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Rockstar has 'no current plans' for Red Dead Redemption on PC
Sorry, keyboard cowpokes, it appears Rockstar Games has "no current plans" to mosey Red Dead Redemption over to PC. A Rockstar rep dropped the info nugget on the company's site when asked whether a PC version of the console exclusive hit was in the works. Red Dead Redemption has turned out to be a surprise hit for Take-Two Interactive, shipping over 5 million units since it rode onto the scene in May.
Red Dead Redemption surpasses 5 million units shipped
More than 5 million copies of Red Dead Redemption have been shrink-wrapped and shipped to retailers across North America and Europe since the game's May 18 release -- and, presumably, folks are buying 'em. Publisher Take-Two announced the mailing milestone today, amidst its quarterly earnings, celebrating the commercial and critical success of Rockstar's little Western that could. Just five months ago Red Dead Redemption appeared doomed. At that time, an anonymous Rockstar source told us, "It will take 4 million sales at full price to recoup the development costs of Red Dead. The good news is they are not expecting to make money with Red Dead Redemption." The accuracy of that estimate notwithstanding, today's shipment announcement suggests that Take-Two and Rockstar now expect to enjoy strong, continued sales of Red Dead. Of course, let's not get too celebratory over a measly 5 million shipped. As if to put the upstart Western in its place, Take-Two also revealed today Grand Theft Auto IV's lifetime global numbers: 17 million sold.
New Carnival Games coming to Wii and DS this fall
2K Play is ready to introduce you to New Carnival Games this fall on Wii and DS. Sure, the "new" portion of the title is a bit of a misnomer, considering the game features 30 classic carny activities such as "Fish Bowl Bounce," "Bumper Cars" and a "Haunted House," but a title like Even More Carnival Games For 2K to Bank On came across as a little cynical. New Carnival Games will support the Wii MotionPlus for numerous activities, including "Lucky Toss, Gone Fishin' and Speed Bingo." The game also has over 300 carnival "prizes" to collect like "Moon Rocks, Eye-Bots, Decoder Rings and Wacky Wearables." It's the sort of clean, insulated carnival your whole family can visit without fear of picking up someone's disease from a grimy ball.
'Sid Meier's Pirates!' plundering on Wii this autumn
Sid Meier's Pirates! will set sail this fall on Wii, keelhauling two new minigames for the console. Developed by 2K China, this latest port of the evergreen title features "streamlined controls" for the Wiimote, along with everything else that made this casual-core title a success for every platform it's been on -- speaking of which, we'd certainly appreciate an HD remake for XBLA and PSN. The two new minigames for the Wii version are "bombardment" (pictured) and "lock picking." The port wlll also feature "exclusive character and ship customization options." And now all we want to do is make the S.S. Kirby: a giant pink boat with eyes on its sails that gobbles up the treasures of the Caribbean.
2K Marin working on XCOM, '2K Australia name is no longer used'
Earlier today, we reported that the development of the recently announced XCOM was being handled by 2K Marin's sister studio in Canberra, Australia -- 2K Australia. As it turns out, that isn't the entire story. When we contacted 2K Games representative Charlie Sinhaseni for follow up, we were told, "2K Marin, both the Novato, California and Canberra, Australia arms of the studio, are collaborating on XCOM. The two function as sister studios now." Notably, this new relationship is very similar to the the previously existing one between Irrational Games/2K Boston and Irrational Australia/2K Australia functioning as sister studios. We also confirmed that, aside from BioShock 2 DLC, the California arm of 2K Marin is working exclusively on XCOM, effectively refuting the idea that it's working on BioShock 3. Further, we were told, "The 2K Australia name is no longer used." It appears that the southeast Australia-based studio will no longer be known by its former moniker and will instead fall under the "2K Marin" label. Guess the Marin County School District's gonna have some major budget restructuring to do with all that new geography under its belt, eh?
