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Ubisoft mum on THQ Montreal plans, 'looking forward' to working with Patrice Desilets
The dust is beginning to settle after the pieces of THQ were sold off one-by-one last week. Among those pieces is THQ Montreal, which was acquired by Ubisoft. CEO of Ubisoft Montreal and head of Ubisoft Canada, Yannis Mallat, spoke to the Financial Post about the publisher's plans for the studio. First of all, regarding the two IPs acquired in the sale, 1666 and Underdog, Mallat didn't offer concrete details, saying that both are still unannounced projects and "we don't talk about that." For now, Ubisoft is conducting a "thorough analysis" of the studio in order to decide what to do with it going forward.Mallat said that Ubisoft plans to keep the existing studio space, as well as the "possibility" for existing employees to stay with the studio. When asked explicitly whether any staff would be let go, Mallat said only "we had and we still have very ambitious plans in terms of growth even before this acquisition," adding that Ubisoft is "thrilled" to be working with the studio on future projects.Of course, one of the most interesting notes of the sale is that THQ Montreal's creative director is none other than Patrice Desilets, who previously served as creative director on both Assassin's Creed and its fantastically received follow-up, Assassin's Creed 2 (pictured). Desilets left Ubisoft in 2010, later signing on with THQ in 2011. "I've known Patrice for 13 years and I know him very well, he's a great talent and I respect him as a creator," said Mallat, though he did not directly confirm whether Desilets will remain with the studio. Mallat did note, however, that the team is "very happy to look forward to working with him again" and that there are "definitely" plans to discuss Desilets' return to Ubisoft.
New THQ Montreal game in auction filing: Underdog
The results from THQ's auction reveal not only how much its studios and IPs were worth to other companies, but also an unannounced game: THQ Montreal's Underdog.Ubisoft placed the only bid for THQ Montreal, snagging the studio, Underdog and 1666 for $2.5 million. The filing doesn't list any details about either game, though 1666 has shown up in previous THQ bankruptcy documents.The auction results reaffirm the existence of Evolve (aka Metamorphosis), a co-op multiplayer action game from Turtle Rock Studios, and reveal that it runs on Crytek's CryEngine 3.See the entire roundup of bids for former THQ studios and IPs in our THQ winners and losers post.
EVE Evolved: Four great new EVE videos
If there's one thing the EVE Online community is well known for (apart from the occasional colossal scam or game-breaking exploit), it's producing great videos. In its nine-year history, EVE has birthed some very talented video editors who have produced everything from political propaganda and instructional videos to amazing cinematic stories and machinima. The official game trailers have always turned heads, but I'd bet a significant number of current players were first introduced to EVE through player-made works of art like Kyoko Sakoda's War Has Come or Mercenary Coalition's Lacrimosa Tortuga. It's easy to fixate on only the best EVE videos ever made, but in reality, dozens of new videos are released every month. Some are cinematic story pieces or alliance propaganda videos designed to motivate the troops, but most are just compilations of good PvP fights. While PvP videos are unlikely to grab the universal acclaim of incredible films like Clear Skies or Future Proof, they arguably show the very core of EVE at its best: good fights, solid strategy, and pretty explosions. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at four great new EVE Online videos produced just in the past few months.
Warhammer Online explains the nuances of the Underdog System
One of the biggest problems you face when designing any PvP-focused game is the trouble of slippery slope -- in brief, the problem that losing makes it easier for you to continue losing and even harder to start winning. A game like Warhammer Online that's sold on the strength of fighting other players needs to be especially vigilant, hence the Underdog System rolled out with the game's most recent patch. It promises to make it easier for the losing side to regain their footing -- but that leads to the obvious question of how it will implement the change. A new developer diary on the official site explains the system in slightly more detail, helping to shed light on the method and implementation. Rather than being a straight buff to the players on one side or the other, the system revolves around making the overall objectives easier or harder based on win streaks. The underdog will have more time to capture objectives and fewer control points required to obtain victory, while the top dog will have less time to capture, more control points to capture, and a shorter duration of control. The diary also gives some example of the system in action, something that should be all but required reading for every Warhammer Online player. The system won't fix everything, but it certainly will make the game's PvP more lively and less prone to one side or the other having a consistent edge.
