Tag: Industry - Page 25
News August NPD Results Are Good Reading for Nintendo
Mario and 3DS XL boost figures
As part of a monthly routine that is so vitally important for developers, publishers and the big three console manufactures, U.S. market research firm NPD has released its latest software sales figures for the region, covering 29th July to 25th August. While the news for the industry as a whole is grim reading, a...
News 20 Extra Mutant Mudds Levels on The Way to eShop For Free
Oh, and Renegade Kid is now an approved Wii U developer
Mutant Mudds, a stylish retro platformer from Renegade Kid, is one of the top titles on the 3DS eShop. It's got plenty of content for those with the skills and patience, but some of you may know that the PC version has an extra 20 'Grannie' levels, which are particularly challenging stages that...
News Bethesda Yet to Decide on Support for Wii U
Clearly not in a hurry
Bethesda Game Studios is a big deal in the video game industry; the company is behind major titles such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which it developed, and it handled publication of Fallout: New Vegas. Both are epic, open-world titles with enough content to devour dozens of hours, yet if your gaming has been restricted to...
News Rhythm Thief Joins Layton in Jump to iOS
Sneaky dancer
Yesterday we brought you the news that a new Professor Layton title is heading to iOS and Android, so it only seems appropriate that we report on another DS/3DS title that's making the leap to smartphones and tablets. An iOS release of Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure, or Rhythm Kaitou R as it's known in Japan, is listed on...
News New Professor Layton Title Confirmed for iOS and Android
Taking investigations beyond Nintendo
The Professor Layton series has become rather popular on Nintendo DS and 3DS, with the first of the latest handheld's entries arriving outside of Japan in late October. It's much-loved in Japan, especially, with manga, novels and a movie — Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva — all being released, the...
News Capcom: The Next Gen Doesn't Start With Wii U
"Time is required before the next generation console cycle begins in earnest"
Capcom has released its annual report, in which it outlines the current state of its business and its predictions and aims for the future. The company has stated that it wishes to move away from the current development model - which involves big budget games with long...
News Future Publishing Shutters Nintendo Gamer Magazine
UK closure follows cancellation of Nintendo Power in North America
Future Publishing has confirmed that long-running independent magazine Nintendo Gamer is to close. The UK-based magazine, which had a circulation of just under 8,000 readers, can trace its history back to the SNES era, when it launched as Super Play - a publication which we hold...
Talking Point The Rules for Violence in Video Games
Are there rules?
Just yesterday we reported that Outdoors Unleashed: Africa 3D arrives in the North American eShop this week, an arcade shooter where the targets are assorted wildlife from the plains of the African continent. We also wrote the following: While your opinions on the merits of game hunting in Africa undoubtedly vary, we're slightly...
News Randy Pitchford Isn't All That Into Motion Controls
...despite his studio doing the Wii version of Samba de Amigo
Gearbox head guy Randy Pitchford has spoken to Gamasutra about the future of the gaming hardware industry, and has revealed that he's not all that bothered about motion control 'gimmicks': Different people make different stabs. Some of these stabs folks make become standards. Most of...
News Meet The Man Who Brought Nintendo To America
Howard Phillips' amazing journey from warehouse to boardroom
Although it's hard to imagine it now, Nintendo wasn't always a dead cert in North America. Back in the early '80s, before the company had launched the super-successful NES system in the States, it was just one of many Japanese coin-op manufacturers attempting to muscle in on the flagging...
Talking Point Challenges for the Future of Nintendo Gaming
Evolving with the industry
Recently we attended the Turing technology festival in Edinburgh, and in particular an event called Gaming@Turing. You know why we attended that one, of course. The focus of the event was to look at the future of gaming from a number of different perspectives, put forward by five experienced speakers from within the...
News New Super Mario Bros. 2 Still Grabbing Coins in UK Chart
Top single-format title
Last week there was news of a decent start in the UK for New Super Mario Bros. 2, which came into the all-format charts in second place behind the multi-platform Square Enix title Sleeping Dogs. This week has Mario's latest drop one place to third, behind Sleeping Dogs at number one and new entry Darksiders II. There was a...
News Nintendo In The Game For Golden Joystick Awards
Your votes can help
It's awards season, once again, with nominations for the 30th Golden Joystick Awards now confirmed and Nintendo games or exclusives featuring in a number of categories. These awards are decided entirely by the public, so if you feel that the big N deserves a chance to win you can have your say. Below are the nominations for...
