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Mythos bids farewell to Bangladesh
Farewell, Bangladesh. The Mythos closed beta was not made for you. And best wishes to Japan. Really, though, the Mythos closed beta was meant for North American audiences, and we have discovered that North America is not where you are. So we must say ciao to China as well. We're about to open up the beta to far more people, and those of you in Eastern Europe and Asia just won't be getting the kind of localized experience we really want to provide. Even though English is your official administrative language, we must say so long, Singapore. We can't have you on American servers when we're shopping Mythos to overseas partners, and thus, we are leaving Lithuania.While the news that Flagship Studios' Mythos is drawing very near to open beta is good news, the reaction on the Mythos forums has been muted disappointment. Some wonder why the non-English speaking countries of Western Europe were allowed to remain in the beta; others wonder if this decision had something to do with the gold farmers who flocked to Mythos as they flock to all MMOs. We prefer to feel that their last listed reason, that they are looking for a publisher in these regions, is the real one, and that there will be news of localized versions of Mythos in the near future.
Take-Two plots expansion into Asian market
Take-Two Interactive Software has announced a new initiative that will see it expand into the "rapidly growing" Asia Pacific region. To this end, the Grand Theft Auto publisher has secured the services of one Mr. Hubert Larenaudie, who will assume the position of President for Asia and set up an office in a ridiculously tall Singapore building. Larenaudie previously acted as President of Asia Online for pushy Take-Two wooer, EA, and before that, held a similar role at Vivendi Universal Games. Take-Two notes that its "top priorities" in the region include the expansion of Asia Pacific distribution, the establishment of a greater presence in Japan and the creation of a "meaningful online game operation, especially in China and Korea." Might we suggest WOGTA (World of Grand Theft Auto) and ShockCraft?
Report: Wii coming to South Korea by May 5
We've known for a while now that Nintendo was planning to bring the Wii to PC-gaming mecca South Korea some time this year, but recent word has it that the system may be hitting the country's shores sooner than later. The Korea Times is reporting that Nintendo and Activision recently registered two Wii games each with Korea's Game Rating Board. The paper speculates this move means Nintendo Korea is looking to launch by Children's Day on May 5, a popular gift-giving holiday in the country. Though there's no official announcement from Nintendo, we can't think of a better holiday to launch for a system known for kid-friendly games like Super Mario Galaxy and Resident Evil 4.
Sony unveils four E-Series 3LCD projectors in Asia-Pacific
If you reckoned that Sony's VPL-EX4 and VPL-ES4 were getting a bit long in the tooth, we suppose Sony agrees. Across the way (in Asia-Pacific, to be precise), Sony has launched four new PJs on us: the VPL-EW5, VPL-EX50, VPL-EX5 and VPL-ES5. According to the company, the whole lot is aimed at boardroom masters, but these 3LCD units and their 2,500 ANSI lumens would certainly hold their own after hours. Additionally, the first three incorporate Sony's BrightEra imaging technology, and you'll find resolutions as high as WXGA (1,280 x 800) and contrast ratios up to 900:1. For more specifics on each, check out the nitty-gritty in the read link below.[Via AboutProjectors]
China's online gaming market now worth $1.8 billion
At GDC, we considered the possibility that Asia is the "Hollywood of MMOs." The Chinese online gaming market is getting bigger and bigger. Case in point: a new report says the market is now valued at around $1.8 billion. That's up 66% since last year -- curiously exactly the same number of points leading publisher Shandra's profits went up in a similar period.And it's just getting started. The report (from a group called i Research) also predicts that the value will be more than $5 billion by 2011. These numbers are a bit more optimistic than the China View numbers we reported on a few weeks ago, but the consensus seems to be, in layman's terms: online gaming in China equals big bucks.Recently the Chinese government launched a campaign of sorts to temper the popularity of online games because addiction has become a big problem. Will that slow the growth of the industry? Probably not.[Via PlayNoEvil]
Microtransactions, an Asian perspective
