Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Xbox 360 DLC has brought in $240 millionhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/xbox-360-dlc-has-brought-in-240-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/xbox-360-dlc-has-brought-in-240-million/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/06/xbox-360-dlc-has-brought-in-240-million/#commentsFiled under: ,


Microsoft recently revealed that the Xbox Live Marketplace has seen over $240 million in revenue, with $180 million of that occurring in the last 12 months. Gamasutra reports the company also revealed that games with paid DLC make an average of $21 million more at retail if the content hits within a 30-day "sweet spot," causing customers to hold on to the titles longer.

Gamasutra's piece also delves deeper into XBLM issues like content testing and the submission process, but we're surprised by that spike in revenue over the last year. It means the Marketplace made $60 million since its inception in late 2005 and then raked in $180 million over the last year. We'll take that as a sign customers are getting comfortable with this newfangled digital shopping thing the kids are talking about.

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]]>microsoftmoneyrevenuexblmxbox-live-marketplaceAlexander Sliwinski2008-08-06T12:30:00+00:00Pachter: American Wii Fit shortages due to weak dollarhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/pachter-american-wii-fit-shortages-due-to-weak-dollar/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/pachter-american-wii-fit-shortages-due-to-weak-dollar/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/pachter-american-wii-fit-shortages-due-to-weak-dollar/#commentsFiled under: ,


Americans have been buffeted with news of our nation's pending recession and the devaluation of our dollar for months now, but in a market with such standardized prices, the American video game industry and game consumers haven't really felt the effect of our economic instability. However, according to industry analyst and prognosticator extraordinaire Michael Pachter, our pecuniary puniness is the cause for the current American Wii Fit shortage -- nearly four times as many copies of the title made their way to Europe, where the Euro, unlike the dollar, is gaining strength.

In Pachter's own words, "We're seeing companies ignore their largest market simply because they can make a greater profit elsewhere." You don't need to be a revered industry analyst to notice that -- the title, which sells for $90 in the U.S., is speedily selling for the equivalent of $140 in Europe. Pachter also remarks that Americans can afford to wait for future shipments of the title, as Nintendo knows "that Americans will be just as fat a few months from now." Words hurt, Pachter. Words hurt.

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]]>dollareconomyeuromichaelpachtermoneynintendopachterweak-dollarweakdollarwii-fitGriffin McElroy2008-06-01T14:00:00+00:00Cheaper indie Rock Band DLC raised to standard pricehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/01/cheaper-indie-rock-band-dlc-raised-to-standard-price/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/01/cheaper-indie-rock-band-dlc-raised-to-standard-price/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/01/cheaper-indie-rock-band-dlc-raised-to-standard-price/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Update: It's been brought to our attention that Harmonix originally announced that these songs would be available "for a limited time ... at a special holiday price of $0.99." Joystiq regrets the implication that the price increase was unannounced.

Price-conscious and/or pretentious Rock Band fans were understandably giddy when Harmonix decided to release five downloadable indie tracks for the bargain price of 99 cents (or the equivalent number of Microsoft points) in late December. We hope those fans didn't procrastinate, though, because the price for all five tracks has been raised to the more conventional $1.99 as of yesterday.

While there was no indication at the outset that the lower price would be in any way temporary, (see above update) The increase has been rumored for a couple of weeks now. When Harmonix announced the Rock Band DLC program they said individual track prices would range anywhere from $0.99 to $2.99, but they also stressed that the "vast majority" of tracks would hit the $1.99 sweet spot.

Does this increase mean that future songs are less likely to be released at 99 cents? "I don't think that's necessarily what it means," said a spokesperson for MTV/Harmonix, though he added that future 99 cent releases would probably "be the same situation, with the discounted price for a limited time." We've asked for confirmation of the official policy on this score and will let you know if and when we hear back about it.

