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This week, Quake creator John Carmack joins Oculus VR as chief technology officer, Amazon may be working on an Android console, and GamesBeat writer Dean Takahashi takes an in-depth look at the Last of Us in a multipart interview series.
You’ll also find reviews for Ibb and Obb, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and The Drowning as well as a preview for Strife.
News:
- The DeanBeat: A visit inside Blizzard shows what it’s like to live and breathe games
- Seattle-based HouseOgames looks to foster indie developers that have new ideas
- Major League Gaming drops StarCraft II from its next championship event
- Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix trailer reveals high-def boss battles and more
- Quake creator John Carmack joins Oculus VR as chief technology officer
- Czarcade’s Clobbr takes the top prize at Casual Connect’s indie showcase
- Zynga launches a new match-3 game on Facebook: Fairy Tale Twist
- 3DS owners can now get StreetPasses from Nintendo Zone retail locations
- War of the Roses developer reveals War of the Vikings followup
- Sony Online Entertainment teams with Wikia to reach out to EverQuest Next fans
- Former F.E.A.R. developers reveal atmospheric black-and-white shooter Betrayer
Mobile news:
- PC and mobile games drive 60% revenue growth for Nexon
- How Electronic Arts is chasing Puzzle & Dragons with Tetris Monsters
- Lumosity demonstrates how to get your app to the top of the App Store
- Following Kakao and Line, mobile messaging platform Tango launches its first internally produced game (exclusive)
- Localytics overhauls its web and mobile apps analytics platform (exclusive)
- Marriott launches virtual traveling game Xplor for iOS
- Chinese game publisher Yodo1 moves into global market with Cavemania
Tech:
- Is Amazon creating an Android video game console?
- Nvidia: Every Shield ‘we’ve shipped so far has sold out’
- PlayStation 4 does what Xbox One won’t: Free livestreaming and video sharing
- Xbox One ‘Day One’ edition comes with special controller, Achievement
- MSI launches ‘the world’s thinnest and lightest’ 17-inch gaming laptop
- North Korean tablet won’t give you Internet access, but it will play Angry Birds
Ruh-roh:
- Nintendo sues modding and pirating website
- Zynga finally says it will shut down Draw Something developer OMGPOP that it bought for $180M
- Activision shareholder files suit over Vivendi stock buyback
Nintendo Direct:
- Badges and microchallenges enhance Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
- The Wonderful 101 Nintendo Direct coming this week
- Nintendo announces Animal Crossing Plaza for Wii U
- Tecmo Bowl and more classics heading to 3DS eShop
- Professor Layton and his hat appearing in two games in 2014
- Sonic Lost World Wii U and 3DS detailed
Trailer hoedown:
Download extravaganza:
- Apocalypse is the final downloadable-content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops II
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II developer teases mysterious Origins content with a gigantic robot
- Create the first female clown president with Saints Row IV’s character-creator app
All this funding:
- Above Jack’s Surfboards, indie game creator Brian Fargo holds court amid his Kickstarter riches
- American McGee hits his Kickstarter target for Alice: Otherlands
Acquisitions incorporated:
Earnings:
Reviews:
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is a wonderful celebration of Year of Luigi (review)
- The Drowning’s unique controls can’t save a boring game (review)
- Ibb and Obb’s clever platforming puzzles will test your friendships (review)
Previews:
Interviews:
- Disney Planes director on the symbiotic relationship between animated film and video games (interview)
- Jon Radoff on the tricks of social gameplay in Game of Thrones: Ascent (interview)
- Strife embodies the rising swagger of seasoned developer S2 Games (interview)
- The Last of Us creators compare their blockbuster game’s beginning and ending (interview)
- Flamethrowers and super hearing: the gameplay decisions in The Last of Us (interview)
- What inspired The Last of Us (interview)
- The definitive interview with the creators of Sony’s blockbuster The Last of Us (part two)
- The Last of Us creators react to critics of game’s female characters (exclusive interview)
- The definitive interview with the creators of Sony’s blockbuster The Last of Us (part 1)
- Disney Interactive executive discusses the fine line between hardcore and family-friendly (interview)
- How video game giant Ubisoft will dive into movies with an Assassin’s Creed film (interview)
Pieces of Flair: