Imagi's The Legend of Zelda film pitch
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In 2007, Imagi Animation Studios created a sizzle reel for Nintendo to pitch a CGI The Legend of Zelda film adaptation. As history dictates, nothing came of the film, but the footage was recently released for the public to see. The "trailer" of sorts feature Zelda hero Link, antagonist Ganondorf, and the titular Zelda herself. Imagi's typical style of long, non-proportional bodies used in the TMNT film were used for the Zelda pitch. However, the character designs themselves were mature and definitely fitting of the contemporary Zelda game of the time, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
I can understand Nintendo's hesitance to return to Hollywood considering their first foray into films, the Super Mario Bros. adaptation, had as little to do with the popular video game franchise as much as it had any resemblance of a good film. Still, if any Nintendo franchise were to deserve a film adaptation, the Zelda IP would be the most likely to receive a good treatment. Will we ever see a Legend of Zelda film? Probably not, but at least there's some interest in the property in Hollywood.
[via Destructoid]
Activision becomes independent, buys $8.2 billion in shares from Vivendi
The largest video game publisher just became independent. Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind the Call of Duty, Warcraft, and Guitar Hero franchises, bought back an $8.2 billion share from parent company Vivendi earlier today. Under the Activision Blizzard name, 429 million shares that equate to roughly $5.83 billion will be bought, while Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick and co-chairman Brian Kelly will head a group that will purchase 172 million shares (roughly $2.34 billion). Vivendi will still have a 12% stake/82 million shares in the company following the transaction.
This comes after Vivendi was looking to offload its shares in the video game company last summer. The French company, which also owns Universal Music Group (Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, etc.) and the French TV channel/movie production company Canal+, originally merged its Vivendi Games unit with Activision Blizzard for $9.8 billion in 2009. The move made Activision Blizzard the largest video game publisher alongside Electronic Arts.
With its newfound independence, Activision is banking on its franchises' successes without a parent company funding them. Considering the most recent Call of Duty game, Black Ops 2, made $1 billion in its first 15 days of release, I think it's safe to say Activision will be able to prosper on its own.
[via New York Times]
[Video] Grand Theft Auto V Gameplay Trailer
As the current generation of gaming consoles begins its slow crawl towards the end of its life cycle, the final generation-defining games are preparing their releases for one last big hurrah. Five years after its last official entry in the series, Grand Theft Auto V will be making its way to stores to give a proper farewell to PS3 and Xbox 360 fans. While previous trailers for the game have been made up of cut scenes, Rockstar released the first official video of actual gameplay footage yesterday to appease GTA fans.
GTA V takes place in San Andreas, which some may remember as the location of the PS2's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. However, the area has been expanded upon for current-gen consoles, resulting in a game area bigger than GTA IV's Liberty City and Red Dead Redemption's maps combined. Another huge change to the GTA formula is the ability to play three main characters simultaneously. Typical upgrades have been made since GTA IV, of course, such as control mechanics, an updated online strategy, etc.
Grand Theft Auto V will be hitting stores this September 17th.
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Don Mattrick breaks up with Xbox, enters an affair with Zynga
Talk about jumping from one sinking ship to another, former Microsoft President of the Interactive Business Don Mattrick recently was named the CEO for internet gaming company, Zynga. Mattrick's departure from Microsoft comes immediately after the scrutiny that faced the Xbox One, resulting in the company backtracking from all of the proposed, pro-DRM/anti-consumer features the gaming console was set to implement. Announced earlier today was Mattrick's replacement, Julie Larson-Green, who is currently acting as the Corporate Vice President of Windows.
Of course, Mattrick might be facing a different kind of problem as Zynga is currently facing its own problems as the once-popular gaming company is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. As the new incoming CEO of Zynga, he will be replacing Zynga founder Mark Pincus, who himself will be stepping down to become a chairman for the company. It'll be interesting to see if Mattrick's past successes with the Xbox (Xbox One shenanigans notwithstanding) can carry over to a vastly different platform. Wall Street at least has faith in Mattrick's influence, as stock for the company closed at a 10% increase.