[Thanks, Keith]

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]]>breakingnewscostDLCdownloadmoneymusicpricerock bandrock-bandRockBandsongsvalueKyle Orland2008-02-01T16:30:00+00:00Army pulls sponsorship from game competition, puts event in questionhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/25/army-pulls-sponsorship-from-game-competition-puts-event-in-ques/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/25/army-pulls-sponsorship-from-game-competition-puts-event-in-ques/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/25/army-pulls-sponsorship-from-game-competition-puts-event-in-ques/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Gamers in western Kentucky have one less reason to smile this morning with news that the area's annual gaming tournament, dubbed Gameathon, is likely in jeopardy of taking place this year at all. The reason? According to a report by the Bowling Green Daily News, the event's chief sponsor, the US Army, has opted out of supporting the gaming tournament, stating that the military branch has "other priorities this year" beyond support for game tournys.

Oh really? That doesn't seem to keep the Army from wanting to host this April's Halo 3 tournament over Xbox Live, nor did it stop it from throwing the branch's considerable weight (not to mention an estimated $2 million) behind the Global Gaming League last year. The Army had sponsored the event in 2005 and 2007, and was expected to contribute $5,000 this year, a burden that we guess was simply too terrible to bear.

The Army's decision strikes us as doubly odd considering that the event is something of a showpiece for America's Army, with the title sharing space with Halo, PGR, and Madden in the Gameathon's tournament. For now the event sponsors have begun to look elsewhere for sponsorship, while a post on the event's website appears to hold out hope that the local recruiting office will eventually be swayed to once again participate in the competition. We've strapped on our mental projection helmets, and are sending good vibes their way.

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]]>armycompetitiongameathonmoneysponsortournamentJason Dobson2008-01-25T11:20:00+00:00Pachter: 2008 should maintain 2007's sale momentumhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/02/pachter-2008-should-maintain-2007s-sale-momentum/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/02/pachter-2008-should-maintain-2007s-sale-momentum/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/02/pachter-2008-should-maintain-2007s-sale-momentum/#commentsFiled under:

Wedbush Morgan analyst and financial guru Michael Pachter believes that 2008 is going to start strong by using 2007's already vigorous sales momentum. Pachter postulates that the NPD numbers for December will break records and that the "first several months" of '08 having a strong release schedule should continue "double-digit sales growth."

Pachter expects to see US publisher stocks continue appreciating as the year gets started and we're guessing he also meant to mention Atari as the big exception in that statement. Gamers could probably keep the industry flying high just trying to get through '07's year-end glut of titles at this point.

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]]>businessindustrymichael-pachtermoneypachtersalesAlexander Sliwinski2008-01-02T14:15:00+00:00GameStop shares slip 10%http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/20/gamestop-shares-slip-10/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/20/gamestop-shares-slip-10/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/20/gamestop-shares-slip-10/#commentsFiled under:

GameStop announced that it doesn't expect an insanely strong fourth quarter due to competition, which resulted in a 10% drop in its stock price. Don't get any sneaky ideas all you GameStop haters -- just because the group won't be making as much money as expected, doesn't mean it still won't be making tons of it during the holiday season.

GameStop continues its expansion and still sees great profits every quarter. In Q3, net income reached $52 million from Halo 3 and Guitar Hero II, up from the $13.6 million a year prior. The video game pawn shop will continue to make money, have no fear of that.

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]]>businessgamestopmoneyprofitssharesAlexander Sliwinski2007-11-20T15:30:00+00:00Guitar Hero III makes $115 million in first weekhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/guitar-hero-iii-makes-115-million-in-first-week/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/guitar-hero-iii-makes-115-million-in-first-week/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/guitar-hero-iii-makes-115-million-in-first-week/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Piggybacking on the information that Activision is going to have a record quarter and Guitar Hero III may be in short supply this holiday, Activision released some financial numbers that show how popular their game is. Activision says that GHIII sold over $115 million in its first week, making it the best launch in the company's history.

Activision believes they'll continue to do well against EA and MTV's Rock Band due to their "unparalleled number of music tracks, a highly competitive price point and the only game in its genre available worldwide." Although, much like the console war, we're thinking the music genre showdown between Rock Band and Guitar Hero won't be answered until years from now -- and there's always the possibility of peaceful coexistence.

