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Hyundai's Motional will start testing its robotaxi in Los Angeles this month
The tests will initially take place in and around Santa Monica.
New Apple Stores set to open in UK and Germany
We heard earlier this year that Apple was planning to expand its retail business "disproportionately outside the US," and it looks like that plan is being put into motion starting now. In addition to a new Apple Store opening up this Thursday in Leeds, UK, the company has posted job listings for stores opening soon in both Munich and Dusseldorf, in Germany. So there are three stores starting up in Europe, and Apple's expanding in other countries as well -- it now has retail locations in 13 countries around the world, after opening up a store in Turkey last year. And Apple's also expanding inside the US, bringing 20 of its local stores to larger spaces. I live right near the Santa Monica, Calif., Apple Store, and it seems that store was one of those that moved: Apple found a new location right down the street from the original, with a much larger space that's reminiscent of the company's flagship Grand Central Terminal store. The new space features high ceilings and lots of space above tables of course filled with various Apple goodies to buy. Most of the innovation we talk about from Apple comes with its new product releases, but it's clear the company is working hard on innovating in the retail space as well.
KCRW launches MALCOLM music service to help indie bands in need
Being a DJ at radio station can be an embarrassment of riches. And really, who's going to listen to you complain about having too much music to listen to? Santa Monica's terrifically wonderful public radio station KCRW is looking to take a little bit of the pain of finding new music for its DJs, with the launch of MALCOLM, a site that lets artists submit their music for consideration -- a nice attempt at continued outreach in a medium so dominated by charts and major label interference. Bands can create profiles with images, bios and social media links, alongside up to three tracks. MALCOLM serves as a bit of a social network for the station's DJs, letting them share tracks and interact with profiles, alerting artists via email when someone has commented on or rated their listing. More information on the service, which borrows its name from KCRW's old internal record filing system, can be found in the press release after the break. Interested bands can submit songs in the source link below.
Third Street Promenade 2 Apple Store taking shape in California
Apple is building several new stores in the US, and one upcoming retail location that is starting to come together is the Third Street Promenade store in Santa Monica, California. According to ifoAppleStore, this is the second retail location on that street. It is located about 1,000 feet down the street from the current Third Street Promenade store, which Apple built in 2003. Apple tore down an old, three-story Borders book store and is building its own 8,000 square-foot retail outlet, says a report in LA Curbed. The media uncovered these initial details last year when the Santa Monica Planning Commission gave approval for the construction to begin. Like many new Apple Stores, this second Third Street Promenade store will have stone walls, a curved glass roof and an all-glass storefront. Photos of the construction, available on ifoAppleStore's website, show the steel framework of the building and a pit at the back of the store which will become stockrooms, a Genius work area and office space. The store will open by the end of the year.
Plans reveal huge LA Apple Store expansion
The Santa Monica (California) Planning Commission is considering a proposal tomorrow for what appears to be a new, giant Apple Store for the L.A. area. While the building permit application delivered to the commission and architectural renderings don't specifically mention Apple as a tenant, the design of the proposed building is a dead giveaway that the company is planning to replace the existing Third Street Promenade store with this new location. ifoAppleStore reports that the new facility would encompass almost 12,500 square feet of space, covered with a 34 foot tall arched glass roof. The existing Third Street Promenade store opened in July 2003 about two blocks away from the new location, and has been one of the Apple Store's busiest locations. It helps that the average household income within five miles of the store is $106,012, almost double the average for other Apple Stores. The architecture of the proposed store is very similar to the Upper West Side store in NYC that opened in 2009, although that store has an angled front due to the shape of the property on which it is located. We'll keep you updated on the status of the proposed store after the meeting tomorrow.
