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Neal Stephenson's digital publishing platform adds a dash of Wiki to novel-reading
It's not surprising that this man -- the one responsible for some of our favorite sci-fi reading material -- has a vision of how books will work in the future. Neal Stephenson's company Subutai has developed a new digital publishing platform upon which The Mongoliad has just debuted. It feels like a cross between a Wiki, a glossary, and a serial novel. The first chapter of the epic fantasy novel about the Mongolian conquest is available to read online for free, but in order to access extra material and edit documents in the "'Pedia," you'll need a paid subscription. iOS apps are currently going through Apple's approval process; an Android version is also in the works. Stephenson and the Subutai team -- which includes writers Greg Bear and Mark Teppo -- promise to have a new chapter for subscribers out every week. [Image credit: jeanbaptisteparis' flickr]
Team17 wriggles free from third-party publishers
Having released only two boxed retail games in the past three years, Worms developer Team17 has been working toward total independence from third-party publishers. That moment has arrived for the studio, which has repositioned itself as an independent digital publisher, reports MCV. "We have no ambitions to return to retail publishing," co-founder Martyn Brown told the site. Team17 has completed a restructuring initiative, which has both promoted existing staff and brought in new hires to fill the roles of a publishing entity. In addition to continuing to self-publish its own titles through digital distribution channels -- having celebrated its 20th anniversary last December, Team17 is one of the oldest independent developers in the industry -- the company will be working with other independent developers to bring their games to digital platforms, including XBLA, PSN and the App Store. "We are actively involved in working with other independent studios to publish their IP. This is a key aspect of our strategy going forward," Brown said. "We now have the right structure and team in place to accomplish this."
How to publish an Apple iBook
We've covered the issue tangentially before, but in case our guides on EPUB and the process itself haven't been enough to inspire you would-be authors to self-publish your book in iBooks, Greg Mills has a step-by-step guide just for you. Of course, the hardest part may be actually writing the book, but once you've gotten that out of the way, you're just a format check, a registration, and an upload away from becoming an e-published author. It's really not complicated, and while there are a few hoops to jump through (you need to make sure that your files match up exactly to the store's format, and then, of course, you need to let Apple know that you're legit and responsible), Mills' steps make the process almost completely transparent. The toughest part (besides the technical tweaking and forms to fill out) might be going through the ISBN application process, but even that's just standard bureaucracy. It's pretty amazing that with just a standard Mac, a little patience, and the right information, almost anybody can publish on Apple's iBooks store. If you go through the whole process and get a title published, send us a tip, and let us know how it went.
Runescape's Mark Gerhard talks self-publishing success
Jagex, makers of the successful browser-based MMORPG Runescape, went through a who's who listing of game publishers before ultimately deciding to fly solo and self-publish their free-to-play fantasy title. Company CEO Mark Gerhard minced few words when speaking about the trials and tribulations of securing a publishing deal during a talk at this week's Develop Conference. "We went to publishers like Activision and EA and said we've got an awesome browser game, and they said **** off. We went back and said we've got a million users and they said bull****. The necessity forced us to become a publisher," Gerhard said. Ultimately, Jagex was able to parlay their success into an investment deal with Sony, and is also releasing multiple additional titles including War of Legends, an iPhone game called Bouncedown, and numerous casual titles via the FunOrb gaming portal. Check out the original article at Game Politics for more details.
THQ still focused on owning IP the 'Hollywood' way
THQ's competitors -- namely EA and Activision -- have recently landed publishing deals with high-profile developers, such as Respawn, Bungie and Insomniac, by allowing the studios to own their new game franchises. And while THQ offers its own "Partners" program, the company is still focused on owning franchises. "I believe in the Hollywood model, which is that, the bigger the artist, the more important, the more successful they are, the bigger share they get," VP Danny Bilson explained to IndustryGamers. "But you know know, most of the biggest talents in Hollywood don't own their IPs. It doesn't work that way. My job coming to this company was to build an IP library, which builds value in THQ. So that means having a developer own the IP becomes a deal-breaker." According to Bilson, THQ had discussions with Respawn's West and Zampella; undoubtedly, Bilson's position made an offer impossible. While Bilson offers no flexibility in this particular regard, he believes the company has still acquired strong talent by offering "an absolutely better place to work." At this year's E3, the publisher surprised many with the announcement of Devil's Third, a new action IP from the Itagaki-led Valhalla Studios. According to Bilson, other high-profile partnerships will be announced "over the next six months," and he noted, "you're going to go, 'oh my God.'" Considering the incredible turnaround of THQ's portfolio under Bilson's tenure, it's difficult not to share his excitement.
