Relevant video game people on Twitter

#videogames

The team behind Kotaku has put together a list of “the video game people you should be following on Twitter”. Unlike many other similar lists, this time the chosen accounts are divided into 8 categories, and each one includes a short description:

1. Indie Game People (like Terry Cavanagh, “The guy behind Super Hexagon and other wonderful distractions”).
2. Triple-A development people (like Vince Zampella, “Leading the charge on Titanfall and answering a lot of player questions directly on Twitter”).
3. The Suits (like Shuhei Yoshida, “The head of Sony’s gaming division has a surprisingly open and engaging Twitter presence”).
4. Art (like sparth, “Fine art from the Halo series’ art director”).
5. Jokes (like Peter Molydeux, “An excellent parody of noted game developer and idea-haver Peter Molyneux”).
6. Official Feeds (like PlayStation, “Official updates from Sony and links to updates to their excellent official blog”).
7. Critics and journalists (like Leigh Alexander, “Never boring, tweets about games, the games industry, and increasingly, Netrunner”).
8. Kotaku staffers (like Stephen Totilo, “Likes wrestling and comics”).

It’s an important first step to gather all the relevant video game people on Twitter. As the list is an ongoing effort, some key players are still missing (like the almighty Tim Schafer), but they acknowledge that asking for the community’s help.

Find the full list here. If you think someone important isn’t there, let them know in a comment!

A quick guide through microtransactions and free-to-play

Although microtransactions and free-to-play look like the flavor of the month, they have been part of the industry for years, garnering enthusiasts and critics alike. Part of the prejudice around this type of monetization comes from many poor implementations and a lot of excessive use.

However, when the free-to-play approach is well crafted and an inherent part of a game, it can be successful not only for the companies, but also for the players, reaching a broader audience and catering the experience to different needs.

Given that now even Nintendo is experimenting with free-to-play, I thought it was a good moment to bring the Extra Credits team to give a quick guide through the art of microtransactions.

Hearthstone (2014)

In this 9-minute video they cover why you should allow non-paying players to earn hard currency, and at the same time, why you should never sell power, but convenience. There other practical tips as well:

• Make the game more enjoyable.
• Make paying more palatable.
• Make the whole experience feel cohesive.
• Never split your community.
• Market test your prices.

In summary, always keep your monetization model in mind when building your game.

Here’s the video:

Pick the perfect game for you

Flowcharts can be really useful for learning more about yourself and even finding your perfect match.

Last month I brought you a funny matrix that included almost every role you can have in the industry. Now it’s turn for taking care of the other side of the desk: the gamers.

This new flowchart will help you to pick the perfect game, depending on what you want/need right now. It was created by the team behind the Silver Oak Casino, but don’t let that fool you: here you’ll find from classic games like Tetris to modern masterpieces like Uncharted 2, including my beloved Day of the Tentacle.

Day of the Tentacle (1993)

Don’t trust me? Check these examples. It always start with a key question:

Do you want to avoid using much of your brain?

• If you want to use your brain, have unreal reflexes, aren’t on drugs but want to feel as if you were… go play Geometry Wars 2.
• If you don’t want to use your brain too much, don’t need maximum creativity, want to solve some puzzles, don’t feel the need for a storyline and are an Edward Gorey fan… go play Limbo.

Yes, it can get scarily accurate.

Source: Silver Oak Casino

Meet your dream job!

As part of its New Year, New Job 2014 special, gaming magazine Develop has been publishing a series of interviews with industry professionals to explain their jobs and challenges. During January, every working day brought a new interview with a member of a prominent studio.

The result of that effort is a great piece of work that covers all development areas, even including some managerial roles. In an attempt to preserve and share that research, I decided to put together all the interviews and organize them in departments.

It’s not only a good chance to take a look at your dream job, but also to learn from other perspectives as well.

Enjoy!

