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Netflix's 'The Gray Man' is getting a sequel and a spin-off
The company wants big franchises in the vein of Star Wars and Harry Potter.
Gollum is the star of Daedalic's new 'Lord of the Rings' game
The Lord of the Rings universe just keeps on expanding. Even though the original blockbuster trilogy finished up 16 years ago, and the subsequent Hobbit films sort of bombed, entertainment giants think there's still mileage in the franchise. Amazon has announced a forthcoming TV series, and now Daedalic has revealed it's working on a new game, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
THQ Nordic buys developer of 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance'
THQ Nordic, the games publisher that's made a name for itself picking up long-forgotten games studios, has added Warhorse Studios to its fold in a €33.2 million acquisition. The deal comes exactly a year after Warhorse launched controversial title Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which sparked a heated debate about the issue of whitewashing in video games. Despite this narrative, though -- and the fact that the game was born of a Kickstarter project -- the game has since sold some two million units across all platforms. So THQ Nordic has evidently made a smart addition to its motley catalogue of studios.
'The Witcher' author demands $16m in royalties from CD Projekt Red
Andrzej Sapkowski, author of The Witcher series of novels, is pressing Polish games studio CD Projekt Red for more than $16 million in royalties, because he reckons he was short-changed during licensing agreements made back in 1997 -- licensing agreements he apparently keenly agreed to at the time.
Madden 15's franchise mode instills confidence, wraps up ratings
EA Sports introduced its changes to Connected Franchise mode in Madden NFL 15 this week, which includes the replacement of the the series' hot/cold streak system with "game prep" and "confidence." The team-management mode now has players preparing their teams with individual position drills and activities to boost experience points and influence a dynamic confidence rating. The confidence rating fluctuates throughout the season with the highs and lows of athletes' performances. It also changes with trades, team wins and losses, and even more with blowout victories and defeats, impacting other key ratings along with it. Additionally, Madden 15's Connected Franchise mode will include a tweaked free agency system in which available athletes will take factors like a team's needs, scheme and coaching ability into account when deciding where to take their career. It will also include entirely random draft classes for a change, with randomized names, ratings and traits for all incoming rookies. That marks a departure from previous franchise draft classes that had guaranteed-to-appear stars, such as Madden 11's Aspha Savage and K.C. Williams or Madden 25's Leon Sandcastle (yes, that Leon Sandcastle).
Take-Two: Red Dead is 'permanent,' BioShock stays with 2K Marin
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick noted Red Dead among the company's "permanent franchises" at the Cowen and Company's Technology, Media and Telecom Conference this week. "It's obvious that GTA is a permanent franchise as long as we keep delivering this incredible quality; it seems quite obvious that Red Dead is a permanent franchise, again with the same caveat," he said. The Rockstar Games-developed series has two entries: 2004's Red Dead Revolver and 2010's Red Dead Redemption, and the CEO's phrasing strongly indicates that another Red Dead game is on the way. "But not everything is going to be a permanent franchise," Zelnick added. "We can do very well even if it's not. I would like to see us grow with a couple more great franchises in the next couple years and we're launching Evolve, we have very high hopes for that." Zelnick also commented on the BioShock series, saying the publisher thinks it is "beloved, we think it's important [and] certainly something that we're focused on, something 2K Marin will be responsible for shepherding going forward." 2K Marin suffered layoffs in October following the launch of The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, prior to reports that the studio was on the verge of shuttering entirely. The developer launched BioShock 2 in 2010 between the two entries created by the Ken Levine-led studio Irrational Games. Irrational downsized to a small team of 15 in February, at which point Levine said the developer was "handing the reins of our creation, the BioShock universe, to 2K so our new venture can focus entirely on replayable narrative." [Image: Take-Two]
MLB 14 The Show on PS4 has far more faces in the virtual crowd
MLB 14: The Show will launch in spring 2014 for PS4, PS3 and Vita, Sony announced. Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera will be featured on the game's cover. Developer Sony San Diego unveiled a teaser trailer that boasts the ways that the game will take advantage of the PS4's graphical upgrades. For instance, MLB 14: The Show designer and community manager Ramone Russell notes that the PS3 only allowed for 42 different character models for fans in the virtual crowd for the game, whereas the PS4 allows for over a thousand. Russell says the game will also be "feature complete" on the next-gen system, and won't lose the series' Road to the Show and franchise modes in its transition to the PS4. Speaking of which, Sony added that starting with MLB 14: The Show, players will be able to carry their save files over to subsequent releases in the series, giving players' Road to the Show athletes and other career mode efforts life beyond the annual game's limited life cycle.
