Between Xbox Live and Halo and some other stuff in between, Microsoft have done a great job at nailing down a hardcore market. Problem is, that hardcore market is a small one. It’s nothing compared to the kind of sales Sony managed last gen, and Nintendo are managing this gen. So MS are convinced that, in order to sell more 360s and get more people on Xbox Live, they need to go after a more casual market. And how do they do that? Why, they look for inspiration from the biggest casual market there is: Europe. The gameplay style in Europe is more casual, more collaborative and social. They’re a key part of us getting the next 20 million on the service. We’re asking how we become something that’s relevant to everyone. I think Europe is the North Star, the sign that says ‘here’s what it looks like to broaden the service to everyone’.
That was Microsoft’s Scott Henson, explaining that Lips might not be necessarily targeted at you, America.
Once upon a time, when you mentioned Soulcalibur, people thought of swords. Now, they think of jubblies. So no wonder UK men’s magazine FRONT returned for another round of Photoshop-cheesecake-models-into-videogames. This time, Page Three girls Danni Wells and Amii Grove bust out the “i”s and the sporting equipment for an in-mag SoulCalibur IV. Look at that picture! It’s like they’re thus destroying and pillaging Soulcalibur IV. (But can cricket bats defeat lightsabers? Gah….)
Hit the jump for a good old fashioned butt-off.
Square Enix has released its financial statement, showing that first quarter net sales for the 2009 financial year are down 9 percent compared to Q1 last year. Here’s the number comparison: ¥29.77 billion ($US 276 million) for Q1 2009 vs. ¥33.74 billion ($US 313.4 million) for Q1 2008. Profits were up slightly though with a net income of ¥2.88 billion ($US 26.75 million) from last year’s ¥2.73 billion ($US 25.25 million).
Draw your own conclusions about that Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360 announcement.
Sony’s official Japanese site for LittleBigPlanet is displaying, rather proudly, a release date for the hotly-anticipated hackey-sack simulator: October 30. Don’t take that as irrefutable fact, since Sony Japan may just be making educated guesses in the absence of a date from SCEE, but it should be OK if you take it as a possible possibility.
LittleBigPlanet Official Site [SCEJ, via VG247]
Just look at this video. Look at it (Oh, and before you ask/complain, no, there’s no sound in this vid). It’s Advance Wars. But with Transformers. G1 Transformers. With tech specs and back-of-the-toy-box quotes and the spinning transition animation and everything. Only catch is it’s a mobile game (from Glu), but if we all close our eyes and wish really hard maybe somebody will realise a DS port would be a really good idea.
When the 360′s new dash is launched, it’ll cost you nothing to build an avatar. It’ll cost you nothing to customise it, either, so if you throw on the wrong coloured pair of slacks, relax! Just change them over, no questions asked. But what about the future? VentureBeat asked Microsoft’s John Schappert whether Microsoft were going to introduce microtransactions for the avatars, and got this response:
That may be in the future. In the near term, we want to launch these with great customisation and a great library of accessories this fall. I think there is a lot more we can do with them. You will see us continue to add experiences that make use of the avatar. Our goal is not to create a sterile environment where you move furniture around. It’s about how can we make our gaming experiences better.
In other words, bet your ass we’ll start charging for avatar customisation, as soon as marketing gives us the green light. As an aside, it’s great to see he could also slip in a dig at Home, something not easy when answering a question that’s got nothing to do with it!
Q&A: Microsoft game exec John Schappert talks about Xbox Live, Netflix deal, and Blu-ray [VentureBeat]
Blizzard has loosely dated expansion World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King for sometime between October and December this year. According to Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime:
We have said that it will be coming out this year. I can tell you it’s not coming in the July to September quarter.
Awfully kind of him to narrow it down like that. Mike’s nice like that, you know.
WoW: Wrath of the Lich King Releasing Between October and December [Shacknews]
Sony isn’t quite ready to release it’s new service Life with PlayStation. It needs a little longer in the oven. But fret not, Life be ready sometime later this month. Writes SCEA’s Noam Rimon:
We know many of you are eager to try out the new service for yourself, but you’ll have to hold tight. Due to a few procedural matters, the new service will make its way to PlayStation fans in August.
Rest assured, Life with PlayStation will be a service that introduces a new way to interact with your PS3. By bringing information from around the world into your living room, Life with PlayStation will offer a variety of interactive content and channels on a visually stunning worldwide map interface.
So, sit tight and use Google Earth on your computer or something.
Life with PlayStation update [PlayStation.Life]
While Square Enix is best know for hair-gel covered RPGs, the company, god bless ‘em, is doing its best to expand out. It has a very casual DS line — Why, late last year the company released a wine DS “game” and even created a special bundle with actual wine.
The company announced today that it was launching the “Pure Dreams” brand in Japan. “Pure Dreams” will focus on character branded games and the brand’s first two titles are a good indication of things to come: Snoopy DS: Let’s Go Meet Snoopy and His Friends and Pingu Waku Waku Carnival, both for the Nintendo DS. The games will be out this fall in Japan.
Now if we could only get Snoopy, Pingu, Mickey Mouse and Sephiroth in the same game. Make it happen, Square!
スクエニ、新ブランド「Pure Dreams」を発表 [Game Watch]