One question that has showed up more than a few times at the recently concluded GDC08 is the viability of microtransactions in MMOs. What are microtransactions, anyway? For those not too familiar with the term, it refers to an interesting game revenue model whereby users pay for individual game components, whether it be items, unlocking new levels, access to dungeons, etc. When the question about microtransactions was brought up at the Future of MMOs panel, there were many strong reactions from the panelists. Most of them scoffed at the idea, Blizzard -- supposedly popular for creating some sort of fantasy MMO -- in fact, has already officially rejected the model. Cryptic Studios' Jack Emmert called microtransactions "the biggest bunch of nonsense," (some transcripts show that he had harsher words for it) and that they "make (him) want to die". Although I can't attribute this quote directly to anyone, microtransactions have been defined as "any transaction whose value is currently too small to be worth bothering with" -- pegged at somewhere below US $1. The only one at the panel who defended the revenue model was Nexon's Min Kim, notably the only Asian among the panelists. Why is this notable? Well, Blizzard's Rob Pardo defined it as an "East vs West question", which Emmert dismisses. But Pardo is actually on to something, and I'll try to explain why.Free-to-play MMOs supported by microtransactions is the dominant revenue model in Asia. This isn't an accident of design. It's an evolution of revenue philosophy shaped by social and economic conditions. Let's put that in perspective. Most people in the world do not have computers let alone an Internet connection. This is why Internet Cafés are so prominent in Asia. In South Korea, these Internet Cafés, or PC baangs, are ubiquitous, with more than 20,000 serving up games and other Internet content all over the country. Although of course, South Korea is exceptional. 90% of the population is wired and PC baangs became popular because of LAN games. But elsewhere in Asia, Internet Cafés or LAN rooms are a popular, if not dominant, way to access LAN game and MMOs particularly China, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
Russian IPTV provider Comstar launches HDTV service
As expected, Russia is getting an influx of HDTV, now that Comstar-Direct has soft launched its high definition service. Featuring the Discovery HD, MelodyZen, Luxe TV and Voom HD channels, plus 10 HD movies via VOD. The IPTV service runs over ADSL2+ modems and HDTV decoders Comstar plans to roll out over the next two years as part of its modernization project. The EngadgetHD Russia readership will hopefully be part of the 80% of Comstar subscribers expected to have HDTV access -- and some additional channels -- by the end of 2009.
GDC08: Is Asia the Hollywood of MMOs?
When you talk about gaming in North America, it's almost presumed you're talking about console or single-player PC games -- but in Asia it's the other way around. With the vast success of massively multiplayer games in the Asian market, it's no surprise to see American companies attempting to emulate similar models -- both in North America and overseas. But that level of success has proven difficult to emulate. Yesterday afternoon at the Worlds in Motion Summit, Susan Choe, David Wallerstein, Daniel James, and Bryan Pelz got together to chat about the future of the Asian market.
NCsoft releases sales numbers for 2007
NCsoft's corporate monkeys released their sales numbers yesterday, showing off a solid net profit of $48.4 million, an increase of over 18% last year. Something has to be said for NCsoft's execs like new President Chris Chung, as the company was able to post a strong increase in profit, even as global sales dipped 3% since last year to $355.1 million. Sales for the crucial fourth quarter were up however, jumping 11% to $95.9 million on strong sales from the Lineage series and the launch of Tabula Rasa in November.Korea continued to be NCsoft's dominant market, accounting for 59% of global sales, as compared to the 17% attributed to North America. This, of course, would account for the fact the relative success of the various franchises. Lineage and Lineage II, which are still wildly popular in Korea, ran sales of $34.2 million and $36.4 million, despite their age. Tabula Rasa, a title ostensibly aimed at the North American market with it's sci-fi and shooter fascinations, saw relatively meager sales of $5.4 million since it launched in November. This is further proof that the Asian market is simply too big to ignore. Companies looking to break Blizzard's grasp on the market may do well to look abroad.
EA signs agreement for WAR distribution in Asia
A press release went out today on the wire announcing that EA had signed an agreement with a Taiwanese company called GigaMedia to distribute Warhammer Online in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. According to the terms of the agreement, GigaMedia will be responsible for the advertising, community management, customer service, and technical support for those areas. Doing some cursory research on the company on the 'net, it seems like GigaMedia has really cut their teeth on more casual game distribution efforts, their biggest property being FunTown, the world's largest MahJong platform. They appear to be getting more serious about their game development and distribution efforts however, and initiated a relationship with EA last year by agreeing to release, of all games, NBA Street Online.What will really be interesting now that they've secured release efforts in the surrounding areas, is what approach EA will take to get Warhammer Online introduced onto the Chinese mainland. A week ago today we reported on a new policy of the Chinese government that would allow any domestic game publisher to effectively block the release of a foreign MMO by referring it to China's censorship board indefinitely. With that policy in place, are Chinese MMO companies going to allow the release of a game owned by one of the most prolific American game publishers in the world? You have to imagine EA is hard at work on it, given the size of the potential market there, but only time will tell.
