GP immediately contacted EA, with distinctly unsatisfactory results. The top PR dog didn't respond to our e-mail. Later in the day we tracked down the EA guy who is handling Dead Space PR, and put the question to him in two e-mails and a live phone call. Never got an answer one way or the other. EA doesn't know if one of their high profile titles managed to get banned in three countries? Sorry, not buying that. Or, they know but aren't saying? Unacceptable.

GP seems suspicious about the China news, too, asking "does EA even distribute console games in China?" (they do in theory) — but considering the government made Blizzard and The9 change the look of skeletons and dead bodies in WoW, it's not a huge logical leap to nixing sales of a game like Dead Space. Still, GP seems most disturbed EA's lack of knowledge — or unwillingness to share it — when it comes to the status of their game in at least three locales: "It's time for EA to put an end to this nonsense. If there is a multi-country ban, gamers deserve to know about it. If there's not, gamers deserve to stop having their chains yanked..."

Dead Space Ban in Three Countries? We're Not Buying It [GamePolitics]

A save system should allow the player to stop playing at any time, allow the player to pick up where he or she left off with as close to zero replaying as possible, and save as automatically and seamlessly as possible, so the player will not forget to do it.

Saving should be treated as one of the player's natural rights, not an earned privilege or a game mechanic around which to make strategic decisions.

The design space we have to create new games is so unthinkably large that we lose virtually nothing by restricting ourselves to designs with friendly save game systems that don't presume to override the real-life needs of players.

I usually wind up gaming on the fly — a little bit here, a little bit there — and the inability to save 'meaningful' progress quickly is one of those things that irks me. I sometimes resort to leaving my console on, wondering the whole time I'm out of the house if the damn thing is going to overheat and my house, possessions, and dog are going to go up in flames; I don't really need to be punished because I can't schedule my day around gaming. It's an interesting article and rebuttal to some of the 'difficulty discussions' that have been going on lately — Sirlin pretty successfully argues his point that making save systems that don't punish the player for having to put the game down aren't (necessarily) to blame for the lack of difficulty people are grousing about.

Saving the Day: Save Systems in Games [Gamasutra]

"If a customer has a hard time getting an item and putting it in a shopping cart, it's going to reduce sales of it," said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail industry consulting and research firm.

That's what Hasbro and EA are trying to get around with the upcoming "N-Strike" game. Johnson said he expects retailers to make similar arrangements this holiday season with related products from other game and toy companies.

If it were up to game makers, such arrangements would be the rule. Ubisoft, for instance, makes a line of personal improvement and education games under its "Coach" brand that it would like to sell in related areas of retail stores, rather than in the games department.

But few analysts expect retailers to make wide-scale changes anytime soon. One reason is fear of theft. Games, particularly in the first four weeks after they are released, are frequently stolen, said Joel Alden, a principal at A.T. Kearney, a management and consulting firm.

I'm lazy and have Amazon Prime, so I can't remember the last time I was in a brick and mortar store to purchase things like books and games, but I have a hard time seeing big box retailers moving gaming inventory from glass boxes — though I suspect real concern is over big, popular titles that would be magnets for sticky fingers. Will gaming break through the glass window on a large scale anytime soon?

Game industry tries to break through glass wall [San Jose Mercury News via PlayNoEvil]

Our goal when we set out to make BioShock was very clear. We wanted to get to the next level, moving beyond our suite of critically acclaimed games to make a blockbuster. A lot of factors aligned to make this possible: the commercial backing of 2K; the game design knowledge we'd acquired from building System Shock 2; the technological familiarity with our Unreal-based engine that we'd built with previous games. But we still had to figure out how to make it all big-blockbuster big.

A lot of our problems came from underestimating how big the task of making a triple-A product for multiple platforms and multiple regions really is. And other problems came from over-estimating our capacity to solve those problems using our existing procedures and staffing levels.

If there's an over-arching theme of our development, it's that we, like many other developers, believe that ultimate success in this industry comes from iteration. You have to build, evaluate (and have others evaluate) and be prepared to throw things away and rebuild.

It's not terribly long, clocking in at 4 pages, and worth a read — even if you weren't a particular fan of the game.

Postmortem: 2K Boston/2K Australia's BioShock [Gamasutra]

The latest word we've heard is that the idea has been officially brought forward and is in discussion by the board of the Entertainment Software Association. That means the possibility of an open E3 is one step closer to reality, if the rumor is true.

The question now is, is the move, if it happens, too little, too late? Can anything save E3 at this point or was this year's event and the across-the-board negative reactions to it the final nail in the show's coffin?

Payton's move back from Japan to the U.S. couldn't come at a better time for a game developer, as the focus on game development seems to be shifting from former dev powerhouse Japan to the U.S. Japan may still be the center of the gaming universe when it comes to cold hard cash, but when it comes to development it no longer seems to be, Payton said.

"The Japanese public seems to be disinterested in next-gen and high definition gaming," he said, pointing to the 360 and its apparent uphill battle in Japan as proof of that. "There is a stigma still attached to western technology there."

"There have been a lot of good mainstream games built for the Japanese Xbox 360," he said. "But they only sold a small number of copies. I think that kind of drained a lot of expectations."

And yet the DS, with it's relatively dated technology, continues to sell well in Japan.

"It's not about the tech in Japan, it's about the games, it's about nostalgia."

While Japanese gamers still seem interested in the sorts of games coming out of Japan, the same isn't as true for the rest of the world's gamers, Payton said.

"It's apparent, everyone knows it in Japan," he said. "The developers here feel the pressure. They're starting to develop more with the West in mind and the tech is in the west now. I'm surprised at how many titles have been produced on the Unreal 3 Engine."

