Newsbriefs: EA, Bundles, Seven Lights

Author: by Staff

Today's regularly updated newsbriefs include news of ATI/Nvidia antitrust investigations, EA's Probst on the record, dynamic infestations in Natural Selection 2, consumer outrage over Wii bundles, and news of Chicago developer Seven Lights, LLC's new game, The Continuum. - Officials from graphics chip manufacturing firms Nvidia Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) confirmed that each company has been issued a subpoena by the U.S. Department of Justice concerning potential antitrust violations. While no allegations or charges have been filed by the federal government against either firm, representatives from both companies noted in separate statements today that each plans to cooperate with the investigation. While Nvidia is a veteran of the graphics chip market, AMD is a relative newcomer. The company entered the field following its recent acquisition of ATI Technologies, which was completed in October for $5.4 billion. - In a recent Newsweek interview with Electronic Arts CEO Larry Probst, the executive spoke openly regarding a number of topics, including the somewhat controversial topic of microtransactions, which he noted to be “important to the future” of EA. Specifically, when asked about the company's recent practice of offering bite sized portions of downloadable premium content for purchase, the executive conceded that the company is still trying to find the best way to offer an acceptable amount of content for a price that consumers will be happy with paying. “We're working our way through that,” noted Probst. “With some of the initial titles, we did hear complaints from consumers, but I think we learned. We did a better job on Need for Speed Carbon, and we're not hearing those same kinds of complaints or negative feedback about that product.” He added, “It's generating a lot of money through microtransactions. So it's a learning process, it's iterative and we'll get better about it as we go. Need for Speed is the first example of getting smarter about it.” - According to the Nichi Bei Times, Japanese advertising firm Dentsu found that based on an internet survey of 1,000 consumers aged 15 years old and up, the 'brain game' category, including those in Nintendo's popular Touch Generations branded Brain Age series were the most popular products for Japanese consumers in 2006. The games beat out other popular items such as flat panel televisions and DVD recorders, as well as popular books and DVDs such as "The Da Vinci Code". Home game consoles, such as the PlayStation 2, were found below all of these items on the survey, ranking fifth in the list of Japanese consumer wants. - Unknown Worlds Entertainment has posted a special look at some of the technologies and game mechanics it's investigating for the follow-up to its popular and award winning mod Natural Selection. On the company's game development blog, interested fans can have a look at the game's new dynamic infestation prototype, which is being considered as a central mechanic for the new game. - Chicago's NBC 5 is reporting an influx of complaints to both the news team and Better Business Bureau concerning local Toys'R'Us retail launches for the Wii. Consumers have complained that when they came to the stores to purchase the Wii, advertised for $249.99, they were told instead that they would only be able to buy the unit as part of a $450 bundle with 3 games and an extended warranty. A spokesperson from the retailer said the incidents were 'misunderstandings' and the shoppers should have been able to purchase the system alone at the advertised price. The Better Business Bureau currently has Toys'R'Us listed with an 'unsatisfactory' rating. - Seven Lights, LLC has formally announced the foundation of its Chicago studio, formed by Tim Harris, Mike McCarthy and Dave Shuck, and have said its first game, The Continuum will be released in early 2007. The Continuum is an online strategy title that will support character development and management through online trades and purchases, as well as expansion packs. The company also expects to support its products with comic books, books, and digital video both online and off. More information on the company and its products can be found at www.sevenlights.com. - The latest updates on Gamasutra sister alt.gaming weblog GameSetWatch include an examination of the state of memory cards, a look at Sega's Dreamcast as it stands today, and the conviction of former Cendant chairman Walter Forbes. - The latest updates from Gamasutra sister website Game Career Guide include the release of Course PTR's latest video game-related book, Business and Legal Primer for Games. - Also updated today: the latest Gamasutra job postings, including openings from Blue Fang Games, Concrete Games, Eurocom Developments Limited, Knife Edge Software, New Hampshire Technical Institute, Pandemic Studios, Recoil Games, Snowblind Studios, and TVHead.