NEWS 8 MCV 17/09/10
Xbox co-creator: ‘Retailers must become digital distributors’
Ed Fries returns, backing digital art service for developers – and issues online warning by Michael French
HE’S BEST KNOWN for co- founding Xbox and leading the big money $375m buyout of UK studio Rare.
But now Ed Fries is looking at how digital distribution is upending the industry – and says retailers need to take note.
“
that means studios can live with smaller development teams,” he said.
“The thing about digital distribution is that everyone wants it – from the publishers to the developers, to the customers. Maybe not all the retailers – but almost everyone wants it, so even the smart
Retailers need to become like distributors to have a place in the future. The smart ones are seeding that path now. Ed Fries, Mixamo
Talking to MCV as he joined online art content firm Mixamo, the man who helped Microsoft enter the console business said “digital distribution is the most important thing that’s happening to the industry right now”.
“It is opening up
opportunities at price points that never existed before. And
WWW.MCVUK.COM
PC climate game seeks
retailers are looking at how they can rethink their business to adopt digital. You see things like GameStop buying online game portal Kongregate; that’s clearly a retail outlet seeing that the future is digital and moving to do something about it. “Some of the retailers need to become like distributors to have a place in the future, and
”
ZAVVI LAUNCHES IPHONE APP
ZAVVI customers can now order video games using the firm’s new iPhone app. The retailer has implemented ‘See It, Snap It, Snag It’ technology into the download, which allows users to take a photo of an item, then find it and buy it online. Zavvi’s app
recognises over half a million products including video games, DVDs, Blu- rays, consumer electronics, fashion brands and more.
www.zavvi.com
Fries co-founded Xbox and was responsible for the buyout of Rare in September 2002
I just think the smart ones are seeding that path with digital.” Mixamo, for which Fries is an
advisor, offers an online database of ready-made art and animation content which developers can download for a fee.
Fries said the service is just
one example of an overall convergence between traditional console games and emergent arenas like social networks including Facebook.
www.mixamo.com
distributor INDEPENDENT UK developer Red Redemption is looking for a distributor to deliver its global warming game to retail next year. The Oxford-based firm is working on upcoming PC and Mac title Fate of the World, which allows players to run the world for 200 years and either save it from global warming or watch it burn. It features nine missions set across 12 regions and disasters such as flash fires, hurricanes and rising sea levels. Red Redemption director Gobion Rowlands told MCV: “As an indie developer focused on games that will make a difference, we’d love to find a distributor that shares our ambition to carve out this space as a viable commercial genre.” Fate of the World will be available to pre-order from October 29th. It’s provisionally scheduled for a boxed release on March 25th, 2011. Red Redemption: 01865 596160
New headset targets FPS gamers
A NEW HEADSET that lets gamers listen to multiplayer voice chat and game audio is heading to market.
Accessories firm I-Globe is targeting FPS nuts and fans of Halo: Reach, Medal of Honor and Call of Duty with its GX1 and GP1 Gaming Headsets. The GX1 Gaming Headset for Xbox 360 allows gamers to hear both in-game sound and live chat at once. It also boasts foldable ear pads designed for long-period gaming, integrated bass-boost, separate volume controls and a mute function.
For PS3 owners I-Globe is providing the GP1 Gaming Headset, which offers the same
features as the Xbox 360 headset but also boasts an LED on/off mute indicator.
Both headsets include a USB cable for easy connection, while their independent 3.5mm microphone and line
audio plugs make them compatible with PCs. “It is great to have some new hi-tech peripherals entering the games market for both the customer and also for I-Globe,” said I-Globe Accessories’ head of business development Paul Hay. “It will be really exciting to see how both products make an impact this Q4 and into 2011, and enhance gamers’ experiences.” The GX1 Xbox 360 headset is expected to arrive at retail late September, while the GP1 PS3 device will be launched at the end of October. Both have an SRP of £29.99. I-Globe: 0203 006 6760
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