Microsoft NUads – Advertisers Like Possibilities

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Microsoft recently detailed new advertising tools called NUads, short for natural user-interface ads. This will allow users to interact with ads on the console dashboard, in games or video using the motion and voice control of the Kinect.

“When you have highly interactive people and a passive medium, they are interacting with their phone or their laptop while watching TV,” said Mr Mark Kroese, general manager of advertising business at Microsoft. “[The new ads] create a natural way for the user to engage with the TV.

“The new ad units really epitomized the level of engagement that everyone is working towards,” said John Lisko, an executive communications director, noting that his company was “absolutely considering” the new capabilities. “You can text, you can tweet, you can vote. That’s phenomenal.”

Users can tweet about an ad by saying “Xbox tweet or get a email of relevant info by saying Xbox More. Mobile prompts can be had by saying “Xbox schedule” for a text reminder about a TV show and “Xbox near me” to get a map to the nearest retailer sent to their mobile phone.

Users can also wave their hand to vote on topic presented by the ad. The new features are expected to roll out in March 2011 and should be easy for marketers to deploy, since content can be similar to those used on TV.

“What we’re seeing now is a technology environment where marketers can deliver more sophisticated ads and they don’t have some of the hurdles that in-game marketers and in-game publishers had,” said eMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna. “It’s a level of interactivity that suggests more possibilities than we’ve seen up until now.”

Source: Today Online {link no longer active}

OpenFeint Program Brings 60 Mobile Titles To China

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OpenFeint and The9’s partnership to launch a mobile gaming platform in China has resulted in 60 games across 30 of China’s app stores. Games localized in Chinese include BulkyPix’s Pix’n Love Rush and Babel Rising, and Deullo Games iSlash.

With The9 Game Zone, game developers gain access to our strong China distribution network. We have strong marketing relationships with China s three largest telecommunication service carriers, major handset manufacturers, and major third-party app distribution stores, said Chris Shen, The9 s Vice President. We are excited to work with these leading international game developers to introduce games to China.

With The9 Game Zone, game developers gain access to our strong China distribution network, added The9 VP Chris Shen. We have strong marketing relationships with China s three largest telecommunication service carriers, major handset manufacturers, and major third-party app distribution stores.

Conan The Barbarian Game Hacks And Slashes On Facebook

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For fans of 2D side scrolling adventure games, Conan the Barbarian 3D has launched a new Facebook game {link no longer active} that lets fans wield the mighty sword for themselves. Destroy the warlord Khalar Zymi by fighting through the foothills attacking his minions and leaving a path of destruction. Along the way, don’t forget to free the hot babes trapped in cages to score more points.

Team Bondi Sold To KMM: Report

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Sources are indicating that IP and other assets have been sold off by Team Bondi. The developer of L.A. Noire has transferred its goods to Kennedy Miller Mitchell (KMM), a production studio also located in Sydney.

Reports are that Team Bondi head Brendan McNamara offered members of his team a job at KMM or a severance package. This move would potentially reunite McNamara with staff members who quit Team Bondi during L.A. Noire‘s production and went to work for KMM.

The L.A. Noire IP is apparently owned by Rockstar Games, and Rockstar Leeds will build the PC edition of the game unabated by any sale. Depth Analysis, which built the groundbreaking facial technology called MotionScan, is not likely to be effected.

Source: Develop

Call Of Duty Elite Getting Content From Ridley Scott

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Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg recently made the announcement as part of his presentation at the 13th Annual Pacific Crest Global Technology Leadership Forum in Vail, Colorado that filmmaker Ridley Scott will create content for Call of Duty Elite. The online service is currently beta testing on Xbox Live.

We are working with the likes of Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, Ben Silverman (we assume that’s The Office executive producer) and Ridley and Tony Scott to create this content, said Hirshberg. “Just like any other passion that people spend a lot of their free time doing, Call of Duty players share a common language and a common experience, and we think we can create some entertainment content that they will love and talk about and share.”

