Category Archives: Gamasutra

Ubisoft’s Laurent Detoc On The Fight Against Innovation

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[Ubisoft’s North American executive director Laurent Detoc talks with Gamasutra editor at large Chris Morris about Rocksmith‘s lukewarm reception, and says, “As much as [gamers] claim they want innovation, they don’t.”]

Gamers, as a species, clamor for innovation. While there’s nothing wrong with the existing genres of gameplay, it’s always nice (in theory, at least) to try something new. But all too often, when players get their hands on that something new, they rip it to shreds in forums and lambaste it publicly.

In fairness, that criticism is sometimes warranted. EA’s Majestic, for example, was a fascinating idea that started strong but never entirely found its footing. Sometimes that criticism – and the poor sales that accompany it – sentences something that could have evolved into a welcomed gameplay style to a premature death.

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Microsoft Takes Kinect To The Business World

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Microsoft is planning to launch a commercial program for Kinect early next year, giving businesses the tools to develop customized applications. The company talks to Gamasutra’s Chris Morris about Kinect’s move into the business world.

Having established a strong foothold in the home market, Kinect is ready to branch into the corporate world.

Microsoft plans to launch a commercial program for the peripheral early next year, giving businesses the tools to develop customized applications for their companies and industries. The pilot program already includes such familiar names as Toyota, book publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and design firm Razorfish.

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Opinion: The Contrived War Between Battlefield 3 And Modern Warfare 3

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The supposed war between EA’s Battlefield 3 and Activision’s Modern Warfare 3 is not a zero-sum game — both publishers can come out as winners, says Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris.

And so it begins. After months of sniping, posing and stare downs, Electronic Arts and Activision officially went to war Tuesday, with Battlefield 3 hitting store shelves, hoping to knock the Call of Duty series from its king of the hill position in the action shooter genre.

That’s how the story has been set up, at least. The battle of titans makes for a great headline, after all. And as we all learned from the movie Highlander, there can be only one, right? Poppycock.

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Is Microsoft’s Kinect Kids Program Coming Too Late?

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Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris considers if Microsoft “might be making its move a little too late to corral the kiddie audience” with its recent unveiling of kid-friendly Kinect partnerships.

The introduction of the Kinect For Kids initiative certainly sounds wise, given the company’s push in that direction. After all, who can argue with creating family-friendly titles with some of the biggest names in family entertainment?

The problem is: When you look at Microsoft’s longer-term goals, things become a bit squishier.

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Zynga, Rovio And The IPO Issue

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You don’t have to be a wizard of Wall Street to know the market sucks these days. While the Dow Jones Industrial average is slightly higher than it was at the start of the year, persistent fears of a double-dip recession – or worse – are preventing both individual and institutional investors from jumping into the market with any gusto.

That’s starting to affect the valuations of companies with looming public offerings, including a high profile one in the gaming world. And it should be a lesson to other game companies thinking about an IPO.

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Interview: Epic Talks UE3 On Flash, Infinity Blade 2

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[Speaking to Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris, Epic Games president Mike Capps hints at in-house plans for Unreal Engine 3 on Flash, while Chair head Donald Mustard said there’s room on iOS for games that are “priced a bit higher.”]

Just minutes after Epic Games’ president Mike Capps and Chair Entertainment creative director Donald Mustard debuted Infinity Blade 2 at Apple’s press conference for the new iPhone 4S in Cupertino, CA on Tuesday, Epic’s CEO and technical director Tim Sweeney was on stage at the Adobe Max conference — roughly 350 miles away in L.A. — announcing that Unreal Engine 3 would be supporting Flash.

It was what you might call a busy day for the company. And barring some unforeseen — hell, unimaginable — event, it was one that set Epic up for a tremendous cash windfall.

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Interview: Telltale Games Bets Big On iPad

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In August, Telltale Games saw 15 percent of its monthly revenue come from the sale of iOS games. Last month, that percentage jumped to 30. Gamasutra’s Chris Morris talks to Telltale’s Connors about the tablet revolution.

In August, Telltale Games saw 15 percent of its monthly revenue come from the sale of iOS games. Last month, that percentage jumped to 30.

In fact, year to date, the iPad has been the fastest-growing revenue driver for the episodic game maker. That phenomenal increase came amid an effort to drive new content to the device, but it was also a chance for Apple’s systems to prove themselves as viable income sources.

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Opinion: The Holiday Hit Lists

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[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at trends in recent holiday “hot toy/game” lists that highlight everything from LeapFrog to Call of Duty — but do they really say anything at all?]

If you’re like me, the fact that the holiday push now begins in September is mildly nauseating. Can we all agree, before we dive any deeper, that the display of Christmas decorations in stores starting around Labor Day is categorically wrong?

Still, the relentless march to move the holiday shopping period earlier and earlier continues, so it’s not especially surprising that the prognosticators and seers from all sorts of research firms and corporations are putting out their annual guesses about what will top this year’s “gotta have” lists — which basically amount to corporate tools that don’t mean all that much.

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Interview: Game Insight On Making Hay From Android Games

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[One Russian game company shares its story about finding success with the “freemium” model on Android, and how its Android revenue should be “much higher than [that of] social networks” in Asian territories.]

In today’s mobile gaming world, conventional wisdom says if you want to make money, the Apple App Store is the place to be. It is, after all, the birthplace of mega hits like Angry Birds, Tap Tap Revenge and Doodle Jump.

Android, however? Indie developers might make a few dollars, but no one’s getting rich off of it, right? Wrong. Game Insight, a Russian-based developer of social and mobile games is betting big on Android and is starting to see that bet pay off.

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Analysis: The Next Legal Threat For Game Makers

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New changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act could have a wide impact on the industry as traditional game makers enter emerging markets, according to Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris.

The video game industry has barely had time for the hangovers after this year’s Supreme Court victory celebration to wear off, but its next big legal challenge is already gaining strength.

While June’s high court ruling let developers rest easy about the content they put in games, many attorneys at the time warned that privacy issues, specifically as they relate to children, could be the next thing to watch for. Late last week, the Federal Trade Commission announced proposed changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) that could have a notable impact on many game makers.

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