Team Ninja was one of the few development teams in Japan who seemed to get that, Payton said, so it's ironic that they disbanded after their latest Ninja Gaiden. He sees Square-Enix's move to snatch up Tecmo and its assets as heartening, perhaps a sign that Square-Enix is hoping to return to their golden age.

As for Payton, his future is still up in the air. He wants to stay in the industry and has been receiving lots of interest, but he still hasn't decided exactly where he wants to land. Though it sounds like he'd prefer to work on an original IP rather than an established one.

"When I'm traveling I'm always thinking about ideas," he said. "They all come from an original IP or original universe. Their are existing franchises that haven't been beaten to death and are still open that I wouldn't mind working on too."

"I'll go wherever we can make a big massive game."

The purpose of this series of articles is to attempt to shed some light on emerging trends likely to influence game design philosophy, and therefore, our industry at large in the next few years.

Rather than an essay in futurology, which is by definition very hypothetical, the trends described in these articles are already in motion — so the question we should ask ourselves is not whether these trends will appear, but rather what their impact will be on video game design.

It's a quick read and worth checking out; I'm curious to see how Luben will tackle the 'megatrends' in his next article, as they don't necessarily have the immediate relevancy of the set in the first article.

The Megatrends of Game Design, Part 1 [Gamasutra]

Awhile back at GDC I attended a panel that discussed taking frustration away from the player. Microsoft evidently has all sorts of metrics that show that players who are able to finish a game are more likely to purchase a sequel or order DLC, so it makes sense to take away the frustration that prohibits a player from finishing the title. These things range from automatically adjusting difficulty, creating more checkpoints, allowing saves anywhere (vs. gating at savepoints), but most importantly, not punishing death. Braid, for instance, is a perfect example of how not to punish death: You simply don’t die. You just rewind to a point previous to dying, and fix your error. There’s no need for multiple lives or continues or checkpoints. You just rewind.

Now, before I continue, I don’t think Braid is what’s wrong with gaming. In many ways, it’s what’s right. But the biggest problem with taking away “Learn by Death” is that in many ways, we’ve removed the challenge. There is little to no tension in GTA IV, because I know that if I get into trouble, I just need to die. Cops chasing you? Don’t get arrested; they’ll take away your guns. Just fight them, die, and wind up at the hospital with all of your guns still on your person. The only penalty is that you might have to replay the mission you were on, and you probably lost the stolen car you were driving at the time. Sure, there are hard parts in GTA IV.

But in the ten hours I played GTA IV I didn’t once have a nail-biter moment (at least I don’t recall many).

I think Braid can be just as punishing as any game that forces you to 'learn by death' — I find few things are worse than figuring out how to solve a puzzle, then be unable to execute it; endless rewinds aren't that far off from dying — but has the challenge really been removed from games at large? Or is it only a particular type of challenge for particular types of players? I log plenty of hours playing games I enjoy (well over the 10 hours the author spent on GTAIV and Halo 3), but I won't put in those kinds of hours if I'm playing games that challenge their players in certain kinds of ways. I hit my frustration threshold and I'm done — usually for a few weeks or a few months, if not forever. I like challenges within reason, and seek out games that hit that sweet spot between 'too much' and 'not enough.' But that sweet spot is never going to be one size fits all.

Challenge vs. Frustration [game-ism.com via GameSetWatch]

The problem is that gamers enjoy pushing limits ....

What's funny is that game designers invite that sort of behavior by implementing responses to it. For instance, how many interactive fiction games implement a witty response to the XYZZY command, even though there is naturally no place or reason for using it? If no game other than Colossal Cave had a response to that command, nobody would be tempted to give it a try. And if there is a response implemented for that command, how many other interesting goodies like that might there be to discover? How many of us who played the original Warcraft sat there clicking repeatedly on their individual units to see how many different annoyed responses it would elicit? It's a form of exploration, I suppose.

Granted, this is a bit different than the topic of role-playing, but I think the same principle applies. Still, in the situation of role-playing, accounting for different types of behavior, even bizarre behavior, can actually work to the game's advantage.

The explicit response mechanic is something that seems relegated to a few types of games; the relation between 'getting into a game' and how a designer designs that game, however, is not. It's an interesting problem to muse on — especially since once a game is released to the public, there's no way to control how players are actually playing it.

Playing the Protagonist Part, Partly [Monk's Brew]

I suppose one question here might be: what would a videogame look like as designed by Vicente Guallart? Would it look like Fracture? If Vicente Guallart and Behrokh Khoshnevis teamed up, would they have created Celestial Impact? But a more interesting, and wide-ranging, question is whether designing videogame environments is not something of a missed opportunity for today's architecture studios.

After all, how might architects relay complex ideas about space, landscape, and the design of new terrains if they were to stop using academic essays and even project renderings and turn instead to videogames?

It seems like you can take your ideas about terrain deformation and instant landscapes and nomadic geology and you can license it to LucasArts, knowing that tens of thousands of people will soon be interacting with your ideas all over the world; or you can just pin some images up on the wall of an architecture class, make no money at all, and be forced to get a job rendering buildings for Frank Gehry.
So would more people understand Rem Koolhaas's thoughts on cities if he stopped writing 1000-page books and started designing videogames – games set in some strange quasi-Asiatic desert world of Koolhaasian urbanism?

He also muses that this is perhaps mistaking 'popularity for engaged comprehension.' Would the pay off be worth having an architect collaborate on level, terrain and building design? There are certainly enough creative landscapes and architectural styles in games to provide interesting fodder for discussion or study — would formally trained architects actually add to that in a meaningful and recognizable manner?

