DOCSLIB.ORG

Spike TV Announces Nominees for 10Th Annual Video Game Awards

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Spike TV Announces Nominees for 10Th Annual Video Game Awards Spike TV Announces Nominees For 10th Annual Video Game Awards "VGA TEN" TO STREAM ON XBOX LIVE WITH GROUNDBREAKING NEW INTERACTIVITY MARK BURNETT PRODUCED SHOW TO FEATURE HOST SAMUEL L. JACKSON AND MUSICAL PERFORMANCES BY LINKIN PARK AND TENACIOUS D Interactive Multiplatform Event Includes Exclusive World Premieres Of Highly Anticipated Titles Including "The Last Of Us," "Gears Of War: Judgment," and "South Park: The Stick of Truth" Complete List of Nominees Announced, with "Borderlands 2," "Halo 4" and "Journey" Leading the Way with Seven Nominations Each "VGA TEN" Will Air LIVE on Friday, December 7 on Spike TV at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT, Simulcast on MTV2, MTV Tr3s, and Live Stream on Xbox LIVE, Spike.com and GameTrailers.com NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Spike TV today announced the nominees of "VGA TEN" (#VGA) — the network's tenth annual live televised event to celebrate the best in video games. "VGA TEN," hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, will feature exclusive world premieres as well as musical performances by Linkin Park and Tenacious D. The interactive multiplatform special will premiere LIVE from Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, CA on Friday, December 7 at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on Spike TV. Additionally, "VGA TEN" will simulcast on MTV 2, MTV Tr3s, Xbox LIVE, Spike.com and GameTrailers.com. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110419/NY85419LOGO ) Spike TV and Microsoft also unveiled plans to broadcast the 2012 Video Game Awards to Xbox LIVE users in multiple countries this December. Fans will be able to view the "VGA's" on Xbox consoles in the United States and additional countries to be confirmed at a later date.* The show will also be streamed internationally on Spike.com and GameTrailers.com. Airing alongside the tenth anniversary television broadcast, the U.S. Xbox LIVE stream of the VGAs will showcase groundbreaking interactivity that lets users "play" the show as it happens live in Los Angeles. Responses to poll questions will be tabulated in real time on screen for the Xbox LIVE audience and users with Xbox Smartglass will get a unique second-screen experience that updates in real time alongside the show content. "This unprecedented partnership with Xbox will make 'VGA TEN' the biggest worldwide gaming event ever; we're thrilled to be the first awards show presented on Xbox where our fans play every day," said Casey Patterson, Executive Producer of the "VGAs" and Executive Vice President of Production for Entertainment Group. "There is no more innovative producer than Mark Burnett to engage the fans on a whole new level in our big anniversary year." "I am blown away by how cool Xbox LIVE is. It brings the 'VGAs' to gamers in a completely new and innovative way," said Mark Burnett, Executive Producer of the Video Game Awards. "Now viewers will not only watch the show but actually interact with it and our host Samuel L. Jackson in real time like a video game, creating a 360 degree conversation between the 'VGAs' and all of the fans watching at the same time. And the only thing cooler than Xbox is Samuel L. Jackson." "Xbox makes your entertainment more amazing, and we can't wait to team up with Viacom and Mark Burnett to make the VGAs the first-ever interactive TV awards show to be broadcast on Xbox LIVE," said Marc Whitten, Corporate Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. "Our teams are working together to create a groundbreaking interactive TV experience that will turn VGA viewers into VGA participants." Also revealed today, Grammy Award-winning recording artists Linkin Park will perform a show-stopping rendition of "Castle of Glass," from their album "Living Things." "Castle of Glass" is also nominated for "Best Song in a Game" for EA's "Medal of Honor: Warfighter." Tenacious D will also return to the VGAs with a live performance of "Rize of the Fenix." This will mark the band's second VGA performance to date. Exclusive world premieres debuting at "VGA TEN" include Naughty Dog's "The Last of Us," Epic Games' "Gears of War: Judgment" and Obsidian Entertainment's "South Park: The Stick of Truth," with additional