Sony, Jackson estate inks $250 mln deal: reports (tech)
WASHINGTON () – Sony and the estate of late music legend Michael Jackson have signed a record-breaking 250-million-dollar deal for distribution rights through 2017, US media said Tuesday. The blockbuster deal involving as many as 10 new Jackson projects may include computer video games as well as music and film releases, the Los Angeles Times said. “The audio rights span across different projects,” said Rob Stringer, chairman of the US label Columbia Epic, a division of Sony, reported the Times. “There may be theater. There may be films and movies. There may be computer games — or multimedia platforms that I don’t know about today that will happen in 2015.” Described by Sony and Jackson’s estate as the most lucrative music contract on record, the deal would guarantee the late singer’s heirs at least 200 million dollars, the Wall Street Journal said. The deal would go a long way to easing burdens left behind by Jackson, whose lavish lifestyle and spending sprees marked up hundreds of millions of dollars of debt. After his death, a Los Angeles court named Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, guardian of his three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11 and Prince Michael II , 7, as well as of his estate, which includes his Neverland ranch and rights he held to songs by The Beatles . Sony’s contract “exceeds all previous industry benchmarks,” entertainment lawyer John Branca , one of the estate’s executors, told the New York Times . The closest comparable contracts would be rapper Jay-Z ’s 2008 accord with Live Nation worth 150 million dollars for recordings and concerts. Since his death on June 25 last year, Sony has sold some 31 million Jackson albums worldwide and his estate, by the first anniversary of his death, is expected to have made 250 million dollars from the sale of music, merchandise and tickets to the posthumous concert movie ” This Is It ,” the Journal said. Jackson died at his rented mansion in Los Angeles after an overdose of powerful prescription drugs, as he was preparing to perform a series of comeback concerts in London . The star’s doctor Conrad Murray last month pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the sudden death, but has admitted administering the drugs to the singer. The first recording under the new contract, according to the New York Times, will be the soundtrack for “This Is It” — which showed Jackson rehearsing his comeback concerts in the weeks leading up to his death — and by November a new album of unreleased recordings. Branca told the LA Times that a look at other high-earning careers held by dead music legends indicated the value of Jackson’s brand. “If you look at Elvis and the Beatles , and how their brands are thriving, they only hint at what the future holds for Michael,” Branca said. In October, Forbes Magazine named Jackson as number three in its annual Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list, earning 90 million dollars in the months after his death. Fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent topped the list with 350 million dollars in posthumous earnings, while Elvis Presley came just behind Jackson with 55 million dollars.
NVIDIA techp Brings 3D Gaming to Your TV (tech)
Are you excited to start gaming in 3D? NVIDIA wants to show you how awesome 3D video games and movies can be, and it has teamed up with Panasonic for a US-wide road tour to showcase the latest in 3D home theater technology . As part of the tour, you’ll be able to test out PCs running NVIDIA’s 3DTV Play software with Panasonic’s 3D HDTVs and shutter glasses (what a mouthful!). 3DTV Play lets you play 3D games or watch 3D video from your PC, and it works with compatible GeForce GPUs, over 400 games out of the box, and supports 3D TVs with HDMI 1.4, with resolutions up to 1080p at 24 frames per second. 3DTV Play isn’t just for gaming; it lets you watch 3D movies, view 3D images , and even browse 3D Web sites. There’s no release date yet for the app, but NVIDIA says it’ll be “available later this spring” for $39.99. However, if you’re an NVIDIA 3D Vision owner, the software’s free. While current PCs with NVIDIA GeForce cards will support 3DTV Play, 3D gaming requires twice the frameratw of 2D gaming, so newer, faster machines will provide the best experience for 3D. An NVIDIA rep told Gizmodo that the demo rigs used for some press previews were “inside a 3.5-foot-tall tower with a plexiglass side to show off the water cooling inside,” which I can only guess will not be cheap. Want to catch the NVIDIA/Panasonic tour? They’ll be in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago through March 17, and at a dozen other cities after that. Specific locations and dates are available at Touch the Future . Did you get a chance to try World of Warcraft in 3D on the tour? Comment and let us know. [ Nvidia ] Follow GeekTech on Twitter or Facebook . Share
A look at February’s top-selling video games (tech)
