Hasta La Gadget!

If you think EA’s bottom line is primarily driven by endless Madden sequels, think again. In reporting its fiscal first quarter results, the studio has revealed that its digital businesses — DLC, mobile and the web — now generate more official revenue ($482 million) than disc-based games and distribution ($467 million). The company isn’t breaking down these figures, although it says that DLC and mobile are the main factors. We do know that iOS plays a crucial role — EA says that Apple is now its largest retail partner in terms of pure sales. The revenue shift isn’t completely surprising when the company is big on flagship mobile games and the free-to-play model, but it suggests that discs are losing some of their luster at one of the world’s largest developers.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Internet, Mobile, Apple

Comments

Via: CNET

Source: EA (1), (2)

Nintendo was coy when it announced that its first free-to-play game will launch before the end of next March, divulging only that it wouldn’t belong to the Mario or Pokemon franchises. However, the firm’s Shigeru Miyamoto revealed to IGN that its first gratis title would be a Steel Diver game — yes, as in the 3DS launch title — featuring four-person multiplayer. Don’t expect a rehash though, as the pricing model will change the game’s design. Kyoto’s gaming powerhouse hasn’t settled on what business model they’ll lean on quite yet, but CEO Satoru Iwata mentioned during an E3 analyst Q&A that its unpaid games would be “balanced and reasonable.” The Big N noted that “free-to-play games, if unbalanced, could result in some consumers paying extremely large amounts of money, and we can certainly not expect to build a good relationship with our consumers in this fashion.” There’s still no word regarding which consoles this free installment of Steel Diver will grace, but Miyamoto teases that it’s something they’re hoping to show “relatively soon.”

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Nintendo

Comments

Via: Joystiq

Source: IGN

Along with announcing a fresh Wii U lineup at E3 this week, Nintendo shared that it will launch its first free-to-play title during this fiscal year — that is, by the end of March 2014. Industry analyst David Gibson tweeted the news live from the press event, adding that the move is intended to “boost digital sales,” and confirming that the game won’t fall under the Mario or Pokemon franchises. Nintendo isn’t saying which platform its first free-to-play offering is destined for, but in any case this announcement is a good sign that the company is getting serious about downloadable content.

Filed under: Gaming, Nintendo

Comments

Via: Nintendo Life

Source: David Gibson (@gibbogame)

Blizzard Entertainment has been creating quite a stir in the gaming community lately as they not only announced its Diablo III will be headed to consoles, specifically the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 at this point, and today, they’re announcing they’re going to be releasing a free-to-play game.

The game is called Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft and will be shown at a PAX East panel sometime this weekend. Hearthstone will be an online free-to-play collectible card game, similar to Magic: The Gathering, and will be made available on the PC and Mac in beta form this summer. Shortly after its initial beta release, it will be made available for the iPad. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: The 7th Guest: 3 Heading To PC, Mac and Mobile To Give You Nightmares Again, Microsoft Integrating Skype Into Voice, Video Communications Across All Products,

Kongregate has stepped out of its web browser boundaries by offering free-to-play downloadable desktop games alongside its existing catalog of browser-based titles. Only Super Monday Night Combat, Smashmuck Champions and Bomb Buddies are available for desktop play, but the outfit is set to beef up its selection in the following weeks. It’s not likely that this development will cause Steam to nervously eye its rearview mirror for a competitor on its coattails, but it’s interesting to see GameStop’s F2P game venture ever so slightly dip its toes into Valve’s territory. However, Gabe Newell’s platform may yet have some fiercer competition in the brick-and-mortar retailer’s Impulse storefront. Ready to stock up on the gratis Windows games? Hit the bordering source link to get started.

Continue reading Kongregate breaks free of the browser, serves up downloadable games

Filed under: Desktops, Internet

Comments

Source: Kongregate