Category: Gamespot

Rock Band developer Harmonix on Friday released a new survey that asks fans for feedback about a “new Rock Band experience.” The survey, which Harmonix released via email blast and on Twitter, asks fans to give their thoughts on all manner of items related to what is probably Rock Band 4.

The survey starts off by asking which Rock Band games you’ve played in the past, and which you enjoyed the most. It also asks about console preferences, and things like what plastic instruments you already own, how often you played during peak times, how many DLC tracks you bought, and why you enjoy Rock Band.

But where things really get interesting is the third page, which asks players to rank the features they find most important for a “new Rock Band experience.”

Options Include:

• Fixed campaign mode
• Competing with the world through leaderboards
• Local multiplayer
• Online multiplayer
• A Variety of venues to play in
• Regularly updated in-game events (Tour Challenges, Battle of the Bands, etc.)
• The ability to create and customize your own character
• Pro instruments and Pro lessons
• Compatibility of existing DLC
• New weekly DLC
• Compatibility of existing hardware
• A large on-disc soundtrack

The survey also asks, assuming the “new Rock Band experience” was compatible with existing hardware, if you would consider buying the game only, the game bundled with one instrument, or the game bundled with a full set of instruments.

Finally, the survey asks if you’d be inclined to preorder a new Rock Band game no matter what or only if Harmonix tossed in bonuses like songs or character outfits.

This survey should not be taken as an indication that Harmonix is indeed working on Rock Band 4. In fact, the Cambridge, Mass.-based developer has said that the game is not in development, even though the studio has “grand plans” to revive the franchise some day for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

A Harmonix representative told GameSpot today about the survey: “From time to time, it’s important for us to reach out directly to our audience to see what they’re most interested in and excited about.”

“As we’ve said in the past, this is a series that is near and dear to us as a studio,” the developer went on. “We’re always thinking about it, as well as actively supporting the community. What the plans for the future are remain to be seen, but feedback from our fans is always valuable; we appreciate folks taking time out to let us know what they’re thinking.”

Harmonix communications manager Nick Chester said in October that Rock Band will return “when the time is right.”

“We love Rock Band, it’s in the company’s DNA,” Chester said at the time. “We own the IP. And when the time’s right we will absolutely come back to it. There’s a whole bunch of factors to take into consideration before jumping in that pool again, but there’s a desire for it, absolutely.”

The most recent Rock Band game was Rock Band Blitz, which was released in 2012 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Just this week, Harmonix launched the first new DLC tracks for Rock Band in 21 months.

What would you like to see from a new Rock Band game? Let us know in the comments below!

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Rock Band developer Harmonix on Friday announced that its upcoming Amplitude game for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 has been delayed. Previously scheduled to launch this March, the rhythm game is now due to arrive sometime this summer, Harmonix explained in a note to Kickstarter backers.

“This is our first time working on PlayStation 4, and it’s been a big learning experience for the team,” Harmonix said. “We’ve put a lot of work into our proprietary engine to support some of the new, awesome content we’re bringing to the reboot. These factors combined have bumped production out a few additional months.”

Right now, Harmonix said it is making “solid progress” on Amplitude, noting that it looks forward to sharing more details about the game in the coming months. Harmonix also teased that it has “exciting plans” for PAX East in March, though these were not specified.

The developer also said that it is using the extra development time to polish Amplitude’s multiplayer mode, which was playable at PlayStation Experience in December, and wasn’t quite where Harmonix wanted it to be.

“Thanks so much for your continued love and support,” Harmonix said. “We’ve hit the ground running upon returning to the studio after the holiday and look forward to getting Amplitude in your hands as soon as we can.”

The new Amplitude game was successfully funded on Kickstarter last year, netting more than $840,000 from more than 14,000 backers. For more, check out GameSpot’s interview with Harmonix about why the game is only coming to PlayStation and our hands-on coverage from PlayStation Experience.

