In solidarity with Square Enix's current plight, I pledge to purchase 3,000 copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Wait, never mind…that means I'll be broke as well.
News Blips:
A revision to Square Enix's latest financial forecast reveals a staggering loss of revenue. The updated report blames the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March along with "a tightened selection standard regarding title lineup" as factors behind the company's loss of nearly $200 million for the year. Ideally, Square Enix's tightened stance on quality control could result in a stronger lineup, but this is the same company that wanted a game set in the so-bad-it's-good Highlander universe.
The inescapable allure of video games caused a tugboat to run aground on the Bligh Reef of Alaska's Prince William Sound. That's what the Coast Guard said of the Pathfinder, a vessel tasked with navigating oil tankers through the waters of the Sound as a safeguard against a repeat of 1989's disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill which took place in the same area. After "failing to properly communicate with other officers" about an impromptu course change, Captain Eugene Monsen then lost himself in a round of Hearts, a game which probably takes a ton of effort to lose yourself in. Following the accident, the Coast Guard considered a new, restricted outlook on "recreational electronic devices" due to "games, music, and phone calls to far-away family being a strong temptation and could easily distract a ship's officer from maintaining a proper lookout." I'll only start to panic when I see "Hearts rallies fellow games, mutinies aircraft carrier" in the papers. [MSNBC]
Silicon Knights founder Denis Dyack thinks social gaming is "damaging traditional gaming" but will eventually diminish into obscurity. "The trend that I see is it's probably going to be one of the biggest bubbles and explosions that our industry's seen in a long time, and I think when it crashes it's going to crash very hard," Dyack told IndustryGamers. "I don't think there's an economy there." He went on to say that many major publishers avoid stepping into the social and mobile markets because they "don't agree with it and they just haven't spoken about it. I don't see Nintendo going into that space, as an example. There are a lot of publishers that I don't see going into that space. And, you know, EA is one of the few that's [embraced social]." Aww, did someone have a bad withering problem in FarmVille?
Sega confirms the development of a new Alien game. CVG learned that Creative Assembly — the folks behind the popular Total War series — is helming the project with an intent to create "a peer to Dead Space 2." Neither Sega or Creative Assembly disclosed a genre for the title, but I'm fairly positive it'll include strobing lights, blind corners, and tentacle tongues galore.
Got any hot news tips? Send 'em over to tips@bitmob.com.