Game Industry Digest #3

Haven’t wrote my game industry digest for quite some while… here is the 3rd!

Warhammer closing 63 servers, 43 in NA and 20 in EU
I love UO, I made Shadowbane, I play FFXI and Warhammer was my fourth love… all everything I like are pretty hardcore… Pity to see an Online game I like shrinking. This again proof my point, the market is full of mindless zombie player that don’t want anything “challenging”. All they want is mindless treadmill leveling, running around in the world doing Fedex like Quests and etc.

Whenever someone told me he has an idea of a grand game all about social interaction and community… no stupid and mindless leveling or quest. The problem is most player in MMO are just player that are looking for escape to their real life. They want direction layout to them dead simple, the game needs to be fair in a way where everyone is just grinding their way, they get award for really stupid stuffs they achieve and etc. Very sad but very true…

NDS sold 100 million unit
Very good sales… in just 4 years 100 million unit sold… that is 25 million sold per year. Will iPhone catch up? Well, base on figure iPhone sold 17.4 million… I don’t think it will catch up in total volume anytime soon. However annual sales unit maybe 09 or 10 will exceed NDS I predict.

Also I think the developer for NDS games are less likely to be as profitable as iPhone game developers. Unless you are Nintendo

PSP jumps into Japan Hardware lead
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/psp-jumps-into-japan-hardware-lead
Not surprising indeed, I think the gamer crowd is getting back to basic. The touch thingy is being replace by iPhone market. The whole Wii craze is slowing down, people want traditional gaming… as least this is what they chart numbers tells me. Personally I play A LOT more PSP and PS3 then my DS and Wii.

iPhone the most successful Mobile game OS
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/iphone-most-successful-mobile-games-os
No doubt at all! However I personally think it should also be consider not only in mobile gaming OS (since anything before iPhone is really shitty). Personally I don’t consider mobile game has ever really be ready before iPhone. However I think it is probably also the best “Mobile” (including PSP and DS) platform. Seriously, looking at how many games has been made… 6,000 games in just 8 months of launch? ok I think probably 70% are crap but even so that is 1,800 OK titles! For PSP and NDS they have crappy titles too… probably 30-40% are crap too!

Xbox 360 most popular online console – NPD
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/xbox-360-most-popular-online-console-npd-report
Again a known fact, why bother to say… Wii seriously haven’t really explore this area and PS3 is just simply lacking of titles…

Well here is it… is shorter then previous ones I know… but hey I am getting busy and who really reads my digest… if I see more support I will put in more effort! shows me some support people… (if anyone do reads this)

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You’re currently reading “Game Industry Digest #3,” an entry on Jeff Lyndon

Published:: 05.03.09 / 2pm

Category:: Game Industry

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Donald 14.03.09 / 3am

In reference to your Warhammer story. I don’t think its a bad thing that they are shutting down servers, nor do I believe it proves your point that MMO players don’t like challenges and that they only want a mindless treadmill. Shrinking the server count is a good tactic to get all the players in a populated environment. Those extra server had very low populations and where a waste of money. The issue here is not that player its the game. No one has made a game that is not a mindless treadmill and low challenge game. Players play what they are given we as developers have to build something better for them to play.

The way I see it is that the market is full of the same game. Nothing is different than just the graphics and story line. That’s just my two cents.

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jefflyndon 15.03.09 / 4am

THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY!!!!

Shrinking servers base is a process every games goes through, even WOW shrink servers. WOW shrink because they want to centralize their player. WAR’s case is not only they want to centralize but their supply are WAY off the demand. Shrink 63 servers are not small numbers. I don’t think is a BAD thing but is pity to see it as it shows their business is not strong enough, at least not as strong as they intent it to be.

As for no one has make a game without treadmill. Look at what happen to us in SB? what was the biggest complain? Every games that have no treadmill will be scream at… how dare will any developer dare to make a non treadmill game? even as developer we dare u think our marketing team or biz dev team will gives us the green light? Yes true, players play what they are given. If WE ALL produce a tomato yes they will eat the tomato even if is rotten… in our current situation, we are in a market where everyone eat apples, and we give them a tomato. They are folks who eat tomato, but that is 5% of the market… In MMO scenario this will never works… since MMO need mass to survive. Why can Quake or BF survive there is less on-going cost then MMO. Anyway this is just my 2 cents, good discussion! Look forward for more… do you follow me on twitter?

Jeff Lyndon

Game Industry Digest #3

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