News Sumo Digital: Wii U "Looks As Good" as HD Platforms
Shares thoughts on GPU and memory
Sumo Digital is the developer of upcoming multi-platform racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, a title set to hit later this year on both Wii U and 3DS. Just one week ago comments from a representative of publisher SEGA, related to this title, described the graphical capabilities of Wii U as on par or...
News Satoru Iwata: Miiverse is About More Than Competitive Multiplayer
It's a "social graph" for gamers
Since Miiverse was revealed during Nintendo's pre-E3 video presentation, it's become evident that it takes the Mii concept from Wii and expands it to something more than a humorous avatar that's playable in some games. Wii did allow some fun ways of sharing Mii characters and giving them more personality, and 3DS has...
News Nintendo Power Magazine Will End With December Issue
Nintendo issues confirmation
Yesterday we brought you the news that Nintendo Power magazine was set to be shut down, and today Nintendo has confirmed the reports. The short statement clarifies that the magazine will continue until a final issue currently planned for December. We can confirm that the December issue of Nintendo Power magazine will...
News Satoru Iwata: Demand for Rich Experiences on Handhelds "Not Going to Go Away"
Smartphones provide "different" competition
For Satoru Iwata, there are plenty of priorities and challenges to face. Nintendo is currently preparing to brings its next home console to the market, while also generating and sustaining momentum for 3DS. Both are important, but it's perhaps 3DS, and dedicated handheld gaming as a whole, that has been...
News Nintendo Power Magazine Looks Set to Shut Down
Could be the end of an era
Update: The tweet quoted below, from Nintendo Power senior editor Chris Hoffman, has since been deleted, as have a number of others sharing a similar message. As always and as promised in the original article below, we will report any official updates from Nintendo and Future Publishing. Original Article In a surprising...
Reaction Nintendo's Steady Start in Retail Downloads
It’s only half of the picture
Earlier today we reported that Satoru Iwata had given loose figures for retail downloads in Japan, which started alongside the launch of 3DS XL on 28th July. Speaking to Wall Street Journal, Iwata-san stated that New Super Mario Bros. 2 retail downloads account for 5% of sales in Nintendo’s homeland, but provided...
News Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles Helped to Save NES
In the UK they were heroes, not ninjas
It's a popular perception that NES swept all before it when it was released, dominating sales and 8-bit popular culture in the late 1980s. While that's probably true in North America and Japan, Nintendo's debut home console actually had a slow and rather unsuccessful start in the UK, with distribution via...
News The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Tops Amazon Book Charts
Now that's epic
Last week we were rather delighted to share the news that The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia is on the way to the West, with all 272 pages of its Zelda goodness making its way out of Japan early next year. We know enthusiasts will be interested in this, but the question is whether there'll be enough demand to make it worth the...
News SEGA Declares Wii U Graphical Capabilities to be "On Par" or Better Than PS3
Steady on now
Update: Following an update to the source article, we have amended the headline to absolutely clarify that sections of this article are referring to Wii U's graphical capabilities, specifically, based on comments made by SEGA Marketing Executive Ben Finch at Gamescom. Original Article The capabilities of Wii U, from the perspective...
News Meet Founder of WayForward at Free Event on 18th August
Voldi Way returns for 4th Annual Gathering of Video Game Legends
We reported on this excellent event last year, and wouldn't you believe the 4th Annual Gathering of Video Game Legends at Westwood College in Anaheim, CA is almost upon us — which makes this a ripe time to bring it to your attention once again. The event will take place on Saturday,...
News LostWinds Developer Expands In North America
Frontier opens Canadian studio thanks to tax breaks
Frontier Developments — the team behind the WiiWare smash LostWinds and its sequel LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias — has opened its first studio outside of the UK, taking advantage of tax breaks to set up shop in Canada. The new office will be based in Nova Scotia, and will house around 20...
News Tekken Boss Thinks Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft Should Get Cosy
Tri-Force?
It's nice to want things. For example, I'm sure many people reading this would love to have a Wii U console sitting under their TV set right now. Or perhaps a brand-new Ferrari on the driveway. Heck, why not wish for your own personal tropical island paradise while you're at it? Go crazy. It's tempting to surmise that Tekken producer...
