Tag Archives: Brad Wardell

Remember when Stardock sold digital distribution platform Impulse to GameStop? Instead of just rolling around in the stacks of fat cash it received from this transaction, the developer has launched a fund to help out new start-ups.

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PC-centric developer Stardock has struggled thanks to Microsoft’s failure to implement DirectX 10 in still-popular 2001 OS Windows XP.

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Fallen Enchantress will be the recipient of an update and will arrive on Steam sometime next week, according to an update posted on the official website. According to Stardock CEO Brad Wardell, the plans is to releases Beta 4A and collect “as much feedback” as possible before releasing Beta 5 next month. Wardell stressed that should players have any requests, now is the time to make their wishes known, as once Beta 5 rolls out, the game will be put in “feature lock down.” Elemental: Fallen Enchantress has been available in beta form for all pre-orders of full version. Thanks, Neogamr.

Stardock is seeking feedback from fans on the future of action RTS Demigod.

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Refusing to get into a “pissing contest”, Stardock’s Brad Wardell has dismissed derogatory comments about Impulse from GamersGate CEO Theo Bergquist – but not before taking a jab or two.

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Stardock CEO Brad Wardell has reiterated his support in Gamestop as new owners of Impulse, in the wake of Blind Mind’s abandonment of the service.

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Stardock’s Brad Wardell has predicted a revolution in PC graphics, which may see consoles left gasping in the dust.

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Ready for some more short goodness? Om nom nom away after the break.

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Stardock boss Brad Wardell has said the company is currently talking with publishers about updating the Gamer’s Bill of Rights this year.

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Something new. We had a meeting this week and it was suggested there’s a better way of getting up all the little stories quickly. Could be better for everyone. Let’s see if it works.

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PC Gamer has issued a warning to those looking to pick up Stardock-published turn-based strategy game Elemental that the game has been the subject of a “disastrous launch” and punters should “stay well away”.

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Stardock has announced that Elemental: War of Magic, which releases today via its digital distribution site Impulse, will not include any form of DRM.

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Gas Powered Games head Chris Taylor has made first mention of a sequel to PC action-RTS Demigod, speaking at gamescom last week.

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Two of digital distribution’s heavy hitters have weighed-in on NPD’s recent research into download services, and apparently do not agree with the firm’s conclusions.

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Stardock founder Brad Wardell has voiced his opinion of Games for Windows Live, stating that the service has “too many stings attached” for developers.

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Steam’s popular. How popular? This popular.

“Our estimation is that Steam – as the current market leader – enjoys approximately 70 percent of the overall digital distribution market with Impulse at 10 percent and all others combined at 20 percent in terms of actual dollars generated per month,” said Stardock chief Brad Wardell, writing in the company’s customer report for 2009.

“Steam and Impulse both have the advantage of exclusive content (Left 4 Dead, Half-Life, Sins of a Solar Empire, Demigod, etc.).”

Wardell added that he expects downloads will make up around 25 percent of the revenues “for a typical PC game publisher on a new title” in calendar 2009.

More on Gama.

Stardock’s Brad Wardell has lashed out at Games For Windows Live, and says that if the service decides to “screw things up”, he refuses to make more PC games.

Speaking with Shacknews, Wardell discussed how he started off as a “big Games for Windows Live advocate,” and wishes that “Microsoft would do a lot more in making the PC better as a gaming platform.”

“I intended for Elemental to be on Games for Windows Live, but then as we got closer, the Xbox group took it over more and more,” said Wardell. “And they have things where, oh, if you want to use Games for Windows Live to update your game, you have to go through [their] certification. And if you do it more than X number of times, you have to pay money. It’s like, ‘My friends, you can’t do that on the PC.’

“On the console, I don’t have to update my game because an anti-virus program got an update and is now identifying my VB scripts as viruses and I have to apply an emergency patch. That would just add insult to injury. We’ve had to upgrade our games plenty of times over the years, not because we found some bug, but because some third-party program, or driver, or whatever screwed it up.

“If Games for Windows Live maintains that strategy and they take over, I’m done. I’m not making PC games. I would be done.”

More through the link.

Thanks, Maximum PC.

Stardock boss Brad Wardell has told those still playing pirated copies of Demigod to accept they’re thieves.

The game debuted at number three in the US PC charts, but Wardell said that doesn’t make playing hooky versions of the game acceptable.

“Demigod is heavily pirated,” said the exec on his blog. “And make no mistake, piracy pisses me off.

“If you’re playing a pirated copy right now, if you’re one of those people on Hamachi or GameRanger playing a pirated copy and have been for more than a few days, then you should either buy it or accept that you’re a thief and quit rationalizing it any other way.”

Demigod was pirated over 100,000 times in its opening weekend.

Stardock boss Brad Wardell has promised that Demigod’s multiplayer connectivity is to be fixed this week.

There’s a bunch of information on Wardell’s blog on ports, opening them, why they can’t be opened right now and how you’ll be dancing with Stardock’s proxy server if your NAT fails.

For the win. Hit the link.

IGN’s posted a video of Stardock’s Brad Wardell talking through imminent fixes to Demigod’s multiplayer.

Changes on the way include the ability for hosts to drop out people having trouble connecting, “more servers” and code optimisation.

The game was forced out by Gamestop putting it on shelves early at the weekend.

Take a look.

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