| Phil Harrison warns Valve, Nvidia of hardware dangers Jan 11th 2013, 16:21 Microsoft corporate vice president and ex-Sony veteran welcomes new companies making hardware, but warns competitors it's a "really tough business." 
In the week that Valve finally confirmed a long-running rumour that it would attempt to enter the hardware business, Microsoft corporate vice president and ex-Sony veteran Phil Harrison has issued a cautionary tale for the Half-Life and Steam creators. Speaking about the raft of new microconsole announcements that came out of CES 2013, including Nvidia's Project Shield and the Xi3 Piston, Harrison said any company getting involved in the games industry is a good thing. "I think that any new entrant, without being specific to any company or brand or product, any new entrant into the games industry is ultimately a good a thing." But Harrison was also quick to remind of the problems facing any potential hardware manufacturer. "Entering the hardware business is a really tough business, and you have to have great fortitude to be in the hardware business, and you have to have deep pockets and a very strong balance sheet. It's not possible for every new hardware entrant to get to scale. "They can be successful at small scale. But it's very rare for a new hardware entrant to get to scale, and I mean tens, hundreds of millions of units. There are a very small number of companies that can make that happen. "And it's not just having a great brand or a great software experience. It's about having a supply chain and a distribution model and a manufacturing capacity and all the things that go with it. It's a non-trivial problem to solve and it takes thousands of people to make reality." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
|  | Blizzard raises $2.3 million for Sandy relief Jan 11th 2013, 15:49 Sales of World of Warcraft $10 Cinder Kitten pet going to American Red Cross' ongoing efforts to help those affected by October superstorm. 
After the hurricane, Blizzard came to help. The World of Warcraft developer raised more than $2.3 million from sales of an in-game pet to support the American Red Cross' ongoing Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, the company has announced. World of Warcraft's $10 Cinder Kitten went on sale in December, with Blizzard promising to donate 100 percent of proceeds towards helping victims of the superstorm that ripped through the United States' east coast in late October. Many communities are still feeling the effects of Sandy, including Atlantic City, New Jersey. The city's famous boardwalk was devastated by the storm and is not due to be restored until until Memorial Day at the earliest. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Cliff Bleszinski giving PAX East keynote Jan 11th 2013, 15:44 Former Epic Games design director to give "storytime" address at March gaming convention; Saturday, three-day passes sold out. Cliff Bleszinski will give the keynote "storytime" address at PAX East 2013. Penny Arcade's Jerry "Tycho" Holkins announced the news, saying the former Epic Games design director has "seen a lot of sh*t and is in a very good position to handle this format." Last year's PAX East keynote speaker was Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner. PAX East comes to Boston, Massachusetts March 22-24 this year. Saturday and three-day passes are entirely sold out. Bleszinski left Epic Games in October after 20 years. Since leaving the company, Bleszinski has visited the offices of Activision, Zynga, Double Fine, and Electronic Arts. He has also met with God of War and Twisted Metal designer David Jaffe and been courted by Ubisoft. In a December interview, Bleszinski said he intends to eventually open a new studio and get to work on a new intellectual property codenamed "Silverstreak." The longtime Gears of War designer explained that wants to redefine his career, saying "I don't really want just the whole chainsaw gun to be my legacy." In addition to announcing Bleszinski as the PAX East keynote speaker, Holkins also revealed the concert schedule for the now-annual event. Friday's lineup includes the Video Game Orchestra, Those Who Fight, and Protomen; while Saturday's schedule features Sam Hart, Frontalot, Jonathan Coulton, and Paul and Storm. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Skylanders series mints $500 million Jan 11th 2013, 14:52 Activision's toy and game franchise generates half a billion dollars in the United States alone since 2011. 
Activision's Skylanders toy and game franchise has generated $500 million in the United States alone since the series launched in 2011, Activision announced today, citing data from NPD Group. According to Activision, the Skylanders series reached the sales milestone faster than any other children's game property and even outsold action figure lines like Beyblades, WWE, and Stars Wars. Skylanders Giants, the sequel to 2011's Skylanders Spyro's Adventure, generated more than $195 million in 2012 US sales. This figure represents sales of accessory packs, action figures, and the games themselves. In addition, Activision claimed Skylanders Giants revenue surpassed the US box office sales for Disney's Wreck-It Ralph and DreamWorks' Rise of the Guardians. Toys 'R Us executive vice president and chief merchandising officer Richard Berry had high praise to give for the Skylanders series, saying in a statement that it is "one of the most innovative and exciting toy properties to hit the market." The Skylanders series is developed by Activision subsidiary Toys For Bob, which is based in Novato, California. For more on the franchise, check out GameSpot's review of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure and previous coverage of Skylanders Giants. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Skulls of the Shogun gets January release date Jan 11th 2013, 14:35 Samurai-themed turn-based strategy title is scheduled for a worldwide multi-platform debut with cross-platform functionality. 
