Tag Archives: gamasutra

Analysis: 2011 – The Year Of Publisher Screwups

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It’s only September, but 2011 already has no shortage of publisher screwups — Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris chalks it up to “growing pains” of the new age of digital gaming.

When gaming historians look back at 2011 sometime down the road, there’s going to be plenty to examine.

What might fascinate them most, though, will have nothing to do with the sustained decline in brick and mortar retail sales or the growing strength of digital distribution. It won’t even be the emergence of privacy issues. Instead, 2011 may well be remembered as the year publishers kept screwing up.

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Analysis: When Will The Law Of Gravity Apply To Call Of Duty?

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With the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 looking to set new industry sales records when it launches later this year, Gamasutra’s Chris Morris questions whether Activision’s behemoth franchise can keep it up.

Even if you slept through your high school physics courses, you’re probably pretty familiar with the concept of what goes up, must come down. And given how high up the Call of Duty franchise has gotten in the past few years, there’s a very vocal segment of the gaming world waiting for it to fall.

Part of that is this industry’s insatiable need to declare the leading publisher evil and wish them harm. Part of it is rooting for an underdog. But whatever the reason, it looks like despite all the bellyaching by Activision opponents, gravity’s not going to be pulling the franchise from orbit this year either.

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Analysis: Why Zynga’s IPO Might Be ‘Delayed’

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Reports this week that Zynga is holding off on its IPO are not “a sign of weakness or scandal,” according to Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris, who says it’d be reckless to go forward in current market conditions.

When reports crossed the wire Monday that Zynga might push back the launch of its initial public offering, the conspiracy theorists started buzzing. Later word that the SEC might play a role in the delay whipped ’em into a frenzy.

In fact, none of this was a sign of weakness or scandal. It was actually a sign that the folks running the business side of the game maker could a) read tea leaves and b) realize that early, enthusiastic investors might become confused, angry ones if a few things up weren’t cleared up.

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Behind The Scenes Of The Portal Proposal

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Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris goes behind the scenes with the developers and future groom behind the Portal 2marriage proposal mod that has swept the web this week.

Stephanie Harbeson – Stephy to her friends and loved ones – wasn’t what you would call a core gamer. Sure, she played her share of casual games and would always offer to play co-op when her boyfriend Gary Hudston got something new, but no title ever really captured her – until she tried Portal 2.

Suddenly, after five years of watching Gary play, she was playing with him – taking charge, in fact, and telling him where to go. For the first time, the pair had a game they both truly enjoyed.

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Opinion: The Revolving Door At Atari Approaches Terminal Velocity

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Can the latest round of executive hires turn Atari around with a focus on the fast-moving social gaming and digital space? Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at execs who’ve come and gone — and he’s skeptical.

With all due respect to the incoming executives at Atari, I really can’t understand why anyone in their right mind would take a high-ranking job with that particular publisher.

Sure, it’s a company that has proven almost Rasputin-like in its will to live, but it has also spent the last four years floundering – desperately searching for a viable business plan and hiring a slew of notable industry executives, only to see them racing for the exit in short order.

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Analysis: PlayStation Price Cut A Win For Some, A Threat For Others

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As Sony cuts the price of the PlayStation 3 for the first time in two years, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at the ramifications the move might have on Xbox 360 and Wii.

So the PlayStation 3 price cut we all suspected was coming at some point this year has finally been announced, and immediately implemented to boot. Now things are going to get interesting.

Sony’s $50 reduction, positioned as the exclamation point to their Gamescom press conference, will have reverberations throughout the industry over the next couple of months. Let’s take a look at some of the ripple effects.

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Opinion: Rovio $1.2B Valuation Push Ruffles Some Feathers

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[Is Rovio’s Angry Birds really more valuable than Grand Theft Auto? Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris argues that Rovio’s recent push for a $1.2 billion valuation is “somewhat ridiculous.”]

The absurdities of today’s venture capital market – and of investors hoping to ride those coattails to wealth – are multiplying at a staggering rate.

And the reported recent push by Angry Birds developer Rovio to seek funds that would value the company at $1.2 billion could indicate the bubble that has been building for some time in the tech space is reaching a dangerous size.

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Analysis: THQ Needs To Pick A Focus And Stick With It

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Following news of a reorganization at THQ, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris discusses what the company should now consider doing to “right the ship,” such as focusing solely on quality core and Facebook titles.

A few years ago, I came up with an analogy that envisioned the video game world as a high school. EA was the jock. Take-Two was the guy in the leather jacket who blatantly smoked at his locker. And THQ was the guy you wanted your sister to date.

These days, though, THQ’s role in that little drama has changed. Lately, the company has more closely resembled the kid whose attention deficit disorder is so paralyzing that he’s forced to enter special ed.

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Analysis: Take-Two Misses A Free Pass In Light Of NBA Lockout

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[In light of an NBA lockout, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris calls Take-Two’s optimistic outlook for NBA 2K12 “baffling,” arguing that the publisher missed a “free pass to lower expectations in a way investors would understand.”]

There was plenty of bad news in Take-Two’s earnings call Monday.

The company missed expectations – and managed to do so on a day where investors were already in panic mode. Duke Nukem Forever, the company said, was profitable, but the overwhelmingly negative reviews put a ceiling on that title’s earnings potential. And because of that stumble from the flat-topped king of the one liner, the company was forced to cut its forecast.

But the bad news was almost overshadowed by Take-Two’s baffling decision to maintain a downright optimistic outlook for this year’s NBA 2Ktitle, despite the dark clouds hovering over the real-world NBA.

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Analysis: The Upside To Releasing Vita In 2012

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[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at Sony’s recent decision not to release its Vita portable in the U.S. and Europe this year, seeing potential benefits to the company’s cautious approach.]

Given the early adopter mentality of the core gaming world, the disappointment over news that Sony’s PlayStation Vita wouldn’t hit U.S. or European stores until 2012 was hardly a surprise. As a group, we generally like to be the first to get our grubby mitts on the latest and greatest tech toys.

I won’t pretend to know the reasons for Sony’s decision to wait until next year – but whether the “delay” (which, of course, it wasn’t – since the company hadn’t actually confirmed a release date prior to Thursday) was intentional or due to circumstance, it’s hardly the disaster Wall Street is making it out to be. (The company’s stock was down 5 percent in midday trading.)

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