In an earnings call discussing the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 (October-December 2011) EA announced that through the initial three months of release Ultimate Team mode in FIFA 12 generated $ 39 million in digital revenue. That represents an boost of 69% over the very same period last year with FIFA 11. Combining with both FIFA 11 and FIFA 10 in the final year Ultimate Team mode has created EA more than $ 100 million and the company expects FIFA 12 on its own to eventually create $ 100 million in digital revenue.

The boasting over Ultimate Team’s achievement is nevertheless somewhat awkward considering how significantly it has been in the news due to the association with account thievery more than the final 4 months or so. Each EA Sports and Microsoft will definitely have to close the loophole that produced FIFA such an appealing source of generating money for those who obtain access to the accounts of others.

pastapadre.com

In a not-so-surprise move yesterday, both Microsoft and Sony confirmed that their next-gen systems are not prepared to launch a ‘counter-offensive’ on Wii U. This of course assumes that you didn’t in fact believe that the rumors, correct? Regardless here’s the proof below:

Microsoft

“What will happen at E3, it is still too early to say. What’s specific is that there will be nothing at all new in 2012. If we wanted to counter Nintendo, we would have to be in a position to release one thing right away, and that is not at all the case.”

– French Advertising Director, Cedrick Delmas

Sony

“I don’t believe we’re contemplating talking about something to do with future console iterations at this point.”

–SCE President, Andrew House

“Andy is totally appropriate in that we are not producing any announcements at E3.”

– Sony Corp. Executive Deputy President, Kaz Hirai

Sorry people, guess you will have to wait for 2013 and beyond to hear anything about the release of new non-Nintendo systems.

GameRabies

Folks have been questioning about regardless of whether a gold Xbox Reside account would be necessary in order to play the upcoming Mass Effect three multiplayer demo and the answer is Yes, it will be needed to play the Mass Impact 3 multiplayer demo. But Mass Impact three will contain a limited time Gold access when you download the demo.

Microsoft released this statement:
“In celebration of ME3, Xbox is pleased to offer fans access to ME3 demo multiplayer for the time top to launch.  Xbox Reside Gold gives you exclusive rewards such as multiplayer gaming, member-only deals &amp previews, and access to entertainment with Netflix, ESPN, Hulu Plus and more.”

So now everybody with Xbox Live, regardless of whether you already have XBL Gold or not, will be in a position to play the Mass Effect three multiplayer demo.

YEY!

Gamedot

In December of 2010, I wrote an post about 5 undesirable trends that have emerged in this present console generation. It’s the post that got me my job here at Piki Geek a single year ago following the post created its rounds on Reddit. What much better way to commemorate my 1st complete year as a Piki Geek editor than to rant about five far more trends from this console generation which have rubbed me the incorrect way.

Regrettably, this industry continues to churn out ill-conceived tips and company methods, mostly in pursuit of profit. Now that the end of this generation is within sight, with the Wii U currently announced and rumors flying about new Microsoft and Sony consoles, I’ve come up with 5 much more offenses that can be added to the current list.

5. The Decline of Local Multiplayer

Proper off the bat, we’ve got a large one here. The decline of split screen and nearby multiplayer wasn’t on the original list, and its absence was speedily pointed out by a lot of. Be concerned not, I’m proper there with you this time, as I too miss the days when local multiplayer was widespread.

Since the advent of on the internet console gaming – admittedly a large boon for this industry – games have been featuring neighborhood multiplayer much less and much less. Component of this, of course, is due to technical limitations, but that does not genuinely soften the blow. Sandbox games like GTAIV and Saints Row: the Third are basically too big to render twice on the exact same screen.

Some games that do have splitscreen multiplayer, nevertheless, appear to actively discourage it by generating it ugly. Games like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Lost Planet 2 (pictured above) divide the screen into bizarre proportions, leaving huge amounts of unused space onscreen. It is as if they’re saying “Well, you could just play split screen, but just appear at that tiny viewing space –you deserve greater!”. And they’d be correct – we do deserve greater.

