SeveralXbox One users who bought the console near launch are reporting that they’ve received thank you notes from Microsoft saying that they’ll get a free copy of the indie platformer Limbo when it’s released.
Developer Playdead’s game, which was first released on the Xbox 360, has yet to be officially announced for the Xbox One, but it was listed for the console on a Korea-based ratings board last month.
Today is the official one year anniversary of Xbox One, and a post to Major Nelson’s blog explains that Microsoft is celebrating the occasion by giving away a range of digital content “to show our appreciation for your loyal and continued support.” Strangely, Limbo isn’t one of the games Microsoft said you might get for free.
Only Xbox One owners who bought their console before November 11, 2014 in the console’s 13 launch markets who are 17 years or old and have played 10+ hours on Xbox One are eligible. You can find the full list of possible free gifts here.
GameStop is worried that digital games could drive game prices dangerously low, according to a statement from the company’s president Tony Bartel in its most recent quarterly earnings report.
“We want to help ensure that our industry does not make the same mistake as other entertainment categories by driving the perceived value of digital goods significantly below that of a physical game,” Bartel said (via Seekingalpha.com). “When the free digital token programs end, we believe that the industry will need to work together to continue to price goods in a way that sustains profitability and encourages a great innovation that this category needs.”
Bartel also said that recent research indicated that the average price a consumer pays for a full, AAA game download is $22. When asked what price consumers expected to pay for a full game digital download, they said approximately $35.
Two important pieces of information that Bartel didn’t mention about that study are which platforms did these consumers buy these games for (Console or PC, where platforms like Steam offer regular sales), and how long after the release of these games did consumers buy them for $22. Later in the call, Bartell said that $22 is “clearly an unsustainable price point for a game that physically is at $60.”
How much do you expect to pay for full, digital games? Let us know in the comments below.
Alex Hutchinson, the creative director on Far Cry 4, is moving on to his next project at Ubisoft Montreal, a smaller, more personal game.
“I’ve got clearance along with a bunch of people from Assassin’s Creed III and Assassin’s Creed IV to go off and do something new after [Far Cry 4],” Hutchinson told CVG . “The challenge then is to keep costs down and make something that competes at a high level, without saying ‘we need a thousand people for a new IP!’”
The project is part of Ubisoft’s new strategy to encourage developers to pursue passion projects in addition to huge, AAA releases. Child of Light, for example, was led by Patrick Plourde, who previously directed Far Cry 3.
And yet, Microsoft still has some distance to go if it really wants to turn the console’s fortunes around. While Xbox One sales are (naturally) picking up for the holiday season, the corporation has undeniably lost its stranglehold on the UK and North American markets.
At the very heart of its revival plan is convincing you, the informed consumer, that its new-gen console is worthy of your money. Has it done enough yet? Below, GameSpot has created a comprehensive review to mark the one-year anniversary since the system’s release, guided by a simple yet important question for any gamer: Is it time to buy an Xbox One?
On Saturday, November 15, GameSpot marked the one-year anniversary of the PS4’s release with a similarly styled analysis. Then on Tuesday, November 18, we followed up with a breakdown of the Wii U to mark its two-year anniversary.
Xbox One’s Inferiority is Overblown, But Not Trivial
The Xbox One is a capable next-generation console packaged with a problem.
In its first year on the market, Microsoft has proven its system can deliver a noticeable leap in visual fidelity when compared to the previous geneneration, as demonstrated by the graphical sumptuousness of games such as Forza Horizon 2 and Ryse. And yet, while this next-gen splendour should be applauded, Microsoft faces a hard truth:PlayStation 4 has shown, on many occasions already, that Sony’s system carries a raw power advantage.
Who, hand on heart, can tell the difference between 900p and 1080p?
It is difficult to gauge how meaningful this will be for everyone. Who, hand on heart, can tell the difference between 900p and 1080p? Such a minor disparity in resolution can be found between the Xbox One and PS4 versions of key triple-A games such as Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Dragon Age: Inquisition.
However, with some other games the difference is less subtle. The likes of Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts render at 720p on Xbox One, while the PS4 versions maintain a 1080p display.
It’s worth noting that, generally, the quality gap appears to be narrowing, with the 1080p/720p split mostly occurring with launch titles. Much like how coders managed to get the most out of the PS3’s complex and exotic multithreaded architecture, the likelihood is that developers will eventually be able to optimise Xbox One code so that it comes closer to graphical parity.
But that can’t exactly be guaranteed either, especially considering the PS4 GPU has a pipeline for 1.84 teraflops of compute workload, while the Xbox One’s maxes out at 1.31 teraflops. Hard facts such as these will be difficult, but not impossible, for programmers to overcome.