exclusive World Premieres to be announced in the weeks to come. "You will freak out at this year's short films," said Burnett, who then added, "Can you say, 'Sam Jackson Mode?'" Leading "VGA TEN," with seven nominations each are "Borderlands 2" (2K Games/Gearbox Software), "Halo 4" (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries) and "Journey" (Sony Computer Entertainment/thatgamecompany). Ubisoft's "Assassin's Creed III," is not far behind with six nominations while Bethesda Softworks' "Dishonored," EA's "Mass Effect 3," and Telltale Games' "The Walking Dead: The Game" all have five nominations each. Nominees for Spike TV's "VGA TEN" were determined by the VGA Advisory Council, made up of a group of some of the most well-respected video game journalists from media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, Game Informer, Joystiq, Kotaku, Polygon, IGN, GameTrailers, Gamespot, Wired.com, USA Today and Associated Press. Below are several of the nominees and categories for Spike TV's "VGA TEN." For a full list, please go to VGA.spike.com. Game of the Year ● "Assassin's Creed III" (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal) ● "Dishonored" (Bethesda Softworks/Arkane Studios) ● "Journey" (Sony Computer Entertainment/thatgamecompany) ● "Mass Effect 3" (Electronic Arts/BioWare) ● "The Walking Dead: The Game" (Telltale Games) Best Action Adventure Game ● "Assassin's Creed III" (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal) ● "Darksiders II" (THQ/Vigil Games) ● "Dishonored" (Bethesda Softworks/Arkane Studios) ● "Sleeping Dogs" (Square Enix/United Front Games) Best Shooter ● "Borderlands 2" (2K Games/Gearbox Software) ● "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" (Activision/Treyarch) ● "Halo 4" (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries) ● "Max Payne 3" (Rockstar Games) Studio of the Year ● 343 Industries ● Arkane Studios ● Gearbox Software ● Telltale Games Most Anticipated Game ● "BioShock Infinite" (2K Games/Irrational Games) ● "Grand Theft Auto V" (Rockstar Games) ● "South Park: The Stick of Truth" (THQ/Obsidian Entertainment) ● "The Last of Us" (Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog) ● "Tomb Raider" (Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics) For additional information about other "VGA" world exclusives and announcements, fans can log onto VGA.spike.com and get updates via Twitter @SPIKETV as well as the hashtag #VGA. Mark Burnett, Casey Patterson and Carol Donovan will serve as executive producers of Spike TV's "VGA TEN." *Xbox LIVE Gold subscription required. Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind- the-scenes information and photos. SOURCE Spike TV News Provided by Acquire Media.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Wetlands Mapper Frequently Asked Questions
    Frequently Asked Questions: Wetlands Mapper December 2015 Mapper Content and Display How does the public access the new Mapper? The Wetlands Mapper can be found at: http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/ Does the updated mapper display all wetland polygons from the Wetlands Geodatabase? Yes. All available wetland map data both vector and raster scanned images are on the Mapper. Does the updated mapper display all wetland labels? Yes. Larger polygon labels will display right away. Smaller polygon labels will display at larger scale and appear inside the feature. At what scale do the Wetlands display on screen? Wetlands first display at 1:144,448 scale. The nominal scale for wetland data is 1:12,000 or 1:24,000 although higher resolution is possible. How is the display scale determined? Display scales are pre-determined intervals. The maximum zoom scale is 1:71. ESRI base maps will not display below 1:1,128 scale resolution for the contiguous United States and Puerto Rico, 1:9,028 for Alaska, and 1:4,514 for Hawaii, and the Pacific Trust Islands. Can I minimize the Available Layers Window? Yes. Click on minimize + or – symbol in the upper right hand corner of the Available Layers Window. Can I zoom to locations? How do I find the Pacific Trust Islands? Yes. Use the “Zoom to” tool to quickly go to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands or the Pacific Trust Islands. Enter the name, address, or zip code into the “Find Location” tool to go to a specific location. Latitude and longitude coordinates may also be entered using the format [longitude, latitude].
