Activision Wants To Top Modern Warfare 2 With Black Ops

BY

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and has set the bar very high for its successors. Activision isn’t intimidated, however, and is planning a big spend for Call of Duty: Black Ops.

We’ve a fantastic game and a fantastic marketing campaign so our ambition is to set another record like we did with Modern Warfare 2, said Call of Duty general manager for Europe Michaël Sportouch. The resources invested behind Black Ops in terms of  development of the game and the marketing are the highest ever for Activision. Our ambition is not only to be the biggest game but also the biggest entertainment launch of the year.

We ve a 60-second ad during the England vs. Bulgaria match, which is our first mainstream communication around Black Ops in the U.K., he added. From there it s going to be non-stop.

Source: MCV

Samsung, Toshiba Swing Android Tablets

BY

Samsung and Toshiba have introduced tablets powered by Android at the IFA trade show in Berlin.  Samsung’s will be called the Galaxy Tab and Toshiba’s is Folio 100.

Galaxy Tab features a 7-inch screen, front and back cameras and Android 2.2, and is coming to the U.S. in the next few months, with a Verizon version rumored. The Folio 100 is larger, with a 10.1-inch display and a weight of 1.7 pounds with Android 2, a Webcam, an SD card slot and HDMI and USB ports, though no U.S. date was given.

Source: Washington Post

IPod Touch Hailed As Leading Gaming Platform

BY

During the recent Apple press conference, CEO Steve Jobs called the iPhone/iPod Touch platform “the number one portable game player. He pointed to the 1.5 billion game and entertainment downloads, and said the Apple platform has “50 percent + of the marketshare for portable game players in the U.S. and worldwide.

Jobs said that Apple has sold 275 million iPods, with 120 million of those being iOS devices. Compare that to Nintendo, who says it has sold more than 132 million units of its DS since launch, and Sony’s 60 million PSPs sold since launch. “The iPod touch outsells Nintendo and Sony’s portable game players combined,” Jobs boasted. “It’s been amazing.”

He then went on to show off the new iPod Touch, which has the Apple A4 processor and HD video present in the iPhone 4, along with the new Game Center which is expected to launch soon.

Sourc: Kotaku

NBA 2K11: Virtual Sponsorships

BY

 

2K Sports has already announced that it will allow custom designed players to get their own sneakers and press conferences. Now, they have revealed that your player can get endorsement deals.

“Become a star in My Player mode and you’ll get sponsorships from iconic brands,” indicates 2K. “What sponsor would you most like to have Jordan Brand Gatorade Sprite 2K Sports ”

Source: NBA 2K Official Facebook Page

PS3 3D Blu-ray Update Coming October

BY

Sony originally promoted the PS3 as having a 3D update in September. That’s apparently too soon, as they announced at IFA that support will not be coming until October.

This update will only affect the 3D playback of Blu-ray movies. No specific date in October was given for the update.

Source: Electricpig.co.uk

Apple TV Features

BY

Apple recently unveiled its plans to further its influence in home entertainment. One of their bigger announcements was the confirmation of Apple TV, which will retail for $99 and will let users rent movies and TV shows. There will also be the AirPlay technology that will allow content on iPhones, iPods and iPads to be streamed onto Apple TV, along with Netflix streaming.

“ABC and Fox have signed on,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. “We think the rest of the studios will see the light and get on board with us.”

Source: MercuryNews.com

PopCap Talks Publishers Struggling With Social Games

BY

The social gaming sphere is a unique one in the gaming field, and it’s been a vaccum mostly filed with new companies, not older publishers. PopCap Games’ Chief Creative Officer Jason Kapalka says this is because they aren’t ready for a renewed focus on social and mobile games.

“FarmVille is probably more of a WoW-killer than the Old Republic,” said Kapalka, noting that many gamers don’t have the free time they used to have. “I think increasingly a lot of people are in that position, and games have to evolve to meet that need. Whether it’s a game like FarmVille or Bejewelled Blitz, or a lot of mobile games that have the same idea of ‘I have it wherever I go, I can play short games on it.’ The game adapting to your schedule, rather than you trying to conform to the game’s demands.

“Those are the kinds of the kinds of games that are probably going to be the big scary ones as far as the current guys like Blizzard, Activision, and EA are concerned. They’re going to be fighting them on unequal terms, like asymmetric warfare, he continued. “So FarmVille versus WoW doesn’t seem like a fair match, but they’re not fighting on the same ground, they’re fighting in very different ways. To date, a lot of the bigger companies haven’t shown that they really understand that, or are capable of adapting to it.”

Kapalka also seemed doubtful about the future of big budget subscription MMORPGS. “I think the vibe I’m getting certainly is that people are really deciding that MMOs are a bad place to do business, he said “There’s gonna be one or two last gasps probably [Star Wars] The Old Republic will be, well . . . I know it’s a big, expensive project, and if that under-performs, that’ll probably be the last time someone decides to spend $100 million on a WoW-killer.”

Source: GI.biz

Machete: Red Band

BY

As is appropriate for the exploitation genre, Machete is really playing up its “ripped from the headlines” story. It’s also not shying away from its almost comical level of violence in promoting itself.