Monthly Archives: November 2011

“I think that if anyone is ever going to tell you where they think [the industry's] going to be 10 years from now, and if they exude confidence, that means they’re trying to sell you something. I think that the industry is changing so fast, the best we can hope for as a developer, is to try to keep your ear to the ground. And I think the most important thing you can do – I told a friend this recently – I said, ‘Don’t mistake the present for the future.’ I think that happens a lot with trends. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, social games. This is what the future is.’ By the time there’s a gold rush, the gold is already gone, generally.”

“So I’d be thrilled if I could figure out what’s going to happen six months, a year from now and try to stay on top of those trends and be flexible to be wrong, but I think that the biggest mistake people make is not in predicting the future, it’s thinking the present’s going to be the future. And I really try to avoid that.” – Irrational’s Ken Levine to IndustryGamers.

To get folks ready for Magicka’s upcoming expansion,The Stars are Left, a massive patch has been released for the core title through Steam. Those wishing to look over the list of additions and fixes, can do so through here. There’s also a new video for the Lovecraft-inspired campaign posted below, courtesy of EvilAvatar. The expansion is set for a release this winter.

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Stardock has announced it’s releasing its library of PC games on Steam starting with Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity.

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If you thought Ninja Gaiden 3 couldn’t look any bloodier than it already does, wait until you glimpse the screenshots below the break. In the shots, you’ll see Ryu hacking and slashing it out with the Alchemist Forces in Dubai. Game’s planned for a February release on PS3 and Xbox 360. Thanks, Gematsu.

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Bioware is considering changing the script to Mass Effect 3 around a bit based on feedback received after a copy of the storyline leaked earlier in the month.

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Spike has announced the full list of nominees for the 2011 Video Game Awards, which take place live on December 10.

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Warner and Double Fine have announced DLC is on the way for Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster. Unidentified Furry Objects is a new chapter for the game, which has players witnessing a mysterious light falling from the night sky and confronting the strange, furry visitors which descended with it. Sounds like Grover and crew need to call Bill Birnes. The DLC will be released for Kinect and Xbox 360 on November 22 for 400 MSP. Check out the adorable screens for it below.

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The European end of Battlenet has word that Diablo III beta keys will be handed out via the game’s official sweepstakes page on Facebook. Every Monday, 200 entrants will be picked to receive a key, and every fourth person will hit will be handed an additional key to give a friend. Diablo III launches for PC and Mac next year sometime. Thanks, Blue.

Rumors surrounding next-gen consoles continue to dominate the news today, with a source telling Edge that Ubisoft Montreal already has a dev-kit in-house for Xbox 360′s successor.

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Sony will bring PlayStation Network down for routine scheduled maintenance tomorrow, November 17.

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Will Wright’s next game has been confirmed as as HiveMind, which is also the name of the new Berkeley, California based startup from the industry vet.

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Bethesda’s announced it’s sold 3.5 million units of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in the game’s opening 48 hours on sale.

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Junction Head boss Warren Spector has teased the studio’s upcoming future projects, promising “surprises”.

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GAME has reported a year-on-year sales decline across the board, with accessories, hardware, pre-owned and software all down for the 41-week period ending November 12.

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According to a 14 page forum thread on Xbox.com (via G4), copies of Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox 360 have been receiving disc read errors. Users who have a faulty discs claim that either the game isn’t read from the console or it does boot up only to crash soon after. One user claims that Microsoft and Activision are “well aware of the problem and are trying to fix it and might release an update for this later,” according to a conversation they had with an Xbox support rep.

There’s more details at the links.

BioWare has said beta testers logged over 1 million hours in Star Wars: The Old Republic last weekend, with tens of thousands participating.

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Mojang’s announced it’ll released the iOS version of Minecraft tomorrow. Known as the Pocket Edition, it’ll be priced at $10, with iOS and Android users able to mix together online, according to the company. The game had previously launched for Android as an Xperia Play exclusive back in August. It came to other Android-enabled devices in September.

The full PC version launches on Friday. Thanks, Develop.

Sony’s updated the European end of the PS Store and Plus with some nice discounts and some Killzone skins for your Uncharted 3 multiplayer characters. Get the full update below.

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Grasshopper Manufacture’s lifted the wraps of a brand new student development program. Called Game Campus Festa, the scheme will support eight development schools where students work on PlayStation Vita projects across Japan. Some of the projects could make make their way for public consumption via Grasshopper through digital download.

More details at Andriasang.

Ubisoft has sent over some screenshots and lovely character renders for the Ancestor’s Pack, which releases for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations next month. Announced yesterday, the content features four new multiplayer characters, and will be available for download on December 13 through Xbox Live, and December 14 on PSN for 320 MSP/£3.19/$3.99. The PC version of the game will hit the US on November 29 and the UK on December 2.

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