The Perfect Ten: Franchises that would make great MMOs
Any MMO player worth his or her salt has a binder full of ideas for games, usually based on a favorite book, television, or movie franchise. We've talked about it before. We've discussed whether or not it's a good idea to even have IP-driven MMOs. But you know what we've never done? We've never consulted me. I'm hurt, to be honest. I know that I'm just one of millions of MMO players, but I have a binder too! It's a vintage Trapper Keeper with a wizard on the cover who is dashing among abstract geometric shapes. My mom thought it was cool and my friends think it's totally rad. Inside are the secrets to hit MMOs that studios are just too scared to make but would be bigger than World of Warcraft if someone would just take the chance. I know it. Today I'm going to open up that binder and shove my ideas in your face. And then, knowing how these things go, I will raise up every geek voice against my picks in the comments section. Bring it on. My wizard can handle all of you.
Free Pokemon TV app wants to be the very best, like no one ever was
I'll admit it: I may have just written this post for the headline. But an official app from Nintendo's huge pet-hunting franchise is always news, and a free app like this might be just the thing to keep your kids busy for cheap while they're playing with the iPhone or iPad on a long car ride. Yes, a new Pokemon TV app has arrived in the App Store, and it will allow you to, for free, stream up to fifty different Pokemon episodes, and even a few movies from the huge franchise. There are more than 700 episodes out there, and the app is scheduled to update available episodes weekly, so every week your little viewer (or you, if you happen to be a Pokemon fan) can dial in and check out some brand-new content.The movies are in rotation as well (Pokemon the Movie will be streaming during the second half of this week), and there are even new animated shorts to see, including the upcoming Meloetta's Moonlight Serenade. This seems like a must-have for any Pokemon show fans, and as I said, it could come in handy for some free, family-friendly entertainment among the younger bunch. Just check back every week for new content, and eventually you'll, you know, catch 'em all.
The Daily Grind: How important is intellectual property to your MMO?
MMOs began as online versions of your favorite games. Ultima Online brought the familiar world of Britannia to players online, allowing them to play with their friends or meet new ones. But EverQuest showed us that a fresh new world could succeed as an MMO, with future online games exploring both sides of the IP coin. It's nice to have a familiar world in which to play, as games like World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, and Star Wars Galaxies have shown us. But fresh-from-scratch worlds are usually just as enticing. Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 seem to be doing pretty well for themselves. So which do you prefer? Does a familiar world matter to you, or do you reward originality? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Madden 13 gets server-side fantasy drafts
EA Tiburon detailed the inclusion of fantasy drafts for online Connected Careers franchises for Madden 13 in a recent blog. The feature, which now allows players to run a 54-round fantasy draft when starting an online franchise-style league, was not initially included in the game's feature set, much to the dismay of many players.EA Tiburon is "looking into adding similar functionality into offline Connected Careers in the future," so the fantasy draft feature is currently locked to online Connected Careers leagues, which can still be played as a single-player franchise.
