Next major Xbox Live update rolls out Nov. 17

We are a mere 5 days away the update from Microsoft that will add support for Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune on Xbox Live. Microsoft passed along a note to say that Nov. 17 will see this update officially go live.

Those have been involved in the beta already know that the updates allows Xbox Live subscribers to connect the dots when it comes to their favorite social networks. Facebook users will be able to update their status to share what movie, game or entertainment you partaking in, connect with friends and view Facebook streams, check out status updates and photos, compare your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends lists and more. Microsoft promises seamless integration within a custom-built interface for Xbox 360.

Microsoft will also launch Zune video on Xbox LIVE featuring instant on HD in 1080p and 5.1 channel surround sound. You can also share the experience with up to seven friends through voice chat and Avatar integration on the TV screen, which is kind of scary. Twitter integration will also be in the latest update allowing you to tweet and reply to tweets right on your Xbox 360. You can even view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search to see who’s tweeting about your favorite game.

Last.fm support will be added, allowing users to explore radio stations, skip, ban or love tracks and some special Gamer Stations with game-related types of music selected specifically for the gaming community (Available in the U.S. and UK). Finally Xbox LIVE will get News and More, a new section of the Inside Xbox channel offering a regularly-updated stream of content from MSNBC, The New Yorker and Dilbert.

Look for the update to go live on Nov. 17.

Video Professor responds to Scamville article

Recently TechCrunch wrote an interesting investigative report called “Scamville: The Social Gaming Ecosystem of Hell,” which pointed out the questionable practice of allowing users to opt-in to special offers in order to earn in-game currency from titles made by social game developers like Zynga and Playfish. In that article, the author categorized the Video Professor products as particularly scam-my. The special offers would often have “fine print” or would have charges that consumers might not know about until after the transaction was complete.

Other web sites, like Business Insider, referenced that article, and cited other sources for facts, saying that Video Professor in particular was an out and out scam. Video Professor, in case you don’t know, is a series of educational CD-ROMs that claims to teach its users techniques to master certain programs like Excel, operating systems like Windows XP or online services like eBay. Certainly the offers as detailed in all of these reports are questionable, but Video Professor is feeling a bit battered and bruised.

A recent exchange of emails with its Vice President of Public Affairs, Brian Olson, pointed out one truth: the company was never given the opportunity to defend itself or to explain its products, services and business practices. In fact, the company was met with either silence or out and out hostility from most journalists. According to Olson, one nameless editor offered the following response to an inquiry on presenting the company’s side of the story:

“It’s a huge fucking scam. And you know it.”

Ouch. Considering that the use of its name (and other offers) could have ruined Playfish’s chances to be acquired by EA - a deal which was finalized earlier this week - and the fact that Zynga’s CEO indirectly mentioned these deals in a recent blog post (and a video making the rounds on YouTube), we thought it would be fair to give the company a chance to defend itself. The company at least deserves some credit for trying to address all the talk about its products being a rip-off to consumers. First a response to the allegation that its dealings with Zynga and Playfish were shady:

Read the rest of this entry »

Pages: 1 2

51 employees laid off at EA’s Tiburon studio

According to a report in the Orlando Sentinel 51 employees have been laid off at EA’s Tiburon studio in Maitland, Florida.

This answers a question I posed earlier today about the timing of a EA’s restructuring plan to lay off 1500 employees from its global workforce. I guess that means the timing for it is immediate.

According to the report, about 600 employees work at the studio behind Madden NFL, the Tiger Woods titles, the upcoming MMA game, and the NCAA Football series.

“The game industry is in a period of rapid change, and the pace of that change is accelerating,” Tiburon General Manager Philip Holt wrote in an e-mail to employees. “In order to control our own destiny and succeed in this rapidly changing environment, EA is taking bold action on costs so we can win in the future. We are not exempt from these cost actions here in Orlando and, subsequently, 51 of our colleagues will be leaving Tiburon.”

The email obtained by the Sentinel went on to say that the studio “would focus on products with the greatest potential, continue the shift toward selling games through downloads or online play instead of retail outlets, and look for more ways to cut costs.”

Of course a lot of that is nonsense. Obviously EA has never had a problem selling any of the games that Tiburon makes. The truth is that no studio is safe from at least some minor cuts as EA figures out how to hit that magic 1500 number by the end of March 2010. EA also thinks that mobile devices and social networks are an important part of its future, but that doesn’t mean the company is giving up on traditional console gaming.

