Hasta La Gadget!

Just several days after Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello resigned, Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada is also making the move. Square Enix announced today that Wada will be stepping down due to “a management reorganization.” However, the company also noted that they’re expecting a big loss in its next financial statement.

Wada has been the CEO of Square Enix for over 12 years, starting the role in 2000, but he’ll be officially stepping down in June, and will receive a 60% pay cut starting next month due to the company’s poor performance. Yousuke Matsuda, who joined the company in 2001, will take over as CEO. It’s not yet said if Wada will take on a new role at Square Enix, nor if Matsuda is just a temporary replacement.

The company’s expected net sales were reduced overall, and they now expect net income to fall from 3.5 billion yen ($37 million) to 13 billion yen ($138 million). Square Enix has blamed its poor performance on “slow sales of major console game titles in North American and European markets.” The company recently released Sleeping Dogs, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Hitman: Absolution, which apparently aren’t doing so hot.

While Wada is receiving a 60% pay cut, Matsuda will also be receiving a pay cut, but only 40%. It seems that the publisher has a long road ahead of itself, and if the newly-appointed CEO is getting a huge pay cut, that can only mean that other employees will be getting pay cuts as well, and it could possibly lead to lay offs at some point.

[via The Next Web]

Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down due to financial troubles is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We heard back in February that the next Assassin’s Creed title would be arriving sometime in the future, and earlier this month developer Ubisoft confirmed that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag would be the next installment in the series. Finally, the first gameplay trailer for the game has been released, and it gives gamers an idea of what they’ll be in for.

We saw the official launch trailer earlier when the game was confirmed, but that specific trailer was nothing more than cutscenes. This time around, we get to see actual in-game footage. The trailer features our new assassin, Edward, and his adventures on the high seas. We get to see a lot of action, including some underwater scenes, as well as the expected cannon shootouts with enemy ships.

Of course, we saw some leaked screenshots earlier this month that hint at what to expect from the game, but it’s nice to finally see the game in action. The graphics look pretty great, and the detail is quite outstanding. The underwater scenes look especially good, and we’re guessing those will be a huge hit when the game eventually releases.

The game will launch on the PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and the Nintendo Wii U on October 29 in the US, with the UK getting it on November 1, and the rest of Europe getting access on October 31. The game will also launch on PS4, but no release date has been determined for that version. Furthermore, if Microsoft ends up announcing its next-generation gaming console at some point this year, we should expect the new Assassin’s Creed installment to be available on that console as well.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag gameplay trailer released is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

If there’s one thing that smartphones have taught us, it’s that small devices can surf the internet and play games just fine, thank you. With that philosophy in mind, the brains behind eMachines have launched the $99 MiiPC on Kickstarter with the goal of giving kids their own mini PC to surf the web, play games or videos, and, yes, do homework. To keep costs down, the tiny device is packing Android 4.2, a Marvell 1.2GHZ dual core CPU, 1GB RAM, 4GB upgradeable storage, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, ethernet and 1080p HDMI output to a monitor or TV. The backers say it’s “designed for large screen connectivity and optimized to provide a true keyboard and mouse experience” so that each family member can run Android apps from their own accounts. For worried parents, the device brings an interesting twist: there’s also a mobile iOS or Android companion app to monitor your offspring in real-time from any locale. That’ll let you steer them away from verboten websites and stave off dreaded internet addiction, according to the outfit — bearing in mind, of course, that kids can be pretty clever. The campaign’s just kicked off, and MiiPC’s seeking $50,000 with a $99 pledge ($89 for the first 200 backers) netting you your own device — sans keyboard, mouse and screen, of course. Check the video or PR after the break for more.

Filed under: Desktops

Comments

Source: Kickstarter

Nothing says “nostalgia” like NES platformer DuckTales, the classic 1989 video game based on the animated television series with the same name. You’ll be able to re-live that nostalgia soon, because Capcom just announced that it’s reviving the old game and will be releasing a reboot this summer, called DuckTales Remastered.

Capcom announced the news during PAX East today and says that they have signed on WayForward to develop the game. WayForward is best known as the team behind the development of Contra 4. The characters will be hand-drawn, while the world will be rendered in 3D. Plus, Disney’s amazing voice actors will be providing the game’s dialogue.

Overall, Capcom says that the game will play just like the original title, and Capcom’s Rey Jimenez says that the team is “literally pouring our heart and soul into this title.” The trailer above shows off a wealth of gameplay, but the main thing here is that the theme song is coming back, which we’re sure spent a lot of time in that brain of yours as you quietly sang it to yourself at the dinner table.

DuckTales Remastered will be launching this summer on the PlayStation Network (for $14.99), Xbox Live Arcade (for 1200 Microsoft Points), and the Wii U eShop (for $15). Sadly, it doesn’t look like the game will be making its way to Steam, but there’s always the chance that Scrooge McDuck could make his way to the PC eventually.

[via The Escapist]

Capcom announces DuckTales Remastered, arriving this summer is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything new from Blizzard, but today during a panel at PAX East, the game developer announced a new game called HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft, which will be a free-to-play collectible card game set in the universe of Warcraft. While it will be a card game essentially, it’s all computerized and digital.

Not a lot of details are known yet, but we do have an idea of what the game will be like from what has already been announced so far. Blizzard says that they “wanted to do something a little different” this time around, and the game is described as “really small,” noting that it was built by a team of only 15 developers.

HearthStone focuses on 1 vs. 1 match-ups and uses Battle.net for matchmaking. The game includes 300 total cards that are based on the World of Warcraft classes, and extra packs will be available for purchase, which will be priced around $1 each, according to Blizzard. The developers showed off a complete demo during the panel, and there’s a documentary-style video available that shows off some of the gameplay, seen below.

Blizzard also released a trailer for the game, which doesn’t show gameplay as much as giving gamers an idea about the storyline and premise of the game. You can actually sign up for beta access right now, but there are no details on availability. However, the game will be available on Windows and OS X, as well as an iPad version.

[via GameSpot]

Blizzard unveils HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft at PAX East is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.