Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Bringing a Chinese shooter to the west with Mercenary Ops]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/bringing-a-chinese-shooter-to-the-west-with-mercenary-ops/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/bringing-a-chinese-shooter-to-the-west-with-mercenary-ops/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/bringing-a-chinese-shooter-to-the-west-with-mercenary-ops/#comments ImageMercenary Ops is something of a rarity. While there are quite a few Western-developed games being published in Asia by Chinese and Korean companies, there aren't a lot of Chinese-developed online titles being published by Western companies.

Developed in China by Yingpei Games, which used to be called Epic Games China, the shooter is being distributed by the San Francisco-based outfit Kalends, a group of developers who've decided to try their hand at publishing on their own.

As for the game itself, Kalends has announced that Mercenary Ops will be released as a free-to-play, microtransaction-based title - a business plan that has deep roots in China, but is only just breaking ground stateside.

Gallery: Mercenary Ops

Continue reading Bringing a Chinese shooter to the west with Mercenary Ops

JoystiqBringing a Chinese shooter to the west with Mercenary Ops originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiabetaeasternfree-to-playjason-sharpkalendsmarketsmercenary-opspcshooterthird-personuswesternying-peiTue, 15 May 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Riot Games confirms Tencent majority buyout]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/09/riot-games-confirms-tencent-majority-buyout/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/09/riot-games-confirms-tencent-majority-buyout/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/09/riot-games-confirms-tencent-majority-buyout/#comments Riot Games has confirmed that a majority of the company was bought by China's Tencent, putting its stamp of approval on rumors of the deal last week. Brandon Beck, Riot's CEO, is quoted as saying that "Tencent's investment will provide our talented team of designers, developers and community staff with additional resources to focus on innovating around League of Legends and launching new projects that push the boundaries in the gaming space."

Financial Times has a nice analysis of the deal -- it sounds like this agreement will help both sides, as Riot will not only get that nice cash infusion of a rumored $350 million, but also invaluable assistance and insight for what it was already hoping would be a nice overseas adoption. And Tencent, of course, gets to lay claim to League of Legends and any other titles that Riot developers, along with the huge microtransaction-based revenues that go along with them, both here and eventually overseas.

Plus, this is a sign of the growing trend of Eastern publishers picking up Western companies to develop content for the large audiences over there. Chinese publisher The9 recently bought another Blizzard spinoff, Red 5 Studios, for $15 million, and Japanese firm DeNA picked up iOS developer ngmoco for $400 million as well. Western audiences are big, but Eastern audiences are bigger and, as a result, there's high demand for well-developed games in that market.

JoystiqRiot Games confirms Tencent majority buyout originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acquistiondealdevelopereasternleague-of-legendsmoneypcpublisherriot-gamestencentwesternWed, 09 Feb 2011 22:15:00 EST<![CDATA[CG cutscenes and gaming culture]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/03/cg-cutscenes-and-gaming-culture/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/03/cg-cutscenes-and-gaming-culture/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/03/cg-cutscenes-and-gaming-culture/#commentsFiled under: , ,


In an interview with Lost Planet Community's Brian Dunn, Cutscene Director Yoshiyuki Tonoe and Director Kenji Oguro discussed the differences between how cutscenes are used in Western and Eastern gaming worlds. Their decision to use real-time cutscenes in Lost Planet stems from their research into how Western developers tended to tell the story within the game engine, whereas Japanese developers typically rely on CG graphics for the cinematic storytelling.

Tonoe dates the Eastern obsession with CG cutscenes to the original Biohazard (released March 1996), though arguably Square Enix had already begun to look into CG before the horror title's release with Final Fantasy VII, whose long development process began in 1995. "The latest CG movies found in games are stunning and really help sell the game," said Tonoe, "but when I think about how they are used to tie the story to the gameplay, I wonder if they are effective at making the games any better."

Pictured are some of the games used as reference material during Lost Planet's development. Tonoe cites The Lord of the Rings games, whose cutscenes were amalgamations of movie footage and in-game footage, as "above what Japanese developers were doing at the time."

Specific to their game, Tonoe remarks that there are 33 cutscenes in Lost Planet, totaling 73 minutes, averaging just under three minutes with the longest cutscene at around six minutes in length. What's your preference -- explosive CG eye candy or more immersive real-time storytelling?

