| Tera going free-to-play Jan 9th 2013, 16:50 New "Rising" version of MMO to be available without subscription fee next month with no level cap or content restrictions for new players. 
En Masse Entertainment's massively multiplayer online role-playing game Tera is going free-to-play next month when it re-launches at Tera: Rising. The new version of the game will not require a subscription fee and new players will not face any content restrictions or a level cap. Though Tera: Rising will be available to play for free, players can use real-world money to purchase various items on an a la carte basis from the in-game marketplace. Past and current Tera subscribers will be awarded permanent "founder" status, which carries numerous exclusive privileges. Those who pay $15 per month for "Elite" status will be granted extra dungeon rewards, 10 bonus quests per day, a daily delivery of items and boosts, an elite mount, in-game store discounts, and waived brokerage registration taxes. A detailed breakdown of Free-versus-Founder-versus-Elite status benefits can be found at the official Tera website. To coincide with the free-to-play business model switch for Tera, new in-game content will be made available. This includes a wave-based dungeon called the Crucible of Flame and a PvP battleground map called Champions' Skyring that "introduces a new way for players to test their skills against each other." Tera is the latest MMO to drop its subscription fee, following Lord of the Rings Online, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, EverQuest II, Aion, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Bethesda has not said if its upcoming MMO The Elder Scrolls Online will carry a subscription fee, though consultant Nicholas Lovell believes the game will launch with a subscription before going free-to-play. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
|  | Major layoffs at Majesco UK - Report Jan 9th 2013, 16:04 Zumba Fitness publisher said to have enacted substantial round of layoffs at Brockhampton, United Kingdom office. 
Zumba Fitness publisher Majesco Entertainment has enacted a round of major staff layoffs at its Brockhampton, United Kingdom branch, GamesIndustry International reports. No official word has come from the publisher yet and inquiries to the company have not been returned. This news follows the reported closure of Majesco's social game studio in Foxboro, Massachusetts last week. That studio reportedly employed around 13 developers, though Majesco has yet to confirm this studio closure. Earlier this week, Majesco announced a new partnership with Disney Interactive that will see the company developing a game based on cartoon Phineas and Ferb. The project is due out in August 2013 for retail consoles and gaming portables like smartphones and tablets. Majesco will report its fiscal fourth quarter and full year earnings Monday, January 14 where more information regarding recent developments may be discussed. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | N.J. Gov: violent games must be examined Jan 9th 2013, 15:34 Republican Chris Christie says reducing gun violence in US will take a comprehensive effort that includes parents speaking with children about violent games. 
Reducing gun violence in the United States will take a comprehensive effort that includes parents discussing violent video games with their children. Speaking to CBS This Morning today, Republican New Jersey governor Chris Christie said he forbids violent games from entering his household. "We've got to talk about violence in these video games," Christie said. "I have four kids at home; I don't allow Call of Duty or these other [violent] games in. We have to start talking about that as parents." Talking about gun control is not enough, Christie added. He said the subject of mental illness, which carries a stigma in the US, must also be discussed in the wake of last month's deadly elementary school shooting in Newton, Conn. "You look at what happened in Connecticut; that young man was obviously mentally ill," Christie said. "He needed to be getting treatment, and I think there's such a stigma about mental illness and mental illness treatment in our country because we don't talk about it. It's an illness just like anything else." In addition to addressing violent games and mental illness, Christie said if gun violence in the US is to be reduced, substance abuse and its link to violence must be put under the microscope. The governor pointed out that a woman in Camden, NJ decapitated her infant child and then killed herself when she was high on crack. "So talk about all of it," Christie said. "I think we need to do things in all four of those categories." Violent video games have been the subject of much discussion following the schoolhouse massacre in Connecticut last month that left 20 children and six adults dead. NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre stated in December that violent video games are partially to blame for the shooting rampage. West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller also entered the discussion when he introduced a Bill to Congress that would direct the National Academy of Sciences to investigate how violent games and other such programming affect children. Additionally, US Vice President Joe Biden will meet with representatives from the video game industry this month to discuss the role of violent games as part of a wider task force looking into the role of violent media in mass shootings. The task force is also set to look at access to mental health and disability services, and meet with parent, teacher, and education groups. Biden will also meet with representatives from the NRA, victims' groups, hunting groups, and gun owners to discuss possible policy changes to reduce gun violence, including proposed legislation to ban assault rifles. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | MLB 2K13 due March 5 Jan 9th 2013, 14:53 2K Sports bringing baseball sim to Xbox 360 and PS3 later this year; $1 million Perfect Game challenge also returning. 
