Grand Theft Auto IV

Take-Two Interactive does not consider Grand Theft Auto a series that is required to have annual sequels to the franchise.

As many of you know, franchises such as Call of Duty or Guitar Hero will often receive sequels every year. one franchise has multiple development teams to keep the releases annual, even. But does the quality of a video game suffer a bit when the releases are so frequent? When a Take-Two CEO was asked about the profits made in a non-GTA year, and they were quick to respond in saying that it is not the case, they can indeed be profitable with their other video game franchise possessions. But, they do not feel that GTA is a series that needs to be released annually.

Grand Theft Auto IV was released last year,  and two downloadable expansions were released that offered further story content. The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony were the titles of these downloadable add-ons, and they have had a fairly good fan reception. Not only that, but they have shipped GTA: Chinatown Wars for both the PSP and DS, and are selling a collection of the two downloadable episodes as Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. So within the past year or two, we have seen quite a lot releases in the series, but none of these have really served as an official sequel.

There is a balance between the development times on an amazing game and meeting consumer expectations and the time needed to ensure that the experience leaves the consumer wanting more. Take-Two Interactive clearly has a good track record in that aspect, because GTA is possibly one of the most wanted games of all time.

The time taken and the improvements seen over time is a very huge selling point, to see the jump from a prior generation to a next generation appeal. Honestly, GTA does not need to have annual sequels at all, and I think that doing so would ruin part of the appeal of the series as a whole.

R.I.P. Duke, there never was an FPS hero with more attitude and better one-liners

Well this may be it, Duke may be dead. Duke Nukem Forever, the LONG awaited sequel in the Duke Nukem series may have been officially cancelled. As most fans know, Duke Nukem Forever has been in production for around twelve years. The average game takes around two and a half to finish. No one really knows for sure what went on behind the scenes that caused the incredible delay.

During development the studio declared its release day to be “when it’s done.”

So people began calling it Duke Nukem….FOREVER and Duke Nukem Never.

Hitler took the news especially hard, and this may be the real reason why he committed suicide…

Warning video contains dirty and hilarious content.

Publisher Take-Two Interactive is now suing 3D Realms over the canceled project and the lost money they invested.

There may be hope on the horizon for the army of loyal fans who have been waiting well over a decade for the return of Duke Nukem. Shacknews reports that Gearbox Software was mentioned in Take-Two’s lawsuit with 3D Realms, and that Gearbox is currently developing a prequel in the Duke Nukem series.

A compra da Marvel Pela Disney agitou o mercado de heróis, a Warner Bros. e a DC Comics tentam estreitar relações para aproveitar melhor os heróis do Universo DC no cinema. Agora, segundo o blog Deadline Hollywood, a Warner decidiu ir além: vai reestruturar toda a editora.

O presidente da Warner Bros. Pictures Group, Jeff Robinov, falou: “É idéia de Jeff fazer com que a DC se reporte diretamente a ele, e a DC será agora sua responsabilidade direta, ao lado de Diane Nelson [presidente da Warner Premiere, divisão de filmes direto para DVD da casa]“.

Robinov teria procurado nos últimos meses produtores como Chuck Roven, Joel Silver e Akiva Goldsman para dizer que filmes como The Flash e Wonder Woman estavam de volta à pauta – mas os envolvidos deveriam abrir mão de acordos abonados para que esses projetos voltassem a ser desenvolvidos.

Paul Levitz, presidente e publisher da editora, continua na empresa, mas se reportará a Nelson, que por sua vez responde a Robinov. Antes dessa reestruturação, Levitz era subordinado apenas a Alan Horn, atual presidente do conselho da Warner Bros. (e superior de Robinov).

Está achando um pouco confuso? Resumindo:

- A DC Comics vira DC Entertainment, ganhando mais importância na Warner. Quadrinhos serão a “pedra fundamental” da nova empresa, segundo o comunicado, que assumirá maior controle sobre filmes, seriados, animações e games baseados nos personagens DC.

- Paul Levitz, presidente e publisher da DC desde 2002, deixará seu cargo e voltará a escrever e editar quadrinhos. Ele já está confirmado para assumir a série Adventure Comics, que estrela a Legião dos Super-Heróis, supergrupo que Levitz escreveu por quase 15 anos, nas décadas de 70 e 80.

- O novo cargo de presidente da DC Entertainment será de Diane Nelson. A importância dela cresceu na companhia nos últimos anos por conta das produções direto-para-DVD, como as animações com personagens DC, e principalmente por ter viabilizado o acordo da Warner com J.K. Rowling, a autora de Harry Potter. Não só o sucesso da franquia, como também a infinidade de produtos licenciados do bruxo, é mérito de Nelson, segundo os olhos da chefia da WB.

