MechWarrior Returns

NOV. 1, 2011 • The one hugely popular MechWarrior franchise is set to return during the second half of 2012 in the form of a free-to-play online squad title by Vancouver-based Piranha Games. Gameplay in MechWarrior Online will be based on matches between four-person teams. while these matches will not take place in a persistent world, the actual results information from these battles will be persistent. Virtual items that can purchased online are not expected to.....

Analysis: Can Games Capture Big Advertising Bucks?

OCT. 5, 2011 • DFC Intelligence recently released its first in a series of reports: on video game advertising. Unlike other media with similar usage patterns, for various reasons, the video game industry has never been heavily supported by advertising.  This is expected to gradually change over time and thus DFC has started to look closely at how games are likely to work as vehicles for advertising. The video game industry ge.....

Counter-Strike Still Most Played on Steam

SEPT. 27, 2011 • Valve Corporation told Develop magazine that the most played game on Steam is the original Counter-Strike released 11 years ago, not newer titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops. The Source-engined update of Counter-Strike is the third most played game on Steam. Valve hopes to transition both communities to a new title, Counter-Strike Global Offensive. Impact: In studying PC g.....

Analysis Focus On Korean Game Publishers

AUG. 12, 2011 • South Korea is one of the most advanced PC online gaming markets in the world thanks to savvy Internet users and modern infrastructure – fast broadband, payment solutions, and security to name a few. However, there have not been many comprehensive reports on this unique Korean gaming market in the United States. With the growing acceptance of the free-to-play (F2P), micro-transaction model in the West, there .....

Space Invaders Optioned

JULY 8, 2011 • Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the producer behind the Transformers and G.I. Joe feature films, is part of a team that has optioned the film rights to the Space Invaders arcade game, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Impact: This one has us massaging our foreheads in wonderment. Space Invaders may be ranked the most popular arcade title ever by Guinness World Records, but there is .....

Analysis: SCEA Analyst Event

JUNE 1 , 2011 • In early April, before PlayStation Network security was breached and the personal data of more than 100 million user accounts was compromised, Sony Computer Entertainment of America held an analyst-only event at its Foster City, Calif. campus. The event was headed by SCEA chief executive Jack Tretton with an upbeat outlook for the PlayStation business in North America. The division believes it has a story to te.....

Polish Prime Minister Gifts Witcher 2 to President Obama

MAY 28, 2011 • In what may be a first in presidential gifts, during his visit to Poland, President Barack Obama was presented a collector’s edition copy of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings by Polish Prime Minister Donald Franciszek Tusk. The PC game was developed by CD Projekt in Warsaw. Impact: Although the gift was likely a sly play on, and acknowledgement of, the demise of Osama bin .....