Microsoft has taken a proactive approach to addressing the Xbox One’s shortcomings, and in June, it updated the platform so that developers could reclaim 10 percent of the GPU that was reserved for Kinect-related tasks.
Yet, no matter how much resolution disparity is an overblown issue, and no matter how hard Microsoft is fighting to remedy the Xbox One’s shortcomings, the PS4 nevertheless comes with the quiet assurance that it delivers an uncompromised console experience. That detail, when combined with the PS4 and Xbox One’s similarity in price, makes Microsoft’s console a complicated proposition.
In terms of form factor, the Xbox One boasts a premium finish that loses a little elegance due to its sheer bulk and external power brick. This is a humongous and somewhat hollow console, halved with ventilation casing that–one suspects–was designed with the nightmare of three red rings still lingering in mind. It’s not a disastrous look, but good hardware design tends to grow on you and the Xbox One, when sitting under your TV for months, won’t do that.
Kinect, meanwhile, is an eyesore. Stiff and angular and bulky beyond belief, the peripheral blends as well into a home theatre set-up as a brown leather shoe would. Its artery-sized cabling is difficult to hide and the peripheral will make any set-up lose its grace. (It is, however, now an optional extra).
Xbox One Game Install Times Are Exasperating
The escalating file sizes of triple-A games, coupled with the relatively slow speeds of disc drives, has made game installation a modern necessity.
While this is an understandable trade-off for games that carry beautifully rich and detailed assets, the Xbox One’s install times are painful. When taken completely offline, the console took around five minutes to install 13 percent of Assassin’s Creed Unity, which was enough to make the game accessible to a point. The remainder took more than another half hour to fully install (which, bear in mind, locks out the chance of installing other applications). When taken online, Xbox One arbitrarily mixes update patches into the install process, which means there’s every chance a new game will be inaccessible for at least an hour, if not more.
By contrast, the PS4 installs the Assassin’s Creed Unity disc, in its entirety, in less than two minutes. (Some GameSpot staff point out that, in fact, it isn’t always as rapid as this). The Wii U, meanwhile, doesn’t require game installation.
The Controller is an Acquired Taste
While the Xbox 360 controller garnered near-universal praise, the response to the Xbox One pad is surprisingly conflicted. An anecdotal survey of GameSpot’s UK staff showed that some consider the tweaked design a step forwards, while others don’t quite embrace the changes.
Its shape has been slightly revised, with each handle now pointing inward at a more acute angle, which means that the pad doesn’t quite fill out into your hands as much as the 360’s did. Consequently, some feel they have less grip and control as before, while others say the result is actually more comfortable.
There was, however, unanimity on some points: Everyone prefers the new d-pad, which is flush and far better defined, while most people dislike the hard-shell RB/LB buttons, which feel unwieldy and out of position. Not enough respondents even mentioned the pad’s superior rumble capabilities, partly because there aren’t enough games yet that emphasise the superiority of the force feedback.
After the ritual annoyance of recharging a DualShock 4 every few hours, paying for batteries that will last up to 20 hours is well worth it.
Prior to release, it was the controller’s AA battery requirement that proved to be the most controversial aspect. But trust us, after the ritual annoyance of recharging a DualShock 4 every few hours, paying for batteries that will last up to 20 hours is well worth it. You can, if you wish, buy a recharge kit.
It is difficult to give an overall assessment of the Xbox One controller, such is the pad’s inherent divisiveness. Microsoft has tweaked its winning formula to the extent that the pad has become an acquired taste that necessitates a road test for any would-be buyer. There was, however, one surprising conclusion that came from the GameSpot UK team’s analysis: Everyone who held the Xbox One controller in their palms, even those who praised it, said they preferred the feel of the DualShock 4.
Kinect is a Complex Relationship
If you own Kinect there’s every chance that, eventually, you’ll share a magic moment with it. Commanding the Xbox One by voice-control alone, at times, seems like the realisation of a eight-year dream for Microsoft. Booting the console by uttering “Xbox on”, and controlling live TV with phrases such as “Xbox pause”, and navigating its apps and system features by names alone, feels dipping your toes into the future. It’s not just cool, it’s convenient.
Then there are the rough patches. The days when Kinect just wants to ignore you. The occasions when you need to repeat yourself. The times when it refuses to hear requests to switch off. The moments when it loads the Xbox Store instead of the app you asked for. The awkward instances when it doesn’t listen to guests. These are moments of disappointment, inconvenience, and even stress, that will make you regret splurging on it in the first place.
