Square Enix: Current Console Generation Has Lasted "Way Too Long"

Square Enix's worldwide technology director has said that the length of the current console generation is "the biggest mistake [Sony and Microsoft] ever made".

In an interview with GamesIndustry, Julien Merceron shared his opinion that those developers who grew bored of the current generation were pushed into exploring iOS and browsers, and were now unlikely to return to hardware.

“

We have Sony and Microsoft talking about this generation lasting seven,eight, nine or even 10 years and it's the biggest mistake they've ever made.

"We have Sony and Microsoft talking about this generation lasting seven,eight, nine or even 10 years and it's the biggest mistake they've ever made," he claimed.

"This generation has been way too long, and I say this because you have a lot of developers that work on a new platform, and perhaps will not succeed, so they will wait for the next generation, and will jump on that platform. You could not do that with this generation though. So these developers went elsewhere to see if the grass was greener. They found web browsers, they found iOS, they found other things and a lot of them won't come back to the hardware platforms. So you could look at it that thanks to Microsoft and Sony and the length of this generation, it helped the emergence of other platforms and helped them get strong before the next hardware comes out."

Merceron elaborated by suggesting that future generations could afford to be shorter, thanks to simpler hardware and increased online functionality.

He explained, "With a simple architecture you do give more chances to everybody, which I believe is very important based on the critical business situation we're in. Games will be more costly. If you start to make the entry bar really high, more studios will die, more publishers will die, there'll be less titles on platforms, etc. If you make it accessible, you give more chances to people, you'll have a better portfolio at launch , but now you also have a problem with your longevity.

“

Now you don't need to manage longevity by complexity of programming, because your longevity is ensured by your online model. And I would suggest that maybe we don't want long generations.

"Now you don't need to manage longevity by complexity of programming, because your longevity is ensured by your online model. And I would suggest that maybe we don't want long generations."

The worldwide technical director concluded by discussing the company's latest tech demo, Agni's Philosophy, and asserted developers will always be plagued by the Uncanny Valley.

"As soon as we ramp up the quality on graphics, this level of quality on facial animations won't be good enough. Some games succeed to be at the limit of the Uncanny Valley, but … the problem is that as rendering quality will go up, new problems will surface. The quality of the facial and body animations and the acting won't be good enough. So that is why as you evolve, you have to upgrade your physics, rendering and animations," he stated.

"It will always be a problem. As you push something, you have to recalibrate and rebalance these out. You can't have these stunning graphics while characters are acting funny on the screen."

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant.  You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Star Trek: TNG Second Season BD Includes Extended “Measure of a Man” Episode

With the Blu-ray of Star Trek: The Next Generation - The First Season on its way in July, fans are already chomping at the bit, eagerly awaiting future seasons of the hit show. TrekMovie.com managed to dig up an interesting tidbit about the forthcoming second season of TNG on Blu-ray, which is expected to hit shelves this winter.

Writer Melinda M. Sodgrass has confirmed, via her Twitter account, that she's currently prepping an extended cut of the episode "Measure of a Man" which will run 20 minutes longer than the current broadcast version. Fans will get a sneak peek at this episode during the one night Fathom Event, where episodes of the first season Blu-ray will screen at select cinemas.

It's not known just yet if "Measure of a Man" is the only episode getting an extended cut. Even if it's the only episode to be extended for these Blu-rays, it's a welcome addition. "Measure of a Man" is a fan-favorite that illustrates just how smart, intelligent and awesome The Next Generation series really was.

Be on the lookout for a review of Star Trek: The Next Generation - The First Season on Blu-ray in the coming days. If you haven't already, you can pre-order the Blu-ray on Amazon. Also, check out our review of Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level, the first TNG Blu-ray -- a sampling of great things to come.

R.L. Shaffer wants you to "make sure that history never forgets the name...Enterprise." Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and MyIGN for quotes, rants, reviews, news and more!

Source : ign[dot]com

Are the Next-Gen Consoles Coming Too Late?

Microsoft and Sony really want you to wait a while before playing their next generation systems. They want you to sit tight.

Before launching anything new, they want to hold off until the last possible moment. They want to skip out of the tottering, crumbling edifice of the current generation just before it comes crashing to the ground.

Their anxiety about making the move is so great that they are prepared to allow Wii U a free run at the market for at least year, and they are even happy to wave each other through as first-to-market. Disappointingly, there has been none of the mind-games or competition on launch timing that we've come to expect (and enjoy) from hardware warfare. There is no sense of an arms race -- of two mighty rivals manfully striving to beat each other to the punch.

