, specifically January 12 in the US and January 8 in Europe. It's a good time to release a game, really. Look at every one of these other games doing the same thing! The press release also mentions a pre-order bonus for the game in "Extraction," a multiplayer mode available to those who pre-order The 40th Day. Everyone else will gain access one month later.
Verizon will run LTE trials in Seattle and Boston later this year
We don't know if this is indicative of the company's rumored plans to roll out LTE in Q1 2010 , but Verizon has announced that it'll start running trials of its 4G network later this year, and the lucky cities to first get a stab at it are Seattle and Boston. In an earnings call today, CFO John Killian reiterated that the plan is to have a commercial launch in "up to 30 markets next year" (note he didn't say when in 2010), with an expected 100 million points of presence for LTE by 2013. VZW COO Denny Strigl skirted by a few questions about any future Apple devices, but no surprise there, that's been its modus operandi for some time now.[Via Phone Scoop]
