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 | BioShock Infinite cost $200 million to produce and market – Report Mar 22nd 2013, 02:51 Analysts estimate game development to have cost $100 million; additional $100 million spent on marketing and promotion. 
According to a New York Times article citing unnamed analysts, BioShock Infinite may have cost its parent company Take-Two Interactive $100 million to develop, with a further $100 million spent to promote and market the game to the public. BioShock Infinite is the third instalment in the series and has been in development at Irrational Games for four years, with a 200 person team working on the project. The game follows on from 2007's BioShock, and 2010's BioShock 2. The cost of developing games has risen across the board in recent years. Last month, using a "hypothetical profitability model", Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia predicted that Grand Theft Auto V–s creation may cost in excess of $137.5 million based on a 250-person team during a five-year development period. An additional $69 million to $109.3 million is expected to be spent in marketing costs to raise awareness for the game. By comparison, during its six years of production--across four continents and through the hands of more than 800 developers--2011's Star Wars: The Old Republic reportedly cost publisher EA $200 million dollars in development costs alone. For more on BioShock Infinite, check out GameSpot's hour-long discussion with Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Chinese Internet company owns 40 percent of Epic Games Mar 21st 2013, 21:24 New financial documents reveal Tencent paid $330 million for minority stake in Gears of War studio. 
Epic Games announced last summer that Chinese Internet company Tencent had acquired a minority stake in the Gears of War studio, but did not specify terms. Now, more information has come to light. Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney today confirmed with Polygon that the Chinese company owns 40 percent of the developer and has appointed two representatives to the Epic board of directors. "In June 2012, Tencent made a minority investment in Epic Games, purchasing approximately 48.4 percent of outstanding shares of Epic stock, equating to 40 percent of total Epic capital inclusive of both stock and employee stock options," Sweeney said. "As part of the investment, two Tencent representatives joined Epic's board of directors, in addition to the three directors and two observers appointed by Epic," he added. "We're thrilled to have a world-leading partner in Tencent, who gives Epic unique access to the Chinese market as we head into the next chapter of our 21-year history as a leading independent developer." Recently published Tencent financial documents reveal that the Chinese company paid $330 million for its stake in Epic. Tencent said it decided to invest in Epic because the company is "driving change in the Internet industry" and its ambitions aligned with Tencent's own long-term strategic goal of creating "first-class products." In the months after the deal was announced last summer, a number of high-profile Epic Games developers and executives left the company. First to leave was former producer Rod Fergusson, who left shortly after the deal was revealed and is now executive vice president of development at BioShock Infinite studio Irrational Games. In August, three longtime developers at the Epic-owned Bulletstorm studio People Can Fly decided to leave, before design director Cliff Bleszinski left after twenty years with the company in October. Former president Mike Capps announced he was retiring from Epic but staying on in an advisory role in December, before severing all ties with studio earlier this month. In addition to Epic, Tencent currently owns a majority stake in League of Legends developer Riot Games. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Garriott says 'designers just suck' comments taken out of context Mar 21st 2013, 20:15 Ultima creator Richard Garriott says true meaning did not comment across in recent interview, comments not intended to disparage others or glorify himself. 
Ultima creator and role-playing game veteran Richard Garriott has clarified his "most game designers really just suck" comments from earlier this week. In an statement to his website titled "Words Taken Out Of Context," Garriott explained that he did not mean to disparage others or glorify himself by saying there is a dearth of game design talent in the industry today. "By no means did I intend to disparage others who have led the many great games of each era in gaming history," Garriott said. "I was trying to say, and show why finding or growing NEW great game designers is hard!" "I really do see a major challenge to our art form, specifically in the area of design," he added. "The design of a game is simultaneously 1) the most valuable aspect when it comes to the potential of success of a game, 2) the hardest part of game development to improve over previous efforts because of competition, and 3) the skill set with the least formal and informal training available to game developers." Garriott admitted that he could have phrased his comments better, but said he stands by his original point: that game design is the most challenging profession in game development to understand and learn. "And I certainly am not trying to put my own career on some sort of game design high ground. While I have hit occasional home runs, I have made plenty of unforced errors," he said. "I was not attempting to prop myself up with these comments, but rather lament my need–our industry–s need for proper training in the most important skill required to make a good game." "I never had any formal training either; I have just had more time to learn from my mistakes than most," he added. "If what comes from all this is a frank discussion and lively debate on how to best address this issue, then hopefully I've accomplished something." Garriott and his Portalarium development studio are currently working on PC role-playing game Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. The project is the latest Kickstarter success story, having eclipsed its $1 million target earlier this week. For more on Garriott, check out GameSpot's interview with the industry veteran regarding how his trips to space and to the Titanic wreckage influenced him creatively. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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