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XCOM publisher points to game's success as proof premium pricing works for iOS games
When 2K Games and Firaxis released their iOS port of the popular console title XCOM: Enemy Unknown, they decided to buck the conventional wisdom that mobile games needed mobile pricing. Rather than a price in line with the $.99 to $5.99 gamers have come to expect in the iOS store, XCOM was released for $19.99. Despite that premium price tag the game hit the Top 10 Grossing Apps charts in its first week of release. Take-Two chairman Strauss Zeinick is pleased with the news and has pointed to it as proof that premium pricing can work in the traditionally cheap mobile market. The success of XCOM: Enemey Unknown for iOS illustrates that consumers are willing to pay a premium price for a premium entertainment experience on any platform. This bodes well for the opportunity to deliver profitably our most immersive new AAA titles to mobile platforms as they evolve. As the computing power of smartphones continues to grow, the reality of bringing games that match the quality of consoles to mobile gamers moves closer than ever. However, with the increased cost of developing these games expect to see premium pricing become the new normal for top tier titles. Still with games like Candy Crush putting players on time out every five lives, with the option to pay to keep playing of course, maybe it will eventually become a pleasure to pay more money up front to be able to play whenever you want to.
XCOM: Enemy Within listed by Korean ratings board
A listing on Korea's Game Rating Board site indicates that a game by the name of XCOM: Enemy Within exists. The classifications board listed the game for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Whether the as-yet-unannounced game is a stand-alone product or extension of last year's XCOM: Enemy Unknown is, well, unknown. We also wonder what said enemy is within.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown for Mac comes to Steam
The Mac version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is available now on Steam for $40. The news represents a curious turnaround for the Mac version's developer and general Mac specialist Feral Interactive, who told us back in May it "doesn't release games on Steam." A month later, Feral announced the arrival of the Mac version on Steam, which it says supports cross-platform multiplayer across Windows PC and Mac. Also, if you've bought the PC version on Steam, you'll have free access to the Mac version. XCOM: Enemy Unknown launched a full-scale invasion of our Top 10 of 2012 list, eventually notching a commendable second place behind Journey. Since then, Firaxis' extraterrestrial strategy game has hovered across to iOS, where it's currently available for $20.
Daily iPad App: XCOM: Enemy Unknown is great, if you've got the hardware
Firaxis recently announced that it was bringing a complete version of last year's console title XCOM: Enemy Unknown to iOS. The game is now available, at a premium price of US$20.00. That's costly for a mobile game, but the truth is that this is no "mobile" game as you might think of one. It's a full-featured experience that brings the old classic XCOM tactical, turn-based gameplay into the latest generation of graphics and gameplay design. The premise of the game is that you (yes, you) are the "commander" of XCOM, an internationally funded military research organization dedicated to fighting an alien threat. The game spans the entire organization: During fights, you direct soldiers in battle, and outside of combat, you direct funding and try to place satellites in the sky to protect the countries of the world as best you can. The game's balance is just brilliant. Research you do in the metagame opens up new combat options in the various skirmishes you'll fight, and winning fights (or capturing aliens) can kick your research into gear, which helps secure more tools and more funding. The game's graphics are excellent, and the grid-based combat experience used in the PC version has been translated to the touchscreen with care by 2K China. The one big issue with XCOM, however, is that because of its scope, it's a monster to run on Apple's touchscreen hardware. The iTunes listing says the game is best experienced on the iPad 4 and up, and they aren't kidding. I had some issues with slowdowns and crashes while running it on my iPad 2. Hopefully, future patches will fix optimization issues and the game will run better, but you shouldn't even think about playing this on anything older than an iPad 2 or an iPhone 4S. All of that said, however, XCOM is as premium an experience as they come on the App Store. This is a game designed for PCs and consoles, and we got it on iOS in a feature-full version, for half the price (the title is still $39.99 on Steam, though I expect that price to drop very soon). If you've got the hardware, this game is a must-play, both because it's so excellent, and just to support this kind of quality iOS release.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown now available for iOS
The long-awaited XCOM: Enemy Unknown has finally arrived on the App Store for a premium price of US$19.99. This is Firaxis' turn-based strategy hit from last year (in my opinion, one of the best games of 2012), translated to the iOS platform in full. The controls have been tweaked just a bit to work with the iOS touchscreen, but otherwise this is the full game, featuring a base that you can upgrade at will, soldiers that you can outfit with bleeding-edge technology and terrific turn-based skirmishes against aliens of all kinds. The graphics, I believe, have been slowed down just a bit, and Firaxis does recommend that you use an iPad 4 to play (and they even say to turn off other apps that might take up cycles in the background). So that could be a pain, especially if you have an older device. Still, this is a modern PC game, and we're getting it here in full form on iOS, so it's hard to complain about that. It's nice that this is a full premium release. You spend one price and get all of the game's content with no IAP or freemium twists at all. XCOM is a great game from a company that is well worth supporting.
