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UPDATED: Nintendo Returning to CES

29 Nov

For years before E3 was founded, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was the go-to event for all major gaming companies to show off their wares. Since the Electronic Entertainment Expo’s inception, most gaming-centric companies have left CES for the more industry specific grounds of LA. But for the first time in 16 years, Nintendo will be an exhibitor. The Big N may have been persuaded by CES 2011’s larger gaming focus than previous year, which had a dominance split between 3D televisions and tablet PCs. Other gaming companies; Sony, Microsoft, and AMD, among others; will continue to have a presence at the show.

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EA: Licensed-based Games are Dead

29 Nov

In an interview with Develop, EA Games President Frank Gibeau stated that “the days of licensed-based, 75-rated games copies are dead like the dinosaur.” In the past, EA was well-known for releasing a large number of license-based games, though the total number of such titles being published by EA has dwindled over recent years.

According to Gibeau, one of the reasons for focusing less on these titles is concerned with the relation between the publisher and the licensor. With the total amount of royalties a publisher owes the licensor on the rise, EA saw profit margins drop for such titles in recent years. Additionally, Gibeau indicated that working with a non-licensed IP generally allows for greater creativity and generally better results, given the fact that the  amount of money and number of man-hours that need to be spent on creating a license-based game are not all that different from those needed to create a new IP.

Concerning two of the most “unique” IPs launched by EA in recent years, Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space, Gibeau stated that while Dead Space made money, it still failed to hit expectations. Similarly, Mirror’s Edge did not manage to live up to expectations as the developers did not polish the game enough, and did not manage to take all of the concepts in the game as far as might have been desirable. However, Gibeau indicated EA will not give up on either IP as he stated that the potential payoffs for success could be huge, even though an increased risk is generally involved when handling a new IP.

It is unclear if EA will fully cease to release license-based titles, or if it will merely cease releasing such titles aimed at a core-audience. EA’s most recent license-based game, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part One) was released on November 16th.
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Splinter Cell 6 in Development

29 Nov

Jade Raymond, Managing Director of the Ubisoft Toronto division, has confirmed that the development team at her studio is currently working on a sixth installment in the Splinter Cell franchise. She also indicated that she herself is currently leading this team. Raymond has been a producer for the original Assassin’s Creed, and an Executive Producer for both of its sequels.

The Ubisoft Toronto studio was opened last year, and the newest Splinter Cell installment is the first project undertaken by the team. Development of this franchise was previously handled by Ubisoft Montreal, which is currently working on new installments in the Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed franchises.

No details are currently available concerning a possible release date for the sixth installment in the series, or if it will be also be released for the Playstation 3 this time around. (more…)