Mattrick must really thrive on facing problems. It's too early to expect much from Zynga this early in their new direction, but considering the whole online/Facebook gaming fad has all but passed, I don't foresee Mattrick's attachment being enough to bring Zynga back to the level it was at previously.
Microsoft pulls an Xbox One-80, backtracks from absurd policies
Independent gaming website Giant Bomb broke a news story about Microsoft turning its back on its ridiculous DRM policies for its next generation console, Xbox One. Microsoft has since confirmed their intentions to backtrack from such policies in a desperate attempt to win back consumer support, as well as level the playing field with its direct competitor and rival, Sony's PlayStation 4.
For those not paying attention to the uproar Microsoft's Xbox One announcement created, execs had planned on mandating an internet connection for the system as well as creating a stupid system that wouldn't allow consumers to sell, trade, or simply share their games with others. Microsoft is now stating that the Xbox One will function much like the current Xbox 360, allowing gamers to buy and sell used games, share disc-based games with friends, and only necessitate an internet connection upon first activating the system.
It's very, very surprising that Microsoft would be so willing to pull away from the policies they tried so hard to force upon the gaming community during their E3 conference last week. While it's partially true that the sudden retraction was caused by consumer backlash, it's all a business move to make money; unfortunately, some higher-ups will probably face severe ramifications for the shenanigans Microsoft had to face over the last week. Furthermore, if they can easily change face on their policies right now, who's to say they won't once again following the Xbox One's release?
Then again, if you're smart, you already pre-ordered a PS4 and won't have to worry about such things.
[via Microsoft]
Sony announces PlayStation 4 will cost $399, drops mic in the process
"$399."
And just like that, the PlayStation 4 made the first official move to combat Microsoft's once-feared domination in the video game industry. Whereas the Xbox One E3 conference was full of generic FPS and sports games, not to mention the ridiculous $499 price tag, Sony's keynote featured a variety of games. Eschewing this current generation's abundance of shooting games, the PS4 keynote put the spotlight on games that were not only brighter and more vibrant in an aesthetic way, but also from a variety of genres from action/adventure to platformers to, yes, FPS and shooters.
While the PlayStation 4 was officially announced a few months ago, the system itself was still under wraps for whatever reason; Sony must have wanted to build up as much hype as they could possible, as they unveiled the console's new look to moderate fanfare. Honestly, it looks like a mix between an Xbox One and a black Wii or two PS2s glued together, but hey, gaming consoles are meant for playing games, not winning design awards, right? Oh, the games...
Sony highlighted a few exclusive games, such as inFamous: Second Son and Killzone: Shadowfall. However, the biggest reveal for Sony's conference was the announcement that the long-awaited game, Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been re-buffed and re-titled to the more appropriate Final Fantasy XV. As if the surprise wasn't enough, a proper sequel to the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Kingdom Hearts III, was announced, ending Square-Enix's absurd practice of blasphemous title practices for the Disney-partnered franchise.
However, one of the biggest questions Sony faced going into their E3 keynote was how they would handle the uproar Microsoft caused with their DRM-friendly, anti-consumer used games policy. (For those that are in the dark, the upcoming Xbox One registers discs to individual profiles, meaning users can't simply share games with their friends; instead, they must wipe the game from their profile to allow their friends to play, who themselves must pay a fee just to access the game. Furthermore, the Xbox One mandates owners to connect online at least once a day to update and authenticate their games. While this might not mean much to most, it's a terrible move for gamers in rural areas or military bases who don't have easy access to internet.) Sony easily brushed aside any concerns that the PlayStation 4 would follow suit with four simple words: "PS4 supports used games." They then took targeted swipes at Microsoft, also confirming that the PS4 won't have to connect online every day (or at all, if they choose not to), and gamers can choose to do whatever they want with their games, whether it's selling them, trading them, or simply lending them.