Tactical Landscaping and Terrain Deformation [BLDGBLOG]

We're certainly sad with the results for Flagship and what's happened with Hellgate, because at the time we signed it, we were trying to get involved in a very complicated relationship between Namco and Flagship. We were coming late to the party, and trying to do whatever we could to sprinkle the game magic on the project and get it headed in the right direction.

I think that's an example where all three parties had the best interest of the game in mind, and sometimes the game doesn't work out. Hellgate is still an incredible concept. The guys who worked on it spent thousands of hours trying to make that concept work, and sometimes we just don't see something. Sometimes, we just didn't take enough time. Sometimes, things don't work out the way you expect.

It's kind of like a film with all big stars — on the script, it should be successful, but the movie doesn't turn out as good as everybody hoped. That's why EAP takes a portfolio approach with its games. You have to place a lot of bets, and hope for a lot of hits.

Certainly worth a read through — I always enjoy reading interviews that cover a lot of ground, and this certainly satisfies in that respect.

David DeMartini on the Renaissance of EA Partners [Gamasutra]

I'd like to think that gaming is still in its infancy stage and will have a chance to grow. I just think there are a lot of factors against that happening. As an interactive medium, there's really nothing else that's comparable. Sports perhaps, and I think there's an argument to be made that some sports or sporting events can be considered art, but again, I'd like to think that gaming is deeper than just competition.

I do think the day will come where games as a medium can be considered art, but we're going to have to solve some pretty big issues before that happens. We need to find ways of financing games other than through the traditional publisher/developer relationship. He who controls the money controls the power, and all too often that power is tied up into market research whitewashing innovation or making copy-cat titles that chase the latest hot trend and not with the creators trying to put their ideas on the screen.

The rest of the interview — on starting a new studio, developing Critter, and talk about the studio in general — is an interesting and reasonably quick read.

Interview with Epicenter Studios [GameCritics.com]

Rather than just a normal and a collectors edition, shouldn't we go further? The idea of being able to pay for gameplay advantage in an online game is hideous, but some Asian MMOs have done very well by charging players for cosmetic improvements. The idea of 'free game, charge people for hats' is much talked about in industry circles. There’s no reason why this can't be extended in a different way.

Take a game like Call of Duty 4. I loved it, and enjoyed it online and off. I'd have happily paid £50 rather than £30 for it. But some people ONLY wanted it for online play. Some of them might have used voice chat (I don't bother) and maybe some of them could only run it on low-resolution or detail. Why do we all pay the same price? Conversely I hate paying for the campaigns in Company of Heroes. I never play them, just skirmish and online.

I've found a lot of people to be suspicious of the microtransaction model in games, mostly for fear of poorer service and/or nickel and diming to death. I think the ability to pay for just what you want is nice — there are plenty of games floating around on my shelves with functionality I never use (or have used maybe once). It's an interesting article on potentials for more modular games in the future.

The Economy of Happiness [bit-tech.net via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

So when I received creator Dogwood Alliance's announcement I took them up on their offer to answer questions. Explain to me, I asked as nicely as I'm probably capable of, how your game, a straight port of Pac-Man with some colors changed, represents "saving forest creatures by collecting excessive packaging and recycling it?" They were kind enough to reply, citing the opening sequence and the end-of level "call to action" petition. They also pointed me to environmental blog Gristmill's mention of the game, which generally mirrors my opinion. So many missed opportunities. I may have built a reputation for taking pleasure from negative reviews of serious games, but I'd really much rather write positive ones. I just never seem to get the opportunity to do so.

As he points out, the short page on the creator's website does a much better job of informing the audience than the game, which does very little informing at all. 'If the two pages of text on a webpage offers so much more rich and subtle information than a game, then why bother with the game?' he asks. Why indeed — I've played some interesting 'serious games,' but really, a mere Pac-man clone does not a 'serious game' make. At least, not an effective one.

Packaging Man: Skip the Wrapper and the Game [Water Cooler Games]

I realize that my take on this isn't as statistically significant as whatever market research Playfirst and similar companies may be doing. But I can't help thinking that narrative — real narrative, in which interesting and varied things happen, and the ending isn't just another predictable apotheosis when your character has carried her 20,000th plate — does answer the "why did I do that?" question. It gives the player something of value to take away from the experience, something to remember and think about, which is of far more value than any arbitrary form of status a casual game could confer.

To do that, the solution isn't necessarily to add more modes and structural features to the format. That bloats the system, and I can understand why it might put off new casual players. It's also, fortunately, not required.

She does mention a few games that have employed some sort of narrative to better (and more interesting effect); it's an interesting musing the the problems of 'narrative' design in games, and how designers can increase the narrative potential of casual titles without bloating them with unnecessaries.

'Homer In Silicon': Narrative vs Fiction [GameSetWatch]

But in games what you don’t often get is the really fucking odd stuff in end of year charts. For even the equivalent of pop-records which show up have the maintream’s level of production and accessibility – both in terms of being able to pick up and play and the fact they may have actually seen a copy. There are two problems in getting genuinely indie stuff hailed. Firstly, the problem in that not enough critics have actually experienced it. Secondly, the problem of expectation, with critics failing to understand their emotional response to the game is what counts, not some odd check-list of what a “great” game should be. On the 360, Earth Defence Force 2017 is a better game than Gears of War. Stepping more PC and indie, Desktop Tower Defence is a better game than Supreme Commander. Until critics are willing to actually fight for stuff they actually believe in, we’re screwed.

I think both problems are well on the way to a solution.

It's an interesting piece on a problem that's been getting some attention. Looks like we have lots of reviewing schisms to look forward to in the coming years — a niche for everyone?

