Connected Gaming Week - May 18, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Making a Great Game Takes Time

by John Hardin

Wonacott client Creative Kingdom Inc., started with a big idea in 2009. They built Planet Cyrene, a game within Mindark's virtual world, Entropia Universe, that hinges on a real cash economy. What's a "real cash economy," you ask? It's just like it sounds. Players spend real-world money to buy in-game items. By extension, and this is where Entropia Universe stands out, it means that players can also make real-world money by selling in-game items. Planet Cyrene's twist on this was adding in player-versus-player (PvP) elements to the massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS). 

Connected Gaming Week - May 11, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Connected Gaming Week - May 4, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Greetings everyone! Let me introduce you to the next evolution of Wonacott Communications with the new Connected Gaming Week. For those of you who visited our website or offices recently, you'll notice that Wonacott underwent a complete redesign to reflect our five years of progress in interactive entertainment, social and corporate communications. With the advent of cross-platform play from browsers and mobile phones, it was time to bring the Online Entertainment Insider to the next level, so we give you: Connected Gaming Week. Please be sure to add cgw@wonacottpr.com to your safe lists - we'll be using that address starting next week.

Jason Wonacott Talking F2P Marketing at Casual Connect Asia

by Wonacott Communications

If you happen to be traversing Southeast Asia later this month, stop by Casual Connect Asia, May 22-24. Our own Jason Wonacott will be there for a session on stretching F2P game marketing dollars. Alongside his industry peeps from iQU, SEA Gaming and BBC Worldwide, Jason will moderate the panel, which will address building new user bases in today’s rapidly evolving  global games market.

Online Entertainment Insider - April 27, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Online Entertainment Insider - April 20, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

The rule of threes is in full-effect this weekend. For those that have been patiently waiting to once again slaughter the armies of hell, Blizzard is holding an open beta weekend right now for Diablo III prior to the game's May 15 launch. The upcoming MMO from En Masse, Tera Online, is also having a public weekend, and capping off the trifecta is WarGaming.net, which just sent out a much larger round of invites for the World of Warplanes global alpha.

Online Entertainment Insider - April 13, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

The past few editions of the OEI have touched upon the impending next-gen consoles. But as we all know, rumors are the most delicious part of the video game industry, and this rumor is a whopper. Valve, the company behind the highly successful Portal, Half-life and Team Fortress series, are looking for console hardware engineers. What that means for Valve and the 30-million plus users of its Steam digital distribution platform isn’t clear, but a new challenger for the console wars would certainly shake up the industry. 

Autumn Games’ Skullgirls Out Now

by Danny Beardsworth

In case you don’t follow videogames or you’ve been living under a rock for the last several months, Skullgirls, the award-winning 2D fighting game from (Wonacott client) Autumn Games and developer Reverge Labs, is available now on both Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Network. The reviews are in, and so far it looks likes the games enthusiast press is enjoying the game almost as much as we enjoyed working on it.

Online Entertainment Insider - April 6, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Happy Good Friday, everyone - we hope you're having an indulgent day, now that Lent is over! What else does Good Friday mean? It's the last full week you'll have to wait to check out Skullgirls, the new 2D fighting game on XBLA and PSN. Skullgirls publisher Autumn Games is a Wonacott client, and after a year-long campaign, we think the game is poised to upset the old guard of fighting games with a fresh take on the genre. 

Online Entertainment Insider - March 30, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Console wars are an inexorable part of the video game industry, and are the front lines of billions of dollars in revenue. NES, Sega and Turbografx fought the bloodiest battle back in the early '90s, but now console makers, specifically Sony (for now), seem to be taking the war to second-hand retailers with the rumor that the next PlayStation console will NOT support used games. The largest used game retailer in the world generates more than $2 billion annually from reselling, which is a very large piece of pie to fight over...