MLB 2K13 will be on store shelves March 5 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, 2K Sports announced today. The game's existence had been in question, as 2K Sports parent publisher Take-Two Interactive's deal with Major League Baseball was reportedly due to expire at the end of 2012. According to today's announcement, Take-Two has reached a new agreement with Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, and Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Terms of this deal were not disclosed. “We“d like to thank our league partners for their support in helping us reach an agreement to bring back MLB 2K,“ said 2K Sports vice president of marketing Jason Argent in a statement. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price was chosen as the cover athlete for MLB 2K13. Price was the 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner, posting a 20-5 record and a league-topping 2.56 ERA. Also returning for MLB 2K13 is the Perfect Game Challenge, which carries a $1 million cash prize. This year, a new contest format will be introduced with "exciting ways to win." These were not detailed, though 2K Sports said additional details on the contest will be announced later. The Perfect Game Challenge is not open to those in Arizona, Connecticut, Maryland, North Dakota, or Vermont. MLB 2K13 is in development at Novato, California-based Visual Concepts. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Far Cry 3 sells 850,000 in December, says analyst Jan 9th 2013, 14:19 Cowen & Company industry watcher estimates US sales for Ubisoft's action-shooter, predicts overall industry sales slide 21 percent. 
In a note to investors today, Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz estimated United States sales for Far Cry 3 in December totaled 850,000 units. Creutz pointed out that as is normal for the month of December, Far Cry 3 was the only major release for the month. Creutz also today offered a prediction for the NPD Group's December industry sales report, which will be released tomorrow. He expects overall sales to slide, with software sales diving 20 percent year-on-year and total packaged game sales dipping 21 percent. Creutz said he expects the most precipitous year-over-year drop to come in the retail PC games category, which he said will fall 51 percent. Though the present may look bleak, the future is bright, Creutz said. A rebound is expected over the next 12 months due to the expected launch of new consoles from Microsoft and Sony during the second half of the year. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Expect more Xbox Live ads Jan 9th 2013, 13:59 Microsoft says first wave of NUads for online platform have been highly successful, "more investment" planned. Gamers should expect to see more advertisements on Xbox Live in the time ahead. Microsoft announced this week that its first wave of NUads (short for "natural user-interface ads"), which rolled out during fall 2012, have been highly successful and additional investment in this space is planned. According to Microsoft, 37 percent of viewers engaged in some way with NUads when prompted with the option to vote. Out of this 37 percent, 71 percent actually voted in a poll. Additionally, 97 percent of those participants saw their vote included in a final tally of votes. Microsoft general manager of Xbox Live entertainment and advertising Ross Honey claimed the company's NUads have "redefined the 30-second spot." He said that though traditional TV's 30-second spot has not changed much since the 1930s, NUads offer an unprecedented level of consumer engagement. "These results show that NUads is a real breakthrough in TV advertising, and you can expect more investment from us when it comes to this new ad format and video advertising in general," Honey said in a statement. Microsoft's NUads launched last year featuring ads from major companies like Subway and Toyota. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Windows 8 sells 60 million licenses Jan 9th 2013, 13:20 Microsoft announces new life-to-date sales milestone for latest operating system, says it is seeing a "similar sales trajectory" to Windows 7. Windows 8 has crossed a new milestone. Windows chief marketing officer and chief financial officer Tami Reller has announced that Windows 8 has sold 60 million licenses to date. She broke the news during the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show and Microsoft provided greater detail in a blog post to its website. According to Microsoft, the 60 million Windows 8 license sales represents cumulative sales of upgrades and sales to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for new devices. Notably, the company said Windows 8 is seeing a "similar sales trajectory" to Windows 7. Windows 8 launched in October 2012 and sold 40 million licenses during its first month. According to Microsoft, there are now more than 1,700 certified systems for Windows 8 and Windows RT. In addition, the company said users have downloaded more than 100 million apps. Peripheral maker Razer just this week confirmed release plans for its new Edge Windows 8 tablet. A base model starts at $1,000, with a Pro version beginning at $1,300. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Gabe Newell discusses Valve's Steam Box intentions Jan 9th 2013, 11:17 Valve's own Steam Box will be based on Linux; company also looking into creating its own low-latency controller with biometric feedback. 
Valve CEO Gabe Newell has shed some light on Valve's own plans towards the much-anticipated Steam Box, confirming that the beloved publisher intends to make its own device, but that third-party vendors will also be invited to create their own Steam-capable hardware. In an interview with The Verge, Newell confirmed Valve's intentions to use Linux on its own machine but that users would be freely able to install a different OS, such as Microsoft's Windows, if they wish. "We'll come out with our own and we'll sell it to consumers by ourselves. That'll be a Linux box," Newell said. "If you want to install Windows you can. We're not going to make it hard. This is not some locked box by any stretch of the imagination." Newell also spoke of Valve's plans to create low-latency controllers with biometric input, and that Valve's eventual device--which has the current codename of "Bigfoot" inside Valve--will function as a home server that can broadcast to multiple displays. "The Steam Box will also be a server," said Newell. "Any PC can serve multiple monitors, so over time, the next-generation (post-Kepler) you can have one GPU that“s serving up eight simultaneous game calls. So you could have one PC and eight televisions and eight controllers and everybody getting great performance out of it. We“re used to having one monitor, or two monitors - now we“re saying let's expand that a little bit." Following on from hardware manufacturer Xi3's announcement of its own Steam-friendly hardware, Newell spoke of how Valve has its own three-tier approach to how it sees itself and other hardware companies integrating various aspects of the Steam platform. According to Newell, Valve sees the types of hardware as "'Good', 'Better,' or 'Best'." "So, Good are like these very low-cost streaming solutions that you“re going to see that are using Miracast or [Nvidia's] Grid. I think we“re talking about in-home solutions where you“ve got low latency. 'Better' is to have a dedicated CPU and GPU and that“s the one that“s going to be controlled. Not because our goal is to control it; it“s been surprisingly difficult when we say to people 'don“t put an optical media drive in there' and they put an optical media drive in there and you“re like 'that makes it hotter, that makes it more expensive, and it makes the box bigger.' Go ahead. You can always sell the Best box, and those are just whatever those guys want to manufacture." And Valve's position on all this, according to Newell? "Let's build a thing that“s quiet and focuses on high performance and quiet and appropriate form factors." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | New Sims 3 expansions landing in 2013 Jan 9th 2013, 06:03 EA announces Sims 3 expansions for 2013; new games will allow players to send their Sims to university, explore houseboats, and travel to the future. 
