Gaming is becoming more and more integrated into mainstream culture. Players and viewership are rising, and nothing can say that better than the phenomenal 2015 streaming platform Twitch had. Larger companies have taken note too as Amazon jumps into the game development sector with their newest game engine, Lumberyard. Yahoo is also joining in the fun as they start developing their own eSports vertical. Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of February 8
Following the highly anticipated release of Jonathan Blow’s The Witness, we finally dig into the outstanding first week numbers! In other major news, Glu Mobile looks to recover from a shaky 2015 financial report, while Blizzard’s Hearthstone shakes up the game with new game modes and more deck slots! Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of February 1
The video game craze shows no signs of stopping! This week, SuperData Research reported a total of $61.3 billion in digital-game revenue, EA chooses its own consumer event over E3, and Mortal Kombat is coming to TV through The CW. Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of January 25
Is 2016 shaping up to be the year of eSports? This week, studies show that eSports viewership is on the rise, Blizzard invests in competitive Heroes of the Storm, and a former Sony exec launches his first game on Kickstarter. Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of January 18
The world’s most famous YouTuber starts his own multi-channel network, Amazon Prime offers gamers a sweet discount on pre-orders and new launches, and ESPN launches their new eSports segment – all on this week’s TPoI! Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of January 11
Bouncing back from the brief holiday break, game companies have been leaping into action for an exciting 2016 year to come. MLG has been sold to Activision Blizzard who plans on using the eSports organization to build their media empire, and Oculus Rift launches pre-orders along with a hefty price tag. Steam Spy takes a peek back at 2015 and reveals some numbers behind Valve’s Steam success. Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of January 4
This week: new challengers approach the arena in Super Smash Bros., Riot Games gets bought by Tencent, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens kicks off to a great start! Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of December 14
Konami and Kojima stir up controversy at this year’s Game Awards, PlayStation makes big announcements for their future projects, and playing Super Mario 3D World gives our brains a boost in this week’s TriplePoints of Interest!
Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of December 7
Move out of the way, Mickey Mouse! There’s a new crew speeding through to a TV near you, and it’s Mario and his gang! This week, Disney hops aboard the eSports hype train, the ‘Terran God’ retires, and Microsoft asks for your best HoloLens ideas.
Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of November 30
This week: the 2015 Game Awards releases its list of nominees and controversial list of judges, a new Heroes of the Storm character sets out to change traditional MOBA mechanics, and Valve’s SteamOS scores some bad grades.
Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of November 16
The fall is usually crowded with major, triple-A game launches, but this year is getting out of hand! But we don’t mind, as long as we have a controller in hand. Heh…sorry.
Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of November 9
This week Activision Blizzard got it’s wallet out, Riot Games went ham in Germany, and Twitch painted a lot of landscapes!
Continue reading TriplePoints of Interest – Week of November 2
The end of another week, another edition of TriplePoints of interest. This week Nintendo’s first mobile game gets a name, PewDiePie squares off against AdBlock,
Nintendo goes mobile in March
Nintendo has this week announced their first mobile game, Miitomo, which will launch in March of 2016. The app appears to be a messaging and communication app that will use Nintendo Mii characters to communicate with other players. GamesIndustry.biz has their take: Nintendo is taking a careful and thoughtful approach to mobile.
PewDiePie vs. AdBlock….FIGHT!
Last week, YouTube launched YouTube Red, a subscription service allowing viewers access to their favorite channels and content without having to watch ads. One of the more interesting threads to come of this was many viewers proclaiming that it didn’t matter to them because they use AdBlock, effectively enjoying YouTube ad-free and subscription-free. But cometh the hour, cometh the king – this week PewDiePie took to his blog to explain the pros to YouTube Red and the cons to AdBlock, noting particularly that AdBlock has a hugely negative effect on smaller channels trying to grow.
EA is going to sell so much Star Wars
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away the beta for Star Wars Battlefront attracted over 9 million players, making it the biggest video game beta in history. Based on this, Electronic Arts now expects to sell more than 13 million copies of the game by March 2016. That’s a lot of Galactic credits!
People on the internet are terrible
SXSW Interactive found itself in the middle of a bit of controversy this week when it cancelled two planned panels focused on online harassment in the video game space in the face of threats of violence on the – you guessed it – internet. In response to the conference’s decision, Vox Media boycotted the event, pulling it’s CEO from a featured speaker slot. SXSW has since apologized and begun building out a larger Online Harassment Summit to feature at the show. Can’t we all just get along on 6th street?
This week in games, tech, and entertainment has been full of Augmented Reality, eSports, drama at Konami, and something called Star Wars…
Has Hideo Kojima actually left Konami?
Konami is in continued crisis mode after it was leaked that the infamous designer Hideo Kojima has left the company, but more recently denied by Konami as merely being on vacation. It’s publicly known that he has a non-compete clause expiring in December, which press are anticipating to be the more formal departure from the publisher. Meanwhile, nobody knows what’s going on outside of those with first-hand knowledge within Konami, and the speculations continue to run rampant. All of this, after the LA-based Kojima Productions was apparently “dissolved” earlier this year.
Magic Leap claims to be manufacturing in the millions
One of the most interesting and mysterious players in the Augmented Reality space, Magic Leap, claimed at this week’s Wall Street Journal Digital Live event that they are preparing to manufacture “millions” of devices. Many have been suspicious of these claims – Magic Leap has secured more than half a billion dollars in funding and talks a big game, but has yet to show any actual product or reveal the technology it is based on. Perhaps to combat this, Magic Leap has also released a teaser demo video this week which it claims was recorded through their tech without any external effects.
Activision Blizzard starts new eSports division
In a move that speaks to the growing popularity and relevance of eSports, GamesIndustry International reports that Activision Blizzard has hired former CEO of ESPN and the NFL Network, Steve Bornstein, to head up their new eSports division. No word yet on the details of this new division, but we’re sure to find out more in the coming months.
Something, something, dark side
The biggest event in all of entertainment news this week certainly has been the reveal of the latest trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This hype train is certainly moving at top speed, as Forbes reports that ticket presales for opening weekend have crashed ticketing sites and set a new record at Fandango.
Where do you prefer to watch the League of Legends World Championships? Twitch? Azubu? Maybe you should tune in on…BBC! This and other news from the world of games!
BBC: the next big thing in eSports
ESPN, TBS, and now BBC! Game Informer reports that BBC Three will be streaming the League of Legends World Championships starting on October 15, including all four days of the quarterfinals and other supplemental programs. Commentators will be broadcasting live from London’s Wembley Stadium, adding BBC to the list of mainstream channels broadcasting eSports tournaments.
Spend to meet your Destiny
Bungie announced they will be adding microtransactions to Destiny on October 13. GamesIndustry International reports that Bungie added this feature to “bolster the service provided by the live team for another full year, as they grow and create more robust and engaging events that we’ll announce later this year.” Bungie will be introducing silver as the Destiny’s in-game currency.
Everything you need to know about Rock Band, you learn from GameSpot
Purchased Rock Band 4 and have a lot of burning questions? GameSpot has you covered with their “everything you need to know” guide that includes how to import old songs from previous installments–including on-disc tracks, which old instruments will work on the new system, and where to buy new gear.
Ads can be games too!