First they introduced an array of costumes for Sackboy, now the PS Store is pleased to introduce exciting new LBP ‘Level Packs’ to fill your Pop-it with more themed creative items. Our level packs are filled with several new items including new costumes, cool objects, decorative items and numerous stickers all for you to enjoy creating new levels – all for just $2.99.
Archive for December, 2008
LittleBigPlanet Introduces Level Packs
On December - 16 - 2008
Uncharted 2 Showing Amazing Detail
On December - 14 - 2008
When Uncharted launched for the Playstation 3 a while back, it was viewed as a visual powerhouse for the platform. It boasted very impressive texture work and shaders, great lighting, and an advanced animation system. Naughty Dog has released some screenshots of their latest work on Uncharted 2, and boy does it look impressive. Read the rest of this entry »
360 Attachment Rate Remains 8.1
On December - 13 - 2008
With an attach rate of 8:1, Microsoft says it generated $408 million in software sales during November. But even though NPD showed that the month’s top two titles, Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty 5, were Xbox 360 titles, this is the same attach rate the company reported last month.
Microsoft highlighted its revenue-generating power for third-party developers; Notably, Epic’s Gears 2, which took the top spot in unit sales, is an Xbox 360 exclusive.
Microsoft says it drummed up $298 million in game sales for third parties, and more retail revenue for those developers than both the dominant Wii and the PlayStation 3 combined.
Support for third parties continues to be a complex issue in the console wars, and Microsoft’s position has always been that the console with the highest third-party affinity is the victor in any console generation. Sony has garnered criticism in the past from developers challenged by its architecture, while all of the Wii’s top-selling games are Nintendo’s own.
An exclusive Gamasutra analysis last month demonstrated that, indeed, the attach rate for third-party games specifically on Xbox 360 in its first 23 months on the market was 5.2:1, compared to the PlayStation 3’s 4.4:1 and the Wii’s 3.1:1.
“We have the largest library of games, TV, and movie content and the most expansive and rewarding social experiences. We’re confident Xbox 360 will continue to drive record sales around the world this holiday and beyond,” Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business senior VP Don Mattrick said yesterday, in the company’s response to the NPD numbers.
Source: Gamasutra
Sony Opens Home Beta to all PS3 Owners
On December - 13 - 2008
The beta for Sony’s PlayStation Home virtual world launches to 15 million PlayStation Network users, the company confirmed alongside yesterday’s NPD.
Although the PS3 was well-bested 2:1 by the Xbox 360 in November hardware unit sales, the number of PSN accounts looks to be demonstrating ongoing online activity for the console’s userbase — November’s results represent an increase of 1 million accounts since October.
Sony revealed just yesterday it would open a full beta for its Home service to all those users, who can launch Home from the new icon on the XMB interface, and also add a headset or USB keyboard to communicate with each other.
Users can create their own communities, and environments will be offered for specific titles, starting with Far Cry 2. Similar spaces for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Warhawk, MotorStorm and SOCOM are expected in the near future. Third party publishers such as EA, Midway, Sega and Atari have expressed interest in similar promotions, and advertisers like energy drink company Red Bull will build branded spaces
Source: Gamasutra
NPD November 2008 Results
On December - 13 - 2008
The video game industry saw November revenues up 10 percent over last year to nearly $3 billion — even amid an economic recession, and despite the fact that last November had seven more post-Thanksgiving shopping days, the NPD reported today.
This brings the industry’s revenues to date to $16 billion — and according to the NPD’s Anita Frazier, who describes this month’s revenue performance as “blistering,” the games biz is still on track to reach NPD’s previously-estimated $22 billion for 2008 as a whole.
“One reason for the continued strength of the industry compared to other forms of entertainment comes from a number of sources,” says Frazier. “Certainly, the expanded audience for gaming due to the availability of a wider variety of compelling content is a strong contributor.”
Hardware
Hardware revenue was up 10 percent year over year to $1.21 billion, and 14 percent over 2007’s year-to-date total.