The Sims 3 series will have new content this year. EA's Maxis label has announced additional expansions for the PC and Mac versions of the game, including The Sims 3: University Life and The Sims 3: Island Paradise. In addition to these, an untitled new expansion and a stuff pack are currently in development for release later this year. The Sims 3: University Life is expected to be available from March this year, and will allow players to enrol their Sims in university, attend classes, earn degrees and experience college lifestyle. In addition to new gameplay elements, players can also take their Sims through a new college town to explore new features. The announcement also revealed a limited edition pack that is available for pre-order, which includes a party pack with additional in-game items. The Sims 3: Island Paradise will allow players to take their Sims out on customisable houseboats and investigate uncharted islands, manage resorts, and explore the ocean. The expansion is slated for release in June this year. In addition to the new games, EA has also revealed an untitled expansion pack that will grant Sims the ability to travel to the future, and a stuff pack featuring iconic movie themes and settings. Both untitled games are expected to be released this year. The expansions and stuff packs will require The Sims 3 for PC/Mac to play. For more on the core game, check out GameSpot's review of The Sims 3. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Joe Biden appeals to games industry on gun control task force Jan 9th 2013, 05:47 US Vice President Joe Biden is set to meet with representatives from the video game industry to discuss the role of violent video games as part of a wider task force. 
US Vice President Joe Biden is set to meet with video game industry leaders this week to discuss the link between violent video games and gun violence as part of a wider task force into gun control measures. The task force, formed by President Barack Obama in response to last month's mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, is aimed at coming with solutions for curbing gun violence in the United States. According to Reuters, the White House has confirmed that Biden will also meet with representatives from the National Rifle Association (NRA), victims' groups, hunting groups, and gun owners to discuss possible policy changes to reduce gun violence, including proposed legislation to ban assault rifles. Biden will reportedly meet with representatives of both the entertainment and video game industries to specifically investigate the role of violent media--including films and video games--in mass shootings. The task force is also set to look at access to mental health and disability services, and meet with parent, teacher, and education groups. Obama has ordered the task force to report back by the end of January, ahead of the annual State of the Union address. An NRA spokesman confirmed to Reuters that the group's top lobbyist, James J Baker, will attend Biden's task force meeting on Thursday this week. Last month, NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre stated that violent video games are partially to blame for the Newtown shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, which left 20 children and six adults dead. West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller also entered the discussion when he introduced a Bill to Congress that would direct the National Academy of Sciences to investigate how violent games and other such programming affect children. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Evolution Tournament 2013 Line-Up Announced Jan 9th 2013, 04:29 Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Persona 4: Arena new additions; eighth game will be determined by community. 
The line-up for this year's Evolution fighting game tournament (or Evo 2K13) has been announced. According to a recent livestream on Wakeup SRK's Twitch channel featuring EVO lead organizer Joey "Mr. Wizard" Cuellar, the games that will be on the tournament are Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Mortal Kombat (2011 version), Street Fighter X Tekken, The King of Fighters XIII, and Persona 4: Arena. TTT 2 and Persona 4: Arena are the new titles, while the rest are returning from last year's tournament. Unlike last year's tournament, Street Fighter X Tekken will be a one-on-one tournament instead of teams of two. In addition, an eighth game will be added and will be decided by the community via donation votes. The games on the player's choice voting poll are Capcom vs. SNK 2, Dead or Alive 5, Divekick, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R, Injustice, Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code, MLP: Fighting is Magic, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Skullgirls, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The qualifier tournaments in North America, dubbed the Road to Evo 2013 tournaments, will be SoCal Regionals, NorCal Regionals, UFGT, and CEO. The seeding points system has also been changed for this year's tournament. According to Shoryuken.com, the top 16 players for each of the qualifier tournaments will get a seed point each. At the end of the season, the organizers at Evo 2k13 will manually assign seeds to all seeded players. The international Road to Evo events will be announced soon. Evo 2k13 will be held at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on July 12 to 14. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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