News

JikGuard
Opinion: SimCity launch debacle comes down to mismanaged expectations
As EA continues to navigate the SimCity launch fiasco, Game Developer magazine editor Patrick Miller suggests the root problem was a failure to manage fans' expectations before launch.
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
'I've had it with lazy devs' - a forum-goer puts a studio on notice
You made a good game, it ships, but your audience expects more. An entitled player brings a torch and pitchfork to the forums in this all-too-accurate satire from Game Developer magazine.
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
Samsung casts vote for Android game controllers with its own gamepad
Although the Samsung Galaxy S 4 mobile device reveal this week didn't contain many notable video game surprises, there was one -- a first-party Bluetooth gamepad for Android devices.
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
How trial and error helps and hinders in video game design
Small doses of trial and error in video games can be perfectly acceptable, and may even help build tension in certain circumstances -- but lay on too much randomness and the fun can really begin to fall apart.
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
Former EA Partners execs looking to nurture indie talent
A group of game industry veterans, including former thatgamecompany and Electronic Arts executives, has put together a funding initiative for promising independent video game studios.
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
Who's buying all these niche simulation games, anyway? We found out
Hardcore simulation games like German Truck Simulator and Farming Simulator are often the subject of ridicule among U.S. gamers. So who exactly is buying these games, and is there really demand for them?
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
If nothing else, SimCity proves that no one is safe from scaling problems
"One lesson is that we needed longer, more comprehensive beta tests." - Lucy Bradshaw may be stating the obvious here, but it speaks to a bigger, scarier trend: developers of all sizes are still struggling to scale their games.
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
Valve's community content is bigger business than you might think
We're going to need a bigger whale! If some recent numbers revealed by Valve co-founder Gabe Newell are any indication, the company is pocketing over $1 million in revenue from the biggest of its community contributors.
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
Valve, Capcom borrow each other's characters for game crossovers
Characters from Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 will be playable within Capcom's Resident Evil 6 and, likewise, enemies from Resident Evil 6 will appear in an update for Left 4 Dead 2.
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
Road to the IGF: LiquidSketch
Nominated for a Technical Excellence award at the 2013 Independent Games Festival later this month, LiquidSketch is a unique iPad puzzle game employing impressive liquid physics that developer Tobias Neukom tells us was a beast to get right.
March 15, 2013
JikGuard
GDC 2013 Audio Track highlights Walking Dead, Dear Esther, Dead Space 3 talks
GDC 2013 has an in-depth Audio Track, and this year's highlights include Dear Esther's approach to mixing live and digital instruments, episodic sound design and production for The Walking Dead, and much more.
March 14, 2013
JikGuard
Road to the IGF: Team Pixel Pi's Pulse
2013 IGF student finalist Pulse paints a canvas not with color but with sound. It is a first person survival game where echoes trigger the now-blind player's memory.
March 14, 2013