Tag Archives: gamasutra

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: 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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Sony Tells Dev Partners PlayStation Store To Return May 24

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Barring any additional problems, Sony plans to bring the PlayStation Store back online next Tuesday, May 24, according to a memo sent to the console’s publishing partners.

The company has sent a tentative publishing schedule to partners detailing when their games, expansions and other releases will become available to players. In the memo, obtained by Gamasutra, Sony unveils plans to do two content pushes per week for the next two weeks to catch up with the backlog of content.

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Opinion: Kinect Succeeds In Spite Of Itself

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[Gamasutra’s Chris Morris looks at how Microsoft’s Kinect has found success despite some shortcomings, and how a well-executed plan for the device is needed, as “the novelty will only take it so far.”]

You’d have to be a fool to argue that Microsoft’s launch of Kinect was anything but a success. With sales of the peripheral already topping 10 million (setting a Guinness record for the “fastest selling consumer device” in the process), it’s one of those rare items that have actually surpassed people’s expectations.

But the more time I spend with Kinect, the more it occurs to me how Microsoft inadvertently followed in Apple’s footsteps with the device – finding tremendous success in a new gaming area despite not knowing exactly what it was doing.

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Opinion: The Video Game-Home Video Disconnect

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[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at the odd disconnect between video games and the film industry, discussing the ins-and-outs of “transmedia”, and how publishers could potentially take advantage of the system.]

Video games and Hollywood have always been the Woody Allen and Soon-Yi of the entertainment world. They’re together forever, but the fit has always been an odd one — and a little creepy at times.

Yet, for all the talk of film and video game synergy, you don’t see a lot of real world applications. Typically, the drill goes something like this: Studio wants to extend the reach of its upcoming nerd-friendly film; reaches agreement with game publisher; crappy game ensues (usually due to severely restricted development windows).

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Opinion: Why The Next 12 Months Could Make Or Break EA

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As EA promises a more aggressive stance on talent acquisition, owned IP and digital models, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris analyzes where the company could succeed, and where it might fail.

Electronic Arts investors had a lot to cheer about Wednesday afternoon in the company’s earnings call. Not only were revenues and earnings per share higher than expected, but CEO John Riccitiello also declared a shift to a more aggressive stance on several fronts.

Shareholders, who have stuck with the company through its long rebuilding process, may have sighed with relief, but it’s still a little early to declare ‘all is well’ at EA. The coming fiscal year could be critical in determining the future course of the publisher.

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Opinion: Sony’s Communication Problem

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Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris questions Sony’s handling of recent events, including the confusion surrounding the production of the PSP Go, and the ongoing outages with its PlayStation Network.

One of the greatest things about the internet era is the ability to learn news faster than ever before. The downside to that is that partial truths sometimes get mixed in with facts.

Often times, that’s the fault of the media – especially the news corps of the video game world, which very often follows a herd mentality, echoing each other’s stories without doing their own investigation. But as the fate of the PSP Go has been bandied about this week, Sony only has itself to blame.

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