Sony Hints At Gaikai Uses Outside Of Games

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Gaikai is a game focused streaming service and Sony acquired them for their gaming capabilities first and foremost. However, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Andrew House notes that using the streaming service for other services is “absolutely within the frame.”

“It’s recognition on Sony’s part that the cloud and cloud streaming technologies are going to have profound and possibly a very positive impact on not only our game business, but also in the way our consumers interact with and obtain content in general,” said House.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Feature: PATV, Convergence And Comics

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Penny Arcade’s humble beginnings as a web comic seem so long ago. The brand that is Penny Arcade is a perfect example of how something can really explode through grassroots efforts and viral marketing. Penny Arcade now includes two large expos (PAX), a charity organization for sick kids (Child’s Play) and a series of web videos (PATV). PATV is the newest of the initiatives, but it’s coming on strong with its new series Ledo and Ix. Penny Arcade President Robert Khoo (who preferred the title Business Guy ) gave a frank and engaging interview, which included thoughts on the quality of the Green Hornet movie that sadly did not fit the scope of this interview. He did cheerfully give details about the process behind PATV’s evolution.

[a]list: Tell us a little about what you do with Penny Arcade.

Robert Khoo: Sure. We’ve got 16 people here now, and I work with and help manage them. I tried to stay in the shadows as long as I could, because we need to make Jerry and Mike out there as the face and not the business guy. I helped build the sustainable business of Penny Arcade, help building it up. I was in the background, but then with the launch of PAX, [the fans] realized that there was more than Mike and Jerry. Of course, the reality series made light of the amount of people. Mike and Jerry still control the creative side, and they have the ultimate veto on anything we do.

[a]list: How did it start out? Did you know Mike and Jerry before you started work at Penny Arcade?

Robert Khoo: I was a consultant and I approached them with some contract work. It was a matter of right time, right people, right place.

[a]list: It’s probably for the best; hiring people you’re close with can lead to problems down the road.

Robert Khoo: Our standard policy is that we don’t hire friends or family. You’re not only risking the job itself, but you’re risking the preexisting relationship. We’re friends now, of course, but we built the base on business. Honestly, doing something that doesn’t have a sound business foundation just runs against all my instincts.

[a]list: Tell me about the creation of the animation extension of Penny Arcade.

Robert Khoo: When you think Penny Arcade, it’s about the comic strip, it’s the core piece of content. From that, they’ve established a loyal reader base from that strip. Our job was to ask, ‘What other pieces of content service that, for people whom games are a lifestyle choice ‘ So there’s the comic strip, and everything we create is to service the people that read the comic. That’s how PATV was created. We knew we wanted to create the reality TV show and it expanded from there.

With Ledo and Ix, it was the first thing we didn’t create internally. With Blamination, we knew those guys, and it was similar with Mega 64. But for Ledo and Ix, we had no idea who they were. Someone called them to our attention, and [Mike and Jerry] loved it and wanted to display them on PATV. We wanted to make sure our readers were exposed to it.

[a]list: Was it always the intention to bring PATV beyond just Penny Arcade the series?

Robert Khoo: Everything we do, we try to build out. We have the power to bring people in independently, and the goal is always to make it bigger than us. We want people to know things on their own merits. A couple of people [at the last PAX] didn’t know that PAX stood for Penny Arcade Expo! We built this thing that’s so big on its own; it’s expanded beyond our sphere of influence. Same thing with Child’s Play, which we created, but so much of it is supported by the gamer community and there are tons and tons of people that have no idea of its affiliation. We’re trying to do the same thing with PATV.

[a]list: I was amazed at the independent efforts for PAX, that included Desert Bus for Hope and a speed runner group.

Robert Khoo: The fact that we have multiple organizations doing multiple fundraisers that raised more than we did the first year is mind-boggling. It’s just such a fantastic thing to see.

[a]list: How are the shows promoted? Is it just virally and use of banner ads on the website?

Robert Khoo: Pretty much. It’s nice because Mike and Jerry have such an enormous megaphone. We have that traction of being able to link to the shows when they launch. It’s all that we can ask for.

[a]list: Why do you think Ledo and Ix is a good fit for PATV?

Robert Khoo: It is so… different. Unlike all the other things we have on PATV, it’s not supposed to be funny. When you look at the discussion threads, they talk about what it means, but they realize it’s not supposed to be funny. It’s the juxtaposition of these serious topics overlaid on the framework of a game. When Jerry screened it he was like, Wow, we should have it. We think it’s a great fit because Mike and Jerry want people to see it. It’s like exposing content that otherwise would never be seen.