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]]>businessgh3ghIIImoneyAlexander Sliwinski2007-11-06T15:27:00+00:00Venture capital and online games @ Virtual Worlds Forumhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/29/venture-capital-and-online-games-virtual-worlds-forum/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/29/venture-capital-and-online-games-virtual-worlds-forum/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/29/venture-capital-and-online-games-virtual-worlds-forum/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Last week we managed to catch the Venture Capital panel at the Virtual Worlds Forum, an event set inside a nightclub situated within a rather eerie warehouse district behind Kings Cross train station. Plenty of black leather sofas with bloggers and attendees basked in purple lights, a glitter ball, and three bars provide an odd backdrop for discussions about monetizing the latest WoW wannabe. The overall atmosphere of this panel was very businesslike -- £995 a head means most attendees were on their respective company's ticket -- so if you want to continue believing that video games are solely a creative medium designed to further society through creation of fun, look away now.

If you're interested in this subject, make sure to check out ex-Joystiq editor Vlad Cole's newly relaunched blog on video game venture capital. Now keep reading.


This was the crowd well before the panel started, honest.

The first of the last two seminars was on the topic of venture capital investment's relationship to virtual worlds, and featured several prominent representatives from VC firms with heavy stakes in online companies: Ben Holmes from Index Ventures -- invested in Skype, Last.fm -- Nic Brisbourne from Espirit Capital Partners -- investors in Doppelganger and other online offerings -- and finally Sean Seaton-Rogers who works at Balderton Capital -- invested in Second Life several years ago, and also have stakes in Bebo (big in the UK), Codemasters, Habo Hotel, and WeeWorld.

The quick and dirty? They're all jealous of Blizzard and their World of Warcraft franchise -- "WoW is the category definite in terms of revenue" -- they're all jealous of Facebook and Microsoft's investment clout, and yet they all give off the vibe of being cautiously optimistic about the prospects for making money using "always online" games, despite their experience in the space. Significantly, one question from an audience member asked why VC firms were in favor of small investment opportunities: doesn't this limit the potential innovation in the online worlds space? More specifically, "are a bunch of guys with chinos in a room the best way to innovate?"

The question was provoked by comments from the panelists that companies "don't need $40 million anymore" due to tools like open source software and outsourcing of programmers. The ethics of using these tools -- open source wasn't designed to help companies make more money, and outsourcing arguably sacrifices quality -- were not discussed. Beyond this, the question wasn't adequately answered: if an idea is big enough and is sound, and the investor needs a large amount of capital, then why not give them a bigger chunk? Other excuses included the smaller funds in the EU vs. the US -- "it needs to pick up to get to 1999-2000 levels, but don't go too far though" -- an admission that smaller companies may not need VC money (Boo!), and the fact that for every "online worlds" idea, there are "4, 5, 6, 7 similar businesses in the same area."

The panel didn't consider VC money as the "spark" in creating new companies. Rather, it's the "fuel" to get there. Apparently, only if an entrepreneur has done a bit of work for free in investigating their idea -- market research was the only tip here -- will these VCs then think about jumping in with an investment. There is evidence for the "fuel" perspective: models for investment in online worlds are far different from traditional entertainment investments like movies. Nic brought up the point that big games "may look like films, but film revenues tail off." That's not the model of the average online game, which needs work to improve: "big hits don't fail or succeed very quickly. It's a different style of making money."

Questions about the lack of real revenue from online games seems not to worry this bunch, however: a simile thrown up was that radio evolved without any thought of revenue. "Money eventually makes itself" when it comes to this area -- or, as the case may be, bigger, more established companies just end up buying the smaller guys out for ridiculously inflated prices. Talking of big companies, the panel pretended not to be scared of Google's interest in online applications: but only because the mega-corp is so willing to open their checkbook to lock down talent. The prospect of getting bought is obviously enough to offset the likelihood of revenue for these VCs...

Another area of discussion included the Asian market, with comments including the statement that online games "prevent piracy, because they have to be connected," which is a big issue in this market. The inability to sell packaged games means the only way to make money there is to charge subscriptions.

