This Week in Games for June 26th, 2009
Some big news this week as ZeniMax, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, has bought the infamous id Software. Although initially shocked, John Romero, one of the founders of the developer, said it's a positive move for the company. "I guess I was shocked and sad to see the id Software of old changed forever today," he wrote on his Twitter account, "It's a new day and a new id."
John Carmack, co-founder of id, stated that part of the reason for merging with ZeniMax was that he was tired of working with different publishers. "We're really getting tired of competing with our own publishers in terms of how our titles will be featured," he said in an interview with Kotako, "and we've really gotten more IPs than we've been able to take advantage of. So the idea of actually becoming a publisher and merging Bethesda and ZeniMax is ideal."
id Software will remain largely untouched by the acquisition, retaining all key staff and working practices. The move adds the impressive titles Doom and Quake to an already impressive gaming portfolio containing The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.
Other big news this week: Mortal Kombat movie production company, Threshold Entertainment, claims it owns exclusive rights to the Mortal Kombat IP, including movie and TV spin-offs, as well as rights to some of the characters used in the game, and Midway should not be allowed to sell them as part of a proposed package to Warner Bros.
According to court documents released by GamePolitics, Threshold is seeking a judgment declaring the scope of its licenses, interests, and IP rights in the franchise, and a declaration that Midway has no rights to sell these properties.
"The Mortal Kombat franchise, as it stands today, is far more a creation of Threshold and Kasanoff than of Midway," according to court documents.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, as its outcome could change the entire face of the gaming industry overnight.
Mark Wilson and Harry Miller, two key people in forming the gathering of Developers and Gamecock have started a new venture called Developer Digital. The new Texas-based publisher will be working alongside cdv Software Entertainment to release Serious Sam HD on the PC and Xbox Live Arcade later this year.
EA has struck a multi-million dollar marketing deal with Dr Pepper which will see the game publisher bring original downloadable content to Dr Pepper consumers. The deal will allow consumers of Dr Pepper products to access original content by purchasing specially branded Dr Pepper products containing download codes.
The Sims 3 will be the first title to feature the campaign, offering players the ability to download items such as "one-of-a-kind beach party items or all the elements of a perfect fall tailgating party" - other games across EA's portfolio are expected to take part in the campaign.
Hopefully we're not going to be forced to interact with nothing but Dr Peppers products in these games. I can't wait until the ultimate unlockable team in Madden 2011 is the Dr. Pepper Sports Drink Team.
Esther Leong from San Francisco has brought a class action lawsuit against the Final Fantasy XI publisher Square Enix for allegedly deceiving as many as 100,000 customers. The suit alleges fraudulent concealment and unfair practices relating to monthly fees, late payment penalties, interest charges on late payments, charges for a suspended account, and licensing the game disguised as a sale. The suit seeks $5 million on behalf of players for "unfair business practices, false advertising, and unjust enrichment."
The PSPgo was announced at E3 and generated a lot of buzz – a small size, lots of digital content, but then Sony announced the price of $249, and the consumer backlash began. In their typical style, Sony is fighting back against that backlash. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Chief Andrew House explains "when you introduce a new piece of hardware you have the opportunity to say there is a certain premium that is associated with it, and we took that into account."
It's $249 not because the technology needed to be researched, or the individual parts cost more. It's $249 because it's new, and Sony believe consumers will pay that much for it.
If you're a regular listener to the show, you'll know I'm not big fan of the gaming industry's treatment of its customers. While Sony in particular has a long history of turning the screws on its customers, I think this is just another example of the gaming industry attempting to squeeze every penny it can out of its customers, without any regard for the consumers state of mind.
The Sega Nomad is making a return as the RetroGen. A company called Innex is bringing the handheld unit back. Not only will it play your old cartridges, but you can download officially licensed games on an SD card and play games via a special development game cart. The RetroGen has a built in battery that charged via USB and – this is the best part – costs $50.
New releases for June 30th
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Harry Potter and the Half Prince, Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, PC, Mac
Marvel vs Capcom 2, Xbox 360, PS3
The Punisher: No Mercy, PS3
Worms 2: Armageddon, Xbox 360 Live Arcade
Infernal: Hell's Vengeance, Xbox 360
Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace, DS
Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker, DS
Ice Age: Darn of the Dinosaurs, Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC
Fallen Earth, PC
Trine, PS3, PC
Legio, PC
Zombie Apocalypse, Xbox 360, PS3
Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming, DS
Grand Theft Auto PC Trilogy, PC