Steps Towards An Elitist Critic Future [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

Shanda (Nasdaq: SNDA) is being sued for RMB 11,000 in emotional damages by a gamer of its licensed MMORPG "Legend of Mir" for freezing the player's game account, reports West China City Daily. In addition to monetary compensation, the gamer is asking for the return of his virtual items. The Chengdu Jinniu District People's Court began hearing the case on Sunday, said the report. The9 (Nasdaq: NCTY) was ordered to pay court fees and return game characters and tools to World of Warcraft gamer by the Shanghai Pudong New District People's Court on August 13.

I know people are attached to their MMOs, but really. Emotional distress? Really? This sounds like one of those ridiculous lawsuits people always use to point out the flaws of the US legal system — clearly, China is not immune either. I'll be curious to see the outcome; as Steve at PlayNoEvil notes, this type of precedent could be really injurious to game operators.

Shanda Gamer Sues For Emotional Damages After Game Account Sealed [Pacific Epoch via PlayNoEvil]

This four-year period — from 1977 to 1981 — contains some of the most exciting developments the company ever saw in its history: the rise of the 2600, the development of some of the company's most enduringly popular games (Centipede, Asteroids) and the development and release of its first home computing platforms.

This comprehensive look back, filled with quotes from the original creators and other primary sources, offers a detailed peek into the company that popularized video gaming as the '70s turned into the '80s, and created the first viable market for home consoles.

If you've got the time, it's definitely worth a read — it's pretty comprehensive and some of the 'insider' insight is pretty interesting.

Atari: The Golden Years — A History, 1978-1981 [Gamasutra]

In my teaching I have tended to emphasize know thy player more than know thyself, because I feel too many students come to the process with two false preconceptions: First, that game design is a primarily expressive process in which their own desires should dominate; and second, that they are themselves the ideal player for their game.

This is fair enough if they themselves are the only people who will ever play their game, but most designers want other people to play their game as well, and that means thinking about what will entertain them.

Know thy player is doubly important when the game is one that the designer would not choose to play herself — a game for small children, say. When you make games for someone very unlike yourself, you can't rely on your own instincts. You have to study your audience.

Simple and to the point — though, really, many things should be when you get to their core. It's just a matter of paying close attention and recognizing the traps you might fall in before you do.

The Designer's Notebook: The Tao of Game Design [Gamasutra]

If Video Game Boxes Gave Credit, They’d Look Like This… [MTV]

I'm a little surprised that they weren't able to grab up more of their stock, but I'm even more surprised that they planned on financing the entire buy up with cash on hand. Am I the only one who thinks that the BlizzAct folks walk around with life-sized, solid-gold avatars that they dress up for fun. Wasteful! I'd spend all my WoW loot on monkeys and monkey training. And maybe monkey diapers... maybe.

Activision Blizzard Announces Final Results of Self-Tender Offer
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug 19, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced the final results of its tender offer to purchase up to 146,500,000 shares of its outstanding common stock at a price of $27.50 per share, net to the tendering stockholders in cash, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest. The tender offer expired at 5:00 p.m., New York time, on Wednesday, August 13, 2008.
Pursuant to the tender offer, Activision Blizzard has purchased 85,916 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $27.50 per share for a total cost of approximately $2.3 million, excluding fees and expenses relating to the tender offer. Activision Blizzard is funding the purchase of shares in the tender offer with available cash on hand.
The tender offer was agreed to be made in connection with the business combination between Activision, Inc., now known as Activision Blizzard, Inc., and Vivendi Games, Vivendi's interactive entertainment business — which includes Blizzard Entertainment's(R) World of Warcraft(R). In accordance with the business combination agreement, the purchase price per share for the tender offer was equal to the price per share that Vivendi paid for the stock it purchased from Activision.
About Activision Blizzard
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard, Inc. is a worldwide pure-play online, PC and console game publisher with leading market positions across all categories of the rapidly growing interactive entertainment software industry.
Activision Blizzard maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Romania, Australia, Chile, India, Japan, China, South Korea and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be found on the company's website, http://www.activisionblizzard.com.

Doroshow, who start his new position at the ESA in September, replacing Gail Markels who was let go when the ESA's New York office was shuttered in March.

“The ESA continues to attract and recruit the brightest individuals. Ken has remarkable expertise in the protection of intellectual property and an excellent understanding of the increasingly connected, dynamic, and innovative entertainment environment we live in,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “The computer and video game industry will be well-protected with Ken’s guidance and I know he will help facilitate our growth to even greater heights.”

One can't help but wonder if Doroshow's appointment, the announcement of which comes on the heels of some pretty draconian piracy enforcement in the UK, could signal a change in the approach the world's software associations, including the Entertainment Software Association, is taking in their anti-piracy efforts.

ESA TAPS FORMER RECORDING INDUSTRY EXECUTIVE, KENNETH DOROSHOW, AS NEW GENERAL COUNSEL

AUGUST 19, 2008 - WASHINGTON, DC – Kenneth Doroshow, former executive at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and senior counsel to the United States Department of Justice, is the Entertainment Software Association’s (ESA) new General Counsel, the association announced today. Doroshow will start his new position at the ESA in September.

“The ESA continues to attract and recruit the brightest individuals. Ken has remarkable expertise in the protection of intellectual property and an excellent understanding of the increasingly connected, dynamic, and innovative entertainment environment we live in,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “The computer and video game industry will be well-protected with Ken’s guidance and I know he will help facilitate our growth to even greater heights.”

Doroshow served as Senior Vice President, Litigation and Legal Affairs for the RIAA, the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. As the head of the RIAA’s litigation department, he led efforts to protect the copyrighted works of recording artists and managed cutting-edge anti-piracy lawsuits against companies like LimeWire, Usenet.com and AllofMP3.com.