Art

• Art Director: Misja Baas (Guerrilla Games)
• Animation Director: Gary Wlech (Cimax Studios)
• Lead Environment Artist: Thomas Klingström (Avalanche Studios)
• Art Producer: Michal Stec (CD Projekt Red)

Game Design

• Lead Game Designer: Kirsty Rigden (FuturLab)
• Game Designer: Kalev Tait (Supermassive)
• Lead Level Designer: Adrian Sikora (Techland)

Production

• Lead Producer: Ed Perkins (NaturalMotion)

Programming

• Engineering Manager: Riccardo Tramma (Outplay)
• Principal Engineer: Tom Gaulton (Sega Hardlight)
• Senior Software Engineer: Shaun Hewitt (Engine Room Games)
• Feel Engineer: John Nesky (thatgamecompany)
• Lead Gameplay Programmer: Jesper Carlson (Massive Entertainment)
• Gameplay Programmer: Anna Ljunberg (Codemasters)
• Game Programmer: Mike Willis (Marmalade Game Studio)
• Business Intelligence Dev: Brett Partridge (InnoGames)

Others

• Head of Operations: Scott Henson (Microsoft Studios)
• Creative Services Director: Kieran Weir (Riot Games)
• QA Manager: Stuart Warren (Sports Interactive)
• Audio Designer: Peter Ward (Codemasters)
• PR: Bethany Aston (Team17)

Steam Dev Days talks are now online

Remember the Steam Dev Days, the event held by Steam and aimed strictly to developers? Among other things, it was used for announcing changes to the upcoming exclusive hardware and for showing Steam’s global reach.

The only way to have the first-hand experience with Steam’s secrets was to be invited to their Seattle HQ. Luckily for the rest of us, now all the talks are available through a massive YouTube playlist.

Here’s Gabe Newell’s opening speech:

Source: Joystiq

Call of Duty will have three-year dev cycles

Call of Duty, arguably the most popular first-person shooter franchise (my respects to Counter Strike), has been releasing a game per year since 2005’s Call of Duty 2, alternating among its main labels: “regular” (focused on WWII), Modern Warfare (with current/modern conflicts and technology), Black Ops and Ghosts, the latest addition. The studios Treyarch and Infinity Ward have been responsible for most of the installments.

For supporting its aggressive yearly plan, Activision (the behemoth behind Call of Duty) decided that a two-year development cycle was necessary, leaving little room for creative exploration. No deadline could be missed (ever!).

Although the move has proved to be extremely successful in terms of sales (2012’s Black Ops II earned $500 million in one day), the games’ quality was affected, especially the single-player experience. Actually, it’s interesting to see the disparity between the reviews gave by publishers and the ones gave by users. In other words, lately each new game started to feel like a minor tweak to the previous installment.

Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

Hoping to change the turn of the tides (and to keep its spot as the FPS king), Activision now has decided to change its release strategy a bit, investing more on each title. Therefore, from now on the franchise will switch to a three-year development cycle, giving one more year to each game.

In order to keep the lucrative annual-release business alive, Sledgehammer Games has joined the party to develop a new Call of Duty entry, which will be launched this year. It isn’t its first time with the brand, though, as it had worked on Modern Warfare 3 (2011).

All of us here at Sledgehammer Games have a shared vision to create the best work of our lives. The next Call of Duty represents a new era for this amazing franchise, and we look forward to sharing what we have been working on.

Call of Duty Ghosts (2013)

This means that there will be 3 ongoing labels being developed at the same time: Modern Warfare (by Sledgehammer Games), Black Ops (by Treyarch) and Ghosts (by Infinity Ward). According to Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg, this means “more time to focus on DLC and micro-DLC,” and “more time to polish”.

Although having annual releases has been good for some series (FIFA, Assassin’s Creed), many times it feels too forced, with only minor improvements over the mechanics (besides new content). That’s why Activision’s new move (keeping the yearly strategy but investing more on each game) sounds like a good decision to me, for the company and the players.

Sources: Develop Online, Gamasutra

Sonic is back!… with long legs and a scarf

Remember Sonic?

