| Activision: "We're taking some of the biggest risks" Sep 26th 2013, 15:36 Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg says misconception exists that Call of Duty company is risk-averse. 
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg has spoken out to attempt to dispel the notion that the Call of Duty company does not take risks with its portfolio of products. "Our strategy is to do a few things and do them exceptionally well," Hirshberg told Edge in a new interview. "I think that sometimes people misperceive that as somehow being risk-averse, and yet we're taking some of the biggest risks in new genres and new business models and new IPs than anybody." "So the fact that we only do it a handful of times doesn't lessen the fact there’s a lot of risk and complexity baked into anything new you try," he added. Hirshberg pointed to Skylanders as an example, saying the toys-to-life brand did not exist eighteen months ago. "People forget that already because it's been so successful. It was not only a new IP, but a new genre of play that was totally unproven," he said. The Skylanders franchises has generated $1.5 billion since launch. Also in the interview, Hirshberg addressed a question regarding Activision's perception as a "big, heartless corporation." He said he is aware of such criticisms, but labelled them "incorrect." "Look, this is a company of passionate people who make games and love making games. I'm certainly aware of all of the reputational perceptions out there but I think they're incorrect," Hirshberg said. "And this is a company that has consistently made some of the most well-liked and most-played gaming experiences and that hasn't happened by accident." Hirshberg admitted that for some, it's sometimes fun to root against the biggest company or the biggest brands, but said the perception of Activision is "starting to change." "As a company whose fortunes and success rises and fall with great quality, it's something that takes a lot of passion and a lot of energy," Hirshberg said. "I want to make the perception match the reality. The reality is that this is a group of people that lives, eats, breathes games. And it has done a pretty great job of creating franchises that a lot of people seem to love and appreciate." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
|  | Analysts divided on potential for Steam Machines to threaten consoles Sep 26th 2013, 15:06 IHS analyst says Steam's 50 million users demonstrates potential for Steam Machines, while Wedbush analyst says Valve has not given a compelling reason to adopt the technology. 
Valve's recent announcement of Steam Machines, a "powerful new category of living room hardware," could threaten traditional consoles or it might not, a pair of analysts have said. IHS Inc. analyst Piers Harding-Rolls told Bloomberg that Steam's 50 million members is evidence enough that Valve's push into the living room could threaten consoles. "This substantial user base makes Valve and its community of PC gamers a potentially significant threat to other established games platforms," he said. On the other side of the argument is Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, who said Valve has yet to display a compelling reason why gamers should flock to the new technology. "They [sic] only way they sell it is to give us a reason why we need it," Pachter said. "If they make every game work better with this OS, that's great, but I don't see how it becomes a big threat to the console guys." Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison said today that the Xbox One maker is watching what Valve does with SteamOS and Steam Machines with "great interest." Valve has produced its own Steam Machine, while various other manufacturers are creating their own models. These machines are expected to ship in 2014, and a limited beta will be offered. Details on pricing or general availability have not been disclosed. Valve announced Steam OS on Monday and Steam Machines yesterday. The company has a third announcement for this week planned for Friday, September 27 at 1 p.m. EDT. The developer has teased that this announcement may be related to a proprietary controller. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Killzone: Shadow Fall PS4 bundle confirmed for UK Sep 26th 2013, 14:28 New "mega bundle" will include copy of game, two DualShock 4 controllers, and PlayStation Eye camera; no word on North American release. 
Sony will release a special Killzone: Shadow Fall "mega bundle" this holiday, UK boss Fergal Gara told Eurogamer today. Included with the bundle is a copy of launch title Killzone: Shadow Fall, two DualShock 4 controllers, and the PlayStation Eye Camera. The bundle was first leaked through Amazon. The Killzone: Shadow Fall bundle will cost €499 in Europe, the same price as the Xbox One in the region. No price or availability details for North America were provided. Sony is expected to announce "several" new PS4 bundles tomorrow, September 27, Eurogamer reports. Sony has informed retailers in the UK to notify those who have already preordered a PS4 that they will have the option to upgrade to one of the new SKUs. The PS4 launches in North America on November 15 and November 29 in Europe. Earlier this week, Sony confirmed a $20 season pass for Killzone: Shadow Fall that will introduce a wave-based co-op mode, among other things. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Steam Family Sharing beta begins Sep 26th 2013, 13:59 Valve sends out 1,000 initial invitations for trial period; no details provided on when program will go live for all. 
Steam's Family Sharing plan, through which users can share their libraries of games with friends and family, has officially entered beta, Valve has announced. An initial wave of 1,000 invitations have been sent through through email with instructions on how to participate. Valve encouraged those in the beta to leave feedback and bug reports in the Family Sharing feedback discussion hub. Valve announced Steam Family Sharing earlier this month. The program allows users to share their libraries with up to 10 others, who are individually able to earn achievements and save progress. Libraries can be accessed by one user only at a given time. For more on Steam Family Sharing, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. Valve did not say when the full Steam Family Sharing program will roll out for all users. Valve is the first digital ecosystem to allow trading. Microsoft had planned to be first out of the gate with its own Family Sharing plan for the Xbox One, but it scrapped this plan in June when it reversed a number of its digital policies. Still, this initiative is not gone forever. Senior Xbox director Albert Penello told GameSpot at PAX Prime that the Family Sharing plan will return. "I get a lot of mails saying, 'God, please bring back the family sharing.' We'd love to figure out how to bring that back. I still think it was a good idea," Penello said at the time. "Maybe it was a little too soon for some people, but I still think there were a lot of good ideas in there. And we'll bring it back when the time is right." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Batman: Arkham Origins season pass revealed Sep 26th 2013, 13:44 $20 offering features access to five upcoming downloadable content packs, including one story campaign. 
