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Sony picks up a multiplayer game from Bungie veterans
Firewalk Studios' first game will be a PS5 console exclusive.
AAA is testing self-driving cars to see how safe they are
Fully autonomous cars won't be allowed on the streets until they're safe, but how will we know when that happens? The American Automobile Association (AAA) is trying to figure that out by testing self-driving cars powered by Torc Robotics "Asimov" system. The aim is to gather information and develop safety criteria that could be used by any company developing self-driving tech. "By creating a blueprint for automakers to follow, we hope to build public trust in technology," said AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah CEO Tim Condon.
Gear VR was the 'Evolve' and 'Left 4 Dead' studio's savior
"Chaotic." That's how Turtle Rock Studios president Steve Goldstein described the 14 months between its last AAA game, Evolve, being effectively killed and now. The four-hunter-versus-one-gigantic-monster online multiplayer game struggled to retain players after it was released for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in early 2015. Last June, Evolve transitioned from a $60 game to a free-to-play one. As a result, it went from roughly 100 players per month to more than 15,000. You'd think that would have been enough to keep the lights on, but you'd be wrong. Four months later, publisher 2K Games pulled the plug, saying that while the servers would remain online for the foreseeable future, the game wouldn't be getting any more updates. "It was absolutely looking bleak, but sadly that's not unusual in our space," Goldstein said. "Everyone who works here knows that they are taking a risk, right? That's not a problem unique to us." If all you've paid attention to are headlines on gaming and tech news sites, you'd think that Turtle Rock has been on the ropes ever since. But in the last year or so, thanks to Oculus' aggressive investments in virtual reality games and other experiences, Turtle Rock has been quietly building a mobile VR safety net in case its next $100 million project goes the way of Evolve.
Las Vegas expands its self-driving shuttle tests this week
Las Vegas' initial self-driving shuttle trial clearly went well, as the city is coming back for another round. AAA and Vegas are launching a year-long trial on November 8th that will see one of Navya's shuttles drive a half-mile circuit in the downtown Fremont East district. It'll only make three stops each way, and it'll putter about at typical speeds between 10MPH and 15MPH, but it'll give you a chance to see how driverless mass transit works in real life for extended periods. The city has fitted traffic signals with wireless sensors to help them coordinate with the shuttle as it navigates the streets.
AAA launches its own app-based car sharing service
Few companies connected to the auto industry can resist the allure of starting their own car sharing service, it seems. After a brief tease, AAA's venture wing has launched Gig, an app-centric car sharing service, in Berkeley and Oakland. You pull out your phone to rent a car like you would with rivals services like Zipcar, at rates of $2.50 per mile, $15 per hour or $85 per day. However, there's a bit of a twist. You don't have to find a special point to drop your car off -- Gig has made deals with its host cities to let you drop your car off at any metered parking space or public parking lot. If you'd rather not take a detour just to end your trip at an approved location, you might not have to.
Former 'League of Legends' developers unveil 'Dauntless'
Jesse Houston, Sean Bender and Robin Mayne founded Phoenix Labs in 2014 after leaving League of Legends studio Riot Games, and they staffed their independent venture with folks from the Mass Effect team and other mainstream franchises. Today, Phoenix Labs revealed its debut game: Dauntless, a cooperative, online action-RPG set to hit PC, for free, in 2017.
Energizer intros rechargeable batteries made from recycled cells
Energizer broke fresh ground when it made the first disposable batteries from recycled cells, but that immediately raised a question: where are the rechargeable versions? As of today, they're here. The company has introduced new Recharge AA and AAA cells that are the first to be made using old batteries. About 4 percent of their material comes from used power packs, including those from hybrid cars -- yes, the leftovers from your Prius could one day power a kid's toy.
