Tag Archives: boom blox

Electronic Arts has laid-off a few of the developers working on Steven Spielberg’s Boom Blox.

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A recent EA job listing uncovered by Internet super sleuth Superannuation has “next-gen” and “Boom Blox” written all over it. Literally!

“Our last two titles were Wii-based, but our next titles will be for the next generation,” says a listing by EA’s Boom Blox team.

Previous listings have searched for the conspicuous mix of PS3 rendering expertise and familiarity with motion controls, among other things.

Top to it all off, EA has hinted at a next-gen iteration of Boom Blox in the past.

We feel like we just snooped around the house and took an early peek at our Christmas presents. Feigning surprise when EA finally blows the lid off this project won’t be easy.

Harvey Elliott, head of EA Bright Light studio, Guildford, said at Shrine Week in London that he wasn’t ruling out the idea of Boom Blox coming to other formats beside Wii.

“I wouldn’t rule anything out, never say never,” said Elliott to Videogamer.

“Why I think Boom Blox has really worked is that it captured the spirit of the Wii. It’s about the motion control, it’s about throwing a ball or throwing an object.

“I can’t imagine that on other devices at the moment. There’s something very physical about it. Right now I’m really proud that it’s stayed focused on the Wii and I think it’s the right thing. Who knows for the future.”

We’re thinking the success of Sony Motion control and Natal would be the deciding factor in this one.

More blox bashing madness is in store for Wii owners this spring, with Steven Spielberg’s sequel to his first foray into video game development, Boom Blox, arriving in the form of Boom Blox Bash Party.

Details on the title are under embargo until later this month, but at least you get to take a peek at it.

Trailer posted below.

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Speaking to MTV at E3, EA boss John Riccitiello said that it’s likely we’re going to see Steven Spielberg puzzler Boom Blox migrating from Wii in time.

“We haven’t made announcements on that front, he said.

“Frankly, its original design was all about the control of the [Wii] wand. But there are other ways to implement that. It is a hugely innovative product. I expect you’ll see it on other platforms in time.”

More through the link.

In its first quarter earnings call last night, EA said that Spielberg Wii puzzler Boom Blox has now sold more that 450,000 units.

The game was feared to have tanked after week one sales were shown at 60,000 copies when it released earlier this year.

Thanks, Kotaku.

In an interview with MTV, EA CEO John Riccitiello said that Spielberg’s Boom Blox was a “hit title” and he’d love to see a sequel.

When asked about Boom Blox’s relatively poor sales return Riccitiello said: “First off, we had a week’s sales with no advertising. Last time I checked MTV wasn’t a financial network, but it met our expectations.”

He added: “Boom Blox was a competent seller in the month it was introduced and only had a week of sales without advertising. So it’s doing actually quite well.

“We haven’t announced a sequel, but I would tell you that I certainly am curious [about doing one]. It’s a hit title.”

By Mike Bowden

Speaking at the fun-sounding William Blair & Company’s 28th Annual Growth Stock Conference, EA boss John Riccitiello has said that he’s happy with the performance of Spielberg Wii game Boom Blox.

“Right now, [Boom Blox] has met our expectations internally based on the model that was put forward by Kathy [Vrabeck] and her team,” he said. “It has continued to sell well – it did break into the Top Ten for the Wii.”

Boom Blox has sold 60,000 units in the US.

More on GI.

UBS analyst Ben Schachter has called for higher profile third party titles for the Nintendo Wii following the May NPD software numbers.

“While overall hardware and software trends for the Nintendo Wii continue to be strong, we would like to see more third-party hits on the platform,” said Schachter.

“To date, Guitar Hero III, Sega of America’s Mario and Sonic: Olympic Games, and TTWO’s Carnival Games are the only third-party Wii games that have sold more than 1 million units to-date according to NPD, and there are many third-party Wii exclusives that have come-and-gone with minimal reaction from the market,” he added.

“Nintendo’s share of software dollars on its platform has approximated almost 50% since the Wii was introduced, and reached an all-time high in May of 68%.”

The statement comes after it was revealed that Spielberg’s Boom Blox only sold 60k, although NPD analyst Anita Frazier puts the poor performance down to EA’s puzzler being released in amongst “Super Smash Bros. Brawl, GTA IV, Wii Fit, Mario Kart and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4″.

Thanks GameDaily.

