Nintendo Sends Up Crowdfunding In Game & Wario Site

BY

Nintendo launched an online ad campaign to support Game & Wario. In a send up of Kickstarter and other similar sites, the company has asked that fans show their support on Crowdfarter.com where visitors can “donate coins” to the game by either tweeting or ‘liking’ Wario’s daily updates.

“Game & Wario is an entertaining collection of uproarious games that uses the Wii U GamePad controller in unique and hilarious ways,” said “Wario” in a release. “WAHAHAHAHA! THAT WAS MY IMPRESSION OF A SUPER-SERIOUS GUY IN A SUIT! GAME & WARIO IS THE BEST GAME IN THE HISTORY OF TIME! IT’S THE YEAR OF WARIO! WAHAHAHAHA!”

The more fans that participate in this campaign, those that participate will receive a video, wallpaper and even a ringtone with Wario’s distinctive voice.

Microsoft’s NFL Deal Worth $400 Million

BY

Microsoft’s deal with the NFL to put content exclusively on the Xbox One will reportedly cost $400 million over five years. The deal includes prominent placement for the Microsoft brand during NFL broadcasts and Microsoft Surface tablets for coaches to call in plays.

“This partnership will redefine NFL experiences through exclusive and interactive content that you will find only on Xbox,” said Don Mattrick, president of the IEB Division at Microsoft. “For fans, the NFL on Xbox will provide the most complete way to enjoy live football by bringing the first fully integrated fantasy football experience to the TV.”

“From the use of instant replay to the yellow first-down line that has become an important element of the at-home television viewing experience, the NFL is committed to leveraging technology to improve our game for coaches, players and fans,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We’re thrilled to be teaming with a true innovator like Microsoft to shape the future of the NFL game experience both on-field, and in the living room.”

Source: NFL.com

Atari Selling Assets Separately In Auction

BY

Atari will sell its assets separately after failing to find a bidder for the entire catalog. An auction will occur over four days and the company hopes to raise at least $22.2 million from all the bids.

Pending court approval, the auctions will be taking place in July. The company is staking out a minimum of $3.5 million for Rollercoaster Tycoon, $1.5 million for Test Drive and a mere $250,000 for the classic RTS franchise Total Annihilation.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

WildStar — Paths

BY

MMO WildStar has what are called “Paths” which accentuates the unique class system built for the game. Find out how your Path comes up not just for character creation but throughout the whole gameplay experience!

 

Xbox One Launching Into Brave New World

BY

When the Xbox 360 released in 2005, all smartphones were like Blackberries, the iPad was merely a glimmer in Steve Job’s eye and Facebook focused almost exclusively by college students. In the reality that the Xbox One is launching into, smartphones, tablets and social networks have all changed the way people consume games.

The Xbox One is being positioned as a all-in-one device for living room entertainment needs. It is perhaps unsurprising then that the focus on the console was on TV services for much of Microsoft’s hour-long presentation.

To that end, Microsoft will be launching a live-action Halo TV series that will be accessible through the Xbox in partnership with the director Steven Spielberg. What’s more, Microsoft has partnered with the NFL to develop an app that lets players interact with their fantasy football teams while watching a live game.

The next generation of Kinect will also be a vital part of the Xbox One. The device will ship with every Xbox One console, will help enable Skype video chatting and is precise enough to monitor a person’s heartbeat, according to the company.

The new Kinect will be able to recognize players’ face when they step in front of it. Once detected, the Xbox One will automatically present the user with personalized entertainment options based on what they’ve last played, watched and listened to.

All of these features may be vital in a world where mobile gaming is continuing to pick up speed and profit margins are slim even for the most successful of AAA publishers.

“All they had to do is keep their eyes on each other and to keep them on the already confirmed gaming customers. Compare that with today, they’re not just competing with each other,” said James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research. “They’re competing with a much greater pool of people.”

Still, many people see their TV as the center of home entertainment and the Xbox One offers something that is hard to match by mobile devices. “You can do a lot of things on the phone and a lot of things on tablet,” said John Taylor, an analyst at Arcadia Investment. “You can’t do the same kinds of things on those device as you can on that big screen.”

Source: New York Times

Halo TV Series Coming From Microsoft

BY

Microsoft announced during their Xbox One unveiling that there will be a new Halo TV series. This live action adaptation will be produced with the help of Steven Spielberg.

The Halo franchise recently saw a live action adaptation in the critically acclaimed YouTube series Forward Unto Dawn after a failed attempt to launch a big-screen adaption with Peter Jackson. Spielberg has famously collaborated on game projects for years, mostly with Electronic Arts for franchises like Medal of Honor and Boom Blox.

GameFounders Looking For Gaming Start Ups

BY

GameFounders has announced that they are recruiting new teams for the next 3-months cycle starting in September. The company is looking to be an accelerator for developers in Europe.

“The second batch is almost finished and we are ready for the applications to continue with the third one! says Kati Vuks, GameFounders co-ordinator. “The deadline is in June, but we have more time for the early applications, so they will get more attention and better chances!

Source: Facebook.com