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EA concerned by casual game price wars, but doesn't think it will undermine industry

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 29th 2009 at 7:00PM }

EA Casual VP Harvey Elliott admits that the current price wars going on in the casual market is a concern, but feels that there will always be games customers will pay for more than others. CasualGaming.biz reports on Elliott's keynote at the Casual Games Forum, where the executive said he doesn't think that the gaming price wars incited by low-cost system's like Apple's App Store will go on forever.

Elliott believes there are "certain games for certain markets, and sometimes free games will feel and fit right, but the same is true for low-priced games." He thinks there will always be a place for "paid-for games of all price ranges" -- we hope that's what he thinks, because his job depends upon it.

Trademark: PopCap going off the rails on a 'Yetitrain'

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 21st 2009 at 10:05AM }

PopCap, we're afraid we've got an unpleasant task for you. At your earliest convenience, we're going to need you to draft letters of apology to everyone who's come within 50 yards of us within the last 15 minutes. See, a little while ago, supererogatory turned our attention to a trademark you just filed, reserving the name Yetitrain for use in a game. Our eyes saw the word, and our brain immediately told us the correct course of action: As loudly as possible, we would need to sing Ozzy Ozbourne's "Crazy Train," and we'd need to swap in the appropriate cryptozoological word.

Though we've aroused general concern from our neighbors and landlords, we can't seem to stop. This word -- Yetitrain -- is too powerful not to sing boisterously. We're sending you an email to request these apologetic correspondences, and to see if you'll tell us exactly what a Yetitrain is, and then to find out where we purchase our ticket to ride it forever.

Report: EA acquires social games dev Playfish

by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 15th 2009 at 12:20PM }

Industry sources claim EA has completed a deal to acquire social games developer Playfish, report Inside Social Games and Silicon Alley Insider. Unconfirmed estimates put EA's buyout bill at $250 million, while ISG believes Playfish could earn as much as $75 million in revenue this year alone. That's alotta money for those janky, little games on Facebook, right?

For years, EA has been dabbling in social gaming -- a slightly less dirty designation than "casual gaming" -- starting with the launch and consolidation of the EA Casual Entertainment division in 2007, and then with the creation of EA Blueprint expressly for social ventures in 2008. The company has done plenty of outside spending, too, like throwing some dollars at Napster creator Shawn Fanning for his Rupture service. Just this week, EA launched Pogo Puppies for Facebook -- which actually competes with Playfish's Pet Society (pictured above) -- and scooped up social games publishing technology company J2PLay, as reported by Games.com.

It's difficult to predict how EA Casual's major investments in social gaming might affect the EA Games label -- makers of the kinda games we care about -- but let's just hope there's a mighty thick wall between the two divisions. Okay, so maybe we've got some social anxiety, but we just can't stand the thought of our extravagant, big-budget, dim-the-lights, and shut-out-the-world games go the way of the dodo.

[Via Industry Gamers]

Source – Is EA Going to Buy Zynga or Playfish in Social Gaming Bid? [Inside Social Games]
Source – Rumor: EA Acquires Playfish For $250 Million [Silicon Alley Insider]

Sony discusses PlayStation Home's shift from social network to 'game platform'

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Oct 14th 2009 at 4:15PM }

Aside from providing a venue for a wonderfully childish gender bending game, PlayStation Home initially failed to offer PlayStation 3 users much of a playground. But the various Home spaces and minigames implemented by third-party developers have changed Sony's thinking, according to platform director Jack Buser: "In the early days when we built Home, we really were building a social network for gamers ... through that, over the last year, it's developed into a game platform, first and foremost."

Speaking at a San Francisco meeting -- documented in detail by Gamasutra -- Buser described Home-based games as a "low-risk and high-margin" opportunity for developers. "Home is a high definition environment where you can create extremely polished games but with very rapid development cycles," he explained. "You can have small teams of developers -- a couple of engineers and a few artists -- crank out very sophisticated social gaming experiences in very small amounts of time."

