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You too can be a game designer. You may not believe it now, but wait until you listen to the newest episode of Irrational Behavior, all about what the Irrational team did before they went on to make games like BioShock and Freedom Force. The careers range all the way from the mundane (fast food gigs and baristas aplenty) to the way-way-out there — tent putter-upper, “Ass Guy” at OzzFest and builder of Patriot missiles, just to name a few.

Side note: We would listen to a whole podcast of art director Nate Wells talking about stuff, though maybe that’s just us.

New Irrational Behavior episode, ‘How We Got Here,’ launched originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The New York State Attorney General’s office announced last week that it was issuing subpoenas to 22 popular online retailers, including GameStop, as part of an investigation into how the sites may share credit card information with other companies.

A news release from the office of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo explains what is described as a practice that “deceptively link[s] unsuspecting consumers to fee-based membership programs that charge unauthorized feeds under the guise of discount offers.”

The AG’s office describes in fuller detail:

Cuomo’s investigation has found that when consumers shop online from familiar retailers, they are often presented with a discount or cash-back incentive offer as they complete their purchase. When consumers click on the discount or incentive banner, they are unknowingly directed to a membership program seller’s Web page that is separate from the online retailer’s site. The consumer is then instructed through large, colorful print and voice prompts to accept the discount or incentive. Information about joining the membership program and its ramifications, including the fact that the consumer is agreeing to transfer his or her credit or debit card account information, is buried in fine print and cluttered text. Small and recurring charges then begin to appear on consumers’ credit or debit card bills from unfamiliar companies. Because of the low dollar amount, the charges may go unnoticed for some time.

The three discount companies in question are Webloyalty, Affinion/Trilegiant and Vertrue. The AG’s office has issued subponeas to 22 “well-known merchants” that deal with them, including GameStop, FTD.com, Orbitz.com, Travelocity and more.

Cuomo’s office reports that it already got movie ticket seller Fandango to agree to change its linking practices. MSNBC reports:

The company will now warn customers if they are about to be leave the Fandango Web site. It will also warn customers when an incentive is offered for joining a membership club from a separate company. Fandango has agreed to pay $400,000 in restitution to customers.

Reached for comment this afternoon, GameStop vice president Chris Olivera said the company is working with the AG’s office.

“I can confirm that we were subpoenaed,” Olivera said. “We are still reviewing the matter but do intend to work fully with the New York AG’s office. Beyond that, I would not be able to provide any additional comment.”

CUOMO INVESTIGATING 22 POPULAR ONLINE RETAILERS FOR LINKING CONSUMERS TO DISCOUNT CLUBS THAT CHARGE HIDDEN FEES [press release from New York State Attorney General's office]

Tecmo Koei has announced that it’s lowering its annual operating profit forecast (essentially its guess for how much profit it will bring in before taxes) by a painful 95%. In addition, stock fell 9.5% to 630 yen ($7).

This comes after the announcement of disappointing third-quarter losses (PDF link) totaling 1.842 billion yen ($20.4 million), and after the announcement that two high-profile games, Quantum Theory and Trinity: Zill O’ll Zero, have been delayed, thus eliminating whatever they would have contributed to the current fiscal year. Now it’s all up to Dead or Alive: Paradise and the Western releases of Monster Rancher DS and Again.

Source [PDF]

Tecmo Koei lowers profit forecast after Q3 losses originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We frequently see the words produced by gaming industry superanalyst Michael Pachter — however, a new piece of programming on GameTrailers gives us the rare opportunity to hear them straight from the man himself. Yes, a new video segment titled “Pach-Attack” gives the technoprophet his own soapbox from which he can voice his opinions and say his sooths, all presented in crystal-clear HD video.

We’ve embedded the inaugural episode of Pach-Attack after the jump. If you happen to check it out, you’ll need to keep reminding yourself that the casually-buttoned gentleman you’re viewing isn’t actually Don Johnson.

Continue reading Michael Pachter gets his own show, unbuttons his shirt

Michael Pachter gets his own show, unbuttons his shirt originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reuters: Video games are for adults, too originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unsurprisingly, in the announcement of delays of several games out of Q1 2010, Capcom also lowered its financial forecast for that period (which is its fiscal Q4), and for the fiscal year as a whole. The publisher adjusted its expected net sales for the year from ¥95 billion ($1.04 billion) to ¥65 billion ($711.62 million) as a result.

In addition, the company is posting a “special loss” of 4.5 billion yen, associated with the costs of restructuring its businesses — a move that mostly involved changes in the company’s pachinko operations in Japan. Capcom closed two arcades, and plans to downsize its pachinko and arcade businesses to put more resources into home video games.

Source – Presentation Material of Forecast Revisions and Plan for the Next Fiscal Year (PDF link)
Source – Capcom Announces Special Loss and Forecast Revision

Capcom game delays cause lowered 2009 sales forecast originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two announced the sale of Jack of All Games to software distribution mega-company Synnex. Jack of All Games, acquired by Take-Two in 1998, distributes games published by Take-Two (and its various brands) to retail. The sale is expected to be completed sometime in the first quarter of 2010, and will cost Synnex “$43.25 million, including $36.50 million in cash and up to an additional $6.75 million based on the achievement of certain items.”

In the announcement, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder indicated that the company will continue to work with Jack of All Games after the sale. Though at first this move would seem to be aimed at bringing money in during a period of disappointing performance, the company also reduced its forecasted first-quarter revenues, since it can no longer count money being brought in by Jack of All Games.

Take Two sells Jack of All Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you read the first installment in the latest installment of “Pachter Predixx,” you already know that the analyst’s new report praises the PS3 for its resilience during these troubled times. According to the report, the PS3 saw an 85-percent year-over-year sales increase in November, while the Wii and Xbox 360 suffered sales declines. This reversal in fortune leads Pachter and his Wedbush associates to a surprising conclusion: “We think that the PS3 will again outsell the Xbox 360 in November and December, prompting a price cut some time early next year.”

Pachter adds that while Microsoft “has the ability to lower price yet again,” it probably won’t do so until “it begins to lose significant market share to Sony.” As with all conjecture — even when delivered by professional conjecture conjurers — we suggest considering Pachter’s educated guess as just that: a guess.

Pachter predicts another Xbox 360 price cut in 2010 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve ever read a story we’ve written where some organization touts a piece of research “proving” the overwhelmingly negative effects video games have on youngsters, you’ve probably heard about the National Institute on Media and the Family. They’re infamous for issuing typically low-scoring report cards to the ESRB and other entities in the gaming industry, and for propagating the values of the group’s founder, psychologist David Walsh. However, it seems NIMF has executed its final evaluation — according to the St. Paul-based Star Tribune, the organization will shutter its doors on Dec. 31.

We bet some of you are overjoyed that the immeasurably critical group is shutting down — however, without their constant panning, we expect violence in video games to grow unchecked within the next few months. Soon, every title, from Peggle to Viva Piñata, will be bogged down by excessive amounts of gore. All games will be federally required to contain guns. Titles from previous console generations which don’t adhere to this rule will be destroyed, Fahrenheit 451 style. The industry will crash like a sack of lead bricks — all because NIMF wasn’t there to keep it in line.

To quote Joni Mitchell, “Don’t it always seem to go/ That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.”

Violent game-opposed National Institute on Media and the Family shuts down originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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