Upcoming indie turn-based strategy game Skulls of the Shogun launches worldwide on January 30, developer 17-BIT has announced. The game will launch simultaneously on Xbox Live Arcade, Windows 8, Surface and Windows Phone, but the title will support cross-platform play. The XBLA version will be available for 1200 Microsoft points, while Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface counterparts will sell for $14.99, with the Windows Phone version being $6.99. Skulls of the Shogun sets turn-based strategy against a classic oriental backdrop. Beyond the 15-hour single player campaign, the game will boast four-player local and online multiplayer modes. The 'Skulls Everywhere' mode will allow for gameplay between any version of the game. "We're ecstatic we could bring Skulls to all four of Microsoft's platforms, and bring them all together with cross-platform functionality" said Jake Kazdal, 17-BIT founder and CEO. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Wii U fails to outsell its predecessor in December Jan 11th 2013, 14:07 Nintendo's newest sold 460,000 during month and made over $300 million in the US after 41 days on sale; New Super Mario Bros. U sold with over 65 per cent of Wii U's. 
Nintendo has celebrated the revenue-generating ability of its fledgling Wii U console in America, reporting the machine sold 460,000 units in December 2012, but the new device still struggled to keep up with the 475,000 sold by the original Wii in the same month. Nintendo reported that the total US sales for the Wii U are now close to 890,000 after 41 days on the market. Wii U has made over $300 million in the US, whereas the Wii had managed $270 million at this point in its lifetime. "While the Wii launch established new benchmarks in the United States, Wii U has surpassed its predecessor in perhaps the most important category: revenue generation," said Scott Moffitt, sales & marketing vice president at Nintendo. Nintendo does not mention that, at $300, even the basic Wii U package sells for more than the Wii's launch price of $250: if the Wii U was being sold for $250, the total revenue would be closer to $222 million, but the Wii U's performance was enough to help Nintendo's stock price rise 5.6 percent to close at ¥9,070 ($102). The deluxe Wii U SKU retails for $350 in America, and Nintendo reports that this package has been virtually sold out throughout the entire holiday season. "The demand for the Deluxe SKU, which was essentially sold out at retail this holiday, and the strong attach rate of New Super Mario Bros. U shows that we have the value and the games to drive momentum in 2013. We look forward to offering great new experiences and bringing smiles to millions of new faces throughout the year," added Moffitt. Nintendo also revealed that New Super Mario Bros. U has now sold over 585,000 units, giving it an attachment rate of more than 65 per cent. Overall, the publisher shifted 2.65 million hardware units in December 2012 - the 11th consecutive year that Nintendo has flogged over 8 million hardware units, and in a year hardware sales saw a 22 per cent plunge from 2011, according to the NPD Group. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Study: 89 percent of parents believe game violence a problem Jan 11th 2013, 14:07 Common Sense Media survey finds majority of parents nationwide have issues with levels of violence in games; 84 percent took issue with Hitman: Absolution ad. 
A new study commissioned by Common Sense Media has found that 89 percent of parents across the United States believe violence in today's video games is a problem. In addition, the survey concluded that 75 percent of parents found it difficult to shield their children from violence in media. As part of the study, parents were shown a video advertisement (below) for Hitman: Absolution, with 84 percent saying it was inappropriate to show on television during a time when children could see it. One question asked if parents thought violence in video games could lead to violence in the real-world, to which 75 percent responded saying yes, with 17 percent saying no, and 8 percent saying they were not sure. Another question on the survey asked parents if they thought violence in contemporary video games is a major problem, a minor problem, or not a problem at all. Forty-five said it was a major problem, 44 percent said a minor problem, 8 percent said not a problem at all, and 2 percent were not sure. Other highlights from the study included 60 percent of parents saying they "very closely" monitor the movies, video games, and music their children listen to with respect to violent content. Additionally, parents surveyed expressed faith in the movie and video game ratings systems, the MPAA and ESRB, respectively, with 68 percent saying the current systems do allow parents to make informed decisions about violent content. Common Sense Media and the Center for American Progress commissioned the study, which was performed by SurveyUSA on January 4 and January 5. A total of 1,050 parents with a child under the age of 18 living at home participated in the study. Respondents were selected at random and all participants heard the questions asked identically. The margin of error for the study ranged by question, scaling from ±1.6 percent to ±3.5 percent. US Vice President Joe Biden will meet with representatives from the video game industry today in Washington, D.C. as part of a wider task force aimed at examining the role of violent media in mass shootings. The discussion around violent media has been re-ignited in the wake of the December 14 schoolhouse massacre that left 20 elementary school students and six adults dead in Newtown, Connecticut. [ Watch Video ] hitman from SurveyUSA on Vimeo. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Minecraft series sold 15 million in 2012 Jan 11th 2013, 13:13 Mojang's indie game breaks records for developer; Pocket Edition most popular with 5.89 million copies sold during year. 
The Minecraft series had a record sales year in 2012. Developer Mojang has announced that total franchise sales for the game exceeded 15 million during the past year, with the Pocket Edition (iOS, Android) performing better than all others at 5,899,727 copies sold. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition was the next best-performing version during 2012, recording sales of 5,002,370. Notably, this is the newest version of the game, and has only been on sale since May 2012. Minecraft for PC and Mac brought up the rear for the year, selling 4,177,843 copies in 2012. A version of Minecraft for the Raspberry Pi credit card-sized computer is also in development. Below is a breakdown of 2012 Minecraft sales for each platform. Also included in the chart are Christmas Day and Christmas Week (December 24-30) sales for each version. Minecraft for PC and Mac
Christmas Day: 70,808
Christmas Week: 241,845
Total 2012: 4,177,843
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
Christmas Day: 100,416
Christmas Week: 325,591
Total 2012: 5,002,370
Minecraft: Pocket Edition
Christmas Day: 283,939
Christmas Week: 706,419
Total 2012: 5,899,727
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