Tag Archives: gamasutra

Black Friday: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

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Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris has two Black Friday lessons: 1.) Never risk going to Walmart for Black Friday deals and 2.) People are definitely responding to video game sales this year.

Forget televisions and laptops. Judging by the fervor and numbers, Black Friday 2011 was all about video games. Unfortunately, thanks to a few boneheaded bargain hunters, it was a shopping day that would do nothing to help the industry’s image among mainstream shoppers.

Video game violence was all over the news this weekend, but it had nothing to do with Modern Warfare 3 or GTA. This time, it was the people buying games that were going postal.

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Opinion: Cutting Through The Hype On The ‘Xbox 720’ Rumors

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Looking at recent rumors of the Xbox 360’s successor supposedly poised to surface soon, Gamasutra’s Chris Morris explains why neither consumers nor publishers should really want a next generation at this point.

New consoles are one of the favorite topics of the rumor mill – and over the past couple of weeks, the system has been grinding out a seemingly endless stream of speculation and anonymously tipped whispers about the next generation.

Microsoft, specifically, has been in the spotlight, with several reports saying the company plans to unveil the Xbox 720 (or Xbox Next or whichever clever naming scheme you prefer) as early as next year – and perhaps release it before the next holiday sales rush.

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Dan Houser On How Rockstar Does It

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Rockstar Games co-founder and vice president of creative Dan Houser doesn’t spend a lot of time on the interview circuit, and you’ll almost never find him on a panel of industry experts. Instead, he prefers to let the company’s work do the talking.

In this rare interview, Houser outlines how the company makes its decisions — from booting Max Payne into the future to deciding not to give players much of a window into its games prior to their release. He also discusses lessons learned from Red Dead Redemption and the creative bible for the Grand Theft Auto series.

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Black Friday: The Pros And Cons For Game Companies

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In this analysis, Gamasutra editor Chris Morris asks if this year’s post-Thanksgiving Black Friday sales will provide a notable boost for the gaming industry, and if it will actually hurt the industry more than it helps.

As happens every year around this time, circulars advertising post-Thanksgiving “Black Friday” deals from major retailers are starting to leak online – and, as always, the gaming deals are pretty phenomenal.

A Wii for $100? Batman: Arkham City and Gears of War 3 for $30? It’s enough to tempt even the most cynical shoppers to bravely venture forth into the retail madness that is Black Friday.

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Analysts Mixed On Holiday Outlook

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With the holiday season fast approaching, analysts chime in with their game sales predictions, noting that the core gamer is “the demographic to watch this year” and examining the software battle for third place.

Gamers might be celebrating a horn of gaming plenty this holiday season, but it’s still up in the air if retailers will be cheering along.

The fourth quarter of 2011 has one of the most impressive lineups of titles in years. And it’s off to what seems to be a good start.Gears of War 3 sold 3 million copies in its first week. Battlefield 3 hit 5 million in that time. And the launch of Modern Warfare 3 will top that.

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Activision’s Skylanders Attracts Core, Kid Gamers Alike

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[Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg talks with Gamasutra about bringing new life to the Spyro series with Skylanders, and how the company’s toy-based approach with the game could pay off big.]

Over the course of its history, the Spyro the Dragon series has sold more than 20 million software units. But like any 13-year old franchise, it was getting a little long in the tooth – and had long since lost any qualities of a cutting-edge video game.

The October release of Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure has changed that, though. By combining physical action figures with a unique peripheral and a video game, the title has captured the attention of the mass market (and more than a few core gamers). While sales figures aren’t yet available, the game has buzz – often a critical factor in long-term success.

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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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