PSA: XCOM: Enemy Unknown lands on iOS today
Firaxis Games' reboot XCOM: Enemy Unknown is now available on iOS. We certainly enjoyed our time with the $20 touch-enabled port, which you can read all about right here. And while the iOS game doesn't include multiplayer right now, it's been promised as a free update later down the road. Good luck, Commander! %Gallery-191738%
XCOM: Enemy Unknown on iOS is spec-tap-ular
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. XCOM: Enemy Unknown seems like it was built for iPad. The touch-screen controls on the iOS port are so good that the game feels like it was lovingly crafted specifically for touch devices from the get-go. These controls are easily the highlight of the iOS version of XCOM (which also runs on the iPhone, by the way). With a redesigned HUD full of chunky buttons, completing actions in the game is a cinch. I actually prefer the touch scheme to wielding a controller. It's a simpler, more intuitive process, and the meat of the game is every bit as good as its console and PC counterparts.%Gallery-191738%
XCOM: Enemy Unknown arrives on iOS on June 20 for $20
The long-awaited iOS version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is almost here. 2K Games has announced that it will be available on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch Thursday at a premium price of US$19.99. Firaxis' excellent remake of the old PC game arrived on consoles last year to critical acclaim, and now it's coming to iOS with all of the single player features of the main release. Multiplayer mode is coming later on, and will be added in an update a little further down the road. That price might be the most notable thing about this one. Lots of developers are going with freemium on iOS lately, claiming that there's just not a big enough audience willing to pay a higher price to justify anything but giving games away for free. But XCOM is definitely a premium experience, and I think that there are plenty of gamers out there willing to pay $20 for a game worth the quality (XCOM is still selling in stores for $50 or $60 on consoles and PC). Firaxis apparently agrees, so if XCOM turns out to be a hit, we may see more developers and publishers trusting the premium price for their highest quality games. A hit here could also kick off a trend of even more developers bringing out their AAA titles to iOS, possibly even closer to the same day and release date of consoles and PCs. We'll see how this all plays out. If nothing else, we're all set to get another excellent game on iPhone and iPad this coming Thursday.
Commander, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is on iOS June 20
XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be available on iOS devices this Thursday, June 20, for $19.99. Commanders of the XCOM Project will now have mobile access across iPad 2+, iPhone 4S+ and fifth generation iPod touch devices. The iOS XCOM is a the PC experience with the exception of the head-to-head multiplayer, which will be added at a later time as a free update. %Gallery-189626%
GameFly summer PC sale includes super-cheap BioShock Infinite, Mass Effect Trilogy, Walking Dead
GameFly has a pretty legit sale going on right now for PC games on Steam and Origin -- deals that, when coupled with this 20-percent off coupon, can lead to some decidedly redonk savings. BioShock Infinite, for instance, can be yours for $28 after using the coupon code. Meanwhile, The Walking Dead, Hitman: Absolution, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Torchlight 2 and Sleeping Dogs are all available for less than $10, and that's before the coupon. Borderlands 2, Mass Effect Trilogy, XCOM: Enemy Unknown and a whole mess of others are in there as well at varyingly steep discounts. This may be the excuse you've been waiting for to finally justify Euro Truck Simulator 2.
Uncharted 3, XCOM, LBP Karting free on PS Plus next week
Next week, when the PlayStation Store updates on June 11, three new games will be added to the PlayStation Plus free Instant Game Collection library: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, XCOM: Enemy Unknown and LittleBigPLanet Karting. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception will include the full single-player campaign for PS Plus subscribers and the free-to-play multiplayer side. Both XCOM: Enemy Unknown and LBP Karting are their full retail offerings, joining a June that has already yielded a free copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and will later gift Saints Row: The Third.