[a]list: I know some people get their gaming information from them…

Robert Khoo: I think they know the power they have. But as they quote Uncle Ben to death about great power and great responsibility. They have a good track record of not abusing that. We expect people to hold us accountable as we hold the industry. People expect that of us.

[a]list: When did PATV first come about?

Robert Khoo: It launched in November of ’09. it launched with the pilot of the reality series.

[a]list: And are you happy with the reception to PATV so far?

Robert Khoo: Absolutely. The numbers are great, but the thing I’m most happy with is we’ve kept the quality of the content so high. The worst thing we could do is introduce a show that isn’t good.

[a]list: What do you look for when you consider shows for PATV?

Robert Khoo: I wish there was a checklist, because that would make things easier! We’re watching through a lot of shows every week; it’s about determining if it feels right. I wish that wasn’t so wishy-washy, but that’s what it is. We’re not like ‘We’d like to see a Ledo an Ix and done in a different way.’ If we think something is compelling and we think our readers might think it’s cool, then we pursue it.

[a]list: I apologize if this is the dozenth time you’ve been asked this today, but what are the chances of an animated Gabe and Tycho in the style of the comics?

Robert Khoo: The big question is the voice. That’s always been the big stumbling block. We get pitched it a lot. We released the Poker Night at the Inventory and Tycho had a voice, and it sounded good to us. We’re not actively revisiting it, but we’re examining the possibilities.

[a]list: It’s a tough thing when you have a well established comic character that people have loved for so long and have the perfect voice in their own head?

Robert Khoo: Yeah, not only can you not please everyone, you’re going to piss some people off! So the question is whether that risk is worth it. We’re not actively thinking about, but it’s still on the table.

[a]list: Anything you’d like to add about Ledo and Ix?

Robert Khoo: We’d like to wish them luck. They’ve got their film the Hunter and the Swan; here we are making dick jokes and they are doing serious things. Check out more of their work at KidCamDrive.com.

[a]list: Final words about PATV and Penny Arcade in general?

Robert Khoo: What it comes down to is that readers have an innate trust in Mike and Jerry whether it’s the comic or on Twitter. Being accessible is important to them, and it lends itself to the success of the comic; it’s about having integrity with the readers. It’s important for [Jerry and Mike], and I can’t complain.

[a]list: Bet you never thought you’d be where you are nine years ago.

Robert Khoo: I’m riding on the coattails of success for two very creative guys and I’m going to be here as long as they’ll have me!

[a]list: Robert, thanks.

_ _

Are you a fan of Penny Arcade, PAX or PATV?  Get in on the discussion on the [a]list Facebook page!

Feature: SOE Puts On The Cape For DC Universe Online

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MMORPGs are becoming increasingly common, but subscription-based MMOs are becoming increasingly rare. Standing out can be hard in a crowded online universe… but being the first MMO on PS3 and using a worldwide famous comic property in DC always helps. We spoke with Debysue Wolfcale, director of global brand marketing for Sony Online Entertainment, about the anticipated MMO, DC Universe Online.

With DCUO launching on PC and PS3 simultaneously, do you think there’s a unique opportunity there for the game?

The answer is yes, not just because there’s two platforms and because there’s no other game that has [what we offer], but it’s that several trends have come together [at the same time]. One is the growth of the MMO genre; we see a proliferation of those types of games with lots of players online, particularly since the introduction of World of Warcraft. The other is the continued popularity of console action games. So introducing an MMO but with console action components, we were looking to bring together those who liked online games and action games and offer it on both platforms. It’s a unique and smart opportunity for the PS3 market.

So knowing you were developing for the PS3, did that help shape the game?

For us, (DCUO) was conceived to be a PS3 game. We knew we wanted it to come to both platforms. We weren’t like, ‘Lets build it and port it to the PS3.’ It was an MMO with an action game mechanic to appeal to both platforms. It was a pretty big challenge, but we saw the metrics for MMO players getting on board, and we saw a hurdle in getting console players interested. We saw games like Modern Warfare 2 being successful and people liked the multiplayer. So we decided to take all the features that people like of MMOs and online multiplayer into one game.

To make it work on the PS3, we had to work within constrains we hadn’t had before.  We had to be aware of bandwidth and the particular tech, whereas a PC can be more forgiving in some places; it brought in a new set of challenges. We are Sony, so we developed a close relationship with SCE and we were able to identify and address all of those challenges pretty early on.