XCOM being developed by 2K Australia [update]
Update: As it turns out, 2K Australia is actually part of 2K Marin. We've got the full story right here. Original Story: Though 2K Games' middle-of-the-night XCOM announcement heralded 2K Marin as the studio heading up development of the title, 1UP reportedly clarifies that 2K Marin's "Canberra, Australia arm" (read: 2K Australia) will be in charge of the project. For those of you playing along at home, 2K Australia was the Australian counterpart to BioShock developer Irrational Games before it split to work with 2K Marin on BioShock 2, while Kenny L and company got to work on a separate (still unannounced) project. That said, this news frees up 2K Marin's core team for other projects. And if we were betting men, we'd put our money on the California arm of the company working on a third entry in the BioShock series. When reached for comment, a 2K Games rep told us we'll hear more specifics about XCOM and 2K Marin "over the next couple of months."
Duke Nukem Manhattan Project rated for Xbox 360 by OFLC
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project continues its silent march toward a possible Xbox Live Arcade release, with the title rated M by Australia's rating board for Xbox 360. The game was previously classified by Korea's Game Rating Board and has yet to be accompanied by an announcement by Microsoft. As in Korea, the Australian classification request was submitted by Microsoft. Take-Two Interactive, the go-to publisher for Duke Nukem-related info, tells Joystiq it is not "publishing this title and [doesn't] have any info." We've followed up with Microsoft for a nuke of knowledge on what their plans are. In the meantime, the PC version of the competent 2002 side-scroller can be found on GOG.com for $6.
The day Duke Nukem Forever was supposed to go gold
It's April Fools' Day, a day on which we take absolutely everything with a grain of salt. Imagine our surprise, then, when we learned that today, April 1, 2010, was the day that Duke Nukem Forever was supposed to go gold. In other words, the game would have been officially complete and ready for manufacturing. The news comes via former Take-Two producer Jason Bergman's Twitter account which he states today was the gold date according to 3D Realms' internal schedule. Variety followed up with Bergman and confirmed that, no, it's not a joke. Bergman adds that the date was "totally intentional," and that "it was going to be hilarious." Considering the long and storied (and long) development history of Duke Nukem Forever, we're inclined to agree. In fact, it's hard to imagine a more appropriate date for the game to reach the gold milestone. Alas, now that the game is kaput and its corpse trapped in legal limbo, Bergman's revelation is more than a little sad. If you've got any heart left, pour one more out for the Duke and dream of what might have been. Source - Variety Source - Twitter (@loonyboi)
Carl Icahn now a 13.7% shareholder in Take-Two
Monday 22 March 70-something kilos. My kilo talk has gotten others thinking I'm moving the company to Canada, but I <3 my NYC. Food consumed today: No low-fat blueberry muffins today on the cart. I only like the tops anyway. Heard some pleb in the office talking about Blueberry Muffin Tops as a cereal. Tried some. I'm not opposed. Afternoon. The beautiful weekend has shifted to gloomy overcast to fit my mood. New York. Cherished Diary, What is the iCahn up to? Carl Icahn previously put three of his specially selected associates on the Take-Two board (including iCahn-mini, Brett Icahn) after he obtained 11.3 percent in company stock. Now he's bought another 710,840 shares, which I estimate to cost about $7.1 million, giving him 13.7 percent of Take-Two stock. The confusing part, Diary, is why? He has over 10 percent already and three iPods on the board, the incremental increase in stock isn't anything big -- it's just, weird, you know? Of course, you know! Diary, that's why I can always trust you! I just wish I knew if he was gearing up to push for a buyout or trying to show more faith in the company now that he has boys on the board. I wish I knew. I really, really wish I knew. xoxo, Strudel [Via IndustryGamers]
Take-Two may delay major 2010 release; L.A. Noire, Mafia, Max Payne and Civ V named
Take-Two's financial results briefing today suggests that one of its upcoming titles could be subject to a delay. "L.A. Noire, Mafia II, Max Payne 3 and Sid Meier's Civilization V are all planned for release in the fourth fiscal quarter [August–October, 2010]," the announcement confirms, "however, the Company's fiscal year 2010 guidance reflects the potential movement of one of these titles into fiscal 2011 [beginning November 1, 2010]." If Take-Two is already adjusting its financial estimates based on one of these titles being delayed, it sounds like more than just potential. Folks have been waiting a long time for pretty much all of these games. Max Payne 3 was already moved from winter 2009 to "late 2010"; L.A. Noire has just been given a expected September date after an extraordinarily lengthy development time; and the very fact that Mafia II is said to release between August 1 and October 31 already represents a delay from its last known release window. That leaves Civilization V, which was just announced two weeks ago, and thus hasn't had time to be delayed yet. This could be its first, people!