Final questions:
  • "Will big companies come to dominate the scene?" Not likely. Ben expects "big companies to be here, but big entertainment franchises always tend to come and go."
  • "Have you ever had a business meeting in an online world?" None of them had: too much of a learning curve to get new "players" onto the game, they're invariably not tied to business context, although they do use business collaboration tools like WebEx to work together. Sounds to us like it's something to work on. If you can't do business in a world because it's too hard to operate / not serious enough, how can you consider it as encompassing "the world?"
  • "Realistically, what returns, over what timescale, do you expect? Whats the minimum investment? What are your public guidelines?" Sean stated that their smallest investment was around €750,000, and their biggest was $50 million. So there's no investment framework based on amounts. As for timescales, "as little as possible!" Although their ultimate thesis is to make ten times their money. That may take 10+ years, which in some cases, it has. Nic says if you're not aiming for 10x, you're not going to get a significant enough pay-off for the risk. He looks at the US where 10x is the norm, and sees $300-500 million sellout averages in Europe. The EU is much more risk averse -- and we'll add, the taxes are waaay higher here.
And that's it. Has your soul escaped yet?

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]]>InvestmentKings CrossKingsCrossLondonMoneyOnline WorldsOnlineWorldsvcVenture CapitalVentureCapitalVirtual Worlds ForumVirtualWorldsForumConrad Quilty-Harper2007-10-29T09:50:00+00:00Nintendo ups profit forecast, incoming money stormhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/25/nintendo-ups-profit-forecast-incoming-money-storm/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/25/nintendo-ups-profit-forecast-incoming-money-storm/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/25/nintendo-ups-profit-forecast-incoming-money-storm/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Nintendo tripled its operating profit forecast to ¥420 billion ($3.7 billion) for this fiscal year. This would be Nintendo's second revision this year -- they did about four upward revisions last fiscal year -- and is an 86% increase over last year's results. Nintendo also raised its software sales goal by 35% to 97 million units.

From the Japanese perspective in the Reuters report, the announcement of Monster Hunter on the Wii earlier this month is seen as a coup for Nintendo against Sony. It showed that the PlayStation franchise support may be eroding. As far as competition goes, Nintendo still holds they aren't in the same field as Xbox and PlayStation, so don't expect a price cut. Senior Managing Director Yoshihiro Mori says, "The way people play with the Wii and the type of games people play are quite different from rival offerings. The products are quite clearly differentiated ... We don't see any need to cut prices." Unless something dramatic happens, Nintendo is gonna see profits for the foreseeable future. And we still have no idea on the WiiFit impact yet.

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]]>businessmoneynintendoprintingprofitAlexander Sliwinski2007-10-25T11:00:00+00:00Ubisoft reports quarterly sales up 25%, delays fourhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/ubisoft-reports-quarterly-sales-up-25-delays-four/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/ubisoft-reports-quarterly-sales-up-25-delays-four/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/ubisoft-reports-quarterly-sales-up-25-delays-four/#commentsFiled under:

As is normal this time of year, companies have begun shuffling papers in the mad scramble to report their quarterly earnings to shareholders and the world at large. The latest to do so is Ubisoft, which today announced that it has been making money hand-over-fist lately with total second quarter sales of $172.89 million, a hair over a 25 percent increase from the same time last year. Much of this success was laid at the feet of such releases as GRAW 2, as well as Jam Sessions, Blazing Angels 2, and movie tie-in Surf's Up.

Strong sales of back catalog titles also helped to contribute to the company's financial prosperity, while officials note that some 75 percent of Ubi's sales during the first half of the year came from games for the newer crop of consoles, compared to just 40 percent last year. If we had to venture a guess, this might mean that the firm could begin to inch away from the safety net of the PS2 in order to devote more effort toward projects aimed at the so-called next-gen platforms in the coming months and into the new year. Ubi also expects third quarter sales to climb a modest 6 percent to around $449.24 million.

However, all this money seems to have caused the company to rethink its upcoming release schedule, and as such it has chosen to "postpone" the release of four unannounced titles until to sometime next year. Additionally, Gamasutra reports that the earlier announced Wii exclusive Nitrobike from Excitebike 64 devs Left Field has also been pushed out from this holiday's release window into a more nebulous someday.

Still, it's hard to get too broken up about this given that the rest of the delayed projects remain unknown. Ubi still has a good deal of confirmed releases on the horizon, with highlights including the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed and Haze, as well as Beowulf and the sequel to Rayman Raving Rabbids. If Ubisoft has its way, it will be swimming in its money bin by the close of the current fiscal year, with total yearly sales of €825 million ($1.17 billion) anticipated by the firm.

