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Blu-ray players grab 93 percent of market after Warner went Blu
According to the latest NPD group report, during the month of December Blu-ray players held 60 percent of the HD media player market -- despite the fact that HD DVD players were considerably cheaper. While that might've helped Warner in its decision to go Blu, the move has definitely had a dramatic effect on player sales since. According to the same study the week after the announcement, Blu-ray players were able to grab 93 percent of the market, which puts the year to date (short, we know) share for Blu-ray players at 70 percent. Granted, it's hard to put too much stock in just a week or two of data, but if this and the recent media sales numbers (85 percent) becomes a trend, maybe this won't be such a slow death for HD DVD after all.[Via Blu-ray.com]
Domestic marketing executive booted from Warner Bros.
Shortly after the selection heard 'round the world was made, one of Warner Bros.' (owned by Time Warner, which also owns Engadget's parent companies) own has been given the boot. Granted, this wouldn't be nearly as surprising if it were happening on the red side, but we digress. Dawn Taubin, the head of domestic marketing at the studio for six years, was recently ousted after Jeff Robinov -- who reportedly didn't exactly get along with Ms. Taubin -- was promoted to president. Currently, no replacement has been named, but whoever manages to grab the role should have a much easier time now that the studio can focus on one side.[Via AdAge, thanks Rye C.]
HD DVD group cancels pre-CES press conference
In the wake of the recent announcement of Warner Bros' new allegiance to the Blu-ray format (and, as result, sister company New Line Cinema's similarly adopted format loyalty), the HD DVD group has canceled their pre-Consumer Electronics Show press conference. We're not sure if the announcement will impact the HD DVD Promotion Group's booth at the show, though we imagine it will create an atmosphere for their visitors with a level of awkwardness similar to that of a nursing home.In a mass email to CES attendees, a representative for the group said they are "currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps." If these "next steps" don't include lining the pockets of every remaining film publisher on the market to convince them your format's still viable, HD DVD could go the way of the Betamax with a quickness.(Via PS3F)
Warner's Noonan denies Blu-ray exclusive, which is nice
Freeze gopher! That Warner Brothers rumor which seemingly pre-dates the availability of both Blu-ray and HD DVD gear has returned. A week after Warner was to dirty HD DVDs swimming pool with their exclusive Blu-ray doodie, Jim Noonan (Noonan!), Warner Bros. Senior Vice President and General Manager, returns with this peach of a response, "We have made no decision to change our present policy which is to produce in both HD DVD and Blu-ray." And that's all she wrote.
Report: TT Games sold to Warner Bros. for approx. $210 million
A Manchester Evening News article profiles Jon Burton, the man who started up developer Traveller's Tales -- later transformed into TT Games and swallowed whole by Warner Bros. last week. From humble beginnings in Cheshire, England in 1989, the company has grown to accomodate over 200 employees across the country and has sold over 42 million games, the majority of which were based on licensed properties. The report asserts that Burton, who owns 80% of the company, sold TT Games to Warner Bros. for the sum of "about" £100 million (approximately $210 million) spread over five years."After 18 years in the video games industry, the opportunity to become a meaningful part of the world's leading entertainment company is the fulfilment of a dream," said Burton. The Warner siblings are sure to be just as grateful, as their array of films and TT Games' success with licensed properties click together perfectly, much like those Lego bricks everyone's so fond of these days.
Warner Bros buys TT Games
Not satisfied with merely financing, publishing, and distributing LEGO Batman, Warner Bros. has decided to purchase the whole pie, bagging developer Traveler's Tales and its parent group TT Games. While we haven't been told just how much cash will be stuffed into the briefcase when it changes hands, we do know the acquisition encompasses both the development and publishing arms of TT Games, which owns game rights to a book about obscure world records. Recreating the longest ironing session ever (55 hours, 5 minutes, fyi) would certainly be a thrill, but we've got our fingers crossed for a proper Matrix treatment to follow on the heels of LEGO Indy. Go ahead, eat the red brick -- we dare ya!