    [Show full text]
  • View Portfolio Document
    games assets portfolio FULL GAME CREDITS ACTIVISION InXILE Starbreeze Call of Duty: Ghosts Heist The walking dead Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 IO INTERACTIVE SQUARE ENIX Call of Duty: Infinity Warfare Hitman: Absolution Bravely Default BIOWARE KABAM THQ Dragon Age: Inquisition Spirit Lords Darksiders Saints Row 2 CRYSTAL DYNAMICS KONAMI Tomb Raider 2013 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories TORUS Rise of the Tomb Raider Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse MIDWAY Falling Skies: Planetary Warfare ELECTRONIC ARTS NFL Blitz 2 How to Train Your Dragon 2 DarkSpore Penguins of Madagascar FIFA 09/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19 PANDEMIC STUDIOS Fight Night 4 The Sabateur VICIOUS CYCLE Harry Potter – Deathly Hallows Part 1 & 2 Ben 10: Alien Force NBA Live 09/10/12/13 ROCKSTAR GAMES Dead Head Fred NCAA Football 09/10/11/12/13/14 LA Noire NFL Madden 11/12/13/14/15 / 18 Max Payne 2 2K NHL 09/10/11/12/13/16/17/18 Max Payne 3 NBA 2K14/15 Rory Mcilroy PGA Tour Red Dead Redemption Tiger Woods 11/12/13 Grand Theft Auto V 505 GAMES Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Takedown (Trailer) UFC 1/ 2 /3 SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT NFS – Payback God of War 2 EPIC GAMES Battlefield 1 In the name of Tsar Sorcery Gears of War 2 Killzone: Shadow Fall UBISOFT Assassin’s Creed GAMELOFT Starlink Asphalt 9 Steep Rainbow 6 KEYFRAME ANIMATION ASSET CREATION MOCAP CLEANUP LIGHTING FX UBISOFT Assassin Creed Odyssey UBISOFT UBISOFT Assassin Creed Odyssey UBISOFT Assassin Creed Odyssey UBISOFT Assassin Creed Odyssey UBISOFT Assassin Creed Odyssey Electronic Arts
    [Show full text]
  • Redeye-Gaming-Guide-2020.Pdf
    REDEYE GAMING GUIDE 2020 GAMING GUIDE 2020 Senior REDEYE Redeye is the next generation equity research and investment banking company, specialized in life science and technology. We are the leading providers of corporate broking and corporate finance in these sectors. Our clients are innovative growth companies in the nordics and we use a unique rating model built on a value based investment philosophy. Redeye was founded 1999 in Stockholm and is regulated by the swedish financial authority (finansinspektionen). THE GAMING TEAM Johan Ekström Tomas Otterbeck Kristoffer Lindström Jonas Amnesten Head of Digital Senior Analyst Senior Analyst Analyst Entertainment Johan has a MSc in finance Tomas Otterbeck gained a Kristoffer Lindström has both Jonas Amnesten is an equity from Stockholm School of Master’s degree in Business a BSc and an MSc in Finance. analyst within Redeye’s tech- Economic and has studied and Economics at Stockholm He has previously worked as a nology team, with focus on e-commerce and marketing University. He also studied financial advisor, stockbroker the online gambling industry. at MBA Haas School of Busi- Computing and Systems and equity analyst at Swed- He holds a Master’s degree ness, University of California, Science at the KTH Royal bank. Kristoffer started to in Finance from Stockholm Berkeley. Johan has worked Institute of Technology. work for Redeye in early 2014, University, School of Business. as analyst and portfolio Tomas was previously respon- and today works as an equity He has more than 6 years’ manager at Swedbank Robur, sible for Redeye’s website for analyst covering companies experience from the online equity PM at Alfa Bank and six years, during which time in the tech sector with a focus gambling industry, working Gazprombank in Moscow he developed its blog and on the Gaming and Gambling in both Sweden and Malta as and as hedge fund PM at community and was editor industry.
