midnight-club
Latest
Sources: Red Dead Redemption development in trouble [update]
When we recently spoke with our trusted sources from Rockstar San Diego, in addition to yesterday's information regarding the Midnight Club franchise, we were also told about the allegedly troubled state of Red Dead Redemption. One source said that the game "was a complete disaster for most of 2009 and previous ... it has since turned around a little bit, but there are huge problems with it still." Unsurprisingly, the issues with the game are repeatedly claimed to be the result of mismanagement -- along the same lines as what was mentioned in the recent "Rockstar spouse" letter. "Red Dead [Redemption] has been in production for six years (mainly because of horrible management/lack of direction due to fear of disrespecting Rockstar NY) and it will never get the money back in sales it cost to create for those six years," claimed another source. We asked Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter to estimate how many copies he thinks Red Dead Redemption needs to sell to make back its development costs and, more importantly for Take-Two, to be profitable. "I'd say realistically, if everybody [at Rockstar San Diego] was working on it this whole time -- so let's assume it's four years to be fair [Red Dead Revolver was released in March 2004], that's $40 million (about $10 million a year to run the studio) -- to make that back and just break even you need at least $80 million in sales; 1.75 million units. For profit: $160 million/3.5 million units." Pachter added that "it's got a shot" and that, from what he's seen of the game, "it looks phenomenal." Our sources are less hopeful, unfortunately: "The functional team that was Midnight Club was shattered. All the people who didn't quit or get fired were thrown onto Red Dead Redemption, many of them being demoted. The completely disfunctional team that is RDR was put to top priority. The people who had floundered on that project or outright screwed it up were promoted and are now in complete control of the studio, and they're running it into the ground." We'll have to see when the game arrives in stores this April -- if it does. We contacted Rockstar for comment on this story and have yet to hear back as of publishing. Update: We were contacted regarding this story by one Rockstar source, who told us: "It will take 5 million 4 million sales at full price to recoup the development costs of Red Dead. The good news is they [Rockstar] are not expecting to make money with Red Dead Redemption. At this point, that project is just supposed to prove that the San Diego studio can make a great quality AAA title." If you'd like to contact us regarding this or other stories surrounding the "Rockstar spouse" letter, we'd love to hear from you.
Sources: Rockstar San Diego not working on more Midnight Club games, future games in jeopardy
After last week's Rockstar spouse letter, we got in contact with a couple of trusted sources at Rockstar San Diego to find out more information about exactly what's happening inside the studio. Though our sources asked to be kept anonymous, each independently brought up the poor state of the Midnight Club franchise -- a series traditionally handled by the Rockstar San Diego team. "Jay Panek and Mark Garone, people who were at the company for over 10 years, were fired in 2009 after the completion of Midnight Club: LA ... other major people quit, as they lost hope in the company after the handling of MC:LA and didn't want to work on Red Dead Redemption," one source told us. "The management slowly dismantled the MC team for reasons unknown to most," added another. When we asked if there are any more Midnight Club games planned for development at Rockstar San Diego, we were told, "At first, the team was told there was going to be another. That lasted a few months until the team was told, 'Well, we're going to do another, but it will be all outsourced ... but there will be a core team of 5 - 15 people at RSSD working on it.' Then, after a while longer, it was just not going to happen at all. Rumors abound about what will happen to Midnight Club, but Take-Two want something soon because it was the second highest money maker for Rockstar." The issues surrounding Midnight Club stem from a number of things, according to our sources. "New York management not giving us realistic release schedules" is prime among them, with repeated accusations of last minute changes and mismanaged planning. "Anyone from the New York office is feared, because people in the San Diego office know that they are unstable and needy ... in other words, if a comment comes from a person from New York, it's a mandate that needs to be immediately addressed regardless of previous priorities." We've reached out to Rockstar for official comment, but have yet to hear back as of this publishing. If you work/worked for Rockstar Games and would like to speak to us on or off the record, we're all ears.
PSA: Army of Two, Midnight Club, Sonic Unleashed now on demand
Major Nelson has shared with the internet the following facts: Army of Two, Midnight Club: LA and Sonic Unleashed are now available on Xbox Live Games on Demand. Army of Two and Midnight Club are available everywhere except Japan and North Korea, while the madness that is Sonic Unleashed is available worldwide. In North America, Army of Two is $19.99 and Midnight Club is $29.99. Sonic Unleashed will cost you $29.99 and the immediate forfeit of your immortal soul. Prices in other regions will vary (except for the soul part; we're pretty sure that's constant).
Amazon lists Midnight Club: Los Angeles 'Complete Edition' for PS3, Xbox 360
Amazon has put up listings for a new Midnight Club title called Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition. The Amazon listings fix a $30 price tag on the game, yet don't explain what the contents are. Likely, one can safely assume it'll include all of the downloadable vehicles and the South Central pack, but you know what your mother told you about assuming. She also told us to tell you that you have a new daddy now.We've contacted Rockstar for details on what's in the package and will let you know when they get back to us.Source - Amazon listing for Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition (Xbox 360)Source - Amazon listing for Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition (PS3)[Thanks, Nathan K.!]