Buser also highlighted the value of community input in the "evolution" of Home, though he didn't indicate whether Sony had also stopped listening to that guy in the office who's really into Snow Crash. But even that guy might see the sense in Sony's vision, which is "about social, repeatable, fun, and dynamic games that are always changing and being fun for people."

We haven't seen the "killer app" yet (we're still waiting in line), but renovating Home into a social games platform -- even if it's built atop the PS3's actual game platform -- seems like a much better use of all that segmented real estate.

PlaySega without having to PaySega

by JC Fletcher { Oct 12th 2009 at 10:00PM }

Sega's casual games portal PlaySega has just added Genesis classics to its lineup. If, like us, your attention has yet to turn to the browser-based service since its December launch, now would be a good time to check it out.

N-Europe reports that you can access a free 10-day trial of the paid "VIP" service now, which allows you to play, in addition to the collection of free games, those that are normally behind a pay wall -- like all the Genesis games, including Sonic the Hedgehog, which also includes (get ready to freak out) a level editor.

If you like the service and then sign up for a three-month ($14.95) subscription, Sega will send you one of the Saturn-style USB controllers seen here. Just don't sign up for the controller and forget you've subscribed, or you'll end up paying a lot more than you wanted to.

Broodworks: new Santa Monica studio with focus on Sony handhelds

by David Hinkle { Oct 7th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Santa Monica-based development studios interested in "medium casual video game development" for Sony handhelds, watch out! There's a new cat in town and, even though it lacks opposable thumbs, this kitten can code.

Enter: Broodworks, a new independent studio headed by former Sony Santa Monica executive producer and director of internet development Shannon Studstill. Given Studstill's previous position with Sony and the location of Broodworks, superannuation surmises that Broodworks is a second-party studio working closely with SCEA. We'll keep you posted as the story (and the company's website) develops.

[Via superannuation]

PopCap receives outside investment in first round of funding

by JC Fletcher { Oct 6th 2009 at 2:30PM }

Casual gaming leviathan PopCap Games announced that it has lined up an extra $22.5 million in funding from sources including investment firm Meritech Capital Partners and private investors Larry Bowman and John McCaw.

"While other video game companies put out more flops than hits, PopCap has never produced a game that wasn't a critical and commercial success," said Meritech's managing director, Rob Ward. "Taking the company's boutique development style and universally appealing product lineup to the top of the video game food chain will be an exciting, potentially industry-changing, experience and we're happy to be a part of it."

Well, okay, so we know why the investors did it -- guaranteed returns. But why does PopCap, to whom we have all handed money over the years, need extra money? PopCap CEO David Roberts claims that the investment "lets us be more aggressive with our expansion into social media and reaching new geographies," but we've heard that PopCap is researching an unstable form of the match-three puzzle that can currently only be created in a laboratory, and only for a few nanoseconds.

Cooking Mama 3 trailer, fresh from the oven

by JC Fletcher { Sep 11th 2009 at 1:15AM }

Majesco's first trailer for Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop features one aspect of the Cooking Mama series we don't expect to see in the actual DS game: the voice acting, which is as endearing as ever.

The trailer features the first look at the game's new shopping mode, which appears as a top-down RPG-style presentation. It also features flashes of the familiar cooking gameplay, including the return of the most ridiculous recipe from Mamas past -- instant ramen. Really?

For the most part, it looks like Cooking Mama, which we've yet to become tired of, so we don't mind. And now with the addition of food with faces, we don't think we will ever get tired of it.

Scene It? comes to Wii, PS3 this holiday

by Justin McElroy { Sep 2nd 2009 at 11:15AM }

Great news: Holiday shopping for that uncle or aunt you don't know that well but think might have a game system just got a lot easier. The Scene It? franchise is branching out this holiday season from the 360, bringing Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! to the Wii and PS3, as well as to Microsoft's box.

As an added bonus, the release makes no mention of special controllers for the Wii or PS3 version of the game, so hopefully Uncle Ernie won't be able to guess the gift from the size of the package.

