NERF is resurrecting Lazer Tag this summer with an iOS twist.
Games
Taiwanese gamer lies dead for hours before anyone notices
A gamer lay dead for several hours before anyone noticed at an Internet cafe in Taiwan.
Apple clamps down on iOS game clones – from one developer, anyway
Gamasutra: Apple struck a blow against video game clones today by removing several offending apps from one rather prolific independent developer. Among the removed games are apps such as Plant vs. Zombie, Angry Ninja Birds, and Temple Jump, each of … Continued
Xgaming
I would like to thank Xgaming for sponsoring this week’s RSS feed on The Loop.
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Id Software’s RAGE game comes to the Mac
Aspyr Media on Thursday announced the release of RAGE: Campaign Edition, a Mac version of the game released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows late in 2011. The game costs $39.99 and is available through the Mac App Store … Continued
Bungie.net to end Halo services in March
GameInformer.com: At the end of March, Bungie will no longer handle player data for Halo games. The studio issued a statement today saying the transition process between it and 343 Industries, Microsoft’s new internal Halo studio, will be completed March … Continued
Kaz Hirai to be Sony CEO and president in April
Gamesindustry.biz: Sony has named Kaz Hirai as the successor to Howard Stringer’s roles as both president and CEO, effective April 1, 2012. Stringer, who has lead the company in the joint role for seven years, will take up the position … Continued
Xgaming X-Arcade [Sponsor]
Xgaming X-Arcade: Relive the Arcade Experience at home with your own personal arcade machine. Relive thousands of your favorite classics WITH NO QUARTERS NEEDED. Home Arcade Joystick or Arcade Machines available.
Pocket Legends MMO maker goes gothic with Dark Legends
Spacetime Studios – makers of the iOS games Pocket Legends and Star Legends – has announced its third massively multiplayer online (MMO) franchise – Dark Legends. It’s coming to iOS (as well as Android and Chrome) in the first calendar … Continued
Nintendo sees first annual loss
Reuters: Nintendo Co Ltd posted a sharp drop in quarterly profit and forecast a bigger-than-expected full-year loss, its first at an operating level, as it battles a strong yen and its games devices lose ground to gadgets such as Apple’s … Continued
Blizzard to skip BlizzCon this year
Looks like fans of Blizzard Entertainment, the game developer behind World of Warcraft, StarCraft II and the forthcoming Diablo III, will have to find some other way to celebrate their love for Blizzard games this year, because there won’t be … Continued
In-app purchases to lead app market revenue by 2015
Steve Peterson for Industrygamers: Market research firm IHS iSuppli is projecting that in-app purchases will account for 64% of total app market revenue by 2015, up from 39% in 2011. These percentages reflect the total from both iOS and Android … Continued
Mac game maker looks for beta testers
Virtual Programming, maker of Mac versions of commercial games like Supreme Commander 2 and X3: Terran Conflict, is on the prowl for beta testers. If you have what you think it takes, you can get in touch with them. You … Continued
Classic arcade shooter Rayforce comes to iPhone
Taito has announced the release of Rayforce, the classic arcade game shooter, now available for the iPhone and iPod touch. It costs $11.99. Rayforce firs appeared in coin-op arcades in 1993 and spawned two sequels. It’s a fast and frantic … Continued
Sony says no PlayStation 4 unveiling at E3
Engadget: In a roundtable with reporters at CES, Sony’s Kaz Hirai responded to a question about recent comments attributed to gaming division head Andrew House by stating that “Andy is absolutely right in that we are not making any announcements … Continued
Infinity Blade franchise makes $30M
Gameindustry.biz: Infinity Blade developer Chair, owned by Epic, has made over $30 million from the franchise in just one year since the original game’s launch on iOS. Infinity Blade II, which runs only on the new iPhone 4s and the … Continued
TransGaming expands interactive TV footprint with Oberon acquisition
IndustryGamers: TransGaming has announced that it has acquired the Interactive TV & Connected TV division of Oberon Media for $7 million in stocks and cash. This will grant the company additional revenue via distribution agreements with a number of leading … Continued
On gaming on the Mac
The Globe and Mail: The important thing, though, is that I found the MacBook Pro with both Mac OS X and Windows 7 installed felt like a more complete computing solution than anything I’d ever had before. And it made … Continued
In defense of Atari
Technologizer: I’m all in favor of developers drawing upon old games for inspiration, improving them and turning them into entirely new ideas. And I like fan-made homages when they expand significantly on the original and–this is important–are not sold for … Continued
Atari pressures Apple, iOS game developer copycats
Gamesindustry.biz: Atari has reportedly been applying legal pressure to developers which it believes are infringing on its intellectual property rights, despite the developers affected claiming that attempts had been made on their part to reach an agreement. Black Powder Games, … Continued
Champion of free speech in video games now on wrong side of SOPA
Jim Sterling for Destructoid: Last year, when free speech in the videogame industry was threatened, you asked for help from gamers…Now, when free speech at large is threatened, you not only refuse to fight the threat, you actually join forces … Continued
PS Vita sales off to brisk start in Japan
M.H. Williams for IndustryGamers: Famitsu (translated via Andriasang) is reporting that Sony’s new system sold 321,407 units in two days. Those numbers come from Enterbrain, covering December 17 and 18. The PS Vita – Sony’s new portable gaming system – … Continued
Monkeybin apologizes for app marketing foul-up
Credit where it’s due: the CEO of iOS game developer Monkeybin Studios has publicly apologized for a marketing foul-up that left a foul taste in some reviewer’s mouths. The company recently released a side-scrolling shooter called Jumpship Thrust Control 2. … Continued
Zynga IPO generates $1B
Rachel Weber for Gamesindustry.biz: Zynga has raised $1 billion in its much anticipated IPO today, after offering its 100 million shares at $10 each. Zynga is the casual game developer behind Facebook hits like Farmville and Cityville. The company has … Continued
Spiderweb releases Avernum: Escape from the Pit RPG for Mac
Spiderweb Software has announced the release of Avernum: Escape from the Pit, a new version of their classic turn-based fantasy role-playing game for the Mac. (Windows and iPad versions are coming in 2012). A free demo is available; it costs … Continued
Microsoft’s Kinectimals game comes to iOS
Kinectimals was a launch title for Microsoft’s Kinect motion-sensing peripheral for the Xbox 360, involving playful virtual pets you could interact with. Now it’s come to iOS, and it’s available for $2.99. Released as a universal app that runs natively … Continued
Feral to publish Tropico 3 for Mac on Jan. 26
Feral Interactive announced Tuesday plans to publish the Macintosh version of Tropico 3: Gold Edition on Thursday, January 26, 2012. The game will be available for $34.99 and will be available for download from various sites including the Mac App … Continued
Tap Fish maker responds to Daily Show piece
Last week Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” broadcast a segment on an iOS game called Tap Fish. They pitted the developer against a parent whose children ran up huge charges purchasing virtual goods inside the app. Now … Continued
Daily Show takes on iOS game in-app purchases
In-app purchases in iOS games have been the subject of media scrutiny, since children often play them and there have been cases where kids have spent huge amounts of their parents’ money to get virtual in-game goods. Apple has put … Continued
Gameloft’s Six-Guns brings cowboys, vampires and werewolves to iOS
If you’re looking for something akin to Red Dead Redemption for your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, check out Gameloft’s new “freemium” release, Six-Guns. The game combines “Wild West”-era action with vampires, werewolves and witches. It’s a wide-open “sandbox” style … Continued