HDTV sales to surge in China, not due to Beijing Olympics
Couple the fact that the standard of living in China is set to rise substantially in the coming years with the perpetually dropping prices of flat-panel HDTVs, and it seems quite easy to see how some analysts are predicting huge HDTV sales in said nation this year. According to research firm DisplaySearch, LCD shipments to China are set to jump 70-percent this year to nearly 15 million units while plasma sales nearly double to over 1 million. Interestingly, the looming Beijing Olympics aren't being pinpointed as the main driver, or even a passenger, to be honest. For starters, the Chinese government canceled May Day holidays this year, "a major shopping season," and Lehman Brothers' James Kim even went so far as to note that the "Olympics can help sales, but it won't change the market fundamentals." If only they knew how fantastic the long-jump looked in 1080i...
Street Fighter Online ... with mouse controls
Japanese publisher Daletto, owned by Capcom and Games Arena, have announced (via IGN) Street Fighter Online: Mouse Generation. The PC title will have you control your characters completely via the mouse: sliding left and right moves the character, slide up jumps and left- and right-clicks give different attacks. Special moves, as you may guess, come via making combinations of slides and clicks. There will be community features based around fighting online.What also makes the game unique and bizarre (aside from the random cat in the above picture - perhaps it's omnipotent) is the ability to interchange body parts on your character. The game is reportedly about fighting Revoltech toys, which is a line of actual toys planned to be sold alongside the game. As IGN predicts, you could have the head and torso of Chun-Li, the arms of Zangief and the legs of Ryu (the gender identity issues are plentiful).The game is expected to go into beta February or March, with full service coming in April. No word on a version for non-Japanese gamers.
EA's world conquest continues with new Korean dev studio
According to Digital Chosunilbo, Electronic Arts -- the planet Jupiter of game development -- has plans to open a new studio in Korea this year. EA intends to make three or four new titles for the Asian market. The studio will be a 20 million dollar investment, and its first projects will be online versions of NBA Street and Battlefield. All this will be helmed by Danny Isaac of FIFA Soccer fame. Gamasutra noted that this is not EA's first foray into the Asian market. The company invested in Korean developer Neowiz back in March, and shortly thereafter announced plans to release in Asia one or more titles from the Battlefield series.This is just one more step towards total world domination, unless EA's newly-formed rival Activision-Blizzard has something to say about it![Via The Escapist]
Trans-Pacific Express submarine cable system gets FCC approval
It's not like we haven't seen consortiums working to establish better links between America and Asia, but the more the merrier, right? Apparently, Verizon Business has just recently received the all-important thumbs-up from the FCC to "activate and operate the Trans-Pacific Express submarine cable system in the US." The TPE cable is hailed as "the first next-generation undersea optical cable system directly linking the US and mainland China," and is the first major system of its kind to land on America's West Coast (Oregon, to be precise) in over seven years. For those curious, the 10,563-mile submarine communications cable will be able to support the equivalent of 62 million simultaneous phone calls -- which is "more than 60 times the overall capacity of the existing cable directly linking the US and China" -- and will initially provide capacity of up to 1.28Tbps. So, when will this thing be up and running? If all goes to plan, it should be fully operational by August (you know, prior to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing).[Image courtesy of Devicepedia]
MWG shows first new phones in post-O2 era
After O2 dropped its Southeast Asian outpost at the side of the road, we weren't terribly sure whether it'd be able to flourish -- let alone survive -- without the mothership's lifeline. Turns out they're at least giving it the old college try, though, with new models appropriately dubbed "Zinc II" and "Atom V" (notice that the "Xda" branding of old has left the building). We know this courtesy of Expansys' Hong Kong outpost, which has done us all a favor by posting preorder pages for both devices; we only have renderings at this point, but they look pretty legit and realistic. Both devices feature quadband GSM and triband HSDPA (nice!), 256MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM, integrated FM radio, WiFi, and GPS. The Atom V is the slightly higher end of the two -- despite a slightly lower price -- thanks to a 3 megapixel cam around back (versus 2 for the Zinc II) and an Intel core clocked 20MHz higher than the Zinc II's Samsung silicon, though the Zinc II should win some hearts and minds with its semi-automatic sliding QWERTY pad. If Expansys is to be believed, the Atom V will run HK$4,775 (about $612) while the Zinc II will set you back HK$5,305 (about $680) when they're available.[Via the::unwired and MoDaCo]Read - Zinc IIRead - Atom V
Nintendo, Monster Hunter score big in part one of Famitsu's end of year list
Famitsu has published (via 1UP) the first part of its reader's choice awards looking back at the year in Japanese gaming. A number of gamers and retailers were given a questionnaire by the magazine, and this week's issue debuted the initial results.The major winner is Nintendo, who topped the developer lists for both gamers and stores, the hardware lists (DS for retailers, the Wii for gamers), industry figures (Miyamoto), and even won the category for what kanji character represents 2007 best? (Readers picked "Nin," the first character of Nintendo's Japanese name.)Capcom (thanks in no small part to the Monster Hunter series), Sony and Level 5 (Professor Layton) also placed high on the lists, and Mistwalker founder Hironobu Sakaguchi tied with Miyamoto on the stores' list of which industry figure put in the best showing. Conspicuously absent from the list? Microsoft. Okay, we're not that surprised.