Thankfully, not everybody has forgotten how much enjoyable can be had in a game with true pals in the identical area. Games like the superb Rayman Origins enable men and women to drop in or drop out at the press of a button, although there is no on the internet play at all in that certain instance. The upcoming Trials Evolution handles the nearby multiplayer aspect admirably as nicely. That is to say, the on-line knowledge perfectly mirrors the neighborhood knowledge – easy to set up, and with no onscreen true estate gone unused.

four. “The Highlander Approach” To Marketing

Now, this technically goes back to the days of the old Nintendo vs Sega rivalry, with Sega proclaiming “We’ve got what Nintendon’t”. It is also not exclusive to consoles, but screw it, it’s going on the list. I call it “The Highlander Approach” – whereby the manufacturers of 1 product attempt to make you think there can be only a single such product. These tactics have created a comeback in this generation, nonetheless the rivalry is not so significantly amongst console makers anymore as it is among publishers. The worst offender, by far, has been Electronic Arts, especially when it comes to Battlefield 3 or Star Wars: The Old Republic.

EA’s CEO, the ever outspoken John Riccitiello, had some choice bits of flamebait when discussing Battlefield three with CNBC. He proclaimed Battlefield three as “a greater game” than Contemporary Warfare 3, and that “I could have pulled our game and moved it into August or January. I picked their launch window, on objective, because, side-by-side, our game is far better in so numerous ways”. I’m certain Present day Warfare 3’s launch window had absolutely nothing to do with the truth that Call of Duty games have launched in November for the past 6 years. Would it not have been enough to basically allow the game’s footage to speak for itself?

And then we’ve got Star Wars: The Old Republic (a game I’m quite considerably enjoying, by the way). Rather than talking up the game’s merits on their own terms, EA Games boss, Frank Gibeau, saw fit to take aim at the industry leader, Globe of Warcraft, in an interview with MSNBC. He stated, “When I play Planet of Warcraft, you go and get your quests, and you go and do your quests, but it feels more like carrying out a shopping list at instances. [Our game] is more about talking to characters, learning what’s going on, investing in it, finding emotionally attached to it. You can still go in accessible approaches and grind out quests if you want, but at the very same time there’s a greater-level story that is carrying you by means of ‘The Old Republic.’”

By inviting comparisons like this, EA is only setting themselves up for derision. If you’re David, you don’t speak **** to Goliath – you just throw that stone and hope it hits its mark. Comparing SW:TOR to WoW is as unnecessary as it is foolish. The Star Wars brand will practically sell itself. Just do not tell that to excellent old John Riccitiello, who said TOR’s voice acting and dialogue would make WoW look like a silent film by comparison. Stay classy, EA.

3. HD Remakes and Collections

The way you really feel about HD remakes and collections depends completely on your level of nostalgia. Me? I’d rather appear forward than back. Regrettably, a lot of publishers seem to disagree with me on that point these days, and are only seeking to make a quick buck off of your nostalgia rather than make forward progress. It has turn out to be an epidemic in today’s sector.

Most of these HD remakes are not, in reality, remakes at all. They’re exactly the exact same games you played final generation, only in higher resolution. They’re glorified ports, and tiny else. The problem is, most of these games had been not built with future hardware in mind, and as a outcome, end up managing to appear worse than their normal definition counterparts, more frequently than not. With out the appropriate effort, all that an HD up-rezzing does is make it less difficult to discover a game’s flaws.

Some devs have managed to play the remake game the appropriate way, luckily. Just Add Water’s remake of OddWorld: Stranger’s Wrath is a great example of how a remake must be handled. New character models, textures, and remixed sound all combine to actually make it look and feel like a new game, rather than an old game being viewed by way of a new pair of rose tinted glasses.

2. The Decline of Rare

This is one that technically started in the prior generation, but has intensified significantly in the present a single. When Microsoft bought Rare from Nintendo back in 2002, people were understandably worried. Their fears were mainly justified, as Rare’s 1st two releases beneath the Microsoft banner were the lackluster Grabbed By The Ghoulies, and the similarly disappointing remake of Conker’s Bad Fur Day.

Factors looked bleaker nevertheless when the launch of the Xbox 360 brought Best Dark Zero, Rare’s prequel to the original Excellent Dark, which turned out to be merely a mediocre shooter, at best. Kameo, also an Xbox 360 launch title, was only slightly greater. Viva Piñata 1 and 2, however, had been great games and I am in no way ashamed to admit  that. Then came Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, which, although not a failure, did not fairly reside up to the series’ high standards.

And now, Uncommon has grow to be the loved ones friendly face of Microsoft, establishing games like Kinect Sports and seemingly tiny else. For those of us who are extended time fans of Uncommon, the possibility of new entries in series such as Killer Instinct, Battletoads, Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini, and Conker, are seeming less and less most likely.