In marketing, there were things we needed to do differently too. We had three priority target markets: we had the MMO gamer, who had a relationship with online games and SOE as a real leader in the MMO space. We also targeted the console action gamers and, of course, we were targeting fans of comics! Jim Lee was the executive creator and vital in bringing this forward-thinking philosophy to all aspects of the game.

We saw there were three different groups of people that all want something slightly different we needed to know how to target all of these people without building a [separate] campaign for all three, so we built a campaign that catered out to those three segments.

We’ve done a ton of live events with this game. We’ve done no less than eight live demo events, like Comic Con and SOE Fan Faire. We had both PC and PS3 demo stations and had separate key commands and we set up our booths to accommodate all the target markets. We attended different events, again, because we were targeting three markets.

What information were you trying to convey to consumers via the various online trailers and how did it change leading up to launch?

We saw people who would say, ‘We love the opening event in the game! It was awesome to see Superman fight next beside you.’ Others said, ‘The first fight in the game is awesome, being attacked by giant robots at the beginning, I think it was called Brainiac!’ For the MMO gamers, by contrast, it was all about creating the character; you could see all this feedback reflected throughout the beta.

That’s different from the way a lot of MMOs start. After you make a character, your first quest is usually talking to someone, and then that person tells you to pick up X item, and then after that you have to kill five slugs . . .

We tailored the opening of the game to bring you into the gameplay mechanics and the user interface. It’s also reflected in our opening movie: the game opens with the cinematic that shows why the world is in turmoil and ultimately it’s either going to be ruled over or taken back. From that point, it feels like you’re dropped into the Brainiac ship. The whole fiction of the game is what’s being giving in the beginning. We’ve felt like letting players feel like they are the hero and that’s the important part. It’s a very story driven experience, and that’s important for DC comics, whether it’s the comics, animated series or movies.

The initial encounter also gives players opportunities to know who Brainiac is and what he is. It didn’t feel like a tutorial and it worked out really well.

I was also glad to see Corey Burton in the role of Brainiac, given his familiarity with the role from Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League. Who were you excited to work with on the project?

For me, I’d have to say it’s Mark Hamil; it’s the experience of meeting him. Such a wonderful man, but his voice and characterization of the Joker are unmatched!

All the actors we got, we knew that we wanted this to reach out to the broader gamer who might not be as involved with the DC franchise as others. We wanted them to be comfortable in this world, with these characters that you know make the experience better and we wanted to leverage the incredible depths of the IP. We built cut-scenes to be a really compelling way to convey information on these characters. So the cut-scenes at the end of the boss fights help [the players] feel more engaged, to find out more about the world.

Were you hoping to maybe reach a wider gamer audience, including women?

That was another target market; there’s always been a strong composition of women in MMO games, because women are good at socializing and organizing, and they play a larger role in the guilds. At the events, I was amazed at the number of women dressed in these uniforms. I’d see girls dressed up as Zantana and they would know their personal background and everything! It’s amazing how many strong females there are in the DC universe. One of the media from IGN, she’s been playing a lot and tweeting, and it’s awesome to hear her talk about.

What was seen as important to convey in the TV spots for DCUO?

In the TV spots, we had three goals. I would say everything we have done on this game, the continual focus on speaking to these three markets in ways that’s exciting to them, it was really challenging. We wanted to convey to them that you’re stepping into the DC universe (key to the comic fan) and we wanted to say you’re crafting your own character and that speaks to the MMO gamer. And we wanted to convey that you’re going to have these powers and pick up stuff in the environment that you can throw, which console gamers like. It’s hard to convey all of this in 15- and 30-second spots, that it has all those gameplay features, weaving them together with editing and music. And everything is gameplay other than the part with our pre-rendered opening.

What sort of feedback have you gotten so far?

I’m amazed . . . I don’t want to jinx it, but the feedback has been incredibly positive! I feel like I’ve been in a dream since it launched. People are embracing the game, and we feel very lucky. It took a long time, a lot of tuning and a lot of long nights, so it’s nice to have people embrace it.

What makes working on a super hero MMORPG different than your typical high-fantasy RPG?

It was different in a few key areas. Firstly, you’re talking to a very different market. Action console gamers are very different than the comic book fans. The different conversations we had needed to deal with three different points of view! It was so much more variety from the way people play games and what they were looking for in the game. In terms of communication, it was talking about the graphics, the art, the text even; it’s about not alienating anyone. Bringing forward those things that people liked and that didn’t attract people before.

