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During its GDC press conference, Sony announced that the PlayStation motion controller — newly dubbed PlayStation Move — will launch in several different packages to accommodate the various gamers out there. Sony is planning an “aggressive” marketing campaign around the new peripheral when it launches later this year and — similar to Microsoft’s launch plans for Project Natal — it will treat the launch of the PlayStation Move as a separate “platform launch.”

There will be multiple bundles, including a bundle that includes a PlayStation 3 console, the PlayStation Move and the PlayStation Eye. Furthermore, the company will launch a starter pack, which includes a PlayStation Move, a PlayStation Eye and an unnamed game all for under $100.

PlayStation Move bundles announced, starter kit under $100 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A patent dug up by Siliconera details a new system conceived by Sony for limiting the content found in game demos. “Degradable” game demos, as described in a patent filed by SCEA, would initially include either a full game or a large amount of content, but that content would gradually disappear over playtime, to unlock again once the full game is purchased. Examples in the patent document include a weapon that becomes less effective over time, and race tracks that become unavailable one at a time.

Essentially, it’s the DIVX rental system, but downloadable and for games. You know, DIVX, the system in which you “bought” a cheap disc that would only work for a short time unless you paid a fee to “unlock” it. That lasted less than a year because it was too popular, right?

Sony files patent for game demos that lose features over time originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Walmart just announced an exclusive Wii bundle, containing both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, as well as the necessary MotionPlus attachment. It’ll be available in stores today, and on Walmart.com this Sunday. There’s no reason not to pick this one up instead of the normal Wii package: this new bundle sells for the same $199 price!

According to Walmart, it’ll only be available “while supplies last,” which, given the history of the Wii platform, could be a surprisingly short time.

Update: We were additionally informed by a Walmart representative that the bundle contains “[one] normal Wii console you would purchase — comes with all the same components — for $199, except that you’re getting Wii Sports Resort (with the packaged Wii MotionPlus).” Still quite a deal!

Walmart-exclusive Wii bundle includes Wii Sports Resort originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beyond a statement released by ex-Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella’s lawyer yesterday detailing the lawsuit the two are filing against Activision, we’ve seen little in the way of back history on the various events that lead us to the debacle we’re seeing this week. This morning, though, Joystiq obtained the entire 16-page court document (gallery-ized below for you) that details, among many other things, the ex-employees’ complaints about Activision in the wake of their untimely departure.

The initial claim of unpaid royalties is represented in the documents, even going as far as to claim that the publisher fired West and Zampella just weeks before having to pay out said royalties. “Activision fired them in hope that by doing so, it could avoid paying them what they had rightfully earned, and to seize control of the Infinity Ward studio, to which Activision had previously granted creative control over all Modern Warfare branded games,” the document reads. In the history lesson portion of the complaint, it’s revealed that Activision allegedly purchased the studio for just $5 million originally (in two different chunks), and the Call of Duty franchise (including Treyarch-developed titles) has earned over $3 billion since 2003.

Finally, the complaint claims that, before Infinity Ward agreed to develop Modern Warfare 2, the then-studio heads “were not eager to extend their employment” as Activision had apparently begun demanding a more constant development pace at the studio. “Despite assurances by Activision that West and Zampella would have complete freedom to run Infinity Ward as an independent studio, Activision had begun to intrude upon Infinity Ward’s ability to create quality games. For example, Activision forced Infinity Ward’s employees to continue producing the games at a breakneck pace under aggressive schedules, and West and Zampella were concerned that Activision was emphasizing quantity over quality.”

Regardless of the veracity of these allegations, it would certainly appear that the gloves have come all the way off. We’ll have a more thorough breakdown of the entire document later today, but for now you can see it in its entirety below.

Activision/Infinity Ward court documents detail ex-studio heads’ many, many complaints originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What happens when you take one part Conker’s Bad Fur Day, another part Happy Tree Friends and mix in a bit of Metal Gear Solid? You get Naughty Bear, A2M’s upcoming game in the severely underrepresented “cute torture porn” genre. If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting a long time for a game like this.

Check out any of the game’s pre-release media and it’s easy to understand Naughty Bear’s mission — and exactly why he must wreak vengeance on his cuddly neighbors. It may seem overly cruel, but there’s a creepy Stepford Wives-esque vibe about the entire gameworld. The rest of the bears are a bit too cute, and a bit too clean — in a very sinister way. The true face of the town is revealed when Naughty Bear starts his quest. The town’s response is no less violent than any of Naughty Bear’s actions, and the residents will use pistols, shotguns and even ninjas to make sure Naughty Bear is dead.

