It’s 
game over for a trio of popular video game websites.
Ziff Davis Media has announced plans to shut down 1UP.com, GameSpy.com and UGO.com to focus on its IGN and AskMen properties. The decision comes less than a month after the company purchased IGN from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
We certainly have 
no problem getting caught up in the fun of playing games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.
On the surface, giving your product away for free – especially if it has been a revenue generator for you for years – doesn’t make a lot of sense. But sometimes, that sort of radical move can be the kick in the pants aging games need to become relevant once more in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Case in point: Sony Online Entertainment, which may not have started the MMO trend, but certainly was the first to truly capitalize on it, has been spending a lot of time lately exploring the free-to-play business model, converting a pair of games that have historically charged monthly subscription fees. And the early trends are astonishingly encouraging.
We certainly have no 
problem getting caught up in the fun of playing games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.
Not too long ago, publishers tended to turn their noses up at social games. Mafia Wars? Poker? Sure, they were mild distractions to entertain people in-between status updates… but a viable economic force? No way! Then FarmVille took off — and the bubble began growing. Big-name developers and executives began defecting. And publishers began investing. Flash-forward to today: No one’s foolish enough to say social (or mobile) games are going to replace console releases anytime in the foreseeable future, but at the same time, no one’s foolish enough to consider the field an afterthought anymore, either.
Electronic Arts, of course, is the biggest publisher to immerse itself in the social network gaming waters. Between its 2009 acquisition of Playfish (which consisted of a $300 million offer with an additional $100 million earnout) and its buyout of PopCap earlier this year (for $750 million and additional earnouts that could ultimately push the price over $1 billion), EA’s not taking the new casual gaming movement lightly.
We certainly have no problem getting 
caught up in the fun of playing games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.
After being subjected to political and legal attacks for years, the gaming industry got one hell of a shield last month as the U.S. Supreme Court definitively stated “Video games qualify for First Amendment protection.” It was cause for celebration — for investors, for developers, and for gamers. But it hardly meant that the attacks were over… or less dangerous. For several publishers, a new fight is already looming.
“I don’t think this puts an end to it, ” says Dan Offner, a partner with law firm Loeb & Loeb, who specializes in the video game industry. “It may put a pin in it for a short period of time, but I see the regulation of mature content with respect to minors as a hot-button issue for the Federal Trade Commission and the various state governments. It’s the end of round one, but round two is about to start [and] I don’t see the industry getting a big breather.”
We certainly have no problem getting caught up in the fun
of playing games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.
At this point, we’ve all heard a lot of talk about who and what “won the show” at E3 Expo 2011 earlier this month. It is, in fact, one of the most common questions attendees ask each other. But in the big picture, it’s a question that’s a little shortsighted.
The video game industry is undergoing such a seismic shift these days (in terms of its fundamental business model), that focusing on a single company or title doesn’t give anyone an adequate look into the future. A hit game is nice, but long-term, publishers need to have a broader plan — and they need to have that on display.
We certainly have no problem getting caught up in the fun of playing 
games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.
Sony’s not in an enviable position these days. New data breaches are still coming to light after an unprecedented cyber-attack on the company’s online systems. Personal information for over 100 million user accounts is in the hands of possible identity thieves. And the company, after a seemingly endless series of public relations disasters, announced recently that it frankly didn’t know when the PlayStation Network would be fully operational once again — though it was hoping to achieve that by the end of May. Ultimately, this rollercoaster ride from hell has to come to an end. And believe it or not, that’s when the real hard work begins.
Certainly, rebuilding a complex network from the ground up and uncovering the carefully concealed tracks of a sophisticated hacker (or group of hackers) isn’t easy, but it’s goal-driven work that Sony has some semblance of control over. When it comes to repairing its reputation and restoring people’s faith in the company, Sony will encounter a flood of external factors — some fair, some unfair.
We certainly have no problem getting 
caught up in the fun of playing games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.
The king of the brick-and-mortar gaming world is finally embracing the digital. GameStop’s recent purchases of the Impulse digital distribution service and Spawn Labs streaming service won’t solve all of its problems, but it sets a course for the company as it prepares for the coming transition — and it gives investors some much needed clarity into GameStop management’s long-term thinking.
These days, GameStop sees annual digital revenues of $290 million from video games. As it expands, though, it expects those numbers to hit $1.5 billion by the end of 2014. “Our customers are beginning to consume games in a hybrid manner, both physical and digital, so we are becoming a hybrid company to meet their needs,” says Tony Bartel, president of GameStop. “Both of these programs are designed to sell more of the games we sell today.”
We certainly have no problem getting caught 
up in the fun of playing games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.
Change is on the way for casual games titan PopCap Games. The question is: What sort of change?
Investors in the video game space are hoping it will be the odds-on favorite: A public offering by the beloved independent game company. But with all the cash floating around the video game space these days, no one is ruling out a takeover.
GameSpy’s Sean Flinn tells Gamasutra editor-at-large 
Chris Morris about GameSpy Open Initiative, a new initiative that makes GameSpy’s online game tech available free of charge to small devs.
With its connected gaming technology already integrated into hit titles like Red Dead Redemption, Mario Kart Wii and Crysis, GameSpy is turning its sights to the independent game community.
The company has announced the GameSpy Open initiative, which will make its entire catalog of multiplatform online game technology available free of charge to small development studios. That will allow burgeoning game makers to offer services including cross-platform multiplayer, leaderboards, cloud data storage and community services (such as buddy lists and matchmaking).
We certainly have no problem getting caught up 
in the fun of playing games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.
Disneyland might be the happiest place on Earth, but at the game development studios of the theme park’s parent company… well, that’s a different story. Sweeping changes are underway at the studio behind Split/Second and Epic Mickey, as new management takes over and the company’s focus shifts. It’s a harsh reality of business — but it’s a frustrating one for gamers, since after years of struggling as an also-ran in the gaming world, Disney was finally showing some promise.
The situation at the so-called “Mouse House” is pretty grim for traditional game-makers. In late January 2011, hundreds were laid off in an ugly bloodletting at Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) and Disney’s Interactive Media Group (DIMG). And the terse statement that was released by the company hinted that another round could be on the way.
Chris Morris: Journalist 