Pirate underdogs victorious in first round of EVE Alliance PvP Tournament
You killed KIA. You bastards! The EVE Online Alliance PvP Tournament returned this past weekend, guns blazing. The first qualifying round is now finished, huge bets in ISK were won and lost, and the competitors are preparing themselves for next weekend's face-offs. There were some good fights, and some surprises as well. When the relatively new pirate alliance "The Bastards" went toe to toe against KIA Alliance -- a formidable mercenary alliance in EVE Online comprised of seasoned combat pilots, many players assumed KIA would win. Those assumptions were wrong -- The Bastards scored a decisive victory against their opponents, no doubt to the chagrin of many players who bet against the pirates. One combatant from The Bastards, a career pirate (in EVE) named "Flashfresh", wrote about the experience of preparing to face some heavy competition from KIA Alliance and how their time spent in training paid off. Flashfresh wrote: "This afternoon, the team was announced, moved to a staging area and the Ventrilo server became a cacophony of mad noise. The rest (including me) cheered ourselves hoarse. There was no worry or fear amongst the Bastards team; no talk about the opposition only on how we were going to do. The entire corp had volunteered time and resources to train and train and train. We were ready."
The Daily Grind: The most popular MMO or the underdog?
Everyone's always talking about subscription numbers -- including us! We're always speculating about which game is going to end up on top. Well, second to the top, anyway. But what impact does the popularity of a game have on your play experience?The conventional wisdom is as follows. If you're playing the most popular MMO out there, you're at the forefront of the gaming community's attention. You're seeing first hand every history-making event. You're suffering through every headline-making nerf patch. If you're in a smaller MMO, the community is more tight-knit. You feel like you're living in a small town, where everyone knows your name. Your feedback might even have a chance of impacting the direction the game takes.But is any of that true? Which would you prefer -- the most popular game out there, or the best-kept-secret, and why?
The Daily Grind: Does WoW really need to be 'beaten'?
When will the constant cries of 'Will this be the WoW-killer?' be stifled once and for all? It's an endlessly fascinating debate, apparently, with some huge cachet to be awarded to the winner -- well beyond, of course, the obvious monetary spoils to be accrued. But then, of course, the question transfers to the victor: 'What will be the WoW-killer-killer?'Pfagh, enough. Let's instead concentrate on the far more interesting question: 'Why does there need to be a WoW-killer?' Does everyone think that Blizzard will just hang it up if some new title manages to amass more persistent accounts then they have? Will current players suddenly think 'Thank the gods, there's an alternative! I can escape my slavish chains!' and then recapitulate their drudgery with the new game? Or do people just feel the need to root for the underdog? Chime in with your thoughts, O Constant Readers.
Congratulations to the underdog
In a recent piece The Minnesota Daily (wonder where they're located at?) titled Why the Nintendo Wii is Wiining (clever), they take a look at console wars, current and those of the past. The article decidedly plays up Nintendo's role of being the underdog at the start of the new-gen console wars, showing how they came in with the Wii and many wrote them off.What makes this article interesting is the author. A self-explained "jaded girl gamer sick of hackneyed ploys to entice the male gamer," her views on Nintendo are much like our own; she sees them innovating the industry where others have only left it stagnate. This is where Nintendo will excel, in its focus of equality in gaming between gender, and we're just glad we're not the only ones who noticed.
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 8
Note: This edition was delayed due to New York Comic Con.PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to MP_ROOT/101ANV01/. Requires firmware 2.00 or above. Do NOT place in "VIDEO" folder. Firmware 2.80 or above do not need to download thumbnails. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for TheatersDownload MP4 (9.18MB) | Download THM The following videos are featured after the break: Next, The Condemned, Underdog, Bee Movie[Update 1: Corrected link for Next.]
