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Tabula Rasa mission designer Wynne McLaughlin interviewed
Wynne McLaughlin, one of the mission designers for Tabula Rasa, was recently interviewed by MMORPGslave to find out a bit about his background, and his involvement with the game. It turns out that he was previously working at a studio called Warthog that was bought by Gizmondo -- and you probably know how that story ends. But fortune intervened, and on the day that his studio shut down, NCsoft gave him a buzz and hired him to his current position.The interview covers his gaming interests of the past and present, other influences on his work (he was in screenwriting before the games industry), and what he likes and is proud of in TR: "On a personal level, I'm proud of my 'ethical dilemma' missions, and especially the 'Penumbra' black ops mission arc, which started out as a simple idea and ended up becoming a major part of the game's meta-story. I was also very pleased with opening cinematic and the in-game movies, which I had the opportunity to write."Check out the full MMORPGslave interview at the link below.
"Dietrich" sentenced to jail for Gizmondo crash
Trevor Michael Karney – aka, The Elusive Dietrich – has been sentenced to jail by an LA judge for misleading police in the 162MPH crash of that $1.5 million Gizmondo Ferrari Enzo. Besides lying to police about his involvement as a passenger, the 27-year old German playboy also fled to Ireland before sneaking back into the US through the Mexican border in search of some tasty bud and cool waves. The sentence? 30 days, which roughly translates to a punishment of tickling by virgins until the onset of bellyache by the time the appeals process is through.
Today's most failure-prone video: Console duds
In today's video pick, GameTrailers counts down its list of the top ten console failures, including the Jaguar, Virtual Boy, and 3DO. We were tortured by watching footage of these console failures, yet we couldn't turn away, wishing that the hardware had succeeded while laughing about all the obvious reasons the systems bombed. The list covers the systems we expected; would you have added others?See the video after the break.
Gizmondo units available on the cheap
It looks like those trying to round out their collection of handheld video game systems now have a decent chance at picking up one of the more infamous entries in the class relatively cheaply, with a lot of 15 Gizmondo units recently turning up on eBay and bidding not exactly going through the roof. While original games for the handheld are few and far between, you should still be able to put its built-in camera and PMP functions to good use, not to mention load it up with any number of the "homebrew" games available for the system. We wouldn't worry too much if you're not lucky enough to score one this time around though, with these likely only a sign of future cut-rate systems to come.[Thanks, John W]
Gizmondo at CES?
Industry shows are interesting beasts to witness. Frequently, we get clues about the future of gaming simply by looking at who decides to show up. There is one big surprise listing at the 2007 CES. According to the CES website, "It's all fun and games for AMD, Apex Digital, ATI, Dell, Logitech, Nvidia, Alienware, Microsoft, Sony and Gizmondo." This is a fairly odd sentiment given the company is now bankrupt and isn't making games anymore. Maybe the CES doesn't pay much attention to the news (or found it near-impossible to decipher) or Gizmondo pre-paid over a year ago and gets an empty booth. Gizmondo doesn't seem to be dying a graceful death. Stories like the Bo Stefan Eriksson story keep cropping up. Maybe the empty booth at the 2007 CES will be the dénouement of this pathetic riches-to-rags story; or maybe a huge surprise with the return of Gizmondo. [Thanks, Falafelkid]
Former Gizmondo exec goes directly to jail
Former Gizmondo executive, Bo Stefan Eriksson, plead guilty yesterday to embezzlement and drunk driving charges. He will serve 3 1/2 years in prison, have his California mansion seized to pay debts and be deported from the U.S. after his prison sentence is over. So ends the epic of Gizmondo. The plea comes a week after a Los Angeles jury deadlocked 10-2 of convicting Eriksson on embezzlement and car theft charges. The cars that Eriksson allegedly stole includes the $1 million Ferrari Enzo he obliterated. The Ferrari incident took the Gizmondo story of corruption, from passing fancy, to full-blown prime-time gaming industry soap opera. See also: Wired reports on Gizmondos high-speed crash-up Gizmondo's Colors uses prison sex as game mechanic Gizmondo exec's Ferrari before and after
Justice FTW: Eriksson pleads guilty, gets three years and a one-way plane ticket