“Ken has been such a solid and dynamic leader at the RIAA. His spirit, diligence, intelligence and legal capacity made him a very special part of our team and we know he will be an outstanding addition to the ESA senior management,” said Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the RIAA. “We’ll miss Ken, but look forward to working together for years to come advancing the interests of content innovation.”

Before joining the RIAA, Doroshow was Senior Counsel with the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the United States Department of Justice. Charged with responsibility as a criminal prosecutor and manager of international criminal intellectual property enforcement policy, he played a key role in the largest-ever multinational criminal investigation of software piracy over the Internet.

“The copyright community is fortunate to have strong advocates in Washington at a number of trade associations who are working on their behalf, and I am so pleased to see one of these seasoned professionals continue this work to the benefit of the entire creative community. Ken brings a wealth of intellectual property knowledge and experience to the Entertainment Software Association,” said Patrick Ross, executive director of the Copyright Alliance. “He has worked in multiple facets of the copyright industries and will be a knowledgeable addition to the ESA. The Copyright Alliance looks forward to continuing to work with Ken in this new role.”

Doroshow graduated from Cornell Law School and clerked for the Honorable Joseph L. Tauro of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Prior to his service with the Department of Justice, Doroshow was with the litigation practices of the Washington, DC law firm Covington & Burling and the Washington office of New York firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

The Entertainment Software Association is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. The ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, owning the E3 Media & Business Summit, business and consumer research, federal and state government relations, First Amendment and intellectual property protection efforts. For more information, please visit www.theESA.com.

###

The offer, which will be put to a vote on Sept. 22, would help lower the cost of shares while increasing the quantity, typically a move made to spur sales. Ubisoft shares closed at just under $98 on Friday.

Ubisoft plans two-for-one share split [Reuters]

Too Human isn't just a science fiction reinterpretation of Norse mythology, nor is it just a philosophical look at humanity's growing reliance on technology, nor is it just a cautionary tale about the nature of war, nor is it just an action game. Definitely don't judge it as just an action game. No, Too Human is, among all of these other things, a chance at salvation for an entire city in Ontario, Canada. Or thus spake Dyack in a recent interview with his home town paper.

"If Too Human does what we expect it will (in the marketplace), then it can change the world for St. Catharines and Niagara," Dyack said Friday from his office at One St. Paul Street.

...

There is a great deal riding on the success of Too Human for Silicon Knights, which employs 160 people. If the game is a hit, it will not only allow the company to grow, but will fuel Dyack's larger agenda for the city and region.

"I've said this before. I want to see a campus here in Niagara dedicated to interactive information technology," he said.

Dyack sees Niagara as suffering from a kind of inferiority complex that keeps it from reaching its full potential. The problem is compounded by the steady decline of the manufacturing sector. Video-game development and its associated industries might help build a new knowledge-based economy for the region, Dyack said.

So not only will you make Dyack cry if you don't buy Too Human, you'll kill a town. See if you can sleep with yourself then!

Long-awaited offering by Silicon Knights may represent the future of city's economy [The Standard]

EA says they've decided to let their latest offer to buy up Take-Two lock stock and, well stock at $25.74 a share expire at midnight tonight, but only because they don't think they would have the time anymore to dress up their new acquisition and parade her around for the holidays. In exchange, Take-Two is promising to stop by Electronic Arts one of these days and show EA just how super awesome they are, but only if they don't tell anyone.

I expect one of them to get totally drunk come Christmas and spill all of the beans over a ham dinner.

EA Negotiating NDA to Obtain Limited Due Diligence Tender Offer to Expire Monday, August 18, 2008, on its Terms

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Aug. 18, 2008—Electronic Arts Inc. ("EA") (NASDAQ:ERTS) today issued an update on its offer to acquire Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. ("Take-Two") (NASDAQ:TTWO).

On Friday August 15, John Riccitiello, Chief Executive Officer of EA, called Strauss Zelnick, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Take-Two, to discuss EA's offer to acquire Take-Two. Following discussions over the weekend between EA and Take-Two, EA accepted Take-Two's offer to provide a management presentation to EA containing non-public information. The letters between the parties are set forth below.

EA also announced that it will allow its tender offer for all of the currently outstanding shares of common stock (including the associated preferred stock purchase rights) of Take-Two to expire on Monday, August 18, 2008 at 11:59 p.m., New York City time.

As previously reported, the Federal Trade Commission is scheduled to complete its antitrust review of the proposed transaction by August 21. EA remains confident that antitrust issues will not prevent or delay a transaction.

Below is the text of the letter sent today by Mr. Riccitiello to Mr. Zelnick:

August 18, 2008

Mr. Strauss Zelnick
Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
622 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

Dear Strauss:

Thank you for taking my call on Friday and for your response letter
on August 17, 2008.

As discussed on Friday, given the passage of time, we have to
validate the assumptions used in the model to support our offer
price of $25.74 per share in cash. In addition, we no longer believe
we can integrate Take-Two ahead of the important holiday season.
Accordingly, we require due diligence to support a transaction and
are therefore letting the tender offer expire tonight. However, we
are pleased to accept your offer to review your management
presentation as outlined in your letter.

We continue to have great respect for Take-Two's creative teams and
products and are hopeful that we can work together to reach a
mutually agreed transaction.

Sincerely,

/s/ John Riccitiello
John Riccitiello
Chief Executive Officer

Below is the text of the letter sent yesterday by Mr. Zelnick to Mr. Riccitiello:

August 17, 2008

Mr. John S. Riccitiello
Chief Executive Officer
Electronic Arts Inc.
209 Redwood Shores Parkway
Redwood City, CA 94065

Dear John:

Thank you for your recent expression of interest for Electronic Arts
Inc. ("EA") to participate in Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.'s
(the "Company") formal process to evaluate the Company's strategic
alternatives. As you know, we have been willing to have EA
participate in this process following the successful launch of GTA
IV, and we are happy to include EA now.

