Pimp Daddy Croft Magazine http://www.pdcm.net/ This is a discussion forum powered by vBulletin. To find out about vBulletin, go to http://www.vbulletin.com/ . en Sat, 19 May 2012 12:32:53 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.pdcm.net/digitalvb/vbfour/misc/rss.png Pimp Daddy Croft Magazine http://www.pdcm.net/ Dead Island 2 not in development - Report http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1397-Dead-Island-2-not-in-development-Report&goto=newpost Sat, 19 May 2012 07:02:45 GMT Deep Silver denies working with Spec Ops: The Line developer studio Yager on sequel to 2011 island-set zombie first-person shooter. Image:... Deep Silver denies working with Spec Ops: The Line developer studio Yager on sequel to 2011 island-set zombie first-person shooter.
 
Earlier this week, a source told IGN Germany that Yager Development, which is presently finishing up Spec Ops: The Line for its June release, had been tapped to develop Dead Island 2. This is not the case, says Guido Eickmeyer, development director with the original game's publisher, Deep Silver. Dead Island 2 is not in development, at least not yet.


"We are neither working with Yager on Dead Island 2 nor do we have any contractual agreement with Yager about any project at this point," he said.
The developer did not rule out working with Yager in the future, saying there is a "legitimate chance" the companies will one day team up. He even went as far as to say a future relationship could be on a project related to the Dead Island franchise.
Eickmeyer went on to explain that Deep Silver does not have Dead Island 2 "in concept or production with external partners" and that it is currently considering options for a sequel.
Dead Island was developed by Polish shop Techland and shipped in September 2011 to generally positive review scores. The game shipped 3 million copies and welcomed various add-on packs. Speculation about a follow-up sparked in November, when Techland filed a trademark application for Dead World.
Though a sequel to Dead Island is currently out of sight, a movie based on the property may see the light of day. Film studio Lionsgate optioned the rights from Deep Silver after the game shipped last year. Development of the Dead Island film will be led by The Mummy producer Sean Daniel and Stefan Sonnenfeld, who did postproduction work on various Pirates of the Caribbean films and X-Men: The Last Stand.
For more on Dead Island, check out GameSpot's review.
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"Dead Island 2 not in development - Report" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Fri, 18 May 2012 10:35:48 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1397-Dead-Island-2-not-in-development-Report <![CDATA[Amalur developer's MMO Copernicus due June 2013]]> http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1396-Amalur-developer-s-MMO-Copernicus-due-June-2013&goto=newpost Sat, 19 May 2012 07:02:45 GMT New massively multiplayer online game from embattled 38 Studios landing in 12 months; first trailer revealed.
38 Studios' massively multiplayer online game currently codenamed Project Copernicus is scheduled to arrive in June 2013. The news comes from Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee, who revealed the date today during a press conference attended by Joystiq discussing the future of embattled Providence-based 38 Studios. How often does a state official announce a release date?!


Further details on the game were not revealed, as Chafee simply stated, "What I understand is Copernicus is June '13." Requests to 38 Studios for confirmation of the date were not returned as of press time.
Also during the briefing today, Chafee announced that 38 Studios' $1.125 million check to the state of Rhode Island has cleared. This fulfills the company's first obligated payment on the game studio's controversial 2010 $75 million loan from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC).
38 Studios founder Curt Schilling offered his first public comments on the issues surrounding the company last night through Facebook.
"To all the prayers and well wishes to the team and families at 38, God Bless and thank you! We will find a way, and the strength, to endure," he wrote.
The RIEDC board Wednesday held an emergency meeting to discuss whether to provide additional assistance to 38 Studios to keep the company in business. While the board made no ruling on the matter, it is expected to consider the topic again on Monday.
[UPDATE]: Shortly after the publication of this article, 38 Studios uploaded a teaser trailer for Copernicus to YouTube. The trailer is a brief tour of the gameworld's environments and can be seen below.
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Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"Amalur developer's MMO Copernicus due June 2013" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Fri, 18 May 2012 11:22:19 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1396-Amalur-developer-s-MMO-Copernicus-due-June-2013 EA Origin wants crowd-funded games http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1395-EA-Origin-wants-crowd-funded-games&goto=newpost Sat, 19 May 2012 07:02:45 GMT Publisher to provide free distribution services for 90 days for any successfully crowd-funded PC title; Wasteland 2 first confirmed game. Image:... Publisher to provide free distribution services for 90 days for any successfully crowd-funded PC title; Wasteland 2 first confirmed game.
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Electronic Arts' Origin digital distribution platform boasts a vast game catalog of AAA titles like Mass Effect 3 and Battlefield 3, but now the publisher is courting smaller developers. EA announced today that it will provide free distribution services for any successfully crowd-funded PC title for 90 days after launch. EA is hoping to attract indie developers to Origin with the promise of 90 days of free distribution services.