Booting the console by uttering “Xbox on” feels like dipping your toes into the future.
(It turns out, by the way, that the camera, and the concept of navigating the system with your arms, palms, and fingers, is farcically inferior to what was first promised. You will likely never bother with it.)
But it’s hard to stay mad at Kinect forever, especially since it offers free–and hands-free–Skype video calls. Connecting to a friend’s mobile from your couch, without needing to hold anything, has an unmistakable pinch of magic to it. One suspects it would be hailed as a key phase in the smartening of televisions, had Apple done it first.
Should you buy Kinect? Absolutely not if you’re only using your Xbox One for games (12 months in, and only two games use Kinect as a primary control input). But for TV, Skype and hands-free navigation, it’s an expensive luxury that will occasionally dazzle.
The Xbox One Interface is Challenging
Navigating the Xbox One is a bit like hearing an Aristocrats joke. Each turn and navigation is more unfathomably awful than the last, defying sacred taboos of user interface, to the extent that it genuinely becomes amusing.
Let’s warm you up with the home page layout: A third of it is saved for sponsored content, and another third is dominated by a huge preview pane showing your singlemost recently used app, which is essentially a gargantuan, space-eating reminder of what you’ve just navigated away from. Clicking on this vast window is also how you return to the app, which is a strikingly inelegant replacement for, say, just pressing the Xbox button.
Each turn and navigation is more unfathomably awful than the last, defying sacred taboos of user interface, to the extent that it genuinely becomes amusing.
You might not believe this either, but trust us; currently, pressing the Xbox button on the home page does nothing. Yes, Microsoft could theoretically make the Xbox button resume your game, like how the PlayStation 4 does so swiftly, but what’s the point in having a colossal preview pane if you can outright negate it with a simple thumb press? And sure, Microsoft could have made the Xbox button launch a mini-guide, as the Xbox 360 did so handily, but what’s the point in putting tools in people’s hands?
And yet, if you double-tap the Xbox button on the home screen, you enter Snap Mode. Yes, Snap Mode is higher up the short-cut pecking order than the game or app you’ve chosen.
Crammed within the remaining slither of home-page space is… another Snap Mode icon. It’s apparently vital that you have more ways to access this feature, especially on incredibly limited dashboard real-estate.
Then there’s the games and apps icon. The Xbox One’s library of media apps and games isn’t automatically available on the home screen. I mean, why put them there, right in front of you? How about instead you enter the ‘app’ app (yes) to find the app you want?
As a bonus, the app drawer itself is chaos. Browsing it is akin to rummaging through a suitcase on vacation. The Achievements app is next to Skype, next to Friends, next to YouTube, next to Settings, next to Twitch. Xbox doesn’t make a distinction between system-wide services and entertainment applications, and the result is as dumbfounding as it sounds.
The remaining tiny letterbox of home-page space is reserved for your four most recent games and apps. Sony launched the PS4 with a large strip of ten of these stretching across the centre of the homepage, and after taking feedback from users, expanded that to 15. Xbox One, by contrast, has no space to go beyond four. Bear in mind that even the most basic features, such as friends and achievements, are now designated apps that will also barge their way into this small space.
Adjacent to your four recent items is the disc icon, which displays media content currently populating the Xbox One’s Blu-ray drive. Yet bizarrely, the game populating the disc icon (which, remember, is fixed in place) also appears in the recent icons. That’s two windows of the same game, sitting next to each other, on severely limited home page space. It’s the kind of UI oversight you might expect from Chinese bootlegs and hacked systems, and quite stunning to see it on the real thing.
Previous Xbox 360 dashboard layouts, from the blades right through to the end, would be a welcomed upgrade.
It is a Herculean endeavour in itself to complete a full list of the Xbox One’s operating system problems. The store layouts are confusing, it’s not clear how one switches between Snap Mode and the main picture (double-tap the Xbox button and follow the instructions, fyi), and keyboard typing hasn’t moved on from standards set in 2005. The YouTube app’s on-screen keyboard, by the way, is a mind-boggling single-file ABC-strip. The fastest time anyone in the office could type the word “the” was 4.3 seconds.
Some would argue that these problems can be overcome by pinning your apps to a dedicated space, situated just left of the home screen. It is true, to a point, that having your own hodgepodge of pinned apps eliminates the hassle of finding those ones in particular. But even with these handy shortcuts, navigating the system is a unenjoyable inevitability.
Elsewhere there’s an extraordinary absence of on-screen directions too, which means the handy tricks found by pressing the ‘options’ button is never referenced, while modes of navigation are hardly ever mentioned. This, coupled with the OS’s general lack of intuitiveness, means that pathways around the system are naturally forgotten. You’ll recall seeing the installation queue before, somewhere, but can’t quite remember how you got there.