As much as we're going to miss covering the entertaining side show that has been the life of Bo Stefan Eriksson for the last nine months, we're relieved that the former Gizmondo Europe director has finally admitted some culpability in this strange saga -- and that he'll soon be forced to leave the country and become someone else's problem. After a Los Angeles jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict in Eriksson's grand theft auto case last week -- resulting in a mistrial -- the imaginary friend-loving Swede apparently decided that a retrial coupled with the separate weapons charges would be too much to bear, and ended up receiving a pretty sweet deal from prosecutors. In exchange for pleading guilty to two counts of embezzlement and one count of illegal gun possession, the one-time mobster weaseled his way out of an auto theft charge and ended up receiving a three-year sentence plus three years of probation -- but because of the time he's already served as well as "other allowances," he should be free in about a year. Once he gives up his orange jumpsuit, Eriksson faces immediate deportation from the US, although his lawyer has stated that the now house-less and car-less felon was planning to leave anyway (expect us to be liveblogging his bon voyage party). The only matter that has yet to be settled is how much loot will have to be paid to the British banks who repo'd Eriksson's Mercedes and non-crumpled Ferrari, so after December 7th, ol' Stefan will be lucky to have enough money in his commissary account to afford a package of Twinkies.[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Eriksson case ends in mistrial; jurors likely bribed with Gizmondos
In yet another sign that maybe this whole "trial by jury" thing isn't all it's cracked up to be, jurors in the grand theft auto case against former Gizmondo Europe director and current jailbird Bo Stefan Eriksson were unable to come to a unanimous decision regarding his guilt or, ahem, innocence, resulting in a mistrial. Although ten members of the Los Angeles panel felt that Eriksson did indeed steal a Ferrari and a Mercedes imported from England, two of the jurors apparently bought the defense's rather lame excuse that the one-time mobster only stopped making payments because his sham of a company finally disintegrated. Luckily for fans of justice and fast cars, prosecutors have already stated that they are planning to retry Eriksson for the same crimes, not to mention the weapons charges that the slippery Swede still has hanging over his head. At this point it's not clear why those two jurors chose to remain so steadfast in their convictions, although it's somewhat telling that they were spotted skipping around the courthouse halls after the trial was over, clutching unsold Gizmondos in one hand and hundreds of shares of nearly worthless Xero Mobile stock in the other.[Via BoingBoing]
Ex-Gizmondo exec trial: day one
Los Angeles Times paints a vivid portrait of a courtroom scene seemingly cast to ease the transition into primetime TV drama.The star of course, Bo Stefan Eriksson, the now infamous ex-Gizmondo exec, is squeezed into a tight blue suit. He's accompanied by Jim Parkman, the Alabama bred defense attorney who muses jurors with a "grand-mammy" saying: "No matter how thin you make a pancake, it still has two sides." Manicured Swedish interpreters relay the message to Eriksson who swivels in his chair, winking back at his wife. Later, the prosecution calls its first witness. A banker with a thick British accent settles into the stand. Pushing his slipping spectacles back up, Mr. Hyett begins to recite the finer points of lease purchase agreements, licensing authorities, and registered introducers. Near the back of the courtroom, a family waiting for their lawyer dozes off.They awake from a stir. The prosecution has just posted an enlarged copy of the Ferrari sales receipt, complete with a striking image of the exotic sports car. Murmurs ensue.See also:Former Gizmondo executive, two others linked to Swedish mafiaFormer Gizmondo exec. involved in Ferrari Enzo crashGizmondo exec's Ferrari, before and afterGizmondo exec's life continues to spiral into infamyEx-Gizmondo exec arrested, faces grand theft charges
Xero Mobile begins limited trial testing
Everybody read that Wired profile of Stefan Eriksson, right? Or all our coverage of Eriksson, Gizmondo, and the company that formed (and reverse-merged with Desi TV) in its wake -- Xero Mobile? Well, there should be enough links there to keep you entertained for a little while, but once you're up to speed you might find it interesting to know that Xero's actually about to begin its ever-crucial testing phase in anticipation of commercial launch in 2007. We're watching you, Xero, and not necessarily in the watch-ads-get-airtime sense you'd probably prefer.