Peggle Nights falling into XBLA

by JC Fletcher { Aug 26th 2009 at 7:30PM }

Peggle, after releasing pretty much everywhere else to critical acclaim, came out on Xbox Live Arcade this March, to additional critical acclaim, thanks to its new multiplayer modes. Now Peggle fans intent on either playing the game only on Xbox or on buying every Peggle release will have something else to look forward to as PopCap has announced the XBLA release of the sequel, Peggle Nights, coming by way of an XBLA expansion for the original Peggle.

Like other releases of Peggle Nights, the XBLA version includes a new Peggle Master named Marina, 60 new levels, and 60 new challenges and will be available to all Peggle players as a Title Update. Most importantly to some status-obsessed gamers, Peggle Nights will include three new Achievements, worth a total of 50 points.

Peggle Nights will be available sometime this fall for an undisclosed price.

Ubisoft officially reveals 'Just Dance,' for people who don't mind looking like this

by JC Fletcher { Aug 18th 2009 at 10:15AM }

Originally discovered in a trademark, Ubisoft has announced Just Dance, a Wii game developed by Ubisoft Paris. While we had some interest in the title due to the possibility of it being Q? Entertainment's rhythm game project, the announcement shows that it ... isn't.

Just Dance invites players to learn and mimic "real dance moves set to classic and modern songs across all genres they know and love," as CEO Yves Guillemot put it. Among the 30 licensed tracks: dance classics like "Groove Is In The Heart," "Pump Up the Jam," and "U Can't Touch This."

But ... how do you do the MC Hammer dance in this game? Do you attach the Wiimote to your leg? Does it come with special parachute pants with a pocket for the controller?

Gallery: Just Dance

GameStop hops on the casual bandwagon

by David Hinkle { Jul 31st 2009 at 6:45PM }

GameStop's online additions just keep, uh, adding up, as the games retailer now has a dedicated space for casual games. As part of the launch, GameStop is taking 50% off of hot titles such as Governor of Poker and Samantha Swift and The Golden Touch. If we didn't already snatch up the latter day one, we'd be all over this.

[Via Kotaku]

PopCap announces Bookworm Adventures 2

by Griffin McElroy { Jul 15th 2009 at 11:55AM }

There's a ton of good lookin' games coming out this fall, though few offerings seem as though they'll help beef up our vocabulary while indulging our base desire for molasses-slow turn-based combat. Yes, we realize that's a rather specific niche -- but it's one that will be filled quite nicely by PopCap's Bookworm Adventures 2, which will be released on July 30 for $19.99 on the casual game developer's official site.

If you never experienced the Boggle meets Final Fantasy action of the original Bookworm Adventures, PopCap has a free trial available. Just don't blame us when your friends start complaining about your new proclivity for dropping six-dollar words.

Surprise! Plants vs Zombies headed to more platforms

by Richard Mitchell { Jul 10th 2009 at 12:15PM }

In what might be the most shocking turn of events in recent history, PopCap Games' Garth Chouteau recently told Kombo.com that the company is looking to bring its most recent addictive substance, Plants vs Zombies, to more platforms. The game is currently available only on PC and Mac. In other news, it turns out that PopCap enjoys making giant piles of cash. Garth noted that PopCap spent a great deal of time making Peggle work on consoles (the XBLA version, specifically) and would take the same approach with Plants vs Zombies, though he didn't specify which consoles the game is destined to see.

He did, however, say that it's unlikely to appear on mobile phones. Well, regular mobile phones, actually: An iPhone version is a possibility. We have to say that we're both excited and a little terrified at the prospect of playing Plants vs Zombies anywhere. It's done enough damage to our work ethic already.

Parents don't read Joystiq

by Justin McElroy { Jul 8th 2009 at 7:00AM }

Or, you know, any other review outlet for that matter. That's a criminally oversimplified version of the point that John Davison is making over at What They Play today. Davison says that, by-and-large, review sites aren't giving a fair shake to kids' games. Which is just as well, because parents aren't really reading them, relying instead on consumer reviews like those found at Amazon.com.

We at Joystiq would be tempted to laugh it off, but, as we learned in Back to the Future: Part 2, by 2013, every game played with the hands will be considered a "baby game," which is going to make reaching parents desperately important to us.