Episode 420: Light It Up

The number of the episode does not escape notice from the podcast crew, especially a week before April 20. Aside from that, much is made of the release of Dark Souls III, which T.J. Denzer enthusiastically enjoys. The despicable firing of Alison Rapp is also noted from the unaired podcast recorded last week.

This week’s news includes:

  • Former head of Rockstar North sues developer, alleges $150M in unpaid royalties
  • Oculus apologizes for Rift shipment delay, taking steps to speed delivery
  • The Nintendo NX might include Wii U ports
  • Forbes claims Nintendo NX will likely output 4K

Let us know what you think!

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EA Feels The 310 Million Dollar DaggerEA Feels The 310 Million Dollar Dagger

Halloween is a scary time of year, no less when you’re posting a $310 million net loss. EA CEO John Riccitiello sees “weakness” at retail in October and we’re betting this isn’t the end of the road of sorrow for game publishers around the globe.

Electronic Arts isn’t unfamiliar with bad times and we’re sure to see them make constant adjustments to their headcount, game releases and press as the economy goes into a bit of a slump. Although the game industry won’t see as big a hit as the financial market, everyone is going to watch their spending during slower economic times.

That slowness is a red flag for the mega-publisher, which says it’s “proactively making cost adjustments now.” One of those adjustments is the axing of some 600 EA employees across the globe. (Kotaku)

Last year Electronic Arts lost a “small” $195 million during the same time, not exactly a gold star on the financial records but it sure looks better than this loss. A few games may crumble under the economic pressures, Tiberium for example, but let us not forget the good times! EA posted some nice figures for Spore, Madden NFL 09, Warhammer: Age of Reckoning and Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

So, they mixed a few sequels with a few new franchise hits and gave gamers some pretty hot titles for the year. Of course, hot titles in our hand do not always translate to positive revenue in theirs.

Episode 241: Air QuotesEpisode 241: Air Quotes

This week features a long podcast, as there’s a ton of news to report. Jonah tries air quotes on a pure audio podcast, while Paul refuses to believe The Legend of Zelda: Skyword Sword failed to hit the top 10 in software sales.

In addition, the Gaming Flashback checks out the JRPG Ys.

This week’s news includes:

  • Ubisoft polling gamers for next Assassin’s Creed setting
  • Electronic Arts bans a user for saying “badass”
  • Newell: Piracy is “almost always a service problem” and not price, DRM agitates
  • Christwire makes mock petition asking Pres. Obama ban Skyrim
  • Holiday shopping madness sees woman pepper spraying for 360
  • Microsoft refunds victims of Marketplace phishing scam

All this, and a bunch of reader feedback, as well as the Question of the Week: “Did you buy videogames as holiday gifts for friends and family?” Let us know.

GTA China Town – Nintendo DSGTA China Town – Nintendo DS

Imagine that, the kids hand held grows up and is getting a Grand Theft Auto title. The game will, of course, be a sandbox-style title true to the franchise history and will feature new characters and a new game engine.

No real details came out of the announcement, just a little leak to the press so everyone can speculate on what is to come. First thing that will arrive will be nay-sayer parents telling the ESRB the game isn’t rated correctly, defines violence in today’s culture and is bad for the United States and the youth of America.

Just a guess.

The new game engine will probably be designed for compact hand helds and allow for a very touch-sensitive approach to the game. Imagine car jacking an innocent driver with the touch of a finger or beating an old lady with a bat with a swat of the stylus. Sound fun? Sounds disturbing.

The Grand Theft Auto series needs a DS game. Finally a product that shouldn’t require a billion dollar effort to produce and market yet should yield fantastic sales figures based on the DS install base.