Microsoft touts family focus with cartoon downloads
Think Nintendo has a stranglehold on the family-friendly console maker moniker? Microsoft would like you to think again. A new press release from the Xbox 360 maker touts the availability today of 100 downloadable cartoons from Warner Bros. and Nickelodeon properties on the Video Marketplace, as well as the impending launch of Shrek and Spongebob-licensed games for Xbox Live Arcade. Add in the recent branding of the new Xbox 360 Arcade as "the console for families" and a Microsoft-sponsored "family fun day" event in Times Square's Toys "R" Us today and you have a major push into the Big N's family-oriented turf.This isn't the first time Microsoft has tried to extend its reach past the hardcore Halo fans, but in the past innovative family titles like Viva Pinata have had trouble making inroads against big-name hardcore games like Gears of War. Will this latest push broaden Microsoft's image or is the 360 destined to be known primarily (and inaccurately) as a first-person shooter system. Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Warner's first Blu-ray catch-up title due in December
Although Warner is officially format neutral, some of their biggest titles are HD DVD exclusives. Warner has never came out and stated that it was due to Blu-ray's less than complete interactive layer, but it's been the general consensus. Now it seems those speculations were dead on, as the first Warner Blu-ray title with their "In-Movie Experience" will come to Blu-ray on November 3rd -- Terminator 3 has been available on HD DVD since September 2006. At this point it seems that only owners of the LG BH200 will be able to enjoy the new feature, but we'd expect there to be at least a few other profile 1.1 complaint players by then. Blu-ray fans can only hope that this is the first of many otherwise exclusive HD DVD Warner titles -- yes we're talking about the Matrix, which was promised this year -- to make it to Blu-ray this holiday season.
Unreal Engine to power Warner Bros's Chadam web cartoon
This freakshow is getting its own internet 'toon: Chadam. That's his name (and he should be recognizable to followers of Utah alt rockers The Used). The show is significant because its being created with Unreal Engine 3, simplifying the likely spinning off into game (and perhaps smoothing out that polygon dome). Producer extraordinaire Jason Hall (founder of Monolith) is on board, taking a break from HDFILMS Inc, and will work closely with Chadam creator Alex Pardee to mold the 3D animation, with the end goal being to land the project on real TV. Warner Bros is the parent conglomerate behind the project and has frequently teamed with Hall, who once led its games division WBIE and dreamt up the concept for Condemned (both the game and movie).Speaking of bugged-out dreams, Chadam will thrust viewers into the "hyper-stylized" world of Vulture, where the box-headed boy enjoys Neo-like status, able to manipulate the physical world with his mind, though apparently lacking in certain imaginative abilities. (Dude, make yourself a new face.) The series will unfold as Chadam attempts to wish away the serial killer Viceroy, discovering the nature of self along the way.
Duck Amuck release date erased, redrawn as cowboy
Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck, originally set for a September 18 release, has been pushed back to October 9. Too bad-- this is one of the few minigame compilations we've actually been looking forward to. Playing licensed games is like playing Russian roulette with five bullets in the gun-- except instead of dying, you waste some time and money when you lose. So basically it's nothing like Russian roulette. Anyway, the point is that we're ready to play the game to see if it is as clever in execution as it is in concept.If the game gets pushed too far into the Holiday 2007 Danger Zone, it'll get completely lost among bigger releases. We really don't want to see that happen.
Duck Amuck screens: have you harassed a cartoon duck today?
Gamespot's new screens of Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck highlight the central idea of both the game and the cartoon: messing with Daffy Duck. Immediately previous to the screen seen here, Daffy was presented with a trophy. The minigames revealed in this new set of screens include: whatever kind of game would involve blowing up Daffy with what used to be a trophy (obviously), firing Daffy out of a cannon, and something in which Bugs Bunny exhorts you to "Use your Noodle" in which Daffy is suspended over a hot cauldron as vegetables are added to a broth and a timer goes down. The question is, is the point of the game to help Daffy escape or to cook him?
Speed Racer revving up the powerful DS
Everyone's favorite vintage anime show about a teenage boy driving the world's most expensive car is set to become a movie in May of 2008. A movie that features Lost's Matthew Fox as Racer X, opening the door to Party of Mach V jokes.As often happens with movie licenses, the Wachowski brothers' latest effort is getting thrown onto game consoles. Speed Racer is planned for release on Wii, DS, and PS2 in May. The bad news is that licensed games are already shaky ground, and a licensed game based on an "updated" version of a popular cartoon is potentially noxious. The good news is that there is no way the DS version of Speed Racer, or any other version, will be the worst licensed racing game ever made, because that honor belongs to Hooters Road Trip in perpetuity.[Via Joystiq]
He's a demon on Wii
He's a demon and he's gonna be chasin' after someone. At least, that's what we remember. The way these old properties get retooled for movie releases, the new Speed Racer may end up a ten-year-old girl with an "imaginary" friend called Mach V that's really a car-shaped intergalactic detective.A Wii Speed Racer game will be released in May, to coincide with the Wachowski brothers' new movie. According to the Warner Bros. press release, "The car-fu style of action within the game will closely represent the action style being designed by the Wachowski brothers for the film itself as they lend direction and assets to the development team directly from their Berlin set." We don't know car-fu, but we're pushing the "tentative optimism" button on our steering wheel. We wanted desperately to love the Playstation Speed Racer game, but just couldn't.[Via Joystiq]
Speed Racer game will arrive alongside movie
Sing to the tune of "Speed Racer Theme" –Here it comesHere comes Speed RacerIt's a video gameIt's a game and it's gonna be based on the movieIt's comin' next May so you better look alive.To seem just like the film, that's for what it will strive.And though the odds are against itCause movie games don't work, it's trueYou bet your life Speed RacerWill .. try it's bestGo Speed RacerGo Speed RacerGo Speed Racer, Go!It's on your Wii and it'll also be on your DSWhen the DVD's out, it'll also be on your PS(2)Synergy's waitin' just ahead.Go Speed RacerGo Speed RacerGo Speed Racer, Go!
