News
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Publisher shows $344 million improvement to bottom line as Despicable Me, Dead to Rights: Retribution bolster game sales.
Despicable Me may have been centered on an unlikable protagonist, but Namco Bandai is likely quite partial to the animated film. The company has released its financial results for the six months ended September 30, showing the game based on the film and released in conjunction with D3Publisher was Namco Bandai’s best-selling new release of the year.
Despicable Me has moved 390,000 copies for Namco Bandai to date, putting it just ahead of one of the publisher’s owned intellectual properties, Dead to Rights: Retribution. The revival of the cop-and-canine action franchise sold 350,000 copies in the US and Europe through September.
The publisher also saw a strong debut from Another Century’s Episode R, a Japanese PlayStation 3-exclusive mech combat game by From Software, makers of the Armored Core series. Last year’s Tekken 6 remains Namco Bandai’s best seller for the current campaign, though its sales for the year haven’t grown significantly from the 1.07 million the publisher reported in August.
Namco Bandai net sales for the first half of its fiscal year were ¥173.60 billion ($2.13 billion), up half a percent from the same period the previous year. The largest portion of the company’s sales came from its Toys and Hobby business segment, which brought in ¥72.22 billion ($888 million), edging out the Content division’s ¥71,45 billion ($879 million) in sales. (Content comprises Namco Bandai’s home gaming business, as well as its video and music operations.)
While the publisher’s two largest business segments were neck and neck in terms of sales, there was a greater disparity when it came to profitability. Fueled by sales of Masked Rider and Mobile Suit Gundam merchandise, the Toys and Hobby division posted an operating income of ¥7.07 billion ($87 million), whereas the gaming segment suffered an operating loss of ¥2.6 billion ($32 million).
Company-wide, Namco Bandai posted a net loss of ¥1.93 billion ($24 million). While still in the red, it represents a significant improvement over the first half of the previous year, when Namco Bandai suffered a net loss of ¥6.04 billion ($74 million).
For the full year, Namco Bandai expects ¥400 billion ($4.92 billion) in sales, up 5.7 percent year-over-year. The publisher also hopes to turn a modest profit of ¥1.8 billion ($22 million), a significant improvement on the ¥29.93 billion ($368 million) net loss it posted for the year ended March 31, 2010.
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“Namco Bandai trims first-half losses” was posted by Brendan Sinclair on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 12:11:03 -0700 -
Aborted Spielberg epic was Uncharted rival.
Information and early footage of Spielberg’s canceled LMNO project has slipped onto the internet, painting a fascinating picture of an aborted blockbuster.
In a feature on 1Up, members of the development team revealed that the first person adventure, officially canned earlier this year, saw you helping a mysterious humanoid creature called Eve evade government agents.
Eve could harness various psychic powers that evolved as the game progressed, including the ability to manipulate the weather.
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According to Japanese social and gaming giant DeNA’s third quarter results.
Japanese social and mobile giant DeNA has reported its fiscal 2010 third quarter results, posting revenues of $336 million. The company, which acquired developer Ngmoco for $403 million last month, forecasted total revenues of $1.25 billion for the year.
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New group feature, wardrobe tweaks.
There’s a number of new features and tweaks on the way for PlayStation Home, Sony has announced.
Client Update 1.4 adds a new group feature that allows up to eight people to get together on dedicated voice chat channels. New voice chat channels will also be made available for clubs.
The wardrobe feature is getting a few new bells and whistles too, including a new ‘Storage’ area where you can stow rarely used items.
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Electronic Arts dishes details on new free-to-play franchise entry; will contain maps from Battlefield 2, weapons from Bad Company 2; beta goes live Nov. 30; Battlefield Heroes recruits 6 million.
On the same day that Electronic Arts reported its mostly dismal second-quarter earnings, a company spokesperson teased the announcement of a new Battlefield series entry. A full reveal was promised for Friday, November 5, and now the publisher has made good on that pledge.
Today EA officially announced Battlefield Play4Free, a new first-person shooter due for the PC in spring 2011. The title will be the publisher’s second free-to-play Battlefield-themed shooter, following the stylized Battlefield: Heroes. EA also noted that Heroes has registered over 6 million users, which is twice the most recent recruitment tally the publisher announced in December 2009.
Battlefield Play4Free will be decidedly different than Heroes, in that it will sport realistic characters, weapons, maps, and environments. The title will feature 32-player multiplayer support, and will contain maps from Battlefield 2 as well as weapons and classes from Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
Players will have access to 16 vehicles in Play4Free, including the Mil Mi-28 attack helicopter, the F35 VTOL jet fighter, the Russian T-90 main battle tank, and the LSV light strike vehicle. Further, players will earn in-game currency as they progress through the title. That money can then be spent on weapons and equipment. A teaser trailer (embedded below) shows off the game’s environments, weapons, and vehicles.
EA did not announce if Battlefield Play4Free will contain an in-game marketplace or any other details regarding how the publisher will monetize the shooter. A beta for the title will kick off on November 30. Players can sign up for the beta through the game’s registration page.
For more on Battlefield Play4Free, check out GameSpot’s hands-on preview.
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“Battlefield Play4Free firing up PC in 2011” was posted by Eddie Makuch on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 10:08:09 -0700 -
Culture minister Ed Vaizey delivered an upbeat closing speech at this year’s London Games Conference, addressing competition with Canada and support for UK developers.Ed Vaizey, the government minister for culture, communications and creative industries, took to the stage to formally close the London Games Conference last night.
After an introduction addressing a recent trauma involving an Angry Birds update and lost game progress, Vaizey moved on to the serious topic of the government’s stance on the game industry.
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Plus, Dead or Alive: Code Cronus axed.
Ninja Gaiden 3 looks set to completely reboot the franchise, according to Team Ninja boss Yousuke Hayashi.
Speaking in an interview with Japanese mag Famitsu, kindly translated by Andriasang, Hayashi said, “We’re developing it with the idea of restarting at the beginning, saying ‘We’d like to make the action game that’s most interesting for the current era.’
“With this meaning, it’s going to be a game that’s not bound by the past more than necessary. Of course, we will be valuing the past, but in a good meaning we’d like to make it into a game that’s not tied down by the past.”
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Free-to-play version of the publisher’s franchise aimed squarely at the hardcore market.EA has announced Battlefield Play4Free, a free-to-play title based on its Battlefield 2 and Bad Company retail games. Unlike microtransaction-funded casual game Battlefield Heroes, Play4Free will focus on core gamers.
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Konami talks cash.
When Hideo Kojima releases a Metal Gear Solid game, Konami’s bank balance explodes. That didn’t happen with PSP game Peace Walker, but Konami takes solace in the fact it was at least “well received by hardcore Metal Gear fans”.
Was it? Eurogamer’s Oli Welsh awarded the stealth game 8/10.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker commands an enviable 89 per cent on Metacritic.
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General manager parts company with the Bodycount developer.
Codemasters Guildford general manager Adrian Bolton has left the developer, as reported by Eurogamer. His departure follows creative director Stuart Black’s exit in July.