Today's most bribe-filled video: NiGHTS Japan 'Toy Promo' TV ad
Dear Japanese consumers,Here is a television commercial for our upcoming Nintendo Wii title NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. We know the reviews haven't hailed it as the Second Coming of Sega just yet, but we're hopeful Rip Van Winkle will visit each and every one of those critics tonight and send them off to a happy place. But let's move on from those nasty reviewers, shall we?If we can put aside pesky written words for a minute, we'd like to show you a commercial for the new game that is sure to grab your attention. It's bright, colorful and full of tangible happiness. We even have our staple J-Pop soundtrack blasting in the background! But if that won't convince you to buy the game -- and how could it not?! -- we'd also like to let you know that you can get the most adorable NiGHTS toy with the game, which is sure to remind you of even the best years for the franchise.Video embedded after the break. Hugs and Kisses,Sega
Japan's Devil May Cry 4 PS3 bundle
Gaze upon the latest bundle for Japanese PlayStation 3 gamers. The Devil May Cry 4 40GB PS3 bundle comes in either black or white and includes a copy of Devil May Cry 4 (obviously) and a Blu-ray of bonus content. It will retail for 47,800 yen (approx. US $422), which is about 7,800 yen (US $69) more than the standalone 40GB model.What makes this bundle interesting is that DMC4 is not an exclusive title. We're going to assume Sony struck some exclusive deal for bundling the game, although we'd love to see Microsoft unveil a DMC4 Xbox 360 bundle. It might actually help their hardware sales to confuse Japanese consumers thinking they just picked up a PS3. Devil May Cry 4 is due out January 31, 2008, in Japan and February 5 in North America.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Bloomberg: Persona 4 dev sticks with PS2
Already finding critical and commercial success with Persona 3 on a noticeably last-gen console, it looks like developer Atlus doesn't see any reason to jump ship for the sequel. An article at Bloomberg Japan (via Siliconera) listing upcoming Atlus titles has Persona 4 coming next fiscal year for the PlayStation 2. (Note: image above from Persona 3.) The word doesn't come directly from Atlus, so there could be a typo or miscommunication (major news outlets are prone to mistakes every now and then). The platform, however, would not be surprising given the company's comfort with developing for the PS2 and Sony's continued success with the now value-priced system. As Siliconera notes, the timing of Persona 4's release could make it a tie-in with Persona -trinity soul-, an anime series due out next year.
DoCoMo and other Asian carriers eyeing FCC auction?
Everybody is sworn to silence until the auction is over, so we won't be seeing much more information about this until it's all over in the spring of next year, but for now it's still fun to speculate. Business Week is doing quite a bit of that speculating as well, with word that DoCoMo, KDDI, SK Telecom and even China (through the T-Mobile and Global Tower invested Blackstone Group) could be chipping in a few billion here and there to spice things up for Google and friends in the 700MHz C Block auction. DoCoMo, which got burned in the US a while back with pre-Cingular AT&T Wireless, mentioned to Business Week that it'd be interested in partnering with Google for its wireless network, and the other carrier might not be talking but have to be at least considering the possibility of being involved in US wireless data in a big way, and KDDI has a history of being chummy with Google in Japan. The word is that average North American data service bills are less than $10 a month, and are expected to grow to $38+ a month by 2012 -- and who wouldn't want in on that action? As growth slows in Europe and Asia, it seems only natural for the innovators over there to head over here and kick things into gear, but we'll try not too far ahead of ourselves.[Via The Inquirer]