…But the System is Improving Faster Than Any Other
In what is telling of both Microsoft’s problems and its determination to overcome them, more than one hundred tweaks and new features have been applied to the Xbox One in its first year alone. In fact, the system is updated with improvements and features every month, and in June Microsoft opened a dedicated feedback site for customers to request specific fixes.
The exhaustive list of changes can be found here, and the improvements are hardly trivial. Among the additions are necessities such as a battery power indicator and storage management access, while the key perks include custom background options, external hard-drive support, pre-ordering and pre-downloading options, as well as DLNA and MKV support.
The Xbox One may be flawed throughout, but its manufacturer has shown a commendable perseverance in turning things around.
Note those last two additions specifically, because those are features that you won’t find on the PlayStation 4 or Wii U, and don’t expect this will be the last update with that distinction.
The Xbox One may be flawed throughout, but its manufacturer has shown a commendable perseverance in turning things around. Sweeping changes will be required for the system to catch up with the PS4 in terms of usability, but if Microsoft sticks to the path that it’s on, don’t be surprised if it eventually achieves that goal.
Games With Gold is a Small Plus…
The influence of PlayStation Plus, and its big-hearted monthly offering of free games, has left Microsoft needing to add more value to Xbox Live Gold in order to remain competitive. As a result, Games With Gold is a monthly perk that gives subscribers a free Xbox One game each month.
Although the service got off to a rocky start on the Xbox 360 with moth-eaten offerings such as Assassin’s Creed 2 and Crackdown, it has begun to mix in more contemporary and relevant games.
Yet comparisons to PlayStation Plus remain unflattering. Xbox One’s range of free games is obviously a pleasant bonus, but not to the extent that a free copy of TowerFall, Spelunky or Pix the Cat would be.
…But EA Access Helps
EA Access was initially intended to arrive on both PS4 and Xbox One, but due to Sony’s assertion that it “doesn’t represent value for money“, the service is now exclusive to Xbox One, offering a small-but-constantly-expanding library of games that will be permanently available to subscribers for $5 a month.
Ironically, in some respects it offers better value than PS Plus. Players can try EA games several days prior to launch, at no additional cost, as well as take advantage to discounts across the publisher’s entire range of games. The vault of free games is rather small right now, featuring the likes of Battlefield 4, Need For Speed Rivals and Peggle 2, but EA insists these games will remain in there permanently.
Xbox One is a Fantastic All-in-One Media Player
Still reeling from that fateful day in May 2013, when Microsoft conjured a storm of outrage by introducing the Xbox One with games as the conspicuous afterthought, the corporation is still hesitant to flaunt the console’s multimedia capabilities.
This does it a major disservice. The Xbox One is easily the most accomplished games console yet when it comes to watching media.
It plays CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays with no fuss, and yet perhaps the real coup is its DLNA and MKV support. It means that downloaded video files can be streamed via your PC or transported via external hard-drive and USBs.
Then there’s the cable-box support, which is as unnecessary as its detractors claim, yet nevertheless a joy to control and pause with your voice alone. (In the UK, Microsoft has also released a Freeview adapter that everyone without Sky should consider–it’s a delightfully convenient and feature-packed device, giving users HD channels by default, as well as the option to live pause and stream to tablets).
Its range of apps is fairly staggering too: In the US, video channels include Amazon Instant Video, CinemaNow, Comedy Central, Crackle, CW, ESPN, Fox Now, FX Now, GoPro Channel, Hulu Plus, Machinima, MLB.TV, Major League Gaming, MTV, NBA Game Time, Netflix, NHL Gamecenter Live, Starz Play, Syfy Now, TED, Univision Deportes, USA Now, Verizon FiOS, VH1, Vudu, the WWE Network, and YouTube. Meanwhile, UK specific apps include 4OD, Blinkbox, Demand 5, Eurosport, Netflix, Now TV, TED, Twitch, Wuaki.tv.
Its Twitch channel, meanwhile, plays all available content, while the PS4 streams are locked to PlayStation footage only. There’s even a dedicated Vine app, and now, a HBO GO app too.
Xbox One’s Game Library Edges Ahead of PS4
Although on face value there’s a modest difference between the Xbox One and PS4 game libraries, Microsoft’s exclusive content gives it a slight advantage. Forza Horizon 2, Sunset Overdrive, Killer Instinct and Titanfall each stand tall within their own respective genres, and while Halo: The Master Chief Collection hasn’t garnered universal acclaim, fans of the series have a bountiful haul of classics to indulge in.
