The Pokemon Company has issued a statement concerning hacked pokemon. (Polygon has the translated summary.) The site warns players that using hacks to acquire “illegal” pokemon may damage saved files, and runs counter to the spirit of the game. Neither the Pokemon Company nor Nintendo will restore saved games or fix corrupted data. They also advise cheaters that if they are caught they will be banned from participating in any official tournaments.
You’ll never beat Team Rocket with those black market pocket monsters!
Unity Technologies and Microsoft announced a strategic partnership yesterday at the annual Build Conference in San Francisco. Unity Pro software will be free for developers when their game is published through Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 or the Xbox One.
In addition, Unity will develop tools for the Xbox One entertainment system, including support for many next-generation features such as enhanced Kinect gestures and recognition, multiplayer matchmaking, SmartGlass and the unlimited power of the cloud.
Man, that cloud! It’s got unlimited power!
Current licensees of Unity Pro will receive a free upgrade for the Windows Store Add-on when it becomes available later this year.
Unity software has been used to develop thousands of games for the PS3, PC, Xbox 360, and mobile platforms.
Sharing is caring, right? We’ll see how much Steam Workshop contributors learned from their preschool purple dinosaur friend thanks to Valve’s latest update. Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2 content creators can now use nifty sliders to give a portion of the item revenue to various communities and individuals.
When submitting an item to the Team Fortress 2 or Dota 2 Workshop, item creators can select from a list of companies, organizations, or individuals to receive a portion of revenue from that item’s sales.
The contribution will be made from a set percentage that is redirected from Valve to the toolmakers, not taken from the item creator’s royalty.
If you purchased anything from the Humble Bundle store, then you’ve got a good idea of how the new Workshop sliders work. It’s almost like a minigame on its own! Should these guys get this much or less? Should I scooch the slider to the right a wee bit more?
Suggestions for additions to the compensation lists can be given to Valve for consideration via the official discussion boards.
Electronic Arts’ Origin service launched in 2011 and while many gamers bemoaned the entry of another PC software client to purchase and launch games, the service has proven successful with over 10 million registered users. EA’s EVP Andrew Wilson spoke to GamesIndustry International and explained that he sees the future of Origin as more than just a PC-exclusive storefront.
Making EA games better is the core that Origin needs to embrace and expand on, Wilson believes. “What you’re going to see from us is to have a real focus on that, and a focus on getting that right and getting that better, and getting it done for PC. Then figuring out in the context of other platforms, what does that mean?” Wilson asked. “You don’t want a service that competes with other platforms like Microsoft or Sony or iOS. You don’t want a competitive service to them, what you want is a complementary service that enhances your game experience irrespective of where you made the transaction. That’s the shift you’re going to see from us.”
Speaking to the TheAListDaily, Wilson expanded on his vision for Origin.
“With all honesty, our focus right now is on the underlying service provision. The nature of the transaction, the nature of the business model that drives that transaction, will likely change a hundred times in the next three years. But the desire of gamers to get access to their games easily, simply, seamlessly, consistently, will not change. The desire for gamers to connect with their friends and know where there friends are playing at any given time will not change. The desire for gamers to have their experience enhanced by virtue of services that automatically update their games, that allow them chat, VOIP, Skype, whatever it might be that’s part of that, that won’t change. All of the other ancillary stuff about transaction and business models likely will. Our focus has to be on building a service that doesn’t change based on what those ancillary things that change around them.”
Wilson acknowledged that price is a factor for gamers, but reiterated that he intends on building value through the service.
Index Corporation, the parent company of Atlus, has filed for “civil rehabilitation” for bankruptcy protection. Polygon has the english summary of the original filing. They owe roughly $224 million to creditors.
Index Corporation states that its previous attempt to acquire businesses targeted at both domestic and international interests did not work as planned, while overseas acquisitions was particularly unsuccessful in creating the necessary increase in revenue to justify the purchase.