Talking Point 3DS eShop Deserves Big Franchises
Boosting digital downloads
For many Nintendo gamers, we suspect, the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2 looms large as the highlight of the next gaming month. Even if the game doesn’t innovate the plumber’s series in any major way, the purchasing options do just that. For 3DS owners it’ll no longer be a case of simply picking up a boxed game...
News Wii Music Returns to UK All-Format Top 40
Yes, really
After last week's excitement with 3DS XL arriving, and seeing some inevitable bumps in software sales, it's time to survey the scene and see whether the new handheld has brought a sustained boost to Nintendo's UK sales. The answer? Just about. In terms of Nintendo exclusive titles, there are an encouraging five within the top 20 this...
News Mobile Publisher Believes Nintendo Ecosystem May 'Fall Apart'
Here we go again
One of the continuing debates that surrounds 3DS at the moment is whether it can truly succeed against the onslaught of mobile gaming, with cheap and free-to-play titles available. Various mobile developers have questioned Nintendo's handheld prospects in recent months as a result, and the latest to hop on board is Neil Young, CEO...
News Nintendo Wins Judgement in Wii Patent Lawsuit
Talking 'bout a revolution
Nintendo has confirmed that it's seen off yet another patent lawsuit in the U.S., with this one perhaps being the most significant victory so far. A company called Copper Innovations Group, LLC had claimed that both Wii and its controllers had infringed one of its patents, but a U.S. District Court judge dismissed the case...
Reaction Age Ratings and Video Games
PEGI takes over and makes under-age selling illegal
It may come as a surprise to those who assumed it was the case, but until 30th July there was no unified, legally binding age rating system for video games in the UK. Unlike so many other products available to buy, the guidelines and ratings in place did not automatically lead to prosecution for...
News JAY Z Named As Executive Producer of NBA 2K13
Oh, he's gonna run this game
If you want to gain some street credibility for your new game, maybe the way to go is to hire a multi-million selling hip-hop star as executive producer: yep, that might do it. It's been confirmed that executive producer of upcoming Wii and Wii U title NBA 2K13 will be rap royalty JAY Z, who's had almost as many hits as...
News Capcom Hopes to Expand Fighting Game Audience
Training the next generation
The fighting genre has always been one of the harshest tests of gaming prowess; bruising tests of hand-to-eye co-ordination and memory as you try to remember all those combos and special moves. Just as that's appealing to the initiated, however, the necessary dedication can be a barrier to entry for newcomers. Capcom is...
News 3DS XL Enjoys a Steady Start in UK
Outsells 3DS 'by a factor of just over 2:1'
3DS XL arrived on Saturday in Europe and Japan, with some retailers in the UK having permission to hand out pre-orders the day before. As we reported yesterday, the latest UK charts showed a bump in some software sales, even if the new titles launched alongside the system failed to break into the top 40...
News E3 Confirmed for Los Angeles Until 2015
E3 2013 scheduled for 11-13 June
After E3 2012, rumours began to circulate that the gaming event of the year would change venue and relocate to Las Vegas. For those unaware, a big part of the L.A. Convention Centre will be involved in a major building project as it's constructed into the new Farmer's Field stadium. Some wondered whether the...
News Katsuya Eguchi: Wii U Design Philosophy is For Everyday Life
Wii U Pro controller designed so some gamers don't 'feel left out'
Katsuya Eguchi is one of Nintendo's prominent figures, with credits as far back as Super Mario Bros. 3 and senior leadership roles in some of the company's biggest titles, such as Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii Sports Resort. Perhaps his most important role to date is his latest,...
News Mario Kicked Out by FIFA as UK's Top Seller Since 1996
Former rival Sonic slows down in 6th
If you read our earlier news about Mario & Sonic coming 3rd in today's UK charts, then you may have spotted the little fact about the Pokémon franchise being the 10th biggest seller in the UK over the last 15 years. Eurogamer.net has now been provided with the full top ten by GfK Chart-Track (copyright...
News GameStop Exploring Possibility of Second-Hand Digital Sales
This could affect us, Nintendo fans!
As you can tell from our tagline, it's with a sense of genuine delight that we can bring you news about potential industry changes with retail download software, and actually have an interest in the outcome. After so long lagging behind Sony, Microsoft and PC platforms in terms of full retail downloads, Nintendo...
News Michael Pachter Doubts 3DS XL's Powers of Revival
Put away those pitchforks
It's been an interesting week in the world of Nintendo and, in particular, its handhelds. First up we had Bing Gordon, a man with decades of experience in the video game industry at the highest level, sharing the view that Nintendo's on track to primarily focus on software. He even went so far as to say that "the handheld...
