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Stick and Rudder: Why Star Citizen's development model matters
Chris Roberts' Star Citizen crowdfunding colossus exploded onto the gaming scene late in 2012 with a chip on its shoulder and a certain can-do attitude that resonated with gamers because of its conspicuous absence over the past decade. "I am a PC game, and I am a space sim," the game's trailer defiantly proclaimed. PC games and space sims, of course, were long past the prime of their 1990s golden years, according to most industry pundits, so how and why did Star Citizen make such a successful splash (over $8.5 million in crowdfunding as of press time, with an additional $5,000 to $10,000 gained on a daily basis)? More importantly why is the title's development model so integral to the future of gaming?
thatinterview with thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen
In a relatively quiet, upstairs nook of the rain-soaked Palmer Events Center in Austin, TX, thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen and I sat down to discuss Journey, his company's future and his thoughts on free-to-play business models, among other things.For Chen, 2012 was an auspicious year. Journey was a critical smash hit, earning top honors at DICE and a five-award sweep at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts game awards, among other illustrious achievements. Beyond its success with the press, however, Journey's release represented an even larger milestone for Chen and thatgamecompany: The developer's three-game exclusivity agreement with Sony had come to an end.
Capcom hopes grassroots movement will endear Monster Hunter to the west
Despite its unbelievable popularity in Japan, Capcom's Monster Hunter series hasn't taken off to the same degree in western countries. Not to imply that the games don't have a dedicated stateside following – rather, the numbers just can't compare.With Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate's North American release on the Wii U and 3DS right around the corner, Capcom will be attempting to grow interest in the brand the old fashioned way, by going to shows and talking to people about the game face to face."We have a full on booth, a Monster Hunter dedicated booth, at PAX, we have a Monster Hunter dedicated booth at Wondercon, we're also going to be attending C2E2 in Chicago, we have events that we're planning on doing at Capcom's offices in the near future," senior product marketing manager Laili Bosma told us during SXSW Interactive. "We're also looking to hopefully do a summer tour with Monster Hunter across the country."Bosma gave the off-screen/cross-region post-launch patch announced in February as an example of how Capcom is actively listening and responding to the needs of western audiences. "Capcom is very dedicated to the brand, obviously in Japan being as huge as it is. But, the team is also dedicated to trying to make it work here in the US," Bosma said, though she recognizes that there's no magic fix for transporting popularity overseas."It's not magical, it's not going to happen overnight," she added. "My goal here is to try to get as many people to experience it first-hand, and for us to answer those questions as much as we can, and then hopefully grow that audience one person at a time."
Gearbox details the evolution of the playable Borderlands cast
During a panel at the SXSW Interactive Festival, Gearbox franchise director Matt Armstrong and Borderlands lead character designer Jonathan Hemingway provided a behind the scenes look at how the developer evolved its playable characters from faceless archetypes to its four-person killing crew.Each character was originally conceived to give players a point of comparison to other genres or game franchises. The accessible and easy to use "Doom Guy" focused on giving classic shooter fans their familiar FPS fix; the tactical shooter archetype focused on delivering more strategic options, like in Metal Gear or Splinter Cell; and a world manipulator character concept wanted to give gamers a James Bond-like, gadget-focused killer.Eventually, these original concepts – crudely drawn in shapes – evolved into the four playable characters featured in Borderlands.
SWTOR panel at SXSW touches on Hutt expansion and other updates
If you weren't able to make it to Austin to catch the Star Wars: The Old Republic panel at the SXSW Interactive Gaming Expo this past weekend, we've got you covered; here's a video of a good chunk of it so you don't have to miss out. Of course, we also understand that some of you might be pressed for time due to things like, oh, maybe work, so you can't kick back and watch it all at once right now. For those, we've got a synopsis of the highlights to tide you over. The devs opened with a few words about the upcoming Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion. Sadly, no date announced, but they did mention the bonus items coming with each pre-order. Folks who spring for the expansion early (which is $10 cheaper for subscribers) will get a holostatue, a pet, and an exclusive title. The devs also emphasized the new content coming with the expansion, including gear, abilities, and two storylines on the new planet -- one for the Republic and one for the Empire. During the audience Q&A session, the devs also revealed that the cartel market update expected today will offer a cartel pack with almost entirely new items instead of repeats. All of the items can also be sold via auction. There are more tidbits to be had in this video, so pull up a chair and watch the final 22 minutes of the panel after the break. [Thanks to Jose for the tip!]
Next MineCon 'most definitely in the US'
While there's still no official word on when Mojang's next Minecraft-centric MineCon event will take place, the convention's potential location has at least been narrowed down to a specific country: "It'll be in the US, that's for sure. It's most definitely in the US," Mojang director of fun Lydia Winters told the audience during a recent SXSW Interactive panel."That's all I can say," Winters added. "I would like to tell more, but it's not 100 percent certain so I can't say anything yet." MineCon 2012 took place at Disneyland Paris, while the inaugural event stormed the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to her panel-hosting duties, Winters mentioned that her SXSW schedule included a meeting to discuss the next MineCon.