Straight Right building two Wii U games that aren't Mass Effect 3
Straight Right, the developer creating Mass Effect 3 for the Wii U, has two other Wii U games in its workshop, boss Tom Crago tells Eurogamer. One game is an original IP, while the other is "based on another big franchise," set to launch in 2013."We've made a number of bets on the Wii U, so we're certainly hoping that the platform comes strongly out of the gate," Crago says. "We've got two other titles in development. One of them is original, our own IP, and another is based on another big franchise that will come out in 2013. It's a big title and you will have heard of it."Mass Effect 3 is slated to be a Wii U launch title, whenever that may be. Straight Right started work on the Wii U version months before Mass Effect 3 launched on other platforms in March."This is the biggest title we've worked on in a long time," Crago says. "There's a significant technical challenge bringing the game from its original format to the Wii U. It's a new, different and sophisticated piece of hardware, so there's a good deal of technical energy that's been expended making that happen."
Remember Me's plans extend to next-gen consoles, Capcom looking to build 'into a major franchise'
When Nilin's finished exploring the Neo-Paris of Dontnod Entertainment's Remember Me, that likely won't be the last of her adventures. Capcom senior producer Mat Hart says that the publisher wants more than just a one game from Dontnod. "We're looking to build a long-lasting relationship with them [Dontnod] as a developer, and built this into a major franchise," Hart told me in an interview this week.He was responding to a question about the game's release window – May 2013 – and the risk Capcom takes in launching a new IP during a very, very crowded release season. "The thing is, if you leave it too late into next year, then you are starting to straddle that line where you're starting to move into the next generation consoles. And what we wanna do is make sure we launch this on the current generation of consoles, to really sell it in, and establish it as a new IP. And then build the franchise out in line with the new consoles coming out."New properties can be hard to find in the final years of a console cycle, with many publishers instead choosing to launch alongside new hardware. Hart understands that risk, of course, but pointed out that "there's a clear difference between a risk and gamble."Specifically, he said, "You've seen the footage we've released of the game, and it's easy to see that Remember Me has the hallmark qualities of a top tier title. So we're very confident it competes in that particular landscape."%Gallery-162365%
Final Fantasy XI is the most profitable in the franchise
Behold the power of MMOs to generate a Fort Knox of income. Square-Enix announced that out of all of the Final Fantasy games from 1987 through today, Final Fantasy XI has been the most profitable. This comes from Square-Enix President Yoichi Wada, who was hyping the title over the weekend amid the news of its upcoming expansion. Wada also said that if you tallied the accumulated play time of all current FFXI players, you'd end up with a mind-boggling 200,000 years /played. Final Fantasy XI recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and announced its first new expansion in six years, Seekers of Adouli.
Blizzard looking to hire "product placement" producer for next-gen MMO
As Blizzard charges into 2012 with three big releases (Mists of Pandaria, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, and Diablo III) coming soon, rumors begin to swirl as a new job posting became available on the Blizzard career site for a franchise development producer. The interesting facts in the job listing are that the position is for the next-gen MMO, focused on working with consumer brands and creating brand-extending merchandise. What does this mean for the next-gen MMO currently roasting slowly at Blizzard's complex? We don't really know. If we look at other games that have had advertising, it's usually in the form of billboards or sponsorships, featuring products that you and I know of. The possibilities for where ads could go within the game world of an MMO are endless, but it does preclude some settings and time periods. Intriguing, no? Something to freak out about? Definitely not.
