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Brain drain hurting UK's game development industry, government to rethink subsidies
[Image credit: ZDNet] The UK is not only looking to remedy its ailing game development scene by rallying against outsourcing, but is also in need of finding a better solution to the bigger, and arguably more pressing, issue of brain drain. Professionals in the British game industry are leaving their native land for places like Canada and France, where game developers receive tax breaks and other incentives not offered in the UK. Tax breaks are among the most sought after subsidies for British devs, and if they're not getting it, they're obviously going to have to look elsewhere. And, look elsewhere they have -- on record, there are at least 30,000 British expats in BC, Canada alone.The Guardian reports that communications minister, Lord Stephen Carter, is currently weighing out the best options of support to combat shrinkage, though it's not certain if and when these incentives will come into effect. The British developer landscape has become quite barren; dev studios and projects have been axed in recent times, while others have been sold to foreign companies. Of course, consumers in Britain are unaware of the state its development industry is in; they're too busy buying the latest fitness thingamabobs from Japan.
Time editorial (sort of) explains why video games are a good economic indicator
Time Magazine thinks that video games are a good economic indicator -- as in, if the gaming industry is doing poorly (it's not), that speaks volumes about the national economic situation. And Time's reasoning is sound, more or less: "When people cannot spend $300 on a console or $50 on a game which can be used for hours and played over and over again, the money for discretionary spending has dried up." The piece references declines in sales of the Nintendo Wii (selling "only" 340k units in April) as well as the recent loss report by Sony on its PlayStation division. Problem is, it makes no mention whatsoever of the repeated analyst reports citing year-over-year declines being forced by AAA-games being released in the traditionally dormant late-Winter/early-Spring months, during 2008. And furthermore, the author worries about the sales of the PS3 in April, not making any mention of the relatively robust PS2 and PSP sales during the same time period. Then again, the Time website has Jim Cramer divvying out economic tips just three inches to the right of this piece, so, ya know, there's that trustworthy source of financial information.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a Brando 55-in-1 Card Reader reader!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got ten (yes, 10!) Brando 55 in 1 Card Readers to give away. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!Big thanks to Brando for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Brando 55 in 1 Card Reader. Ten (10) winners will be chosen. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, May, 15th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Factor 5 shuts down US operations
Factor 5 officially announced the closure of its US operations recently, concluding a story that feels like it's been just out of reach for half a year. The developer had been having some rough times since the poignant failure of Lair. Following that, there was its falling out with Brash Entertainment (which led to layoffs), leaks of the Superman and Kid Icarus games, and, obviously, the closure of the studio.The bright side on this really dark tale is that Achim Moller, CEO of Factor 5 Germany, states the company has "partnered with both old and new friends in the industry who will reveal our upcoming projects over the next months." With E3 visible in the smog-filled distance, perhaps we'll learn what the German-based developer is up to soon.[Via Kotaku, Siliconera]
Engadget's recession antidote: win a copy of Need for Speed Undercover for Xbox 360!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got a copy of Need for Speed Undercover for Xbox 360 on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) copy of Need for Speed Undercover for Xbox 360. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Thursday, May, 14th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a Zivio Boom Wireless headset!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs (like 1,100 from Seagate just today) got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got a Zivio Boom Bluetooth headset on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Huge thanks to Joby for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Zivio Boom Bluetooth headset. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, May, 13th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Analyst calculates layoff totals, the belief in a 'Gaming Renaissance Movement'
M2 Research market analyst Wanda Meloni estimates that 8,450 game industry employees have been let go since July 2008. North America had approximately 6,300 layoffs (75 percent), which represents 12 percent of the region's workforce -- her piece was published on Gamasutra last Friday, so it likely doesn't take into account the Massive and 3D Realms hits.Meloni's "glass half full" view of the layoffs is that these folks will start small development studios and form part of what she's calling the "Gaming Renaissance Movement." She feels that these start-ups -- many self-funded through severance packages -- have the "creativity, vision and sheer grit" (not to mention: no other choice) to do their best to make it.The majority of Meloni's post goes into detail about what tools, funding and partners these start-ups have at their disposal. As for us, we're just looking to give the "layoffs" tag a rest.[Via Edge] [Image]
Engadget's recession antidote: win a pair of tickets to attend the Google I/O Developer Conference!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today, we are giving away 5 pairs (yes, five!) of registration codes to attend the Google I/O Developer Conference on May 27th and 28th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. (Of course, this means you and your guest should either live in the San Francisco area or be able to get there easily!) Good luck.Huge thanks to Google for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive two (2) registration codes to the Google I/O Developer Conference. Five winners will be chosen randomly. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within one day of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Monday, May, 11th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a copy of ExciteBots and a WiiWheel!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got a copy of Excitebots for Wii and a Wii Wheel on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! (One more photo after the break).The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) copy of Excitebots for Nintendo Wii and one (1) Wii Wheel. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, May, 8th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Disney Interactive revenue down citing lack of console games
Disney Interactive has been having a pretty rough year. The company kicked off 2009 with a handful of layoffs, and now, according to reports at Gamasutra, it's also facing a near 20 percent drop in year-over-year revenue. Big surprise? Not exactly, considering the publisher only internally published a handful of games last year (including critically acclaimed Pure and not so critically acclaimed Turok). Also not a big surprise, Disney Interactive prez and CEO Bob Iger cites "the weak economy and other factors" when explaining his company's less than fantastic financial situation. Let's just hope Warren Spector's "epic" Mickey Mouse game can help to bolster Disney's 2009 lineup.