Take-Two revenue up $14m, laying off 15% of execs
Take-Two has released its fiscal 2010 Q1 financial report, dropping always thrilling financial news on us about the company's performance between November 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010. Aside from a $13.8 million year-over-year increase in net revenue ($163.2 million this year over $149.4 million last year), Take-Two also reports a diminished net loss (again, year-over-year) to the tune of $20 million. Take-Two also updated investors on current sales of several games and franchises, with GTA IV chocking up "over 15 million units globally" to date, NBA 2K10 already shipping "over 2 million units," and Carnival Games accruing 6 million units sold worldwide across both Wii and DS platforms. That's gotta be helping with that improved bottom line, eh? Aside from those highlights, the investor report additionally notes plans for "a targeted restructuring of its corporate departments," resulting in a "15 percent reduction in corporate headcount." More shocking, the "restructuring" (read: layoffs) will amount to "approximately $8 million in savings in fiscal 2010." Holy cow!
MLB 2K10 showcases numbers in 'Stats & Splits' trailer
Nothing says "It's seriously snowing, again?" like a new trailer for MLB 2K10 focusing on the "real language" of baseball. Being pro chair sitters, we're not really able to vouch for the validity of this trailer's claims about the vernacular of the diamond, but we can make the claim that the uncanny valley of video games is being crossed by sports. We certainly aren't sports buffs, but some of the graphics look damn near real life. And yes, whatever the announcers are saying could be spoken in mistranslated Mandarin Chinese for all we know, but that doesn't make the visuals any less impressive. Nope, we're not any more excited to play this game now than we were before seeing the trailer, but the baseball fans among you will assuredly find the video embedded above for this Tuesday's MLB 2K10 helpful in sating your desires for another few days. We'd say go play some baseball in the meantime, but, well, you know. All that snow. %Gallery-86204%
Why a Grand Theft Auto movie hasn't gotten off the ground (yet)
You know Gamer, right? That movie with a pasty-faced kid controlling human prisoners in a future game? Well, it turns out that the film almost ended up as a Grand Theft Auto joint. According to a recent interview with co-writer/director Mark Neveldine, "We [Neveldine and co-writer Brian Taylor] actually were going to be hired to write GTA. I am sure that was part of it. That was after we wrote and directed Crank, so I got involved with GTA pretty heavily, I didn't grow up with it." Neveldine claims that it was a "rights issue" that caused the silver screen adaptation of GTA to founder. "It was a movie originally directed by Ron Howard ... and because Rockstar Games made a video game, there is some battle of who can use the title ... you can't make it about the game." Back in 2008, Variety alleged that a GTA movie was on the precipice of production when the deal fell through, but we get the feeling that these folks are speaking about something completely different.
