Posts Tagged ‘video game’
Microsoft Will No Longer Support Xbox Live on First Generation Xbox and Its Games
Microsoft has officially announced in a letter to Xbox Live members that on April 15, 2010, Xbox Live will no longer support the almost 9-year old first generation Xbox, nor its games, even if they are playable on Xbox 360. As many of you may or may not know, The original Xbox console was discontinued back in 2006, and the last game for the console was released in August 2008.
Although Microsoft does not say it directly, they advised current Xbox users to upgrade to the Xbox 360. There’s sure to be a few complaints here and there from people who are still kicking it old school with their original Xbox consoles.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Takes More Than $1 Billion in Sales
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s developer Activision Blizzard, Inc announced today in a press release that the popular game has surpassed the $1 billion mark in retail sales around the world since its launch. Modern Warfare 2 was released back on November 10th, 2009.
Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick, said in a statement:
“Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 2 has exceeded our expectations and shattered theatrical box office and video game records. There are only a handful of entertainment properties that have ever reached the $1 billion mark, which illustrates the power of the Call of Duty franchise and mass appeal of this game.” More »
Boston Mother Calls 911 Because Her Son Didn’t Want to Stop Playing GTA
According to the Boston Herald, Boston resident Angela Mejia called 911 at 2:30 AM last Saturday because her 14-year old son did not want to stop playing the ever-so-popular Grand Theft Auto video game. She apparently woke up in the middle of the early morning to find her son awake playing the game that she so desperately disapproves of. She proceeded to unplug the console, which sparked a heated argument between the boy and her. She apparently did not have other choice other than to call 911.
“I would never buy that kind of video. No way. I called (police) because if you don’t respect your mother, what are you going to do in your life? I have support from my church, but I’m alone. I want to help my son, but I can’t find a way,” said Mejia.
The police responded and managed to talk the boy into giving up the game and going to sleep. “[The police officers] were just like, ‘Chill out. Go to bed’,” the 14-year old boy said.
Mobile Gaming: Where the Money is at?
Making money isn’t easy, especially in this economy — unless you’re Tapulous, that is. The company behind the well-known “Tap Tap Revenge” game (which I’ve come to hate because I’m terrible at it) says they’re making a cool $1 million from the game — per month.
The company manages to be profitable through the sale of the actual game, advertisements in-game, and by selling extra songs for their games. According to Reuters, the company boasts that Tap Tap Revenge has been installed “20 million times, with more than 600 million total games played.” More »
Apple Looking to Hire A Video Game Designer With 3D Experience
Apple has posted an ad for a full-time video game artist to work developing an interactive 3D multimedia experience for the iPhone and iPod Touch. While Apple has previously developed small games for the iPhone OS, this time looks like Apple wants to go on a bigger and more extravagant scale.
Here’s the actually job description:
The interactive media group is looking for a skilled artist who wants to work as part of a small highly motivated team to work on interactive multimedia experiences on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The position on the team is to help design, visualize, enable and implement interface, 3D characters/environments, animation, texturing as well as original concept artwork. The position also requires a creative thinker who can contribute and comment on the design process as well as being flexible enough to aid in all aspects of production such as asset management and able to work to a deadline. More »
PlayStation 2 Officially Launches in Brazil, Costs $460 USD
You read that right, dear reader. Nearly ten years after making an official debut elsewhere in the world, Brazil is finally getting Sony’s PlayStation 2 console. Seriously, PlayStation 2 — not 3. Of course, we’re pretty confident the console has been making its way into the country via less-than-legal means, but for those who don’t have connections — it’s in stores!
So how much will it cost, you ask? I’ll give it to you straight and won’t butter you up. We’re seriously talking about 799 Brazilian Real, or in US currency, roughly $460 dollars. That’s more than a PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 combined here in the states.
Now, all the Brazilians can wait for all the video games to be translated, and pay top dollar for them!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Takes In Over $550 million — In Five days
When we last reported on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, we had stated that the game had amazingly grossed over $300 million in its first day alone.
Not too long after the launch, we’ve got some updated figures on how well both the game’s developer (Infinity Ward) and Activision Blizzard Inc. (publisher) did just five days following the launch day on November 10th, 2009.
So how much are we talking about exactly? Try $550 million in just 5 days. If you have trouble with numbers, that’s Tuesday through Saturday. For a game that cost about $45 million to produce, with a launch budget of $200 million, what the companies have grossed is certainly an incredible number.
The best part here (especially Activision and Infinity Ward) is that we haven’t even approached the holidays, and we’ll certainly be looking out for those figures.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Banned in Russia
Well, it was bound to happen. Activision’s ultra-successful video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been banned in the motherland some call Russia.
The ban and recall of all games sold comes after an extremely violent level in the game allows the player to kill innocent passengers in a Russian airport. The decision to take the game off of store shelves actually originated from players themselves, who were apparently shocked and unhappy with the level. It’s important to note here that the level is optional.
Infinity Ward is expected to patch the video game by removing the airport level completely, and will be reviewed by the Russian government. If approved, the re-release could happen in less than a month.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Biggest Launch of an Entertainment Product Ever
If you’re an avid Call of Duty fan, you probably saw this next news item come, well, after the first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game. It has been estimated that Activision took in approximately $310 million from North America and the United Kingdom alone. Even more jaw-dropping — on the first day.
The game, which was officially released on November 10th, 2009, has been anticipated all year, and many retail outlets opened their doors at midnight to keep up with demand.
No doubt about it, Modern Warfare 2 is an absolute success, and has made history as the biggest launch of an entertainment product ever. The executives over at Activision surely are happy, and it’s not even the Holiday season. Once that rolls around, expect even more sales.