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Warner Brothers releases Batman: Arkham City Lockdown for iOS
Although it's not yet live in the US Store as of this writing, Warner Brothers has released Batman: Arkham City Lockdown in the NZ App Store, and it will be rolling out in other countries over the day. "Scour the rooftops and the seedy underbelly of Gotham City through a series of one-on-one battles with the Joker, Two-Face and more, as well as the Batman: Arkham City Lockdown exclusive -– Deathstroke," the game's description notes. While the gameplay and graphics aren't likely to be as intense as the full Arkham City game on consoles and PCs, the game does use the same Unreal Engine as Infinity Blade 2, which makes for some very impressive-looking screenshots of the app in action. Batman: Arkham City Lockdown is a universal app for both iPhone and iPad, compatible with iPhone 3GS and above, 3rd generation iPod touch and above, and all models of iPad. Like other graphically-intensive iOS games, however, you'll probably only get the best visuals on the iPhone 4S or iPad 2. The game is available in the New Zealand App Store for NZ$8.29, and it should be available in the US Store later today at a price of US$5.99.
Warner pushes 28-day new release delay on Blockbuster, matches Redbox and Netflix
We suppose it's good news / bad news for Blockbuster. The good news is that after going through bankruptcy and being sold, Warner Bros. has decided it's healthy enough to take on the competition on even ground. The bad news, is that Warner has decided to give Blockbuster the same month long delay the studio loves so much before new movies can be rented out as its competitors, Redbox and Netflix. While Blockbuster has had delays at its kiosks already, being first to get new flicks in stores has been a part of its marketing for a while. The LA Times reports Blockbuster so far is turning to simply buying the copies it needs at retail to rent them out immediately, but we'll see how long that lasts. If you enjoy your discs via kiosk or mail don't think you're out of the woods either, as the paper mentions Warner wants to delay new flicks to those outlets even longer when their deals are renegotiated.
Batman: Arkham City ships 4.6M in first week, 2M sold
Batman is kind of a big deal, with his latest starring role catapulting Batman: Arkham City to astronomical shipping numbers: an approximate 4.6 million in the first week. LA Times reports that among those shipments, Bats has already slipped into 2 million homes. By most accounts, Batman: Arkham City is earning those numbers, with reviewers (including our own) praising the sequel's densely packed open world and attention to detail, among other things. And if the rest of those shipped copies eventually end up in consumer's homes as well, the game will have already surpassed sales numbers of its predecessor (4.3 million). Not too shabby for a development studio whose only non-Batman game is about being a random police dude!
Daily iPhone App: Scribblenauts Remix
I remember hearing way, way back that Scribblenauts might be headed to iOS, but when the dust finally settled on the iOS 5 transition yesterday, among the (many -- we'll see more in the next few days) great new releases on the App Store, this one definitely stood out. Warner Brothers and original developers 5th Cell have brought the legendary DS game over to iOS, and the port is just plain excellent. Scribblenauts is a magical game. The idea is that you control Maxwell through a series of challenge levels, and in each one he's got to do whatever's necessary to earn a Starite. You accomplish the goals you're given by using one of the most fascinating mechanics in gaming lately: You simply type in whatever you want to show up in the game, and then it does. If that sounds impossible, then believe the impossible, because that's what Scribblenauts is all about. Just playing around on the title screen can give you hours of enjoyment -- make a "dinosaur," throw a "tiger" into the mix, order up a "hunter" and see how they interact. Maybe you want to create God and the Devil and see what happens, or order up a real working "time machine," or create whatever else you want. As long as it's a noun and not a proper name, Scribblenauts has it. You can even create things with adjectives, so "giant polka-dot emu" works, as does "purple pregnant washing machine." It's incredible. The "Remix" part of this one includes 10 brand new levels, but the best part about it is that Maxwell adventures have been carefully and thoughtfully ported over -- the touch controls work great, the game even offers iOS 5 Cloud integration, and Game Center is fully supported as well. We couldn't have asked for a better version of Scribblenauts on this platform, and if you've never seen this game in action before, you'll be amazed at just what 5th Cell has created here. Scribblenauts Remix is available for $4.99 as a universal version.
LEGO Universe introduces Ninjago expansion
Who doesn't like ninjas? Well, except for pirates, I guess. Now LEGO Universe has both, as its newly announced Ninjago expansion brings the world of the Ninjago LEGO toys and the Masters of Spinjitzu film to the MMO. In addition to inserting over 100 new ninja-themed missions, this "largest expansion to the game yet" will raise the level cap to 45 and introduce new weapons, new enemies, and new gear -- all just in time for next month's first-year anniversary for the game. The expansion is free for all premium members starting today, and you can check out the screenshot gallery below and launch trailer just after the jump.%Gallery-49493% [Source: LEGO Universe press release]
Rumor: Turbine working on console MMO?
