Tag Archives: gamasutra

Telltale’s Dan Connors talks a new kind of freemium

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Telltale Games has never been a company to walk the well-beaten path. While publishers like Take-Two and THQ have run screaming from licensed content, Telltale has embraced it – and found profit in it. And while the PC is finally starting to become chic once again to some game makers, Telltale has always used it as the base of its operations.

So it makes an odd amount of sense that as the video game industry focuses obsessively on freemium and free-to-play games these days, Telltale is looking at the category with a slightly different perspective.

Read more at Gamasutra

Analysis: Will Harrison hire boost Microsoft?

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If Microsoft was looking to ratchet up the stakes in its ongoing battle with Sony, it sure managed to do so with Tuesday’s hiring of Phil Harrison.

In addition to filling the Redmond-based company’s quota of tall, bald game industry superstars, Harrison brings an insight into how things work at Sony that Microsoft has had to guess at for years. And, after being out of the spotlight for the past few years, he’s likely coming in hungry to make his mark.

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Jade’s Empire: Ubisoft’s Raymond looks forward

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Ubisoft Toronto managing director Jade Raymond has a lot to do in the next few months.

Her studio is about to formally unveil the latest installment of the Splinter Cell franchise. She’s hiring employees for the division at the blistering pace of about 12 per month. And, in just a few months, her second child is due. But the most interesting thing in her sights — career-wise, anyhow — is a bit more long term.

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iPad 3: On-site details on hardware, Namco and Epic partnerships

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While there weren’t any major surprises at Wednesday’s Apple event, that’s not slowing down the excitement among the Apple faithful for the new iPad.

Apple, as expected, rolled out its latest version of the popular tablet device Wednesday at a Gamasutra-attended event, showcasing a greatly improved display screen and the inclusion of 4G compatibility. And the device was supported by a pair of notable gaming companies.

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Gaming’s next legal hotbed

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Privacy is fast becoming a legal hotbed, and while it’s something that’s certain to impact traditional game makers in one form or another, it’s mobile developers who are increasingly finding themselves in the crosshairs.

It’s an election year. And despite 2011’s historic Supreme Court ruling, you really didn’t think video games were going to be dropped from the political agenda, did you?

As predicted, privacy is fast becoming a legal hotbed — and while it’s something that’s certain to impact traditional game makers in one form or another, it’s mobile developers who are increasingly finding themselves in the crosshairs.

Read more at Gamasutra

Sony and Valve: A tale of two hacking responses

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When Sony announced that customer data from its PlayStation Network was accessed by hackers, gamers and the media were furious. So why did Valve seem to get a pass under similar circumstances?

Like a lot of people in the gaming world, I got an interesting email from Gabe Newell last week.

The Steam hacking incident of last November, he said, was worse than they initially thought it was. And while there still was no direct evidence that credit card information had been accessed, a backup file containing that information (albeit encrypted) was obtained by the person or persons who had broken into the system.

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Zynga’s in the black – but for how long?

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While the gaming world was busy watching THQ implode last week, a funny thing happened in the background. Zynga began trading in positive territory.

Boosted by Facebook’s IPO filing, the social games maker finally escaped the mire of mediocrity it had been stuck in since its first day as a public company and began to grow. The question is: Is it a short-term surge or the start of a true growth curve?

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Analysis: What’s next for THQ?

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Troubled publisher THQ is massively reorganizing itself yet again, but is the elimination of its licensed kids’ games and 240 members of its staff enough to convince shareholders that the company means it this time?

The cloud hovering over THQ’s corporate head got a lot darker Wednesday – and the long-term forecast is pretty uncertain.

While there’s certainly nothing happy about 240 employees losing their jobs and it’s never a good sign when a CEO slashes his own salary, the actions could be the start of what THQ needs to do to ensure its long-term survival. But they may not be the end.

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How accurate are Madden’s Super Bowl predictions?

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While Electronic Arts has never let a good PR opportunity slip past, it might be a mistake to dismiss the company’s annual Super Bowl predictions. Gamasutra’s Chris Morris takes a look at Madden’s past results.

While Electronic Arts has never let a good PR opportunity slip past, it might be a mistake to dismiss the company’s annual Super Bowl predictions.

While the Madden prognostications are certainly a final attempt to move software before interest in the football category falls off a cliff until August, the game is eerily accurate when it comes to determining the winner of the big game.

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Opinion: How NFC tech could be Wii U’s saving grace

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From new ways to play Pokemon to new ways to pay for Pokemon, the Wii U’s newly-revealed NFC feature lays the groundwork for new business and gamplay opportunities for Nintendo and its partners.

Things haven’t been looking especially rosy for the Wii U over the past few months.

E3 crowds were interested in getting their hands on the company’s next generation console last June, but that’s fairly common for new gaming tech. For the rest of the world, the system didn’t seem to have a real hook they could sink their teeth into.

Read more at Gamasutra