With the community, we’re establishing a relationship that grows over time. They have a relationship with us and with each other, and that’s a huge responsibility and a huge opportunity! It’s a lot of what we do with social media marketing. We wanted to go to C2E2 in Chicago with DC Comics, but we were so busy with development we couldn’t go, so we had a virtual fan event through our Facebook page. So that was the first of many virtual events with the fans.

Talk to me about the boost you got from DC and Warner Bros. in helping to realize DCUO.

They’ve been instrumental, I don’t even know where to begin! They’ve been so forthcoming and supportive! The relationships we’ve built with them have been great; Jim Lee was a big positive with us. He’s so talented as an artist, but he’s also a gamer! So not only does he ‘get’ DC comics, but he ‘gets’ games. It was important for him to be on board.

Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman, incredibly talented guys, also helped. Geoff is the Creative Officer for DC and they’re both the leaders in that company and we got to work with them,. I think it’s given us incredible dividends. Jim made suggestions, he sat down at our desk and talked about what the box and brand key-art should look like.

We’ve put our cinematic on WB releases, and All-Star Superman will carry our trailer. A lot of DC comics will run ads and DC direct is coming out with action figures based around DCUO. From Sony to DC to Warner Bros., you couldn’t ask for better partners.

How has SOE’s experience with online titles helped form and shape DCUO?

We couldn’t have launched this game if we didn’t have the depth of experience with MMO games. Launching these games is a challenge. This game has so many firsts for SOE launched a game on the PS3, in five languages in 22 countries at the same time. That was a pretty daunting task, and I think we did it with a high degree of quality, so we couldn’t have pulled that off without the depth of this company. The founders of this company developed EverQuest and we have so many other great people, whether they worked on EverQuest or God of War, that are just incredible. There are so many people here who have put in hours and hours; one way or another, the whole company has supported this game.

The pre-rendered cinematic that starts the game is very striking . . . was its main intention to grab the audience with shocking events right off the bat?

We worked very hard with the dev guys on that – it was one of the more exciting marketing products on the project. The back-story of this game was written by Geoff Johns. Lee said he wanted this great back story, because MMOs have these great back stories. When I read it, I couldn’t believe how drawn in I was. It was so visceral and compelling and I said, ‘We’ve got to make a cinematic out of this!’ The story was crafted to answer ‘Why are all these heroes popping up ‘ and it conveys the message of ‘The next legend is you.’ It had so much potential we just wanted to show it through as a movie.

The video is an alternate future that you’re trying to avoid; you’re going outside the lines of where the heroes normally are because it’s a separate universe, which doesn’t hurt the synergy of the IP. That story really became the way to convey the value proposition of the game. It was important to convey that you’re the hero, you’re the villain and you’re going to carry the story of the game and the game is growing and evolving. It was written quite some time ago by Geoff Johns and it shows how lucky we are to work with both him and Jim Lee on the story of the game. It wasn’t really about shock value, though; it was about different opportunities to introduce these characters. You’re not playing as Superman or Batman – you’re going to be the hero or villain fighting for or against them.

I know you can’t give anything away, but is it your intention to grow, develop and change the story of DCUO as time goes on?

Absolutely! It’s key to the value proposition that we’re constantly adding content.  We’re letting our players know what is unique about MMO games by constantly adding new events with new things to see and do because it’s an evolving world. In this game, as you’re continuing to play, we continue to grow the game. We wanted to accommodate where we see what’s popular and build more of that to make sure that people have the most fun with it. That’s something we’re hopefully going to find out about and adapt our plan to the players’ preferences.

With most games, you put it in a box and you’re done. Launching an online game is the beginning and not the end! We don’t know where this will lead us. There is an end game which is unique in an MMO, but there’ll be more after that!

Debysue, thanks.

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Do you think the DC Comics brand will translate well to the MMO style Can MMOs take off on consoles  Join the conversation at Facebook!

Feature: Taking Pocket God Social

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Pocket God has been one of those success stories of the App Store, catapulting Bolt Creative with its success. Looking to expand on the success, they tapped Frima to bring the game to Facebook and they worked with them on adapting the game to the new platform. We talked to Frima’s Senior Brand Director Jake Theis and CEO Steve Couture about Pocket God, social games and more.

Talk to me a bit about the success you’ve had with Pocket God so far on Facebook.