The reason is simple. The current generation is finally making money and declining at a seemingly manageable rate, adding much-needed loot to Sony and Microsoft’s coffers. In contrast, the next generation will cost a great deal of money and will continue to do so for years. And with both technology and consumer behavior changing fast, launching games consoles has never been riskier. In short, Sony and Microsoft have too much to lose by rushing to market, while Nintendo has nothing to gain by waiting.

Microsoft and Sony are seeing returns on their huge investments of the last decade. Game sales are declining but the businesses are largely predictable and clustered around big, profitable franchises. Also, they have finally reached a critical mass of online subscribers who are willing to buy highly profitable digital-only games. This is a situation both firms have invested heavily in achieving. They are not about to screw it all up by rendering their lead products obsolete.

As Microsoft’s Phil Spencer told me at E3, ”Our business is really in a sweet spot if you think about the installed base and the number of people -- the addressable audience -- of a platform like Xbox 360 right now. So as somebody who's running a publisher, a first-party publisher, but still, an entertainment publisher, it's a great time to be on Xbox. We've got tens of millions of people out there, so when we put out something like Minecraft, we sold two million units. That's a great business.”

And Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Jack Tretton is equally good at spinning positive on the company’s reluctance to move forward. He told Gametrailers, “We have never been first [to launch], we have never been cheapest, it is about being the best. If you can build a better machine and it is going to come out a little bit later, that is better than rushing something to market that is going to run out of gas in the long term."

Credit: Gamasutra

It’s interesting that the third-party publishers are in no rush for their first-party cousins to make the leap. Given that their sales are declining, you might expect some sort of call-to-action. Not so. One leading exec told me that he is “delighted” that neither Sony nor Microsoft had anything to say about new hardware at E3. The publishers do not want you saving up to buy a new console next year, based on fancy promises and lush previews. They want you buying their current-gen AAA games this year. They don't want you thinking that there's something better around the corner. They want you to be happy with your lot.

Of course, they are seeing serious declines in games retail sales in 2012, but they still don’t want the market to do anything rash, like introduce exciting new products. Because that would trigger an expensive third-party arms race of polishing and marketing all that new IP they’ve all been secretly working on. For now, the game companies would rather manage the gentle stroll of decline than face the extreme challenge of a new generation.

But this conservatism is risky. Downward trends have a habit of seeming predictable right up to the point when they are not. If Malcolm Gladwell is to be believed, it’s the trend-setters, the most knowledgeable consumers, who make the difference, who change behavior so sharply that it precipitates calamitous consequences. In other words, people like you make all the difference.

The gaming industry relies very heavily on trend-setters, just the sort of gamers who are most impatient for new hardware, and most likely to set buying trends for games on old hardware. The whole strategy relies on you continuing to be excited about the current generation, and continuing to influence the mass market by your enthusiasm. And sure, there are lots of things to like about the games coming out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But should that excitement wane, the consequences are dire. The big games season of 2012 looks dandy, but 2013? Maybe that's a year too far.

Right now the business is relying on the millions of people who’ll go out and buy the new Call of Duty. But the people who really matter are the first million who bought the original Call of Duty and put the whole thing in motion. And, by the end of 2013, these guys will have been playing the same console for an unprecedented seven years (PS3) or eight (Xbox 360) without a new generational introduction.

Let’s just come out and say it. The current generation is old.

Meanwhile sales of retail games are dropping, fast. Earlier this month, in his excellent regular column for Gamasutra, statistics-analyst Matt Matthews made this startling observation:

“In each of 2008, 2009, and 2010 the 50 million annual unit software point was crossed sometime in March. But in 2011, it fell back into early April, indicating a significant slowdown. This year, unit sales just crossed 51 million units at the very end of May.”

Source : ign[dot]com

Take-Two Expects to Thrive in Next Gen

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick likes the company’s chances next generation. Speaking during a fourth quarter earnings call today, Zelnick said that transitions to a new hardware cycle can create challenges for some publishers and opportunities for others, and he believes Take-Two will fall into the latter category.

Zelnick said that those with strong technology, strong owned intellectual property and top talent thrive in a new console cycle, and he believes that describes Take-Two but not many of its competitors. “We expect to be at the front of the line,” he said.

This comes in the wake of disappointing losses for Take-Two, who saw net revenue of $148.1 million this quarter, roughly $34 million below 2011’s $182.3 million. For the year, Take-Two’s net loss was $108.8 million. Comparatively, the company saw a profit of $48 million in 2011.