XCOM iOS multiplayer to be added after launch
The iOS version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown will launch with the full single-player experience seen on consoles and PC, with multiplayer modes following later. "We're sort of focusing our design resources on the single-player experience. We're certainly going to provide [multiplayer] after launch," XCOM: Enemy Unknown designer Jake Solomon tells Joystiq. "The single-player is what we really – we know that for it to feel like XCOM, the single-player needs a lot of our focus. So we're playing, giving feedback, making sure it feels nice and polished. It's just we're focusing our resources on single-player first." 2K Games is tentatively slating XCOM: Enemy Unknown for launch on iOS sometime this summer. Pricing is still being determined, though Solomon says the game will exact an up-front fee and won't hinge on in-app purchases. %Gallery-189626%
Jake Solomon on XCOM iOS and the 'happy accident' of mobile strategy games
"This isn't just like a port to a new platform," XCOM: Enemy Unknown designer Jake Solomon tells me over the phone. "From a development angle, this is one of the – and I honestly can't think of another experience except for The Walking Dead – where it's a game, a AAA game that we just put out on consoles, and we're putting the whole thing out to tablet. This is something that I can't take any design credit for, but turn-based strategy games work really well on mobile devices. It's sort of a happy accident, in that sense." The project can be traced back to the time when Firaxis was finishing up its work on XCOM: Enemy Unknown for PC and consoles. 2K China presented a version of the game running on iOS, and from there Firaxis would work with them on the portable incarnation due this summer. It features the full functionality seen on other platforms, thanks to the Unreal foundation that has played nice with iOS since late 2010. "Without Unreal, it certainly wouldn't have been possible," Solomon says. %Gallery-189626%
Cheap Firaxis bundle headlines Amazon Digital Mayhem sale
Amazon is bundling together three of Firaxis Games' most recent at a really low price. For $20, you can snag PC download codes of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Civilization 5: Gold Edition – a definitive version with Gods and Kings and a bunch of other DLC – and Civilization 4: The Complete Edition, also including a host of DLC and extra goodies. The Firaxis bundle headlines Amazon's Digital Mayhem promotion, with other discounts spanning Telltale's The Walking Dead, Battlefield 3, BioShock, Mark of the Ninja and many more. The sale ends on May 31, so feel free to take your time perusing the hundreds of eligible discounts.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Mac version not on Steam
Though XCOM: Enemy Unknown Elite Edition arrived on Mac on April 25, one place it didn't launch was Steam. A representative of the Mac version's developer, Feral Interactive, told Joystiq that it "does not release games on Steam." This isn't the only game that Feral has shipped on platforms not owned by Valve, as the developer is credited with creating Mac versions of BioShock 2, Grid and both Batman: Arkham City and Arkham Asylum, among many other games. When asked about whether any games from its catalog would launch on Steam at any point, the representative said they "do not talk about future products." Feral is offering XCOM: Enemy Unknown on the Mac App Store, among other online retailers listed on its site.
Prototypes show the evolution of XCOM: Enemy Unknown
XCOM: Enemy Unknown art director Greg Foertsch conducted a GDC 2013 panel called Art Direction Autopsy: XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Foertsch shared a few internal videos chronicling the different directions considered by Firaxis Games, and was kind enough to share those videos with Joystiq.Above, you can see a video with a more survival-horror slant – a prototype with methodical pacing, centered around a lone farm house wrapped in dark atmosphere. Jump past the break for two more prototype videos.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown iOS won't have in-app purchasable upgrades
XCOM: Enemy Unknown won't go down the common iOS route of charging for upgrades, items and the like, mainly because the game's lead designer can't stand the idea. Firaxis' Jake Solomon made the blunt disclosure to IGN, reaffirming the upcoming mobile version of the 2012 strategy game is a straight port."Oh God, please...," Solomon responded to IGN when asked about in-app purchases like power-ups, "No. I'm not sure I would be able to sleep at night. My food would taste like ashes in my mouth."Solomon told us last month the iOS version, due this summer, is "the exact same game [as on PC or consoles], it's just now fully playable on an iPhone or an iPad." Given that it's the full game, it'll be "appropriately" priced at a premium point, although we're still waiting to see what that is. The iOS version will include the Elite Soldier DLC but not the Slingshot pack, while the Second Wave update remains a possibility.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown on Mac April 25
XCOM: Enemy Unknown for Mac just received a release date of April 25 at PAX East.Announced earlier this month, the Mac version is the "elite edition," which includes the Slingshot and Elite Solidier downloadable content packs, as well as the second wave update.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown announced for iOS
XCOM: Enemy Unknown was just announced for iPad and iPhone during a PAX East panel."It is a straight port. We have not made any gameplay exceptions," XCOM: Enemy Unknown Lead Designer Jake Solomon told us. "You play the exact same game [as on PC or consoles], it's just now fully playable on an iPhone or an iPad."Asked about the game's pricing, Solomon wouldn't give specifics, saying, "It's going to be priced appropriately for what it is. It's going to be a premium price point. It is the game. It is the full game."In case you're looking for a definition of "premium" on iOS, expect to be more than $1 and probably push the limits like The Walking Dead does at $15.The game should be out by summer. We've been told it will not include the Slingshot pack downloadable content, however the Elite Soldier DLC will be included. Meanwhile, the free Second Wave update has not yet been ruled out.
Seen@PAX East: A tactical poster for your time
Hanging at the 2K booth at PAX East is an inspirational poster of marketing, featuring the characters from Firaxis' Civilization and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. If you're at the show, you can pick up the poster at the "Strategy Masterminds Mega Panel - Behind the Scenes at Firaxis Games" panel. The panel features the team of Firaxis showing off "never-before-seen footage" and teasing "big reveals" at 4:30PM.