By Mike Bowden

Wired’s posted the first review of Steven Spielberg’s Boom Blox, and it’s been given eight out of ten. in a nutshell:

• WIRED Wide variety of gameplay styles, fun for casual and hardcore

• TIRED Success sometimes relies on random chance, editor can be confusing

Wii-tastic. And that’s that.

Colour us shocked. Joystiq’s reporting that the Boom Blox head-tracking feature – that was supposedly going to allow players to move the game’s camera with head movements – has been pulled. From the site:

At the Nintendo Media Summit, Boom Blox senior producer Amir Rahimi confirmed that the final version of the game will lack the head-tracking mode. We understand that it was always an Easter egg, requiring gamers to set up Wii Remotes as cameras, and hacking together their own IR LED glasses. But you didn’t have to go to TED to see the promise, and we’re disappointed to see it removed.

More here.

1up’s gone live with a heap of impressions from last week’s Nintendo Media Summit in the US. They did it first, so they get the links. Look: LostWinds!

• FFCC: My Life as a King
• Guitar Hero: On Tour
• LostWinds
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Samba de Amigo
• Boom Blox

Update: Here’s Eurogamer’s stuff. So that’s what Pop is.

Update 2: New movies, courtesy of IGN:

• Wii Rock Band
• World of Goo
• LostWinds
• Pop
• Wrap-up video from the Summit

Update: First impressions of BioWare’s Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood just went up.

Some of it’s been embargoed, apparently, but Cubed3 has as good a run-down of what happened today at the US Nintendo Media Summit as we’ve seen, so go have a look. It sounds like a thriller. Summary:

• Wii Fit
• WiiWare
• Mario Super Sluggers
• Boom Blox
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time

According to the IGN live blog Harmonix showed off Guitar Hero DS but no one was allowed to talk about it. We’ll have to wait for the other stuff.

The Wii Spielberg thing, Boom Blox, will release in the US on May 6, according to Joystiq. The game was confirmed for May 9 in Europe earlier today.

According to CVG, EA’s Boom Blox will release in Europe on May 9.

The Spielberg Wii puzzle game is… a Spielberg Wii puzzle game. Looks fun, so keep an eye out.

Here. Worth a look. Those in the know are going nuts for Spielberg’s Wii title, so it’s worth keeping on your radar until we know otherwise, at least. This piece includes the words “fascinating”, “creative genius” and “I loved what I played”. Go have a read.

It says so here. In his GDC session, Louis Castle, producer of Spielberg game Boom Blox, said by using two Wiimotes it’s possible to control the camera with your head.

He was also keen to point out that the “feature” was an easter egg and not something EA was planning on promoting. Which sounds sensible to us.

Hot on the heels of the announcement of BOOM BLOX, the firts game to arrive from the Spielberg-EA partnership, comes an interview with the title’s creator, Louis Castle. Louis reckon’s Stevie’s just a regular guy.

“It’s a great relationship,” he said. “He’s out at the office usually weekly, the only time he’s not around is when he’s busy filming Indy, but for the most part we see him every week. He’s just one of the team. We sit down, talk about where the project’s been and where it’s going, how we’ve implemented some of the things in BOOM BLOX that he commented on the last time, and that’s just been the way of it. It’s really quick and easy to forget that he’s a superstar since he’s so easy to work with.”

The game itself was the brainchild of Spielberg, who wanted something to play with his kids after he got to try out a Wii for himself with Miyamoto. So it’s aimed young.

“I’d say that our target market is eight plus but if the child is using the Wii, it’s hard to imagine any child who wouldn’t enjoy BOOM BLOX because it doesn’t require that you have to read and it’s very simple to learn,” said Castle.

BOOM BLOX is out in May.

EA just confirmed the first game to arrive from its partnership with Steven Spielberg is BOOM BLOX, a 300-level puzzle game for Wii.

“I am a gamer myself, and I really wanted to create a video game that I could play with my kids,” said Steven Spielberg. “BOOM BLOX features an enormous amount of fun challenges and cool scenarios for your kids to solve or for you to master together.”

The title will have more than 30 “wacky characters” and feature “block-laying chickens or baseball-throwing monkeys across four themed environments – Tiki, Medieval, Frontier, and Haunted.”

“We developed BOOM BLOX with endless combinations of gameplay in mind,” saidLouis Castle, executive producer. “With over three hundred levels, built upon a full real-time physics model, your experience can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be – there really is something for everyone to enjoy.”

Look for BOOM BLOX in May.