The first crowd-funded project confirmed for Origin is Inxile Entertainment's Wasteland 2. That game quickly surpassed its Kickstarter funding target earlier this year, climbing to over $2.93 million. Company CEO Brian Fargo said the 90 days of free distribution services represents a "major economic bonus" for the studio.
Gabriel Knight designer Jane Jensen also pledged her support for EA's new crowd-funded promotion. She said, "It's great to see a big publisher like EA opening up distribution opportunities for these games." Jensen's crowd-funded Pinkerton Road studio recently exceeded its $300,000 target.
EA confirmed to GameSpot this afternoon that Jensen's inclusion in the announcement was only to demonstrate her support for the program and is not confirmation that her first title--Moebius--will be released as part of it.
EA specifically called out the Kickstarter crowd-funding platform as one that developers can utilize, though others are available. Those interested in hosting their title through Origin can complete a submission form at the Origin publishing portal.
On top of announcing it would waive distribution fees for crowd-funded titles for 90 days, EA revealed today that Origin now boasts 12 million members, up from an 11 million user count announced earlier this month.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"EA Origin wants crowd-funded games" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Fri, 18 May 2012 13:47:05 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1395-EA-Origin-wants-crowd-funded-games Kingdoms of Amalur dev misses payroll http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1394-Kingdoms-of-Amalur-dev-misses-payroll&goto=newpost Fri, 18 May 2012 18:45:45 GMT Rhode Island government says 38 Studios is making overdue loan payment even as employees go without pay. Image:... Rhode Island government says 38 Studios is making overdue loan payment even as employees go without pay.
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38 Studios is making up its missed loan payment, but apparently at the expense of its employees. According to Providence, Rhode Island-based news outlet WPRI, the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer is submitting a $1.125 million loan payment it missed, but told the state's Economic Development Corporation that it was unable to pay its employees as scheduled.
This was one Reckoning 38 Studios was unprepared for.

The debt in question dates back to 2010, when the EDC secured a controversial $75 million in loans to entice 38 Studios--founded by former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling--to relocate from Massachusetts to the Ocean State. According to the WPRI report, 38 Studios employed 379 employees full-time as of mid-March.
The EDC board yesterday held an emergency meeting to discuss whether to provide additional assistance to 38 Studios to keep the company in business. While the board made no ruling on the matter, it is expected to consider the topic again on Monday. 38 Studios employees aren't the only ones being hurt by the company's situation. Yesterday, EDC executive director Keith Stokes, who helped structure the $75 million loan, resigned from his post.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is the first title from 38 Studios. Designed with the help of R.A. Salvatore, Todd McFarlane, and Ken Rolston, the action role-playing game received a positive critical reception upon release in February and sold 330,000 copies in the United States across the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, according to NPD data. Additionally, a sequel is in the works.
As of press time, a 38 Studios representative had not responded to a request for comment.
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"Kingdoms of Amalur dev misses payroll" was posted by Brendan Sinclair on Thu, 17 May 2012 15:59:09 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1394-Kingdoms-of-Amalur-dev-misses-payroll With Friends Like These... - New Ally System http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1393-With-Friends-Like-These-New-Ally-System&goto=newpost Fri, 18 May 2012 18:45:45 GMT In EVE Online, wars are fought for any reason the human mind can come up with and are a true melting pot of emergent game play. We&#39;ve always left it to the players to define WHY they fight, but we&#39;ve also always wanted to give you guys more tools to frame your war-mongering ambitions.
The new Ally System introduced in the upcoming Inferno expansion is an addendum to the war mechanics, one that allows players to more easily get aid when finding themselves dragged into an unfavorable war, through our mercenary marketplace. A corporation or alliance can join a defender in a war as an ally, fighting alongside the defending side. The war system will effectively regard the two one entity when it comes to tracking war progress.
A previous dev blog (found here) discussed the ally system a bit, but now we have more to show on the UI side and can discuss the nitty gritty in a bit more detail.
My Kingdom For An Ally