Of course you do! Born in 1991 as Sega’s answer to Nintendo’s Mario, Sonic quickly became a system seller and one of the most iconic video games characters. As a matter of fact, he was one of the first members of the Walk of Game, alongside Mario and Link.

Original Sonic

Since Sega abandoned the hardware business, its mascot jumped to other platforms, increasing its fame (even if the last games were poorly received). Ironically, in May 2013 Sega announced a partnership with Nintendo, so the next 3 Sonic games will be developed exclusively for the 3DS and Wii U, being Sonic Lost World the first. Following that deal with Nintendo, Sega has been busy doing a total makeover on its flagship character, and the result is Sonic Boom.

Sonic BOOM!

Sonic’s 2014 redesign

In a clear move to change the franchise’s appeal to Western audiences, Sonic Boom will be developed by American studios: Los Angeles-based studio Big Red Button for Wii U and San Francisco-based studio Sanzaru Games for 3DS. Both of them will be focused on combat and exploration, but with slightly different content (mostly environments and enemies).

“One last thing”

But don’t be confused. If Sega hosted a press event in New York wasn’t just for announcing a new installment in the decades-old franchise. No, Sonic Boom is a whole new universe for the blue hedgehog, comprising 2 games (3DS and Wii U), a toy line and an animated Cartoon Network TV series (with 52 11-minute episodes). The Sonic Boom characters will exist in parallel with the original ones without replacing them.

The business reason behind the “cross-media” launch is to cover as many obvious, and follows the same strategy a lot of other properties have had: to cover , being The Simpsons a clear example (even South Park is investing heavily on its long-awaited The Stick of Truth).

The artistic redesign, in turn, seems to focus on each character’s skillset: Sonic’s legs (because he runs), Knuckles’ upper body (because ha can throw a punch), Tails’ wrench (because his tails are evident) and Amy’s hammer (because… well, I guess she’ll use it). The blue hedgehog’s new scarf is a different case, and it may have to do with Uncharted Nathan Drake’s influence.

Fast feedback

Of course, this deep makeover didn’t go unnoticed for fans and the Internet community in general. Some elements like Sonic’s scarf, bandages and long legs (along with Knuckles’ new passion for the gym)  have become the center of many jokes. Here are some of them:

There sure is something different about you today Sonic : pic.twitter.com/ThNxx16hAX

— GamesRadar+ (@GamesRadar) February 6, 2014

Sonic loves bandages

Knuckles in sonic boom, more like… pic.twitter.com/Okd8tzJwpn

— Nohma (@phantasm_nohma) February 6, 2014

What do you think of Sonic’s new look?

Sources: IGN, Kotaku

Amazon acquires Double Helix, Killer Instinct developer

During the last years, Amazon has been giving strong signals of its gaming ambitions. It launched its own game studio back in 2012, consistently expanded the games catalogue for its Kindle Fire and now is going to launch its own Android microconsole this year, to compete against Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.

Given that scenario, a studio purchase felt natural for Amazon, especially since offering exclusive titles can be a good deal for a console. However, when the acquisition news broke out yesterday, there was something unexpected: Amazon was buying Double Helix, the console-oriented studio that developed last year’s Killer Instinct (the fightning Xbox One exclusive). According to Amazon, it “acquired Double Helix as part of our ongoing commitment to build innovative games for customers.”

I hope I’m getting Amazon Prime along with my new health plan

It’s worth noting that, even if it may look like a usual fighting retail game, Killer Instinct has a novel approach to free-to-play games, as it only offers one character for free. You can either play using that character forever, or you can spend around $5 for adding a new one.

So far, that strategy has been criticized by fans, but apparently also quite successful. Perhaps it’s precisely its popularity what triggered the need for a “jail” system. Given this precedent, it shouldn’t be surprising to see Amazon looking for new ways to monetize big scale games.