Online Entertainment Insider - March 23, 2012

by John Hardin

There's a plague going around the office, and I'm not talking about the one that's causing me to take Dayquil on regular intervals. OMGPOP's mobile Pictionary game, Draw Something, is infecting the whole office, with noticeable symptoms of quizzical looks and fits of laughter. The game also attracted some pretty notable attention - Zynga snapped up the developer for a cool $200 million this week.

Superheroes get Super Score in Superplay Games’ Sky Defenders

by John Hardin

Wonacott client Superplay Games tilted its way to success with its newly released iOS title, Sky Defenders. The game received 4 out of 5 stars from app review site 148Apps and earned praise for its brilliant graphics and solid tilt controls. So if you’ve ever had dreams of being a superhero, check it out on iTunes!

Online Entertainment Insider - March 16, 2012

by Chan Lim

Happy new iPad day, everyone. I am happy to report I’m not drafting this in front of a Mac store (that’s what interns are for). But it’s still incredible that the iPad and other iOS devices went from being expensive redundant gadgets to the largest handheld gaming platform in the world. You’d better believe we’re keeping an eye on the space. Oh, and if you get a new iPad, be sure to try out Sky Defenders! 

Online Entertainment Insider - March 9, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Greetings from the Game Developers Conference show floor! We’re wrapping up the last day here and hope that if you attended you had a great time. There was definitely some great news coming out of GDC, but I’m pretty sure all of it was overshadowed by Angry Birds Space.

Online Entertainment Insider - March 2, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

With our new site update and corporate identity (have you checked it out yet? I’ll wait…) we decided to breathe some new life into the Online Entertainment Insider. Jason passed the newsletter torch to me, Alex Josef, vice president of the interactive entertainment practice here at Wonacott!

Online Entertainment Insider - Feb. 24, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

CD Projekt Red, publisher of the Witcher series, is an anomaly in the games industry when it comes to its stance on digital rights management, or DRM. After announcing that they sold 1.5 million copies last year, they put out the statistic that there are approximately 4.5 million pirated copies. And they don’t care. They take the opinion that counter-piracy measures wind up only hurting loyal gamers; so instead, they work on improving the quality. A pretty novel suggestion, don’t you think? 

Online Entertainment Insider - Feb. 17, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Red Sox fans, and I know you’re out there, we have a lot to be upset about as famous knuckleballer Tim Wakefield is on the verge of retiring. But there could be life after baseball for him – he could join up with retired Red Sox pitcher Curt Shilling’s game company, 38 Studios and help promote its new release – Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Maybe Tim can be a marketing coordinator or something.

Online Entertainment Insider - Feb. 10, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Everyone remembers the classic Milton-Bradley board game, Battleship, right? Did you know Hollywood decided to turn it into your movie? Yes? Well, Activision just announced this week it was turning the movie about the board game into a first person shooter. Really? I’ll repeat that. REALLY?!

How Games Publishers Can Capitalize on iPhone Versions

by John Hardin

Or 
“How Capcom Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mobile Games”

The title of this entry is taken from Capcom’s DS and iOS game, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. It is a creative puzzle game that leads players on an “interactive mystery” to catch their murderer, allowing them to manipulate inanimate objects to find clues and change the fate of other people involved in the killing. GTPD, with its unique gameplay and storytelling techniques, was released for the DS in January 2011 to critical accolades and uninspired sales.

Wait, uninspired sales? 

Online Entertainment Insider - Feb. 3, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Happy post-Groundhog day, everyone! I hope that if you were stuck in a 10,000 year loop yesterday, that everything turned out for the best and you haven’t been permanently scarred by a Sonny and Cher tune.
 

Online Entertainment Insider - Jan. 27, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Darksiders 2 held a huge preview event in San Francisco (which we helped out on!) and the game’s previews started hitting this week. The new game reveals the second Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death, and follows his story concurrently with War’s story in the original Darksiders. It’s a really interesting “Pulp Fiction”-y approach to the sequel, and is shaping up to be a franchise in its own right and not a rehash of other titles.