The top-selling video games in the U.S. in February, by number of copies sold, according to NPD Group: 1. ” BioShock 2″ for Xbox 360 , from Take-Two Interactive 2. ” New Super Mario Bros .” for Wii, from Nintendo 3. ” Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2″ for Xbox 360, from Activision Blizzard 4. “Just Dance” for Wii, from Ubisoft 5. “Sports Resort” for Wii, from Nintendo of America 6. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ for PlayStation 3 7. ” Mass Effect 2″ for Xbox 360, from Electronic Arts 8. ” Dante’s Inferno ‘Divine Edition’” for PlayStation 3, from Electronic Arts 9. “Dante’s Inferno” for Xbox 360 10. ” Heavy Rain ” for PlayStation 3, from Sony
February video game sales drop 15 percent (tech)
SEATTLE – U.S. retail sales of video games declined 15 percent in February, hurt in part by an ongoing decline in sales of music games and lower sales of the Wii system. Americans spent $1.26 billion on video game systems, software and accessories during the month, down from $1.48 billion a year ago, market researcher NPD Group said Thursday. “I had expected the industry to perform somewhat better this month,” said Anita Frazier, NPD Group’s video game industry analyst , in a statement. Game software sales fell 15 percent from the same month a year earlier to $624.4 million. Top-selling games included ” Bioshock 2 ” from Take Two Interactive Software Inc. and ” Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2″ from Activision Blizzard Inc . The amount of money people spent on gaming systems sank 20 percent to $426.4 million. The number of Nintendo Wii systems sold in the quarter plunged 47 percent. Competitors fared better in unit sales, though: Sony PlayStation 3 unit sales jumped 31 percent, and Microsoft Corp . sold 9 percent more Xbox 360 systems, grabbing the top spot among the console makers for the first time since “Halo 3″ was released in September 2007, Frazier said.
February video game sales drop 14 percent (tech)
SEATTLE – U.S. retail sales of video games declined 14 percent in February, hurt in part by an ongoing decline in sales of music games. Americans spent $1.48 billion on video game systems, software and accessories during the month, market researcher NPD Group said Thursday. Game software sales fell 15 percent from the same month a year earlier to $624.4 million. Top-selling games included ” Bioshock 2 ” from Take Two Interactive Software Inc. and ” Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2″ from Activision Blizzard Inc . Sales of gaming systems sank 20 percent.
OnLive Plans On-Demand Streaming of Video Games (NewsFactor)
In a move to shake up the online gaming industry, OnLive has announced PC and Mac versions of its on-demand, instant-play games will roll out in June during the E3 2010 show. Here’s the rub: Gamers don’t have to buy a console, and they can get broadband speeds. OnLive delivers games to HDTVs over an Internet connection via a small browser plug-in for PCs and OnLive’s MicroConsole TV Adapter, which will roll out later this year. The company is billing its game service as a way to find, purchase or rent video games from publishers like Electronic Arts , Ubisoft 2K Games, THQ and Warner Bros . Interactive Entertainment. “The idea here is that you buy or rent the games and stream them. That’s pretty challenging when it comes to gaming because you need very quick responses,” said Michael Gartenberg, a partner at the Altimeter Group. “OnLive is an interesting twist. The question is how it’s going to work in real time over the network.” A Subscription Model The OnLive service will cost $14.95 a month and give gamers access to a library of games. OnLive said it will also offer loyalty programs , such as multi-month pricing. To kick-start the service, OnLive is offering to waive fees for the first three months for the first 25,000 gamers who sign up for a subscription. Full versions of the games will be available for purchase or rent during the introductory period. OnLive said its service will offer features like gamer tags, user profiles , friends and chat, and hinted at exclusive content such as state-of-the-art 3-D graphics. The service will also offer free game demos ; multiplayer games across PC, Mac and TV platforms; and Brag Clips video capture and posting. Finally, OnLive will introduce massive spectating, always-updated games, cloud-saved games, and the ability to pause and resume games from anywhere, even on a different platform. A Growing Online Gaming Market OnLive said it will offer ongoing platform support from the large game publishers. The company leaked out a few of the anticipated game titles, including Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age Origins , Assassin’s Creed II , Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands , Borderlands and Metro 2033. The market for online games has been growing steadily over the past couple of years. ComScore reports a significant increase in the size of its audience during 2009 as more consumers opted for cheaper entertainment alternatives in the face of a down economy. The category attracted 87 million U.S. visitors in May. “OnLive promises great performance, but latency is always going to be a question,” Gartenberg stressed. “We’ll have to see how well it works, how well it scales, and what titles actually make it onto the platform.”