As I mentioned when we spoke on Friday, our process begins with an
in-depth management presentation. The Company has made significant
strides since EA first expressed interest in the Company and this
presentation includes material non-public information to which you
would not otherwise have access, including information relating to
our three year product release schedule and management's financial
projections. The presentation also includes information about the
underlying factors that have driven our strong operational and
financial performance. I believe our presentation will enable you to
understand better the value of our Company to EA.

Prior to the management presentation, we will only require EA to
enter into a confidentiality agreement. The agreement would be
limited to provisions required to comply with federal securities
laws and to ensure the Company's ability to protect the
confidentiality of the information shared with you. I can assure you
that this requirement is the same as or more favorable to EA than
that which we have employed with all other participants in the
process.

We understand that a number of months have passed since you first
expressed interest in the Company and, accordingly, we will act
quickly to assist you in moving through our process. Once we execute
a confidentiality agreement, we are prepared to schedule the
management presentation immediately.

With my best personal regards.

Sincerely,

/s/ Strauss Zelnick
Strauss Zelnick
Executive Chairman of the Board

EA's tender offer for all of the currently outstanding shares of common stock (including the associated preferred stock purchase rights) of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. ("Take-Two") (NASDAQ:TTWO) will expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on August 18, 2008.

Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated is acting as the Dealer Manager for the tender offer, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Latham & Watkins are acting as legal counsel, and Georgeson Inc. is acting as Information Agent for the tender offer.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company.

Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA SPORTS Freestyle(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities of Take-Two. The offer to purchase or solicitation of offers to sell is being made pursuant to a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (including the Offer to Purchase, Letter of Transmittal and other related offer documents) filed by EA and EA08 Acquisition Corp. with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on March 13, 2008. Before making any decision with respect to the offer, Take-Two stockholders are advised to read these documents, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, and any other documents relating to the tender offer that are filed with the SEC carefully and in their entirety because they contain important information, including the terms and conditions of the offer. These documents may be obtained at no charge by directing a request by mail to Georgeson, Inc., 199 Water Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10038, or by calling toll-free at (800) 213-0473, and may also be obtained at no charge at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

Forward Looking Statements

Some statements set forth in this communication, including those regarding EA's offer to acquire Take-Two and the expected impact of the acquisition on EA's strategic and operational plans and financial results, contain forward-looking statements that are subject to change. Statements including words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate" or "expect" and statements in the future tense are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or actual future results to differ materially from the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements. Some of the factors which could cause results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements include the following: the possibility that EA's offer to acquire Take-Two will not be consummated; the possibility that, even if EA's offer is consummated, the transaction will not close or that the closing may be delayed; the effect of the announcement of the offer on EA's and Take-Two's strategic relationships, operating results and business generally, including the ability to retain key employees; EA's ability to successfully integrate Take-Two's operations and employees; general economic conditions; and other factors described in EA's SEC filings (including EA's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2008). If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes, the offer may not be consummated, the acquisition may not be consummated, the potential benefits of the acquisition may not be realized, EA's and/or Take-Two's operating results and financial performance could suffer, and actual results could differ materially from the expectations described in these forward-looking statements.

All information in this communication is as of the initial date on which this communication was released. EA undertakes no duty to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

These are real economies. In fact, they get much closer to the raw creation of economic growth than many national economies as these "virtual" economies prove quite convincingly that wealth isn't capital or labor but instead knowledge and creativity. Building a working infrastructure to support capital inflows and outflows in a trustworthy manner is very much a core problem we want to address.

In many ways we're facing the merging of intellectual property and "cash" into one entangled entity. When someone steals a virtual thing they've stolen real value. Cash was created in many ways because barter was hard, and cash creates prices. However if prices are now known in some exchange rate, the virtual good that was stolen is a bill denominated in the exchange value of that good in the first place.

With credit card fraud, stolen card numbers, chargebacks, and other security breeches an increasing problem, we'll no doubt see more and more focus on what can be done to prevent fraud in its many forms (though Steve at PlayNoEvil seems to harbor doubts that companies really pay enough attention to security and fraud issues, especially when it comes to implementing successful and cost-effective solutions that don't cripple usability for the consumer).

Vindicia's Hoffman On The Science Of MMO Fraud [Gamasutra]

... Basically a publisher has about five minutes per game, to explain what the game is about.

So when you're selling a license? It's easy. You say, "Oh, well, we're making this game that's Spider-Man 3, it's going to be blah-blah-blah," they know what Spider-Man is, they know they're going to be signing X quantity of it, mechanically. So that's fine.

You're saying, "Oh, this is a game about little girls, pink ponies, and you know that little girls are going to buy this," it's X number of units are going to go, it's an easy sell. But when you come in with an original game, that they don't have any clear reference to the gameplay of something that has been done recently, that has no license, then it's a very hard sell. And if you have only five minutes? I can't explain Soul Bubbles in five minutes. It's not doable — and I made the game.

Lejade's discussion of the gameplay of Soul Bubbles is particularly interesting, especially since he manages to convey the sense of 'People didn't get what we were trying to do' without sounding like a whiny, pretentious jerk. With the discussion of the casual-hardcore divide that's been going on recently, it's great to hear how people are attempting to bridge that — with some success, but not necessarily from a reviewer's perspective. Interesting interview and well worth a read. In case you're unfamiliar with the game, one of the gameplay videos is appended below.

Mekensleep's Lejade - The Extended Soul Bubbles Interview [GameSetWatch]

But it is possible to shift the paradigm, so why don't older institutions follow suit?

