Like a washed up superstar, Grand Theft Auto IV continues to drop in NPD figures. This Axl Rose of video games came on strong and sputtered out into oblivion with barely a notice, leaving the spotlight and all hype behind it. This drastic fall may hurt any negotiations “behind closed doors” with Electronic Arts and their constant attempts to take over Take-Two.
Prior to the release of GTA IV we, in our gaming podcast, predicted a huge launch would up the anti against the bids on Take-Two from EA but things didn’t work out exactly as we expected. Although the game has sold 8.5-million units, it might not add any new bargaining power to the back door negotiations.
A game company is only as good as their games. A hit title which dies out quick helps financially guide the future of the company; technically the future isn’t so bright. With the title quickly falling off the top game sales charts we may never see it hit record sales figures to match that of smaller titles. Having one hot title every four years that “breaks records” for a week isn’t a strong weapon against a low bid from a larger publisher.
While EA may not have any record setting “one week” sales titles yet, they do have a consistently strong set of titles which stick on the charts for months with newer titles arriving to take their spot when they fade. The same can be said for a few other notable publishers, Activision and Ubisoft. To survive in the hot game industry, especially with market downturns, one must have a cycle of great games to publish throughout the year consistently year-over-year in order to provide evidence of their financial stability.
Assuming the bid won’t raise for GTA IV, where does that leave Take-Two? Perhaps Take-Two is better off under the umbrella of Electronic Arts after all. The waters are getting more hostile in the industry as companies compete for gamers attention with 100-million dollar titles and casual games and game consoles (read: Wii) start to build a whole new none-gamer-style momentum.
Is Take-Two better off under the EA brand?
This weeks gaming podcast covers two reviews, including LittleBigPlanet and Guitar Hero: World Tour. We also touch on a bit of retro NES history with ExciteBike. This weeks gaming news includes:
hey,
i have not listen to this episode yet but, i would like to thank you jonah for including a battlefield news article included. is much apreciated from a fan of the series like me :3
@“Family” trailer didn’t sell Dead Island, co-op did
Yep, makes sense for a game to sell due to game play features.
@World of Tanks was dismissed as “cheap Asian stuff” – and GDC Europe
I also had no idea about GDC Europe …
World of Tanks seems a nice game, my brother plays it a lot and he likes it. It has a tech tree that does depart from realism a bit, true, but still, a very interesting game.
@Alleged “Microsoft Xbox Durango Development Kit” sold on eBay for $20,100
So it’s a prototype of the console … basically similar hardware to what the console will use … with a (yet dodgy until patched to be usable by the game devs) software dev kit that will also be provided by Microsoft for a very small fee …
Who buys that stuff?!
I mean sure, you have now (2012) a console that won’t be available (along with its games) until one -two years later,woot!! Now, what games are you going to play on it?
@QOTW:
Hmm, tough call. What usually sets apart MMOs is the fact that you have a lot of players sharing the same world and interacting with each other.
In Facebook games you don’t really do that; it more like Massive Multiple Instances of Single Player Online.
We’ll all miss you Paul! Best of luck on your recovery and you’ll be in our thoughts until your return.
Sorry for posting late in the last few weeks, but I’ve been saving podcasts for when I’m not on the computer and I fell a bit behind. To Paul: get well soon and you will definitely be missed in the next few podcasts.
@QOTW: I think that they should fit in some type of new sub-genre, because MMO to me means roaming a world where you see plenty of other people playing and you can interact with them, not just a game with a large number of people online with a few interactions.
hi guys!
dan, last week… you should have ignored jonah and read with tough sarge’s voice… ¬¬ damn you jonah!
@Deep Silver: “Family” trailer didn’t sell Dead Island, co-op did:
of course! if a game is good, it will sell itself, ads are just for that, TO ADVERTISE!
@DICE: Battlefield 4 isn’t set in the future, talks Bad Company 3:
i will not be getting MoH warfighter for the bf4 beta, just like in BF3, i will probably buy the limited edition and get early access anyways. i wish bf4 were the 2143… far future is so coooool!
and the bad company “series” has still a lot of potential! the single player is full of nice comedy and has a (descent) story. looking forward to see haggs sweetwater and sarge again while playing as marlow!
oh! and a coop drop in drop out campaign would fit nicely!
@QOTW:
mmo means massive MP online. it is simple to see if FB games fit that category, but “classic” mmo’s like WoW, DayZ mod (idk if 40~60 players are already considered as “massive”) and LotR might have distorted the MMO word meaning. summerizing, yes, they are, but not as harcore gamers are used to.
If Paul is listening, by now i hope your surgery did well and you are in a collorful paralel world in drugs enjoying yourself :3. save some pills ‘cuz i want to see how are you in the podcast while high 🙂
GET WELL SOON
@Dead Island
As someone who played Dead Island co-op, I can confirm that it sold the game. Besides, you need to be very shallow to buy a game just because of a trailer. Dead Island is what the Xbox needed for the past 6 years of its existence. A game with a world which can be freely explored by a group of people. And it has zombies wearing bikinis (if you like that kind of stuff). The games single player experience does not even remotely compare to that of Skyrim or Fable. It’s the world’s most boring and lonely zombie apocalypse.
@Battlefields
I must admit, I prefer Bad Company 2 to Battlefield 3. I hope they make a third one. Problem with setting a game in the future (i.e. 2142) is that you have to make up bullshit sci-fi weapons, which don’t appeal to everyone. An AK-47 is a trusted weapon which is loved by gamers and terrorists alike. Battlefield 2142 had walkers, emp granades and active camo. Such gameplay elements required a different set of skills which dominate modern day shooters. A COD fan wouldn’t like 2142.
@Facebook games
Facebook is not a gaming platform.
/thread
Can’t add much. The comments before mine explain it well. MMO are supposed to have people around. So that you can interact with others in real time. Or be like me, and play by yourself to feel alone but surrounded by people.