Naughty Bear has an incredibly gruesome repertoire of moves at his disposal. He can use a wire to choke another teddy bear to death, slam a bear’s head into a fire or kick a bear down and shoot its head wide open with a shotgun. If it weren’t for the soft side of the game’s characters — they’re stuffed animals, after all — Naughty Bear would probably outdo Rockstar’s Manhunt in terms of over-the-top, gratuitous violence.

Continue reading Impressions: Naughty Bear

Impressions: Naughty Bear originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two has released its fiscal 2010 Q1 financial report, dropping always thrilling financial news on us about the company’s performance between November 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010. Aside from a $13.8 million year-over-year increase in net revenue ($163.2 million this year over $149.4 million last year), Take-Two also reports a diminished net loss (again, year-over-year) to the tune of $20 million.

Take-Two also updated investors on current sales of several games and franchises, with GTA IV chocking up “over 15 million units globally” to date, NBA 2K10 already shipping “over 2 million units,” and Carnival Games accruing 6 million units sold worldwide across both Wii and DS platforms. That’s gotta be helping with that improved bottom line, eh?

Aside from those highlights, the investor report additionally notes plans for “a targeted restructuring of its corporate departments,” resulting in a “15 percent reduction in corporate headcount.” More shocking, the “restructuring” (read: layoffs) will amount to “approximately $8 million in savings in fiscal 2010.” Holy cow!

Take-Two revenue up $14m, laying off 15% of execs originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tomonobu Itagaki has revealed, if not his new game, the place where he’ll be making his new game: Valhalla Game Studios. In a Famitsu interview (translated by 1UP), the Dead or Alive creator announced that he is in charge of the development department for the new studio, created by Tecmo alum Satoshi Kanematsu.

The studio is staffed by about 50 people, a number Itagaki told Famitsu was intentional. “That may expand a bit, but it’s not going to be a 100-person company,” he said. “50 people working for two years can produce something better than 100 people working for one year. 100 times 1 and 50 times 2 may produce the same number, but not in creative businesses like this one.” Larger, public companies, he said, “have to prove their worth to the stock market on a year-by-year basis, and that means they can’t focus all-out on quality.”

Whatever Itagaki’s new game is, it won’t be a fighter. For one thing, “I already made Dead or Alive, the best fighting game in the world, in my last company.” Besides, he said, “Fighting games are kind of at another dead end right now” without another DOA-type disruption.

‘Valhalla Game Studios’ headed up by Tomonobu Itagaki originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you like your adventure games to be rife with mature content, gore and unimaginably insane plot twists, you might just want to check out GOG.com’s latest downloadable offering: Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh. This sequel to Roberta Williams’ adventure-thriller (which is also available on GOG) will only cost you $5.99. And for just six bucks, you’ll be getting a whole bunch of crazy.

The game follows the exploits of pharmaceutical engineer Curtis Craig, a former psychopath who begins to suffer vivid hallucinations while seemingly being framed for murder. During these hardships, Craig also begins to explore his own sexual preferences, leading to a multitude of on-screen sadomasochistic encounters. Also, zombies.

Solve a Puzzle of Flesh on Good Old Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new study released by the Blitz marketing firm suggests that current video game marketing practices are coming up short*. The study focused on the factors that influence the buying decisions of “avid gamers” — anyone who plays games for at least seven hours a week, according to Blitz. According to the study, it’s these “avid gamers” that most game marketing fails to attract. That’s a bad thing, as the study also notes that avid gamers actually have the most influence over purchases. In other words, gamers make purchases based on the opinions of their friends.

The basic conclusions drawn by the study to boost marketing muscle: Utilize social networking and mobile marketing, show actual gameplay, make websites that are relevant to users and give incentives for registering on said websites (cheats, discounts, etc.). The study also notes that marketers should focus on “what’s new” when marketing sequels.

Most of the points seem in line with the kinds of things gamers have been saying for years, especially the note about actual gameplay footage; just read the comments on any CG trailer posted on Joystiq and you’ll see. There are some interesting ideas in the study though, particularly using mobile phone marketing for “on-the-go” coupons. Instant discounts from the ether? Yes, please.

Alas, the study offers no tips for marketing Wii titles. For now, we’ll assume that most companies will stick with the usual Wii marketing strategy: Don’t even bother.

*Download the complete report [PDF]

Study suggets game marketers are ‘missing the mark’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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