As if that wasn't clear enough, Sony released a tongue-in-cheek jab at Microsoft by releasing an Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video. Take a look:
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However, there was one big misstep that went temporarily unnoticed: When announcing that pre-existing PlayStation Plus memberships would carry over for the PS4, as well as news that only one subscription would suffice for full PS3, PS4, and PS Vita support, it was also slipped that online multiplayer for the PS4 would come at a price. PS+ members won't have to worry about this price, but considering the PlayStation Network was free, some gamers might feel a bit slighted at Sony's acceptance of a pay model for online play. Still, if at roughly $5 a month, the PS+ membership is worth it, especially with the amount of free games and discounts Sony offers on a monthly basis. It essentially pays itself within the first month of enrollment.
With the PlayStation 4 officially coming out this Holiday 2013, the next generation of console gaming is set to begin. Sony did everything Microsoft didn't do; Sony also didn't do everything Microsoft did. That, in and of itself, was enough for Sony to demand a huge first step in the so-called "console war." If you're ready to officially take sides, the PlayStation 4 is already on pre-order on Amazon, while in-store pre-orders at Best Buy, GameStop, and other similar stores will begin filling their lists tomorrow.
Farmville crops dry up as Zynga lays off large number of staff
Does anybody still play FarmVille? I remember when the craze took over Facebook, resulting in a seemingly endless amount of hourly game requests to water plants and harvest crops. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Zynga, the company that popularized (and somewhat legitimized) Facebook social gaming has recently fired more than 500 employees in an attempt to save up to $80 million. The rollout, which should be finalized by the end of August, was deemed a necessary business strategy to ensure the company stays alive for an extra while longer.
It's an unfortunate move for everybody who lost their jobs, but the once seemingly gigantic gaming company have fell upon hard times as of late. As part of the massive layoffs, Zynga has also closed down its offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas. Originally driven by in-game purchases, the company has relied on advertisements to bring in money. Realistically, it was only a matter of time before people realized buying extra energy or rare sheep wouldn't be worth it.
This news doesn't have a direct effect on its catalog of games, so those still finding truffles with pigs should feel good knowing their farms won't be disappearing... for now.
[via The Verge]
Microsoft Reveals New Xbox Entitled "Xbox One"
Microsoft recently unveiled their new console system, Xbox One. Described as a console "where all of your entertainment comes live in one place," Xbox One is shown to be a huge next step for Microsoft in the next generation of console gaming. Kinect functionality has been streamlined with almost 1:1 voice command recognition. The presenter demonstrated this with simple voice commands, including "Xbox: on."
Furthermore, the console streamlines video input channels by connecting the Xbox with Comcast functionality. For example, with a simple voice command of, "Switch to TV," the video input automatically switches from the Game input to TV input. Of course, this function might be limited to TV/satellite/cable providers who partner with Microsoft for the functionality.
Xbox One is aptly titled, building up its functionality as an "all-in-one home entertainment system... one system for a new generation." Of course, this is a gaming console first and foremost. Gaming hasn't been discussed just yet, but keep your eyes peeled on this post as I update it during the Xbox One press conference, complete with screen shots and specifications.
Update 1: Below are the hardware specifications for the Xbox One. According to the presenter, around 300,000 servers will power Xbox Live for Xbox One, amounting to more than the number of personal computers in use in 1999. That's a lot of computers.
Update 2: EA Sports announced their Infinity Engine as being an Xbox One exclusive, meaning the next generation of Madden, FIFA, NBA Live, and UFC will run on the new engine exclusively for Microsoft, whereas PS4 ports will run on a separate engine. Whether this will be a good financial move for EA will take time to tell. However, I feel like the art direction looks too cartoon-ish. Screen shots are below. (Note: Screen shots look a little blurry due to my internet connection.)
Update 3: Building on the connectivity between the Xbox One and TV, Xbox Entertainment Studios was formed to touch upon an immersive experience uniting Xbox and TV. Halo: The Television Series was announced, complete with a partnership between 343 Industries and one of the greatest names in sci-fi/fantasy, Steven Spielberg.
An exclusive partnership was also announced between Microsoft and NLF to include live fantasy football updates displayed on-screen during NFL games. For example, if Jay Cutler was on your team and scores a touchdown, an update would pop up on screen showing all of his stats.