OnLive taking videogames into the Internet "cloud" (tech)
SAN FRANCISCO () – California startup OnLive plans a June 17 launch for a service that streams video games over the Internet , meaning players can avoid buying expensive consoles or packaged software. OnLive expects the US roll-out to feature blockbuster titles such as ” Mass Effect 2″ and ” Assassin’s Creed 2″ which have been major hits with players using Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 videogame consoles. “This marks a huge milestone for both OnLive and the interactive entertainment landscape as a whole, changing the way that video games are developed, marketed, accessed and played,” said OnLive founder and chief executive Steve Perlman . “We are opening the door to incredible experiences for gamers and enormous opportunities for developers and publishers.” The news came during a Game Developers Conference where start-ups such as Spawn Labs on Thursday were among those taking video games into the Internet “cloud.”
New racing videogames set to rev up sales (tech)
LIVERPOOL, England () – Blatant disregard for oncoming traffic and speed limits will get you into serious trouble on the road, but drivers seeking similar thrills can indulge in a fleet of new racing video games due out soon. Sony Computer Entertainment’s (Sony) ” Gran Turismo 5 ” from Polyphony Digital , Activision Blizzard’s “Blur” and Disney Interactive Studios ‘ “Split/Second” are heading to stores from game-makers around the globe, boosting a genre that inevitably has players coming back for more. John Taylor, videogame analyst, Arcadia Research, said that in 2004 racing games accounted for approximately 9 percent of U.S. videogame sales, a figure which has now more than doubled. He said the racing genre still has strong franchises such as Nintendo’s ” Mario Kart Wii ,” Microsoft ’s ” FORZA Motorsport ” and Sony’s “Gran Turismo,” with this year’s offerings set to add to a niche that, according to analyst Anita Frazier, netted sales worth $548 million in 2009. “Today, more than 20 percent of U.S. gamers play action or sports racing games with the demographics skewing to younger males,” said Michael Cai, vice president of research at media and technology research firm Interpret. Liverpool-based game studio Bizarre Creations has made the jump to action racing with “Blur.” The studio’s last racing franchise, Microsoft’s “Project Gotham Racing,” has sold over 7 million copies on Xbox 360 , including 2.9 million units in the United States, according to The NPD Group. “After working on so many simulation racing titles we really wanted to bring the fun back to racing,” said Ged Talbott, lead designer on Blur at Bizarre Creations. “To do that, we’ve combined real-world vehicles with accurate physics and handling with arcade-style power-ups like mines and nitro boosts on accurately detailed tracks like the Los Angeles docks and downtown Tokyo.” Another British game developer , Black Rock Studios in Brighton, is delivering adrenaline-fueled arcade racing action with “Split/Second.” The developer is making the jump from its core off-road racing pedigree from bestselling titles such as Disney Interactive Studios ‘ “Pure” to the crowded pavements of a futuristic reality television show that pits eight racers against each other in a battle for global TV ratings. “As you drive through this city, the track environment changes, opening up shortcuts and unlocking ways to wreak havoc on your competition,” explained Nick Baynes, game director at Black Rock Studio. “There are explosions everywhere and things are falling apart as you try to survive through a full television season.” New Vancouver, British Columbia-based studio United Front Games is adding an interesting twist to the racing genre with Sony’s “ModNation Racers.” The kart-racing game makes it easy for players to create and customize their drivers and vehicles, and even build entire racetracks in a matter of minutes. All of this user-generated content can then be shared with other PlayStation 3 users online. “We don’t look at this title as creating another kart racer game,” explained Mike Olson, lead artist on “ModNation Racers” at United Front Games. “This game is a tool that will allow players to create anything they want and share it with the community.” Sony has sold over 55 million copies of its “Gran Turismo” racing simulation franchise worldwide. Its newest title, ” Gran Turismo 5 ,” will be available for PlayStation 3 users this autumn and introduces NASCAR to its garage of racing vehicles. The game is expected to feature over 1,000 cars, ranging from Japanese tuner cars to concept cars, as well as tracks from around the globe. The game will also feature stereoscopic 3D technology for the first time. Racing games keep fans coming back for sequels. Electronic Arts has sold over 100 million copies of “Need for Speed” games over the last 16 years. The publisher is taking the racing genre into the massively multiplayer online (MMO) space this summer with ” Need for Speed World .” What separates this new online game from the competition is that the content will always be updating with new licensed vehicles and tracks, keeping the experience fresh, something that should help gamers going on more than just a test drive. (Editing by Miral Fahmy)