What to do when you're done building 'BioShock'
Forrest Dowling is the man who made sure BioShock Infinite's world was both complex and logical. As the lead level designer on the third BioShock installment, he was in charge of every archway in the floating city of Columbia and each tunnel in the underwater Art Deco metropolis of Rapture. After 10 years in the gaming industry, Dowling knows how to lay out the oceans, the skies and everything in between. So when BioShock's studio, Irrational Games, shuttered two years ago, he had enough experience to go independent.
ICYMI: Driving fails, global warming bacteria fix and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-252707{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-252707, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-252707{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-252707").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: AAA and the University of Utah teamed up to collect data on how well driver's fare while using voice commands. The results are pretty terrible: Apparently it takes a full 27 seconds for a driver to fully concentrate after attempting to call someone while behind the wheel. Meanwhile Florida may be good for something beyond just the best Twitter account this side of the Atlantic. Researchers there found a strain of deep-sea bacteria that might be able to help fight global warming by attacking greenhouse gases. And a Spaniard got the first implanted 3D printed ribs in the world after a cancer fight. Good on him!
In-car voice commands cost you 27 seconds of safety
We all know that taking your eyes off the road is a bad idea, but now researchers have added another paper to confirm that using voice commands is just as unwise. A team from the University of Utah, in partnership with the American Automobile Association, believes that the mental effort of driving and talking on your phone is still dangerous. According to the research, it takes a full 27 seconds after completing a distracting task — queuing up a song even with your voice alone — before your brain is fully able to concentrate on the art of driving.
Konami calls it quits on AAA console games, reports say
Konami is shutting down much of its AAA console-game development for the foreseeable future, according to a report on French site Gameblog (as translated by Eurogamer). The only two franchises on Konami's AAA plate are Metal Gear Online and Pro Evolution Soccer 2016. Otherwise, there are no plans to develop additional Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania or other AAA games at Konami, the site says. An additional report on Gameblog claims that Konami Worldwide Technical Director and head of the studio's Fox Engine, Julien Merceron, has left the company. We've reached out to Konami for clarification. These reports play into recent rumblings of unrest at Konami and a shift toward mobile-game development, following a series of odd events at the studio.
The Daily Grind: How do you define triple-A?
Triple-A is a label you hear quite often in MMO discourse. Like most MMO terms -- and even the term MMO itself -- AAA seems subjective or somewhat ill-defined, at best. Does it mean "not indie?" Is it related to pretty graphics or production quality in general? Does it denote a certain budget? If so, what's the magic number? What do you think, Massively readers? How do you define the term triple-A? 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!
In the shadow of Gamescom: Germany's game scene struggling to grow up
Germany hosts the world's largest annual gaming convention, Gamescom, which last year drew 340,000 attendees and 635 exhibitors from 40 countries. Gamescom kicks off again this week in Cologne for what is sure to be an even bigger, sardine-packed public weekend. For these few days, it feels like Germany is the place to be for video game developers – and then the show leaves, exhibitors return home, and German studios large and small face the realities of operating in a country still in game development puberty. Germany's video game industry is finding its footing economically and socially, and there's a quiet undercurrent of discontent among developers. Things are getting better – states in Germany offer a handful of programs for studios to find funding, though these trail behind the support seen in countries such as France, Finland, Sweden, Canada, the UK or the Netherlands. "The German government is clearly not doing enough to support our industry," says Timo Ullmann, CEO of Dead Island 2 developer, Yager. "But our local governments – Berlin, Bavaria, Hamburg – are much further ahead of things and have identified our industry as an important partner. However, there is always room for improvement. There are simply not enough projects being run in Germany to support a greater number of studios and developers. And that is what we would need in order to have a more flourishing scene. Eventually we will get there over time, but I am unsure how to fix it."
The Daily Grind: Are we on the cusp of a AAA MMO lull?