Whether the aforementioned games stir an interest or not is probably more indicative of how invested you are in Xbox in the first place. These games represent the staple diet for westerners; feature-rich, visually plush and backed by Xbox Live’s infrastructure.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that Microsoft has made an extraordinary investment in servers, which is noticeably more stable than PSN. Some developers, certainly those governed by Microsoft, tend to make the most of the online infrastructure too, such as with Forza Motorsport 5’s ‘Drivatar’ system, along with Killer Instinct’s seasonal structure.
How exactly is this surprising from a company that paid for exclusive rights to DLC for both GTA 4 and the Modern Warfare series? Microsoft understands the power of the must-have exclusive, and indeed the timed exclusive, and has paid handsomely to secure such benefits with dozens of games, from Gears of War to Dead or Alive 4 to Dead Rising 3.
But because the market has undergone a tectonic shift from Xbox 360 to PS4, some fans now openly detest a business practice that once routinely rewarded them for their loyalty.
They’ll need to get used to it; Microsoft has the money, the vision, and the thirst to secure exclusivity when it matters most. The Rise of the Tomb Raider may be the most controversial outcome of this, but only for now.
…But Indies Have Slipped Through its Fingers
The Xbox 360 exec team was either particularly shrewd or incredibly lucky for fostering breakthrough indie games on its platform, but that achievement only makes its subsequent paralysis even more unexpected.
In recent years, Sony has embarked on a major indie charm offensive, freely offering dev kits, readily supporting teams locally, and making its people easy to contact. Sony has moulded its policies and practices around making indie publishing as straightforward as it’s ever been, and consequently, has made PS4 an obvious choice for game creators.
Microsoft, by contrast, remained silent for far too long about its indie games policies on Xbox One. Its eye-catching proposal, that every single Xbox One could also be a dev kit, has yet to materialise, and is no longer a priority.
Instead, the biggest noise generated by Microsoft’s indie program has been its day-one parity clause, which demands that self-published PS4 games must arrive on Xbox One at the same time, or not at all. This policy, no matter how Microsoft attempts to justify it, has been roundly criticised and–perhaps even worse–ignored.
That’s not to say Xbox One will be bereft of indie games entirely (the likes of Ori and the Blind Forest, Below, and Cuphead each have tremendous promise in particular), but the sheer mass of indie games that are missing is still quite dumbfounding.
VERDICT: Is It Time to Buy an Xbox One?
To be frank, no. While our analysis of the PlayStation 4 suggested that the system had all the right ideas in place, but wasn’t an essential purchase, the Xbox One lags behind on too many key aspects.
That’s not to say that all fans will be wholly dissatisfied. The Xbox One carries a superior first-party line-up of games that serves its core fans well. Meanwhile, its multimedia capabilities, and Kinect voice commands, are bonuses you can’t find on another TV console. These are enticing, enjoyable aspects of Microsoft’s system.
But while most of the Xbox One’s inconveniences are forgivable on their own, the same can’t be said for the package as a whole. The inferior hardware, however overblown, is an issue. The lack of support from the indie community, however redeemable, is an issue. The superiority of the DualShock 4, however slight, is an issue. Games With Gold, while certainly improving, is an issue. The user interface–every aspect of it–is an issue.
The most damaging issue of all is that these problems are not present on the PlayStation 4, despite Sony’s system retailing at the same price. Ultimately, it makes the choice between the two fairly easy.
While most of Xbox One’s inconveniences are forgivable on their own, the same can’t be said for the package as a whole.
Better days lie ahead. Perhaps the most exciting prospect for Xbox One owners is that Microsoft’s executives are demonstrably obsessive about reclaiming its crown. More than one hundred tweaks and improvements have been applied in the first twelve months. Do not be shocked if, a few years down the line, the operating system transforms into the best out there.
Microsoft is, remember, the corporation that spent $1 billion to resolve its RROD mess, and one that has shown a considerable willingness to slash system prices, no matter how costly the damage, and one that eagerly revises its hardware designs, and one that mercilessly axed Kinect for the greater good.
So, you probably shouldn’t consider an Xbox One right now, but don’t count it out in the future.
Developers big and small crowdsource ideas for video games all the time, asking fans what new features or gameplay elements they’d like to see in future games. But there’s never any guarantee that what fans want will make it into a final product. Developers have final say.
But what if the community of gamers at large was given control of a game’s creative direction? With some limitations, this is the idea behind Together We Game, a first-of-its-kind initiative that’s seemed to fly completely under the radar since it was announced back in July.