“While our financial results were disappointing, the decisions we made position Take-Two for growth and profitability both this year and over the long-term,” Zelnick commented.

It wasn’t all bad news, though, as L.A. Noire and NBA 2K12 boosted earnings for the year. Both titles have shipped more than five million units to date, with LA Noire holding the honor of best-selling new IP in 2011. In the wake of BioShock Infinite’s recent delay to 2013, Zelnick also revealed that the BioShock franchise has shipped 9.5 million units to date. Meanwhile, Max Payne 3 has shipped three million units since its release last week.

“Fiscal 2013 kicked off with the successful launch of Max Payne 3, which received outstanding reviews and promises to be another hit for Rockstar Games,” Zelnick said. “We have a fantastic lineup of upcoming releases for the balance of the year and the strongest development pipeline in the company’s history.”

The company predicts a big year in 2013, with its current release calendar and some "titles yet to be announced” pushing expected revenue to $1.75 billion. While Zelnick wouldn’t reveal whether that prediction specifically included Grand Theft Auto V, he did add that the title is “in full development.”

Other news from Take Two’s earnings results includes a possible delay to 2014 for 2K Marin’s XCOM first-person shooter and the potential end of the MLB 2K series. The company also confirmed a few release dates for the upcoming fiscal year, as included below:

• Max Payne 3 (PC) – June 1, 2012

• Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods and Kings – June 19, 2012

• Spec Ops: The Line – June 26, 2012

• Borderlands 2 – September 18, 2012

• NBA 2K13 – October 2, 2012

• XCOM: Enemy Unknown – October 9, 2012

• BioShock Infinite – February 26, 2013

A release window for Grand Theft Auto V has still not been announced, though many analysts continue to predict that the game will be released in 2013.

Source : http://www.ign.com

The Big Strategy Games of 2012

With the current generation of consoles coming to a close and the next one just around the corner, the year ahead is shaping up to be one of the most exciting the gaming industry's ever seen – and the quality of the new releases just over the horizon looks better than ever, too.

All this week we're highlighting some of our favorite upcoming titles scheduled to release before the end of 2012, breaking them down by genre to help you get up to speed on what you'll be playing between today and New Year's Eve.

Yesterday we kicked things off with the Racing genre. Today, Strategy games.

Dota 2

Almost every video game's development cycle is plagued with problems and pressure, but Dota 2's had to struggle through legal troubles on top of any other headaches. This game serves as the sequel to the popular Warcraft III mod "Defense of the Ancients," and its transition from being known by the acronym D.O.T.A. to becoming a separate, lowercase standalone brand has been a rocky one.

Things seem to be all smooth out now, though, which means fans can breathe a sigh of relief and finally look forward to the game itself without worry. The game looks to be shaping up into something truly special, too, as you'll take command of a hero who levels up over the course of real-time battles, hacking and slashing through hordes of foes to protect your towers and take down your enemies' fortresses. Expect refinements across the board from what you first enjoyed back in the Warcraft III era – and, if you're a mod creator, take encouragement here. If you make something truly excellent, you might just have your own series someday. (After jumping through the legal hoops.)

Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm

It's been almost two years now since Starcraft II first went on sale as "Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty," which focused its single-player campaign on the series' Terran race. Blizzard promised that Zerg and Protoss campaigns would follow later on, and while we still don't have a firm release date set in stone, we're confident that Heart of the Swarm will see release soon. (And certainly before the end of 2012.)

This second piece of the planned Starcraft II trilogy will bring back Zerg queen Kerrigan and focus on telling her part of the on-going interstellar war story – while myriad tweaks and new units roll out to officially become part of the game's massive multiplayer community. We can't wait to start spawning Zerglings once more – but after we get our fill here, the wait will begin again for the release of the Protoss-focused Legacy of the Void sometime in the more distant future.

Pokemon Conquest

The gaming industry is crazy for crossovers between franchises now, but none of them can match the wild pairing of a kid-focused, mass market RPG series full of cartoon monsters with a hardcore, incredibly niche, wholly insular strategy franchise only ever truly enjoyed by the smallest fraction of gamers around the world. Such is the strange reality of Pokemon + Nobunaga's Ambition, though, which will ship to North America in June renamed as "Pokemon Conquest."

