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[thatinterview with thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/thatinterview-with-thatgamecompany-co-founder-jenova-chen/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/thatinterview-with-thatgamecompany-co-founder-jenova-chen/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/thatinterview-with-thatgamecompany-co-founder-jenova-chen/#comments In a relatively quiet, upstairs nook of the rain-soaked Palmer Events Center in Austin, TX, thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen and I sat down to discuss Journey, his company's future and his thoughts on free-to-play business models, among other things.

For Chen, 2012 was an auspicious year. Journey was a critical smash hit, earning top honors at DICE and a five-award sweep at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts game awards, among other illustrious achievements. Beyond its success with the press, however, Journey's release represented an even larger milestone for Chen and thatgamecompany: The developer's three-game exclusivity agreement with Sony had come to an end.

Continue reading thatinterview with thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen

Joystiqthatinterview with thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flowflowerjenova-chenjourneySXSW-2013thatgamecompanyTue, 12 Mar 2013 18:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Capcom hopes grassroots movement will endear Monster Hunter to the west]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/capcom-hopes-grassroots-movement-will-endear-monster-hunter-to-t/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/capcom-hopes-grassroots-movement-will-endear-monster-hunter-to-t/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/capcom-hopes-grassroots-movement-will-endear-monster-hunter-to-t/#comments Despite its unbelievable popularity in Japan, Capcom's Monster Hunter series hasn't taken off to the same degree in western countries. Not to imply that the games don't have a dedicated stateside following - rather, the numbers just can't compare.

With Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate's North American release on the Wii U and 3DS right around the corner, Capcom will be attempting to grow interest in the brand the old fashioned way, by going to shows and talking to people about the game face to face.

"We have a full on booth, a Monster Hunter dedicated booth, at PAX, we have a Monster Hunter dedicated booth at Wondercon, we're also going to be attending C2E2 in Chicago, we have events that we're planning on doing at Capcom's offices in the near future," senior product marketing manager Laili Bosma told us during SXSW Interactive. "We're also looking to hopefully do a summer tour with Monster Hunter across the country."

Bosma gave the off-screen/cross-region post-launch patch announced in February as an example of how Capcom is actively listening and responding to the needs of western audiences. "Capcom is very dedicated to the brand, obviously in Japan being as huge as it is. But, the team is also dedicated to trying to make it work here in the US," Bosma said, though she recognizes that there's no magic fix for transporting popularity overseas.

"It's not magical, it's not going to happen overnight," she added. "My goal here is to try to get as many people to experience it first-hand, and for us to answer those questions as much as we can, and then hopefully grow that audience one person at a time."

JoystiqCapcom hopes grassroots movement will endear Monster Hunter to the west originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsCapcomlaili-bosmamonster-hunter-3-ultimatenintendoSXSW-2013wii-uTue, 12 Mar 2013 17:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Gearbox details the evolution of the playable Borderlands cast]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/gearbox-details-the-evolution-of-the-playable-borderlands-cast/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/gearbox-details-the-evolution-of-the-playable-borderlands-cast/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/gearbox-details-the-evolution-of-the-playable-borderlands-cast/#comments Gearbox previews the original heroes of BorderlandsDuring a panel at the SXSW Interactive Festival, Gearbox franchise director Matt Armstrong and Borderlands lead character designer Jonathan Hemingway provided a behind the scenes look at how the developer evolved its playable characters from faceless archetypes to its four-person killing crew.

Each character was originally conceived to give players a point of comparison to other genres or game franchises. The accessible and easy to use "Doom Guy" focused on giving classic shooter fans their familiar FPS fix; the tactical shooter archetype focused on delivering more strategic options, like in Metal Gear or Splinter Cell; and a world manipulator character concept wanted to give gamers a James Bond-like, gadget-focused killer.

Eventually, these original concepts - crudely drawn in shapes - evolved into the four playable characters featured in Borderlands.

Continue reading Gearbox details the evolution of the playable Borderlands cast

JoystiqGearbox details the evolution of the playable Borderlands cast originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2K-GamesBorderlandsBorderlands Game of the Year EditionGearboxGearbox-Softwaremicrosoftpcplaystationps3SXSW-2013xboxTue, 12 Mar 2013 14:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Next MineCon 'most definitely in the US']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/11/next-minecon-most-definitely-in-the-us/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/11/next-minecon-most-definitely-in-the-us/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/11/next-minecon-most-definitely-in-the-us/#comments While there's still no official word on when Mojang's next Minecraft-centric MineCon event will take place, the convention's potential location has at least been narrowed down to a specific country: "It'll be in the US, that's for sure. It's most definitely in the US," Mojang director of fun Lydia Winters told the audience during a recent SXSW Interactive panel.