Internet scuttlebutt has it that Turbine is cooking up a console MMO codenamed Project Hendrix. A posting at GameSpot cites a Turbine job listing that seeks an engineer for an "unannounced online console project." The article also mentions the resume of one Josh Phelan, a Turbine employee who apparently mentioned the Hendrix title in his online resume (which has since gone dark). Turbine's console aspirations are nothing new, as studio VP Craig Alexander hinted at such desires as early as 2009. Commenter speculation links the job listing to the mysterious Pottermore title, and given Turbine's acquisition by Warner Brothers (which also owns the Pottermore trademark), it's not unreasonable to suspect that the sorting hat could be getting ready to assign a Potter MMO to House Turbine. Check out the details on GameSpot and let us know what you think in the comments.
Rumor: Is Pottermore the upcoming Harry Potter MMO?
The Harry Potter fan base was abuzz yesterday as a mysterious new website was launched. The site itself is rather bare, merely sporting the words "Pottermore: Coming Soon" and J.K. Rowling's signature underneath, but there's reason to believe that this may be connected to an online game. It gets interesting when you look at Pottermore's trademark page, which lists the trademark as being owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and describes the product as follows: Providing multiple-user access to a global computer information network; providing on-line chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among users in the field of general interest; providing on-line communications links which transfer the web site user to other local and global web pages; providing on-line facilities for real-time interaction with other computer users concerning topics of general interest. The Guardian notes that Pottermore could stand for "Potter Multiplayer Online Role-playing Experience," among other things. An editor at HPANA was one of the few to get a glimpse of the full site, commenting, "It is breathtaking in scope, detail and sheer beauty." Meanwhile, on YouTube's JKRowlingAnnounces channel, a timer is counting down to an announcement as to why "the owls are gathering" sometime on the 23rd. Of course, a Harry Potter MMO has been heavily rumored for some time now, perhaps in association with Turbine (which is owned by WB). It's a tenuous connection but a possibility as well, so we'll be keeping our eyes on the site to see what transpires! [Thanks to reader Alen for the tip!]
YouTube seals deals with major studios to compete with iTunes
Google-owned YouTube plans to expand the premium on-demand video rental services offered through its website. Earlier this week, Google and YouTube reportedly closed deals with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Universal and Lionsgate to offer filmed content from these studios as streaming rentals -- including access to new releases the same day as competing movie-on-demand services. YouTube's new service is expected to compete with market leaders in the online video rental market: Apple and Amazon. In an effort to generate revenue with professionally produced content, YouTube began offering premium video rentals on its website about a year ago, starting with a limited number of films from the Sundance Film Festival, Weinstein Co. and MGM. But the Google subsidiary has struggled to transform its 130 million monthly users into a sizable audience for its paid and ad-supported feature films. This week's licensing agreements that expand YouTube's library of rental titles may help more customers see value in paying the website for access to Hollywood films and make it a more competitive rival to Apple's iTunes and Amazon's Instant Video services. Google isn't the only big brand making big moves in the streaming video business. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both DirecTV and Dish Network are exploring subscription streaming service businesses to challenge Netflix and iTunes. Meanwhile, cable television provider Comcast is trying to negotiate deals to offer premium video-on-demand options that would allow cable subscribers to enjoy new movies only 6–8 weeks after their theatrical release dates.
Peter Jackson shooting The Hobbit at 48FPS, should speed up those long walking scenes
Say goodbye to blurry Orcs, because The Hobbit is going 48 frames per second. King of Kong Peter Jackson announced via Facebook that the two-part Lord of the Rings prequel will be shot at an increased frame rate, double the 24FPS that has been the industry standard for the better part of a century. Halo's non-director preemptively addressed critics of the technology, comparing it to the transition from vinyl to CDs -- which, let's face it, some folks still aren't all that psyched about. The technology, when combined with a 48FPS projector, should cut down on blur and strobe. Jackson and Warner Bros. have their fingers crossed that a sufficient number of theaters will be capable of projecting at that speed when the film opens in December 2012. We're eagerly awaiting James Cameron's reaction -- and George Lucas's inevitable Star Wars re-re-re-re-release at the new speed.