Eriksson rejects plea offer, goes on trial for multiple counts of shadiness
Notorious mobster, party animal, exotic automobile enthusiast, and failed gaming executive Bo Stefan Eriksson is finally being exposed to the harsh lights of a Los Angeles courtroom today, after rejecting a plea bargain on Monday due to the fact that "I cannot agree that I stole the car because I didn't." The car that Eriksson was referring to is the famous million dollar Ferrari Enzo that he drunkenly crashed along a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway earlier this year, which authorities later learned was among several leased vehicles that the former Gizmondo director had exported from Europe and stopped paying for in late 2005. Eriksson also faces a charge of illegal weapons possession, and if convicted on all counts, could spend the next eleven years in prison -- a familiar setting for the thug-turned-businessman. Prosecutors are still hoping that Eriksson's imaginary friend Dietrich will return to the States to testify, but sources close to the matter say that the German playboy has reportedly taken permanent asylum on the island of Atlantis, where he's been managing a unicorn farm co-owned by Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
GP2x sells 30,000 units
GameSpot reports that the GP2X has sold 30,000 units since its European launch earlier this year. Craig Rothwell, Director of GP32/2x Distribution, expects the Linux handheld sales to total 50,000 by the end of the year.Is 50,000 a lot? We think it's a reasonable amount and could sustain a well-run business. According to gamesindustry.biz, the ill-fated Gizmondo sold less than 5,000 units in its first three months. (Both devices were launched in the United Kingdom.) While the GP2X has had three times as long to reach 30,000, over its life-span, the GP2X has sold twice as well as the Gizmondo.The European Nintendo DS launch dwarfed both systems, totaling 87,000 units in two days. Comparing the GP2X and DS is like comparing an office softball team with the Yankees, but that doesn't mean that both can't coexist. (And yes, the DS Phat was caught juicing, which is why the Lite is so scrawny.)Read: Q&A: GP2X chief Craig RothwellRead: GP2X handheld expected to reach 50,000 sales by Xmas[Thanks, JamesO]
Gizmondo's Colors uses prison sex as game mechanic
We haven't had Gizmondo news in forever! In the last episode of the defunct handheld's now epic saga, Stefan Eriksson, the former CEO who was ousted after it was discovered he had committed fraud in the '90s, totaled his million dollar Ferrari Enzo. The guys at Lost Levels got their hands, by nefarious means we presume, on a never-released title for the console and now have an "exclusive" review of the Gizmondo's would be killer-app, Colors. Although slightly embellished, Lost Levels' Frank Cifaldi swears that the game, and the soon to be mentioned game mechanic, are absolutely true.Colors looks like your standard GTA knock-off, except when you get arrested by the cops, you'll be sent to jail. After talking to a few people in the cell, a tattooed bear named James Earl Wyatt will help you get out of jail -- for a special fee that won't cost you a dime! All the player has to do is agree to be (choosing words carefully) willingly violated in the backside of the moon region to the point that it will cause enough damage that your character will wake up in the hospital.Well, it is a much easier method to get out of jail than what the guys on Prisonbreak had to go through!
Xero Mobile to license ad system
As our mamas used to tell us, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Those are wise words right now for any company, investor, or individual with an interest in Xero Mobile, brought to you by some of the same winners that brought you Gizmondo. We'd assumed these folks would've folded by now, but Xero claims to be on target for a January 2007 launch of their free, ad-based MVNO for college students (sound familiar?). In the meantime, they've gotta make an honest buck somehow, so they've begun licensing their nonexistent service to foreign companies with "expressions of interest" in launching Xero in their local markets. We hope this madness comes to an end before the world has to witness another work of art needlessly destroyed by crooked execs, but even in the unlikely event Xero makes it to see 2007, at least Virgin is a step ahead on the business model.
Best PSP driving game ever
So this is why that Gizmondo dude mutilated his $1 million Ferrari (other than street racing while drunk). Lumines on the sun visors.
Gizmondo Halo "project" used cam-mouselook
Back before "Fast" Stefan Eriksson was crashing cars and lying to police, he ran a little portable gaming company called Gizmondo. Their scam? Defraud investors by promising them a way into the very attractive, and lucrative, gaming market. One of their most effective tools was to promise a Gizmondo-exclusive portable Halo title. Gizmondo did have an arrangement with Microsoft Game Studios to produce some titles, including the popular MechAssault series, but Halo was definitely not a part of that arrangement. A former-Gizmondo employee told GameSetWatch that the title had only "a storyline and basic game structure at the very earliest stage of concept" and that it was all done "with a wink and a nudge to extract more cash out of the investors." Isn't that sweet?It isn't all bad though: the engineers at Gizmondo managed to get code running -- using one of id's open-source game engines -- enabling the Gizmondo's rear-mounted camera to control the "mouselook", allowing for a uniquely precise handheld FPS control scheme. Who knows what could have come of the Gizmondo if the execs weren't busy lining their pockets?[Via /.]
