LEGO Universe Latest Online Game to Adopt Free-to-Play Business Model

 A growing trend in the burgeoning online video game space is to offer games for free and then generate revenue through subscriptions or the sale of in-game micro-transactions for virtual items. The LEGO Group is the latest video game publisher to venture into this free-to-play business with its LEGO Universe massively multiplayer online (MMO) game.
Originally launched as an in-store retail PC game on October 26, 2010 by distributor Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) for $50, starting this August the game will be available for free via digital download. Sales of the retail PC game, which currently sells for $20, will be discontinued permanently.
Rather than generating revenue from micro-transactions, the LEGO Group will continue to rely on monthly subscriptions for the game. Players will be able to access two adventure zones and one player property area for free for as long as they want. Access to the rest of the world’s 15 adventure zones and five player property areas will remain $9.99 per month. Gamers will also be able to purchase six months of gameplay for $49.99 and 12 months for $89.99.
“The LEGO Group remains committed to success in the digital space and to LEGO Universe,” said Jesper Vilstrup, vice president, the LEGO Group. “We see LEGO Universe as a key element for our digital play division, and are adjusting the business model to make the game more accessible to players, without the immediate obligation to purchase or subscribe.”
This move comes after retail sales of the game failed to live up to the success of the wide array of LEGO video games from WBIE (LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4), Disney Interactive Studios (LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean), and LucasArts (LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars). According to video game tracking firm The NPD Group, just over 65,000 copies of LEGO Universe have been sold in the U.S. since launch. The LEGO Group has not released global sales of the game or subscription numbers.
The game allows kids and families to build their own LEGO worlds, or take part in epic adventures featuring LEGO characters and themes inspired by the popular toy lines.
In February of this year, the LEGO Group purchased NetDevil, the development team that created LEGO Universe, from Gazillion Entertainment. That team, based in Louisville, Colorado, continues to work on expansions for the game world. Later this year, Ninjago, the next big expansion for the game, will launch.
Michael Pachter, video game analyst, Wedbush Morgan Securities, said the LEGO Group is likely targeting tens of millions of players with this new business model.
“With the LEGO brand, that’s possible, especially since Sony Online Entertainment’s Free Realms has done so well with an unbranded product,” said Pachter.

 Speaking of Free Realms, Sony Online Entertainment has gathered over 17 million registered players for its free-to-play game across PC, Mac, and PlayStation 3 since 2009. The game’s the first free-to-play MMO on Sony’s PlayStation Network. Sony has targeted the same family audience with its game world, which features mini-games like go kart racing and the ability to socialize with gamers of all ages in a cartoon-style 3D virtual world. The game relies on micro-transactions to generate revenue and offers players a $5 monthly subscription option to gain additional content.
SOE also has had success with its most recent partnership with LucasArts, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures. Players can pay a $5.99 monthly subscription or buy in-game items as they explore the Cartoon Network’s hit computer-animated TV series from George Lucas. This virtual world includes activities like Starfighter races, droid puzzles and tower defense mini-games.
Disney Online, which doesn’t release its subscription numbers, has several free-to-play game worlds. The game maker has World of Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean Online and Pixie Hollow for kids to explore beyond the movies and interact with characters from the big screen adventures in unique ways.
Of course, nothing compares to the success the biggest free-to-play company in the world. Bigpoint just celebrated its 200 millionth subscriber. The company has recently added U.S. gamers to its portfolio through Hollywood licensed games like Battlestar Galactica Online, Fast & Furious, and the upcoming The Mummy Online. Battlestar Galactica Online has attracted over 2 million gamers in just its first three months.
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Source : http://blogs.forbes.com

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Posted in: Games

Classic video games get remastered

Movie studios and music labels do it routinely: get consumers to buy a movie or album a second and third time with remastered editions and extras.

Video games are getting more into the act, too. Just released: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, a new edition of the 1998 Nintendo 64 classic, remastered in 3-D for the 3DS handheld system. This new version ($40) has built-in hints and a mode that lets players repeat their battles with the game's major enemies.

But the biggest improvement, says Eiji Aonuma, director of the original and the remastered Ocarina, is "the overwhelming presence of the world that sprawled out in 3-D space … a new, more convincing world enhanced by the stereoscopic vision of the 3DS."

Publishers often re-release games for new systems years after their first appearance. But fully remastering games is a newer trend that might pay off as players with HDTVs want games with high-definition graphics, says Ricardo Torres of news site GameSpot.com.

"They are beginning to use the language you see in music and movies. It's a lot sexier to say 'We have this remastered thing,'" Torres says. "There's a desire to play old games with better visuals; the classics don't hold up too well on an HDTV."

Though the practice is unlikely to match the millions of dollars studios and labels make by re-issuing older titles, video game remasters "are a way to get more revenue out of their titles," says Cowen and Company analyst Doug Creutz. "Console makers have a few really big franchises, and they are happy to get as much mileage out of them as they can."

Upgrades in the works:

•Star Fox 64 3D ($40, Sept. 11). Like Ocarina, this 1997 N64 game is being remastered for the 3DS handheld. New features let you control your aircraft by moving the 3DS, play head-to-head and put your image in the game — even sending a live video feed of your face as you battle. "As a way to play a flying game, it is fantastic," says Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

•Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary ($40, Nov. 15, for Xbox 360) will look and sound better than the 2001 Xbox original. Remastered in HD, the game also gets a surround-audio upgrade from Skywalker Sound. Other additions include Xbox Live achievements, multiplayer features and a classic mode that lets you switch between the enhanced graphics and the game's original look. While "the controls don't change and the gameplay doesn't change," says Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor of 343 Industries, the new graphics make it "feel like a brand new shooter."

•Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection ($40, Sept. 27, for PS3) bundles a pair of PS2 releases — 2001's Ico and 2005's Shadow—on one Blu-ray with 3-D compatibility. Both games, from Team Ico, Sony's Japanese development team, were heralded as artistic landmarks.

•God of War: Origins Collection ($40, this fall, for PS3) packs two PlayStation Portable games, 2010's God of War: Ghost of Sparta and 2008's God of War: Chains of Olympus, onto one PS3 disc. The games' graphics have been updated and can be played in 3-D; players can earn PlayStation Network trophies, too (as they can with the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection).

Remastering remains rare, but "it's possible five years from now, we'll see more of it," since more recent games will hold up better to HD remakes, says Michael Pachter, analyst with Wedbush Securities. And as new players enter the market, remastered games offer "the chance to play a game you missed the first time around. Some games never get old."

Source : http://content.usatoday.com/

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Posted in: Games

Guardiola to Inter in 2012

Inter Milan are believed to have done a deal with coach Pep Guardiola. He will handle the "Nerazzurri" from 2012. That is why, Inter is now difficult to find coaches becauseonly given a year's time.

Inter Milan coach is constantly looking to replace Leonardo. Owner and President ofInter Milan, Massimo Moratti, admitted his side had just approached the Argentinecoach Marcelo Bielsa. However, Inter's bid was rejected.

Inter has also been linked with Fabio Capello, Delio Rossi, Gian Piero Gasperini, andSinisa Mihajlovic. However, until now there was no meaningful progress. According toTuttosport, the reason being they do not want to just train a year, to then be replacedGuardiola in 2012.

Guardiola himself had stated, he will leave Barcelona at the end of the 2011-12 season.Because, he wanted to seek new challenges after giving many local and internationaltitles to Barcelona.
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Source : Kompas.com

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