So, lets say you find yourself on the receiving end of war declaration and you want to swing the odds a bit more in your favor. You want to it to be known that you&rsquo;re interested in getting help.
To do so, you go to your Corporation panel in the Neocom and select the Wars tab.
In the &#39;Our Wars&#39; tab you&rsquo;ll see the wars you&rsquo;re engaged in. You can click the sword in a war in which you&rsquo;re the defender and check the Open for Allies checkbox on the bottom of the popup window called Allies (which also lists all active allies you have, and existing ally offers). Note that only the CEO (or a Director) can make this change.

Click to enlarge
The &#39;Our Wars&#39; tab also lists the ally status of your wars and shows the wars that you&rsquo;re an ally in.
If you&rsquo;re the CEO/Director, you see an exclamation mark (!) next to the sword, when you&rsquo;ve received an offer from someone interested in becoming your ally. The offer includes a text field and an ISK amount. You can either accept or decline the offer. If you want to negotiate with the interested party, you can use the normal communication channels for that until an agreement is reached.

Can I Come In And Play?

On the other side of the coin, if you want to become an ally for some interested party willing to pay for your services, your first stop is the All Wars tab in the Corporation/Wars section. This is a list of wars to spectators, but a mercenary marketplace to potential sellers of muscle.
In the All Wars tab you will see a list of all active wars (it shows 50 most recent, you can also use the search function to find wars of a specific corporation/alliance). Wars where the defender is asking for an ally are shown with a plus sign on the sword. Wars where there is one or more allies is shown with an asterisk (*) next to the sword.

Click to enlarge
The best way to find prospective patrons is to filter by checking the &lsquo;Assistance requests only&rsquo; checkbox. You can now see all wars where the defender is seeking allies.
Click on the sword icon on the right, this will bring up a box where you can enter message and suggested ISK cost and send it to the defending corp/alliance to initiate contact. When the defender accepts an ally offer, the ally becomes a formal part of the war and can start fighting 24 hours later.

Say Hello To My Little Friend the Rules Lawyer

Now it&rsquo;s time to step back a little and look at some of the rules and regulations surrounding the ally system. Let&rsquo;s do it in a nice, tight bullet point list:
  • There are no limits to how many allies you can have
  • There is no limit to how many wars you can be an ally in
  • You get an ally for a specific war, not all wars you&rsquo;re in. You can ally with the same corp/alliance several times though
  • Only the defender can get allies
  • If a corporation that is an ally joins an alliance, then the ally status transfers to the alliance as a whole
  • A corporation/alliance cannot join as an ally against a corporation/alliance they are already at war with.
  • Similarly, if you&rsquo;re already an ally against someone, you cannot declare a separate war against them or join as an ally against them again. Basically, ally status counts as being at war with the aggressor corp/alliance, so anything that would create a new war state between them cannot happen
  • The payment from the defender to the ally is a one-time payment, it does not recur every week
  • The ally cannot seperately negotiate peace with the aggressor &ndash; the war ends for him at the same time as the defender (either because the bill wasn&rsquo;t paid or either side surrenders)
  • When you offer to ally someone, you must wait for them to respond, or 24 hours (which ever comes first) before making another formal offer.
Just Shut Up And Tell Me Why

So, now many long and fancy words have been spent to explain the what and how of the ally system. But the why is still left unanswered.
One of the main goals we had in reworking the war mechanics was introducing more options for the defender. The line we had to skirt here was maintaining the war system as primarily a tool mechanic (as opposed to feature mechanic), so whatever options we would introduce had to comply to that.
The ally system ended up being a good solution here, because not only does it provide a simple way for someone to get help, but it also introduced risk for the aggressor and an avenue, or career, for the many pilots interested in mercenary-like activity. And most importantly it emphasizes one of the key truths in EVE &ndash; that having friends is really important.
Future Is Not A Dirty Word