Acha que acabou? A Warner, que tem nada menos do que 7 bilhões de dólares em caixa. E, de acordo com a BusinessWeek, a companhia pode mirar a sua artilharia para empresas como DreamWorks, MGM, NBC Universal ou até para a Take Two Interactive, criadora da série de games GTA, BioShock e dos jogos esportivos da série 2K.

É gente a coisa vai pegar, e o bom para nós é que não importa o resultado, pois teemos mega-produções com muito dinheiro em caixa para fazer bonito. (assim espero).

Кой ревеше, за мултиплейър в BioShock? Ето ви:

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Announces Settlement of Securities Class Action

According to Variety, Gore Verbinski has climbed out of the director’s chair of the Bioshock adaptation, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts with his animated feature Rango.

Universal is currently in talks with 28 Weeks Later helmer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo to replace him.  With budget reportedly soaring to $160 million this seems a gutsy move by Universal.  And, since studios aren’t known for gutsy moves, this probably isn’t the end of the story.

Bioshock is an adaptation of  Take-Two Interactive’s critically and finally success videogame of the same name.  The script for the feature film adaptation was penned by academy award nominee John Logan.

by Elisabeth Rappe – Cinematical.com

Earlier this summer, the brakes were put on Universal’s adaptation of Bioshock due to its enormous budget, and a need for tax incentives were said to be pushing the film overseas. The budgetary crisis put Gore Verbinski into

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

a bit of a pickle, and he was unsure he would continue with the film if it moved to London. Now it looks like Verbinski is officially off the project, and Universal has hired Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) to go under the sea instead.

Variety reports that Fresnadillo is still in talks, and that it all becomes official if Bioshock’s maker, Take-Two Interactive, agrees to the decision as they must approve the choice of director. But the decision indicates they are shaving that budget, and they are determined to make the film overseas. Universal is also determined that this won’t turn into another Halo incident.

It has to be a huge disappointment for Verbinski, who dropped Pirates 4 to tackle Bioshock, and really seemed to love the project. A lot of hopes are being pinned on Bioshock, and let’s hope a few of them are fulfilled.

Jack Thompson... lawyer no more?

The war has been a long one, with casualties piling up on both sides… actually, it turns out that the only casualty in Jack Thompson’s war against video games may be Thompson himself. A graduate of Vanderbilt Law School (strange… I just developed an excruciating pain in my fingers after typing that…), Thompson has spent the better part of the decade waging war against the video game industry, ranging from video game makers like  Take-Two Interactive to well-known and respected video game pundits like Penny-Arcade. In his tirades, Thompson abused the court system, filing suits against practically anyone that disagreed with him. Last year the war reached a fever pitch, culminating in Thompson’s disbarment in the state of Florida. In the disbarment order, the Florida judge had this to say:

Over a very extended period of time involving a number of totally unrelated cases and individuals, [r]espondent has demonstrated a pattern of conduct to strike out harshly, extensively, repeatedly and willfully to simply try to bring as much difficulty, distraction and anguish to those he considers in opposition to his causes. He does not proceed within the guidelines of appropriate professional behavior, but rather uses other means available to intimidate, harass, or bring public disrepute to those whom he perceives oppose him.…

So ended Act One. However, undeterred, Jack Thompson continued his assault on the industry through the legal system by attempting to convince state legislatures in Utah and Louisiana to pass anti-video game laws. Both attempts proved to be epic fails, however. Adding injury to insult, an Alabama judge dismissed one of his pending cases with prejudice. It now appears Act Two in the Thompson drama may be coming to a close, as Thompson now faces federal disbarment. According to the document, Thompson has until July 26 to answer a federal judge order explaining “why the imposition of the identical discipline [as the Florida permanent disbarment] would be unwarranted and the reasons therefore.” No proper response has been filed as of today, but when/if it is filed, I’m sure it’ll be riveting.

This is the point in my post where I usually express my personal beliefs…but I really don’t have a whole lot to add this time. I don’t know the guy personally, but I’m willing to bet that Jack Thompson isn’t a bad guy, per se. Nonetheless, I believe the Florida disbarment was absolutely necessary. Mr. Thompson was running amok, and if there’s one thing I hate to see as a future attorney, it’s abuse of the legal system for someone’s personal gain. It appears that judges at both the state and federal levels share my feelings on that point. While I’m not particularly excited that a man is in jeopardy of losing his livelihood, it’s good to see the courts are willing to step in and prevent lawyers from abusing the system.

