ArenaNet has made their subscription-free (don’t call it free-to-play) model work, and they’ve achieved a high level of success with Guild Wars. In this in-depth feature, they reflect on a decade of success and the future with Guild Wars 2.
New Deal Studios created what is probably one of the best trailers of the new year and is most certainly the best game trailer parody ever made. Unlike most trailers, this one was done using a real-life diorama — check out the work below they did on the amazing spot.
Source: Kotaku
Microsoft is ran a new series of ads during the Golden Globes with the tagline Be What’s Next. The two 30-second spots, one for Bing and one for the Windows Phone, highlight the aspiring talents in Hollywood talking about their real-life experiences and hopes.
“You have a lot of engaged viewers, because like in the case of the power of sports, people watch live,” explained Gayle Troberman, chief creative officer at Microsoft.. “We do a lot of work with the Hollywood community with product integrations and the like. But what’s unique about these spots is that they are contextually relevant to what is happening on the show.”
The company is emphasizing that they can provide the tools for people to achieve greatness. Each spot ends with the lines, “You don’t know them. But you will,” followed by “Microsoft pre-congratulates the Golden Globe winners of the future.
“All our products help you achieve what you want to achieve, which our tagline symbolizes,” said Troberman. “And the Globes are about celebrating that big moment when people have achieved their goals — whether for the first time or the 10th time.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Sony has announced that it has signed a new movie sponsorship deal with Channel 5. Expect to see more collaborations with LittleBigPlanet 2 until the end of this year from movies like Hancock, Death Race, Don’t Mess with the Zohan, X-Men 2 and High School Musical 3.
The sponsorship of movies on Five is a great fit for our brands, said Sony marketing director Alan Duncan. It provides us with a great platform to associate our blockbuster titles and the compelling entertainment offering of PlayStation 3 with the best of Hollywood.
We are delighted to be working with such a huge entertainment brand as PlayStation, added Channel 5’s head of acquisitions Katie Kennan. We continue to bring viewers the best films around and have some fantastic titles coming up on Channel 5, Fiver and Fiva USA in 2011.
CityVille is officially the most popular Facebook game of all time. The Zynga title has over 100 million active users, putting it ahead of FarmVille and its 57 million monthly users.
CityVille launched on December 2, 2010 and gained 26 million users in two weeks. While the game is driven by in-game purchases, it seems likely to become a target of promotional collaborations, just like FarmVille and Mafia Wars.
Source: Casualgaming.biz
Vudu has announced that they will stream 3D-enabled movies to the PS3. All it takes is a Vudu account and a 3D TV.
If you ve already downloaded the Vudu app, it will be updated automatically with the new functionality you don t need to do a thing, writes Caitlin Spaan, Head of Marketing for Vudu. If you haven t downloaded the Vudu app well, what are you waiting for When you download the free Vudu app and sign up for a Vudu account, we will credit your account $5.99, which is enough to get you an HDX rental. We hope you ll give it a try we think you ll love it!
Source: PlayStation.Blog
Fox has announced that Ridley Scott will be working on a project called Prometheus instead of an Alien prequel with Damon Lindelof (Lost, Star Trek). The original film has a script by Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour) for a release worldwide in March 9, 2012.
While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place, said Scott. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.
“In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots, I was incredibly struck by just how original Ridley’s vision was for this movie. It’s daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects,” said Lindelof. “When I sat in a movie theater as a kid, feet raised off the floor for fear that something might grab my ankles, I never dreamed in my wildest imagination I would one day get to collaborate with the man responsible for it. Working alongside him has been nothing short of a dream come true.”
Merv Griffin Entertainment is partnering with Namco Bandai Games America for a Pac-Man show. As part of the greater celebration of the 30th anniversary of one of gaming’s first icons, they’re making an unscripted TV series.
The Pac-Man show is being envisioned as a “big, crazy Wipeout-type event with a lot of energy,” according to Merv Griffin president of TV Roy Bank. “The idea we have is to take what Pac-Man is and bring it to life, to bring what is essentially the world’s biggest game of tag to television.”
Source: Deadline
Sony has released the first promotional image of Andrew Garfield in his Spider-Man costume. It’s definitely distinct from what the previous trilogy offered, and appropriately he appears downtrodden both literally and figuratively and has all the appearance of an awkward and skinny teenage kid.
Source: io9
Wii Fit can help players shed a few pounds, and it apparently has other notable uses. Julie Wilks discovered she had Parkinson’s disease thanks in part to Nintendo’s balance board.
I was doing brilliantly on all the games, I was a great skier and snowboarder and it told me my Wii fit age was 13 years younger than I am. But when it came to stepping onto the balance game it was showing on the screen that I was leaning on my left foot more heavily than the other, said Wilks. There was a huge footprint on the screen and everyone was joking saying I was doing it on purpose. It stuck in my mind afterward and what I started to recognize as symptoms steadily got worse.
In the beginning the symptoms that I had were so subtle that I adapted myself without realising. I am left-handed but started texting on my phone and using the computer mouse with my right, noted Wilks. I started buying more sensible shoes with velcro and flat heels but never questioned why I felt odd in my stilettos and couldn’t walk safely in them any more. When I knew something was definitely wrong I still didn’t get help because I thought I had sleep problems because of stress or vice versa. I live alone so I had no one to notice I had a problem. At work I managed to muddle through but no one was sure what was wrong with me, apart from that I was always tired.
After going to a neurologist, Wilks found out she had Parkinson’s. It’s quite amazing that a computer game was able to point out there was a problem. I certainly hadn’t realised that myself, she said. I’m so grateful that I was playing the game that day and that it ended in my diagnosis. What an amazing piece of technology.
Life continues for Julie, including raising awareness of Parkinson’s, plans to drive Route 66 and a new copy of Wii Fit she bought herself. The Wii fit makes it much easier to exercise. I can take it as easy as I need to and sometimes part of the problem is getting where you need to be to exercise, this way I can just set myself up at home, said Wilks.
Source: Daily Mail