Eriksson was driver in stolen car crash, says detective
Detective Zack Conner testified that ex-Gizmondo exec Bo Stefan Eriksson was indeed the (intoxicated) driver during the now infamous Ferrari crash this past February in Malibu, ruling out claims that "Dietrich" — Eriksson's imaginary friend — was behind the wheel. In addition to the DUI charge, Eriksson has been pegged with embezzlement, grand theft, and possession of a gun by a felon.The gaming industry's bad boy is no stranger to the criminal lifestyle. He served 5 & 1/2 years in Swedish prison for assaults, threats, and extortion.See also: Ex-Gizmondo exec's bail set at $7.5M, considered flight risk Ex-Gizmondo exec arrested, faces grand theft charges Gizmondo exec's life continues to spiral into infamy [Thanks, elvisizer]
Another Gizmondo exec goes to jail [update 1]
The Los Angeles Times reports that Carl Freer, co-founder and managing director of Gizmondo, was arrested yesterday for allegedly impersonating a police officer in order to obtain a .44 magnum handgun. Police searched Freer's home and 100-foot yacht, turning up 12 rifles and four handguns. A little advice from Joystiq to Freer and Ericksson: what with the guns, the millions wasted, the totaled Enzo Ferrari, the drunk driving, the garage full of "misappropriated" exotic cars, the swank mansions and the yacht, y'all can probably lay off building "street cred" now. We believe you. You're hard. Real hard. Question is, will Fiddy believe you enough to make room for you in his G Unit? [Update 1: Fixed an error in the number of rifles found on Freer's property.]
Gizmondo Execs land at Xero Mobile
Whenever a company asks us to modify anything on the site, we always conduct some research to determine if the item that offends the company is in fact false. Early yesterday morning, Xero Mobile asked us to remove a reader comment that was, in their view, incorrect. The comment suggested that Stefan Ericksson -- the now-jailed exec who totalled a million-dollar Enzo Ferrari and multi-million dollar games company Gizmondo -- still held an executive position at MVNO Xero Mobile. We removed the comment from Joystiq because we could find no proof that it was true. However, in doing this research, we did turn up information about Xero Mobile's connection to Ericksson's now-defunct Gizmondo. The most reliable source we could find on the subject was the venerable Financial Times, which states that "Peter Lilley, who headed up Gizmondo's Smart Adds business unit, David Levett who was formerly chief software architect at Gizmondo, and Rich Clayton, US producer for Gizmondo, are involved in setting up a new company called Xero Mobile, based in Beverley Hills." Plenty of others (Sean Ryan, Om Malik, Moco News, The Inquirer, to name a few) have chimed in on the linkage between the companies, and have further noted the similarities between Gizmondo's "Smart Adds" technology and the business model of Xero Mobile, which will provide free cell phone service to users who are willing to watch or listen to advertisements in exchange for that service. In short, we could find no link between Ericksson and Xero Mobile, though ample linkages exist between Xero and Gizmondo, according to multiple sources, some of them quite reliable.
The speed of the Ferrari that split in half?
Slate's Daniel Engber explains how it is we know that shady Gizmondo chieftain Stefan Ericksson's grand theft auto'd Ferrari Enzo was going precisely 162mph at the time of impact, ripping the car into two pieces. It would be difficult to condense the variables that go into this determination, but here goes: Inventory where the pieces ended up (like the gun ... or Dietrich?) Factor in the "coefficient of friction" of the surface Apply some rudimentary physics ? Voilá! Investigators also use the level of damage from the impact and, using data compiled by manufacturers and insurance companies (who else?), they can extrapolate the car's speed. Oh yeah, and there's a black box whose information isn't always reliable or applicable, so investigators usually use a combination of all three techniques to triangulate a correct answer. In this case: 162mph. Question is, how much--in Gizmondos--does an investigation like this cost taxpayers? Twenty Gizmondos ... fifty?