[Via press release]

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]]>delaymoneyquarterubisoftJason Dobson2007-10-23T14:25:00+00:00Halo 3 garners $170 million in US first day, breaks recordshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/26/halo-3-nets-170-million-in-us-first-day-breaks-records/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/26/halo-3-nets-170-million-in-us-first-day-breaks-records/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/26/halo-3-nets-170-million-in-us-first-day-breaks-records/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Microsoft has just sent word that its flagship soldier Master Chief has come back from the battlefield with $170 million dollars in the first 24 hours of Halo 3 deployment in the United States. As noted, this would mark the biggest day in US entertainment history, beating out Spider-Man 3 and all Harry Potters (of course, the price of entry for those events were a lot less, but that's a technicality when it comes to record books).

According to the press release, September 25 was also Xbox Live's most active day so far, thanks in no small part to one million online Halo 3 players. Bundled with every copy of Halo 3 was a free 48 hour trial, so we're interested in seeing how many people tomorrow decide to pay the Gold fee and keep on fragging.

We're eagerly awaiting the sales figures for the game elsewhere in the world, especially Japan.

[Via Press Release]

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]]>breakingnewsbungiehalohalo3microsoftmoneyprofitxboxliveRoss Miller2007-09-26T17:47:00+00:00Gaming's money-making secrets available for freehttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/18/gamings-money-making-secrets-available-for-free/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/18/gamings-money-making-secrets-available-for-free/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/18/gamings-money-making-secrets-available-for-free/#commentsFiled under: ,

If you ask rich people how they got rich, we doubt most of them will say it was by playing a lot of video games. Nevertheless, a new book promises to show you the path to untold riches for doing just that.

Get Rich Playing Games is the brainchild of the ridiculously busy industry consultant, journalist and author Scott Steinberg (full disclosure: I worked with Scott on the Videogame Style Guide and Reference Manual). The book details three main paths to gaming mega-bucks: developer, executive and journalist. Wait, journalist? Doesn't he realize what the average game journalist gets paid? Trust us, you'd have better chances getting rich trawling for change in your local fountain.

The 177-page book is available as a $17.95 paperback or a free PDF eBook because, let's face it, no one ever got rich by paying for stuff.

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]]>bookfreegamingmoneyrichKyle Orland2007-09-18T10:31:00+00:00Rockstar: Only GTA IV on Xbox has 'complete experience'http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/26/rockstar-only-gta-iv-on-xbox-has-complete-experience/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/26/rockstar-only-gta-iv-on-xbox-has-complete-experience/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/26/rockstar-only-gta-iv-on-xbox-has-complete-experience/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


A Rockstar representative tells GamesRadar that there is no advantage to owning the PS3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV over Xbox 360. He says they are identical games, and then you can almost hear the slap, "But I guess if you want the complete experience with the episodes, then yeah, you should buy the 360, I suppose." See what $50 million will get those Xbox kids? But remember, Microsoft is still going to charge for the extra content, so it's not like the core game is any different.

"Will the episodes ever see the light of day on the PS3?" is the real question. The word "exclusive" in the video game industry is almost as flexible as Alanis Morissette's use of the word "ironic." Exclusive, timed exclusive ... ironic, coincidence -- who knows what words mean anymore. As long as Sony offers up some cash, we think they could get the episodes too -- you know, if they did that sort of thing.

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]]>gtaivmoneyps3rockstarxbox360Alexander Sliwinski2007-07-26T12:15:00+00:00Activision overtakes EA as top third party publisherhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/24/activision-overtakes-ea-as-top-third-party-publisher/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/24/activision-overtakes-ea-as-top-third-party-publisher/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/24/activision-overtakes-ea-as-top-third-party-publisher/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Activision has surpassed EA by approximately $20 million in sales the first half of this year, making it the top third party publisher on the block. Well, that explains how they could afford to hire Jamie Kennedy to make a mockery of their press conference. If this information causes a massive "¡¿QUE?!" in your mind, Activision has done insanely well with their acquisition of Red Octane (Guitar Hero), their movie license games (which people are compelled to purchase for ungodly reasons) and franchise staples like Tony Hawk and Call of Duty.