Midnight Club's South Central DLC delayed a week
The streets of South Central will remain desolate for one more week, because Rockstar Games just informed us that Midnight Club: LA's game-expanding South Central DLC has been delayed.Originally planned for release on Thursday, the 0 ($0) "basic" and 800 ($10) "premium" expansion DLC – which adds new neighborhoods and vehicles – will now be available for purchase off XBLM and PSN next Thursday, March 19. No reason was given for the delay.As an apology for the DLC hold-up, Rockstar gave us a 1964 Chevy Impala ... trailer. You're forgiven?
Midnight Club: LA DLC released early by accident
Early risers were treated to an accident on Rockstar's virtual 405. According to multiple sources, someone left Midnight Club: LA's upcoming South Central DLC in neutral earlier today and it inadvertently rolled out to the Xbox Live Marketplace a bit ahead of schedule. The content has since been removed, though UGO Gamesblog reports via NeoGAF that those who downloaded the content found nothing changed, save for a partial listing of cars queued up for the DLC's eventual release. Among those sweet rides are the '09 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, '08 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X and '64 Chevy Impala.Microsoft Europe's Xbox community manager Graeme Boyd acknowledged the snafu, writing in a statement that those who managed to snag the content should delete it as it was still being tested and "may not work properly," possibly causing problems with game saves. For now it seems eager racers will just have to wait for the content's official release sometime in early 2009 ... just sometime later than right now.Source – Rockstar Fakeout: Midnight Club DLC Arrives, Is PulledSource – Midnight Club LA DLC warning
Midnight Club: LA races into South Central in early '09
Rockstar construction crews are hard at work laying down pavement for those already bored with Midnight Club's LA streets. The developer confirmed that it will release a "South Central Upgrade Map" for free next year, adding numerous LA landmarks and a new area equivalent to about a third of what's already on the disc. Those looking to burn a little of their leftover holiday cash can also pick up the "South Central Content Pack," which will trick out the racing game with new character competitions, races, music and that all-important element of the LA landscape: The SUV. No release date for either download has been announced, though Rockstar notes that Xbox 360 and PS3 racers can look forward to rolling down the 105 Freeway sometime in early 2009.
Midnight Club: LA patch makes life easier
Thought Midnight Club: Los Angeles was a wee bit too difficult for you? Well, normally, we'd just tell you to man up and force you into a non-stop 16 hour Midnight Club gaming marathon to improve your skills.But you lucked out and won't have to go through such verbal and physical torture, because Rockstar just released a Midnight Club: LA title update that improves the AI so that it dynamically adjusts to your skill level. The patch also adds additional leaderboards and quickens the multiplayer match searching process. Kids these days ... man up.
Top 5 selling PSP games of all time
Gamasutra just published a comparison report between software sales on the PSP and the DS in the United States. Not surprisingly, the DS is faring better -- the PSP has released 396 titles with an average of 133,000 units sold per title while the DS has released 653 games with an average of 163,000 copies sold per title. In terms of the average number of games per hardware unit sold, the ratio is 4.8 on the DS and 4.2 on the PSP.The NPD Group also provided the data on the top 5 selling games on each device. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories takes first place with 2 million copies sold. We suspect the Rockstar sandbox title sold unusually well due to a combination of the popularity of the GTA franchise and a certain little exploit. Lastly, every title on the list are comparatively ancient (the newest game is GTA: Vice City Stories, released back in the end of 06), which doesn't bode well for the PSP. Wanna know what other games made the list? They are available for you right after the jump.
Take-Two Interactive considering subs and microtransactions for top titles
Subscriptions have been the bread and butter of MMOs since the days of Ultima Online, but subs may be coming to some popular standalone PC titles from Take-Two Interactive, presumably the Grand Theft Auto franchise and BioShock. Brian Crecente of Kotaku reports that "at the BMO Capital Markets conference, Take-Two head honcho Strauss Zelnick seemed very up on the idea of downloadable content, micro-transactions and even... subscriptions." This falls in line with their business model of periodically offering downloadable content to either extend the storyline of a game, or to simply offer varied gameplay experiences. Downloadable content and microtransactions could solve some of the issues game publishers have with their titles being re-sold, allowing them to have a continuous revenue stream, and perhaps dissuading many consumers from reselling that game in the first place. Regular content refreshes could ensure that these games don't go stale and end up relegated to a dusty bookshelf. Zelnick implied that this business model, should it come to be, would likely only affect Take-Two's biggest titles. This implies changes to the business models for Grand Theft Auto and BioShock, although the words "Midnight Club Online" also seem apt. But do you feel that adding the trappings of the MMO business model, namely subs and microtransactions, would enhance your experience with a standalone title, both as a gamer and as a consumer? Are more MMO-like PC games a good thing, or are you more of an MMO purist?
Game with Midnight Club: LA developers
In about an hour, the Rockstar San Diego developers who worked on Midnight Club: Los Angeles will be logging onto Xbox Live to participate in some Game with Developers gaming funnery. And, as if it wasn't obvious enough, they'll be online playing Midnight Club.Check the list of developer gamertags after the jump and be sure to join the Midnight Club fun between 4-7:00PM eastern. If gaming with a hip-hop artist sounds more appealing, you can catch MURS playing Midnight Club at 7:00PM eastern. Word.
