The surprising news that Warner Bros. has acquired Turbine just might have a price tag now, if rumors are correct. While financial details of the deal were not disclosed when the news broke earlier this week, Boston.com notes that "a source close to the negotiations" values the deal at up to $160 million. Reportedly, that amount also includes "sums to be paid to Turbine shareholders in future years if the company meets certain financial targets."
It's unknown what those targets are, but it's worth noting that Dungeons & Dragons Online received a sizable shot in the arm when it went free-to-play last year. In fact, Turbine's Jim Crowley noted that the game now hosts over 1 million players, though he didn't elaborate on how many are paying customers.
The article also notes that the acquisition gives Warner Bros. the complete rights to the Lord of the Rings universe, as Turbine owns the rights for online games, while WB already had the offline rights. However, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president Martin Tremblay expects more than Lord of the Rings games from Turbine in the future. According to Tremblay, WBIE hopes to open its online games platform to "much more new product" in the future.
#modernwarfare2
It was only a matter of time. Having recently established a new studio to get away from former bosses Activision, Modern Warfare creators Vince Zampella and Jason West have wasted no time recruiting seven of their former Infinity Ward colleagues. More »
We're not going to say that No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise is a hit, but those of us in constant fear of Marvelous running out of money can breathe a sigh of relief, as the remake has brought a little cash in (more considering that the game is a port and therefore probably less expensive to produce).
In fact, both versions managed to make it into the Media Create top ten, with the PS3 version's 16,000 copies securing a #7 position and the Xbox 360 version's 15,000 copies at #8. Both of these actually outperformed the Wii original, which sold 11,700 copies in its debut week back in 2007.
Now that we think about it, however, the real story might be that 15,000 people in Japan bought an Xbox 360 game in a single week.
#republished
[This essay was given as a talk at SUNY Buffalo, 28 January 2010, the day after Howard Zinn's death. I have left the text unaltered, to better reflect the spirit of the talk.] More »
#madden
The first round of the NFL Draft is by now winding down, but remember that EA Sports' ratings guru Donny Moore is considering community feedback when he sets attributes for this year's rookie class in Madden NFL 11. More »
Well, as you can see, the June issue is going to blow open the doors on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. Let’s hope there’s some Wii info in there, and we get MotionPlus support! There will also be some coverage for NBA Jam, so we’ll have to keep a lookout for that.
#marvel
During our weekly Kotaku Talk Radio podcast, Marvel's Chris Baker talked about the settings, stages, and fan service we can expect from next year's Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. No more generic backdrops? Can it be true? More »
Look, we have a fairly refined and nuanced stance on how Battlefield: Bad Company 2 should be played: in Rush Mode.
... Yep, that's it. But, we recognize that some people just like to do things incorrectly and, lucky for them, so does developer DICE. Cue: VIP Map Pack 3. The latest free download for all VIP members adds maps to Squad Rush and Squad Deathmatch -- specifically, Laguna Alta will now be available in Squad Rush mode and Nelson Bay will be available in Squad Deathmatch.
The Battlefield blog says the maps will be unlocked in their respective play modes "sometime in April" but, as you can see above, Map Pack 3 is freely viewable in the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 store. We'll let you know when you can download it.
Above you see the picture for the ‘Castlevania Best Music Collections Box’ that Play-Asia is selling. Why has the image been edited with prohibited signs? Well, items that don’t actually ship with your order have been blocked out. Unfortunately, this image is unaltered on the Play-Asia site, so you might be expecting [...]
In our recent interview with Telltale Games' Dan Connors, he confirmed that the company's goal is to put its games on "everything with a chip in it" and in a new interview with GI.biz, Connors gives away some stats that show why: Already, 40% of Telltale's sales are to console owners.
Connors says that's because it's easier for Telltale to rise above the crowd in the downloadable space: "They have big audiences there," he says, "and they're all used to spending money on games. Compare that to online, where it gets noisy," and Telltale bumps into all of the other PC titles vying for downloads and sales in the browser.
Connors also says that digital distribution allows his company to adjust their development to the final price. He's happy with what they've done so far, and says we can expect more experimentation in the future: "You can have a different ecosystem to stay profitable, play with price points more, and that's what you're going to continue to see."
#madden
Gus Johnson's unpredictable intensity has made him an ironic favorite of many. The CBS broadcaster has done some voice over work for a Madden video, raising hopes we'll hear him losing his shit as the game's new play-by-play man. More »
In an interview with VG247, science fiction author Richard Morgan had some interesting things to say about his writing role on Crysis 2, the upcoming shooter set in a crumbling New York City. It's an industry role with a "soft" template, he explained, and it's not one without some familiar challenges. We're still dealing with a sequel and a superguy shooting aliens, after all.
"I hate the Big Mac aesthetic of pop culture," Morgan said, "which is, you know, sequelitis: 'We're going to give people exactly what we gave them last time, because they liked it, so let's do exactly the same.'" Avoiding that aesthetic and eating healthy, as it were, requires some fresh ingredients. "If we can beat that Big Mac mentality and keep delivering fresh stuff, and something fresh gives the consumer something really fresh to do, then I'm happy, because when I'm doing fresh stuff that's when I'm most awake. With the Crytek experience so far, I'm very awake."
We like the Big Mac explanation, but it's still big talk before Crysis 2 launches this holiday. Admittedly, seeing a game's writer cast in the spotlight at this stage is still uncommon -- and possibly a display of publisher EA's confidence.
#tecmo
In February, Tecmo Koei and renowned designer Tomonobu Itagaki settled a lawsuit arising from their nasty split in 2008. The two are back on social terms, with Tecmo's boss sending congratulations to Itagaki's new studio, and the studio posting it. More »
Ah, the circle of life. Here's how it works: Game developers claim they've created some sort of unbreakable DRM that will lock pirates out, and then the pirates break their way in, leading to even more repressive forms of DRM. The snake has eaten its own tail once again, as Ubisoft's "Online Services Network" - also known as the obnoxious "always on" DRM that's already caused problems for paying customers - has reportedly been hacked. The hack, by a group named Skid Row allows users to circumvent the DRM entirely and play the affected games without connecting to Ubisoft's authentication servers.
In a statement attached to the crack's release, Skid Row proclaims that their crack "can't be compared" to other ways of hacking the games (which include having the software check in with an unofficial server), and that Ubisoft should "next time focus on the game and not on the DRM. It was probably horrible for all legit users. We just make their lifes [sic] easier."
This crack is specifically for Assassin's Creed II but if the method works, it could theoretically be tweaked to include all of the games protected in this manner, including the upcoming Splinter Cell: Conviction. And thus, the circle, the circle of life continues on.
#legal
The United States Supreme Court may decide whether to hear a landmark case affecting the sale of violent video games as early as next week, the California Attorney General's office told Kotaku today. More »
#captivate2010
The man behind Capcom's oddly addictive Ace Attorney games has a new DS title up his sleeve that has you possessing objects to manipulate and trick your way through plot-heavy puzzles. More »
Whether you're a sports nut, pilot, or monkey ... um, islander, there's something for you to check out this week. This is one of the largest updates in recent memory, so go wild with the new MLB.tv app, or download new games, like After Burner Climax. Don't forget to check out the new Uncharted 2 DLC as well.
Check out the full update after the break.
Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:
(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