Activision made $387 million up until June, versus EA's $365 million. This would be the first time somebody else has held the top third party publisher spot in ... well, a very long time. Activision's aquisition of Red Octane was obviously a smart move on their part, as the franchise is expected to break $1 billion in sales very soon and makes up a fifth of the company's revenue with $360 million in sales this year according to analysts. For the EA fanboys, don't worry, Madden still hasn't come out this year and that game always boosts EA's bottom line.

[Via Gamasutra]

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]]>activisionbusinesseaelectronicartsguitarheromaddenmoneyredoctaneAlexander Sliwinski2007-07-24T15:15:00+00:00Atari may get the boot from Nasdaqhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/23/atari-may-get-the-boot-from-nasdaq/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/23/atari-may-get-the-boot-from-nasdaq/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/23/atari-may-get-the-boot-from-nasdaq/#commentsFiled under: ,

If Atari's financial woes weren't already a beacon that the legendary game company has fallen far, their notice of potential delisting from the Nasdaq stock exchange should pretty much seal the deal. Atari received the notice from Nasdaq because they did not file their financial report for their fiscal year ending March 31.

Atari says they haven't filed yet because they're still trying to figure out what accounting entries they need to make. With any luck The Witcher and Alone in the Dark will help the company out this fiscal year. Heck, for all we know, My Horse & Me could be Atari's killer application which will help them ride into the land of fiscal fortitude.

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]]>ataridelistingfinancialmoneynasdaqruinstockAlexander Sliwinski2007-07-23T15:50:00+00:00MTV's Nickelodeon spending $100 million on gaminghttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/18/mtvs-nickelodeon-spending-100-million-on-gaming/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/18/mtvs-nickelodeon-spending-100-million-on-gaming/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/18/mtvs-nickelodeon-spending-100-million-on-gaming/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Nickelodeon, former network of You Can't Do That on Television and Double Dare, announced they will be spending -- keeping the zeros in for effect -- $100,000,000 to become the top provider of casual games and master of casual game sites. Oh, and that $100 million isn't over many rotations around the sun either, that's just in the next two years for "development, distribution and creation."

If you're attempting to put two and two together at the moment on why Nickelodeon ... remember how obsessed you were with Nickelodeon as a child? Well, things haven't changed much, so by investing in games for their 8 -14 demographic, MTV networks can gateway drug potential casual gamers into other divisions of their vast media empire. This MTV gaming focus is nothing new, they have been gobbling up many gaming properties in recent years like Xfire, GameTrailers and the purchase of Harmonix, creators of potential mega-hit Rock Band. Nickelodeon should begin showing signs of this master plan later next year.

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]]>businesscasualgamingmoneymtvnetworksnickelodeonAlexander Sliwinski2007-07-18T17:55:00+00:00Atari lost another $70 million this yearhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/03/atari-lost-another-70-million-this-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/03/atari-lost-another-70-million-this-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/03/atari-lost-another-70-million-this-year/#commentsFiled under: ,

Atari Inc. plans to report a loss of $71.3 million for their fiscal year which ended March 31. This is up from the $69 million loss from the previous fiscal year. Most of the loss is due to some jargon regarding an "impairment of goodwill," relating to a significant erosion of their market capitalization in which Atari lost an extra $54.1 million -- otherwise they would have only lost $17.2 million. In May, Atari cut 20% of their workforce and parent company Infogrames hasn't seen a profit in seven years.

It's kinda sad seeing what Atari has become. Instead of being the granddaddy the industry looks up to, they've become the worthless geriatric that's been locked away in the state-funded old folks home and forgotten. Although, the upside is that Atari actually has some stuff we're looking forward to with Alone in the Dark and The Witcher. We'll find out next week if there is some hope for the future or if we can already begin reporting another $70 million loss for next year.