WB registers 'Batman: Impostors' domains, XBLA game rumored
Back in February, there was a rumor going around, based on a few listings at UK retailers, that Warner Brothers was working on a Batman game specifically made for Xbox Live Arcade. At the time, the rumored title was "Gotham City Impostors," but with little more than that the story sounded as believable as Jason Todd coming back to life. But now, Superannuation has unearthed registrations by Warner Brothers for the BatmanImpostors.com web domain, as well as BatmanRedHoods.com and BatmanHushGame.com. Now, the story seems about as likely as ... Jason Todd coming back to life. Of course, this doesn't confirm an XBLA game -- Warner Brothers could just be registering these in advance of the Batman: Arkham City release, or picking them up for some unrelated reason. Impostors, as it is spelled, is a storyline from Detective Comics last year, while Hush is a well-known Batman villian. Keep your Detective Vision turned on, folks.
New developer making plans for Lord of the Rings Online's PvMP
PvP in Lord of the Rings Online has always been a sticky issue, with players taking the roles of monsters that always felt a bit underrepresented. But if you've always been a fan of smashing player-controlled spiders or playing one yourself, you'll be happy to see that there's a new developer in town taking aim at the PvMP portion of the game. Kelsan's inaugural post included a call for feedback and a broad PvMP manifesto outlining the overall design goals for the play mode. One of the major areas being examined is the matter of rewards -- both factions are fighting for different rewards and different levels of commitment, which creates a disconnect in play. Kelsan and Orion both want to re-evaluate what players receive from zone control and taking part in PvMP, hopefully creating an environment where more players can get into the conflict. As one would expect, revisions are also being focused on a balancing of skills and abilities to help level the playing field. Lord of the Rings Online players should take a look at the full manifesto and offer any and all constructive feedback possible.
Warner Brothers sells movies as apps, skirts iTunes
In an interesting move, Warner Brothers has released two movies as apps -- including extras -- semi-skirting the iTunes Store. The idea is to offer movies to customers who live in countries without movie sales via iTunes. Of course, Apple still gets the 30 percent cut of the in-app purchase cost. Interestingly, this technique goes directly against one of the clauses in Apple's current App Store guidelines, 2.21: "Apps that are simply a song or movie should be submitted to the iTunes store. Apps that are simply a book should be submitted to the iBookstore." Apparently not all apps-as-movies are created equal. Movies are distributed as in-app purchases via free universal iOS apps (one per film). As of this writing, only two movies are available: The Dark Knight and Inception. Once you've made your choice, the app offers DVR-like controls and works over Wi-Fi and 3G. You'll also find scene selection and extras like trivia. Fun, no? Their prices are US$9.99 for streaming or $11.99 for purchase. Of course, movies are big, and at 1.2 GB, The Dark Knight gobbles up a good amount of your device's internal storage. It looks like fun. Let us know what you think if you check it out. [via 9to5Mac]
Blockbuster Express kiosks test $2.99 per night new release rentals, Redbox looks unimpressed
28 days. It's more than an unappreciated flick from the turn of the millennium, it's also driving the executives at Redbox, Netflix and a smattering of other unorthodox rental companies mad. Movie studios have been hellbent on keeping their new release DVDs and Blu-ray Discs out of instant-rent hands for 28 days after release, noting that dollar-per-night rentals could drastically reduce DVD / BD sales in the all-important launch window. Now, however, it seems that at least a couple of 'em are willing to bend. Starting this week in four major cities (Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix and San Francisco, for those curious) DVDs for Warner Bros.' "Inception" and 20th Century Fox's "Knight and Day" are being slipped into NCR's Blockbuster Express kiosks. The catch? It'll be $2.99 per night to rent either of them, a nearly threefold increase in the nightly rate that Redbox charges. Additional details on the trial are few and far betwixt, but it's safe to say that Redbox isn't any closer to nabbing fresh flicks sooner, and unless you're down with a 3x price hike, neither are you.
Warner says Netflix 30 day delay works like a charm
Those who love to rent discs on the cheap were less than thrilled about the 30 day delay for Netflix and Redbox, but Warner is happy to report that the strategy paid off. We suspected as much after the latest DEG numbers showed a healthy rebound the quarter after the windows were enforced, but there's nothing like hearing it straight from the source. For those who missed it, the digital download and streaming services were the real winner there as they're still day-and-date with Blu-ray sales, and the studios are keen on 'em. Warner's CFO even went so far as to say "Digital is going to be good for our business, we think it is a great time to be in our business." To which we say, any business that isn't losing money is a great business to be in. So while many seemed to strongly oppose the new windows when announced, months later it seems most have learned that it's better to be patient and save money, than to pay $6 to stream a blocky mess.
