Join independent journalists and industry decision-makers at GamesBeat NEXT, returning to San Francisco November 2–3. The event brings together 500 executives, founders, investors and tech leaders shaping the $200 billion interactive economy for candid discussions on gaming, entertainment, technology and AI, plus executive networking and opportunities to build partnerships and close major deals.
This week, SimCity launches but suffers catastrophic sever issues, PETA claims Ubisoft is glorifying whaling in Assassin’s Creed IV, and Boy Scouts can now earn badges for game design.
You’ll also find reviews for SimCity, God of War: Ascension, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate, and Dollar Dash, as well as previews for Dead Space 3 Awakened and Gears of War: Judgment.
News
- The DeanBeat: The revenge of the old farts who outlast evil and survive in the games business
- Maxis: It’s ‘fair’ that reviewers ‘punished’ SimCity for server issues
- Lord British returns with his first new role-playing game in 15 years
- SyFy’s Defiance television show and Trion World’s online game are in the home stretch after five years
- Free-to-play online gaming company Bigpoint gets a new CEO
- SimCity producer addresses fan outrage over server issues
- Videogamer: The Film explores gaming innovation from all perspectives
- Researcher uses Xbox 360′s Kinect game sensor to measure your breathing
- Amazon stops selling digital copies of SimCity as EA shuts off in-game features (update)
- SimCity not working for you? 5 alternative city-building games
- Boy Scouts can now earn a badge for game design
- You’ll either love or hate this new Deadpool trailer — first good look at gameplay
- Bunchball launches Nitro 5.0 with focus on enterprise gamification
- Core-gamer spending slows as industry prepares to transition to the next generation
- EA closes SimCity servers for maintenance, and even the alert message is broken
- Torment: Tides of Numenera Kickstarter blazes to $900k goal in six hours
- Xbox Kinect’s upcoming midair multitouch is gunning for you, Leap Motion
- Ubisoft to PETA: ‘We do not condone whaling, just as we don’t condone a pirate lifestyle’
- From Flash to Steam — how Adult Swim is building a publishing empire
- EA: Rumor that we’re killing Dead Space is ‘patently false’
- With a magic puff of smoke: Snoop is back in Way of the Dogg rhythm game
- Wizard of Oz social game hits a million players on Facebook (exclusive)
- Journey’s art director starts his own studio
- EA shuts down BioWare San Francisco
- Can’t download SimCity? You’re not alone (update)
- Aliens: Colonial Marines co-developer TimeGate Studios lays off some staff
- SimCity’s always-online functionality trips up the review process
- PETA: It’s ‘disgraceful’ for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag to ‘glorify’ whaling
- Dota 2 surpasses Skyrim’s record for most concurrent players on Steam
- Skyrim 1.9 update: New difficulty setting and ‘Legendary Skills’
- You are the new Desmond in Assassin’s Creed IV
- Ubisoft: 40 percent of Assassin’s Creed IV is naval missions
- Assassins’ Creed IV: Black Flag is pirates vs. ninja
- Call of Duty co-creator Jason West leaves startup Respawn Entertainment
Mobile News
- AdColony sees huge growth for video ads in mobile apps, with 1 billion views to date
- Happy birthday to you: Free stuff from Google for your Android phone
- Subway Surfers creator explains why co-development is key in mobile games
- Chasing Temple Run, Zynga launches Running With Friends mobile game
- Humble Android Bundle 5 live: Super Hexagon and more
- Proletariat releases iPhone game LetterRush from the ashes of Zynga Boston
- How Green Throttle’s Arena will surpass Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo
- iPadocalypse: ‘iPad shipments collapse’ 50% in January (but there may be a very good reason)
- With Temple Run: Oz, Disney will test how far a hit franchise can run
- Guitar Hero creator’s Green Throttle Arena turns Android gaming into a hardcore experience (exclusive video)
Reviews
- Kratos’s softer side still kicks plenty of ass in God of War: Ascension (review)
- Dollar Dash is not worth your dimes (review)
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate can’t quite translate 3D gameplay into 2D (review)
- A ‘big data’ experience revives the glory of SimCity (review)
Previews
- Psychological horror returns to Dead Space with Dead Space 3 Awakened (preview)
- Gears of War: Judgment makes some refreshing tweaks to an old formula (preview)
- Underneath Fuse’s brilliant combat system is a steep learning curve (preview)
Interviews
- Gears of War: Judgment writers debunk the series’ dude-bro reputation (interview)
- Crytek chief puts on his Warface and says why Crysis 3 for Wii U ‘had to die’ (interview)
Pieces of Flair