[Via Gamasutra]

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]]>alone in the darkatarilossmoneyprofitthe witcherAlexander Sliwinski2007-07-03T15:14:00+00:00Manhunt 2 controversy may boost saleshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/23/manhunt-2-controversy-may-boost-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/23/manhunt-2-controversy-may-boost-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/23/manhunt-2-controversy-may-boost-sales/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The AP reports that the decision to suspend the distribution of Manhunt 2 may actually help sales by boosting curiosity of gamers who will want to see what all the drama was about. Well, duh! Speaking with analysts, the AP says that the controversy will benefit the game in the long run. Of course, they couldn't get anyone from Take-Two or Rockstar to go on the record about that -- welcome to the club AP.

"It's free publicity," says Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets. Rick Munarriz, a senior analyst from The Motley Fool said, "If anything, with this suspension there's going to be a demand for it because of the controversy." Also, Take-Two's stock went up Friday by 21 cents. With no announcement of cancellation, especially with Take-Two's CEO calling it a work of art, looks like Manhunt 2 will come back out of the gate with an M rating and a heck of a lot more free publicity in a few months. Meanwhile, Take-Two and Rockstar are poised to do a one-two punch with GTA IV, which is still on track for its October release.

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]]>banningcontroversyesrbmanhuntmanhunt2marketingmoneyAlexander Sliwinski2007-06-23T16:00:00+00:00The Texas game development finance provisoshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/11/the-texas-game-development-finance-provisos/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/11/the-texas-game-development-finance-provisos/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/11/the-texas-game-development-finance-provisos/#commentsFiled under: ,

There be much gaming going on in the great state of Texas. Many MMOs have a connection to Austin, just a sample list includes: BioWare's studio, some Sony Online Entertainment stuff and Blizzard is setting up camp there too. Recently, Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill providing game developers up to $250,000 in grants ... with a few little addendums, provisos and other such caveats.

To keep the dogs at bay, the incentives have restrictions on paying for violent games. Actually, it's a little deeper. The state can pick and choose the games they want to fund, avoiding those considered "obscene." Yes, that should make anybody not making the World of That's So Raven game just a little nervous. Oh, and the game can't "portray Texas or Texans in a negative fashion."

Tabula Rasa lead developer Richard Garriott said, "This is a great first step in trying to support developers who already are in the state of Texas or might consider developing projects in the state of Texas ... Our industry doesn't have a very sophisticated lobbying process. I do believe the legislators that have carried this through for us have done so in spite of the utter lack of lobbying." Oh well, any state that wants to give money to fund video games, even if there are restrictions, can't be all bad. At least it's not half as ironic as Boston's Mayor Menino meeting with game developers. So, developers, if you're looking for some cash, they make the grants bigger in Texas.

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]]>developmentgrantsmoneytexasAlexander Sliwinski2007-06-11T22:45:00+00:00Inafune worried about recouping next-gen Mega Man costhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/01/inafune-worried-about-recouping-next-gen-mega-man-cost/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/01/inafune-worried-about-recouping-next-gen-mega-man-cost/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/01/inafune-worried-about-recouping-next-gen-mega-man-cost/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Keije Inafune, who broke away from the legacy of Mega Man with Dead Rising and Lost Planet, says a next-gen Mega Man would be a financial gamble. He estimates a next-gen title starring the blue bomber would cost approximately $15 million. This is the part where it gets weird. Inafune says that from a producer standpoint he's worried about recouping the cost of development and more than once says he's waiting for someone rich to come along and fund it -- and it doesn't have to be Capcom.

"I'm not even saying it has to be Capcom money. It could be EA, actually. I should say a company we have ties with, so maybe Rockstar," Inafune said in an interview with 1UP (video after the break). He believes, from a producer standpoint, the financial risks are too great to make a new Mega Man and says, "Realistically, I would have to say, I would be worried if it would recoup the money we spend."

After that the interview turns into questions about Mega Man Legends 3 and having Inafune draw for the reporters. It is interesting to see the man behind the blue bomber say that a next-gen Mega Man would be a financial gamble. Has the series lost any type of solid financial backing? Is Capcom taking a breather from spending money and upgrading the series to next-gen by focusing on other IPs? Could Inafune just be sick of doing Mega Man? What we do know is that Inafune has plenty on his plate right now with sequels to Dead Rising and the rumored Lost Planet follow up.

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]]>dead risingfinanceinafunelost planetmega manmoneyAlexander Sliwinski2007-06-01T12:35:00+00:00