TOKYO — Sept. 12, 2007 — Flanked by a who’s who of Japanese gaming luminaries and video game development legends, Takashi Sensui, general manager of the Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft Co. Ltd., took the stage at the Yebisu Garden Hall during Xbox 360 Briefing 2007 to announce support from some of Japan’s most renowned game developers and unveil an unparalleled lineup of holiday blockbuster hits and exclusives for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system.
Two of Japan’s most celebrated game developers, Tomonobu Itagaki from Team NINJA/Tecmo Ltd. and Hironobu Sakaguchi from Mistwalker, joined Sensui onstage to announce their support for the Xbox 360 platform. Itagaki highlighted the announcement that Team NINJA will develop “NINJA GAIDEN® 2,” the true sequel to the best-selling and critically acclaimed Xbox® original, exclusively for Xbox 360. Read more…
September 12, 2007 at 1:53 pm | Business & Law, Xbox | No Comments
New York, NY - September 10, 2007 -Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) today announced the formation of 2K Play, a new publishing label dedicated to casual gaming. As part of the 2K Play initiative, Take-Two also announced an expansive new handheld and console video game licensing agreement with Nickelodeon, a partnership involving top-rated properties including Nick Jr. preschool television hits, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!
Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! will be the first titles under the new 2K Play label and will be released this fall in North America. According to Nielsen ratings (4/2/07-7/1/07), Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! are the top two ranked television shows for kids 2-5. The NPD Group cites Dora the Explorer as the #1 toy license in 2006 based on dollar sales and Go, Diego, Go! is now supported by over 300 licensees worldwide.
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September 11, 2007 at 11:45 am | Business & Law | No Comments
New York, NY - September 7, 2007 - Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) today announced that it has sold substantially all of the assets of its wholly owned Joytech video game accessories subsidiary to Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ). The Joytech sale reflects Take-Two’s previously announced plans to divest its non-core businesses.
“The sale of the Joytech assets is consistent with one of the key goals we established in our 100 Day Plan: to develop strategic alternatives for any operations that we determined to be outside our core publishing business,” said Ben Feder, Take-Two’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are particularly pleased that we accomplished this goal in a manner that will allow substantially all of our Joytech employees in the U.S. and U.K. to join Mad Catz, which is a highly respected provider of video game peripherals.”
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September 7, 2007 at 11:28 am | Business & Law | No Comments
Last month U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte ruled the law barring the sale of violent video games to minor was unconstitutional. Whyte’s ruling was based on no evidence showing violent video games effecting minors any more than violent movies and television.
Schwarzenegger has issued an appeal against the ruling due to his long stand against violent video games for children.
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September 5, 2007 at 8:19 pm | Business & Law | No Comments
The sales of the PlayStation 3 have been behind the Wii and Xbox 36o since its debut in 2006. Trends have kept the PS3 well behind as the Wii and Xbox 360 surpass the 10 million mark. Sony has made a small bit of success in the past four weeks with the sales gap between the PS3 and Wii narrowing in the Japan Market.
During the four weeks ending August 26, 2007, sales of the Wii console in Japan reached 245,653 units, while the PlayStation 3 reached 81,541 sales. At a ratio of 3 to 1, the Wii continues to outsell the PlayStation 3, but improvements have been made from the months of June and July. During the month of June 2007, the Wii outsold the PS3 by a ratio of 4 to 1, and 6 to 1 during the month of June 2007.
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September 3, 2007 at 10:16 pm | Business & Law, Playstation, Wii | No Comments
The 2007 Games Convention (GC) in Leipzig, Germany closed Sunday with record attendance by both consumers and industry representatives. Over a four day period, 185,000 (2006: 183,000) visitors attended to see and test products displayed by 503 (2006: 374) exhibitors. These figures included 12,300 (2006: 8,700) registered trade visitors, with 43% foreign trade visitors, and increase from 24% in 2006.
85% (2006: 75%) of the exhibitors have reported great satisfaction in the event and claim great significance or significance in the scope of their overall marketing activities. The success of the 2007 GC is evident by the reported 91% (2006: 79%) of exhibitors who plan on returning in 2008.
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August 27, 2007 at 2:48 pm | Business & Law | No Comments
At the video gaming convention in Leipzig, Germany, a few industry executives revealed some comments about a new business method for MMO video games. Instead of selling MMO up front to the consumer, video gaming companies will offer the games for free with payed enhancement features. This so called “MMO-lite” video game is a new approach towards the effort to combat piracy of video games, especially in the Asian market, where copyright infringement is a big problem.
During the convention Ubisoft’s Chief Executive Yves Guillemot gave his insight into the new MMO business approach. “They all have the ability to get it, and if they want to progress you can sell (enhancements) to them,” he told Reuters.
Other companies have already pioneered the method with game titles such as Yulong and Legend of Mir II, created by the Chinese companies, CDC Corporation and Shanda Interactive Entertainment.
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August 24, 2007 at 4:30 pm | Business & Law, MMORPG | No Comments
Nintendo has recently released an in-your-face statement to the console gaming industry. In the last week, sales of the Nintendo Wii have surpassed the Xbox 360, and the Nintendo DS still continues to be one of the best selling gaming systems sold in the United States. Nintendo hardware outsells all other systems combined. The company contributes its success to a selection of great games that is growing with Nintendo’s momentum.
Nintendo offers these points on why they are dominating the gaming industry today: Read more…
August 23, 2007 at 9:46 pm | Business & Law | No Comments
Sony is holding another game contest named “Cheap Cheap’s Cook Up a Character Contest”. To enter the PaRappa the Rapper® Cheap Cheap’s Cook Up a Character Contest, you don’t need to be a designer or a rapper, you just have to be creative. (But maybe a good sense of rhythm couldn’t hurt.)
Directions:
What does the winner get? Read more…
August 23, 2007 at 7:16 pm | Business & Law | No Comments
The current battle in console wars highlights the three major contenders: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. Recent sales figures have the Wii overtaking the Xbox 360 in total sales, both over 10 million. Still in contention is the PlayStation 2 according to Sony, which has outsold the PlayStation 3 during the last 2007 quarter at a ratio of 4:1.
Sales of the PlayStation 2 console are still strong due to its appealing low price of $129.99. The low price has prompted consumers to buy the PS2 in emerging markets such as Eastern Europe.
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August 23, 2007 at 4:27 pm | Business & Law, Playstation | No Comments
