| Second Life marking 10 years next week Jun 20th 2013, 16:00 Linden Lab's virtual world online game celebrating tenth anniversary June 23; 36 million have registered to date and spent more than 217,266 years in the world. 
Linden Lab's virtual world online game Second Life will mark its tenth anniversary on June 23. To celebrate the occasion, the developer has released an infographic detailing player behavior and milestones recorded during the past decade. Second Life opened to the public on June 23, 2003 and to date, the game's 36 million registered users have spent the equivalent of more than 217,266 years in the virtual world. More than 400,000 new accounts are created per month, Linden Lab said, adding that the game sees 1 million players per month. Total user-to-user transactions have reached $3.2 billion in virtual currency, while Second Life's total landmass is nearly 700 square miles, or 14 times the size of San Francisco, California. Users log an average of 1.2 million transactions per day for virtual goods, with the most popular items being women's hairstyles, Linden Lab said. Check out the full infographic below for more. To celebrate Second Life's 10th anniversary, Linden Lab will make available limited-edition virtual gifts, contents, and in-world activities. "Second Life is a vibrant shared creative space, filled with the creativity and imaginations of its users," said Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble in a statement. "It's impressive for a user-created world to reach ten years of age and more impressive still for it to see a million monthly active users!" Second Life has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. The game was featured in a 2007 episode of The Office and 1980s band Duran Duran has a permanent residence in the virtual world. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
|  | Xbox One policy reversal a "win/win" for consumers, says GameFly Jun 20th 2013, 15:48 Rental company executive says original proposal would have been "detrimental" to various business systems. 
Microsoft's decision to reverse its Xbox One used game policy is a "win/win" for consumers, GameFly cofounder Sean Spector told Joystiq in a new interview. "I always felt good about the future of GameFly, but I feel better today," Spector said. "Today is a win/win for consumers, as well as GameFly. I think choice is always important and now consumers have more choice. And I give [Microsoft] credit for listening to their consumers." Spector went on to say that Microsoft's previous plan "would have been detrimental to lots of people's [business] systems" and not just GameFly's. Microsoft's former policy stood to negatively impact GameFly's business, as it stated that Xbox One games could only be shared once, and only to someone a player has been friends with on Xbox Live for 30 days. GameFly is not the only company to applaud Microsoft's policy reversal. GameStop, which makes a significant portion of its revenue from secondhand sales, said the move was "great news" for gamers. GameStop shares have since surged. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | GameStop shares surge on Xbox One news Jun 20th 2013, 14:41 Retailer's stock value up more than 5 percent in early trading after Microsoft's policy reversal for Xbox One. 
GameStop shares surged today after Microsoft announced a new Xbox One policy that lifts all limitations on used games for the platform. At press time, GameStop shares are up 5.32 percent (+2.39) to $40.57. Microsoft's new terms state players are free to trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc-based games in the same way that they can today on Xbox 360. The new policy is a boon for GameStop, which makes a significant portion of its revenue from secondhand sales. GameStop praised Microsoft's policy reversal yesterday, saying the move was "great news" for gamers and is a testament to Microsoft's understanding of importance of used game market. Microsoft's former policy was less-than-encouraging for GameStop, stating that Xbox One games could only be shared once, and only to someone a player has been friends with on Xbox Live for 30 days. In addition, whether or not secondhand Xbox One games would be allowed at all was in the hands of individual publishers like Activision or Electronic Arts. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | The War Z renamed Infestation: Survivor Stories Jun 20th 2013, 14:16 Controversial zombie survival MMO changes name after after "months" of trying to resolve trademark issue. 
Controversial zombie game The War Z has changed its name to Infestation: Survival Stories. In a release, OP Productions said the name change was due in part to helping fans differentiate the game from "similarly titled brands." It is possible this is referencing Day Z, another zombie survival game from Dean Hall and Bohemia Interactive. "OP Productions initially filed The War Z trademark early last year, but soon found out from the United States Patent and Trademark Office that the name was comparable to another property," the company said in a statement. "After months of trying to resolve the issue, OP Productions decided the best option to avoid confusion among players was to rename the game," the statement went on. "Current players will not experience any change or interruption with the exception of the change in name and game logo." The game launched on Steam in December and was pulled just a day after release, after users reported numerous issues. Valve called its decision to originally publish the game a "mistake." The game was reinstated on Steam in late February. Its forums and databases were hacked in April, though no payment information was compromised. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Nvidia Shield gets price drop, release date Jun 20th 2013, 13:47 New portable launching June 27 for $300; company believes new price makes device a "home run." 