An in-development version of Protocol 57
Here’s how it works. Though gamers could not choose the genre (it was always going to be a 2D tower defense game due to time and budget concerns), the community was asked to vote on everything else: the game’s setting, features, soundtrack, economy, and the name.
Fans chose the name Protocol X57 for the game, and have decided it will include stackable towers, an open field playfield, and feature nanobot enemies, among other things. Voting for the game’s sound effects and prop design are still to come, but the game is closing in on its release in January 2015 as a free download for PC and iOS
Together We Game was spearheaded by Logitech, with help from the NYU Game Center Director Frank Lantz, an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience. The game itself was developed in the uber-popular game engine Unity by Brooklyn-based indie studio Tiny Mantis.
We caught up with Lantz and picked his brain about the unique project and what he’s learned so far in the process. Check out our full interview below.
When Together We Game was originally announced, it caught me by surprise. Can you explain the genesis of the program and what you hoped to achieve, overall?
Frank Lantz: Logitech wanted to experiment with a big crowdsourced game design process, something that allowed anyone who wanted to get involved and contribute to the creation of a real video game. They asked me to help oversee the project, and I thought it sounded like fun, so I said sure. I like to experiment with things like this, just to see what happens.
What was Logitech’s involvement in the project?
Logitech has been actively involved in running the whole event–setting up the community, providing the platform and resources to create the game. But all of the design decisions have been made by the people involved.
Do you think such a democratized game development process could work for a bigger game, maybe like a 3D shooter or RPG as opposed to a 2D tower defense game?
Actually, one of the things that’s interesting about this project is that it’s a more extreme version of an approach to game development that happens all the time, even for large-scale projects. The Internet allows for this kind of open, collaborative, community-based design–people making maps and mods, player-generated content, open betas where the player-community feedback is a big part of the design process. All of these are examples of an open, player-centric design process and this project reflects that same spirit. So yes, I think it does work for bigger games.
“Some of the ideas have been so detailed and imaginative; I’m really impressed by how passionate and committed the fans have been” — Frank Lantz
You’re an industry veteran with 20 years of experience under your belt; how did this experience creating a crowd-sourced game compare to your past work?
I love experimenting with systems and structures. I’m interested in social experiences that connect people in new ways and create new relationships. I like games that generate communities. For me, this project is an experiment in second-order design–creating a social system that creates a game.
What pieces of feedback and input from fans surprised you throughout development?
Some of the ideas have been so detailed and imaginative; I’m really impressed by how passionate and committed the fans have been.
About how many people contributed to this project?
Since launch, we’ve had more than 10,000 votes and 176 contributors to our subreddit, thus far. Voting opens up each time we begin a new phase of design, which happens each week. We’ve also hosted Google Hangouts and Reddit AMAs to open up conversation at key phases along the way. Some people regularly contribute and others chime in here and there, so I would say that we have a central, hardcore group of about 200 people, and then a few thousand others who are more casually involved.
“Sometimes people who don’t have a lot of prior knowledge about conventions and practical constraints generate the most interesting ideas” — Frank Lantz
I noticed on the voting page that the choices already showed the percentage breakdown when I went to vote–are you concerned that this could prematurely influence decisions?
We like the idea of having as much transparency as possible. The whole idea is to open up the process and show people what’s happening behind the curtain. So this is a reflection of that approach.
Was it ever frustrating, listening to community ideas from people who maybe don’t know much about what it actually takes to make a game?
Not really. Brainstorming and crowd sourcing is all about generating as many ideas as possible. Sometimes people who don’t have a lot of prior knowledge about conventions and practical constraints generate the most interesting ideas. It’s our job to guide the design process, to explain the realities of development, and harness these ideas and turn them into something real.
What types of issues did you face during development, and how did you overcome them?
We’re still in the midst of development, so we’ll have to wait and see.
What did you personally learn from the development of this game?
I think the main insight for me has been that crowdsourcing isn’t some magical process that harnesses collective energy. It’s more about casting a wide net and being really inclusive. At the end of the day, it’s still about creative individuals with passion and commitment.
When the game is released next year, is that going to be the end of Together We Game?
The plan is to release the game in January 2015 and currently the idea is to keep the voting and feedback lines open on Reddit. We want to continue to get reactions and feedback.
This is a first-of-its-kind experiment, so how do you measure success?
For me the most important thing is that the process is genuinely open and inclusive, that it’s fun and interesting for everyone involved. Secondly, we’re hoping the final game turns out well. We want it to be accessible, easy to play, but also deep, something worth spending some time with. Lastly, we want it to have some interesting and original ideas that reflect the experimental design process and the creativity of the individuals involved.
