Gamasutra News

The tricky balance of virtual items

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:43:00 -0500

In Gamasutra's latest feature, Certain Affinity's Tim Fields and Portalarium's Brandon Cotton describe the design of virtual items, writing that "In-game items need to be considered in terms of the degree to which they alter gameplay for the user." The article is an excerpt from the duo's book Social Game Design: Monetization Methods and Mechanics. One major category is functional improvements, the pair write. "There are many types of goods that can grant a functional ...

Sony reveals LittleBigPlanet Karting in development

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:39:00 -0500

Newsbrief: Following rumors earlier this week, Sony has now confirmed that Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet platformer franchise is set to receive a racing spinoff title. The company confirmed the existence of LittleBigPlanet Karting via Twitter, noting that the game is currently in development, and that information regarding the game is due to be divulged soon. No details regarding platforms or release window have yet been announced. Earlier this week, a tweet from U.S. retailer FutureShop suggested ...

Sony's credit rating downgraded following Q3 losses

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:02:00 -0500

Financial services company Standard & Poor's has further downgraded its corporate credit rating for Sony following third quarter losses from the company. Last November, Standard & Poor's put Sony on a negative credit watch and placed its 'A-' long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured debt rating on the company, as Sony was due to post significant annual losses. Now the financial company has downgraded that rating even further, as a result of Sony posting a ...

Namco Bandai forms dedicated game development studio

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:45:00 -0500

Namco Bandai is set to form a new Japanese studio that will focus on all the company's future game development, with the aim to optimize its production of existing and new IP. Namco Bandai Studio, due to be formed on April 2 and located in Shinagawa, Tokyo, will be responsible for the Tekken, Soul Calibur, Taiko Drum Master, Tales and Gundam franchises, as well as all other existing Namco Bandai game series. It will also ...

Google+ still trying to find suitable user control balance for games

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:27:00 -0500

Google is being careful regarding how it integrates games into its Google+ social network, as it does not want users to feel as though they are being spammed with game requests from friends. The company first launched a select number of social games for the platform in August last year, but it is still limiting the number of developers that have permission to develop for it. Speaking at the Inside Social Apps conference in San ...

Skyrim wins big at 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:07:00 -0500

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has announced the winners of its 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, with Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim taking home multiple awards. The AIAS is a not-for-profit organization that celebrates creativity in video games worldwide. The IAA ceremony took place last night as part of the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit. Skyrim won a total of five awards, including Game of the Year, while both PlayStation 3 hit Uncharted 3 ...

Strong Tales of Xillia sales help Namco Bandai to Q3 profits

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:47:00 -0500

Namco Bandai has posted financial results for the third quarter of the current fiscal year, noting an increase in both revenue and profits year-over-year. The company's Content Business, which houses its arcade machine division and its video game division, saw overall revenues increase compared to last fiscal year. In particular, the company noted that Tales of Xillia sold more than 760,000 copies, while Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. sold 550,000 units. Other notable sales figures ...

In-depth: Component granularity

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:18:00 -0500

[In this reprinted #altdevblogaday in-depth piece, former KmmGames senior game programmer Michael Carr-Robb-John explains component granularity and how it can be useful in improving code.] In one of my previous post (The Game Entity - Part III, Components), I touched on the subject of component granularity as being something to keep an eye on. Since the post, I have had a few discussions where there has been some confusion about what is meant by component ...

Road to the IGF: Lucky Frame's Pugs Luv Beats

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:15:00 -0500

[In the latest in our "Road to the IGF" series of interviews with 2012 IGF finalists, Gamasutra speaks with Lucky Frame's Yann Seznec about his team's 2012 IGF Excellence in Audio nominee Pugs Luv Beats.] In the tradition of music composition games like SimTunes, Lucky Frame's Pugs Luv Beats is an addictive iOS title that has you creating songs as you guide creatures around a map, making increasingly complex melodies as you progress and are ...

DICE 2012: Blizzard's Pearce on World Of Warcraft's launch hangover

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 20:30:00 -0500

Talking alongside Insomniac's Ted Price and Epic's Mike Capps during the DICE executive summit in Las Vegas, Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce discussed the amazing launch of World Of Warcraft and the growing pains the company has dealt with ever since. In a wide-ranging panel, Pearce noted that the Blizzard team now includes an eye-opening 4,700 employees, across 11 cities. Although the majority of these are customer support-related, there are 750 workers directly in product development ...