Reports: Chinese online giant Tencent acquires majority stake in Riot Games
China's biggest Internet company, Tencent, has reportedly acquired a majority stake in Los Angeles-based Riot Games for the sum of $350 million. Tencent has already acquired a number of other Western properties, including Crytek's free-to-play FPS and Take-Two's NBA 2K Online, and also runs the QQ messaging service, boasting over 600 million-plus users. Riot makes League of Legends, the free-to-play DotA-style multiplayer title, and has said it will stay in Los Angeles and continue to "aggressively" hire through 2011. This deal likely won't affect the day-to-day of League of Legends (or any other titles Riot has under development), but given Tencent's contacts and assets in China, Riot will likely get a lot of help in spreading its games to players overseas. The transaction is still subject to regulatory measures, but is expected to close within 30 days.
iPhone 4 launch: In line at the Santa Monica store
I'm in line right now at the Santa Monica Apple Store for the iPhone 4 launch, and, just like in the rest of the country, the line is just plain huge. I was here for the iPad launch, and it's probably three times the size that line took up when it was at its longest. Of course, there are tents and camping chairs in the middle of this line, and that one was mostly people just standing around, but there's no question this is a much bigger line. Apple Store employees haven't shown up outside yet (the store opens in about an hour from now), but the mood is genial -- even about 500 people back in line, where I am to try and get my Retina Display-enabled handset, people are expecting to pick up phones. But we'll see -- I assume if they don't have enough, they'll come out and tell us before too long. One other thing: halfway down the line, there's a sign up that says "Spot for $ale." I can't imagine that anyone would take that offer quite yet, but I guess we'll see what happens if it turns out supplies are limited. (Updates after the break!)
iPad launch: Santa Monica Apple Store
It was actually a low-key affair at the Santa Monica Apple Store on the Third Street Promenade this morning. About an hour before the store opened for business at 9am PST, there were only about 100 people in line, and by the time all of the Apple employees moved outside, clapping and trying to get the sedate crowd to show a little excitement about emptying their wallets for the Church of Jobs, there were probably at most 500 people. But the gathered took the launch in stride -- the mood was cordial, the media were few, and most everybody just walked in, grabbed their iPad, and headed out without fanfare. You can see pictures of the goings-on in the gallery below. This store is usually frequented by at least a few celebrities, but we didn't recognize anybody specific, so see if you can catch one we missed in the pictures. All in all, it was about as smooth a launch as you could ask for -- aside from the folks who walked by asking what the line was about, and then turned away in an eye-rolling huff when they were told about "some iPad doohickey," everybody had a pretty good time. %Gallery-89689%
God of War III gets a Japanese release date
We've known that God of War III would be arriving on the Playstation 3 in March for a while now, but Sony has blessed Japan with an actual date: March 26, 2010. There's no official date for the rest of the world yet, but we'll let you know when we see one. The good news is that it's possible the game could come out earlier in the US, being as it's a title developed right here between the shining seas. But either way, that demo will have to tide you over for a couple more months.
Former Medal of Honor designer forms mobile development studio
Chris Cross*, a 16-year gaming industry veteran who worked as game design director for the Medal of Honor series, is branching off into the increasingly popular mobile gaming sector. He recently unveiled Tarver Games, a dev studio co-founded by Cross which will focus on creating new IPs for the iPhone, as the studio attempts to break into larger gaming markets. The first endeavor from Tarver, an iPhone title called Cold War, is available now. Tarver's first "flagship IP," a Google Maps-infused FPS titled Ghosts Attack (pictured above) is due out later this month. For more info on Tarver's big plans, check out this Industry Gamers interview with Cross. * (Now, see, there were a lot of directions we could've gone with this post based solely on the guy's name. "Chris Cross is opening a mobile gaming studio, and plans to make you jump, jump." We could've easily committed that line of text to this blog, but we didn't, because we're grown ups. "Chris Cross' studio is based out of Santa Monica, where he frequently enjoys sailing." A bit more obscure, but beneath us nonetheless. We're proud of how we handled this story, and we expect you are as well.)
