News
56 CommentsCapcom cuts profits, blames decline in quality on overseas development
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Apr 18, 2013 04.18.13
Capcom cut their predicted profits for the current financial year by more than half, blaming the drop in part on a shift to digital media and the quality of games they had developed overseas, according to its recent financial report. A "concentration of AAA titles in the the hands of a few foreign competitors" also contributed to the company falling short of its fiscal year 2012 targets, according to the report. According to the company's analysis its "delayed response to the shift to digital media in the Home Video Game business" and a "decline in quality" in titles outsourced to overseas developers added to losses. While an "insufficient coordination between the marketing and game development divisions in overseas markets," also attributed the revisions to its initial forecast. The...
News
1 CommentHome creator Benjamin Rivers wants to make a psychological dating sim
By Emily Gera on Mar 28, 2013 03.28.13
Benjamin Rivers, the man behind indie horror game Home, has hopes to create a psychological dating sim, he told Joystiq. River's next game was based on a joke he originally made on Twitter, which described a new horror title with dating-sim elements. "I made a joke on Twitter like a month ago," Rivers explained, "where I was like 'Hey guys, if I did a horror game with a dating-sim element, would people play it?' and people were like 'Yeah!' Playing things like Mass Effect while finishing this game, playing Persona, that element of a really relationship-based game where you chase stuff like that, that's kind of my new jam." The new title will likely follow the same art style as Home — a two-dimensional, pixel-based game — and will psychologically influence the player, with the...
Feature
16 CommentsCommunity service: The story of Chicago's Indie City Arcade cabinet
By Andrew Hayward on Mar 14, 2013 03.14.13
The initial pitch The initial pitch If memory serves John Murphy, currently part of the Young Horses team at work on Octodad: Dadliest Catch, the idea for the Indie City Arcade first emerged in November 2010. Along with Jake Elliott, co-creator of Kentucky Route Zero, and local designer Ben Cabot, the trio envisioned a custom arcade cabinet housing original games, created in the mold of the Torontron and Winnitron units. While those efforts spawned from what the group perceived as more established indie development communities, Chicago was (and is) still very much a work in progress. "The Indie City Games group is about really trying to coalesce a group of indie game developers in Chicago, and that's still an ongoing project," says Elliott. Indie City Games is a collective...
News
6 CommentsTeenage cancer survivor creates social gaming network for young people in treatment
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Feb 15, 2013 02.15.13
A teenage cancer survivor has started a non-profit organization aiming to help children and teenagers in treatment connect with other patients through video games, reports The Huffington Post. Founder Steven Gonzalez was inspired to start the Survivor Games group due his "love for video games" and experience being treated at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital in Texas. Gonzalez was diagnosed with a form of leukemia five years ago with a two percent chance of survival. After undergoing chemotherapy and a double cord blood transplant he had to remain in a sterile environment for 100 days. While isolated, Gonzalez would play video games, and during that time built Play Against Cancer, a video game tailored to cancer patients. Gonzalez wrote that the program will utilize the "healing...
News
3 CommentsHome indie horror game headed to iOS and Mac in 2013
By Dave Tach on Dec 31, 2012 12.31.12
Home, indie developer Benjamin Rivers' retro-styled horror game released earlier this year for PC, is headed to iOS, Mac and possibly Android in 2013, according to an announcement from the developer. Rivers originally envisioned Home as an iPad game, but he didn't "have the chops to make it happen." Its PC version has sold over 100,000 copies since its June 2012 release. Due to the game's popularity and thanks to "a behind-the-scenes upgrade," Rivers is preparing the game for release on iOS and Mac. Home is on sale for $1.49 from its regular $2.99 on Steam, a 50 percent discount available until Jan. 5. You can hop over to the game's website to suggest other platforms, like Android which he's also considering. Be sure to check out out Polygon's review, which praised the game's...
Deals
3 CommentsSuper Shock Bundle contains 13 indie titles for $12.99
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Nov 24, 2012 11.24.12
The Super Shock Bundle, a collection of 13 indie titles including VVVVVV, Puzzle Bots and Cortex Command, will be available today only for a seven-hour time span, according to a post from Indie Statik. The bundle's page contains a countdown to the sale, which begins at 12 p.m. ET. It will include the following games: Deepak Fights Robots VVVVVV Swift*Stitch Little Gardens Puzzle Bots Starseed Pilgrim Probability 0 Home Captain Foraxian Cortex Command Thirty Flights of Loving Jottobots Offspring Fling Developer Michael Todd, creator of Electronic Super Joy, compiled the bundle. Titles available on Steam will come with keys, and each game is DRM free. Check out the Super Shock Bundle page here.
Deals
0 CommentsCapcom Store marks Black Friday and Cyber Monday with up to 75 percent off storewide
By Tracey Lien on Nov 21, 2012 11.21.12
Capcom is jumping on board Black Friday sales with its own special Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale that begins today and runs until midnight on Nov. 26. Between now and Nov. 26, everything in the Capcom Store, from games to collectibles and apparel, is discounted up to 75 percent off. In addition to this buyers receive an additional 20 percent off their entire order at checkout. All orders over $75 also come with free shipping (in the U.S. only). Discounts are not applicable to pre-order items. You can start shopping here.
News
5 CommentsUbisoft's Wii U plans include Uplay support, selling full retail games on eShop
By Brian Crecente on Nov 09, 2012 11.09.12
While Nintendo still hasn't fully detailed the workings of the Wii U's online network and store, speaking with Polygon earlier this week, the president of Ubisoft said his company plans to support both. The Nintendo Network, first revealed by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata days ago, will support third-party networks. Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot said that the company's goal is to have their Uplay online service on Wii U sometime after launch. "We hope to have a good connection with their systems because Nintendo has been very open to us and allowed us to use our systems to communicate with our customers," Guillemot said. Uplay is Ubisoft's digital distribution, multiplayer and achievement tracking system tied to all of the publisher's games. Guillemot said they hope that Wii...
'Halo 4' pre-release tournament to feature casting by professional Halo player and coach
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Sep 27, 2012 09.27.12
The pre-release professional tournament for Halo 4 set to take place in Dallas, Texas November 2nd through 4th will feature commentary from professional eSports player Dave Walsh and Halo coach Andy Dudynsky, sponsor Major League Gaming announced today. Beginning Friday, November 2nd at 1:30 p.m. MLG will broadcast an in-depth look at Halo 4 with Walsh and Dudynsky, including professional analysis of the game's new features. The pair will also interview participating teams and eSports personalities attending the event. Viewers will also get to watch the teams practice in informal scrimmages as they get their first hands-on experience with Halo 4. The tournament will take place on November 3rd and 4th, with teams competing in four-versus-four matches for a shot at $40,000 worth of...
'Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons' on XBLA is the first collaboration from Starbreeze and 505 Games
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Sep 27, 2012 09.27.12
Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons will be the first game from the partnership deal between Syndicate developer Starbreeze Studios and publisher 505 Games, and will be published to Xbox Live Arcade next year, the companies announced today. The game's teaser trailer, posted below, outlines its premise: two sons embark on a journey to find a cure for their father's mortal illness. The two must balance and overcome each other's strengths and weaknesses in order to find the "Water of Life" and bring it home. Starbreeze enlisted Swedish filmmaker Josef Fares to help with production for Brothers. "When I first visualised Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons I knew I wanted to combine the deep, engrossing storyline of a film with the physical experience of a video game, allowing players to...
