The Business Side of Video (Space) Games EXCLUSIVELY ON IDLE THUMBS

[tegan]

GOG is starting some sort of Steam alternative.

 

 

 

This video would be a lot more convincing if it didn't sound like the audio was pulled from one of the Transformers movies.

[Twig]

Yeah that was announced a while ago, but as of yet has not come to fruition? (Less confident about the second half of that sentence. Don't really follow GOG anymore now that they care less about old games, which was all I want from them.)

[JonCole]

Man, I think GOG deserves it but man do I really not feel like I need another game client. GOG has benefits that makes me buy games from their store despite being invested in Steam, but I'm not jazzed about the idea of a platform. That said, I have both Origin and UPlay installed on my PC so I guess my money isn't necessarily where my mouth is.

[feelthedarkness]

yeah, i'm not super sure i need another thing, though i'll support them, and buy CDPR games through it. i appreciate their somewhat more narrow store, compared to steam.

[Bjorn]

Unless things changed, the client is intended to be completely optional?  That was how I originally understood it.  But a lot of GOG users really wanted a client to provide some of the similar functionality that the Steam client provides.

[JonCole]

It's a downloader + launcher + social platform (achievements + chat, looks like). I guess that's harmless enough, though they already had a downloader + update tool thing.

[Henroid]

As long as those kind of tools are optional, I wouldn't mind them existing.

 

Though personally speaking, I'm not bothered by that stuff unless the program is somehow invasive / malware-esque in its operation (that stupid Panda thing you're forced to install for a lot of F2P games), or SUPER bloated in resource use (iTunes, Chrome). I can otherwise ignore buttons in my tray next to the clock.

[Henroid]

NPD data for September is in!

 

So! It's that magical time again where we see numbers meaning things or being twisted to mean things.

 

Software is down year over year, hardware is up. Software performed as predictably as possible; Destiny, Madden, FIFA, and Smash Bros topped the chart (in that order). Though if I remember right, Smash Bros. only has two days of sales data included so the October numbers for it will be better.

 

What's more interesting is what's going on with the hardware numbers (especially when pitted against the software).  PS4 sales apparently tripled what they did in August. According to one source, that makes it 550k for the month of September but the source doesn't explicitly say it's sales volume (it could be shipping I suppose). The 3DS lost 40% year of year, but again, Smash Bros and the holidays could turn that around. The Wii U has a near 50% bump over the month of August; not that results in super huge numbers but they could use it (Bayonetta and Smash Bros Prime should help it a lot more).

 

Microsoft numbers don't appear to be available, which is bad news if you're a shareholder I guess (but I mean, popular-reception wise the XB1 is doing at least okay in sales). They do have a PR statement just talking about how the holiday season will be rad, bundles-wise, but that's just fluff talk.

 

Here's the NeoGAF link for links for data and such: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=913741

 

OH! Almost forgot. PS+ subscribers have nearly doubled since Destiny launched.

[Bjorn]

Jade Raymond is leaving Ubisoft, for destinations unknown.

[Bjorn]

Apparently tweeting death threats at Gabe Newell is a bad idea if you're a developer.

[Dewar]

Well, they obviously have his contact info so he's lucky that they didn't hand it over to the police.

[Henroid]

Hey guys guess who's the new CEO at Unity?

 

[elmuerte]

Is it's Derek Smart?

[Henroid]

It's John Riccitiello! The legend continues.

 

Microsoft is already tipping its hand in its plans for Minecraft: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/228606/The_first_inklings_of_what_Microsoft_will_do_with_Minecraft.php

Spencer alluded to the fact that the various versions of Minecraft for console, PC, and mobile offer different experiences, and said that he and Matt Booty, GM of the company's Redmond game studios and platforms, are talking about how to "bring that whole system together a little more."

That's the first suggestion that the direction of Minecraft will be driven from outside Mojang, though Spencer was quick to downplay that, saying, "I think we earn permission to do other things with Minecraft when we meet the Minecraft community's desires around what the franchise is."

 

The PS4 has outsold the XB1 by about 40% world-wide. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/228599/Report_PlayStation_4_has_outsold_Xbox_One_by_over_40_worldwide.php

 

There's also a blog post saying that bundles may be a bad thing to get involved in.

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RichardHillWhittall/20141023/228442/Bundles__Approach_with_your_Eyes_Open.php

[Bjorn]

Neat! The Internet Archive is expanding its gaming section to include 900 classic coin-op games. I'm glad to see more work being done to preserve gaming history in legal and open ways.

[SecretAsianMan]

Microsoft filed a trademark for Battletoads.  What could it mean?  They responded to IGN with "Microsoft often acquires various trademarks as part of its ongoing business strategy, but beyond that we have no comment."  Do I dare hope?  Despite being hard as shit I still liked the Battletoads games for being super wacky and bizarre.  I would play a new one.

[Bjorn]

Playing Battletoads in co-op with my older brother is one of my favorite gaming memories from being a kid. Even though I don't think we ever got past the hover bike level. But I don't know about them bringing it back. It feels like a series that belongs solely in the 90s and is unlikely to work right now.

[SecretAsianMan]

Playing Battletoads in co-op with my older brother is one of my favorite gaming memories from being a kid. Even though I don't think we ever got past the hover bike level. But I don't know about them bringing it back. It feels like a series that belongs solely in the 90s and is unlikely to work right now.

 

You are probably right but I'd still play it.

[Merus]

It feels to me like they're either registering it defensively because they own it, or they're renewing it in preparation for an emulated re-release. I think a new Battletoads is very unlikely.

[SecretAsianMan]

It feels to me like they're either registering it defensively because they own it, or they're renewing it in preparation for an emulated re-release. I think a new Battletoads is very unlikely.

 

I also doubt anything will come of it, but I can dream.

[tegan]

[Justin Leego]

Obviously they're going to end up as a Minecraft skin at some point or another now

 

Hasbro wouldn't give them the Turtles license so they were all "fine, we don't even need it"

[Henroid]

Honestly it could be squatting on the trademark so that nobody else can use it. Right now Microsoft is losing the nostalgia and trendy wars in the business.

[Henroid]

So in the way of things people in the industry say that are kinda awesome and maybe uncalled for, Sony's (of America) CEO & President said the following:

 

'We coexist' with the industry... but we're crushing Microsoft.

I guess it's earned?

 

Anyway I've been slacking in keeping up with business news. There is an article at Gamasutra about a talk that will be given at GDC, focusing on developing games as a service.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/230342/Development_realities_of_games_as_a_service_revealed_at_GDC.php

 

Which is a freaky thing because the other day I was arguing with people lamenting WoW's connection problems that it's a service they're paying for that will have problems now and again, not a ripoff from the grocery store or something. I said it without thinking about what that implies and looking back I feel kinda gross.

[Bjorn]

Apple (along with an earlier Google decision [i think]) has changed the button on the App store from "Free" to "Get".  Small, but subtle change.  I wonder if it has an effect?