The upcoming portable gaming device Nvidia Shield will launch June 27 for $300, the company announced today. Previously, the portable was slated to release for $350. "We've heard from thousands of gamers that if the price was $299, we'd have a home run," project manager Jason Paul said in a statement. "So we're changing the price of Shield to $299." Those who already preordered a Nvidia Shield will be charged the new, lower price when the product ships. "We want to get Shield into the hands of as many gamers as possible," Paul added. It will will be available through Nvidia's website, as well as at Newegg, GameStop, Micro Center, and Canada Computers. By comparison, the Nintendo 3DS sells for $200, while the PlayStation Vita begins at $250. The Nvidia Shield gives gamers access to an array of gaming avenues, including Nvidia TegraZone, Google Play, and Steam. The system runs on the Tegra 4 processor and boasts 16GB of memory, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a mini-HDMI output, a microSD storage slot, and a headphone jack. The device also features a five-inch, 720p multi-touch display. For more on the Nvidia Shield, check out GameSpot's preview of the device from the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Microsoft ditching Xbox One family sharing plan Jun 20th 2013, 13:21 "We won't be delivering that," Xbox boss Marc Whitten says after yesterday's policy reversal. 
Microsoft's previously announced Xbox One family sharing plan is no longer in the works, chief product officer Marc Whitten told sister site CNET in a new interview. "We won't be delivering that," Whitten said. The plan was short-lived, having been announced just two weeks ago on June 6. It was to allow players to share their games library with up to ten family members on any Xbox One. Xbox boss Don Mattrick alluded to the program's cancellation yesterday during his blog post concerning the Xbox One policy reversal. "These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc," Mattrick said. "Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray." For more on the Xbox One's new policies, check out GameSpot's full report on the changes. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Analyst: Xbox One policy reversal a "good first step" Jun 20th 2013, 12:53 Sterne Agee analyst says revised strategy "more consumer-friendly," but Microsoft still needs to focus on pricing messaging. 
Microsoft's revised Xbox One policy is a "good first step," but the company must now focus on communicating to consumers why they should pay $500 for the system instead of $400 for a PlayStation 4, according to Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia. "Microsoft's revised Xbox One strategy is more consumer-friendly and bodes well for potential sales of the console over time," Bhatia said in a note to investors today regarding the impact the news has on retailer GameStop. "The elimination of all restrictions related to DRM and trade-ins, etc., strengthens GameStop's positioning in the space and eliminates risk to used games," he added. "Still, we believe Microsoft's messaging on Xbox One pricing ($499) needs to improve relative to Sony's PS4, which is priced at $399." GameStop yesterday applauded Microsoft's policy reversal, saying the move was "great news" for gamers and is a testament to Microsoft's understanding of importance of used game market. Microsoft may be pacing ahead of the PS4 on Amazon's bestseller charts, but Bhatia believes the company must now focus on pricing messaging to win over consumers who may be attracted to the PS4's lower price point. Bhatia pointed out that the primary difference between Xbox One and PS4 is that Microsoft's system comes bundled with a Kinect camera, while Sony faithful will need to pay $60 to buy a PlayStation Eye peripheral. Communicating to gamers why the Kinect will add value to the system will be the difference-maker, Bhatia said. "The primary difference is the Xbox One comes with a Kinect camera/controller bundled while PS4 does not," Bhatia said. "We believe Microsoft wants to bundle Kinect so developers can take advantage of its features without worrying if the end-user will have the Kinect controller or not. As such, the messaging likely needs to focus on the value and potentially differentiated game play provided by Xbox One." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Xbox One passes PS4 on Amazon chart Jun 20th 2013, 12:27 Microsoft's next-gen console grabs the lead back after policy reversal announcement. 