    [Show full text]
  • TESIS: Grand Theft Auto IV. Impacto Y Contexto En Los Videojuegos Como
    UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO FACULTAD DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES ACATLÁN Grand Theft Auto IV. Impacto y contexto en los videojuegos como parte de la cultura de masas Tesis para obtener el título de: Licenciado en Comunicación PRESENTA David Mendieta Velázquez ASESOR DE TESIS Mtro. José C. Botello Hernández UNAM – Dirección General de Bibliotecas Tesis Digitales Restricciones de uso DERECHOS RESERVADOS © PROHIBIDA SU REPRODUCCIÓN TOTAL O PARCIAL Todo el material contenido en esta tesis esta protegido por la Ley Federal del Derecho de Autor (LFDA) de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (México). El uso de imágenes, fragmentos de videos, y demás material que sea objeto de protección de los derechos de autor, será exclusivamente para fines educativos e informativos y deberá citar la fuente donde la obtuvo mencionando el autor o autores. Cualquier uso distinto como el lucro, reproducción, edición o modificación, será perseguido y sancionado por el respectivo titular de los Derechos de Autor. Grand Theft Auto IV Impacto y contexto en los videojuegos como parte de la cultura de masas Agradecimientos A mis padres. Gracias, papá, por enseñarme valores y por tratar de enseñarme todo lo que sabías para que llegara a ser alguien importante. Sé que desde el cielo estás orgulloso de tu familia. Mamá, gracias por todo el apoyo en todos estos años; sé que tu esfuerzo es enorme y en este trabajo se refleja solo un poco de tus desvelos y preocupaciones. Gracias por todo tu apoyo para la terminación de este trabajo. A Ariadna Pruneda Alcántara. Gracias, mi amor, por toda tu ayuda y comprensión. Tu orientación, opiniones e interés que me has dado para la realización de cualquier proyecto que me he propuesto, así como por ser la motivación para seguir adelante siempre.
    [Show full text]
  • Rockstar Games Announces Max Payne 3 Release Date
    Rockstar Games Announces Max Payne 3 Release Date January 17, 2012 8:30 AM ET NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 2012-- Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce that Max Payne 3 is expected to launch on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system on May 15, 2012 in North America and May 18, 2012 internationally; and for the PC on May 29, 2012 in North America and June 1, 2012 internationally. “Max Payne 3 brings powerful storytelling back to the action-shooter genre,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “Rockstar Studios are delivering a game that’s both incredibly cinematic and very, very intense to play.” Based on incredibly precise and fluid gunplay and maintaining the series’ famed dark and cinematic approach, Max Payne 3 follows the famed former New York detective onto the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. Max Payne now works in executive protection for the wealthy Rodrigo Branco in the hopes of escaping the memories of his troubled past. When a street gang kidnaps Rodrigo’s wife, Max is pulled into a conspiracy of shadowy, warring factions threading every aspect of São Paulo society in a deadly web that threatens to engulf everyone and everything around him. In another first for the series, Max Payne 3’s multiplayer offering brings the game’s cinematic feel, fluid gunplay and kinetic sense of movement into the realm of online multiplayer. Building on the fiction and signature gameplay elements of the Max Payne universe, Max Payne 3 features a wide range of new and traditional multiplayer modes that play on the themes of paranoia, betrayal and heroism, all delivered with the same epic visual style of the single-player game.
    [Show full text]
  • Please Please Don't Buy This Game Like I Did. I
    “Please please don't buy this game like I did. I feel terrible and wish I could return it!”: A corpus-based study of professional and consumer reviews of video games Andrew Kehoe and Matt Gee (Birmingham City University, UK) Background This paper is a corpus-based comparison of professional and consumer reviews of video games. Professional video games journalism is a well-established field, with the first dedicated publications launched in 1981 (Computer and Video Games in the UK, followed by Electronic Games in the US). Over the next 30 years, such publications were highly influential in the success of particular video games, often leading to accusations of conflicts of interest, with the publishers of the games under review also paying substantial amounts of money to advertise their products in the same video games magazines. The rapid growth of the web since the early 2000s has seen a decline in all traditional print media, and games magazines are no exception. Such publications have now been largely replaced by professional video games review sites such as IGN.com, established in 1996 as the Imagine Games Network. However, the influence of professional review sites such as IGN appears to be waning, with a recent report by the Entertainment Software Association suggesting that only 3% of consumers rely on professional reviews as the most important factor when making a decision on which game to purchase (ESA 2015). The decline of professional games reviews does not reflect the state of the video games industry in general. It has been estimated (Newzoo 2016) that the industry generated almost $100 billion of revenue worldwide during 2016.
