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Rising cost of AAA could stifle innovation, says Ubisoft boss

Added: 05.08.2013 16:29 | 2 views | 0 comments


Ubisoft Toronto head Jade Raymond says studios working on big-budget games must invest in new technologies and business models to balance costs.

Innovation exists in the AAA game space, but it is threatened by rising development costs, according to Ubisoft Toronto head Jade Raymond.

"I think the big question to me, as the expectations of these big triple-As keep on growing and the consoles become more powerful and teams get bigger, is how do we keep the costs in line?" Raymond told in a new interview.

"That's for sure one of the things that is going to stifle innovation eventually. Anytime you want to make a big triple-A, you're spending, let's say $100 million, you're not going to want to take a chance," she added. "It's got to be, I'm making the next Call of Duty or the Assassin's Creed and I know it's going to make 'X' amount, so we'll make money. I think that's the tougher thing."

To balance cost and further innovation in games, Raymond said studios must find ways of reducing cost through investing in new developer tools and business models.

"I think it depends on what type of game you're making, but all games I think we have to invest in tools to make people more efficient, to perhaps make ten times the amount of content that we were making before with the same amount of effort," Raymond said.

"That's the only way we're going to keep up. So there has to be a big investment there. The other side of things is we have to investigate some of the different business models," she added.

Raymond said the industry overall is changing, including the way people consume games. Along with this is a change of consumer expectation, she said. An episodic business model like the one used for Telltale Games' series is "interesting," according to Raymond, but this does not apply to all games.

"What's the business model that makes sense to you? What's going on with free-to-play, what does that mean for the console market?" she said. "I think there are a lot of questions around profitability, and I think that's probably why the reason the new sexy thing is the indie game, because ultimately everyone who is in games has a game idea and wants to be creative, and it's harder to get your game idea to life when there's that much cost behind it."

Free-to-play and microtransaction-based business models "absolutely" have a space in the AAA market, Raymond said, noting that Ubisoft Toronto is examining the right way to implement these system sright now.

"You have to be careful about how you do it though, right?" Raymond said. "You can't set up the microtransactions to be, 'I pay money to be a better a gamer', because that's not obviously not going to work."

Ubisoft Toronto is currently working on this month's .

From: www.gamespot.com

Adventure Time: Legends of Ooo - Review (iOS) | CriticalIndieGamer

Added: 04.08.2013 1:19 | 9 views | 0 comments


The Big Hollow Princess is your typical Point and Click adventure game. As Finn Jake you will travel across the Candy Kingdom picking up assorted nick-nacks, using them to solve various puzzles, and help the kingdoms inhabitants. Along the way you will help a hungry bear get a snack, build a Princess out of a trash can and some mustard, and sneak into the ice castle to find the Ice Kings spell book.

From: n4g.com

Why Im a Slave to the Grind

Added: 03.08.2013 23:19 | 6 views | 0 comments


UM writes: In 1989, Enix released Dragon Warrior for the NES. It was the first JRPG I ever owned. I was 11-years-old, and it blew my mind. Along with the original Final Fantasy and a pair of lesser-known games called Hydlide and Shadowgate, those games altered the course of my gaming habits. To this day, I cant resist the grind of a great JRPG

From: n4g.com

(Wii) U Are Not Alone - Specialist Retail Backs Console

Added: 02.08.2013 17:19 | 7 views | 0 comments


MCV: ''UK supermarkets are ready to drop Wii U unless Nintendo can drastically turn sales around. But specialist retailers, including market leader GAME, have vocally backed the struggling console. Asda and Morrisons both told MCV this week that they have no plans to stock Wii U or its games in the near future ­ although Asda will support the machine online.''

From: n4g.com

The Pixelitis Podcast Ep. 52 Back in the saddle

Added: 29.07.2013 19:18 | 4 views | 0 comments


"Following last weeks in-person shenanigans on the Pixelitis Podcast, its back to the old setup, with long-time host Andrew Martins leading the show. It only took 50 episodes for someone else to host the damn thing, after all. Along for the ride are Patrick Kulikowski and Karen Rivera, who have both formed ACNLA - Animal Crossing: New Leaf Anonymous. Its got a 12-step program that naturally begins with having to admit your addiction to cute townspeople and catchy sea songs sung by a frog. Theyve both got a long way to go toward recovery. As for the show itself, weve got a very special treat for you guys, as Video Game Orchestra leader Shota Nakama recently took some time to sit down with Patrick for an interview. In it, he talks about his work on Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and what his favorite RPG battle theme is. So sit back and be sure to hit the play button below and/or subscribe to us on iTunes. Were on Stitcher Radio, too." - Pixelitis Staff

From: n4g.com

The Pixelitis Podcast Ep. 52 Back in the saddle

Added: 29.07.2013 18:16 | 1 views | 0 comments


"Following last weeks in-person shenanigans on the Pixelitis Podcast, its back to the old setup, with long-time host Andrew Martins leading the show. It only took 50 episodes for someone else to host the damn thing, after all. Along for the ride are Patrick Kulikowski and Karen Rivera, who have both formed ACNLA - Animal Crossing: New Leaf Anonymous. Its got a 12-step program that naturally begins with having to admit your addiction to cute townspeople and catchy sea songs sung by a frog. Theyve both got a long way to go toward recovery. As for the show itself, weve got a very special treat for you guys, as Video Game Orchestra leader Shota Nakama recently took some time to sit down with Patrick for an interview. In it, he talks about his work on Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and what his favorite RPG battle theme is. So sit back and be sure to hit the play button below and/or subscribe to us on iTunes. Were on Stitcher Radio, too." - Pixelitis Staff

From: n4g.com


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