Engadget's recession antidote: win one of ten SanDisk 4GB Ultra II SDHC cards!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got ten (yes, ten!) 4GB Sandisk Ultra II SDHC cards to give away. These could make perfect last minute Mother's Day gifts, couldn't they? Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!Big thanks to SanDisk for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. Ten winners will be randomly chosen. Each winner will win one (1) SanDisk 4GB Ultra II SDHC. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Thursday, May, 7th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Microsoft lays off 28 percent of Massive
It seems as though the reports coming in this morning regarding Microsoft layoffs at its in-game advertising department, Massive, were more than a tad overstated. A Microsoft spokesperson, as well as Cassandra Nuttall, head of marketing at Massive, confirmed to us this afternoon that, "In total, the Massive business unit will see a headcount reduction of 28 percent." Earlier today we reported that a variety of outlets, relying on "anonymous sources," were told that the layoffs at Massive were as high as 75 percent. "While yesterday's job eliminations included full-time employees who work for Massive," the spokesperson told us, "the reports of a 75 percent workforce reduction are inaccurate." Citing the "global economic downturn" for the staff cuts, Ms. Nuttall also insures us that the company "foresee[s] no disruption whatsoever [in its] current relationships with global, blue chip brands and leading game publishers." To those of you laid off, we wish you the best in the coming months.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a copy of Red Alert 3 for Xbox 360!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got a copy of Red Alert 3 for Xbox 360 on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) copy of Red Alert 3 for Xbox 360. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, May, 6th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Canadian video game sales dip for first time since 2002
According to number crunchers at NPD, game industry sales have given Canadian retail outlets the cold shoulder so far in 2009. Much like the region's warmer cousin to the south, sales have slowed through the first quarter, with NPD reporting an 8.5 percent decline in overall sales compared to the same period last year. Interestingly, it isn't games that shoulder the biggest burden of this hit, but hardware, with sales of portables plummeting a dramatic 21 percent during the period. Console sales fared little better, dropping 14.5 percent in sales year-over-year.The dip represents a first for the market since NPD began tracking Canadian sales in 2002. The group points to an overall lack of "blockbuster titles" so far compared to 2008 as a driving reason for the ongoing slump, with the same period in 2007 buffeted on sales of games like Guitar Hero III and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As games like Resident Evil 5 and Halo Wars are not enough to get more Canadians checking out new platforms, clearly the time is right for a new hockey or moose hunting game to ski in and save the day.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a KORG KAOSSILATOR and a copy of Matt & Kim's album "Grand"
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got something really special for our musician-readers: a KORG Kaossilator Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer, and a copy of Matt and Kim's album, Grand. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! More information -- and another photo -- after the break.Huge thanks to Korg for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) KORG Kaossilator and one (1) copy of Matt and Kim's album, Grand. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Monday, May, 4th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got two Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zooms to give away. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! Two more shots of the products after the break.Huge thanks to Joby for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, May, 1st, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Phoenix Motorcars undergoing restructuring, still committed to EV space
With proven success stories like Tesla struggling to keep those electric car dreams alive in today's economy, it's no shock to hear that at least one little guy (that'd be Phoenix Motorcars) has caved to the pressures. After reviving itself once already late last year by nailing down a partnership with the absolutely stunning state of Hawai'i, it seems the company hasn't been able to progress as planned with its intentions to bring EVs and an electric vehicle infrastructure to the island of Maui. According to a filing on April 27th, the flagging automaker has pegged the soft economy (surprise!) as well as a $5.3 million arbitration apparently won by former drivetrain supplier UQM as the main contributors to its demise. In an update to the situation, however, its CEO has replied to AutoblogGreen in order to reaffirm that it "has not abandoned the alternative fuels transportation space." Unfortunately, that could mean absolutely anything... or nothing at all.Read - Original filingRead - Update from Phoenix MC
Engadget's recession antidote: win a WowWee Tribot!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got a WowWee Tribot on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! Two more shots of the products after the break.The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) WowWee Tribot. Approximate retail value is $80. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Thursday, April 30th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Motorola posts $291 million loss in first quarter, mobile sales fall 45 percent
Motorola has spilled some very unappetizing beans with its first quarter results. The company missed its projected sales figure of $5.62 billion, posting $5.4 billion, $1.8 billion of which were in its handsets division. The cellphone space is where the company seems to be hurting the most -- sales were down 45 percent there -- though some projections had it faring worse than that. Overall, Moto's looking at a $291 million loss, or $0.13 a share, which, even in this economy, can't be the greatest of news.
Motorola posts $291 million loss in first quarter, mobile sales fall 45 percent, Android handsets confirmed for Q4
Motorola has spilled some very unappetizing beans with its first quarter results. The company missed its projected sales figure of $5.62 billion, posting $5.4 billion, $1.8 billion of which were in its handsets division. The cellphone space is where the company seems to be hurting the most -- sales were down 45 percent there -- though some projections had it faring worse than that. Overall, Moto's looking at a $291 million loss, or $0.13 a share, which, even in this economy, can't be the greatest of news.On the bright side, during the earnings briefing, CEO Sanjay Jha confirmed that Motorola will indeed introduce "differentiated Android-based devices" in time for the holiday season this year. Hooray for that, anyway!Read - Motorola CEO Confirms Android Devices for Q4Read - Earnings: Motorola Posts $291 Million Loss As Cellphone Sales Slump 45 Percent
