IndustryGamers: “The thing is, it may take another year or two before [Apple] starts to decline, but it has to – everything does. Everything revolves so much around Steve, and no matter how good his lieutenants are, they’re not Steve. … Continued
Games
∞ Nintendo boss takes 50 percent pay cut because of 3DS sales
Kotaku: Iwata said he is taking responsibility for the 3DS, which translates into a cut in his paycheck. “For cuts in fixed salaries, I’m taking a fifty percent cut, other representative directors are taking a 30 percent cut, and other … Continued
∞ Spiderweb announces new Avernum RPG for Mac, iPad
Spiderweb Software has announced the forthcoming release of Avernum: Escape from the Pit, a reboot of their popular “classic”-style role playing game series. The game is coming to Mac OS X, Windows and iPad.
∞ 3DS price cut won't help lack of games
ZDNet: “But the cut in price, while welcome, still fails to solve the single most fundamental issue with the 3DS as of July 2011: There are no damn games. The last legitimate hit was The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D, but … Continued
∞ Taito releases Groove Coaster for iOS
Groove Coaster is a cool new game from Square Enix subsidiary Taito. The game is available until August 7, 2011 for 99 cents – after that it goes up to $2.99.
∞ EA: Fastest growing platform is iPad
IndustryGamers: “We [EA] have a new hardware platform and we’re putting out software every 90 days. Our fastest growing platform is the iPad right now and that didn’t exist 18 months ago.” The comment comes from Electronic Arts CEO John … Continued
∞ Veteran developer Steve Lacey killed in driving incident
Geekwire: “Google engineer Steve Lacey, 43, a veteran of the Seattle region’s tech community who worked for more than a decade at Microsoft, died Sunday in a car crash in Kirkland.” Lacey, a British ex-pat worked on DirectX and Xbox-related … Continued
∞ Microsoft sued over Kinect technology
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∞ Microsoft Xbox profit doubles, shipments up
James Brightman, IndustryGamers: “Now, in Microsoft’s just released fourth-quarter and year-end earnings, we see that Xbox 360 shipped 13.7 million units (up from 10.3 million in 2010) and operating income more than doubled for the Entertainment and Devices Division from … Continued
∞ Sony insurer doesn't want to pay for data breach
Ben Berkowitz, Reuters: “One of Sony Corp’s insurers has asked a court to declare that it does not have to pay to defend the media and electronics conglomerate from mounting legal claims related to a massive data breach earlier this … Continued
∞ Freeverse axes Mac game support in Lion
Freeverse has announced that it’s discontinuing a number of Mac game titles because of the release of OS X Lion:
∞ Sid Meier's Pirates comes to iPad
2K Games on Thursday released Sid Meier’s Pirates for the iPad. It’s priced at $3.99 and is available for download from the App Store.
∞ Gameloft Auckland accused of sweatshop conditions
“Some weeks I was work ing 100 to 120 hours a week”, says Glenn Watson, former Head Studio Programmer at Gameloft’s New Zealand arm. “Starting at 9:30 AM, going home at 2:30 AM, and then com ing back into the … Continued
∞ Id Software co-founder pooh-poohs 'snooty' indie devs
“… So I am pretty down on people who take the sort of creative auteurs’ perspective. It’s like ‘Oh, we’re not being creative.’ But we’re creating value for people – that’s our job! It’s not to do something that nobody’s … Continued
∞ Gratuitous Tank Battles game coming soon
Game developer Positech Games is following up their successful game Gratuitous Space Battles with Gratuitous Tank Battles. The game is in development for Mac OS X and Windows, and is due out later this year.
∞ EA buys PopCap for $650 million
The numbers were off but the news was right: Electronic Arts (EA) has purchased casual game publisher PopCap Games for $650 million. The deal is expected to close in August.
∞ Pangea iOS games go free, Monday only
Pangea Software has announced that they have made their games for iOS free, for Monday only. The company is marking its third anniversary on the App Store by making their entire catalog of iOS games free. The sale lasts from … Continued
∞ Study: iOS games make more revenue from in-app purchases
A new blog post at mobile apps analytics firm Flurry underscores the importance of so-called “freemium” apps at generating revenue for developers.
∞ Study shows iOS users play, pay for more games
If you’re an iOS developer chasing the money by making a game, you’re on the right track, if a new study from Nielsen research is any indication.
∞ Official Pokémon game coming to iOS
Kotaku reports that an official Pokémon game is coming to iOS and Android this summer called Pokémon Say Tap? BW. This marks the debut of an official Pokémon game for smartphones.
∞ Bungie returns to the Apple fold, sorta
Bungie is the video game developer behind the legendary Halo franchise, so when it makes a move, gamers and game industry analysts tend to pay attention. Now the company’s turning its sites to mobile and social gaming with a new … Continued
∞ Blizzard makes World of Warcraft free, up to level 20
Blizzard has announced World of Warcraft “Starter Edition,” a new version of the game that is free to play – up to a point. Gamers who download the software will be able to play as much as they want, but … Continued
∞ Supreme Court says video games are protected speech
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday overturned a California law that would have fined retailers for selling violent video games to minors, and in the process said video games have the same protections under the First Amendment as books, movies … Continued
∞ Duke Nukem Forever headed to the Mac in August
Aspyr Media on Monday announced that they’re bringing Duke Nukem Forever to the Mac in August. The controversial game was released in June for consoles and PC.
∞ Bungie's classic game Marathon coming to iPad
Bungie has confirmed that a version of its classic first person shooter game Marathon is headed to iOS – specifically, for iPad.
∞ Incarna takes EVE Online players out of ships for the first time
This week CCP Games introduced Incarna, a massive new free expansion for its space-based MMO EVE Online, available for Mac and Windows. All EVE Online gamers will get the update when they log in to EVE Online.
∞ Doctor Who fans: Torchwood interactive comic coming to iOS
BBC Worldwide and Starz have announced Torchwood: Web of Lies, a series of 10 three-minute “motion comic narratives” coming to iOS. The interactive comic is based on the Doctor Who spinoff series coming to Starz in July.
∞ Sega has 1.3 million customer records hacked
First it was Sony, and now Sega has its online customer database hacked. I guess if there is a positive side to this breach it’s that no credit card information was stolen when the accounts were hacked. According to Sega, … Continued
∞ Colin McRae: DiRT2 racing game coming to Mac on July 21st
Feral Interactive announced Thursday plans to release a Macintosh conversion of the popular rally racing game Colin McRae: DiRT2 on July 21, 2011. The game will cost $39.9 and will be available in retail stores and for online download.
∞ Trainz Simulator for Mac available as download
N3V Games’ Trainz Simulator is now available for download from Macgamestore.com. It costs $49.95.