Episode 425: Paul’s Return Part 1

Paul returns to the show to drown his sorrows in the discontinuation of a game series he loved, and the podcast ran so long it has to be split into two parts.

The first half of this podcast includes the following news items:

  • Why Disney Infinity 4.0 was shut down
  • Microsoft kills Project Spark for Windows, Xbox One

Stay tuned for Part 2.

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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?

Resistance 2: Epic Scale of Huge ProportionsResistance 2: Epic Scale of Huge Proportions

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The trailer they presented after the game play demonstration was real footage of the game and shows off just how much Resistance looks like War of the Worlds. The trailer even included a radio commentator which reminds you of the War of the Worlds attack and has the same gritty battles, huge alien robots and flying ships floating over the massive city.

The trailer shows the scale and emotional feel of Resistance 2. This game may be a console seller if the trailer and game footage reflects the game and its core feeling. It makes Gears of War look tiny by comparison.

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