So what&rsquo;s in store post-Inferno? While Team Super Friends is not going to do a whole-release worth of iteration on the ally system, there are a few things in the pipeline.
Setting a fixed contract length to ally contracts is one thing we want to do. While the current implementation is fine for the most part, there are a few edge cases where the eternal ally bond can become an issue. It should also make negotiations smoother, when the knowledge of the exact length of the contract is known beforehand.
Another thing we&rsquo;re looking into is to exclude the ally system from mutual wars &ndash; if a war has been made mutual, then no allies can be involved and existing ally contracts are cancelled. This mitigates a little the fact that now when a war is made mutual the only way for it to end is by surrender. We&rsquo;ll monitor the early experience with the system post-Inferno and make a decision whether this change is needed/wanted.
There are several improvements for the ally marketplace that we want to look into. Most notably, giving defenders the ability to enter more information when looking for allies, such as by allowing them to enter location, price range, etc. In a similar vein, allowing mercenaries to advertise their services is something we&rsquo;re looking into, where they could filter by preferred area of operation, their strength, etc.
Another area we might iterate on a bit is the war report - we want to show more clearly the contribution of each ally in the war - how much loss they&#39;ve inflicted and received as portion of the total. This is in addition to other additions we want to make to the war report that are not just ally related, such as introduce timelines and battle reports.
Finally, we want to expand a lot on the information spreading of wars and their state. We want to show information about active wars, their war reports and how wars concluded in EVE Gate. This can include several kinds of leaderboards, such as ranking war loss inflicted vs. war loss received, rank the effectiveness of allies (i.e. how much loss do they inflict of the total, etc.) and similar rank lists. One thing we want to be very careful about here is what data to count and what data is presented. For instance, wars against entities that actively fight back will count more for these rank lists, to encourage people to fight those willing to fight. Getting this information on EVE Gate would give players a better understanding of the military strength of corporations and alliances, with a special focus on mercenary corps. Naturally, it can also act as a nice status symbol for those interested in this kind of activity, with entities competing for the &lsquo;Hall of Fame&rsquo;.
On the whole, the ally system is an exciting addition to the war system, one that makes wars more of an uncertain business and an interesting avenue for mercenary pilots in New Eden.

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More... ]]> devblog eve-online http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1393-With-Friends-Like-These-New-Ally-System Unsealed testimony alleges Activision tried to spy on ex-Infinity Ward heads http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1392-Unsealed-testimony-alleges-Activision-tried-to-spy-on-ex-Infinity-Ward-heads&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 22:52:54 GMT Call of Duty publisher allegedly launched a secret internal investigation against Jason West, Vince Zampella; EA settles out of court with... Call of Duty publisher allegedly launched a secret internal investigation against Jason West, Vince Zampella; EA settles out of court with Activision.
A number of unsealed documents from the upcoming trial between Activision and a group of ex-Infinity Ward developers have revealed a testimony that alleges the publisher launched an internal investigation against lead plaintiffs Jason West and Vince Zampella.
A new testimony alleges Activision tried to spy on ex-Infinity Ward developers.