WildStar is launching in a week or so, and that launch arguably closes the book on what has been a pretty incredible run of AAA MMO releases staggered over the last three years. Looking back, we've seen heavyweights ranging from Star Wars: The Old Republic to Final Fantasy XIV to Elder Scrolls Online to Guild Wars 2 go through massive pre-launch hype cycles and, in most cases, settle into successful post-launch grooves (it may be too early to say that for ESO, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt). Aside from possibly ArcheAge, the upcoming AAA cupboard looks a bit bare in comparison, at least in my opinion. What do you think, Massively readers? Are we in for a big-game lull over the next few years, or do you think other AAA titles will come out of the woodwork? 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!
Hartsman: 'The traditional AAA style of development and distribution' is broken
A few days ago we reported on RIFT's impending free-to-play conversion, followed by the news that Trion was undergoing a second set of apparently unrelated layoffs. Former Trion studio GM and CCO Scott Hartsman responded to the layoffs on Twitter, intimating that aspects of the gaming industry are "fundamentally broken." After we invited your thoughts on that same subject in a Daily Grind earlier this week, we contacted Hartsman in the hopes of getting him to elaborate. Join us after the cut for the resulting interview.
Z2Live picks up former AAA execs, rebrands as Z2
Z2Live is the company behind some really big freemium hits on the iOS App Store, including Battle Nations and Trade Nations. The company has today announced that it's rebranding itself as Z2, dropping the "Live" and premiering a new brand identity on its new website. Beyond the rebranding, Z2 is also announcing a number of additions to its executive team, including some developers formerly from some very large gaming companies. Glen Pryer is joining the company as VP of Operations, and he's a former director of global planning at Blizzard Entertainment and former VP of 38 Studios. Adam Flanders is a new senior VP of sales and marketing, who previously worked with both Glu Mobile and THQ. And Shanis Windland is the new senior director of finance, and formerly worked with Big Fish Games. Those are definitely some notable pickups, and they show that Z2 is doing fairly well at pulling in talent with the few titles it has running so far. The company was originally put together to create a multiplayer community on Apple's iOS platform (similar to OpenFeint and a few other networks that were floating around back then), but since the inception of Trade Nations, it's put together a solid reputation as a studio building popular freemium MMO-style titles. It'll be interesting to see what Z2 has coming up next, given this new spin on the brand, and all of the growth it's experienced lately.
The Astronauts and Ethan Carter steer away from 'mammoth-sized' games
The Astronauts are working on an eerie, macabre, non-combat game called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, and while we're still not sure exactly what it is, one thing is certain – it's not AAA. After founding People Can Fly, working on Bulletstorm and Gears of War, and leaving to start an indie studio, designer Adrian Chmielarz says AAA games have lost their appeal."We're no longer excited by mammoth-sized games," Chmielarz tells Games Industry International. "We're still very interested in high quality, but now and in the future we want to focus on smaller projects."The Vanishing of Ethan Carter will involve death and murder, but won't feature any shooting. It's a game of discovery, similar to Dear Esther, but with more corpses, as Chmielarz describes. Horror is thriving on the indie scene, he says, and he hopes Ethan Carter shows that video games can offer a broader range of experiences. But if no one understands this approach and the game bombs, The Astronauts may need to come back to Earth."If we don't slip, we'll have just enough money for this first project, and then it's sink or float," Chmielarz says. "Kickstarter was tempting, sure, whether we like it or not it's a great marketing tool and gives your project that extra visibility boost. But we think that Kickstarter should only be used by those studios for which there's just no other way without losing their freedom. We're just old-fashioned this way."The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is due out on PC this year.
Popcap seeks dev with Frostbite 2 experience for a AAA game
Popcap is looking for a generalist software engineer with "experience working with the Frostbite 2 engine" for a "AAA console title," a job posting spotted by Superannuation reveals. Popcap is, of course, the mobile and social studio behind Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies, so a foray into AAA territory is surprising, to say the least.The job listing says, specifically: "The PopCap studio is looking for an experienced generalist SE to build a AAA console title. This generalist will work on a broad range of game systems including, but not limited to: animation, audio, resource management, pipelines and visual effects. The ideal candidate will also have experience working with the Frostbite 2 engine."Keep your eyes peeled for a first-person version of Plants vs. Zombies – the twist? You play as the plant.