News Nintendo Financial Results: Console and Software Sales
How are they all doing?
Earlier on today we brought you the headline news that Nintendo reported a financial loss for the first quarter, which was very much expected. Despite some pre-results whispers, Nintendo didn't adjust its projections for returning a profit this financial year, showing a degree of confidence in the process. The financial...
News 3DS Retail Codes Being Sold Through Online Retailers
Codes only, no download card
While most of us wait until mid-August to see the Nintendo retail download machine kick into action, it's already up and running in Japan ahead of the arrival of New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Demon Training this weekend. It's now emerged, courtesy of Andriasang, that as well as download cards available from stores, online...
News Nintendo Confirms Financial Loss for First Quarter
Not a surprise
As you may recall, Nintendo announced its first annual loss in 30 years in April, as the company faced the music for problems with the 3DS launch and a declining Wii. It's just announced its results for the first quarter of this current financial year and, as anticipated, it's a loss. In the three months that ended 30th June this...
Talking Point Nintendo's Digital Pricing
Is it persuasive enough?
This week we’ve been given a glimpse of Nintendo’s plans for retail download pricing and incentives, both for Japan and North America. It all begins with New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Demon Training in Japan on 28th July, with North America and Europe joining in with Mario’s title on 19th and 17th August respectively...
News Bing Gordon: Nintendo's 'On Track' to Primarily Focus on Software
But not while Miyamoto's around
The evolution of inexpensive tablet computers with gaming potential, and the continuing 'will they/won't they' question of whether Apple or Google will enter the home console market means that Nintendo, and its competitors, face big challenges. Those challenges may have been in the mind of experienced industry figure...
News Fan Group 'Operation Zero' Attempts to Scare Nintendo of America
Into localising Fatal Frame 2, that is
Project Zero 2: Wii Edition arrived in Europe at the end of June, and despite a few flaws has been scaring gamers witless since. This isn't survival horror in the shoot-a-zombie-in-the-face Resident Evil sense, but exploring dark, creepy locales with nothing but a camera to protect you from malevolent ghosts...
News Yves Guillemot: Nintendo's 'Created Something Good' with Wii U
Nintendo 'taking lots of risks with the games they create'
When it came to judging console manufacturer's and publisher's efforts at E3, Ubisoft was the recipient of plenty of praise from attendees and those viewing on the web. Its own press conference may have included some sketchy, cringeworthy jokes — though that's not exactly rare at E3 —...
News Satoru Iwata: 'We Have Not Changed Our Strategy'
Return to profitability not far away
With Wii U getting closer, and various opinions swirling around about the system's capabilities and even Nintendo's long term future in the industry, Satoru Iwata has spoken to Gamasutra to once again outline Nintendo's philosophy and plans. On the subject of profitability, Iwata has reiterated that the company...
News Michael Pachter Admits That Wii U Pro Controller Comments Were an 'Educated Guess'
Oh dear
Earlier this week we shared comments from well-known — and polarising — industry analyst Michael Pachter, which were made at the Develop conference in Brighton. Pachter stated that he was unimpressed with the Wii U concept, but most notably claimed that Activision had pressured Nintendo to produce the Wii U Pro Controller, as it may have...
News Pokémon Company Was June's Top Publisher in Japan
We'll give you one guess why
While game and hardware sales information can be limited or tough to get hold of for Europe and North America, we can always rely on Japan to bare all and reveal the movers and shakers in the country. One monthly chart that normally sees Nintendo nestling in top spot has had a bit of a shake-up today, though the news is...
News Gearbox Interested in Bringing Borderlands 2 to Wii U
Lots of love, but no commitment yet
The developer response to Wii U has been remarkably mixed, with studios contradicting each other on a weekly basis in terms of the machine's capabilities and potential. One particularly vocal developer in the supporter's camp has been Gearbox, which has talked about the system's power and contributed plenty of...
News Nintendo Appoints New UK Marketing Director
Marketing leader
Nintendo has appointed Shelly Pearce as its UK marketing director. The role was vacated earlier this year when Dawn Paine left to become marketing vice president at Universal Pictures. Pearce joined Nintendo 14 years ago in 1998, and has been the head of European PR since 2002. Senior managers James Honeywell, Ben Taylor and Jo...
