Monthly Archives: February 2015
Nintendo: Digitalization Presents Promise and Crisis
Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata has answered some questions regarding the future of Nintendo.
Speaking during a Q & A at the Nintendo third quarter financial results briefing, Iwata was asked about how he sees the demand for entertainment changing in the coming years.
“Observing these transitions, we can say that the digitalization trend presents not only a promising chance but also a huge crisis for us,” says Iwata, “so it can be said that we are faced with both an opportunity and a dilemma at the same time.”
Iwata goes on to talk about how important the value of Nintendo content is to the company’s business model. Nintendo has been criticised in the past of maintaining a higher price-point post-launch, but Iwata believes more people are coming round to Nintendo’s way of operating.
Pneuma: Breath of Life PC Release Date Revealed
Deco Digital and Bevel Studios have announced that first-person puzzler Pneuma: Breath of Life will launch on Steam on February 27 - the same date as its Xbox One release.
The PC version includes Oculus Rift support, and shoppers can enjoy a 10% discount during its first week on Steam.
Pneuma was originally announced for Xbox One, though its console exclusivity is limited to just 30 days.
New Poster for Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron
Disney unveiled the new domestic poster today for Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The one-sheet seen below is packed with characters, emphasizing the key members of Earth's Mightiest Heroes with new additions Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver off to the side and Vision obscured by the sun -- and all of them swarmed by Ultron's killer robots.
UPDATE: Eagle-eyed fans have also noticed an additional music credit for composer Danny Elfman (Raimi's Spider-Man movies, Tim Burton's Batman, and Ang Lee's Hulk).
John Riccitiello Joins Telltale Games’ Board of Directors
Former EA CEO John Riccitiello has joined Telltale's Board of Directors.
This follows the news earlier that Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer is also joining the board, and Lionsgate will be investing in Telltale Games.
Telltale CEO and co-founder Kevin Bruner said that he is excited to welcome Feltheimer and Riccitiello to the board. "I'm thrilled to have these industry giants join us as we continue to define exceptional interactive scripted entertainment."
"Telltale has created something entirely new. Their games combine linear storytelling and gameplay in an entirely new way that is fresh, unique, and compelling," Riccitiello said in a statement, adding that he's excited to partner with the Telltale team.
Expanding the World of Batman: Arkham Knight
The Internet is abuzz with Arkham Knight chatter today in the wake of the announcement that the game has landed an "M" rating. The final chapter of Rocksteady's Batman trilogy is shaping up to be darker and more violent than ever.
But before gamers have a chance to play this highly anticipated sequel in June, they can read the events leading up to Batman's war with Scarecrow and the mysterious Arkham Knight. DC's Arkham Knight comic book will follow in the footsteps of Injustice: Gods Among us by exploring the events leading up to the game in great depth. We recently had a chance to chat via e-mail with writer Pete Tomasi about this digital-first series (which kicks off today). Tomasi discussed his love for the previous Arkham games, how his story fits into this universe, and why Batman's supporting cast will play a much larger role in the comic than they have in previous games.
Trend Micro Report: Hack May Have Cost Sony $100 Million
In its 2014 Annual Security Roundup, security firm Trend Micro reported that the digital attacks on Sony Pictures last year may have cost the company $100 million USD.
"Had the conglomerate learned from past incidents and protected its network from possible intrusions, it could have spared itself from this situation," Trend Micro said, referring to the 2011 breach of customer data. Customers who were affected by the 2011 Sony attacks may qualify for compensation.
New The 100 Clip: Clarke & Lexa Prepare for War
The time for war is here on The 100, as the survivors from the Ark and the Grounders have joined forced in an unlikely alliance, to take on their shared enemies within Mount Weather. Leading the attack is Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Lexa (Alycia Debnam Carey), but while the two have found a lot of common ground and respect of late, there are still plenty of disagreements between them.
In this exclusive clip from Wednesday's new episode of The 100, as they prepare to go into battle, the two leaders begin to debate certain decisions - and the overall approach each takes when it comes to their allies. Check out the clip at the top of the page!
The 100: "Bodyguard of Lies" airs Wednesday, February 25th at 9:00pm ET/PT on the CW.
Delayed Release of New 3DS Was ‘A Difficult Decision’
Nintendo's decision to delay the release of the New 3DS and New 3DS XL in Europe and North America until 2015 was a result of limited stock, states the company's president.
Although the new models were available for retail in Japan and Australia in late 2014, the company had to make "a difficult decision" when it came to releasing the New 3DS models in other territories.
"Regarding New Nintendo 3DS, the quantity that was produced before the end of last year or the amount that was delivered to consumers was limited," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said in an investors' Q&A session published earlier today. "Hence, we had to make a difficult decision on whether it was acceptable or not to cause a worldwide shortage of New Nintendo 3DS. As a result, (based on the different diffusion levels of the preceding models), we made the decision to launch it in 2015 in Europe and the U.S."
Lionsgate has Invested in Telltale Games
Update: Telltale CEO Kevin Bruner has outlined the concept of a “Super Show” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
According to the interview, an episode will be part normal television show, with another part that brings in interactive content.
"A 'Super Show' episode combines one part of interactive playable content with one part of scripted television style content," says Bruner. "Both pieces, when combined together, are what make an actual Super Show 'episode.'
As it turns out, the "Super Show" is what Bruner was hinting at a couple of weeks ago when he described Telltale’s new IP as “its most ambitious project ever”.
Power Rangers Fan Film Gets REALLY Dark and Gritty
James Van Der Beek as Rocky, the (second) Red Ranger? Katee Sackhoff as Kimberly, the Pink Ranger? What is going on here?
This is Power/Rangers, a new fan film (or "bootleg", as producer Adi Shankar call it), directed by Joseph Kahn. While Shankar has previously produced bootlegs of The Punisher (starring Thomas Jane) and Venom (starring Ryan Kwanten), Shankar and Kahn are Hollywood professionals - Shankar was a producer on Dredd, Lone Survivor and The Grey and Kahn has a huge resume as a director of music videos, along with films like Torque and Detention. So why have they made an unauthorized Power Rangers short film that's filled with graphic violence, swearing and even an implied threesome between a Power Ranger and two PR villains (played by porn stars, no less)?