Virgin Gaming, Sir Richard Branson’s foray into interactive gambling, hit a huge milestone this week with 1 million registered users, and $7 million in prizes awarded to date. Virgin Gaming allows users to place wagers on matches and is partnered with publishers including EA and Take-Two, with Madden NFL ‘12 and NBA 2k12 being among the most popular titles to bet on. 

Find out more news from around the world of digital entertainment in this week’s edition of the Online Entertainment Insider, and have a great weekend!

Online Entertainment Insider - Jan. 20, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Happy Friday, everyone! I didn’t want to get too political about SOPA, but it turns out that the legislation is spilling over into the video games industry in a big way. Since the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is still supporting the bill, Firefall Studios fought back by forming the League for Gamers (LFG) – a representative group that plans on boycotting this year’s E3 until the ESA rescinds support. We won’t know what the actual impact on E3 will be until we get closer to June, but it will be interesting to see how the politics play out. 

Online Entertainment Insider - Jan. 13, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Happy Friday the thirteenth! It’s the last day of CES, so if you’re at the show or following the news coming from it, you have an idea of all the awesome stuff we’re going in 2012. I do a lot of gaming on my PC, so I was really glad to see Razer, Samsung and Intel show off some incredible gaming computers, including the enigmatic Project Fiona. I’m looking forward to the games that will take full advantage of these beefy computers.

Online Entertainment Insider - Jan. 6, 2012

by Wonacott Communications

Happy New Year! Hopefully yours started as awesome as mine. The ancient Mayans predicted that in 2012 the world will come to an end. I sure hope not as a number of great games are scheduled for release this year, including BioShock Infinite, Halo 4 and Mass Effect 3. I know some of the staff would be pretty upset if they didn’t get to play these new titles.

Online Entertainment Insider - Dec. 30, 2011

by Wonacott Communications

Another Holiday season passing, another belt size gaining. Good thing the Krav Maga studio is back to its normal hours. Hopefully, all of you had a nice Christmas and Chanukah – whether you spent it with loved ones or on your PC playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Before we round out the year’s final Online Entertainment Insider, we’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Video is Great, but Showing Restraint is Better!

by John Hardin

I watched the Spike TV Video Game Awards (VGAs) a few weekends ago. They’ve become an annual TV event for gamers, much like the Emmys or Oscars are to TV and movie fans, respectively. But as is the case with the Superbowl, the vast majority of viewers are tuned in not for the awards, the eclectic nerd-themed interstitials or the less-than-A-list celebrities, but for the highly coveted commercial space available in the form of “Exclusive Trailers” for upcoming 2012 titles.

Online Entertainment Insider - Dec. 23, 2011

by Wonacott Communications

Happy Holidays, everyone! As we wind down 2011 over the next week, we wish you, your co-workers and family the best, which hopefully involves copious amounts of Egg Nog (whiskey optional). Read on for the rest of the Online Entertainment Insider!

Online Entertainment Insider - Dec. 16, 2011

by Wonacott Communications

Tonight is our annual holiday party today, and I could not be more excited. We’ll be reprising last year’s “karaoke dive-bar” theme and I’m taking requests on the Wonacott Facebook page. Please note, my range includes anything you’d find in a “Monsters of Rock” collection from 1985 through 1999, and yes, this includes power ballads. If you want something sung *well*, make sure to tag our resident vocalist, Nathalie Nourian. Read on to find more of this week's news! 

The Continued Rise of Social and Mobile Gaming: A Look Back at 2011

by Alex Van Lepp

In the land of emerging tech, the video game industry is truly an open arena where developers can create anything from a handheld 3-D gaming device to a game you play by kissing your partner. While there were monumental events such as the Supreme Court’s ruling announcing video games are protected as free speech, all in all, 2011 was truly the year social and mobile gaming emerged as a force to be reckoned with. As the year comes to an end, here’s a look at what shaped the industry.