Infinity Blade franchise pulls in $30 million in 2011
Angry Birds isn't the only iOS brand that did well over the holiday season: Chair Entertainment reports that Infinity Blade also raked in the money this past holiday season (and the year previous). The franchise as a whole has picked up a whopping $30 million so far. That includes both the original Infinity Blade game and the great Infinity Blade 2, but it also includes a digital novel based in the game's setting, an original soundtrack release, and even Infinity Blade FX, which is an arcade version of the touchscreen game at places like Dave and Buster's. That's a solid franchise, and a solid chunk of money the company has picked up so far. More important than the total, however, is what all of this money means: That you can build a successful and solid high-definition franchise on iOS. Lots of traditional and mainstream companies (like Chair, and Epic, which owns them) have been looking at iOS as a platform, and many of them have dismissed it as a smaller environment for more casual or low-profile games. That may be true (Infinity Blade could be called more casual than, say, Chair's own Shadow Complex on the Xbox 360), but Chair's also proven here that iOS gamers do want (and are willing to pay for) more in-depth, well-produced titles also. There's no question that we'll see more next-gen studios dipping their production toes in iOS in the future as well, going after exactly this kind of money. Show full PR text EPIC GAMES AND CHAIR ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE EARNINGS FROM INFINITY BLADE FRANCHISE EXCEED $30 MILLION Accolades, Strong Sales of Infinity Blade II Further Propel Blockbuster Game Franchise CARY, N.C. and SALT LAKE CITY (January 5, 2012) – Epic Games, Inc. and its award-winning Salt Lake City-based development studio, ChAIR Entertainment, today announced that earnings from ChAIR's blockbuster Infinity Blade video game franchise have eclipsed $30 million in just one year since the introduction of the original game. One of the most popular gaming franchises to be launched on the App Store, the award-winning series has also created significant licensing interest in the underlying Unreal Engine 3 technology from developers worldwide. Further fueling franchise momentum is the recent release of Infinity Blade II, which has seen net earnings in excess of $5 million in just one month since release on Dec. 1, 2011, a mark which took the original title three months to achieve. Infinity Blade II is on pace to exceed the record success of the original Infinity Blade game, which has grossed more than $23 million to date. Additional franchise extensions include Infinity Blade: Awakening, a digital novella from best-selling author Brandon Sanderson, Infinity Blade: Original Soundtrack, which features original music from the games, and Infinity Blade FX, a big screen, coin-op version of Infinity Blade now featured in arcades nationwide. Infinity Blade II was one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2011 and received dozens of accolades, including several perfect scores and Editors Choice awards. IGN scored the game a "Perfect 10" and named it their 2011 Mobile Game of the Year. USA Today awarded Infinity Blade II another perfect score, calling it "A Masterful Mobile Epic." Infinity Blade II was crowned Game of the Year by Slide to Play and Touch Gen, and named Mobile Game of the Year by GameSpot and G4TV, among others. Infinity Blade II was also named among E! Online's 'Top 10 Games of 2011,' one of the 'Best Apps of 2011' by Entertainment Weekly, and was cited by Mashable in its '5 Major Trends that Changed Digital Entertainment in 2011' feature. "The success of the Infinity Blade franchise is testament to our talented team who is devoted to making games we want to play, all while using Unreal Engine technology to redefine what is expected from games on iOS devices," Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps said. "We have so much more in store for players, and will continue to make great content for Apple's evolving platforms." Infinity Blade II is available for download from the App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore) for $6.99 and is a universal app. The game is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad 2, iPod touch 3 (16GB+) and iPod touch 4. To learn more about the Infinity Blade games and novella, follow @InfinityBlade on Twitter, 'Like' "Infinity Blade" on Facebook at www.facebook.com/InfinityBladeGame or visit the official website at www.InfinityBladeGame.com.
Disney Interactive Media Group appoints Bill Roper as Vice President, Marvel Franchise
Fans of Marvel Comics have been on the edge of their seats ever since the announcement that Disney had acquired the comic publishing giant, and they're surely anxious to know that their beloved characters will be in good hands. Well, thanks to a press release from Disney Interactive Media Group today, we now know exactly whose hands they will be in. DIMG has appointed Bill Roper, former VP of Blizzard North and former Chief Creative Officer of Cryptic Studios, as Vice President, Marvel Franchise. Alex Seropian, Senior Vice President and General Manager says of the appointment, "We are pleased to have Bill join our team. With 17 years of experience in the worldwide gaming industry, we are confident that Bill has the creative vision necessary to help guide the next wave of development and product for DIMG's Marvel Games." It seems like Disney has big plans for the Marvel franchise. What those plans are remain to be seen, though Roper will obviously play a large part in Marvel's future in the gaming industry.