After yesterday’s announcement, Microsoft has confirmed that it will be working with a new “development partner” on Killer Instinct. Double Helix, in turn, had a platform game set to be published by Capcom this year, Strider (a reboot). I guess that project will remain unchanged (it’s probably in its final stage of development).

Amazon is well known for betting high when a business is attractive enough for its overall strategy. Combine that ambition with its experience in digital and retail services, and you have a strong contender for becoming one of the big players in the industry.

I don’t know how much time we’ll have to wait until seeing Double Helix’s new contributions, but I’m sure that Amazon will do its part to make 2014 a great year for gaming.

Sources: Polygon, Gamasutra

Zynga fires 314 people but buys NaturalMotion for $527 million

Zynga’s last 2 years have been riddled with missteps: underperforming games, studio shutdowns, and failed mobile attempts. In a couple of years, it went from being the social games king to an overcrowded company, struggling to find its place in a world now ruled by tablets and smartphones. In that scenario, on July 1, 2013, Zynga founder Mark Pincus handed his CEO job to Don Mattrick, responsible for the Xbox label at Microsoft.

Don Mattrick (CEO) and Mark Pincus (Founder)

Yesterday, in the strongest move since he replaced Pincus, CEO Don Mattrick and COO Clive Downie (also a new manager) moved up their investor call planned for February 6 to share some news.

As expected, 2013 was a rough year for the company, with a net loss of $37 million and lots of players. It was better than the previous year, though, which had resulted in a  $209 million loss. However, the notheworthy announcement isn’t so much the company’s expected weak numbers, but the news that came with that:

• As part of the plan to reorganize, reduce costs and save between $33 and $35 million, Zynga is laying off 314 people (15% of its workforce).
• At the same time, in order to finally compensate its late switch to mobile, Zynga is acquiring Oxford based NaturalMotion for $527 million. The English company is well known for 2 achievements: the amazing simulation engine behind games like Grand Theft Auto V, and their mobile hits CSR Racing (created by Boss Alien and later acquired by NaturalMotion) and Clumsy Ninja.

NaturalMotion’s CSR Racing (2012)

75 percent of all new games in development are mobile-first. For the first time in our company’s history, we expect mobile bookings to surpass web bookings.

Zynga is betting heavily on mobile gaming to make 2014 a turning point, and the “market” seems to trust it: following this announcement, the company’s stock went up around 20% (even if it’s projecting a $50 million loss for the first quarter of 2014).

There are a lot of questions regarding see how Zynga and NaturalMotion will work together. Will Zynga jump to less-known genres? Will this affect AAA games that are used to license NaturalMotion’s technology? Will they produce games hand to hand, or each one will take care of different areas (monetization, gameplay, etc.)? I’m eager to see their approach to the current state of the industry.

You can find a Gamasutra analysis here, and Don Mattrick’s thoughts here.

Sony offers a single subscription for all its MMOs

Starting April 02, Sony Online Entertainment will offer a single membership plan called All Access, that will cover all its MMOs (EverQuest, EverQuest II, DC Universe Online PC, PlanetSide 2 PC, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and the upcoming EverQuest Next and EQN Landmark).

For $14.99 a month (with extra savings for 3, 6 and 12 month plans), subscribers will be able to:

• Claim 500 Station Cash monthly from within the game marketplaces.
• Receive a 10% discount on marketplace purchases.
• Gain access to exclusive promotions and offers throughout the year.

Besides, all players with existing memberships will be automatically upgraded into the new plan. As IGN points out, free-to-play members will still be able to play games without paying for them and the new consolidated payment options are only available on PC right now.

I’m interested to see how this single subscription model works. As I see it, lowering the barriers for those who want to play (at least) more than one MMOs is a clear vote of confidence for the free-to-play model. Why? Because now the only way to monetize those players (outside the single $14.99 subscription fee) will be through in-app purchases, as they will be spending less per game. Of course, those who only play one MMO won’t see any change.

In the end, it’s about giving people more for their money.

Source: SOE Community