Zynga Pioneers Social Games

NOV. 10, 2009 • Zynga has become the fastest growing company in the game industry and has pioneered a successful business model delivering casual games across social networks. The company was founded by Mark Pincus and several others in June 2007. In just over two years, Zynga has experienced very rapid growth and by November 2009 was claiming 50 million daily users and a total of 129 million users worldwide. Zynga develops we.....

Blizzard Tries Micro-Transactions

NOV. 4, 2009 • Blizzard has finally jumped into micro-transactions tied to its market leading World of Warcraft. The publisher introduced two special companion pets that can be purchased for $10 each. Previously, special pets were available for attendance to events such as Blizzcon, incentives for subscription, or tied to branded playing card games. Impact: The problem with t.....

Disney Buys Junction Point

OCT. 29, 2009 • Warren Spector’s Junction Point Studios was purchased by Disney Interactive in 2007, and the AAA gamemaker’s first title post-acquisition will be Epic Mickey for the Wii. The title is an platform adventure game that takes place is a separate animated world where long-forgotten Disney cartoon characters have been trapped, and Mickey must come to the rescue. .....

Chinese Publishers Go Global

OCT. 28, 2009 • Chinese online game companies flush with cash after successful IPOs have ambitions of bringing their products to the West in much the same way as Korean publishers have. Last September, Shanda Games was carved out of Shanda Interactive with a goal of expanding into other.....

Netflix Arrives on PS3

OCT. 26, 2009 • Based on reports earlier this year that Netflix was working on support for game platforms other than the Xbox 360, the DVD rental firm announced that it would start delivering films via the PlayStation Network starting in November. PS3 owners who have a monthly $9 or higher Netflix subscription can stream the movies at no extra charge. Impact: It is clear that.....

Larger Screen for DS

OCT. 26, 2009 • The Nikkei business daily reports that Nintendo will release a new version of the DS on Nov. 22. The big change would be the substitution of 4.2-inch screens in the DS LL. The new model will be priced similarly to the current DSi at ¥20,000 (US$220).  The DS has 3-inch screens and the DSi ships with 3.25-inch screens. The DS LL is slightly larger and about 50% heavier than previous DS models. .....

Upgraded PS3 SKU

OCT. 15, 2009 • Sony Computer Entertainment confirmed the immediate availability of an upgraded SKU of the recently launched $299 PlayStation 3 Slim. The new 250GB version of the console retails for $349 and will be marketed around providing much more storage for online downloads than the original.....

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