Atlus, most recently known for publishing Catherine, Dragon’s Crown, and the Game of Thrones RPG, has been in business since 1986. Index specified in their filing that Atlus is their most desirable holding and is optimistic that they will be able to restructure and continue.
One of the big barriers for indie games on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console is the fee they assess for every patch after the first one. We wrote about how it holds back developers and could be an issue for the upcoming Xbox One. According to Eurogamer, multiple sources have told them that Microsoft has changed that policy and no longer charges a fee to upload patches on the current console.
There are caveats, we understand. If a developer is deemed to be making an excessive number of re-submissions due to an update failing certification, for example, Microsoft reserves the right to issue a charge. But the changes should make critics of Microsoft’s closed platform happier – and align the Xbox ecosystem more closely with the likes of Steam.
The original policy was meant to be an incentive to developers to finalize their games before submission for Xbox certification. Hopefully, the policy update will carry forward to the Xbox One.
IGN has confirmed that id Software President Todd Hollenshead has left the company.
“After many years with the studio, Todd Hollenshead decided to leave id Software to pursue other personal interests,” Bethesda’s Pete Hines told us. “While Todd was not part of the development teams, he was an integral part of id Software’s success as the business head of the studio and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
Hollenshead had been with id since 1996 when he came on as CEO. His title was changed to President after the 2009 buyout by ZeniMax.
Speaking to GamerZines, lead content designer Mike Zadorojny revealed that ArenaNet’s goal is to add free content updates to Guild Wars 2 every two weeks.
“Our goal is that as we do this, we’re getting better and better at it. We’re starting to catch the bigger mistakes that we would’ve missed earlier on. We’re starting to build the infrastructure, the framework and the tools to help us do this because we really think that this is the longevity of the product.”
“If we can push this, if we can add content every two weeks that is engaging to the players, then really it’s almost like a TV show at that point. It’s kind of stay tuned until next week for the thrilling conclusion of… That’s where our goal is, and it’s really fascinating when you have an entire studio dedicated to pulling off.”
ArenaNet also said that the in-game Gem Store results in a “constant” revenue stream for the game.
One of the hardware differences between Sony’s PS4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One consoles, is that the PS4 does not come with a camera accessory while the Kinect is included with the Xbox One. IGN reports that Sony sacrificed the PlayStation Camera’s inclusion with the basic hardware to bring down the price of the console.
According to multiple sources, in the months leading up to E3, Sony nixed plans to include the camera add-on with every system and shave $100 off its originally planned price of $499. Most importantly, it did so quietly, informing its retail partners only of the removal of the camera, not specifying the lower price so as not to tip its hand to Microsoft.
The absence of the camera in the PS4 box means that customers will have to buy the $59.99 accessory to push software developers to support its use. The PS4’s DualShock controller still has some integrated Move technology including LED lights that are used by the camera to track its position. Sony has said that even without the camera, the LEDs can be used to denote which controller goes with which player, and as status indicators. For example, taking hits in a shooter could result in a flashing light. These uses are limited however by the fact that the light is on the front of the controller, facing away from the player.
Sony’s PS4 console will launch at $399. The Xbox One will be $499. For many people, that price difference will be the first consideration in their decision of which console to buy for the next-gen. Activision’s Eric Hirshberg told GamesIndustry International that Microsoft will have to prove that the price difference is justified.
It’s up to them to win the value argument. If you do a focus group of a gazillion people and you show them two prices for two competitive products, 100 percent always prefer the lower price. I think from a first impression standpoint the win goes to Sony, at least as it relates to pricing. Microsoft is going to have to win the hearts and minds and convince people that the higher price point is worth it, and that it provides really meaningful capabilities that will be meaningful to consumers. And it’s a long game, so I am sure that’s what they intend on trying to do.
Hirshberg believes Microsoft faces a similar value challenge with regards to the inclusion of the mandatory Kinect sensor with the Xbox One.
