Corolla + Miku Dream Big

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The revelation that Toyota was using the cutesy CG pop idol Hatsune Miku as a spokesperson in the U.S. inspired skepticism from many, but this ad proves it is true. Can this Corolla ad appeal to American audiences

Crysis 2 Screenshot Caption Contest Gives Fans A Chance To Retaliate

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In anticipation of the release of the Crysis 2 DLC Retaliation Pack, EA and Crytek have kicked off a Crysis 2 Caption contest for fans to compete to win prizes and be featured on the official homepage. To participate, log in to MyCrysis.com and select an image from a pre-selected collection or upload your own from any scene in the game. Once the image and caption is ready, submit it to the caption contest submission thread in the forums. At the end of the competition the top 5 submissions will be selected and declared the winners. Prizes include a GeForce GTX 460 Graphics Card, Razer Mousepads, Crysis 2 Figurines, Nanosuit T-Shirts, Crysis 2 Legion Novels and more!

Brink Developer Talks Monopolization Of Profit In Games

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The AAA gaming industry is becoming increasingly defined by a small number of titles that dominate the sales charts almost every month. Splash Damage’s creative director Richard Ham (who just made the decidedly niche Brink) says that the monopolization of profit is the number one thing hurting the gaming industry right now.

“One percent of the games make 99 percent of the profit, leaving everything else to wither on the vine. This can be bad for innovation, said Ham. “We’ve got to find ways to get people interested in some of the other stuff out there, because a lot of it is REALLY good and deserves to succeed, otherwise risk-taking will become rarer and rarer.”

Source: MTV Multiplayer

Facebook PR Gaffe — Is Public Trust Gone?

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Facebook recently hired a PR firm to generate press alleging privacy breaches in Google’s Social Circle tool and might signal a tone change for the company. While it’s long maintained a start up attitude, the hire is symbolic of increasingly buttoned-up, corporate behavior.

“[Working in such a way that] real companies that are not start ups compete in a real world,” Josh Bernoff, SVP of Idea Development at Forrester Research, “but secretly trying to get stories placed about competitors doesn’t play well in Silicon Valley.”

The irony is that Facebook has had to struggle with their own privacy issues over the years. Rosanna Fiske, CEO of the Public Relations Society of America, told that Facebook will recover despite ongoing regulatory and privacy issues: “It’ll recover even though this whole PR story probably brought to light more of a regulation issue related to regulatory agencies, privacy, and data scraping.”

While Facebook currently spend less than 10 percent what Google does in lobbying, this will likely change in tune with perceptions. Regulation and questionable behavior is not going to have an affect on this too.

“Facebook is going to have a difficult time trying to convince Congress they can be trusted with consumer data.” said Bernoff. “It’s a heck of a lot cheaper if you start from a position of trust.”

Source: AdAge

Sony Begins PSN Restoration Roll Out

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After more than three weeks that saw down time for PSN, Sony Online Entertainment, and Qriocity, services like online gameplay, online rentals and third-party apps were restored over the weekend, with PlayStation Store to follow soon. Users will have to reset their various passwords and Sony promises it has made “considerable enhancements” to its online security.

I d like to send my sincere regret for the inconvenience this incident has caused you, and want to thank you all for the kind patience you ve shown as we worked through the restoration process, said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation.  I can’t thank you enough for your patience and support during this time. We know even the most loyal customers have been frustrated by this process and are anxious to use their Sony products and services again. We are taking aggressive action at all levels to address the concerns that were raised by this incident, and are making consumer data protection a full-time, company wide commitment.

While we understand the importance of getting our services back online, we did not rush to do so at the expense of extensively and aggressively testing our enhanced security measures. Our consumers safety remains our number one priority, Hirai continued.  We want to assure our customers that their personal information is being protected with some of the best security technologies available today, so that everyone can feel comfortable enjoying all that PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have to offer.

Ubisoft Cuts Unannounced Titles

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A recent announcement during a fiscal report by Ubisoft that some game’s were canceled led some to worry that I Am Alive and Beyond Good & Evil 2 had gotten the ax. Worry not, because Ubisoft clarified that the long delayed games were not affected.

“Ubisoft has taken measures to adapt its structure to major changes in the industry by reorganizing the roles and operations of its studios, which has resulted in the termination of certain projects,” Ubisoft said in its financial report, specified Ubisoft. Terminated projects were unannounced projects.”

Source: Eurogamer

APB Reloads With Dave Jones

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Dave Jones has been hired as and adviser for All Points Bulletin Reloaded by GamersFirst. He’s the former Realtime Worlds creative director and declared by some involved in the development of APB to be one of the main reasons behind the game’s failure.

This game was my passion back when I was developing it with Realtime Worlds, said Jones. “After seeing what the team has done with the game thus far, I’m certain that APB Reloaded will become the title that truly breaks new ground for online game experiences, especially with transition to a free to play model.”

[Hiring Jones] lets us take advantage of both a deeper understanding of the original vision of APB, said Bjorn Book-Larsson, GamersFirst CTO.

Source: Develop

Toyota Taps Anime Pop Star For U.S. Campaign

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Toyota has announced that it has a new spokesperson for its 2011 Corolla U.S. ad campaign. Unusually, they’re teaming up with virtual Japanese pop idol Hatsune Miku.

The animated character (with ankle-length aqua-colored pigtails) was created by Crypton Future Media and has a voice that is a byproduct of voice synthesizer software. She’s a hit in Japan and has actually gone on tour, but she’s a virtual unknown in the U.S.

Even if she is unfamiliar to some, the story of the character, her music and her dedicated fans are intriguing and in parallel with the storied history of the Toyota Corolla, said a Toyota spokeswoman.

The advertisements will be targeted specifically at young Asian Americans and will be part of a larger campaign that will focus on social media. The ads will run on U.S. Asian-language programs.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Assassin’s Creed Revelations Promises Some Closure

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The Assassin’s Creed series has a rather complex and convoluted backstory at this point. Assassin’s Creed Revelations creative director Alexandre Amancio promises that the newest game will resolve plot threads with Ezio and that “Assassin’s Creed 3 will be about another character.

“A lot of things were set up with things like Minerva, with Juno, a lot of details about the end of the world plotline in 2012. As we’re getting closer and closer to the 2012 marker the franchise is sort of concluding its major opus, said Amancio. “This game is where we’re setting the record straight. We’re closing all the loops that have been started that have been left in suspense and we’re going to reveal not only a lot of stuff about the first civilization plotline but we’re also going to conclude the Ezio and Altiar storylines.”

“We’re going to explain why Ezio is such an important character in the franchise, what his actual role is in all of that plotline, what role Altair plays in that destiny and ultimately what role Desmond plays in all that stuff,” he added. “So we’re sort of creating a nexus if you will in Revelations that will sort of align the destinies of all three major characters of the franchise and in one fell swoop we’re going to reveal a lot of the elements that surround that mystery.”

Source: GameInformer