The GameStick Kickstarter has wrapped up, raising $647,658 in funding from 5,691 backers. This total blows past the $100,000 original goal for the project.
GameStick is an Android-powered console designed for TV gaming with an Amlogic 8726-MXS processor, WiFi and Bluetooth functionality, 1GB of DDR3 memory, 8GB of NAND Flash memory, and its own wireless controller designed to dock with the console. GameStick is expected to ship in April, with the basic console and controller combo selling for $79.
Electronic Arts has announced that the Madden franchise has sold 99 million copies, bringing in a total of $3.7 billion in revenue. The original game launched for home computers in 1988, with 1993 being the first year it had the official NFL license.
The company also announced that this year’s entry will be named Madden NFL 25 in celebration of 25 years of the franchise. EA will have a fan vote determine the cover athlete from a variety of potential players.
Kongregate has announced that it is launching a new program to help free-to-play mobile game developers with testing, QA, monetization and marketing. The $10 million program will be overseen by former former Zynga general manager Panayoti Haritatos.
“Developers are increasingly finding it harder to get their games discovered through the different app stores,” said Haritatos. “I personally faced these challenges in 2009 while managing my own game studio. Utilizing the Kongregate platform made my games successful, which ultimately led to my studio being acquired by Zynga.”
Sony Online calls PlanetSide 2 one of its biggest launches ever, and says pulling it off meant marketing and development had to come together like never before. It also meant community relations on a much deeper scale, even for a seasoned MMO maker that’s been developing player communities for the past decade and a half.
PlanetSide 2 is player-versus-player and free-to-play, and it’s a massive game where the hook is thousands of people fighting on a single server. To support that kind of experience, Sony Online turned to programs that go beyond building and nurturing players to actually empower them. As one example, for the first time the company is allowing players to create content in that they can monetize for their own benefit.
Another program, this one on the marketing side, is the post-launch “Declare Your Allegiance” video campaign. Sony Online worked with Ayzenberg on a series of videos designed to further immerse players and get them invested deeper by sparking a sense of loyalty to the empires that fight each other in the game.
“People are religious about these empires. That’s why the empire videos were such a perfect facet to the campaign,” says Laura Naviaux, Sony Online’s senior VP of sales and marketing. “We didn’t feel like they were something that should lead the campaign, because we needed to set up the context for PlanetSide 2 and that massive scale. But the empire videos were able to go a few steps deeper into what really drives that individual empire, what their matrix is, what they’re all about, and why they’re fighting.”
We already talked with Naviaux on how Sony Online’s strategy is ‘players first’ in PlanetSide 2. In this second part of our exclusive interviews, she delves deeper into how the company is strengthening the community to generate long-term player support.
This weekend, Americans will watch the Baltimore Ravens go against the San Francisco 49ers for Super Bowl XLVII, and Twitter has rightfully positioned itself as the vehicle for real-time updates during the showdown. Rightfully because the social network thrives on the unpredictability of live events. And the Super Bowl, that mecca of sports sensationalism where even halftime generates headlines, is perfect for Twitter’s rapid-fire 140-character inputs to cover and comment on everything that happens.
According to Twitter, more than 13 million tweets took place during last year’s game, with over 100,000 per minute during Madonna’s halftime show alone. Twitter is planning for similar action on Sunday, with no less reasons for the hundreds of millions who tune in to chatter away about halftime performances and the drama on the field, not to mention the buzz generated by pricey TV commercials. This year, Twitter has outlined a few plays of their own to best follow the action.
Fans may need to use a Twitter client or open a few browsers to follow everything. Beyonce’s stream @Beyonce will surely be hopping about her halftime performance. The Ravens have their @ravens stream to interact with their players, and the official hashtag following the Ravens’ point of view on the action can be found at #RavensNation. The 49ers are interacting through @49ers, and for what their fans have to say they’ve set up the hashtag #questforsix, a nod to this potentially being the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl win.
For Twitter’s part, it has created lists for users to see rosters for both the 49ers and Ravens {Twitter content no longer active}. There’s also what you could call a virtual VIP area with photos, videos and more from the front lines of the show. And coming back for a second year in a row, Twitter is promoting Twitter Ad Scrimmage, which allows users to watch and vote on their favorite Super Bowl spots as they air during the game.
Some aren’t even waiting until Sunday. Players and fans have already begun to share their experiences and excitement, and that’ll see hockey stick growth (or call it slant route growth) over the weekend.
Which aspect of the Super Bowl are you most excited to watch — the game, the halftime show, or the ads? Tell us in the comments below!
While this ad has been hyped for its inclusion of super-model Kate Upton, she really only has a small role. Willem Dafoe does his best devil impersonation trying to tempt some regular guy with the Mercedes-Benz CLA… which, as it turns out, is surprisingly affordable.
BioShock Infinite has a relatively simple set up: Booker DeWitt is headed to the city of Columbia to bring back Elizabeth and wipe away his debt. As he uncovers the dark secrets of the floating city divided by revolution, he realizes the mission will be far more complicated than he imagined.
According to IDC, Apple shipped 22.9 million iPad units to lead the tablet computer field in the final quarter of 2012. However, the company’s marketshare dipped from 52 percent a year previous to 44 percent.
Meanwhile, Samsung saw a 263 per cent year-on-year sales growth for its Android and Windows 8 tablets equaling almost 8 million units. The company acquired 15.1 percent of the market during Q4 2012, more than double the 7.3 percent it had one year previous.
“New product launches from the category’s top vendors, as well as new entrant Microsoft, led to a surge in consumer interest and very robust shipments totals during the holiday season,” said IDC’s research director for tablets, Tom Mainelli. “The record-breaking quarter stands in stark contrast to the PC market, which saw shipments decline during the quarter for the first time in more than five years.”
By contrast, Microsoft’s Surface with Windows RT tablet shipped just 900,000 units during the launch quarter. This put Microsoft squarely outside of the top 5 hardware vendors.
“We believe that Microsoft and its partners need to quickly adjust to the market realities of smaller screens and lower prices,” added IDC’s Ryan Reith. “In the long run, consumers may grow to believe that high-end computing tablets with desktop operating systems are worth a higher premium than other tablets, but until then ASPs on Windows 8 and Windows RT devices need to come down to drive higher volumes.”
Nintendo of Europe has announced a limited edition version of Lego City Undercover. The special edition of the game will feature an actual Lego version of the game’s protagonist Chase McCain.
Additionally, there will be a special Lego City playset sold seperately which will come with a code which you can use to unlock missions. Lego City Undercover will launch March 18 in North America and March 28 in Europe for the WII U.
Sony has announced a God of War: Ascension Legacy Bundle. The $349 bundle will release on March 12.
The centerpiece of the bundle is a 500GB Garnet Red PlayStation 3 system with a matching Garnet Red DualShock 3. Also included will be a copy of God of War: Ascension, God of War Saga with all five previous games of the series for PS3, and a 30-day PlayStation Plus trial membership.