    [Show full text]
  • Master Thesis
    1 Master Thesis THE VALUE OF METACRITIC AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH VIDEO GAME SALES FLAVIO TONA SHNEIDER MIKE-E January, 2020 2 3 Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 5 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................................... 8 3 MARKET ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................... 13 3.1 METASCORE ............................................................................................................................ 14 3.1.1 GRADE CONVERSION .................................................................................................... 17 3.2 HARDWARE MARKET ............................................................................................................ 19 3.3 SOFTWARE MARKET ............................................................................................................. 20 4 - VALUE ..................................................................................................................................................... 21 4.1 CONSUMER ....................................................................................................................................... 21 4.2 - VALUE FOR THE INDUSTRY AND USAGE ......................................................................................... 22 4 METHODOLOGY
    [Show full text]
  • Activision Licenses Epic Games' Unreal® Engine 3
    Activision Licenses Epic Games' Unreal® Engine 3 Santa Monica, CA – February 23, 2007 – Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to license the Unreal® Engine 3 from Epic Games, Inc., for an upcoming as-yet-unannounced action game. "The Unreal Engine is one of the most technically advanced engines on the market and is a perfect fit for our upcoming action game," said Laird Malamed, head of production for Activision. "The engine's robust suite of programming tools will enable our development team to deliver what is sure to be an amazing game experience." "We're extremely excited to be working with Activision" said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games, Inc. "We've admired them for a long time and we're pleased that they've chosen to use Unreal Engine 3 and we're confident they're going to make a great game with it." About Unreal Engine 3 The award-winning Unreal Engine is known for cutting-edge graphics and a best-of-breed toolset. Unreal Engine 3 is expected to maintain those features while adding massive world support, multi-processor support, next-generation console optimizations, and one of the most mature tool pipelines in the industry. Unreal Engine 3's new toolset is designed specifically to accelerate developers' productivity for ultra-complex, next-generation content. Additional information on Unreal Engine can be obtained at www.unrealtechnology.com. About Epic Games Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and game engine technology for PC and console.
    [Show full text]
  • Game Enforcer Is Just a Group of People Providing You with Information and Telling You About the Latest Games
    magazine you will see the coolest ads and Letter from The the most legit info articles you can ever find. Some of the ads include Xbox 360 skins Editor allowing you to customize your precious baby. Another ad is that there is an amazing Ever since I decided to do a magazine I ad on Assassins Creed Brotherhood and an already had an idea in my head and that idea amazing ad on Clash Of Clans. There is is video games. I always loved video games articles on a strategy game called Sid Meiers it gives me something to do it entertains me Civilization 5. My reason for this magazine and it allows me to think and focus on that is to give you fans of this magazine a chance only. Nowadays the best games are the ones to learn more about video games than any online ad can tell you and also its to give you a chance to see the new games coming out or what is starting to be making. Game Enforcer is just a group of people providing you with information and telling you about the latest games. We have great ads that we think you will enjoy and we hope you enjoy them so much you buy them and have fun like so many before. A lot of the games we with the best graphics and action. Everyone likes video games so I thought it would be good to make a magazine on video games. Every person who enjoys video games I expect to buy it and that is my goal get the most sales and the best ratings than any other video game magazine.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tragedy of the Gamer: a Dramatistic Study of Gamergate By