The documents--made public this week by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle--contain the testimony of Activision's former senior director of information technology, Thomas Fenady. As reported by Giant Bomb and The Los Angeles Times, Fenady's testimony alleges that Activision's in-house lawyer, George Rose, asked him to spy on West and Zampella by accessing their work emails, voice mails, and computer files.
According to Fenady, who left Activision in 2009, Rose told him the decision to investigate West and Zampella came from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. The testimony also alleges that the objective--known as Project Icebreaker--was begun with the aim of building evidence against West and Zampella but that efforts to monitor the personal correspondence of the developers, which included using outside parties, were unsuccessful.
Other documents unsealed by Judge Elihu Berle in the case include a plan documenting bonuses from West and Zampella's initial agreement in 2003, as well as a memorandum of understanding from 2008, explaining the extension of the developers' initial contract.
According to the LA Times report, the documents form part of the contract that Activision had with West and Zampella and the 40 other game developers involved in the lawsuit, laying out the money that Activision owes the developers in royalties and bonuses.
Activision claims that it fired West and Zampella because they were secretly planning to start their new studio with the help of Electronic Arts, while still employed by the Call of Duty publisher. West and Zampella claim that the real reason they were fired was so Activision wouldn't have to pay them millions of dollars in royalties associated with Modern Warfare 2. Beyond the performance-based payout and any other court-awarded monetary damages, West and Zampella are seeking to gain co-ownership of the Modern Warfare brand. If successful in court, West and Zampella would have the right to create and release both old and new instalments in the Modern Warfare franchise.
According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Activision has dropped the $400 million claim against EA, which originally made up part of its lawsuit against West and Zampella.
Although the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, Bloomberg reported that EA will now be removed from the upcoming trial, set to take place on May 29.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"Unsealed testimony alleges Activision tried to spy on ex-Infinity Ward heads " was posted by Laura Parker on Wed, 16 May 2012 19:05:48 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1392-Unsealed-testimony-alleges-Activision-tried-to-spy-on-ex-Infinity-Ward-heads Blizzard apologizes for Diablo III errors, delays launch of real-money auction house http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1391-Blizzard-apologizes-for-Diablo-III-errors-delays-launch-of-real-money-auction-house&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 22:52:54 GMT Developer offers apology for server issues on the game's launch, says it will continue to monitor and improve services; real-money auction house delayed as a result.
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Blizzard has issued an apology to Diablo III players affected by the game's technical issues, including the discovery of a game-breaking bug.
Posting on the Diablo III forums, Blizzard said that its preparations for the launch of the game "did not go far enough."
Evil has returned…it's just a little slow.


"As many of you are aware, technical issues occurring within hours after the game's launch led to players experiencing error messages and difficulty logging in. These issues cropped up again last night for the Americas and Europe servers. Despite very aggressive projections, our preparations for the launch of the game did not go far enough.
"To that end, we'd also like to say that we've been humbled by your enthusiasm--and we sincerely regret that your crusade to bring down the Lord of Terror was thwarted not by mobs of demons, but by mortal infrastructure."
Blizzard announced that it has been monitoring the game around the clock and said it has applied several optimizations to help the servers deal with the global rush. According to the publisher, all systems are now back online and "running relatively smoothly." The company said that it is also investigating a fix for a service issue linked to the achievement system, which saw achievements not being earned properly or not being saved between multiple log-ins.
As a result of the technical difficulties, Blizzard has decided to push back the target launch for Diablo III's real-money auction house, originally estimated for May 22. The company said it will post further information about this in the near future.
The publisher stated that it would continue to monitor global performance of the servers and will be taking further measures as needed, including maintenance to improve each region.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"Blizzard apologizes for Diablo III errors, delays launch of real-money auction house" was posted by Laura Parker on Wed, 16 May 2012 21:54:49 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1391-Blizzard-apologizes-for-Diablo-III-errors-delays-launch-of-real-money-auction-house Borderlands 2 special editions confirmed http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1390-Borderlands-2-special-editions-confirmed&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 22:52:54 GMT 2K Games and Gearbox Software confirm $100 Deluxe Vault Hunter's edition and $150 Ultimate Loot Chest version for upcoming shooter sequel.
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Come September, gamers yearning to pick up a premium bundle for Gearbox Software's new shooter Borderlands 2 will have two options to consider. 2K Games and Gearbox Software today confirmed the game's two special editions: the $100 Deluxe Vault Hunter's collector's edition, and the $150 Ultimate Loot Chest edition. For $150, this can all be yours.


The Deluxe Vault Hunter's limited edition includes a Marcus Kincaid bobblehead doll, as well as a hardbound Inside the Vault: The Art & Design of Borderlands 2 book. Additionally, the premium bundle packs in a collectible sticker set, a map of in-game world Pandora, a digital comic download code, and downloadable in-game content.
Gamers looking to spend even more can pick up the $150 Ultimate Loot Chest limited edition of Borderlands 2. This bundle packs in all items within the Deluxe Vault Hunter's edition, as well as a scaled loot chest replica, a steel book case for the game, and a "Creatures of Pandora wide-format ID chart." Additionally, this version includes a lithograph postcard set, field notes from Sir Hammerlock, a cloth map of Pandora, and a certificate of authenticity.
Both special editions will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC editions of Borderlands 2. 2K Games and Gearbox Software also today announced that those who preorder either bundle will score access to the Borderlands 2 Premiere Club, which grants users a range of in-game content, as well as the previously announced fifth character class, the mechromancer.
Borderlands 2 is due out in North America on September 18 and will ship internationally on September 21. For more on the title, check out GameSpot's latest preview.
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Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"Borderlands 2 special editions confirmed" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Thu, 17 May 2012 07:28:43 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1390-Borderlands-2-special-editions-confirmed First Walking Dead episode sells 1 million http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1389-First-Walking-Dead-episode-sells-1-million&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 22:52:54 GMT Debut episode in Telltale Games' new adventure series hits platinum status in two weeks, becoming company's fastest-selling series to date.
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Telltale Games' new The Walking Dead episodic adventure game series has started off on a high note. The developer announced today that the first episode--A New Day--was downloaded over 1 million times across PC, Mac, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live in two weeks. The Walking Dead sprinted to 1 million in sales.