Take-Two to nominate three new board directors; it's all about the iCahn
Thursday 21 January 70-something kilos. I've given up on weighing in lbs, kilos are so much kinder. Food consumed today: Anything that makes me look suave and like I know what I'm doing. Think I'm on my fifth martini, but I lost count after the fourth. Early morning, sun looks lovely coming out of the west ... north? ... really need to cut back on the martinis. New York. Dearest Diary, can I call you Di? Good. Oh, Di, why does Carl Icahn have to be such a meddler? You know what, I'm gonna start calling him iCahn, like an obnoxious Apple product. Hehe, iCahn. So, this guy ... this iCahn, he comes in and buys up 11.3 percent of the company a couple months ago and now he wants to put three of his own iBoys on the board of directors -- actually, I'm pretty sure one of them is an iCahn-mini: Brett Icahn. I ain't mad, Di. Let iCahn have his iPods on the board, I've been doing my thing since taking over Take-Two in 2007. He's got the right to put some guys on the board and shape things, bring balance -- distract some monkeys on my back. Who knows, maybe the iCahn boys will bring healthy skepticism and deliver productive ideas to improve profitability. Plus, what's the harm? If the winds take iCahn to another project and he holds less than five percent of the company stock, the iPods agree to leave immediately. Just another day in the biz. I kinda miss fighting with EA, this is so mundane in comparison. [Thanks to Michael Pachter and Jesse Divnich for context]
GTA Chinatown Wars brings the battle to iPhone
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars keeps driving around for an audience, with the excellent handheld entry in the crime sim franchise quietly releasing on iPhone last night. TouchArcade notes that in its third platform iteration, behind DS and PSP, the $10 game uses on-screen buttons similarly to Gameloft's Gangstar and retains the DS stylus minigames. It would seem that those who can get around the button-less interface are in for a full GTA experience that costs less than a dime bag. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars ($9.99):
Wired examines the death of Duke Nukem Forever
Wired's piece on the events leading up to the end of Duke Nukem Forever's 12 year development cycle may not give the full story, thanks to the continuing legal issues between publisher Take-Two and developer 3D Realms, but it does a solid job of putting together the fragmented anecdotes of anonymous employees and people close to the events. The feature is a cautionary tale of ego, ambition and failure. DNF's drama is a yarn that publishers, developers and the press will turn to for years (decades?) to come as the quintessential example of game development gone terribly wrong, terribly publicly. Definitely check it out if you've never gone down the rabbit hole of Duke Nukem Forever's distracted development. [Thanks, Sean]
Mafia 2 coming before July 31, 2010
During the always thrilling Take-Two Interactive quarterly investors call this afternoon, the ever-elusive Mafia 2 received an almost, kinda sorta release date: Q3 2010. When applying Take-Two's Q3 dates to the Gregorian calendar that most folks on this planet use, we can infer that the game will arrive somewhere between May 1 and July 31. This isn't to say that the title is a shoe-in for release, though, with company CEO Strauss Zelnick saying the game is "scheduled to fall in our third quarter." Remember when Max Payne 3 was scheduled for release in Winter of 2009? Exactly. %Gallery-6189%
Grand Theft Auto franchise may have 'peaked,' according to analyst
While Take-Two has a number of solid properties, such as BioShock and Borderlands, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto is unquestionably its largest and most important franchise. However, sluggish sales of recent GTA efforts, from the handheld Chinatown Wars to the 360-exclusive DLC Episodes from Liberty City, have Broadpoint AmTech analyst Ben Schachter worried about the future of Take-Two's flagship brand. "Has the Grand Theft Auto franchise peaked? Given the strength of GTA IV in 2008, the question may seem misplaced, but our concern is that the very highly rated new GTA content for Xbox as well as PSP and DS did not perform up to expectations in 2009," Scahchter notes, while addressing potential criticisms to his claim. "Now, we very clearly understand that these do not represent 'true' new GTA titles. However, the fact is that these were compelling titles, attractively priced, and reasonably well-promoted, yet they fell relatively flat." Considering well over ten million people purchased GTA IV, the lackluster sales for these spin-off efforts is even more evident. Does the GTA name no longer carry the weight it once did? Or, are gamers simply waiting for a game that doesn't take place in Liberty City?
Take-Two: Borderlands franchise 'important' and 'long-term'
After being recognized as the year's fastest-selling new IP and its developer calling a sequel a "no-brainer," Borderlands is "showing every sign of becoming an important, long-term franchise" for publisher Take-Two Interactive. That comment was made today by company chairman Strauss Zelnick, during the same earnings call in which a considerable delay for another important franchise title, Max Payne 3, was disclosed. But really, who cares about Max "I don't need an intervention" Payne when faced with the prospect of Borderlands: The Clap Trap Chronicles?
Latest BioShock 2 trailer stomps around 'Siren Alley'
If you diligently avoided last week's GameTrailers TV due to all the BioShock 2 spoilers, the trailer you see above can help provide you with some water-soaked gameplay -- sans all the direct information. We feel it's safe to tell you that 2K Games gave this clip the title "Siren Alley" because of an area in Rapture of the same name, a place that we never got to see the in the first game. Even if you don't watch the video above, you should take one thing from it: The "worldwide embargo" gets lifted this Thursday and a flood of information on the game is sure to follow. If you're really trying to remain spoiler-free on BioShock 2, now may be a good time to go dark.%Gallery-50342%