1. On the internet Passes

On the internet passes are meant to be the game industry’s counter to employed game sales, which publishers are always bemoaning for the supposed hurt that such sales put on their bottom line. For the uninitiated, let me break it down. A new game will come with a redeemable code that you need to sort in just before you can access its on the internet component. No big deal, appropriate? Nicely, since those codes are only excellent for a single use, somebody acquiring that identical game – only employed – will not obtain stated code. Rather, you’ll require to spend, usually among $ 5-$ 15 added if you wish to play the game on-line.

Even though it’s a single factor to exclude men and women from multiplayer (not absolutely everyone cares about multiplayer, right after all), Online Passes are now being added to games that do not even have multiplayer at all. In Batman: Arkham City, an otherwise wonderful game by all accounts, Catwoman’s whole storyline is excluded unless you acquire the game new or purchase an On-line Pass. The identical can be said for the upcoming Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which also locks away a handful of quest lines unless you acquire new or shell out extra for an On-line Pass. It is an extremely distasteful and underhanded signifies of acquiring men and women to pay extra for content material that is currently on the disc.

If publishers are genuinely serious about undermining employed game sales, they all need to come together with the significant console manufacturers and operate out better digital distribution deals. Steam is already the excellent example of this – games are often on sale, and even when they’re not, are typically less costly than their boxed counterparts. If folks see the option to purchase a game on Xbox Live or PSN, and it takes place to be less costly and quicker than going to Gamestop, which do you think they’ll select? And even though we’re stating the obvious right here, digital copies can’t be resold.

The bottom line is, publishers, if you do not want us purchasing used games, make new games available on the internet, day and date with their retail releases, and at a decreased value for cutting out the middle man. Online Passes just make you appear even much more out of touch than many individuals currently make you out to be.

Piki Geek

Microsoft’s marketing and advertising director of France, Cedrick Delmas has told reporters that Nintendo isn’t seeking to compete against other console manufactures, and other console manufactures aren’t seeking to compete against them. Sounds like a huge mistake on Microsoft’s component.

“We’re not here to counter Nintendo and they’re not here to fight the other manufacturers. Nintendo has put itself in a different cycle, they’re advancing at their own pace.”

- Cedrick Delmas, Microsoft’s advertising director of France

My Nintendo News

Piki Geek

Even although Microsoft has but to unveil, or even go over, its plans for the 3rd generation of Xbox, IGN reports on the state of the system’s GPU. Apparently, the chip is based off of AMD’s 6000 series and will have 1080p output, 3D, and so on. Full production is set for the end of 2012, with the technique dropping sometime in 2013 (speculated). We can assume that this will not be the only factor adding to the power of the Xbox ’720′ (for the lack of a greater term). We assume that because Kinect is playing such a large role in the company’s approach, we’ll probably see it integrated into the platform itself as opposed to an add-on peripheral.

More on this at E3.

GameRabies

There’s always some sort of bidding war for users’ affection just before new consoles come out.  Rumors, facts, and figures rampantly fly about the media circuit and us gamers are continually attempting to figure out which console to acquire.  Earlier right now, we reported that the subsequent generation Microsoft technique will be six occasions more powerful than the present Xbox 360.

Now, it appears that Nintendo’s Wii U will be twice as strong as the current Xbox 360. Regardless of nevertheless getting less strong than the next Xbox, it is nevertheless above market expectations for efficiency for the system.  Whether or not that is adequate for consumers is however to be noticed, but it appears that developers have had to scale back their plans.  The source of this details was apparently an insider of a studio that is working on a Wii U title.  Regardless, it appears that Nintendo will never rather catch up with every person else.

[Source: Create]

Mash Those Buttons

Piki Geek

Following yesterday’s rumors, “game sector sources” have told Kotaku that the next Xbox will help Blu-ray, ditching the DVD format.

Blu-ray discs can hold anyplace amongst 25 and 50 gigabytes of data, whereas DVDs can only hold 9 gigabytes. PlayStation three is the only console this generation to support the format.

The next Xbox will ship with the subsequent version of Kinect, according to “one source familiar with Microsoft’s plans for the new Xbox.” It will feature an on-board processor, which would allow it to better track users’ actions.

Microsoft is also searching to incorporate some sort of anti-used games system. The site’s source was not clear on how Microsoft intends to implement it. Theoretically, you could link the game to an Xbox Live account, but that would force you to be on-line each time you play or it wouldn’t allow family members to play the very same game.

Microsoft is also keen on making the controller smaller, according to the source.

The source also echoed yesterday’s IGN report, going as far to say that the subsequent Xbox may even be eight occasions much more powerful than Xbox 360. Though, one more insider clarified that developers have yet to obtain development kits and any current speak of specifications is purely hypothetical.

Gematsu