RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS

[Keyrock]

Oh man, Quest for Glory.  I have a huge raging boner for anything from Sierra, and that series is certainly no exception.  I can't wait for Hero-U (from the Coles), it's going to be awesome.

[Oerwinde]

Last update said they were changing the vision of the game from what was pitched in the kickstarter to more of a QFG style adventure rpg with painted rather than tile based environments

[Keyrock]

Last update said they were changing the vision of the game from what was pitched in the kickstarter to more of a QFG style adventure rpg with painted rather than tile based environments

Yes, please. 

[Oerwinde]

That seemed to be the attitude of most backers, hence the change in direction. I think if they had pitched that from the beginning, they would have made more.

[alanschu]

As for PC gaming dying...it's not my fault that PC sales are 1/25th of what they were a little over a decade ago.  I know PC gamers refuse to see it, but then again, VHS aficionados would probably also say that VHS is not a dead medium either.

 

PC gaming DRM'd itself to death.  Steam is doing well in PC gaming...not many others really are.  It's a supplemental income at best to add onto their console or tablet game sales at this point for most.  Even Steam wants into the Console generations to a certain degree.  Console sales may also be on the way down...but they aren't that bad yet...not at the hardcore PC game level at least.  On the otherhand, Tablet and smart phone games are blowing console sales out of the water overall.

 

PC game sales are not 1/25th what they were a little over a decade ago.

 

 

But hey...you can ignore the tide as the water comes in, but don't blame me when you drown.

 

Repeating this over and over (especially without sources), doesn't make it true.

 

But, then again, it is expected to be shouted down as crazy amongst the hardcore PC gamers

 

If PC game sales were down to 1/25th of what they were a decade ago, I wouldn't be making games for the PC.

 

 

Nevermind that, through something like Origin, EA is able to make absurd, absurd margins on a game like SimCity, which is seen as a huge financial success (despite it's release issues) because it was able to sell well over a million units in the first couple of weeks.  Meanwhile, 4-5 million units of Tomb Raider is not met warmly by Square-Enix.

 

 

 

You can't really buy PC games in stores anymore...because they don't really sale there either.

 

This is in large part because margins have improved a lot (and a lot of the risk, diminished) through digital sales.  Retailers don't sell as much, because a lot of people stopped going to retailers to buy their PC games.

 

 

PC hardcore gaming does what it always does.  Grow slowly at a relatively consistent rate.  It's like the bonds or money markets of gaming, while the consoles are the equity stocks.  The issue that PC games have, relative to console games, is that (especially with Gen2, but it continued on to Gen3) is that console gaming exploded upwards in its popularity.  So it may have a smaller piece of the overall pie (which does influence where people direct their efforts), it's certainly not 1/25th the market of what it was a decade ago.

 

I think you have a weird, and incorrect, definition of the word dead.  To be perfectly frank, your post comes across as something that is more just to get a rise out of people.  But then, you've already painted yourself into a corner where you can't allow yourself to be wrong.  Any protests is simply "from a hardcore PC crowd that has its head in the sand."  All the while, you post no numbers and talk down to your audience.

Edited May 26, 2013 by alanschu

[alanschu]

 

 

Pay close attention.  PC net revenue at 931 million, yet you claim that EA's pc sales don't come close to reaching a billion dollars. Net revenue, not gross revenue.  Gross revenue would be far in excess of a billion dollars.

 

Note that "net revenue" is not the same as "net profit."  Gross revenue wouldn't be too much higher than net, as the "net" aspect takes into account things like returns and any discounts offered and the like.

 

Still, PC gaming tends to make up anywhere from 1/5 to 1/3 of EA's revenue any particular quarter.  Unfortunately the profit margins aren't really listed on the press releases.

[Bester]

[Drowsy Emperor]

Ladies and gentlemen...

 

Mothership has arrived

 

 

sorta

 

I nearly came from all the HW references.

 

http://blackbirdinteractive.com/media/

 

And I give you:

 

http://blackbirdinteractive.com/contact/beta/

 

beta signup

 

- Major gameplay reveal coming "shortly" expected in june
- Hardware IS Free-To-Play
- Hardware is NOT a Facebook game.
- Hardware is a stand-alone, that has a client-server architecture.
- The social elements are clan support, leaderboards and in-game chat.
- Hardware will bring a full 3D experience.
- Blackbird have GRANDER plans with the IP than just a single f2p game.
- Shipbreakers shares DNA from Homeworld but has no IP connection.
- "Hardware to usher in the next era of RTS revolution" like homeworld did.
- Hardware expected to arrive on both PC and MAC.
- Closed beta to begin Q4 2013.

Edited May 26, 2013 by Drowsy Emperor

[Katphood]

Does this mean I can play Zelda games on steam someday? http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-25-wii-u-wii-u-wii-u-is-it-time-to-call-an-ambulance-for-nintendos-console

[Lexx]

What exactly is this Hardware game? FPS? Something else? Some MMO?

[Drowsy Emperor]

Its a strategy game but no one knows what it'll look like or how it will play.

 

Gameplay reveal in july.

[Morgoth]

- Hardware IS Free-To-Play

 

 

Lost all interest right there.

[AwesomeOcelot]

Free-To-Play = Expensive-To-Enjoy

[Malcador]

They finally finished that cube game from Molyneux.

 

 

[Keyrock]

What's inside the cube?

 

Reverb.

[mkreku]

Pretty cool.

[Bester]

Oh boy. They'll give all decision making to an average human. Well, that can't be worse than giving it to a marketing team that never even played the game. Either way...

[greylord]

Now, for something a little more on topic...sorry, I've gotten derailed...

 

http://www.destructoid.com/zombies-in-oz-american-mcgee-reveals-more-on-ozombie-254581.phtml

 

 

Like Zombies, like steampunk...like

 

Wizard of Oz???

[Rosbjerg]

Moved your post and the discussion of wether or not PC gaming is dead can be continued here.

[Hurlshort]

 

- Hardware IS Free-To-Play

 

 

Lost all interest right there.

 

 

Get with the times, it is hip to be f2p.

[greylord]

Does this mean I can play Zelda games on steam someday? http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-25-wii-u-wii-u-wii-u-is-it-time-to-call-an-ambulance-for-nintendos-console

 

Thanks, interesting article and interesting read.

[Calax]

According to Kotaku and Gizmodo, the hacker who managed to get info about the new systems has over 2 terabytes of data hacked from a variety of sources.

 

If he's raided and arrested tomorrow, all of that gets unlocked and dumped onto the internet.

 

This includes code and info from MS, Sony, THQ, Blizzard, Company of Heroes 2, Gears...

 

http://kotaku.com/next-gen-hacker-superdae-threatens-to-leak-troves-of-ga-509968073

[greylord]

Hmm interesting, so if they wait until after 8  to arrest him, then what?  OR is it going to be a daily thing, so if he sleeps in one daaaaay.....

 

Not so certain that if he gets arrested and releases such info that it will actually help him in the long run...probably be more of a condemnation on him with a longer sentence then anything else I'd think...

 

But hey...it should prove interesting.

[Calax]

I'm betting its one of those "I have to 'check in' every 24 hours or it goes live.

[Drowsy Emperor]

 

 

- Hardware IS Free-To-Play

 

 

Lost all interest right there.

 

 

Get with the times, it is hip to be f2p.

 

 

Yeah, give the guys the benefit of the doubt they're the people who made 1999 Homeworld.

 

I don't know what its going to be like but they sure have (and had) the best artists in the business.