The Xbox One has overtaken the PlayStation 4 on Amazon's video game bestseller chart, one day after Microsoft announced a dramatic policy reversal. The Xbox One was tracking ahead of the PS4 earlier this month, MCV points out, though it fell behind after Sony's E3 announcements of pricing ($400) and policies (plays used game, won't require Internet connection). Notably, there is only one Xbox One SKU on the Amazon bestseller chart--the Day One Edition. Meanwhile, five separate PS4 bundles grace the preorder chart. Microsoft yesterday announced new policies that put the Xbox One more on par with the PS4. The new terms state players are free to trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc-based games in the same way that they can today on Xbox 360. In addition, Microsoft has done away with 24-hour Internet "check-ins" and lifted the Xbox One region-lock. Though Microsoft has backtracked on some of its policies, the company has no plans to revisit the platform's $500 price point. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Bethesda downplays Fallout news Jun 20th 2013, 11:39 Publisher acknowledges fans are "clamoring" for new Fallout game, but expecting news soon is "unrealistic." 
Gamers gearing up for news about the next Fallout game may want to get comfortable. Speaking with Polygon, Bethesda marketing VP Pete Hines said the studio understands fans are eager for a new entry in the series, but cautioned that expecting news soon is "unrealistic." "I mean [fans] have been clamoring for a Fallout game for a long time now. What people need to understand--whether it is Bethesda Game Studios, Arkane, or anybody--expecting information like that in any short period of time after they moved off one project to the other is really unrealistic," Hines said. Hines explained that Bethesda has no plans to make any of its franchises annual releases, but at the same time, won't make fans wait a decade for the next entry in a series. "We are not into annual franchises--just trying to spin out a version of our game year, after year, after year--like, we have never done that, I don't see that it is something that we are doing anytime soon," Hines said. "But that doesn't mean that we are going to take our time and wait six or seven years in between a game that a studio puts out. But these are big games that take a long time and folks need to understand that we have a very certain way of going about things." Bethesda Game Studios, the team behind 2008's Fallout 3 and 2011's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, is currently at work on its next project. No official details regarding this game have been divulged, though a past report suggests a Boston-set Fallout 4 is in the works. In addition, Bethesda parent company Zenimax Media in April trademarked a new game called "Starfield," though the publisher has declined to comment on what this may be. Bethesda said earlier this year that it would make "considerably more noise" in 2013. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Microsoft sticking with $500 price point for Xbox One Jun 20th 2013, 11:16 Company not revisiting price point or Kinect requirement for next-gen console in wake of recent policy changes. 
Microsoft's recent dramatic Xbox One policy reversal does not include the company revisiting the system's $500 price point, chief product officer Marc Whitten told sister site CNET. He explained that Microsoft has "no plans" to lower the entry price, despite rival Sony launching the PlayStation 4 for $400. "We are really, really excited about the value we're going to deliver on day one," Whitten said. Whitten also explained that Microsoft has no plans to drop the Kinect requirement for Xbox One or change its default setting from "on" to "off." "It's part of the Xbox One architecture," Whitten said. Responding to user concerns regarding privacy, Microsoft said earlier this month that players will be able to customize all Kinect settings and made clear that idle living room chatter is not recorded or uploaded. Every Xbox One includes a Kinect 2.0 camera, whereas PS4 gamers will need to pay $60 to purchase a PlayStation Eye. Under the terms of Microsoft's new Xbox One policies, players are free to trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc-based games in the same way that they can today on Xbox 360. In addition, Microsoft has done away with 24-hour Internet "check-ins" and lifted the Xbox One region-lock. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition taken down from online stores Jun 20th 2013, 06:57 Remake of classic RPG series removed from Apple app store and Beamdog site due to unresolved legal issues. 
Beamdog and Overhaul Games have taken down their Baldur's Gate remake--Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition--from online stores. The PC, Mac, and iOS RPG remake is no longer available on Beamdog's site or the Apple app store. Beamdog and Overhaul Games president Trent Oster said that this was due to the company attempting to "resolve a number of contractual issues." This also means that the company cannot release the latest patch and an Android version of the remake. Oster also added that the same issues will also prevent the launch of Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition. For more information, check out the post on the official site. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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