Adobe's Digital Publishing Platform behind Wired app, uses CS5 tools and will be available to all
So, despite all that hubbub about Flash, Adobe managed to still deliver iPad magazine publishing tools to Wired after all... and it's not stopping there. Adobe's "digital viewer software" is the crux, which Adobe says it built in Apple's Objective C and will continue to maintain for the iPad while considering other platforms like the iPhone. Meanwhile, anything built matching this vaguely defined spec (Adobe's keeping a lot of details close to its chest right now) will be able to publish to this iPad reader software, along with any Flash 10.1 or AIR 2-compliant devices. HTML 5 will also come in to play somehow. Adobe will be releasing the publishing tech to Adobe Labs later this year, but you'll have to have Adobe InDesign CS5 to take advantage of it. Of course, none of this really solves the debate over 3rd party development tools for building iPad and iPhone apps, but it seems to sidestep it pretty handily.
Ebook publishers seek universal format, lament Apple and Amazon's closed ecosystems
You don't need to sit down, we're not about to hit you with any shocking news, but a recent BookExpo America convention has given publishers the chance to air out their laundry list of complaints. Seriously, do these guys ever have anything positive to say? Now they've managed to pinpoint a flaw in the Kindle and iPad's resounding success, identifying the two ebook reading platforms as closed, and expressing a yearning for a universal and open format that all books can be published and consumed on. Of course, they wouldn't be publishers if they didn't also lust after robust DRM measures, which might explain why they're not roundly supporting the readily available EPUB format. It has DRM options, but perhaps they're not gnarly enough for the dudes responsible for bringing us the psychological horror of the Twilight series. We still don't like the suggestion that the people, Amazon primarily, who popularized this market should just open it up out of the goodness of their own hearts -- maybe we would if publishers ever showed themselves capable of doing similarly noble things.
Calling all authors: How to sell your books in the iBook store
Have you got a novel or two in your bottom desk drawer? Did you participate in the National Novel Writing Month competition last November? Are you a budding author who needs that last nudge to actually get writing? If any of these describe you, Apple has just given you a way to get your masterpiece into the iBooks store for the iPad, and you can do it yourself. You don't need a publisher, distributor, agent or anything else for that matter. You can decide how much to charge and which countries (that have an iBook store) to sell into. You also get the same deal as the app publishers, meaning that Apple takes 30% and you keep 70% of the revenue. There are some requirements though but help is available.You'll need to have: ISBN numbers for the books you want to distribute the ability to deliver the book in EPUB format the book pass EpubCheck 1.0.5 a US Tax ID (sorry world, this is only open to the US at this point) an iTunes account backed up by a credit card a fairly good idea of where you'll sell and how much you'll sell an Intel-based Mac running OS 10.5 or better (sorry PC users, their game, their rules) and meet some reasonable technical requirements
Funcom publishing Stunlock's 'Bloodline Champions'
Age of Conan and The Secret World publisher Funcom has announced a publishing deal with Sweden-based Stunlock Studios AB for the PC multiplayer arena game Bloodline Champions. Under the deal, Funcom will operate and provide support for the 10-player online combat game. The deal has more significance than just bringing Bloodline Champions to audiences, though. While Stunlock will retain ownership of Bloodline, Funcom has also agreed to purchase a minority stake in Stunlock. It seems likely, then, that it will work with Funcom for future titles. If you'd like to see what Funcom's money is going into, you can try to get into the current Bloodline Champions beta here. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until "late 2010."
Google Editions said to have backing of 'almost all' US publishers
Well, it looks like Google will be kicking off its forthcoming Google Editions e-book service on a high note -- Japan Today is reporting that the company has managed to score the backing of "almost all" publishers in the United States. That apparently brings the total number of publishers and authors on board to over 25,000, and the total number of books set to be available to somewhere in the neighborhood of two million -- or over four million if you include the public domain books that Google already makes available for free. As far as we can tell, however, Google itself still isn't saying any more on the matter publicly than it did last week, when it confirmed that the service would be launching in late June or July. [Thanks, Legendary1022]
Halo developer Bungie enters 10-year partnership with Activision
Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder at Activision. Bungie has just announced that it has entered into a ten-year publishing agreement with Activision, which will receive exclusive, worldwide rights to publish all games based on Bungie's "next big action game universe." The deal also notes that Activision will have the rights to publish said games on "multiple platforms and devices," meaning Bungie's longstanding Xbox exclusivity may come to an end. Furthermore, the agreement specifies that Bungie will remain an independent company and will retain all rights to its intellectual property. Bungie president Harold Ryan notes that the two companies have been working on the deal "over the past nine months." The specificity of the agreement is noteworthy, especially that Activision only has rights to publish games based on Bungie's new intellectual property -- its "next big action game universe," whatever that may be. The fact that Bungie will retain ownership of its IP is particularly interesting, especially in light of the widening rift between Activision and Infinity Ward. When Bungie famously split with Microsoft in 2007, it was assumed Microsoft would retain first right of refusal on any future Bungie projects. It's unclear why (or if) Microsoft refused Bungie's latest project, though the company's apparent multiplatform ambitions would provide a likely explanation -- that is, assuming Bungie doesn't have more than one project in the pipeline. Update: Added commentary from Activision's Thomas Tippl and Bungie's Harold Ryan after the break.
