The top 10 children’s video games coming your way

The top 10 children’s video games coming your way

At this year’s E3 show, it was difficult to ignore publishers’ acknowledgment of the growing children’s market, including indie-influenced titles (such as Scribblenauts and Drawn to Life), a broadening scope of LEGO titles (LEGO Rock Band, LEGO Indiana Jones 2, and LEGO Harry Potter), and… Continue Reading

The top ten video games of the coming year

The top ten video games of the coming year

At the E3 convention in Los Angeles last week I got to see a lot of what the video game industry has to offer in the coming year. Hands down, the best technology I saw at the show came from Microsoft in the form of… Continue Reading

Ubisoft lives and breathes the convergence of games and movies

Ubisoft lives and breathes the convergence of games and movies

Ubisoft showed off its work with one of Hollywood’s most technology-minded directors, James Cameron, at a press conference at the E3 game conference today in Los Angeles. 

Ubisoft’s flagship title this year is Avatar, a game based on Cameron’s high-profile movie. Cameron came out on stage and went through a lengthy description… Continue Reading

Ubisoft closes a year of expansion and profits for game business

Ubisoft closes a year of expansion and profits for game business

Ubisoft reported fiscal year results with good sales growth and a decent profit despite the recession. For the year ended March 31, the French game publisher reported sales of $1.47 billion, up 18.4 percent from $1.3 billion a year earlier.

Net income was $95.6 million, down… Continue Reading

GeoEye’s satellite data used in UbiSoft’s new Tom Clancy game, H.A.W.X

GeoEye’s satellite data used in UbiSoft’s new Tom Clancy game, H.A.W.X

GeoEye spent about $100 million sending a satellite into the sky so that you could see realistic ground imagery in a new Tom Clancy air combat game.

Not exactly. But the data from a satellite 423 miles high has been integrated into UbiSoft’s new game, Tom… Continue Reading

Ubisoft pulls on its Action Pants, acquiring studio in Vancouver

Ubisoft pulls on its Action Pants, acquiring studio in Vancouver

French game publishing giant Ubisoft announced today that it has acquired Vancouver, Canada-based Action Pants, a game studio with more than 110 employees.

Vancouver has been one of the great regions for producing video game talent. Electronic Arts has a big operation there amid a bunch… Continue Reading

Are profits in video games shifting from the West to the East?

Are profits in video games shifting from the West to the East?

The worldwide video game industry is experiencing healthy revenue growth. In the U.S., sales grew 19 percent to $22 billion in 2008, according to market researcher NPD. That has been a cause for much celebration as games outrun the recession.

But market researcher DFC Intelligence in… Continue Reading

Ubisoft snaps up a South American game developer

French video game giant Ubisoft has acquired Brazilian game developer Southlogic Studios.

Southlogic is the longest-standing game developer in Brazil, with a team of 20 developers and headquarters in Porto Alegre. It has created titles for the PC, handhelds, and home game consoles. It also provides… Continue Reading

The good, the bad and the ugly in Nintendo’s upcoming lineup

The good, the bad and the ugly in Nintendo’s upcoming lineup

Nintendo showed off both its strengths and weaknesses as a game company last week in San Francisco as it debuted its lineup for fall 2008 and games for next year.

Over two days, I saw games that I liked, including the wonderfully creative “Wii Music,” and… Continue Reading

E3: hate it or love it? Game industry wrestles with how to boost next year’s show

E3: hate it or love it? Game industry wrestles with how to boost next year’s show

There are so many posts going up about who loved or hated E3 that the discussion over the show format is overshadowing coverage of the video games previewed in Los Angeles last week. The elegies for E3 are flowing throughout the Internet.

Industry agent Keith Boesky… Continue Reading

E3 trendspotting: Game publishers turning more to girl gamers

E3 trendspotting: Game publishers turning more to girl gamers

LOS ANGELES—With the influx of fresh new gamers, thanks in large part to the popularity of mass-market game machines, the DS and the Wii, more game companies than ever are jumping on the girl gamer bandwagon. Practically every booth at this year’s E3 Media and… Continue Reading

The top 10 sleeper video games of E3

The top 10 sleeper video games of E3

The big video games of the E3 Media and Business Summit have been blasted across magazine covers and websites for the past few months, but the show still offers a large selection of lesser-known games that are worth a look—even if they lack the marketing… Continue Reading

John Antal on making a video game, novel and history book all at once

John Antal on making a video game, novel and history book all at once

Cross-media content is the wave of the future, and John Antal shows what’s possible when you think beyond just one medium. He is a retired colonel who spent 30 years in the U.S. Army. He is also the chief of staff and military and historical… Continue Reading