TellTale Games has adapted a number of popular franchises into episodic adventure games, including Back to the Future and Wallace and Gromit, but none were as immediately successful as The Walking Dead. The company said today that The Walking Dead is the fastest-selling series in company history.
The next episode in the Walking Dead series, titled Starved for Help, is expected to launch across PC, Mac, and consoles in June. Additionally, the season's first episode--A New Day--is scheduled to hit iOS devices next month. A total of five episodes are planned for the series.
Telltale's Walking Dead is a single-player episodic game based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series. It stars Lee Everett, a man convicted of a crime but given a chance to redeem himself, albeit in a world infested with undead. For more on the franchise, check out GameSpot's review of episode one.
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Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"First Walking Dead episode sells 1 million" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Thu, 17 May 2012 07:39:43 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1389-First-Walking-Dead-episode-sells-1-million GameStop digital sales up, profits down http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1388-GameStop-digital-sales-up-profits-down&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 22:52:54 GMT US retailer sees digital, mobile revenues rise, but not enough to offset dipping total sales and profit; Guild Wars 2 won't ship until after July.
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GameStop's mobile and digital businesses are growing, but not enough to make up for a shrinking market for packaged games, the company revealed today as part of its latest financial report. Digital and mobile sales were bright spots on GameStop's spreadsheet.


The company did not provide a specific figure for digital sales, but noted this sector was up 23 percent year-over year, while mobile raked in $12 million for the period.
In all, for the three months ended April 28, GameStop posted total global sales of $2 billion, down 12.2 percent from the $2.28 billion recorded during the same time last year. Net income for the period hit $72.5 million, a dip from the $80.4 million notched a year ago.
New game software was the biggest contributor to GameStop's bottom line during the period, accounting for $731.1 million and 36.5 percent of total sales. The next most significant contributor was used software and hardware sales, which accounted for 30.9 percent of total revenue, or $619 million. New game hardware sales for the period hit $348.6 million, and made up 17.4 percent of total revenue. GameStop's "other" category, which houses its digital and mobile businesses, accounted for the smallest piece of the pie, representing 15.2 percent of total sales with a haul of $303.5 million.
Looking to its current fiscal quarter, GameStop said it expects store sales to fall 11 percent to 5 percent, with full-year revenue expected to range from down 5 percent to flat. Additionally, in a postearnings financial call, CFO Robert Lloyd revealed that ArenaNet's long-awaited massively multiplayer online role-playing game Guild Wars 2 has slipped out of the company's current quarter, meaning it is now expected to arrive sometime after July.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"GameStop digital sales up, profits down" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Thu, 17 May 2012 12:09:16 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1388-GameStop-digital-sales-up-profits-down <![CDATA[Bad Company 3, Mirror's Edge 2 spotted on resumes]]> http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1387-Bad-Company-3-Mirror-s-Edge-2-spotted-on-resumes&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 00:49:44 GMT Various LinkedIn profile pages indicate DICE may be at work on third entry in shooter franchise, sequel to 2008 free-running game. Image:... Various LinkedIn profile pages indicate DICE may be at work on third entry in shooter franchise, sequel to 2008 free-running game.
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Battlefield: Bad Company 3 and Mirror's Edge 2 have been spotted on various profile pages at professional networking site LinkedIn (tracked down by GamerZines), indicating DICE is possibly at work on sequels to its shooter and free-running franchises. Is DICE reenlisting Bad Company?