For one thing, they don't consider games "academically respectable," Bartle asserts. For another, computer games staff don't get included in research assessment submissions, because there are no first-class journals specific to the medium — and, of course, major universities just don't see any money in it, he says.

Bartle, who is currently a Principal Fellow and Visiting Professor at the Department of Computing and Electronic Systems at Essex University, explained ruefully: "None of this would matter if it were without consequences. Unfortunately, there are consequences."

Modern universities focus on training in the way that vocational schools do, says Bartle, while older ones have a tradition of education.

My first reaction is 'Well, duh.' Academia is built on tradition and regularity (there is a reason 'disciplines' have that name), so trailblazing a new path is not the easiest of tasks. Even a move to shift perceptions of 'standard' disciplines is likely to be met with suspicion and skepticism. On the other hand, many of those older or less progressive institutions are sloooowly coming around. But the process isn't going to happen overnight, and I wouldn't expect to see 'training in the way that vocational schools do' at an Ivy League institution near you any time soon. I'm also not convinced that's necessarily a bad thing - just as students flock to particular institutions to study under renowned experts in well-established fields, why wouldn't we expect the same out of people wishing to study gaming?

MUD Co-Creator Bartle Criticizes Gaming And Academia Divide [GameSetWatch]

... We are reminded of sports or puzzle games with unnecessary story elements tacked on as evidence of the misguided nature of narrative games. Or we explore the limits of games like GTA4 and Bioshock and bemoan the promises broken when it comes to fully identifying with Niko or making truly meaningful ethical choices in Rapture. These "failures" are seen as defining the limits of narrative gaming - reminders that games just aren't quite up to the challenge of telling good stories.

Really?

I'm the first to admit this narrative medium is still emerging from its infancy...but what a handsome baby it has been! It requires no strain on my part to recall a fairly large collection of games that have provided narrative experiences I've found compelling and meaningful. System Shock, Deus Ex, The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, Planescape: Torment, Bioshock, Planetfall - these are only a handful of the many I could name. Are any of these perfect? No. Could they be improved in all sorts of ways? Certainly.

Amidst the teeth gnashing and wailing that frequently accompanies these discussions of narrative, a little injection of positivity is a welcome thing every now and again. Also worth keeping an eye on — and a bit of a tie in to this article — is a developing 'conversation about Braid' and interactive story telling.

Beware the straw man [The Brainy Gamer]

The current market is estimated to be worth 4.43 billion yuan (around $645 million), and with no predicted slowdowns, one wonders what we'll be seeing this time next year (or even fourth quarter of '08). And with companies like Perfect World making a foray into Western markets, we'll just have to wait and see where China's industry is heading long-term.

China market: 2Q08 online gaming services valued at 4.43 billion yuan [Digitimes via GamesIndustry.biz]

Everything. Much of the GUI is not as complete or polished as planned in designs. Room creation/publishing/decorating could be a lot easier than it is now - we're working on that. Social functionality needs to be built out further - finding friends and inviting friends should be easier and more productive. There are some aspects of the client that limit how flexible it is as an element of web design - we would like to have it be more malleable in the hands of web designers.

There is a big demand for the ability to create content. We have a tool that our artists and partners use to publish content after its been exported from off-the-shelf DCC tools like Max, Maya and SketchUp. The publishing tool needs a redesign and documentation before its ready for public consumption. However, UI design and development for that is a simpler task than ironing out the policies for user-generated content.

Ruberg's initial complaints centered around Lively's lack of support for cybersex, but she coyly notes that "Earlier conversations with Young may or may not have involved interface design changes specific to cybersex, but since Google has no official statement on sex in its virtual world, those comments will have to be left to your imaginations ...."

Q&A with Google Lively's User Experience Designer [Terra Nova]

The suit, filed on July 16 and obtained by Game Daily, is seeking at least $26 million from Ubisoft for breach of license agreement and continued damage.

That money is meant to make up for the licensing fees ResponDesign was expecting from Ubisoft as well as the royalties.

Ultimately, ResponDesign says that Ubisoft "from the outset failed to diligently pursue development of the game, ignored the terms of the license agreement and acted in bad faith." After a while Ubisoft told ResponDesign that the game wouldn't be ready until first quarter of 2009 and the publisher also complained of missing assets. Ubisoft also told ResponDesign in July that it would be changing the name of the game to Yourself!Fitness in the U.S. and Go Fitness in Europe; it was no longer in the "My Coach" line. As of the filing of the suit, Ubisoft has not done any marketing or PR surrounding the game.

We've contacted Ubisoft for comment and will update when and if they respond.

Yourself!Fitness Developer Suing Ubisoft for 'No Less' Than $26 Million [Game Daily]

"We are announcing that 21 positions are being eliminated in the Austin office of NCsoft in the area of product development," an NCsoft spokesman told Kotaku. "Primarily this is related to products which we have not previously announced and were in prototype phases. We are also cutting some positions on the Dungeon Runners team after deciding not to port the client to other platforms at this time."

Among those let go, Scott "Lum the Mad" Jennings.

The news comes a day after parent company Korean-based NCsoft announced a bump in sales but a drop in operating profit and net income. The news is a stark contrast to rumors that surfaces earlier this week that 140 to 160 people were going to be let go and the office possibly shuttered. At the time NCsoft told Kotaku that the rumors were "not accurate at all" and "pretty outrageous."

The news comes during a week of rumblings that NCsoft's Austin office may be on the verge of laying off staff or closing, a rumor that NCsoft vehemently denies.

Lineage and Lineage II both saw a drop in sales compared to last quarter as did Guild Wars, while City of Heroes and City of Villains as well as Tabula Rasa saw an increase in sales from the previous quarter, according to the earnings release.