Machinarium dev moves on to Sony after Microsoft passes on publishing its critical darling
A report late last week on XBLAFans.com claimed that Czech game studio Amanita Design had been "refused" a publishing deal to bring the critically-acclaimed Machinarium to Xbox Live Arcade, because the game was not an Xbox exclusive. While the quotes in the article were incendiary, they echoed information Joystiq received from developer Golgoth Studio earlier this year, when it too was denied a publishing deal from Microsoft for Toki HD. (Microsoft decided Toki HD didn't fit with its current portfolio.) The key is that neither game has been refused space on the platform -- Microsoft has simply decided not to publish the games itself. Microsoft requires all XBLA titles be attached with a publishing partner, meaning neither Amanita Design and Golgoth Studio can self-publish the games on the XBLA platform. Sony and Nintendo do not have the same policy for the PlayStation Network and WiiWare, respectively. Joystiq contacted Amanita Design founder Jakub Dvorský for to clarify the situation. "They told us, 'It's not Microsoft-exclusive, we don't want it.' They didn't cite the Mac and Linux versions [as reasons for the refusal] but it's quite clear that's the reason," Dvorský told Joystiq via email. As it did with Toki HD, Microsoft recommended Amanita Design pursue other publishers, an idea the team doesn't appear intent on exploring. "It means if we want to release the game on XBLA we must throw, probably, most of the profit out of the window -- to the publisher. Just because we created Mac and Linux versions." Microsoft's official stance -- and policy, according to Dvorský -- is the company does not publish games that are not exclusive to its platforms. During the year-long process of waiting for a response from Microsoft, Amanita Design never expressed interest in submitting Machinarium to Sony's PlayStation Network. Now that Microsoft has decided against publishing the game, Amanita is exploring Sony's platform. "We submitted the game to Sony after Microsoft refused it," Dvorský said.
Viv magazine iPad concept is sin city, man (video)
Want to get our attention in a hurry? Tip us on a digital magazine concept for the iPad that combines footage captured by a prototype RED Mysterium-X sensor from inside of a Frank Miller style, noir hellscape. Of course, just because it was created for the iPad doesn't mean that the concept isn't applicable to any of the hundreds (not an exaggeration) of tablet devices destined to arrive over the next year. The feature concept, created by Alexx Henry and Andrew Grant together with co-directors Cory Strassburger and Ming Hsiung, redefines the art of infotainment. And make no mistake: as mainstream media fights for eyeballs this is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They're back. There's no choice left. And publishers are ready for war. See the video (and making of) after the break. Update: While the making-of video says the footage was shot using a "RED Epic M-X Sensor" a screen grab of the actual camera shows that it's a RED ONE (with M-X sensor), not an Epic. Image after the break.
Nintendo publishing Samurai Warriors 3 with Tecmo Koei
Following the recent announcement that Dragon Quest IX will be published by Nintendo in North America, the company has revealed another publishing partnership for an exclusive game from a big Japanese publisher: Nintendo will co-publish Koei's Samurai Warriors 3 in North America this fall. It makes sense that Nintendo would take the stewardship role for this game, as it contains a mode featuring characters and locations from Nintendo's Nazo no Murasame-jou ("The Mysterious Murasame Castle"), a Famicom Disk System game designed by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto. In any case, this is one way for Nintendo to ensure ongoing releases of third-party core games on its systems: by plucking existing ones from Japan and publishing them in North America itself. %Gallery-74703%
Nintendo publishing Dragon Quest IX in North America
American DS owners have been waiting patiently for Dragon Quest IX, as the game racks up crazy sales in Japan and weekly DLC is released from Square Enix. Well ... we're going to have to keep waiting. While Nintendo didn't announce a date for the RPG at the Nintendo Media Summit today, the company announced that it will not only co-market Dragon Quest IX, it will publish it in North America. This is the first official confirmation of a localized release. Square Enix previously said that it would consider localizing DQIX in its next fiscal year (beginning in April). Update: Nintendo has scheduled Dragon Quest IX for a summer 2010 release. %Gallery-15248%
Wired's tablet app goes on show: developed on AIR, heading to the iPad (video)
Mmm, digital magazines. They are the little bites of paid-for content that all the publishers believe we should be deeply enthralled with. Hoping to show us why exactly it is that we should all care (and pay) for prepackaged digital content is Wired's latest and most comprehensive demo of its tablet app on an unspecified 16:9 device. Setting aside hopefuls like the Joojoo and Adam for a moment, it is clear that this is ultimately intended for Apple's iPad -- the device that stands by far the biggest chance of making the digimag concept a commercial success. Interesting choice of development partner, then, as Condé Nast has opted to use Adobe's AIR platform for the underlying mechanics. Adobe promises its Packager for iPhone, part of CS5, will allow devs to easily port AIR apps to run natively on the iPad, but until Apple gives its official assent to the final code, nothing is guaranteed -- and Packager hasn't even officially shipped yet. As far as the app goes, it'll come with Twitter and Facebook integration, and navigation is geared toward the touching and swiping model so prevalent today. See it on video after the break.