Broodworks: new Santa Monica studio with focus on Sony handhelds
Santa Monica-based development studios interested in "medium casual video game development" for Sony handhelds, watch out! There's a new cat in town and, even though it lacks opposable thumbs, this kitten can code. Enter: Broodworks, a new independent studio headed by former Sony Santa Monica executive producer and director of internet development Shannon Studstill. Given Studstill's previous position with Sony and the location of Broodworks, superannuation surmises that Broodworks is a second-party studio working closely with SCEA. We'll keep you posted as the story (and the company's website) develops. [Via superannuation]
Activision shareholders to vote on Activision-Blizzard merger
In Blizzard company news, another major milestone for the planned Blizzard-Activision merger is now set for July 8th, when a special meeting of Activision's shareholders will vote on their merger with Vivendi Games, Inc., the parent company of Blizzard. The meeting will take place in Beverly Hills, CA. So far, Activision's been clearing the hurdles to the merger nicely, and executives from both companies seem pretty excited about the deal, so It seems unlikely that the shareholders will balk too much (then again, there is that lawsuit). The timing of this meeting is apparently later than expected according to sister site Big Download, but it is worth noting that it still beats out E3, which will take place on July 11th-13th. You'll recall that Blizzard and Activision dropped out of E3. Rumor has it that they are also planning to hold a press conference during E3, on the first day, and being able to reveal final details of when, where, and how the merger will complete during that press conference would be quite a coup, for sure. [Via Big Download]
Verizon gearing up for FiOS TV launch in Mar Vista, California?
Take this one for what it's worth, but a resident in Mar Vista, California (just outside of Santa Monica) recently received quite the curious flier from Verizon. Granted, we're not talking Comcast bizarre or anything, but a note left outside of his door informed him that his trees may need to be trimmed in order for fiber optic cabling to be ran. When the process was complete, he was told he could expect "clearer phone calls, faster internet and TV service from Verizon." We aren't betting the farm on this one just yet, but considering the feverish pace at which the company is expanding its FiOS services, we wouldn't be surprised one bit to hear something official in the not-too-distant future.[Thanks, Jeff]
E3 Santa Monica cost ESA $5 million in fees
E3's experimental move to Santa Monica last year cost the ESA $5 million after breaking its contract with the LA Convention Center. Kotaku obtained IRS documents showing that the contract's end and an expected drop in E3 revenue, due to the event's smaller size, caused the association to dramatically increase membership fees.Kotaku speculates that the increase, as well as the decision to hold E3 in Santa Monica, may have been the reasons LucasArts and Activision/Vivendi jumped ship from the ESA. The ESA says membership dues were lower in the past because of income generated by E3, but revenues dropped significantly when the ESA board (made up of executives from publishers) moved the venue last year.Not only was Santa Monica's E3 bad due to its invite-only policy (meaning publishers got to decide who came and who didn't), it was also horrible for journalists to cover -- not good for a "media and business summit." Thankfully, this year E3 will be back in one spot at the LA Convention Center. We're still waiting to hear what Activision/Vivendi has planned.
God of War team recruits online programmer
A job posting for an Online Gameplay Programmer to join "the team behind the critically acclaimed AAA titles God of War and God of War II" (oh, just say it: the team developing God of War III) suggests that Kratos' next romp in Neverland may require some expertise in networking protocols and architectures. You know, give the ol' Ghost of Sparta a playable sidekick, some comic relief. Recall that at the God of War II launch, Cory Balrog (this was before he bounced from SCEA) said co-op was being considered for the third console game, at least, in theory: "If we can do something unique with [co-op], yeah, but it is really an early exploration of that in my head really. It's not even a discussion with the team." Obviously, Barlog got around to planting that seed before he departed. The listing does include a rather ambiguous disclaimer though, which potentially disavows the job altogether: "Please be advised that the following job description may not reflect a position that is currently available. This job description may exist to simply gather interest, and may or may not ever become an approved open position." Whatever, we all know that next-gen AAA ain't "next-gen AAA" without online co-op, right?