– Rylan Smith

Image Source

Una fan....corrección: Hulkson reacciona después de leer la noticia, en su bló pitero y de confianza, OverDrive.

Así es ladys and gentlemans, un publicista de Take-Two Interactive, ha salido a soltar la bomba a los fans de esta espectacular franquicia.  Y ha declarado que no saldrá a la venta, como lo tenían pensado para finales de Octubre y/o principios de Noviembre del presente año.

Esto ha sido más de estrategía financiera que de desarrollo, ya que lo quieren mover para un año fiscal (2010) más favorable.  Pero según Take-Two, la razón oficial es que querían “darle más tiempo de desarrollo adicional para poderle dar a los fans lo que ellos esperan y merecen”.

No especificaron la fecha exacta de lanzamiento, sólo que entrando el año fiscal 2010.  Así que estimados lectores, si tenían planeado comprar el esperado titulo de la secuela de Rapture, vayan pensando en comprar otro y/o ahorrar su $ hasta que finalice 2009.

Con que ocupas una pulidita? Ahorita te la doy cab...

Recuerde que lo leyó primero aquí en OverDrive… coff, coff.

Точехте ли зъби за Bioshock 2 през ноември? Не точете…. или поне не очаквайте, че ще можем да играем играта на 3 ноември (както беше обявено първоначално).
Днес Take-Two Interactive обявиха, че BioShock 2 е отложена за финансовата 2010 г. (точно както и Mafia II) Аз разбрах за тъжната новина от twitter акаунта на Geoff Keighley от GT, който преди около час написа:

BioShock 2 е отложена за финансовата 2010. След 30 минути имам конферентен разговор с Take Two, за да обсъдим забавянето на BioShock 2. Надявам се да разберем какво точно имат предвид под “финансовата 2010″.

Чакаме развитие по темата… и скърбим

UPDATE: BioShock 2 ще излезе някъде през първата половина на 2010 (Януари – юни)

Agent Logo

Not much is known about Rockstar’s upcoming exclusive Playstation 3 title, Agent, other than the little details given to us by Sam Houser. According to him, Agent, which is set in the 1970’s during the height of the Cold War, is gonna be full of espionage and and will be the “ultimate action game experience”. Sounds like a plan to me, I’m already hyped even with this little information on the game.

Ben Feder, Take-Two CEO, adds a little more information into the mix. He adds that Agent will have a very, very, different Storyline and character development than that of the GTA franchise. It’s a game set in the 1970’s about espionage, instead of the usual urban experience given by the GTA franchise. That’s typically a rags to riches type experience, for GTA. Feder says that it will  a fresh experience for gamers.

Ben Feder goes on to say doesn’t reveal much more about that, though. Besides leaving their thoughts that gamers will be blown away by it. I’m sure this game is going to be nothing short of amazing, I can’t wait. It’s reasons like this, that I’m getting the Ps3. FF13 versus, Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, God of War 3, and now Agent. Jeez, lol, all of these amazing games are going to be emptying out my wallet.

Well well well!  Look who came crawling back!  Take-Two Interactive just announced that the “highly popular” game for the Nintendo DS is coming to the PSP in the fall or should I say, back home where it belongs.  The game itself received the highest ratings ever for a DS game.  Too bad critics praise didn’t translate into huge sales.  The game itself has only sold 89,000 copies.  It’s going to be interesting to see how well the PSP version sells.  Piracy may have been a factor in why the DS version sold so poorly.  I honestly think that the DS isn’t a good platform for mature rated games.  Take-Two Interactive decided to go with the Nintendo platform for this one, because the DS has outsold the PSP by far.  I get it, it was just business.  Putting the GTA series on the best selling portable console is a logical business decision.  You go where the money is at.  But the Grand Theft Auto portable series has always been on the PSP.  Graphics, processor power, where else should it be?  Apparently I was not the only one who thought so.  89,000 is horrible to say the least.  And a lot of parents don’t approve of their kids selling hard drugs on what should be a family friendly game console.  The game will be available  as both a UMD and a digital download for the PSP Go!

Grand Theft Auto: ChinaTown Wars

Grand Theft Auto: ChinaTown Wars, arguably one of the best DS games, is now coming to the Playstation Portable as announced by Take-Two interactive. Not only that, but it’ll be downloadable for the PspGo as well.

The Founder of Rockstar Games, Sam Houser, said that they are glad to bring the hit GTA game over to the PSP and PSPGo. The PSP is a better host for Grand Theft Auto games of such magnitude, I think anyway. The Grand Theft Auto:ChinaTown Wars for the DS only sold 89,000 copies in it’s first month. For a game apart of such a popular franchise, it should have sold that many in, at most, a week. Some people began to wonder if the DS was the right choice to put such a mature game onto.