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Swedish publisher Starbreeze on Friday announced the sale of its acclaimed 2013 downloadable game Brothers: A tale of Two Sons to 505 Games in a cash deal worth $500,000.

As part of the deal, 505 Games–which published the original game–has acquired the “full entitlement to the game,” as well as trademarks and domain names related to the series.

Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson Klint said the sale of Brothers to 505 Games represents the company’s “final transition to the digital strategy.”

“With Brothers, we’ve created a strong and critically acclaimed IP, which we now feel can be best nurtured under a new owner,” he said, pointing out that the game has sold more than 800,000 copies worldwide to date.

For its part, Klint said Starbreeze will focus on building out its franchises, such as the heist-themed shooter series Payday, which has been a major financial boon for the company.

Brothers was created by Swedish filmmaker Josef Fares and developed internally by Starbreeze. Klint said he sees a bright future for the series, explaining that he thinks it will “continue to generate awe and admiration” in the days ahead under the new ownership of 505 Games.

Ian Howe, president of 505 Games, added: “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a remarkable game, one of the most affecting games of the last generation and one of which 505 Games has been very proud to be associated. This acquisition reflects 505 Games’ stated strategy of owning and controlling its own IP, and, moreover, IP that can contribute something meaningful to the world of interactive entertainment.”

505 Games did not confirm any future plans for the Brothers series, such as a sequel or spinoff.

Fares has since started his own game development company, Hazelight, which announced its first project, a mysterious Unreal Engine 4-powered title, during The Game Awards in December.

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Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 10 operating system could be the “best operating system we’ve ever created for gamers on PC,” according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer. On the Xbox Wire, Spencer hyped the January 21 Windows 10 event by saying he’s really excited to finally get to showcase “the great work that we’re doing” in the Windows 10 space as it relates to gaming.

“For the Xbox team, this is the beginning of our discussion with fans about the work that we’re doing to bring gaming to the Windows 10 operating system,” he said. “It’s really nice to finally get to be able to talk about this. We’ll continue the conversation throughout the year.”

Microsoft may be investing more seriously into PC gaming, but don’t expect this to come at the expense of Xbox One or the company’s other console projects.

“We remain committed to gaming on console, but we know that we have fans and gamers that also play on PC and phone,” Spencer said. “And it’s important that we build out the features that we have, learning from what we’ve done on console, and helping make Windows 10 the best operating system we’ve ever created for gamers on PCs.”

The January 21 Windows 10 event, called The Next Chapter, will take place at the company’s headquarters in Redmond and will be streamed live at 9 AM PDT. While Microsoft hasn’t announced any specific plans for the event, it’s possible Microsoft will talk about the operating system’s rumored Cortana integration, new Xbox app, or possibly the brand-new browser, Spartan.

Windows 10 is expected to launch for consumers by the end of the year.

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The Xbox One will soon get functionality that lets users take screenshots, Xbox boss Phil Spencer says. This feature, which has been promised for more than six months, should launch in the next few months.

“Screenshots are coming early this year. I know it has been a question for quite a while,” Spencer said on the Xbox Wire. “We delivered themes, and I think a natural add-on to themes are screenshots.”

“Giving people more ability to share their great gaming moments on the platform–whether it’s just as a screenshot, as their background, or through many of the different social networks that we allow people to share their content through is a long-term commitment that we have,” he added.

Back in May 2014, Spencer revealed that the ability to take screenshots on Xbox One was one of the features Microsoft engineers were working to deliver through a future update. One of the reasons why we haven’t seen this feature yet is because it’s “a little more technically challenging” than Spencer first imagined.

“Two weeks ago, [Microsoft engineers] think they’ve found a good solution for screenshots. They’re working on it. They know people want it,” he said in October. “The team has a path to getting it done, and now it’s just prioritizing.”

By comparison, the PlayStation 4 has allowed users to take and share screenshots since launch in November 2013. The Xbox One’s lack of screenshot functionality has put a damper on some game functionality, as Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor‘s Photo Mode is significantly limited on Xbox One.