Sony hiring for God of War team
In what is sure to be a moment filled with shock and awe, it looks like Sony is gearing up to make another God of War game. Well, yes, we're stretching a bit there. Officially it's just to "join the God of War team," which could mean the GoW team is busy working on something other than the multi-million copy selling franchise. But, come on, 1080p true HD Kratos would be the hotness. You could count the pores on his shiny bald head and probably see the little wisps of rage wafting off his body.The two job openings are for a senior technical artist and a senior designer for "combat." So, even if the team isn't going to be working on the entirely expected God of War 3, at least it'll have combat -- and that team knows how to do combat. Worry not Kratos lovers, the God of War 3 announcement can't be that far away.[Thanks Kspraydad]
Min-E3: Phenomenally large companies ... itty bitty space
The Electronic Software Association (ESA) has been tight on information about the new Min-E3, but details of the new E3 reinvention are starting to seep out, the latest bit being an apparent map of attendee booths at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica. On initial viewing of the map, seeing Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft each being crammed into a 20' x 20' (6 meters squared) booth, all we can think is Genie from Aladdin saying, "Phenomenal cosmic power -- in a itty bitty living space." Yes, laugh it up, it's worth a chuckle.For those who have no idea about the amount of space these company's booths occupied in the past, let's just say you used to be able to find a quiet corner to take a booth babe for a snog. These were sprawling complexes, not booths that could fit in your dining room. It's going to be different for sure. As you can see from the map, many companies took two mini 100-square-foot booth spaces for just a little extra space.All this hanger layout reveals is that everything that's going down is happening at the hotels. The booths don't have enough room for demos and will probably end up just being a spot for invitees to schedule meetings at the respective company's hotel suite. Oh well, guess no booth babes at the hangar. Maybe it'll be like Australia and the publishers will have hookers at the hotel?
Min-E3: Even the PR guys don't have a clue what's happening
Min-E3 is a conundrum, wrapped in an enigma, with little to no information getting out at the moment. The approx. 4,000 journalists invited to the event -- a secret selection process made entirely by publishers and not the ESA -- know the general location of where to go in Santa Monica those days in July, but that's it, no further information. That story will come out soon enough, but this is about the PR agencies.Tom Ohle of Evolve PR has written in his personal blog about the legitimate issues faced by smaller companies in this post -"real" -E3 landscape. Without delving into "inside baseball" territory, the old E3 was a general free for all, for better and for worse, but it did get a lot of attention. Reports about Min-E3's shrinkage have a certain level of spin to them, it's not that exhibitors don't want to go -- the new Min-E3 is designed more or less to keep them out. The same scenario that happened to the invite-only journalists is being played out with the exhibitors.Ohle writes, "The event will still allow the industry's biggest publishers to showcase their wares, while effectively cutting the legs out from the rest of the industry ... think of every small company that spent a massive portion of their marketing and PR budget on a booth in Kentia, just so they could get to the one event that allowed them to show their products to a ton of media and retail buyers."
Viva Pinata invasion results in Mario Lopez dancing
How on earth did this guy not win? Check out the moves. Joystiq attended a Microsoft Viva Piñata event on the California coast yesterday, held at the world famous Santa Monica Pier. There must have been about a billion piñatas everywhere, but none of them were harmed during the event. Not a single one. How can you possibly set a bunch of kids loose on a bunch of papier måché animals and not expect them to a) want to whack the crap out of them, and b) grab all the candy that comes spilling out? Well, Microsoft is changing one mind at a time. This was an event for kids, and there was the requisite face painting, picture taking, game playing, and ... Mario López? We're still not sure what he was doing there, other than the fact that yes, he's Mexican ... and was on Dancing with the Stars. Okay, so in stretch maybe we cou ... no, we still don't buy it. In addition to the tons of piñatas, the Spanish-language L.A. radio station La Raza 97.9 was also there to kick up the Latino factor with some jams and prizes. Unfortunately, there was no spicy food served at this event, much to our chagrin. However, they did have this commercial for the game playing on some sweet HDTVs. We could laugh at that all day. Well, through at least three viewings. Check out our photocomic spread of the event after the jump. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
Helio's first dedicated store opens its doors
Say you're in the market for a Helio device; perhaps a Hybrid data card or that hot new Drift all the kiddies are talking about. Could you get it from some third-party wireless outlet or Helio's online store? Sure, of course you could, but where we come from, we go big or we go home. Helio's Santa Monica flagship store has just opened its doors, and the MVNO is hoping would-be members (and current members alike) drop by to buy their next Helio device -- or, in the words of Helio honcho Sky Dayton himself, "cruise by to meet up or just hang out with friends." If Santa Monica is a bit out of the way, look for San Diego, Palo Alto, and Denver to flip their switches by year's end with New York following in early '07.