Some even suggest Piracy had something to do with the poor sales, which is understandable I guess. Many people have their R4’s ready to download any games that come out. However, those who will get the PSPGo, will not be able to hack in any way. The age of hacking possibly comes to an end with the age of digital distribution.  In any case, when Grand Theft Auto: ChinaTown Wars comes over to the PSP, sales will be able to be compared then.

Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, says that GTA games are an important part of Playstation Platforms success. And welcomes it as an epic addition to their line-up of games. This game will be available as both UMD and Digital Download.

Шъ ви дам аз 12 милиона...

Scott Miller (с основател на 3D Realms), хвърли малко светлина във връзка със заведеното наскоро дело, в което Take-Two Interactive твърдя, че са инвестирали над 12 милиона долара в Duke Nukem Forever.
Всъщност се оказва, че през 2000 година, Take-Two са платили 12 милиона долара на Infogrames за правата по издаването на DNF. 3D Realms обаче не са получили нито пени от тези пари, и точно за това не смятат да връщат каквото и да е.

Scott Miller опроверга и другият слух, според който Take-Two са им предложили 30 милиона долара за правата върху играта, но 3D Realms били отказали. “Щяхме да се възползваме без колебание”, ако това щеше да ни даде възможност да завършим DNF, е коментара му по темата.

Та в общи линии извода е – Take-Two са откупили правата от Infogrames и ние няма да им връщаме нищо, и не, никой не ни е давал 30 милиона за играта… ако беше щяхме да се възползваме

Съдбата на Duke става все по неясна…

Източник: No $30M Offer for Duke Nukem IP, Says 3D Realms [shacknews]

FOREVER.

It was well over ten years ago when now-defunct video game maker 3D Realms (makers of the Duke Nukem series and the recently well-received video game Prey) announced the proper, and what was to be the final, installment of the Duke Nukem franchise–Duke Nukem Forever. Since that announcement, the game’s title took an ironic but apropos meaning, as numerous development delays and corporate structural changes plagued the game’s release to the point where the “forever” in the game’s title came to refer to its production cycle. However, the saga seemed to be coming to a close when Apogee Software, LLC recently closed down the development studio for lack of funding. It seemed to the gaming community that Duke Nukem was finally dead; but with Take-Two Interactive’s recent suit against 3D Realms for failing to produce the game, Duke Nukem could end up living on forever (at least in case books) after all.

Take-Two Interactive (developers of the Grand Theft Auto franchise) purchased the publishing rights to Duke Nukem Fovever in August 2001, when it still appeared that the game would be released in the near future. When further delays made a 2005 release impossible, Take-Two renegotiated the publishing rights deal with Apogee, agreeing to receive a smaller amount than previously contracted. Additional troubles with 3D Realms contributed to more delays for the game, including the termination of several key staff members working on the project, but 3D Realms continued to release “teasers” (e.g., screen shots and short movie clips of gameplay footage), which suggested that the game would eventually find a release date. The delays continued to mount, however, and 3D Realms was forced to close its doors. A week later Take-Two filed its lawsuit claiming Apogee breached contract by not producing the game. While damages have not been specified, Take-Two claims to have invested over $12 million in the Duke Nukem Forever project. Conversely, Apogee in its defense alleges to have never received the stated amount.

While Duke Nukem Forever has become something of a joke in gaming communities, to me the game’s failure along with the shutdown of 3D Realms is really more demonstrative of many of the problems facing the video game industry. Namely, the same things that happen to other business sectors in a recession are now happening to the video game industry–smaller developers and publishers get swallowed up or bankrupted by the giants in the industry, while the giants end up trimming off some fat themselves (through massive layoffs, corporate restructuring, etc.). The time for 3D Realms had come; if a publisher as large as Midway (producer of the Mortal Kombat franchise) couldn’t survive the current economic climate, what chance did a much smaller company like 3D Realms have? Unfortunately this means that great franchises like Duke Nukem are forever placed in limbo, and gamers lose another great video game franchise from their childhoods.

– Rylan Smith

Image Source

Преди малко разбрах от kotaku.com, че драмата наречена “Duke Nukem Forever” отива от зле към по-зле. Оказва се че през години Take-Two Interactive са инвестирали над 12 милиона долара в разработката на играта. По случая Take-Two съдят 3D Realms…

It's time to kick ass and spend cash. And I'm all out of cash.