Return to House on Haunted Hill offers 96 different storylines on one HD disc
There's been a void of titles using the new interactive features of Blu-ray and HD DVD, but Warner may be taking things in a different direction with the direct-to-disc title Return to House on Haunted Hill. Demonstrated during the Home Media Expo, it announced the high definition versions will include seven points where viewers can choose what happens in the story, with up to 96 versions of the storyline. "Navigational cinema" is another way for HD discs to differentiate themselves from the standard DVD (other than their higher quality video and sound of course), we'll decide if its a worthwhile add-on or silly gimmick when the title is released October 16th.Read - VideoBusinessRead - Variety
Duck Amuck: This is a close-up
However Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck ends up, we'll be confident in saying that the art and animation are technically spectacular. Some of the scenes from the Chuck Jones-directed original short have been redrawn directly, allowing comparisons between the game and the real thing. Have you ever seen a DS game that looks so close to its source material? Before you say "oh, it's just Flash," keep in mind that someone had to draw every frame of animation in this clip, no matter what program was used. And that real 2D animation of any kind is becoming scarce these days. Are we hyping a licensed minigame collection now? What a fresh feeling!
Video: new Looney Tunes ACME Arsenal trailer
Revealed at the beginning of the year, a new trailer has surfaced for Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal from Warner Brothers. Thankfully, the game actually looks halfway decent. What we see is essentially standard fare for action platformers, but it looks well done at least. The character models look very nice and the backgrounds are appropriately cartoony (we especially dig Wackyland). There are also plenty of outlandish weapons available (including a massive triple minigun). All in all, it's looking like a faithful rendition of some of our favorite characters. Here's hoping someone has the sense to put a budget price on it.Update: Corrected game title.
Lego Batman coming to 360 in 2008
After witnessing the huge success of the Lego Star Wars games, Warner Bros. is going to work with Lego to make a Lego Batman game. With Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment heading the publisher duties, TT Games is returning to develop the title, which is slated for a 2008 release on new generation consoles. Did you play and enjoy either of the Lego Star Wars games, camera issues aside? Looking past some gameplay issues, we were able to have fun and enjoy The Original Trilogy for what it as. So, do you think "Lego-izing" the Batman universe could see the same success as the Star Wars franchise did? [Via GameStooge]
Dirty Harry developer booted from project?
Foundation 9 developer The Collective is no longer working on a Dirty Harry game for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, according to a GameSpot report. Apparently the studio has undergone a significant downsizing, with an alleged 30 employees being laid off or in the process of being relocated to other Foundation 9 studios. An undisclosed source also told GameSpot that the WBIE team managing the project had "been dissolved."Despite the upheaval, WBIE senior vice president Samantha Ryan confirms Dirty Harry is still on, stating, "We are moving forward with the Dirty Harry next generation videogames and will be changing our development plans in keeping with the best interest of the franchise legacy." Part of that change involves transitioning the game into the hands of a new developer.The future of The Collective and its other title, Harker, are yet unknown.
300 marching for glory on PSP
Keep an eye out for 300, a PSP exclusive quietly marching under the radar. Based on the upcoming film inspired by Frank Miller's graphic novel (a re-imagining of the historic Battle of Thermopylae), 300: March to Glory seems to be taking a number of cues from its Spartan predecessor God of War, including a fixed camera, blood-showering violence, and d-pad selected powers (or "battle skills"). Fittingly, the odds of 300 succeeding as God of War did are exceedingly slim, in turn, sparking the potential for a surprise hit.300: March to Glory hits retail February 27.[Via PSP Fanboy]
