Archive for March, 2009

1. When is a games console not a games console? When it’s a mobile phone…

   March 24, 2009

   This is the first post from new Gamesbrief contributor, Tim Harrison The launch of any new console is a cause for celebration and dread in equal measure: Celebration since any new, differentiated platform promises an opportunity for innovation and broadening the market. Dread… well, we all know the rogues gallery of platforms that failed to [...]

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   Posted in: Analysis, Featured

   Tagged with: console, digital distribution, gdc mobile, guest post, mobile games, qualcomm, yuen, zeebo

   1 Comment

2. Harvest Moon publisher seeks 20 “retirements”

   March 24, 2009

   I’m no expert on Japanese redundancies, but Anime News Network is reporting that Marvelous Entertainment is asking for 20 of its employees to voluntarily retire. Marvelous, best known in the West for Harvest Moon, had 120 employees at the end of December 2008. This looks to me like the Japanese version of “voluntary redundancies”, which [...]

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   Posted in: Game Over Zone

   Tagged with: harvest moon, job loss tracker, layoffs, marvelous entertainment, redundancies, retirement

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3. Sony embraces Web 2.0, alternate reality, in PlayStation Home

   March 24, 2009

   Damn. First I start becoming a cheerleader for Eidos, and now I applaud something that Sony is doing to embrace Web 2.0. Change is in the air. But first a disclaimer. I’m going to talk about Xi, Sony’s new Alternate Reality Game in PlayStation Home, and I’m a non-executive director of the developer, nDreams. (And [...]

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   Posted in: Analysis, Featured

   Tagged with: ndreams, playstation, playstation 3, playstation home, sony, starred, xi

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4. PC advertising revenues already $800 million, say PC Gaming Alliance

   March 24, 2009

   The PC Gaming Alliance has published a report saying that the PC is the biggest platform in the world, worth almost $11 billion. Well, they would, wouldn’t they. Nevertheless the report, commisioned by the organisation that was created to champion the PC gaming platform, was written by DFC Intelligence, has some interesting insights. I found [...]

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   Posted in: Sales

   Tagged with: data, pc, pc gaming alliance, starred, statistics

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5. Top 10 subscription MMOs

   March 24, 2009

   10 MOST POPULAR SUBSCRIPTION GAMES IN TERMS OF SPENDING 1. World of Warcraft 2. Club Penguin 3. RuneScape 4. Eve Online 5. Final Fantasy XI 6. The Lord of the Rings Online 7. Dofus 8. Age of Conan 9. City of Heroes 10. EverQuest II Source: Screen Digest Screen Digest has a new report showing [...]

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   Posted in: Analysis

   Tagged with: internet, mmo, screen digest, top 10

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6. Guitar Hero goes all Web 2.0 with new CEO

   March 24, 2009

   Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but Activision has appointed the former COO of Yahoo to head up the Guitar Hero division. Dan Rosensweig is a heavyweight new media guy, with a key role in creating ZDNet and merging with CNET, as well as his stint at Yahoo. For the last two years, he [...]

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   Posted in: Analysis, Featured

   Tagged with: activision, digital distribution, ecommerce, guitar hero, microtransactions, online, people, red octane, rosensweig, starred

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7. The Path: impressions

   March 23, 2009

   Bias out of the way: I was always in love with The Path. As an idea, and as an envelope pushing prospect, it’s a project I’ve been following for some time. It’s also visually arresting. This is not an Unreal-powered title. Its visual style isn’t even all that distinctive compared to releases like Madworld, No [...]

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   Posted in: Featured, Opinion

   Tagged with: casual games, free games, guest post, review, starred, the path

   4 Comments