He also noted that Activision has sold 25 million copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops sold so far and 14 million downloadable maps for Black Ops. “Call of Duty has become more than a game,” he said. “It has become a pop culture phenomenon with 30 million players.”

Source: USA Today

Angry Birds Hits Out At New Ventures

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Angry Birds has pigs as enemies, but is a total cash cow for developer Rovio. The Finnish company is pushing the brand beyond the mobile realm, planning a cookbook and educational books using the iconic bird and pigs.

“Right now it’s up to us, with basic brand management, to keep the brand alive, keep it cool and delight our fans with new things,” says Wibe Wagemans, a Rovio branding executive.

Rovio also recently hired David Maisel, the former chairman of Marvel Studios, to advise them on a potential film, and is currently talking to potential writers, directors and financing partners on the project. With 120 million active monthly users, the potential for other entertainment offerings is significant.

“The vast numbers, diversity and global reach of the installed base of people playing the games are bigger than anything I’ve seen in terms of branded intellectual property for a film,” said Maisel.

Other mobile companies are getting in on the act, with Outfit7 recently signing a deal with the William Morris Endeavor Entertainment talent agency to expand the Talking Friends series into film, television and books. They also signed an agreement with Beanstalk Group to handle licensing for toys, clothing and books for later this year.

Rovio has the advantage of tapping into its mobile client base to promote its other ventures. They’re currently running ads for the cookbook and will likely do something similar if a film ever gets made. “We can talk to customers, something I could never do in film, said Maisel.

Source: WSJ.com

Rage Developer Likes Future For Shooters

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The shooter market has never been more crowded than it is nowadays. However, to id creative director Tim Willits he still sees massive potential in the genre of shooters.

“The FPS I feel is the very best genre because it places you, the game player into the experience like no other type of genre does, said Willits.

However, Rage includes things like driving, RPG progressing and crafting, and he notes that the genre will continue to evolve. “Even the word genre is a bit too constricting and I think that people should remove labels from games and let games just be games, said Willits. “I’ve always felt that the future is very bright for first person shooters. We have so many fans and there are so many different directions it could take that I believe that in itself, it’ll be around for years and that id software will be around for years too.”

Source: CVG {link no longer active}

Apple Is A Threat To Consoles, Says David Perry

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Some people think that cloud gaming will replace traditional gaming consoles in a few years. However, Gaikai co-founder and CEO Dave Perry thinks that the biggest threat to traditional consoles comes from iOS devices.

“We don’t think we’re a threat to console. I think the threat to consoles is actually Apple, said Perry. “I think the concern there is that they’re generating hardware so quickly now. If you’re creating and shipping new hardware every 12 months, and during that 12 months you’re also giving pretty impressive upgrades, the features that people want, and you’re giving them those every six months and hardware every 12 months, I think the idea that you would have five to seven years on hardware refreshes is becoming a technical problem.”

“I think the handhelds are getting challenged very aggressively by the mobile phones,” he added. “I find myself spending a lot of money on iPhone, and if you look at a handheld today, the ones that people keep making, they still make them as a gaming machine. Kids today… don’t want to carry anything that just does one thing. They carry their phone and it does everything. And so if you make single function devices, then you’ve got a problem. That’s my concern for handhelds, is this single function side of it. I know they’re adding Netflix and stuff, but they really need to be that sort of multifunction device to survive. And if you think about it, that ultimately turns them into cell phones. So I don’t think cloud gaming is their problem.”

Source: GamesIndustry.biz

Call Of Duty On DS Not 3DS Is Activision’s Call, Says Developer

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Activision recently announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 would be releasing on the DS and not the 3DS. This immediately resulted in a lot of questions for developer n-Space, who is responsible for the port, though they say it simply wasn’t their call.

“You guys all need to understand that we make the games we are hired to make,” said a post by n-Space. “It is not our call to decide which platforms to support. Obviously we are big 3DS fans and supporters as we have three titles in development. If it were as simple as us choosing what products and platforms to develop for I would get a lot more sleep.”

Source: Facebook