The report goes on to say that NCsoft completed the third stage of closed beta testing for Aion on July 20. Beta testers were able to play Aion’s core features including Realm vs. Realm in the Abyss, a designated zone where the two factions, Elyos and Asmodians, constantly battle for various fortresses as well as abundant item crafting, new quests, better user interface, and higher level character advancement.

The company plans to start an open beta test for Aion and launch the game in Korea in the fourth quarter of the year, according the report. The game will launch internationally within three to six months of the Korean launch.

The company also plans to start beta testing for three casual games in 2008: Love beat, Punch Monster, and Dragonica.

“In order to maintain our ongoing development cycles and a diverse game portfolio, multiple games are in development currently across all NCsoft studios," said NCsoft’s CFO Jaeho Lee. "We anticipate publishing these new titles within the next two to three years, during which we believe we’ll maintain NCsoft’s status as a leader in the global on-line game market.”

The new studio, located on the north side of Chicago, will concentrate on creating games for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Vignocchi leaves Midway after working on five games with the company over the past 8 and a half years. His departure is just the latest in a stream of lay-offs and departures in the financial strapped company.

In an email obtained by Kotaku last night, Matt Booty, interim CEO and president of Midway, told employees that the company laid off 90 Austin workers because the company felt that their open world game Career Criminal was likely not going to be successful, so they killed the project.

The layoffs hit less than a week after Midway confirmed to Kotaku that a trio of high-level folks had left Midway's Chicago studio. Among those to leave were Mike Bilder, head of the studio, the internal developer responsible for Stranglehold, Mortal Kombat and Blitz: The League. Other confirmed departures include Mona Hamilton, vice president of marketing, and Reilly Brennan, director of media relations. Two other high level staffers were rumored to have quit, including Vignocchi.

Earlier today we wrote that 70 to 90 people had been let go this morning and that free-roaming crime game Criminal had been axed.

"While this was a very difficult decision, we feel it was the right thing to do for the future of Midway," said Matt Booty, interim CEO and president of Midway Games Inc.. "We view every game as an investment that must meet certain standards for quality, scheduling, and profitability. Midway remains committed to producing the highest quality entertainment, as evidenced by our strong holiday line-up which includes TNA iMPACT!, Blitz: The League II, and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe starring a team of MK characters and some of the most recognizable DC Comics personalities such as Batman, The Joker, and Superman.”

Midway says that the decision will "allow Midway to maximize its development resources and apply manpower and capital to projects with the highest chances of success."

According to a Form 8K filed with the SEC by Midway on Friday, the company's board of directors plans to implement a plan to reduce the company's "cost structure and maximize its development resources by applying manpower and capital to projects with the highest chances of success."

To do that Midway has started a "strategic workforce reduction." Those reductions will include 90 to 130 people in Austin or about 10 percent of the company's global workforce. The majority of the cuts are expected to hit by the end of the month.

Of the 90 people being laylet go, 80 are full time and 10 are contractors, according to Midway officials. There are no plans to close the Austin Studio, we've been told.

Midway to Cancel Project in Austin Studio, Optimize Product Development Resources [Midway] and Form 8-K for MIDWAY GAMES INC

Sadly, when I first found this the other week I decided not to take a picture of the On-Line Systems anniversary party page. It featured people from the early eighties (a theme of this blog if you haven't noticed) enjoying what looked like a California themed ho-down, and men who look like Ewoks wearing aviator sunglasses (though Ewoks didn't yet exist, so I guess they are proto-Ewoks). I'm upset that I didn't take a picture of it, because I think it allows you to see (as these other pages do) the small and familial nature of a company that would balloon into one of PC gaming's most prominent companies.

A post on 'Sid Meier's First(?) Game and an Early Look at MicroProse', about a game no one — including Meier — seems to remember, is also worth a look.

The Beginnings of Sierra Part 1 [How They Got Game]

Perhaps "manifesto" is too strong a word for what I'm describing, but at the moment I can't think of a better one. Most dictionaries define the term as a public declaration of intentions, motives or views. Beyond that simple definition, however, manifestos are intrinsically anti-status-quo. Regardless of its framework - politics, ideology or art - a manifesto is a defiant call for change and an implied "Who's with me?" All of the people I'm about to describe are plugging into something that sounds very much like a collective manifesto to me.

Many people currently writing about narrative and game design do share a lot of commonalities in thinking, so some sort of 'collective manifesto' (even just informally speaking) does make sense. Anyways, Abbott's roundup isn't particularly long, but worth a read; he's done the work for you when it comes to pulling out some particularly salient bits of the essays.

Narrative manifesto [Brainy Gamer]

Steve Taylor's company, Wahoo Studios, alternates between contracting for publishers and producing self-published titles through their indie label, NinjaBee. He notes that working through online distribution portals is not much different from working with traditional publishers. "Portals and other distributions services impose their own rules and limitations. Supposedly indie-friendly distribution options like Steam and Instant Action still have subjective gatekeepers."

He maintains that the stark reality of remaining solvent often overshadows the dream of creative freedom. "If you want your game to make money, you have to consider what will sell, and this means adapting your pure creative vision to match the real world. Besides, do you really have the resources to achieve your ultimate creative vision? "

These fledgling entrepreneurs have also discovered their rebel status doesn't make them immune to piracy. With most indies struggling to make ends meet, they feel its impact directly in their own wallets. "Since we are a small developer that has a hard time getting attention, you would think we would have very little piracy," says Peeler. "Unfortunately, that's not the case at all. It's depressing how many sites are pirating Depths of Peril."

It's an interesting look at the transition and why people decide to make the leap (and sometimes do so unsuccessfully). Despite a look at some of the problems, the article is positive overall in terms of what these mainstream-to-indie 'rogues' are getting out of being their own masters.

Going Rogue [The Escapist]