Florida lawmakers and business development types, particularly local to the Tiburon studio are concerned by these cuts for the obvious reasons, but also worry that EA might move the studio to a state or region that has more favorable tax incentives and lower business costs. Suzy Spang, vice president of technology and entertainment for the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (a group dedicated to enticing business to open up shop and stay in Orlando)thinks this could be a problem in the not-too-distant future:

“I know EA is committed to Orlando, and they are invested here, but I have to pause and wonder if Florida is the most economical place for them to do business when other states are aggressively pursuing this industry sector,” Spang told the paper.

We’ll continue to follow this story as it develops. Expect to hear about more layoffs in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Two Ben 10 games land on PSN

D3Publisher announced today that PSP games Ben 10: Protector of Earth and BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE The Game are now available for download via the PlayStation Store in North America. PSP owners can now divest themselves of the need for UMDs to play Ben 10: Protector of Earth, the first-ever interactive title based on Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 animated series, or the fast-paced 3D action adventure game, BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE The Game.

Ben 10: Protector of Earth is available for download for $14.99 and BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE The Game is available for download for $19.99. Ben 10: Protector of Earth for the PSP system was developed by High Voltage Software, while BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE The Game was developed by Monkey Bar Games.

You can learn more about both games by visiting www.Ben10theVideogame.com.

Torchlight now available

After a number of false starts and technical problems yesterday it looks like both publisher Perfect World entertainment and developer Runic Games have sorted out all the problems with the digital release of their game, Torchlight. Now users can visit both web sites and purchase the game for right around $20. In addition the game is also available via Steam.

Torchlight was developed by Runic Games, whose collective experience includes Diablo, Diablo II, Mythos, Hellgate London, and the wonderful RPG FATE. Taking a page for that latter title, Torchlight refines and improves on core elements like pets, fishing, retirement, and oodles of side quests and equipment to sort through. New to the formula are three brand new charcter classes, a much improved pet system, better fishing, even more loot, plenty of side quests, new types of weapons. and a light but compelling main storyline that revolves around the most powerful magical substance in the world: Ember.

You can get your copy of torchlight by visiting Steam, the Torchlight web site or the Perfect World site. Also worth noting is this brand new launch trailer.

Queen headlines Rock Band DLC next week

Harmonix and MTV Games will bring Queen to the Rock Band platform next week with a 10-pack of songs in the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii.

Tracks from Blink-182 and The Offspring will also be available for download next week for Rock Band Unplugged on PSP

Available on Xbox 360 and Wii (Oct. 20) and PlayStation 3 system (Oct. 22):

- “Another One Bites the Dust”

- “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”

- “Fat Bottomed Girls”

- “I Want It All”

- “I Want to Break Free”

- “Killer Queen”

- “One Vision”

- “Somebody to Love”

- “Tie Your Mother Down”

- “Under Pressure” (with Davi Bowie)

These tracks will be available for purchase as “Queen Pack” and as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and as individual tracks on Wii. Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track; $15.99, £9.19 UK, €11.25 EU (1280 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “Queen Pack”; $2.00 USD (200 Wii Points) per track

Tracks available for Rock Band Unplugged (Oct. 22):

- Blink-182 – “The Rock Show”

- The Offspring – “All I Want”

Price: $1.99, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU per track on the PSP system

Runic Games, Dungeon Masters: The Torchlight Interview, Part I

Runic Games first title, an action RPG called Torchlight, got a lot of buzz at the Penny Arcade Expo in Sept. and a lot of positive feedback from fans that were seeing it for the very first time. A month later the game is in its final stage of development as the team races towards its Oct. 27 release date. To understand the appeal of Torchlight, you need look no further than the gentlemen working on the game and their influences and past accomplishments. Collectively the small development team working on this game has worked on such titles as Diablo and Diablo II, the indie hit RPG FATE, and the now cancelled MMO Mythos. While that list of accomplishments might seem short, it’s also very impressive.

What I learned from talking to Runic Games co-founder and CEO Max Shaefer, Art Director Jason Beck and Runic Games co-founder Travis Baldree was that these influences are helping them to build a better game and later to build a perfect extension of that game with an MMO project. In part I of my interview with this trio I learn about the first fruits of their labors: Torchlight. Read on.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pages: 1 2