Sony’s upcoming PlayStation Experience event–a two-day, community-focused gathering meant to celebrate all things PlayStation–is shaping up to be like nothing we’ve ever seen! 400,000 square feet, announcements, panels, unreleased games to play, and much more.
Lucky for you, we’re giving away two tickets to the event, including round trip airfare, hotel lodging, plus a PlayStation 4 Black Friday Bundle. Not too shabby, uh? All you have to do is sign up below and you’re entered into the competition.
PS4 vs. Xbox One news dominated the top headlines this week, as SCEA president Shawn Layden suggested in a media interview that the PS4 is currently outselling the Xbox One by a 2:1 margin. In the same interview, he said he’s unfazed by Microsoft’s recent $50 Xbox One price cut, which has led to Xbox One sales “skyrocketing,” and in fact overtaking PS4 in the US for the past two weeks. With the holiday season approaching, expect the battle to heat up.
Though the PS4 has jumped out to an early lead, Microsoft is already closing the gap, according to EA CFO Blake Jorgensen. During a presentation with analysts this week, Jorgensen said the Xbox One is seeing a jolt in sales due to the recent implementation of the price and the various value-oriented bundles. He also predicted that after the busy holiday shopping season ends, there should be around 25 million combined PS4 and Xbox Ones out there, trending ahead of where the PS3 and Xbox 360 were at the same point in their cycle.
Activision isn’t giving out official sales numbers yet, but the publisher announced this week that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is now the “biggest entertainment launch” of 2014, outpacing all other games and movies. First-week sales and DLC pass sales are up year-over-year compared to Call of Duty: Ghosts, Activision added. On top of that, the entire Call of Duty series has now generated more than $10 billion to date, which is more than the total box office receipts for film franchises such as The Hunger Games, Iron Man, Transformers, and Avengers … combined.
The Other Stuff (Stories We Like, But Didn’t Cover With a Standalone Post):
2K Games this week released a bunch of statistics that speak to just how popular the recently concluded Big Alpha for 2015’s 4v1 shooter Evolve was. Among the numbers is more victories for hunters (731,414 to 574,079), 1.3 million total rounds played, and 7.2 million views on Twitch. You can see the full infographic on the game’s website here.
Take-Two is no longer just a video game publisher. The Grand Theft Auto and Borderlands parent company announced this week that it’s getting into the comic book business. As part of a new initiative headed up by former Marvel president Bill Jemas called Double Take, Take-Two will release new stories based in the universe of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. You can stay up to date with Double Take at its Facebook page.
Mid-tier publisher Majesco could be in trouble. The company is publicly traded, and SEC documents discovered by Gamasutra show that the publisher recently laid off a number of staff and announced that it has no major games in the pipeline for 2015. “We have suffered losses that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern,” reads a line from one of the documents. Read the full report here.
Tough news for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn fans, as Square Enix has confirmed that the game has faced ongoing DDoS attacks. The attacks have made it difficult for users to log into the game, and there appears to be no end in sight. Square Enix apologized for the problems, and said it will take “every possible measure” to address the issue.
Sony offered up a tease about one of its future games this week, as SCEA president Shawn Layden let slip in an interview with GamesBeat that God of War developer Sony Santa Monica is working the company’s “next big franchise.” Oooh! What could it be? We may not have to wait much longer to find out, as Sony will hold its gamer-focused PlayStation Experience event next month in Las Vegas, where the company is expected to talk about its future game lineup.
We’ve seen some pretty incredible Little Big Planet user-created levels over the years, but this might be the best one to date. One determined fan has spent two years recreating Final Fantasy VII in Little Big Planet. The results are amazing. Check out the video above to see what I’m talking about.
How much have you spend on mobile games? I bet it’s not as much as Sex Pistols singer John “Rotten” Lydon did. He reveals in a new interview that he spent more than £10,000 ($15,697) over the course of two years on various iPad games, including Real Racing 3. Wow!
Activision Blizzard has settled a lawsuit related to the company’s 2013 buyout from former parent company Vivendi. Under the terms of the settlement announced Wednesday, Activision Blizzard will be paid a sum of $275 million, though further specifics were not announced.
Digital Extremes’ popular free-to-play game Warframe got a huge expansion this week called Archwing. The free update lets players freely fly wherever they want without the need for a ship. It also adds new weapons to players’ arsenals, Quests to expand the game’s lore, enemies to fight, and a new reputation system. The free game has been downloaded more than 12 million times to date, and is now the most downloaded PS4 game of all time.