Jake Theis: We’re kind of in a really interesting space. You see things cropping up on new platforms a lot now and this was such a good opportunity. We saw they were offering this and it was obvious they were passionate about the brand. They’ve obviously been successful on iPhone and we saw a tremendous opportunity for Facebook.

Why did you think Facebook was a good spot for Pocket God? Are you seeing new users or cross overs from the mobile version?

Jake Theis: We’re definitely seeing both. [Pocket God] has this enormous user base; people are checking in on the game from Bolt’s blog. Facebook as a gaming platform is immense and there’s a large audience for this sort of experience; it’s a very simple game but rewarding. We can’t have all the tactile features of the iPhone game but we’re able to offer things iPhone doesn’t; we have something with leveling and progression that pays off weeks and months from now. It’s a great solo play for iPhone, but we have some more intimate features with Facebook. You can talk to your friends, or spawn pygmies based around people you know and, say, throw them in a volcano or drop a shark on your boss’ head and then you can let them know it!

Are you pleased with the response to Pocket God for Facebook so far?

Jake Theis: Yeah, absolutely. We see the opportunities to grow. Soon, we’ll reach the 10 million pygmies kill mark in the game. We’re digging into stats like that, like how many times people use certain features, and it really tells us how to build things up.

Do you think there’s a good natural connection there between Facebook games and mobile games?

Jake Theis: Absolutely! From an industry standpoint, we see it going both ways. People are buying into the brand on iPhone and then bringing it to Facebook. You’ll probably see more mobile conversions of Facebook titles too. It’s a mistake to launch an iPhone game on Facebook, though; it’s good to take a concept of a game on iPhone and adapt it to Facebook. You have to use the medium to the best of your abilities.

We’ve noticed you’ve done work for several different platforms.

Jake Theis: That’s one of the great things about our company; when we see an opportunity, be it working with others or our own brand, we can take it on. We think there’s a lot of opportunities there on consoles. As new technology becomes available, we consider it for development.

Steve Couture: We have a great R&D team, we can launch on most every free platform; it’s more a question of business model. We do a lot of work for hire, yes, but also our own stuff. In this case, Bolt’s really been a great partner. They’re playing it and giving us feedback. There’s also all the data, which is very valuable. Jake, for instance, has been killed hundreds of times and on a typical day 360k friends are killed in the game!

What has to be considered when launching a game on Facebook as opposed to other mediums?

Steve Couture: Facebook is a social environment, but we don’t necessarily make the [games] social. They’re not as social as MMOs; you can’t chat with your friends, so the social components are not in real time. You need to make a social experience but you also need to have a deep gameplay experience with your friends. We need to use a technology that is simple, like with Flash. Our statistics show that if people have to download an external player, they’ll probably leave. So we need to use a technology that’s in wide use like Flash. The new version will make Flash more immersive, but for now it’s very basic for gameplay components, so we need to be careful.

For Pocket God, there were some really neat features, like shaking your iPhone to create an Earthquake; obviously you can’t do that with your laptop! Things are adapted to the mouse to produce some of the effects of the Facebook game; it’s about bringing the spirit [of the game] onto the new platform.

How is creating titles for the downloadable environment different for the PSP?

Jake Theis: We’ve had great, great reviews for Space Shooter For 2 Bucks; we’re getting a lot of love for truth in advertising. That’s the first touchstone with the game. For a game like Pocket God on Facebook, we released the game once we were comfortable with it and we’re going to continue developing it, but [for consoles] initially you have to overwhelm them with value. Space Shooter touches something that’s familiar, but you can also trick out your ship, so it twists it on its ear, and it’s open ended with randomly generated levels. You’re able to explore, too. [A console game] has to be really solid from the start.

Steve Couture: This is one of the biggest differences between social games and console titles. For the console, it needs to be as complete as possible, but on social games, you don’t launch with 100 percent of the features you want; you want to react to the metrics and the player patterns in the games. You want to figure out what they’re doing with the game, then you can create the game based upon what your players want. It’s less the feel of the game designer; its designed by the market instead. We see this as a new trend.

How are the players different on each of the platforms?

Jake Theis: Each platform has its own customer base: console gaming is big but so is Facebook gaming. We have passionate iPhone users, as well. They’re mostly separate but there are places where the Venn diagram overlaps. I think the general feeling is, when you do the console title, you’re painting a painting, but for social games, you’re painting a mural that’s never ending.

With console games, most of the heavy lifting is done before release, but it almost seems like it’s better to plan for changes over time.