[Via 1UP]

JoystiqCG cutscenes and gaming culture originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiabio hazardBioHazardculturecut scenesCutSceneseasternfinal fantasyFinalFantasyjapanlost planetLostPlanetresident evilResidentEvilwesternXbox-360Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Acclaim's MMO strategy examined]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/24/acclaims-mmo-strategy-examined/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/24/acclaims-mmo-strategy-examined/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/24/acclaims-mmo-strategy-examined/#commentsFiled under: ,

Next Generation brings us the lowdown from Howard Marks -- CEO of the newly-reopened Acclaim -- on Acclaim's MMO strategy. His plan is to bring Eastern games to the West with no subscriber fee, but instead to make money via in-game ads and micropayments.

Next Gen's feature asks if this will work in a market with no real precedent. By dropping the phrase "free game" and instead focusing on games as a service, Marks intends it to. However, his strategy doesn't come across with a lot of confidence in this article. It'll be interesting to see if Acclaim manage to set a good precedent for an East-to-West business model, and more importantly whether others follow suit.

JoystiqAcclaim's MMO strategy examined originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 May 2006 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acclaimbotsbusiness modelBusinessModeleast meets westeasternEastMeetsWesteconomicsfreefree gamesFreeGameskoreammopricingwesternWed, 24 May 2006 11:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Japanese sales charts, May 8-14: Baseball booms]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/19/japanese-sales-charts-may-8-14-baseball-booms/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/19/japanese-sales-charts-may-8-14-baseball-booms/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/19/japanese-sales-charts-may-8-14-baseball-booms/#commentsFiled under: ,

Despite football fever hitting the UK hard, the only soccer title in last week's Japanese charts is lounging at number 4. Baseball's all the rage instead, with Jikkyou Powerful Major League taking the top spot. Tetris DS is still selling well, and the other titles in the top ten are all favourites making re-appearances in this slow week of sales.

1. Jikkyou Powerful Major League [PS2]
2. Tetris DS [DS]
3. Brain Age 2 (Kahashima Ryuuta Kyouju Kanshuu: Motto Nouo Kitaeru Otona DS) [DS]
4. World Soccer Winning Eleven 10 [PS2]
5. Brain Age: Train your Brain in Minutes a Day (Kahashima Ryuuta Kyouju no Nouo Kitaeru Otona DS Training) [DS]
6. Animal Crossing: Wild World [DS]
7. Eigo ga Nigate na Otona no DS Training: Eigo Duke [DS]
8. Pokémon Ranger [DS]
9. Dragon Quest: Shounen Yangus no Fushigi na Daibouken [PS2]
10. Mother 3 [GBA]

JoystiqJapanese sales charts, May 8-14: Baseball booms originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 May 2006 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asianbaseballchartseasternjapanjikkyoumajor leagueMajorLeaguesalesFri, 19 May 2006 19:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Hands on with Project Wiki]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/10/hands-on-with-project-wiki/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/10/hands-on-with-project-wiki/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/10/hands-on-with-project-wiki/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Project Wiki from Webzen is a bright, colourful MMO that immediately stands out from their other post-apocalyptic/dark-fantasy offerings. With inviting colours and visuals reminiscent of a 2D cartoon, the game seems well-matched to its kids-and-teens target demographic.

It's simple to play -- perhaps too simple -- and death comes quickly at the hands of nearby enemies; the character we were playing has a limited number of skills which made combat a little repetitive. Project Wiki is only scheduled for a Korean release -- its anime-inspired graphics may make it appealing in the West, but its gameplay is rooted firmly in the East.

JoystiqHands on with Project Wiki originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 May 2006 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiacartoonychildrenE3e32006easternkiddiekidskoreakoreanmmommorpgproject wikiProjectWikiteenwebzenWed, 10 May 2006 22:15:00 EST<![CDATA[East meets West: PC Gamer's trip to Korea]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/04/east-meets-west-pc-gamers-trip-to-korea/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/04/east-meets-west-pc-gamers-trip-to-korea/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/04/east-meets-west-pc-gamers-trip-to-korea/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Jim Rossignol, from UK magazine PC Gamer, took a trip to South Korea last year and this account of the gaming culture there takes a look at everything from Starcraft superstars to gaming television and MMO addicts.

A culture that revolves primarily around PC gaming, playing games is a very social activity in Korea, and high-profile gamers become celebrities with huge fan clubs. It's not without its problems, though: with many poor quality games, strict censorship and licencing problems, gamers don't have as much freedom to choose as they might like.

It's very different to how we work in the West, although some aspects of our culture are converging. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to live in a gamer's utopia, where everyone understands your passion, the answer's quite simple: move to Korea.

JoystiqEast meets West: PC Gamer's trip to Korea originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Jan 2006 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>easternkoreaPCpc gamerPcGamerstarcraftWed, 04 Jan 2006 17:00:00 EST