TI shows off LaunchPad-based prototype mouse, hints at a big follow-up
If you've been needing a little inspiration for your next TI LaunchPad project, look no further than the company itself. Texas Instruments set up shop in the maker tent across from the Austin Convention Center this week, showing off creations built atop its line of microcontrollers. The rep we spoke with was particularly excited about this mouse hack that the company put together in a few hours, while getting ready for SXSW. The creation utilizes the Stellaris board's accelerometers to control the cursor of a Windows machine on X, Y and Z axes, via USB. The project is more than just a hack, according to the company -- it's actually a prototype of something it's set to unveil later this year. No specifics on that front, but TI promised a "big surprise." In the meantime, you can check out video of the project after the break.%Gallery-181193%
Pre-orders open for Xi3's 'Piston' PC, $100 off during SXSW
Xi3's Steam-focused PC "console," the Piston, is now available for pre-order, the company announced yesterday. The tiny, $999 box includes a 128 gig solid-state drive that can be upgraded to 512 gigs for an additional $750 (for real, SSDs aren't cheap, y'all), eight gigs of RAM and a 3.2 Ghz quad-core processor.Any pre-orders placed between now and 11:59 p.m. Central on March 17, however, will have a smooth Benjamin shaved off the price. Pre-orders are expected to ship "in time for the 2013 Holiday Season," according to Xi3's announcement. Further information is expected to surface during the course of Austin's ongoing SXSW Interactive Festival.
Gearbox reveals next Borderlands 2 DLC includes a new vault hunter [Update]
During a panel at SXSW, Borderlands 2 developer Gearbox has revealed a new vault hunter is coming to its RPG-fueled first-person shooter."Deep beneath Pandora, an experiment has escaped," a teaser for the DLC announced, revealing a silhouette of the new character decimating enemies. "Bandits beware, a new vault hunter is coming. More mayhem awaits."Details for the second add-on character were scarce, much like the Pandora wasteland; however, the teaser (which you can view above) leads us to believe the new character is melee-focused. Gearbox franchise director Matt Armstrong wouldn't reveal the exact release for the DLC during the panel but added, "DLC is announced on a very tight schedule, and I don't think you'll have to wait long until you see that character."Update: Gearbox has clarified to Joystiq that the upcoming DLC character is not included as part of the Borderlands 2 Season Pass. The story above has been edited.
PayPal introducing new iOS SDK, APIs at SXSW
PayPal has announced that it's bringing a new iOS SDK and some new API tools to SXSW next week. As you might expect, the API will allow apps to use PayPal's tools to integrate payment information directly rather than having to go through a separate authorization page. As you can see on the official website, devs will be able to simply use a few method calls to set up PayPal payments, and get proof back that payment has taken place. The API also includes credit card scanning software from Card.io, which PayPal acquired last year. And finally, PayPal's also released some code to work with other platforms and languages, including some Javascript buttons, as well as APIs for REST, OAuth and JSON. So developers will have a lot of new tools to work with PayPal's payment system. It's unclear, however, what Apple thinks of this development -- it seems to me that paying through PayPal from an iOS app gets around Apple's requirement of taking a cut from everything sold on the App Store. But that's something that Apple and PayPal will need to work out. If you're a developer who wants to dive in to what's available here, you can download the PayPal iOS SDK for free right now. Update: PayPal president David Marcus just contacted me via Twitter to say that this SDK is meant for service transactions, not digital sales, so it doesn't fall under Apple's rules. In other words, the tools here are to be used for selling things outside the iPhone with Apple's device, not selling iPhone content or other items directly.
Wargaming.net goes on a road trip
The laptop-clad Hummer is fueled up and Wargaming.net is ready to roll out for its first road tour. The studio behind the "World of Deadly Historical Battle Vehicles" franchise is drumming up publicity for its titles by staging the least gas efficient Russian invasion ever. The Wargaming Road Tour's first stop is at the SXSW Interactive Gaming Expo this weekend. If you're attending and spot the hummer, swing by to get a first look at World of Warplanes and grab some nifty swag. Following the Austin expo, the Wargaming hummer will travel across the United States to spend time in major cities. You can stay abreast of the promotional trip on the official road tour website.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf makes its American debut at SXSW
We almost don't want to tell you this for fear of bringing even more of the world to Austin's crowded hotels, eateries, and highways this weekend, but Nintendo's got some cool stuff to show off at SXSW Gaming from March 8-10.Most exciting is a "guided demo opportunity" of this year's 3DS relax-em-up Animal Crossing: New Leaf, the first time it'll be playable in North America. Other 3DS games on display include Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Gates to Infinity, Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate, and eShop games Kersploosh! and HarmoKnight. New Wii U games to be shown at SXSW include Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, Lego City Undercover, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. SXSW Gaming will take place at the Palmer Events Center, and is open to the public.