Another month, another Sims 3 add-on. Island Paradise adds houseboats and beach resorts. Intriguing, but that doesn’t necessarily make me want to jump back into The Sims 3. This, however, does:
…players can snorkel and scuba dive beneath the sea where they will discover an aquatic world filled with sea life, collectibles, caves and sunken treasure. Underwater explorations can lead to many new adventures including befriending mermaids, spotting legendary sea monsters and potentially life-threatening encounters with sharks.
Island Paradise is out today for $40. Yep, $40. With that kind of money, you could buy both Spiderman and Iron Man in Marvel Heroes. You could download about half of the DLC available for Company of Heroes 2. You could buy a copy of XCOM for the iPad and still have a little money left over. I’m downloading Island Paradise as I type this.
Man, Australians get no fun. Yesterday, we reported that Saints Row IV had been refused by the Australian Classification Board. Today, word comes from developer Undead Labs that its open-world zombie survival game has also been given the dreaded “Refused Classification” judgment effectively banning it for sale in the territory.
We’ve run afoul of certain prohibitions regarding the depiction of drug use. We’re working with Microsoft to come up with options, including changing names of certain medications in the game to comply with ratings requirements. Whatever our path forward, it’s going to take a bit.
I know this is frustrating – believe me, we’re frustrated too – but each country has the right to set its own rules about content, and it’s our responsibility to comply with them. Rest assured we’ll do everything we can to find a way to get the game into your hands. Stay tuned.
Polygon was able to confirm via Board documents that self-medication seems to have been the objectionable content that resulted in the refused rating.
Cameron Booth, a graphic designer and illustrator, has accused Naughty Dog of appropriating his redesign of the Boston MBTA Transit map from 2012 and used it in The Last of Us. In this Tumblr, Booth alleges that the game developer used his map in their game without securing prior permission or compensating him for his work.
“For a software developer – especially a big developer working on a blockbuster title like this – to casually appropriate someone else’s work and incorporate it into their game without any discussion with the owner of that work is completely unacceptable. (Not to mention hugely ironic, as the software industry is always complaining about piracy of their work.)
Naughty Dog seems to have known that they couldn’t use the official map without paying a hefty license fee, so it looks like they just went on the internet and found another one. Cos, you know, images on the internet are free for anyone to use, right? Not.
To be clear: at no point have Naughty Dog contacted me about using my intellectual property (this visual representation of the Boston rapid transit network) in their product.
To be even more clear: if you want to use my work commercially, payment before usage is required. If you’re making money from your product, then you can pay me for my work as well.”
Naughty Dog has not responded to the accusation at this time.
UPDATE: Cameron Booth removed his earlier blog post (reprinted above) and noted that he spoke to Naughty Dog representatives via phone and they “acknowledge their error” and that “matters will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.”
Sorry, Aussies! You won’t be getting the same Saints Row goodness the rest of the world will see. Australia’s newly revamped Government Classification ratings system, which now allows for adult rated “18+” videogames, has issued a Refused Classification rating for Volition’s upcoming Saints Row sequel. Being refused means that the title cannot be sold in the country. GamesIndustry International reports that the ratings board objected to the moral content of the game.
“Saints Row IV, includes interactive, visual depictions of implied sexual violence which are not justified by context. In addition, the game includes elements of illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards. Such depictions are prohibited by the computer games guidelines.”
Volition and publisher Deep Silver said they are reworking elements of the game for resubmission to the board. Saints Row: The Third was given a MA 15+ rating under the old system.
Reuters reports that Microsoft is bringing Age of Empires to mobile platforms. The mobile version of the game is being developed by KLab and will come to iPhone and Android before the Windows Phone version.
Microsoft did not explain why the game is coming to other mobile devices before its own Windows Phones. A Microsoft spokesperson did say that there were no further announcements at this time of other Microsoft-licensed titles being released on competitor’s platforms.
Age of Empires II HD (pictured) was released on Steam in April.