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Microsoft’s newly announced Xbox One price cut, which brings the price for the current-generation system down from $400 to $350 in the US effective Friday, is only temporary. The price will eventually return to $400, Microsoft executive Michael Nichols says, though it’s unclear when that will be.

Yesterday’s official announcement of the price drop made no mention of an end-date for the new, lower price point, suggesting it was a permanent price drop. However, Nichols confirmed in an interview with Polygon that the price drop was only temporary but wouldn’t say when it will end.

“It’s a temporary reduction and we’re not announcing an end date at this point,” Nichols said. “We want to see how people react to it.”

The price drop announcement yesterday caught some by surprise, as it came just 12 days after Microsoft increased the Xbox One price from $350–which it retailed for during the holidays–back up to $400.

Nichols said Microsoft “made a bunch of moves to engage fans better” on Xbox One over the past year, including the launch of high-profile new games, improvements to Xbox Live, and the initial price drop, which saw the system’s introductory price fall from $500 to $400.

He added that Microsoft was “as aggressive as we could be,” going on to say that “the results were staggering.” Today’s latest price drop is meant to continue that momentum.

“Looking at just how much engagement there was over the holidays with usage of the system and the advocacy from our fans, led us to do a new promotion,” Nichols said.

The Xbox One outsold the PlayStation 4 in the US for November and December, though on a worldwide basis, the PS4 was the top-selling console for all of 2014.

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[UPDATE 4] Bidding for Stadium Events has finished, with the final bid sitting at $35,100.

[UPDATE 3] The high bid for Stadium Events has dropped to $32,252, suggesting the earlier bids of close to $100,000 were fraudulent. In addition, bidding is now only open to pre-approved buyers.

[UPDATE 2] Now, after more than 80 individual bids from collectors, the eBay price has reached $100,000.

[UPDATE 1] After 19 bids from 14 different bidders, the eBay auction for ultra-rare NES game Stadium Events has now reached $40,300. We also spoke with the seller, who answered some of our questions.

You’ve had Stadium Events since the ’90s, so why sell now?

“Felt it was the right time to sell this item.”

Did you consider donating it to Nintendo for their archival purposes?

“I worked for Nintendo for 22 years and do not believe they have any interest in having this game…..they are welcome to bid on it if they do want it!”

How did you come to own this copy of Stadium Events?

“While working at Nintendo games are often available to employees at end of life cycles.

I did not realize the value until 2011, when a story came out about this game being sold on eBay for $44,000. I told my wife ‘I know I have that game.’ I collect a lot of different items, so after looking through several boxes I found it! Since I was still working for Nintendo I could not sell this item for profit, which is a smart company policy. When I left in 2012, it was possible for me to sell this game.”

The original story is below.

Just days after it came online, an eBay auction for ultra-rare NES game Stadium Events has reached about the price of a new car. Bidding opened on January 5 at $5,000 and quickly rose to where it sits today at $22,100. A total of nine people have submitted bids so far.

The game, which saw a very limited release in 1987 and was paired with the short-lived Family Fun Fitness pad, is considered one of the first exercise games. It’s incredibly rare on its own, but adding to the appeal of this auction is the fact that the copy remains factory sealed.

On top of that, the seller says the game–which is in excellent condition–has been verified by the Video Game Authority, a group that grades and authenticates older games. It’s also housed in an “archival” case that protects it from UV rays, ensuring its preservation for years to come.

Writing on the auction page, the seller says they used to work at Nintendo and have had the game since the 1990s. We’ve reached out to the seller, asking for more details about the auction, which officially ends January 15.

This isn’t the first time Stadium Events has showed up on eBay. In 2010, a factory sealed copy of the game sold for an incredible $41,300, according to a report from Kotaku. It’s also not the only Stadium Events game now on eBay, though it appears to be the only factory sealed copy.

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