"That's all I can say," Winters added. "I would like to tell more, but it's not 100 percent certain so I can't say anything yet." MineCon 2012 took place at Disneyland Paris, while the inaugural event stormed the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to her panel-hosting duties, Winters mentioned that her SXSW schedule included a meeting to discuss the next MineCon.

JoystiqNext MineCon 'most definitely in the US' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidiosipadiphonelydia-wintersmicrosoftMineConMinecraftmobilepcSXSW-2013xboxMon, 11 Mar 2013 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Pre-orders open for Xi3's 'Piston' PC, $100 off during SXSW]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/09/pre-orders-open-for-xi3s-piston-pc-100-off-during-sxsw/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/09/pre-orders-open-for-xi3s-piston-pc-100-off-during-sxsw/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/09/pre-orders-open-for-xi3s-piston-pc-100-off-during-sxsw/#comments Preorders open for Xi3's 'Piston' PC, $100 off during SXSWXi3's Steam-focused PC "console," the Piston, is now available for pre-order, the company announced yesterday. The tiny, $999 box includes a 128 gig solid-state drive that can be upgraded to 512 gigs for an additional $750 (for real, SSDs aren't cheap, y'all), eight gigs of RAM and a 3.2 Ghz quad-core processor.

Any pre-orders placed between now and 11:59 p.m. Central on March 17, however, will have a smooth Benjamin shaved off the price. Pre-orders are expected to ship "in time for the 2013 Holiday Season," according to Xi3's announcement. Further information is expected to surface during the course of Austin's ongoing SXSW Interactive Festival.

JoystiqPre-orders open for Xi3's 'Piston' PC, $100 off during SXSW originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>pcPistonpre-ordersteam-boxsteamboxSXSW-2013Xi3Sat, 09 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gearbox reveals next Borderlands 2 DLC includes a new vault hunter [Update]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/gearbox-teases-new-borderlands-2-vault-hunter-dlc-at-sxsw/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/gearbox-teases-new-borderlands-2-vault-hunter-dlc-at-sxsw/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/gearbox-teases-new-borderlands-2-vault-hunter-dlc-at-sxsw/#comments

During a panel at SXSW, Borderlands 2 developer Gearbox has revealed a new vault hunter is coming to its RPG-fueled first-person shooter.

"Deep beneath Pandora, an experiment has escaped," a teaser for the DLC announced, revealing a silhouette of the new character decimating enemies. "Bandits beware, a new vault hunter is coming. More mayhem awaits."

Details for the second add-on character were scarce, much like the Pandora wasteland; however, the teaser (which you can view above) leads us to believe the new character is melee-focused. Gearbox franchise director Matt Armstrong wouldn't reveal the exact release for the DLC during the panel but added, "DLC is announced on a very tight schedule, and I don't think you'll have to wait long until you see that character."

Update: Gearbox has clarified to Joystiq that the upcoming DLC character is not included as part of the Borderlands 2 Season Pass. The story above has been edited.

JoystiqGearbox reveals next Borderlands 2 DLC includes a new vault hunter [Update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2K-Gamesborderlands-2DLCDownloadable-ContentGearboxGearbox-Softwaremicrosoftpcplaystationps3SXSW-2013xboxFri, 08 Mar 2013 21:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Animal Crossing: New Leaf makes its American debut at SXSW]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/04/animal-crossing-new-leaf-makes-its-american-debut-at-sxsw/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/04/animal-crossing-new-leaf-makes-its-american-debut-at-sxsw/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/04/animal-crossing-new-leaf-makes-its-american-debut-at-sxsw/#comments We almost don't want to tell you this for fear of bringing even more of the world to Austin's crowded hotels, eateries, and highways this weekend, but Nintendo's got some cool stuff to show off at SXSW Gaming from March 8-10.

Most exciting is a "guided demo opportunity" of this year's 3DS relax-em-up Animal Crossing: New Leaf, the first time it'll be playable in North America. Other 3DS games on display include Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Gates to Infinity, Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate, and eShop games Kersploosh! and HarmoKnight.

New Wii U games to be shown at SXSW include Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, Lego City Undercover, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. SXSW Gaming will take place at the Palmer Events Center, and is open to the public.

Continue reading Animal Crossing: New Leaf makes its American debut at SXSW

JoystiqAnimal Crossing: New Leaf makes its American debut at SXSW originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsanimal-crossing-3dsanimal-crossing-new-leafnintendosxsw-2013sxsw-gamingwii-uMon, 04 Mar 2013 10:40:00 EST