Take-Two shares boosted by 1Q results, outlook (tech)
NEW YORK – Shares of Take-Two Interactive Inc. got a boost Thursday after the video game publisher posted first-quarter results and a profit forecast for the current period that surpassed Wall Street’s expectations. Take-Two, best known for the ” Grand Theft Auto ” franchise, said sales of “NBA 2K10″ and “Borderlands,” along with older “Grand Theft Auto” games, drove the quarter’s results. Digital sales were also strong, as sales of such add-on content to packaged video games were 12 percent of overall sales. This is up from 3 percent a year earlier. The company said Wednesday it expects to post adjusted earnings of 20 cents to 30 cents per share on sales of $250 million to $300 million for the second quarter. Analysts expect a profit of 7 cents per share on sales of $267.4 million, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters. For the full year, however, the company still expects to report a loss, as it has long struggled to report a profit in years when it does not release a new “Grand Theft Auto” title. Broadpoint.AmTech analyst Benjamin Schachter said the first quarter was “solid” relative to expectations, helped by better than expected sales of older, “catalog” titles and the company’s move to contain operating costs . But noting that Take-Two is still unprofitable for the year, the analyst said “we continue to recommend that investors stay on the sidelines until we get more visibility around potential profitability.” He kept his rating at “Neutral” and raised his target price to $9 from $8. Michael Pachter at Wedbush Morgan also kept a “Neutral” rating on Take-Two, saying a strong 2010 product lineup and strength in catalog and digital sales is “overshadowed by recurring product delays.” The company, he noted, moved “Red Dead Redemption” to the third quarter from the second, and “Mafia II” to the fourth quarter from the third. It also said one of its big releases scheduled for the fourth quarter may get pushed into the first quarter of 2011. “Once the company can demonstrate a path to consistent profitability, we will become more constructive,” Pachter wrote. Take-Two, he added, “must focus on streamlining its development process, and provide better visibility on future game releases .” The average Take-Two game, the analyst said, takes much longer to develop than the industry average of two years, which drives up costs and makes it difficult to make a profit. Shares of the New York-based company rose 77 cents, or 8.5 percent, to $9.80 in midday trading. The stock has traded in the 52-week range of $5.63 and $12.57.
It’s Conclusive, Claims Professor, Violent Video Games Make Us Aggressive (tech)
An Iowa State psychology professor is claiming–not for the first time–that his latest published study offers irrefutable evidence that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior . And a Texas A&M psychology professor has responded–in the same publication–claiming that the Iowa State study is methodologically flawed. Published in the March 2010 issue of APA journal Psychological Bulletin , the study by Iowa State professor Craig Anderson , director of Iowa State’s Center for the Study of Violence, concludes that exposure to violent video games leads to an increase in aggressive thoughts and behavior, as well as decreased empathy and favorable social behavior in children. “We can now say with utmost confidence that regardless of research method–that is experimental, correlational, or longitudinal–and regardless of the cultures tested in this study [East and West], you get the same effects,” said Anderson . “And the effects are that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior in both short-term and long-term contexts. Such exposure also increases aggressive thinking and aggressive affect, and decreases prosocial [sic] behavior.” Also published in the March 2010 issue of Psychological Bulletin, a response by Texas A&M professors Christopher Ferguson and John Kilburn entitled ” Much Ado About Nothing: The Misestimation and Overinterpretation of Violent Video Game Effects in Eastern and Western Nations” stipulates that Anderson’s study has serious flaws. Ferguson and Kilburn allege that Anderson’s meta-analysis included several studies that don’t relate well to “serious aggression,” several “apparently biased” unpublished studies, and a “best practices” analysis they say “appears unreliable.” “Despite a number of methodological flaws that all appear likely to inflate effect size estimates, the final estimate…is still indicative of only weak effects,” conclude Ferguson and Kilburn, “effects” referring to the strength of the causal relationship between stimuli (violent video games) and response (increased aggressive behavior). More on this shortly, once I’ve had a chance to read through both publications in full myself. I’ll admit, based on the perceived scientific merit of prior studies out of the Iowa State aggression research department , that I’m not sure much of anything’s actually changed in terms of actionable evidence in this latest study. As any statistician has to admit, you can find relationships between all kinds of things…it’s the strength of the relationship that matters. Follow us on Twitter ( @game_on )
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