Jake Theis: Launching a console title is like Christmas day, but social games are like having Christmas 52 weeks a year!

What do you look for when changing social games?

Jake Theis: The first thing I’m looking forward to in the morning is the statistics and what people are doing. One of the things we look at are what powers people are using and unlocking. As we get a better idea of what people do, it’ll dictate what people would like to do. We have social quests that will have more direct ways to get new items and quests, which is really popular, but we’re going to have something similar that you do with your friends in huge projects; that’s driven by what’s popular.

So word of mouth is generally what you rely on to get the word out.

Jake Theis: There’s traditionally the seep of gaming news and there’s also conferences and other things. There’s also talking to fine reporters from established media sources! We do t-shirts, promotional items… I don’t think we’ve unlocked some new marketing. Reviews are very important, I’d like to add.

Talk to me about growing the company, and your extension onto new platforms.

Steve Couture: Most of what we do is work-for-hire for entertainment companies. We appreciate that business, and we want to work with independent partners like with Pocket God, but we want to do more where we own the IP; in short term, this is what we are doing, and Jake is here to manage this part of the business. We’re building a new division for special FX for television and 3D animation for the next generation of gaming console in 4-5 years, when we’ll probably be managing a lot more polygons. The special FX that’s in movies is what you’ll see on the next generation of platforms; that’s part of our growth. We’re 260 people and we’re still hiring as we continue to grow the business.

Guys, thank you for your time.

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Are you a fan of Pocket God How do you feel about games from iPhone being ported to Facebook and vice versa  Join the conversation on our Facebook page!

Exclusive Q&A: Wanda Meloni, Founder Of M2 Research

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By Meelad Sadat

Wanda Meloni, veteran analyst and founder of M2 Research, grants us this exclusive opportunity to talk about the firm and her outlook on the game industry

 

Wanda Meloni, M2 ResearchWanda Meloni, M2 Research

M2 Research founder and senior analyst Wanda Meloni brings an interesting perspective to covering the game industry. Meloni’s background is analyzing the graphics software category, and as such her foray into games began with a focus on game technology and development. However, over the past year, Meloni and her firm have broadened their coverage from R&D to looking at all aspects of the game business. That was evident when the firm kicked off its freely-circulated periodic industry briefs in March of last year with Meloni penning an analysis of how box office revenues for 2009’s Best Picture Oscar contenders compared to sales for blockbuster games. Since then the firm has been out front in covering several trends. Meloni dedicated a year-end report to the surge in layoffs in game development in 2008 and 2009, a trend that continues today. M2 has also looked at a growing number of Japan game developers looking abroad for new markets. As the firm found, that effort is getting support from the Japan External Trade Organization, a government entity helping their domestic developers pair up with international partners at this year’s Game Developers Conference. Most recently, M2 shed light on an interesting development for a fast-growing segment of the game industry when analyst Louise Curcio predicted big entertainment and toy companies are increasingly entering the youth-skewed online games market.

Another area where M2 has established itself as a firm to watch is coverage of GDC and E3, dedicating thorough reports to both last year.  With these events now on the horizon, the[a]listdaily caught up with Meloni for a brief Q&A.

Tell us about M2 Research and its areas of specialty.

M2 Research provides market intelligence for the entertainment and gaming industry. We are unique in that we look at the market from a demographic perspective, addressing gaming genres by the various demographic segments. We have a group of analysts who each brings extensive expertise, covering everything from: consoles, PCs, MMOs, virtual worlds, casual/social gaming, as well as development trends in 3D technology, middleware usage and development costs for the various gaming platforms.

Our primary goal is to help companies make the best business decisions they can by providing them with the information, tools and support they need. And as part of that goal we are currently working on a number of upcoming reports and resources that will be announced over the next several months.

Your firm just put out a report on the growing market for online games targeted at young children. How do you see the surge in online MMO and casual/social games affecting the game market in terms of size and segmentation

The online gaming market provides an exciting opportunity for companies. Online gaming enables game companies to have direct access to their customers, that itself is a huge shift compared to the traditional retail models where developers/publishers were one level removed from their customers. Online games have been responsible for the growth in many of the emerging demographics we are seeing now enter the space, such as kids and female gaming. That itself has had a huge impact on shifting development cycles, business models, and marketing strategies.

Speaking of Nintendo consoles and young gamers, what are your thoughts on the Wii’s position in the console market, is there still Wii business to tap for third-party publishers?