    The Tragedy of the Gamer: A Dramatistic Study of GamerGate by Mason Stephen Langenbach A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Auburn University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Auburn, Alabama May 5, 2019 Keywords: dramatism, scapegoat, mortification, GamerGate Copyright 2019 by Mason Stephen Langenbach Approved by Michael Milford, Chair, Professor of Communication Andrea Kelley, Professor of Media Studies Elizabeth Larson, Professor of Communication Abstract In August 2014, a small but active group of gamers began a relentless online harassment campaign against notable women in the videogame industry in a controversy known as GamerGate. In response, game journalists from several prominent gaming websites published op-eds condemning the incident and declared that “gamers are dead.” Using Burke’s dramatistic method, this thesis will examine these articles as operating within the genre of tragedy, outlining the journalists’ efforts to scapegoat the gamer. It will argue that game journalists simultaneously engaged in mortification not to purge the guilt within themselves but to further the scapegoating process. An extension of dramatistic theory will be offered which asserts that mortification can be appropriated by rhetors seeking to ascend within their social order’s hierarchy. ii Acknowledgments This project was long and arduous, and I would not have been able to complete it without the help of several individuals. First, I would like to thank all of my graduate professors who have given me the gift of education and knowledge throughout these past two years. To the members of my committee, Dr. Milford, Dr. Kelley, and Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Halo' TV Series, 'Halo 5' Game Launching in 2015 16 May 2014, by Derrik J
    'Halo' TV series, 'Halo 5' game launching in 2015 16 May 2014, by Derrik J. Lang 343 Studio general manager Bonnie Ross noted that additional plans this year for the "Halo" franchise would be announced June 9 at Microsoft's presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the largest annual gathering of the gaming industry. In this May 21, 2013 file photo, Nancy Tellem, right, the entertainment and digital media president of Microsoft, and Bonnie Ross, left, general manager and studio head of 343 Industries, announce a new Halo live-action TV series for Xbox Live, during an event to unveil the next- generation Xbox One entertainment and gaming console system, in Redmond, Wash. Master Chief is returning to This file photo provided by Microsoft shows a scene from the battlefield next year. Microsoft announced plans the "Halo" video game for the Xbox One. Master Chief is Friday, May 16, 2014, to release the video game sequel returning to the battlefield next year. Microsoft "Halo 5: Guardians" for the Xbox One and a "Halo" announced plans Friday, May 16, 2014, to release the television series to be produced by Steven Spielberg in video game sequel "Halo 5: Guardians" for the Xbox One fall 2015. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file) and a "Halo" television series to be produced by Steven Spielberg in fall 2015. (AP Photo/Microsoft, file) Master Chief is returning to the battlefield next year. © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Microsoft announced plans Friday to release the video game sequel "Halo 5: Guardians" for the Xbox One and a "Halo" television series to be produced by Steven Spielberg in fall 2015.
    [Show full text]
  • Game Developer Index 2010 Foreword
    SWEDISH GAME INDUSTRY’S REPORTS 2011 Game Developer Index 2010 Foreword It’s hard to imagine an industry where change is so rapid as in the games industry. Just a few years ago massive online games like World of Warcraft dominated, then came the breakthrough for party games like Singstar and Guitar Hero. Three years ago, Nintendo turned the gaming world upside-down with the Wii and motion controls, and shortly thereafter came the Facebook games and Farmville which garnered over 100 million users. Today, apps for both the iPhone and Android dominate the evolution. Technology, business models, game design and marketing changing almost every year, and above all the public seem to quickly embrace and follow all these trends. Where will tomorrow’s earnings come from? How can one make even better games for the new platforms? How will the relationship between creator and audience change? These and many other issues are discussed intensively at conferences, forums and in specialist press. Swedish success isn’t lacking in the new channels, with Minecraft’s unprecedented success or Battlefield Heroes to name two examples. Independent Games Festival in San Francisco has had Swedish winners for four consecutive years and most recently we won eight out of 22 prizes. It has been touted for two decades that digital distribution would outsell traditional box sales and it looks like that shift is finally happening. Although approximately 85% of sales still goes through physical channels, there is now a decline for the first time since one began tracking data. The transformation of games as a product to games as a service seems to be here.
    [Show full text]