Level-5 considers opening US office
During the same event in which Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino teased new Wii and PS3 games, he also suggested that the company may be setting up operations in the US. According to our own imperfect translation of 4Gamer's summary of statements, "Mr. Hino, in order to release software overseas, spoke about a plan to establish a new company in America," describing his intention to expand the company's activities from its current home of Fukuoka to the world. This new enterprise would be the second new office opened by the company for this purpose -- it recently established an overseas-focused office in Tokyo. Perhaps we'll see self-published Level-5 games soon. Perhaps that way we can get timely Professor Layton releases! [Via Siliconera]
Hachette Book Group also pulls away from Amazon
It looks like the tide is starting to turn decisively against Amazon's $9.99 e-book publishing model -- first MacMillan fought back and won, then HarperCollins dragged Bezos and Co., back to the negotiating table, and now Hachette is beating on the door. That's at least the word according to a leaked memo from Hachette Book Group CEO David Young, in which he says the "agency" pricing model favored by MacMillan -- and used by Apple new iBooks store -- is the way to go. Ultimately this all comes down to power and control, and we're getting the feeling the publishers have realized that they have to exert it in order to keep it -- and oddly enough, it seems like Apple and the iPad are the leverage they've been waiting for. Get ready for the shakeout. P.S.- Charlie Stross has a nice breakdown of the differences between the Amazon model and the agency model, if you're interested in the nitty-gritty.
HarperCollins pressuring Amazon to hike Kindle prices
The iPad is still a few months away from actual release, but it already has publishers scrambling to be in the right place when the revolution comes. First, Amazon gave in to Macmillan's bid to raise prices on their own store, and now HarperCollins is putting the pressure on that same site to raise eBook prices from $9.99 up to $14.99 or higher. Amazon finds itself in between a rock and an iPad -- if they don't give in to publishers' demands, they could find themselves abandoned for an exclusive Apple deal, but if they do raise prices, sales will start dropping even before the iPad appears. Jobs predicted about this much last week in an interview with Walt Mossberg, saying that publishers would run afoul of the Amazon store, and Jobs would be more than happy to pick them up in iBooks. But the real question is: how much will Apple charge? Historically, Jobs has been pretty antagonistic on pricing against content providers, only recently giving in to the first price increase in the history of iTunes. At the Apple event the other week, Jobs said on stage that prices on the Kindle and the iPad for books would be "the same," so while fleeting images of the iPad showed bestsellers at around $10 (which is what Amazon charges), it's possible that Jobs would go with the $14.99 price to woo publishers over to his side. It'll be an interesting battle -- when the iTunes music store first opened, there basically were no strong competitors in terms of other online music retailers. With the iBooks service, Jobs and the iPad are wading into already populated waters. And while Amazon is feeling the heat of the iPad even before it's on store shelves, odds are that they're not going to go down without an eventual fight.
Can Apple save gaming magazines?
[SI.com; tablet concept] What do these publications have in common: EGM, Games for Windows, Official PlayStation Magazine, Computer Games Magazine, Tips and Tricks, GMR, Xbox Nation, and Massive? Video games, sure, but all have also perished in the last five years. With the looming announcement of Apple's long-rumored tablet device, there's a chance that gaming magazines may finally be able to stop the bleeding. It's no secret that just about every video game magazine out there is hurting right now -- save for the absurdly colossal Game Informer (its unique arrangement with GameStop provides the publication with a seemingly infinite subscriber base eager to save on used-game purchases and get extra trade-in credit). The magazine world in general has been hit hard by the evaporation of advertising dollars, and gaming publications have been subjected to some of the worst of that storm due to the movement of their traditionally tech-savvy audience away from print and to digital media. However, Apple is rumored to be launching a device that could make magazines cool again and help the gaming print media crawl off its deathbed. The Wall Street Journal reported several days ago on information from anonymous sources that Apple has been in talks with several print media corporations, including Conde Nast, one of the largest magazine publishers in the world, to bring its publications to Apple's long-rumored tablet PC -- expected to be announced tomorrow, January 27, at a press event in San Francisco. The article speculated that Apple has plans to use this new device to redefine print media in much the same way that iTunes and the iPod revolutionized the monetization of music.