Pokemon Conquest casts you in the role of a combination Pokemon Trainer and feudal era warlord, using your monsters as soldiers in turn-based combat on a grid and working your way toward an ultimate confrontation with Nintendo's version of historical Japanese icon, Oda Nobunaga. The Pokemon series has experimented with nearly every other genre that gaming has to offer, and it's exciting to finally have Pikachu and his crew stepping into Strategy. (The outlandishness of the scenario is just bonus.)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

The original XCOM is the reason many gamers of the early '90s were turned on to the appeal of tactics titles in the first place, and so this upcoming revival of the franchise is being tearfully awaited by nostalgic fans. The game will once again pit humans against invading aliens in turn-based, tough-as-nails combat, but the advancements in design and visuals across the industry through the past two decades promise to make the action look more stunning than anything your rose-tinted memories may recall from years ago.

Of particular interest is XCOM's on-the-fly cinematic generator. You'll observe the playing field from above as normal, issues your commands to soldiers, pick movements and attack targets and all that standard strategy stuff. But after you've confirmed your moves, the game's camera will take on a life of its own, dipping down into the action to find the best, most cinematic angles from which to view the results of your orders. No more wide-angle shots of alien targets getting shot in the distance. Now you'll see those little green men go down right up close.

Want to read a bit more about XCOM? It just so happens that we learned of its release date today, and we've also got fresh hands-on impressions from our own Greg Miller for you too. Click away to keep the alien invasion going.

Rainbow Moon

Last on our list today is Rainbow Moon, a PlayStation Network exclusive that should be hitting Sony's digital storefront any day now. Rainbow Moon comes to PSN courtesy of SideQuest Studios, previously known for the Soldner-X series.

This one looks like classic SRPG goodness wrapped in a colorful, cartoony presentation – but more exciting than the prospect of getting to explore its vibrant worlds is the fact that the design seems to be taking a unique spin on battles. Both story-advancing encounters and roaming random fights are included to suit both tastes (while the random battles can be skipped if they annoy you). The download will also be packed with tons of enemy types, hero skills and PlayStation trophies. Strategy gaming across the board looks great for the rest of 2012, but PlayStation players will get to have Rainbow Moon all to themselves.

There you have them, our picks for the top Strategy genre games planned for release before 2013 rolls around. Have any favorites on this list? Did we miss mentioning something? Share your thoughts through the comments box below, then come back for our next installment tomorrow – Wednesday will be Action and Adventure games.



Source : http://www.ign.com

Electronic Arts To Spend $80 million On Next-Gen Games In 2013 Ads By Google » Blog Tags Today's Most Popular Videos »

Electronic Arts is committed to the next generation of consoles. In a recent financial filing, the company said it will spend $80 million on "development of games for Gen4 console systems."

While the company isn't ready to say which titles it's developing for the PlayStation 4 (or whatever it will be called) and the next Xbox, it's nice to know that EA is thinking ahead, and when these systems do eventually launch, their will be games out for them.

Let's move from EA's future to its past. In the last year, EA reports a strong quarter and a fiscal year highlighted with $1.2 billion of digital revenue,

"In the coming year, we break away from the pack," said Chief Executive Officer John Riccitiello. "With a very different profile than the traditional game companies and capabilities that none of our new digital competitors can match."


Source : http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/723538/electronic-arts-to-spend-80-million-on-next-gen-games-in-2013/

Beyond Good & Evil 2 Will Most Likely Be A Next Gen Title Ads By Google » Blog Tags Today's Most Popular Videos »

Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still in the works, but according to Ubisoft's Michel Ancel, it will probably be a next-generation title. Ancel, the creator of Rayman, confirmed the game was still in development in an interview. He also mentioned Beyond Good & Evil 2 would require better tech than what the current generation of consoles can offer.

Based on translations, it sounds like yes, the game is very much in the works. Ubisoft wants to make sure this game is ambitious as possible, and they need the proper tech to support the camera angles, graphics, and combat they want. Since a next-gen console hasn't been announced yet, they can't announce which platforms it will be on, or even what year it will launch.

Below you'll see a concept trailer for Beyond Good & Evil 2. Ancel commented on the video's Mirror's Edge vibe, but Ancel denied that game was an inspiration. The concept for the video was created before Mirror's Edge was released. Ancel even added Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia were closer to the concept of BG&E2.

I can definitely see Ubisoft using Beyond Good & Evil 2 has a next gen launch title. I think that would be great for console sales. But next-gen consoles are a ways off still, so Beyond Good & Evil fans are going to have to wait a while, maybe even a few more years.

Do you think Beyond Good & Evil 2 will be worth the wait?

Source: NeoGaf


Source : http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/723527/beyond-good-evil-2-will-most-likely-be-a-next-gen-title/