Shipping this week: indecision edition
Oh boy. Not only are there eight new games hitting the Xbox 360 this weeks (and Portal on XBLA, lest we forget), but several of them look to be good games. Heavy hitters like Far Cry 2 and Fable II undoubtedly top the list, but there are some other big names in there as well. Check 'em out: Fable 2 Midnight Club: Los Angeles Far Cry 2 Disney Sing It Spider-Man: Web of Shadows The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon Dance Dance Revolution: Universe 3 Legendary Now, the question is are there any "must have" games on this list for you, or are you strategically withholding your funds for something else?[Via Joystiq]
Trophies: Midnight Club: Los Angeles
1 Platinum1 Gold20 Silver36 Bronze Difficulty: Moderate Online Trophies? Yes Time to Completion: 75 hoursDLC Trophies? Yes**Trophies requiring DLC are highlighted in yellow. View Trophy List Read More About the Game %Gallery-21084%%Gallery-45846%
Sony's new PSP strategy: 'You cannot have ports.'
With third-party PSP support dwindling and becoming increasingly coveted -- even by Sony's own Shuhei Yoshida -- it seems that a new plan of action is in order for the high-tech, twice-revised handheld. Speaking to Edge Online, SCEA's director of hardware marketing, John Koller, provided just such a strategy: "You cannot have ports." Sony hopes to guide publishers and developers down a better path, enabling them to produce PSP games that take a cue from their console versions, but leave the identical content and gameplay behind. "The recipe for success on the PSP resides simply in providing franchise games that are strong brand names like on consoles, but have unique gameplay on the system," said Koller, listing Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, God of War: Chains of Olympus and the forthcoming Midnight Club as titles that stand on their own, despite their recognized branding. Koller went on to predict that 2009 would see "significant growth" for the PSP, with "a number of very strong franchise games" on the way and revitalized hardware sales bringing publishers back from the brink. And who knows? Maybe those persistent petitioners will finally get their Assassin's Creed PSP game.
Midnight Club: LA release skids, delayed yet again
Originally set for release the second week of September, it was revealed that Rockstar's Midnight Club: Los Angeles would be delayed into the second week of October. Now, thanks to a Take-Two Q3 fiscal report, we learn that Midnight Club: LA has been delayed a few more weeks. The newly new retail release is October 21st for North America and October 24th for Europe. Hopefully, Rockstar can deliver by the end of October. That said, we wouldn't be all that surprised to see it slip into November. [Via RockstarWatch, Thanks Firecatman]
Midnight Club: Los Angeles pushed back to Oct. 21
It wasn't all good news in Take-Two's stellar third-quarter earnings report and conference call today, as the company announced that the release date for Midnight Club: Los Angeles has been pushed back to Oct. 21 in North America and Oct. 24 in Europe. The new date follows previously announced North American dates of Oct. 7 and Sept. 9 for the game's release. Take-Two said the extra time is being used to help polish up the game and to make sure its release doesn't get lost amidst a competitive holiday schedule. Here's hoping this one finally sticks.
No split screen or demo love for Midnight Club: LA
With the release of Rockstar's Midnight Club: Los Angeles rapidly approaching this October, don't expect to see any demo gracing the Xbox Live Marketplace. Or even split screen multiplayer. According to AddictGaming, a Rockstar rep informed them that neither split screen will be included or a game demo will be releasde for Midnight Club: LA. Something about a demo not being able to fully encapsulate what is the Midnight Club experience ... blah, blah, blah ... sure.[Thanks, Joseph Humphrey]
Midnight Club: Los Angeles midnight movie
With the game speeding towards an October 7 release, Rockstar has rolled out a new trailer for its latest underground street racer, Midnight Club: Los Angeles. In case you were wondering what an open world racer with an ... open world on the level of GTA IV would be like, this (ahem) fast and furious footage is your answer. And, if you're watching this between 12am and 1am PST, it's also incredibly appropriate.It's interesting to see Rockstar San Diego fleshing out the story aspect of this sequel, right down to seeing your character behind the wheel during races. Although it's definitely the complex world detail matched with the pedigree of this series that really gets our motors running.
Video: In pursuit of Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Rockstar San Diego just released a new Midnight Club: Los Angeles trailer today, showcasing how street racing in LA is done. And if you ignore the in-game advertisements for Pizza Hut, Hollywood Video, DUB, The Coffee Bean and Zaxby's (just to name a few), we think Midnight Club fanboys will be satisfied. Enjoy the trailer love.
Midnight Club: LA trailer: in the daylight, no traffic
Rockstar has just released a new trailer for their upcoming open world racing game, Midnight Club: Los Angeles. But, we have a few problems with the trailer: first, if it's a Midnight Club, shouldn't these races be taking place at night? Secondly, if this really is Los Angeles, how is a driving game possible? Shouldn't players be stuck, crawling through painful smog-filled traffic? Regardless, this should give Burnout Paradise a run for its open-world racing money.