The Bad Company 3 reference comes from a user who said he "provided video game prototype, design, and demo feedback on various AAA titles including Battlefield: Bad Company 3, Dead Space 2, Devil May Cry 5, and other unannounced titles" between 2009 and 2011.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 shipped during March 2010, and to date, no mention has been made of a follow-up. A sequel to that title would not come as much of a surprise, as it won warm reviews upon launch, and sold nearly 6 million copies. A spin-off to the core Battlefield franchise, the Bad Company series launched in 2008 with the well-received original.
As for Mirror's Edge 2, the profile page of an ex-EA software engineer says he worked on that game between July and August 2009, creating the "wandering of crowd system within the Unreal 3 Engine." Yet another former EA employee's page says he built "new gadget and interactive features" for Mirror's Edge 2, as well as leaderboards and a minigame inside the Mirror's Edge story.
A sequel to Mirror's Edge has not been formally announced, but in June 2009, EA Games Europe vice president Patrick Soderlund confirmed a follow-up was in the works. At the time, he said, "You will see another Mirror's Edge for sure. It's just a matter of when that time is and what we do with it. We have a small team on it, and I'm excited about what we do."
An EA representative told GameSpot, "We do not comment on rumors or speculation."
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Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"Bad Company 3, Mirror's Edge 2 spotted on resumes" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 16 May 2012 07:29:20 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1387-Bad-Company-3-Mirror-s-Edge-2-spotted-on-resumes Saints Row dev working on next-gen http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1386-Saints-Row-dev-working-on-next-gen&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 00:49:44 GMT Volition dev LinkedIn page indicates studio has three unannounced titles in the works for current-gen platforms and "mysterious next generation."
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Saints Row developer Volition may be headed to the next generation, according to a LinkedIn profile page spotted by Internet supersleuth Superannuation. The profile page of a staffer at the outfit indicates the Champaign, Illinois-based studio has three unannounced projects in the works for current-generation platforms, as well as "the mysterious next generation of consoles." Volition is gearing up for the next generation, it seems.


The profile had no other details on the projects. Already confirmed upcoming Volition titles include the company's InSane collaboration with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, as well as Saints Row 4.
Additionally, a second Volition staffer published (and has since removed) a listing for Saints Row 4 on his LinkedIn resume, indicating the project is presently in development for current-generation platforms including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
Publisher THQ confirmed Saints Row 4 last year, with company executive vice president Danny Bilson saying the madcap sequel will be even "wilder" than Saints Row: The Third. That game launched in November and has been the biggest contributor to THQ's bottom line.
As of press time, THQ had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment on the matter.
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Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"Saints Row dev working on next-gen" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 16 May 2012 08:14:28 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1386-Saints-Row-dev-working-on-next-gen Lost Planet spin-off hitting PS3, 3DS http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1385-Lost-Planet-spin-off-hitting-PS3-3DS&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 00:49:44 GMT Capcom taps Monster Hunter producer to lead development on beginner-friendly shooter EX Troopers for Sony's console and Nintendo's portable.
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Capcom will launch a Lost Planet spin-off title for the PlayStation 3 and 3DS called EX Troopers, according to the latest issue of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu (translated by Andriasang). Development on the game will be led by Monster Hunter series producer Shintaro Kojima. Lost Planet will be found on 3DS and PS3 this year.


According to the report, EX Troopers will take place in the same world as Lost Planet, but that will be the only main similarity to the series. EX Troopers will sport an anime visual style and will tell a "school-themed story," says the magazine.
More specifically, EX Troopers will recount a battle between snow pirates and the indigenous Akrid aliens on the planet EDN-3rd. Gamers will suit up as Bren Turner, and will be introduced to female snow pirate TeeKee, who has the power to communicate with the Akrid.
Kojima explained that EX Troopers was designed with the intent to be a beginner's action shooter, but did not offer more details. The game is reportedly 60 percent complete, and is due to ship later this year, ahead of 2013's Lost Planet 3. That game is a prequel to the original Lost Planet, and is currently in development at Spark Unlimited.
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Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"Lost Planet spin-off hitting PS3, 3DS " was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:08:33 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1385-Lost-Planet-spin-off-hitting-PS3-3DS Respawn skipping E3 again http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1384-Respawn-skipping-E3-again&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 00:49:44 GMT Studio founded by former Call of Duty developers not unveiling first project at next month's Los Angeles tradeshow.
Gamers yearning for the first proper look at Respawn Entertainment's first game won't get it at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo. Speaking to Joystiq, Respawn community manager Abbie Heppe said, "We won't be showing anything or doing any press related to the game" during the annual geek gala. Heppe confirmed this statement to GameSpot this afternoon. Respawn's first game isn't coming into focus at E3.


