Hollywood & Games returns to Los Angeles on December 10, bringing together 250+ executives, founders, investors and decision-makers at the Grammy Museum's Clive Davis Theater. Explore the business of entertainment's biggest partnership through independent, journalist-led conversations on IP, investment, storytelling and new opportunities across gaming and Hollywood. Space is limited. Secure your seat today.
This week, Ubisoft delays two of its next-gen launch games (Watch Dogs and The Crew) perilously close to the new console launch dates, mobile games are on the rise as developer Supercell gets a $3.5 billion valuation, and Zynga might still be in trouble after a cofounder splits.
You’ll also find reviews for Skylanders: Swap Force and Sonic Lost World.
News:
- The DeanBeat: Welcome to the Battle Royal
- GamesBeat panel spotlight: Creating mobile ads that don’t suck
- Check out the full agenda (so far) for GamesBeat 2013
- DICE Summit to celebrate the ‘new golden age of gaming’
- Payment platform Rixty teams with Microsoft to give gamers more ways to get Xbox Live gift cards
- Treasure shooter Ikaruga among 37 newly approved Steam Greenlight titles
- Jonathan Blow’s The Witness is ‘very big;’ development team polishing the world
- Xbox One’s exclusive Machinima experience knows what you want to watch
- Peter Relan’s Studio 9+ reaches beyond games with its first incubator class
- Grand Theft Auto Online glitch turns players into billionaires (updated)
- After Playfish, social-game veterans return with Samurai Siege, earning $50K a day
- CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher is getting its own comic book series from Dark Horse
Announcements and reveals:
- PlayStation 4 getting four PlayStation 3/Vita gems: Flower, Flow, Sound Shapes, and Escape Plan
- Crytek’s free-to-play Warface shooter goes live in North America next week
- Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix heading to PlayStation 3 next year
Mobile news:
- The first iOS 7-only game built exclusively on Apple’s new SpriteKit game engine
- Dungeons & Dragons: Arena of War role-playing game goes live for iOS devices
- Random House expands into mobile games with Catch the Berry (exclusive)
- Star Wars: Tiny Death Star lets you manage the Empire’s technological terror
- Peak Games dominates mobile social games in the Middle East and Turkey
- Kabam to create another Fast & Furious mobile game
- Warner Bros. to create mobile version of Batman: Arkham Origins
Tech:
- AMD CEO says firm is shipping millions of chips for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 consoles
- After 6 years, Anki launches slot car game with artificial intelligence
- PlayStation 4′s so-called ‘Red Line of Death’ is ‘not true,’ says Sony boss
Ruh-roh:
- Analyst: Zynga’s new-CEO honeymoon could end soon as it continues to bleed users
- Zynga cofounder leaves the social-game developer
- The Crew delayed as Ubisoft works to make the racer a ‘perennial pillar’ on Xbox One, PlayStation 4
- Some Pokémon X and Y players reporting game-breaking save bug
GamesBeat 2013:
- GamesBeat panel spotlight: Creating mobile ads that don’t suck
- GamesBeat panel spotlight: How e-sports has become a hot sports ticket
- GamesBeat panel spotlight: How to monetize with alternatives to big spending on user acquisition
- GamesBeat speaker spotlight: Hope for Windows 8 gaming?
- Spike TV’s Geoff Keighley to interview Sony Online’s boss John Smedley at GamesBeat 2013
- GamesBeat speaker spotlight: DeNA West’s Clive Downie wants consequential player engagement on mobile
Trailer hoedown:
- Jersey physics and Phil Collins: Check out the NBA 2K14 PlayStation 4, Xbox One trailer
- Check out the first advertisement for the world’s most realistic gaming gun (video)
- This is what the Xbox One friends list looks like (video)
All this funding:
- Chinese mobile-gaming company Chukong raises $50 million in latest funding round
- AppLift raises another $7M for mobile-game marketing
- Puzzle & Dragons developer and SoftBank invest $1.5 billion in Clash of Clans studio
- Oculus VR competitor from former Valve employees now on Kickstarter
Earnings:
- Sept. 2013 NPD: Grand Theft Auto V lifts software sales a staggering 52%, Wii U up
- Ubisoft’s stock price plummets 25 percent on major delays and missed earnings
- What Supercell’s $3B valuation means for the mobile game business (hint: Party time!)
- Caesar’s Interactive rules social casino games again in Q3 — but its revenue doesn’t grow
Reviews:
- Sonic Lost World is fun and pretty — but it’s also cruel and merciless (review)
- Skylanders Swap Force leaps over its predecessors with jumping and platforming elements (review)
Interviews:
Pieces of flair:
- 10 current-gen innovations that changed the way we play games
- Who needs triple-A? These 10 next-gen indie games look amazing
- How to turn a developer into a founder: Advice from those who’ve done it
- ESPN’s ‘E:60′ covers the history of sports games from Pong to Madden NFL 25
- 5 best new Pokémon in X and Y
- Getting Mewtwo and other tips and tricks for Pokémon X and Y