Daily iPhone App: AAA Auto Buying Tools will help you find your next car
If you're in the market for a new car, you know how hard it is to find a good a deal. One tool that'll help you compare cars and get a price estimate is the Auto Buying app from AAA. The app lets you add your zip code and retrieve the prices for different model cars in your location. Besides prices, the app also pulls down detailed information about the car including its specifications, safety ratings, and AAA auto reviews. You can save your searches and even compare two vehicles side-by-side if you are interested in two different models. If you are AAA member, you can then use the app to contact a dealer or AAA to get a reduced price on the vehicle that you want to buy. The AAA Auto Buying Tool is available for free from the iOS App Store.
Jason Citron picks up funding with new gaming company Phoenix Guild
Jason Citron was one of the iPhone's first big name developers. He and partner Danielle Cassley created a game called Aurora Feint way back in the early days of the App Store, and while that game didn't do as well as hoped, the duo and their backers eventually catapulted that title into its own social gaming platform called OpenFeint. That platform was later acquired by Japanese social network GREE, and Citron left the company that he originally founded last September. Now, Citron's back with a new venture, called Phoenix Guild. He's working on assembling a team that will, as he says, build "core games for gamers on post-PC devices." Citron's always been a fan of traditional gaming and "really rich, engaging games," and his new company, which was just funded to the tune of $1.1 million by venture capitalists (including his former OpenFeint supporters at YouWeb), is aiming to build those types of core, traditionally console style games for modern mobile devices like Apple's iOS devices and even Microsoft's upcoming Surface console. "It seems obvious to me," Citron says during a chat this week with TUAW, "that core gamers are moving from PCs to other devices and tablets," and Phoenix Guild's goal is to provide great core games on those new platforms. What exactly does Citron mean when he says "core games"? "Mass Effect, Call of Duty, and even Bastion," he says, rattling off a few popular and well-received console titles from the past few years. Citron agrees that you can't just "take what works on an Xbox and put it on an iPad," but he says there's a deeper experience that consoles currently provide that's not yet reflected on a lot of mobile games. Citron's also convinced that free-to-play is the way to go, but he's cautious of doing the model wrong. "You need to do free-to-play in a way that respects players," he says. "Not in a way that makes players feel nickle-and-dimed to death." Citron says on the traditional PC, games like League of Legends and Team Fortress 2 are examples of how to do microtransaction based games correctly, and he wants to bring that generous polish over to tablet-based games as well. Citron can't say anything about what Phoenix Guild's first game is like yet, but he says he's hiring AAA talent (including an artist from id games), and wants to put a solid, very social, very polished free-to-play game together (he even mentions the recent popular Magic: The Gathering iPad app as an example of the kind of game he wants to build, though he says that's not exactly what he's aiming for). So we'll have to wait to see exactly what Citron is building. But he does say that while OpenFeint was a nice success, what he really wants to do is "build a large successful gaming company," not another social gaming platform. OpenFeint came out of the ashes of Aurora Feint, which Citron admits didn't do as well as hoped "because it wasn't free, and because there was no free-to-play at the time." But this time around, while Citron is returning to the original game design ideas he started with, the goal is to aim for what Citron says Blizzard and Valve have built, big game companies founded on quality, classic releases. "I want to have a company like that," he says. It'll be a lot of work for sure, and as much as Citron is convinced there's a large hardcore audience ready to play games like that on mobile devices, he also agrees that it's so far "definitely unproven." And it's possible, he says, that he's wrong, and he's not able to make a company like this. Maybe he'll have to go the way of Aurora Feint, and turn the company he's growing into something else, a separate platform or some other important technology. But he hopes that doesn't happen. "If the universe will permit this sort of game company," Citron says with conviction, "I will build it."