The Wii was the victor in spades, selling an unprecedented 2.04 million units, over twice what it sold during November of 2007 when its supply was considerably more constrained
Nintendo’s DS handheld sold 1.57 million units, followed by the Xbox 360 at 836,000 units. Having recently received a price cut, the Xbox 360 more than doubled the PlayStation 3’s 378,000 units in November.
Sony’s PSP beat its home console with 421,000 units, and the PlayStation 2 still made a showing with 206,000 units.
Wii - 2.04 million
DS - 1.57 million
Xbox 360 - 836,000
PSP - 421,000
PS3 - 378,000
PS2 - 206,000
“The expanded supply of Wii systems at retail was clearly evident in the sales figures this month,” says the NPD’s Frazier. “The 360 realized a nice unit sales bump over last November and the PS3 year-to-date unit sales growth is impressive.”
“It’s clear there can be more multiple victors this generation, and while price is certainly a strong factor, particularly as the current economic situation continues to prevail, the most important factor that will drive success in 2009 will be the line-up of compelling games that will keep consumers involved in the industry.”
Software
Video game software grew 11 percent year over year in November, representing 31 percent growth in year to date sales.
Gears of War 2 topped the month’s top ten, selling 1.56 million units in November, and the NPD pegs its attach rate to the Xbox 360’s install base at 13 percent.
The Xbox 360 SKU of Call of Duty: World at War came in at a close second with 1.41 million units, and Wii Play still maintained its chart tenacity in third place.
The software top 10 for November is surprisingly broad-ranging:
1. Gears of War 2 (Microsoft, Xbox 360) - 1.56 million
2. Call of Duty: World At War (Activision Blizzard, Xbox 360) - 1.41 million
3. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 796,000
4. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 697,000
5. Mario Kart (Nintendo, Wii) - 637,00
6. Call of Duty: World At War (Activision Blizzard, PS3) - 597,000
7. Guitar Hero: World Tour (Activision Blizzard, Wii) - 475,000
8. Left 4 Dead (Electronic Arts, Xbox 360) - 410,000
9. Resistance 2 (Sony, PlayStation 3) - 385,000
10. Wii Music (Nintendo, Wii) - 297,000
“After a soft introduction last month, Wii Music came back to score a spot on the top 10 list for the month,” said Frazier, calling it a “testament” to Nintendo’s marketing power and the Wii’s brand equity.
Frazier also notes that Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King sold 1.4 million during the month, its debut at retail.
She also speculates that the recession could actually be aiding video game sales: “Economic factors are also at play, given that a video game is a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment for the hours of value it provides,” she says.
“Our Consumer Spending Indicator shows that video games is the category consumers are least likely to cut back on this holiday.”
Source: Gamasutra
Killzone 2 Tech Preview: Amazing Lighting, Filters
On December - 1 - 2008
Back at E3 2005, Sony showed off an amazing preview of what we could expect from Killzone 2 on the Playstation 3. Fast forward ahead to December 2008, and we’re happy to say that Killzone 2 is shaping up to be the most visually impressive game released on a console, and that the target renders in many areas have been equaled. What’s even more exciting is that in areas such as lighting and filter effects, Killzone 2 has gone beyond what we saw in 2005, and beyond any game we’ve seen.
Game Art & Design Degrees
On December - 1 - 2008
Game Art and Design degrees offer a good foundation for the various aspects of game design without the more hardcore programming aspects of the whole process. These programs basically let you focus more on the artistic side of video game development and let the programmers do more of the technical stuff. Getting a degree in this area of development can lead to jobs in gameplay testing, texture artist, user interface artist, 3D modeler, background artist, concept artist and more.
Getting a Job in Video Game Development
On December - 1 - 2008
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a job in video game development? Have you ever seen a video game and drooled over the idea of having been part of working with the dev team? Have you been one of those people who thought it would be a cool job to create video games but think that jobs like that are way out of reach? Well, luckily for you, you CAN be a part of a game dev team, and it is within reach. You just need to get started in the right direction and have the drive, passion and skill set to get there.