Looking for more content from Hyrule Warriors, the recently released Legend of Zelda/Dynasty Warriors Wii U game? If you are, you’re in luck, as Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma writes on Miiverse that the game’s second DLC expansion, The Twilight Princess Pack, will be released on November 27. That’s a day before Thanksgiving, meaning you can avoid your family by playing the game after you chow down on turkey. The highlight of the DLC is a new playable character: Twili Midna.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick not only knows how to run a video game business (see Take-Two’s surging stock price for evidence of that), but the man is also well-versed in the workings of the entire United States economy. He recently appeared on Bloomberg TV and gave his thoughts about how the economy is coming along, and he speaks rather expertly on the subject. Check out the video here.
Free game alert! Trion Worlds Defiance, which ties into the Syfy TV show of the same name, is now a free-to-play game. The PC version transitioned to the new business model earlier this year, so this is a long time coming for Xbox 360 owners. With Defiance the TV recently renewed for a third reason, you can expect lots more content in the game. You can download Defiance for Xbox 360 free today on Xbox.com.
2014 will surely go down as the year of “So Many Simulators.” The latest is Grass Simulator, which is actually a game about shooting cows. The reasoning, at least from what I can gather, is that grass is fed up with being bovine breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and is out for revenge. The game is available today on Steam through Early Access for $9.
Uh oh, Battlefield fans. It sounds like Battlefield Hardline’s second beta, which EA announced in June would be coming to all platforms this fall, is no longer a sure thing. Writing on Twitter, Visceral Games GM Steve Papoutsis dodged the question. We followed up with EA, and were told that “there will indeed be a Battlefield Hardline demo for all announced platforms before release,” though the company wouldn’t confirm if this would be this fall or sometime in 2015.
Company of Heroes fans, this one’s for you. Sega this week released the latest expansion for Company of Heroes 2, which is called Ardennes Assault. It’s available to buy now for $39.99/£29.99/€39.99. Based on the Battle of the Bulge, the expansion features 18 new single-player scenarios, with players squaring off against advancing German forces.
Have you ever wondered what Minecraft would look like with realistic graphics? Wonder no more, as an intrepid modder has done just that. Unfortunately, this is not a real game you’ll be able to buy. It’s still an impressive video to watch; maybe the movie will look like this?
Clothing company Musterbrand is now selling gear based on CD Projekt Red’s Witcher series. The company’s Witcher Collection features all kinds of clothing, including jackets, scarves, t-shirts, and even knapsacks based on the franchise. Head here to see the full collection. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt launches for Xbox One, PS4, and PC in February 2015.
People riding the subway in China may have been shocked recently when they saw a “real” Dark Portal in one of the stations. To promote the release of WoW’s Warlords of Draenor expansion, Blizzard’s marketing team went all-out in a Shanghai subway station. The portal features a camera on one side and a screen on the opposite, leading to some very surprised faces. Check out more coverage and video of the portal here.
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Project Totem, a colorful new game from the creators of Max: The Curse of Brotherhood. Now, Project Totem’s has a launch date and an official name: Kalimba! The game, which takes place in three worlds, is a puzzle platformer where players control totems on a quest to overthrow an evil shaman and reclaim the island of Kalimba for the Kalimbi people.
GameSpot is giving away codes for a sneak peek version of Kalimba where you’ll get to check out eight single player levels, five co-op and a boss fight. The sneak peek trial period will last from today until November 30th.
All you have to do for your chance to win a code on the Xbox One is fill out the information in the module below. If you don’t win a code on your first try, you can try again later till the codes run out. Everyone can enter so try and grab your code now!
Want an opportunity to win two free VIP Premium tickets to IEM? Enter our contest today through the Lockerdome link below!
This package includes two VIP Premium Tickets, an exclusive backstage tour and dinner with Travis, HotshotGG, and Lilypichu! The package also includes premium viewing and seating arrangements, a piece of signed event artwork, an IEM event T-shirt, an IEM exclusive gift and much more!
Save up to $44 on a PS4 that comes with camera, and choose between a regular PS4 or the white Destiny bundle, one additional game, and your choice of controller: white, black, or blue.
This weeks Deals with Gold is all about Tomb Raider. You can grab the Definitive Edition for Xbox One for $20, and if you still only have an Xbox 360 you can grab the normal edition for $10, Tomb Raider: Underworld for $5, and more. You can find the full list of games here.
GOG.com is wrapping up its Fall sale, which has over 700 games discounted on its online store. All the games featured in flash sales throughout the entire promo are available once again for the next 48 hours. On Sunday, November 23, at 2:00 p.m. GMT the flash deals will make way for the daily bundles, available for the final two days of the sale.
