Welcome everyone to New Gamer Nation’s Weekly News Update. This is what we have on tap for you this week: Updates on sales for both consoles and games; A rumor on the next generation of the X-Box; Valve’s possible entrance in the console wars; A Walking Dead game is on it’s way…to Facebook; and Peter Molyneux is leaving Lionhead. Pause whatever you’re playing, it’s time for the news.
Console and Game Sales Numbers
Some mixed news on console and gaming sales for the month of February have come in. According to the New Product Development numbers, February saw a 87% increase in console sales with the X-Box leading the way with 426,000 units in the U.S., also a quarter of the increase is due to the Playstation Vita. However these are only monthly increases, as sales are down overall 18%, when compared to last year.
Among software sales, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 continues to be a juggernaut, however as a whole, software sales are down 20%, with games selling worth $1.06 billion last month, down from the $1.33 billion from last year. The following list is the top ten selling games in February. Not surprising is to see the usual suspects of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, or UFC Undisputed 3, however Just Dance 3 at the 5 spot does surprise me. Another surprise, to me at least, is that Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is the only game on the list that is an original title.
1 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3, Wii, PC)
2 Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, 360)
3 UFC Undisputed 3 (360, PS3)
4 Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (360, PS3, PC)
5 Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3)
6 NBA 2K12 (360, PS3, PSP, Wii, PC, PS2)
7 SoulCalibur 5 (360, PS3)
8 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360, PS3, PC)
9 Twisted Metal (2012)(PS3)
10 Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Source: Joystiq,2
The Next X-Box Dropping The Disc Format?
Rumors keep piling in on what the next generation of consoles will hold for everyone. The next Microsoft console is no stranger to that. According to The Market For Computer and Video Games, the next X-Box will ditch the discs. Although it will not include a disc drive, it will offer compatibility with some sort of interchangeable solid-state card storage, although it is not known whether this will be proprietary or a more standard format such as SD. Also a launch date of 2013 is confirmed by MCV, so it could be possible that this year’s E3 could be the big reveal.
This is one big step in the direction of phasing out discs and going for an all digital format. Could this be the move that eventually phases out retailers, or is this just another rumor to wild to be true?
Source: MCV
Valve To Enter The Console Wars?
Another rumor going around the campfire is stating Valve is ready to enter the console business. Allegedly the specs for the “Steam-Box” would include include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a NVIDIA GPU. It would be able to run any standard PC title, and also allow a rival service, such as EA’s Origin, to load up. Also adding fuel to the fire, patents were discovered for the controller for the console to have interchangeable parts. Gabe Newell, of Valve stated in an interview with Penny Arcade, Valve doesn’t want to do this alone:
“”We’d rather hardware people that are good at manufacturing and distributing hardware do [hardware]. We think it’s important enough that if that’s what we end up having to do, then that’s what we end up having to do.”
So with Microsoft going all digital, could we see a Valve console running on Steam?
Source: The Verge
The Walking Dead Game Coming To Facebook
It’s no secret Facebook games are making a big name out of companies such as Zynga. Now, AMC is partnering with social entertainment company RockYou to bring a Facebook game based on the Walking Dead. The goal of the game is to survive the apocalypse by fighting zombies, keeping yourself and your fellow survivors alive, while scavenging resources and establishing camps based on settings from the show. The Walking Dead Social Game allows players to have their own, unique adventures, with opportunities to encounter show characters at key moments suggested by the show’s narrative. The developers of the game promise the approachability for casual gamers, with the depth for the core gamers. The Walking Dead Game is set to invade your requests in April.
Source: Facebook
Peter Molyneux Leaving Lionhead, Microsoft
The famed creative head behind the Fable series, is leaving Lionhead Studios and Microsoft to join a new company, 22 cans. “It is with mixed emotions that I made the decision to leave Microsoft and Lionhead Studios, the company that I co-founded in 1997, at the conclusion of development of Fable: The Journey,” Molyneux said in a statement.
“I remain extremely passionate and proud of the people, products and experiences that we created from Black & White to Fable to our pioneering work with Milo and Kate for the Kinect platform. However, I felt the time was right to pursue a new independent venture. I’d like to thank the team at Lionhead, as well as our partners at Microsoft Studios for their support, dedication and incredible work over the years.”
“I have left the lovely amazing Microsoft and lionhead,” states Molynuex via Twitter, “Now for something really amazing, scary and brave a new company called 22 Cans.” Nothing is confirmed yet as to any releases 22 cans will have coming out, however one thing is for sure, the gamers of New Gamer Nation and all around the world can’t wait to see what’s next.
Source: G4
That’s our news for the week, tell us what you think in the comments below, and until next week, game on.