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that Batman: Arkham Origins will be the latest AAA game to receive a season pass for downloadable content. Players who purchase the $20 pass on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, or PC will receive access to five upcoming downloadable content packs. The Batman: Arkham Origins season pass includes the Gotham by Gaslight and Brightest Day Batman skins, as well as the New Millennium and Infinite Earths skins packs. The pass also features Arkham Origins Initiation, a new mode where gamers will play as Bruce Wayne before he became Batman. This includes a "final test to prove himself worthy" in a battle against his teacher, Kirigi. Lastly, the season pass for Batman: Arkham Origins includes an all-new story campaign. No details about this expansion were provided. Batman: Arkham Origins, a prequel to the main storyline, launches on October 25 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Wii U. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions are not in development. Series creator Rocksteady Studios is reportedly working on an all-new stylized Batman game. In Batman: Arkham Origins, gamers will play as a "young, unrefined" Batman as he faces pivotal moments in his early career. Players will meet many important figures in the Batman universe for the first time in Arkham Origins. The game also includes a series-first multiplayer mode (which will not be supported on the Wii U), developed by Brink studio Splash Damage. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Microsoft watching what Valve does with "great interest" Sep 26th 2013, 13:08 After Half-Life developer reveals Steam Machines, corporate vice president Phil Harrison says Valve is an "impressive company" and that "competition is good." 
Valve's announcement this week of Steam OS and Steam Machines has caught the eye of Xbox One maker Microsoft. Speaking with Eurogamer, corporate vice president Phil Harrison said Microsoft will keep a close eye on Valve as the Portal studio pushes into the living room with its new technology. "The announcement was only made last night so I'm still studying all the facts Valve has released. But Valve is a very impressive company, and obviously we're going to be watching what they do with great interest," Harrison said. For Harrison, Valve's eagerness to move into the living room with Steam Machines speaks to an interest gamers continue to have in console-based experiences. "But it actually goes back to an earlier question. I think the death of the video game console was prematurely announced," Harrison said. "Clearly there is a lot of excitement around gaming in the living room on the biggest screen in the house, often times connected to a great sound system and creating that real intensely high quality game experience with a very powerful CPU and a very powerful GPU." "Our point of view, clearly, is that Xbox One is the best incarnation of that, but competition is good!," he added. Valve has a third announcement for this week planned for Friday, September 27 at 1 p.m. EDT. The developer has teased that this announcement may be related to a proprietary controller. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Single-player progress won't carry over when upgrading some games to next-gen Sep 26th 2013, 12:37 Representatives for EA, Activision, and Ubisoft confirm that single-player progress for Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag will not migrate forwards. 
Single-player progress for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag will not carry forward to their next-generation counterparts, representatives for Electronic Arts, Activision, and Ubisoft have confirmed with Kotaku. Multiplayer progress and purchased downloadable content for Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts, however, will make the transition. It is not clear if multiplayer progress for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag will also carry over. A representative for another big-budget Ubisoft title this fall, Watch Dogs, was not able to confirm whether or not save progress in that open-world game would carry over. Watch Dogs releases for current-generation consoles and PC on November 19 in North America, while the game will be available at launch for PS4 (November 15) and Xbox One (November 22). Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Toon Link confirmed for new Smash Bros. Sep 26th 2013, 12:06 Nintendo confirms latest playable character for 2014 Wii U and 3DS fighting game. 
Nintendo confirmed today that Toon Link will be playable in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U and 3DS. The developer announced the news on Twitter and through the official Smash Bros. website. Toon Link, based on the cel-shaded character from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, made his Smash Bros. debut in 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl. His move-set for the new Super Smash Bros. game was not detailed. An image of Toon Link on the website shows him wielding the familiar wind-controlling baton. Toon Link joins previously confirmed series mainstays like Princess Peach, Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Link, and Samus, as well as newcomers Mega-Man, Wii Fit Trainer, and Villager. Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS are expected to launch in 2014. There will be no cross-platform play between the two. For more on the new Smash Bros. game, check out GameSpot's interview with director Masahiro Sakurai. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Star Wars 1313 was to feature Boba Fett - Report Sep 26th 2013, 07:28 Cancelled Star Wars game starred young Boba Fett; layer 1314 planned to feature in parts of the game. 
Additional information on now-defunct action-adventure game Star Wars: 1313 has surfaced. The new details emerged on IGN following a source sharing a 15-minute demo of Star Wars 1313. The demo had been originally scheduled to debut at this year's E3, and featured protagonist Boba Fett. In it, a young Boba Fett makes his way through Tattooine while serving Jabba the Hutt. Players would have controlled the character in earlier versions of his armour. Fett's armour would have changed as the story progressed, eventually becoming more familiar to Star Wars fans. A mention of layer 1314 was also made, with Fett intended to battle his way through it in some parts in the game. Several never-before-seen concept art pieces were also revealed. Disney acquired the Star Wars brand in October last year, and subsequently shut down LucasArts, putting an end to Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault. LucasArts was most recently known for its Star Wars games, but the studio was also responsible for praised adventure games, including The Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, and Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle, among others. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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