Posts tagged gdc-2012 
Dead Island's lifeblood was co-op, 4 million units shipped
Dead Island's success was all due to that stunning trailer, right? Well, according to Guido Eickmeyer, development director and executive producer of games at publisher Deep Silver, the resort-vacation zombie simulator sold 4 million units because of its cooperative gameplay. "This is why we got al...
Majority of profit from Dragon Age: Origins DLC was from launch DLC
"Having something post-ship is absolutely essential," BioWare director of online development Fernando Melo told an audience at GDC Europe today, during his discussion of day-one DLC, online passes and long-term monetization. Shipping DLC on the day of launch is essential from a business standpoint ...
Getting the best of both worlds in Fractured Soul
Fractured Soul's release status may be in question, with Endgame Studios tentatively planning to put it on the 3DS eShop in two parts, but it's worth hoping the game finds its way to players. The side-scroller takes one clever DS-friendly mechanic -- parallel worlds, one on each screen, that the pl...
Spinning a web from The Amazing Spider-Man's point of view
In an effort make you feel like you're Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man, Beenox has designed Web Rush mode, a first-person mechanic that lets Spidey move to a particular section of the environment in a cinematic parkour sequence. Think of that initial first-person bit seen in the movie's teas...
Warren Spector (note: not 'War Inspector') GDC Lifetime Achievement award video loosed
During GDC this year, Warren Spector was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award for ... uh ... his life, and Mega64 was there with an amazing video to celebrate as much. Starring Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski, you'll find out that Spector's name isn't just a guise for his secret job as a "War ...
Long Mario never lived: Super Mario 3D Land director was totally joking
Koichi Hayashida opened his hilarious, energetic GDC speech with a look at some content that was considered for inclusion in Super Mario 3D Land, but didn't make it into the final game -- ideas like "Huge Mario," "Long Mario" (who is "sort of scary!") and a shell-riding "Pro Skater Mario." But were...
Hayashida: Super Mario 3D Land is a gateway game
Super Mario 3D Land has a curious structure: it's very easy throughout the first eight worlds, and then it surprises the player with a "special" set of eight additional worlds, which test players with insane time limits, ever-pursuing "Shadow Marios" and every other trick EAD Tokyo could think of. ...
Exploring an open-world Gotham in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Lego bricks inspire creativity, but that sense of discovery and creation is all but lost in the video games from developer Travelers Tales. The experiences are largely linear affairs, with not much in the way of making your own fun. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes has a different design philosophy....
Move's cryptic Datura captured on video
At GDC, Sony officially unveiled Plastic Studios' Datura, a Move-based adventure game that puts you in control of a spooky floating hand in a richly detailed forest. I had the opportunity to move through the forest, touch trees, and crack ice, but you need this video from PlayStation Blog to help ...
Play Sketch Nation Studio, publish title you created in-game, profit
Making games is hard. Making games that make money is exponentially more difficult, but even that doomed opportunity isn't possible without first overcoming the initial problem -- making games is hard. We've tracked the emotional and economic expense of making a game without a publisher, devoted ba...