This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo will be the second straight that the company has opted out of public activities. This time last year, the San Fernando Valley, California-based studio announced it would skip the industry's big summertime event.
Respawn has kept its first project out of sight thus far. Outside of a blurry screenshot and news that the game will be published by Electronic Arts, no further firm information is available concerning the studio's maiden title.
Speculation on the project has suggested it will be a first-person science-fiction shooter that may support 3D, and could ship by March 2013. Respawn Entertainment was founded in 2010 by fired Infinity Ward developers Jason West and Vince Zampella, and is currently staffed by a host of Call of Duty developers, among others.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
"Respawn skipping E3 again" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 16 May 2012 12:16:10 -0700


More... ]]> Game stop croft http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1384-Respawn-skipping-E3-again More Skin Color Options http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1383-More-Skin-Color-Options&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 00:49:44 GMT In the upcoming EVE release, Inferno, we will be making changes to characters&#39; skin color.
Don&#39;t worry, now is not the time to panic... you will not suddenly change color overnight (or downtime), but we&#39;ll get to that later in this blog.
The new character creation introduced last year in Incursion is a very robust system, and we still haven&#39;t explored the full potential of it. In Inferno, we are unlocking the ability to set your skin color to a wider gamut of options than previously available. This will allow you to have dark skinned Caldari Deteis, white skinned Minmatar Brutors, olive skinned Amarrs, and basically allow for more diversity within each bloodline. We&#39;re doing this because we want to provide more options for each race and bloodline, and mostly, because you asked us to do it!
We are adding 14 new skin colors, and they will replace the old skin colors in the color wheel in the character creator and the resculpting mode of the re-customization. All the bloodlines share the same color options, except the bloodlines with the fairest skin, but they will not have the two darkest options available. That restriction was added because we didn&#39;t feel the darkest colors looked quite right on those bloodlines. Don&#39;t worry though; there are still dark colors available for them.
The 14 different colors are not just a gradient between white and black. Our artists tweaked each color to represent some of the different hues you would find throughout the continents of our world. Each bloodline has a default skin color, but after a new character has been spawned in the character creator, you are free to choose any color for your character&#39;s skin.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge
In order to allow all players, new or old, to take advantage of this skin color change, we are going to give you all something we call a "free resculpt". A resculpt of your character is a special re-customization mode you can go into, where you can not only change your character&rsquo;s clothes, hair, and pose, but are also able to change attributes that otherwise can only be defined when creating a new character. This includes the bone structure of the face, body weight, and skin complexion.
We have given these resculpts a few times before, and some of you are probably clever like me and have been saving it for a rainy day. Well, in case you didn&#39;t know, these resculpts don&#39;t stack, so after Inferno&#39;s deployment everyone will have one, and only one, resculpt left.
So what happens to your existing characters? Nothing, unless you want to change them. I hate when I go to sleep and wake up only to find that I&#39;ve changed colors overnight, and we figured that you might feel the same way. Therefore, you will not all change colors during the Inferno downtime and will not be forced into using one of the new skin colors. If you want to keep your current skin color, just leave the skin color wheel be when you re-customize. If you do pick a new skin color and then finalize the character, you will be using the new skin colors from that point.
You are of course free to try out the new colors and see how they look on you and then back out of the changes by either exiting the re-customization without saving or by using the history slider at the bottom of the screen to go back.
With this skin color change, we are also lifting hair-color restrictions, allowing you a greater selection, regardless of your bloodline.
We hope that you enjoy this small addition to the character creator and that you have fun resculpting and tweaking your character to look just right.
- CCP Karkur and CCP t0rfifrans

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More... ]]> devblog eve-online http://www.pdcm.net/showthread.php?1383-More-Skin-Color-Options