That is a good question. I think we are starting to see where different platforms target different demographics, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Ultimately it will be Nintendo who has to decide what their growth strategy will be as we start to move into a maturation cycle for this generation.

M2 dedicated two reports to E3 last year, where you pinpointed some of the trends for 2009-2010 as motion controllers, 3D games and cloud computing. What are your expectations for these trends this year?

I personally love all the technology trends announced in 2009. I believe things like cloud computing will have a major impact on the industry over the next five years, as well the advances in motion controllers and 3D. Ultimately though, it will come down to the “perceived value” consumers place on these advances. Technology itself is the aid to some perceived need or want, so if consumers have a truly better entertainment experience then it will be successful.

Univision To Form Online Ad Network

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Spanish-language media giant Univision is launching an ad network aggregating web sites that reach a significant portion of the U.S. Hispanic audience, reports Adweek.  The company has approached niche web sites and blogs that have a significant audience but lack ad sales operations.  The strategy is similar to moves by MTV Networks and Martha Stewart’s media company to create vertical ad networks for their target audiences.  Univision’s group includes Spanish-language online destinations for news, entertainment, business and sports content.

Read more at Adweek {link no longer active}.

Feature: Peter Berg Talks Game Marketing

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Video game marketing has come a long way in recent years, with cheap TV commercials giving way to expensive, intricate live action short films that have the feel of a huge Hollywood blockbuster, lending credibility to the industry and its products.

The most recent example of this is writer, director and actor Peter Berg, best known as director of the Will Smith blockbuster Hancock and television’s critically-acclaimed Friday Night Lights. Before tackling the hotly-anticipated Hancock 2, Mr. Berg took to the camera to film the commercial for 2K Sports baseball game, The Bigs 2, which we’ve embedded below for your viewing pleasure.

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The commercial features Milwaukee Brewers MLB All-Star Prince Fielder going up against a hapless Chicago Cubs catcher, both players additionally symbolized by speeding locomotives that head for an inevitably explosive conclusion. Mr. Berg recently sat down with GameDaily contributing editor John Gaudiosi to discuss how the Hollywood and video games relationship has grown in recent years to include marketing efforts such as the one on display in The Bigs 2 commercial. The opportunity to discuss video games and marketing with a big name Hollywood director is a rare one, so we are proud to eavesdrop in on their insightful conversation as Mr. Berg discusses his video gaming background, thoughts on the making of The Bigs 2 commercial, and how he sees the movies and games relationship as another marketing tool to be used in engaging audiences.

Do you have any memories of playing video games growing up?

I was the Asteroids and Deluxe Asteroids champion of Macalester College, 1982. A proud moment for my parents. They sent me to a fairly expensive liberal arts college, and I was the Deluxe Asteroids master.

Did you stick with video games after the arcades?

Yes. I developed an addiction to Tomb Raider about eight years ago. I write, and I had made a deal with myself that I would write for two hours and play fifteen minutes of Tomb Raider. By the end, it was 10 hours of Tomb Raider and about a minute of writing. I realized I had developed a problem, so I quit Tomb Raider.

How long did that last?

I was pretty good until someone turned me on to Splinter Cell, and I had a relapse right back into the throes of my addiction with Sam Fisher, the star of Splinter Cell. It was about nine hours or so of straight Splinter Cell. I had also gotten to know some of the folks at Ubisoft that made Splinter Cell, so I would call some of the designers at crazy hours when I couldn’t figure something out, demanding answers. Then I realized I had another problem. So now, I’m off, again.

Did you try out 2K Sports’ The Bigs 2 here on set?

They were trying to get me to play the baseball game again, today, and I was trying to be cool about it, like, “Nah, I’ve got to work,” but I was just trying to avoid a relapse.

What are your thoughts about what they can do today with video games like The Bigs 2?

This is an awesome game. The whole idea of building and creating your own player, creating his physical look and his tattoos and his style of play, and then watching him come up through this Mexican farm league that they’ve invented, and then the graphics and the texture and the soul of it, it’s all so interesting. As someone that works in the film business, it continues to amaze me that people still want to go see movies. It’s such a comprehensive entertainment package.

Did your background in video games have any impact on you deciding to get involved with this commercial?

No, I just thought that the creative was really good. It was an interesting challenge, and I liked the energy of it. For me, it’s an educational experience. Any time you get to play around with effects like this, put a pro baseball player on top of a moving train and smash ’em together, you learn things that hopefully I can use in film one day. It helps me to educate myself from a technological standpoint.