More LotRO news brings delays, sales, and screenshots
The news about the launch of Lord of the Rings Online free-to-play just keeps rolling in, with today's dose including LotRO store gossip, new screenshots, and an unfortunate delay for European players. Codemasters delivered a disappointment this morning with the announcement that there were some major difficulties behind the scenes. The European launch of LotRO free-to-play will be delayed possibly until the end of the month. The post making the announcement seems to be regularly updated, so keep an eye out for further word. On a happier note for those with access to the game, Turbine has given the LotRO store a boost in the form of its very own Twitter feed and a sweet deal on a VIP starter pack via Direct2Drive. Finally, Turbine delivered a pile of new screenshots for the F2P version today, so check out the gallery below for the latest look at LotRO. %Gallery-101902%
Newest DDO screenshots introduce Claw of Vulkoor quest
Update 6 for Dungeons and Dragons Online is rapidly approaching, and the newest adventure pack has been garnering some attention on the DDO Lamannia servers. The Claw of Vulkoor, set in the new wilderness area of the Red Fens, is a quest in which you'll escort Drow warriors to an important artifact while being as silent and sneaky as possible. The newest screenshots give us a peek at the area of the quest, complete with giants, a jungle to skulk about in, and huge scorpions. Check out the gallery below for a peek at The Claw of Vulkoor, and if you're a VIP player, don't forget that you can copy your character over to the Lamannia server and experience the quest right away. %Gallery-98966%
Wall Street Journal examines SOE's and Turbine's switch to free-to-play
The growing trend toward the free-to-play business model in the MMO industry has caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal. The feature story in the paper's weekly Digital Media section is entitled "First, Give Away the Game," and focuses heavily on some of the recent free-to-play announcements from high-profile MMO developers. Warner Brothers President Martin Tremblay spoke to the WSJ regarding DDO's dramatic turnaround last year as well. "The game was almost dead," said Tremblay, saying that DDO is now "very healthy" financially, thanks to the switch to free-to-play. He stated that the change was "a big reason" for the decision to acquire Turbine, and the reason Warner Brothers plans to follow the business model for other games. "This is the way we believe customers want to consume games in the future." It's an interesting look at the growth of microtransactions and the F2P model in the Western market. The full story can be read on the Wall Street Journal's Digital Network.
Warner Brothers signs distribution deal for LEGO Universe
Warner Brothers' acquisition of Turbine back in April was big news, but they're not done venturing into MMO territory quite yet. LEGO and Warner Brothers announced today that they have signed a distribution partnership agreement for LEGO Universe. Under the terms of the agreement, Warner Brothers will have exclusive retail distribution rights for the game outside of LEGO channels. LEGO Digital Vice President Henrik Taudorf Lorensen feels that the Warner Brothers name is a good one to put behind LEGO Universe: "WBIE has tremendous reach as one of the industry's largest full-scale games publishers, which will enable LEGO Universe to access a broader audience of kids and families interested in online gaming." LEGO Universe is currently in closed beta.
Turbine responds to fan questions about Warner Brothers purchase
The purchase of Turbine by Warner Bros. took the community by surprise earlier this week, and left many wondering what was in store. While European fans aren't affected -- the purchase did not include Codemasters -- the possibility that Warner Bros. would make some big changes worried fans a bit. As usual, Turbine responded to concerns very quickly, posting a public announcement about what we can expect in the future. What's going to change? Will our games take a new and possibly unpleasant direction? The short answer is "not much" and "no." The core of the statement posted yesterday by Marketroid read, "Many of you have asked what this means for your game experience. The simple answer is that we don't expect much to change for the foreseeable future. We remain committed to each of our games as we move forward. This change in corporate ownership is not expected to affect our current product portfolio. We're still the company that brings you AC, DDO, and LOTRO." While there's no definitive way to say exactly what the future will bring, the Turbine crew seems very excited about this partnership going forward, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for what's to come!
Redbox to delay renting Warner movies in return for lower costs and access to Blu-ray
As we figured they would, Warner Bros. and Redbox have come to an agreement that will see the movie house supply DVDs and Blu-ray discs straight to the kiosk renter, after a 28 day delay, as well as a promise to destroy the copies after they are taken out of rental circulation. Much like Warner's deal with Netflix, it sees the delay as a way to protect its high margin sales and pricier VOD rentals, then provide the equivalent of a dollar movie theater down the road as flicks hit budget renters. On Redbox's end, it's looking forward to reduced costs for movies and access to Blu-ray titles in return for dropping its lawsuit, and has a deal in place with yet another content provider. No word on any expansion of Blu-ray availability in kiosks, but the new deal kicks off with The Blind Side in March, can you wait that long to save a few bucks?