Според Bloomberg тази седмица Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. са подали иск за нарушение на договора от страна на Apogee Software Ltd., заради “продължителното забавяне” на следващите игри от поредицата Duke Nukem. Повече детайли относно иска не са разкрити.
Само за протокола, понеже някой хора явно се объркват юридическото име на 3D Realms е Apogee Software Ltd. Това е частта която Take-Two съдят. Apogee Software Ltd. обаче е нещо съвсем различно и отделно от Apogee Software LLC, разработчиците който наскоро “възкръснаха” и разработват Duke Nukem Trilogy – три игри за Дюк за Nintendo DS и Sony PSP.

Според част от “оплакването” – “Apogee многократно са уверявали Take-Two и video-gaming комюнитито, че усърдно работят върху приключването на PC версията на “Duke Nukem Forever“.

Вместо това да доведе до готов и завършен проект обаче, 3D Realms затвориха врати (клик) и много от вече бившите разработчици на Duke Nukem Forever си търсят работа.

След многото обещания, че играта най-накрая върви “в правилната посока”, и многократни слухове, че ще излезе “тази година” (и така всяка година), Take-Two са имали неблагоразумието да наливат пари в касичката на 3D Realms за да видят заглавието завършено. Сега обаче, се оказва че касичката е напълно празна, а Джордж Брусард и компания може би дължат повече от колкото се очакваше…

Източник: Take-Two Sues Duke Nukem Forever Devs Over Failure To Deliver [kotaku]

UPDATE: Take-Two v. 3D Realms Court Documents Materialize, 3DR’s Scott Miller Responds [shacknews]

Очевидно Take 2 се опитват да се докопат до сорс кода на играта. Още по-интересно обаче е изказването на Scott Miller:

No. We didn’t get a penny of that money. This, along with so much else, is 100% spin, being eaten up by those who have no clue whatsoever.

…и скоро 3D Realms ще имат коментар по темата.

Welcome Fellow Gamers!!!

What we have here is the first of MANY posts to this blog.  We, the team at Megarom, would like to welcome you to this blog, and hope you keep coming back.  What is the point of this blog, well, it is merely an outlet for all the staff at Megarom to let you the public know about new things happening in the world of Megarom.  We will post the latest assets on the blog to get you all excited about upcoming titles if you not excited already.  We will also mention interesting news in the blog that relates to our world.

For those of you who know what we do, we look forward to hearing your comments on the different articles we write.  For those of you that have never heard of Megarom Interactive, but happened upon us whilst surfing the interwebs, well, we are one of South Africa’s leading interactive video game importers and distributors.  We represent a number of publishers, namely, Activision/Blizzard, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Atari, NCsoft, Deep Silver and Bethesda.

I am sure you will be welcomed by each member of the team in due course, but in the meantime, you can expect posts from myself, Jason (Megarom Marketing Director), Devon (Megarom Marketing Co-ordinator) and Rene (PR and Marketing Manager Ubisoft South Africa).  There will also be cameo appearances from other members of the team, but they can introduce themselves in due course.

Don’t be a n00b, go forth, pwn, frag and go FTW..

Aunque la película no fue un hit y quizás  solo nos gustó a los fans del juego, ha servido un poco para algo más que pasar un buen rato.

Bullet time....urmm.. time!!

Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) a través de su Rockstar games ha anunciado Max Payne 3 disponible para las consolas de alto poder y la PC este invierno 2009.

Si no lo conocen pues es un juego FPS (first-person shooter) divertido como muchos, detrás de una historia detectivesca tipo Noir. Max Payne es el ex-policía caído en desgracia víctima de todo plan y calamidad posible. Vive en un mundo envuelto en crimen, drogas y alucinaciones que el propio jugador debe de vivir mientras juega. Todo esto con un toque que de alguna forma debe hacer especial al juego para ameritar 3 juegos y una película ¿no? bueno obviamente a parte de la historia y un personaje que toma vida propia mientras juegas, está el elemento Bullet Time, basicamente un efecto de slow motion tipo “Matrix” que hace el juego muy divertido. La adrenalina te hace concentrarte más, todo se mueve más lento y por un cierto período de tiempo puedes apuntar y disparar mejor, pensar mejor las cosas mientras vas volando hacia un lado esquivando balas.

Max Payne es un juego que cualquier amante del FPS debe jugar y sin duda tenerlo de vuelta en las consolas llena nuestro corazón de ánimo y ganas de alentar el mundo. Esperémos si salga en invierno y no haya retrasos!

Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games announced today that new Downloadable content for Midnight Club: Los Angeles will be released as of March 12. Although the MC: LA map is already as big as all 3 of the previous versions combined, this free expansion adds a further 4 new neighborhoods for the district of South Central. Altogether, this will expand the current map by at least one third.

Click Here to Read more of the details