Category Archives: Gamasutra

Analysis: Why Do Video Games Face Such Resistance?

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[Despite Monday’s Supreme Court victory, we still have a long way to go until the general public understands our ratings system and acknowledges their children are safe. Gamasutra editor at large Chris Morris discusses why our jobs now are to help them understand.]

For the past year, I’ve pretty much lived and breathed Brown v. EMA.

I kept a close eye on the case as the Court considered whether to address it. I was in the room in November when oral arguments were presented. And I’ve stayed in touch with attorneys about ramifications in the long wait for a ruling.

With the decision now in, I found myself doing a series of round-robin interviews today on morning radio shows on news/talk stations around the country.

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Analysis: Despite Ruling, Threats Remain For The Games Industry

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There’s plenty to cheer about today in the video game industry — and for good reason.

The definitive Supreme Court ruling that video games are entitled to First Amendment protections is something developers, publishers and industry backers have been actively trying to secure for years. Achieving the goal is laudable, but it’s not the end of the fight — not by a long shot.

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Interview: Sony’s Tretton Addresses Hackers, Downplays iPhone Threat

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[In this interview with Gamasutra editor at large Chris Morris, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton talks candidly about April’s PSN security breach and outage, and how low-priced mobile titles aren’t necessarily “training people to pay $5 for games.”]

While Sony would probably argue otherwise, the rest of the world tends to agree that the company’s public handling of April’s data intrusion was a textbook example of PR fumbling. After waiting what many consider to be too long to address the problem, the company finally apologized, but the sentiment seemed rehearsed — and less than sincere to many.

But when Jack Tretton stepped on stage at this year’s pre-E3 press conference and addressed the issue for the first time, he did so without a script or teleprompter, choosing instead to speak from the heart.

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Iwata: Wii U Planning Started Immediately After Wii Release

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[In an interview with Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris, Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata says his company began thinking about the Wii U right after the Wii’s launch, and outlines the firm’s home console and software pricing strategies.]

Hindsight’s a funny thing.

Given the staggering out-of-the-gate success Nintendo saw with the Wii, you might have expected the company to push back its next generation planning for a year or two to focus on ensuring third-party partners understood how best to succeed on the Wii, ultimately extending its appeal in the market.

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Analysis: What’s Taking So Long With The Supreme Court Video Game Case?

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[In this analysis piece, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at why the Supreme Court hasn’t come to a decision yet on California’s violent video game bill seven months after its hearing.]

There’s a gong in the offices of the Entertainment Software Association that hasn’t been rung for a long time.

It’s called the Supreme gong – and the rule of the office is that it shall remain silent until the Supreme Court announces its ruling on Brown v. EMA (formerly known as Schwarzenegger v. EMA). Justices heard oral arguments for that case last November, but seven months later, they have yet to hand down a decision. What’s going on?

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Interview: Take-Two’s Zelnick Talks Social Games, Acquisition Rumors

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[Speaking with Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris about the road ahead for his company, CEO Strauss Zelnick explains why he’s in no hurry to sell Take Two, and why the publisher isn’t taking part in the social game land grab.]

The turnaround story at Take-Two Interactive Software has been an impressive one over the past couple of years. The company, which had previously never posted a profit unless it had released a Grand Theft Auto title in its lineup that year, has managed to push into the black without the help of its biggest franchise and had several of the most anticipated games of 2011 and 2012 on display at its E3 booth this year.

But the success has once again kicked up chatter that the company might be in play. Analysts have speculated it is an acquisition target and, with activist investor Carl Icahn holding a big stake in the company, have begun openly wondering who will make the first bid.

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Analysis: How Important Is This Year’s E3?

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Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris considers how important E3 now is to the gaming industry, noting that “the industry has changed – and so have the marketing strategies of its players.”

As the circus comes to Los Angeles and the gaming industry prepares for the weeklong bacchanalia that is E3, there’s already plenty of hype about what to expect, what will be said and what will be the biggest thing at the show.

These are all fun questions – but as E3 enters its 17th year, it’s worth a look to see if the show is as important and as relevant to the industry as it was in years past. While E3 used to be a Mecca for game developers and publishers to show off their wares, the industry has changed – and so have the marketing strategies of its players.

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Analysis: What Long-Term Impact Could COD: Elite bring?

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Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris examines Activision’s move to bring a subscription option toCall of Duty players, and how the decision could hint at a wider subscription strategy at the publisher.

So now it’s official. The long-awaited (and, in some cases, long-feared) subscription service for Call of Duty is a reality. And while players pore through the previews and press release to determine exactly what Elite entails, I’m finding it a lot more interesting to look further down the road.

Make no mistake, Elite is a bold move by Activision – and one that could ultimately change the way the industry operates when it comes to user communities and digital add-ons.

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Analysis: Does A Take-Two Takeover Make Sense?

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[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris discusses whether Take-Two Interactive would benefit from an acquisition at the moment, noting that anyone looking to buy will most likely “have to pony up a boatload of cash.”]

Here we go again.

With earnings becoming more dependable, another GTA game lurking in the shadows and key talent locked in for the next few years, it was only natural that talk of a Take-Two acquisition would resume. But today’s Take-Two isn’t the same company it was when EA came knocking on the door. And the takeover that once seemed a foregone conclusion in the gaming world is now a lot less certain.

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Interview: The Death Of Try-Then-Buy PC Gaming

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Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris talks to Exent Technologies’ Kobi Edelstein about the need to move away from the try-then-buy PC gaming model, and instead focus on the more stable ad-supported angle.

The try-then-buy model is something of a tradition in the PC gaming world. While most major publishers have left it far behind these days, developers like id Software and 3D Realms might never have risen to prominence if not for shareware.

Today, it’s mostly smaller companies who embrace it, taking a leap of faith that players will be so engaged with their titles that they’ll pay for the full version. But games-on-demand leader Exent Technologies argues that the model is broken.

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