Battle Dawn Galaxies takes the franchise to the stars
Going from a scrappy start-up to Lord Emperor of the Universe would make your resume seem paltry, would it not? And while we have no doubt that you'll make it happen for real once your homemade starship is able to break orbit from your back yard, Tacticsoft has an easier solution: Try out Battle Dawn Galaxies, a new galaxy-spanning strategy MMO. Battle Dawn Galaxies hands you the keys to a small space station and a dream -- a dream to become the biggest, baddest, savviest leader on the map! Over the course of this free-to-play title, you'll build up your station, create a battle fleet of ships, take over new territory, establish alliances with other players, and fight against all those who oppose you. The game already has over 10,000 daily active players and is the latest in the Battle Dawn franchise, which begun back in 2006. Tacticsoft CEO Michael Rosen thinks the sky is the limit for this title: "The Battle Dawn brand has grown in popularity over the past five years and our players have been asking for a sci-fi universe based on the core mechanics of the original game. With Battle Dawn Galaxies, we bring strategic space combat to new heights in the browser." You can watch the trailer for the game after the jump!
LA Noire is 'a powerful new franchise' for Take-Two
During this afternoon's Take-Two investor call, CEO Strauss Zelnick said that though he wasn't interested in comparing every new intellectual property to the "extraordinary success of Red Dead Redemption," Rockstar's latest has all the makings of a key franchise. "We have every reason to believe L.A. Noire is another strong franchise for this company," Zelnick said. "No matter how you slice it, it's a very successful release and to be able to say that again is extraordinary." Of course, Rockstar's many successes colored much of the call, from the announcement that Red Dead Redemption has now sold over 8.5 million units to the news that Rockstar's core creatives have renewed their employment contracts. "And if it needs to be said, this management team is just immensely grateful to Rockstar for delivering another superb title," Zelnick reiterated to investors. "One can never take that for granted. The hit ratio for this group is nothing short of extraordinary." When asked about downloadable content plans for L.A. Noire, Zelnick predictably side-stepped the question -- "We'll leave it to Rockstar to announce" any plans, he said -- but he again said that L.A. Noire is a "powerful new franchise" for Take-Two. Earlier in the call, Zelnick defined Take-Two's strategy, saying, "the core of which is to produce and distribute a select number of triple-A titles and support them with add-on content distributed both on disc and digitally." He continued, "Add-on content generally produces incremental revenue and profits and keeps gamers engaged with our titles for longer periods of time, thereby extending the life of the product, increasing the value of the brand, and ultimately converting it into a franchise." Following this math, L.A. Noire is going to need some more add-on content before it can really claim that "franchise" moniker ... So how about getting on the horn with the good people at Roger Rabbit Licensing, Inc.? No price is too high!
The Game Archaeologist jacks into The Matrix Online: The highlights
It's not every year that a movie comes along that captures the pop culture zeitgeist so powerfully and so quickly as The Matrix did. I recall lugging a few college friends along to see this in 1999 -- having heard only a few sparse details about it beforehand -- and coming out of the theater feeling as if we we'd been electrified. The bold mix of science fiction, martial arts, philosophy, action, and leather ensembles became the smash hit of the year, and a franchise was born. And while we had great hopes that this would be this generation's Star Wars, The Matrix ultimately proved to be a lightning-in-a-bottle phenomenon, impossible to recapture once unleashed. Sequels, animated shorts, video games, comic books -- none rose to the height of the original film, and eventually the franchise petered out. During this period, an odd duck of an MMO was born: The Matrix Online. When you think about it, an online virtual world where people log in and fight against programs was a really short hop from the movie series. MxO, as it was abbreviated, was an audacious game with unique features, story-centric gameplay and a sci-fi bent in a field of fantasy competitors, and while it only lasted four years, it was enough to make a huge impression for its community. So by popular demand, this month we're going to revisit the 1s and 0s of The Matrix Online to see just how deep the rabbit hole (and well-worn cliche) goes -- and what made this game stand out!