And what was it like working with MLB All-Star Prince Fielder on this?

Oh, easy. He’s a real nice guy and wanted to do a good job. It was very quick and painless.

What are your thoughts on the convergences going on between games and Hollywood?

It’s still a shaky marriage that’s never paid off. We were talking earlier today, that Tomb Raider remains the most successful collaboration between Hollywood and the world of video games. That was a modest success. Splinter Cell never happened for a variety of reasons. Halo, which probably would have been the biggest hit, hasn’t been able to make a deal, and Grand Theft Auto, which would be a huge hit, they won’t make a deal. They want to protect the brand. So far, it really has not proven to be a hugely financial gold mine for anybody. I think that it’d be cool if the two worlds could operate independently of each other.

Do you think that the generation of Hollywood creatives who grew up playing games will lean towards convergence at some point?

I don’t know. Right now, Hollywood is all about superheroes and comic books and fantasy stories, and taking those brands and trying to convert them. We have yet to see a monster video game captured by film put up the same kind of numbers as Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. It just hasn’t happened, and I’m not quite sure why. I would imagine one day it will. I think if Grand Theft Auto or Halo decided to sell out and go big, you’d see those kinds of numbers.

What are your thoughts of the other side of convergence when a movie is turned into a video game?

Same thing. It’s a nice marketing tool. The studios hide those numbers from us, so that if they are huge numbers, they don’t want the filmmakers or actors’ unions knowing about it because we’ll just fight for pieces of it. I haven’t heard of a video game based on a movie that really broke the bank.

Neither have we. Thanks for your time.

Thank you to GameDaily for giving us an inside look at how video game marketing is looked at by one of today s hottest directors.

Master Chief And The Military-Industrial Complex

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Sometimes, it takes someone from a different industry to provide a unique perspective on our mainstays.  Halo s main character Master Chief is, to all in the gaming industry, an ass-kicking super soldier with little regard for anything but the primary objective.

That’s what makes this interview with Neill Blomkamp so interesting. The director of one of this summer’s big hits, District 9, waxes poetic about Halo, a project to which he was attached that, so far, is in silver screen limbo.

From Rotten Tomatoes:

You said recently that you won’t get involved in the screen version of Halo if it does get made. Is that still the case

[Blomkamp:] One thing I’ve learnt as I’ve gotten older is to never say never. My instinct says that I probably shouldn’t work on Halo because it’s just a strange feeling to pour yourself into something and then have the plug pulled on it. Something in the universe is sending me some kind of message.

But the flip side is that the reason I wanted to do Halo in the first place, and the reason I was so energized to do Halo, is that creatively I love it. I totally love the universe of Halo on every level. Not only is it this epic space saga but Master Chief is such an awesome character. This guy – whether he knows it or not – is a victim of this military-industrial complex. It’s a totally compelling world to be involved in. So on a creative level I’d love to go back there, but I probably would say no.

Master Chief as victim is definitely a different perspective, and one that should remind us that our preconceived notions may not be the only way to look at some of our industry’s mainstays.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Ships 2.5M

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The rare trifecta of a great game coupled with a great license and pushed with great marketing is turning into significant, great sales for Eidos with Batman: Arkham Asylum.

From IndustryGamers:

Earlier this month it was reported that Batman: Arkham Asylum had sold close to 2 million copies in its first month. Today Eidos and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment officially confirmed that the game has shipped over 2.5 million copies since launch. Superhero games haven’t exactly had a great track record (with the Superman games being the worst of the bunch), but Arkham Asylum has been lavished with praise, garnering a Metacritic score in the 90s.

Of course, not every product has that rare confluence, and there’s no way to tell if one of these items impacted sales a lot more than another aspect; for example, a Batman game would sell well regardless of its quality. The question is how well, and we hope to answer that question in an upcoming feature here on the site.

Toys ‘R’ Us Celebrates Halo 3: ODST Launch

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The retailer-specific rewards continue with Halo 3: ODST and Toys R Us with a special offer that coincides with tomorrow s release of the newest installment of the Halo franchise.

From Joystiq:

Those willing to travel to the giraffe-approved retailer this Tuesday are eligible to receive an ODST action figure and a $20 gift card with their purchase of the title.

Will bricks-and-mortar companies compete with digital distribution through real-world items like the ones being offered above   And is this kind of promotion showing a bit of anticipated weakness for the first Halo game being offered without Master Chief as the main character