["Well, That Was Interesting" is our attempt to make a one-stop collection of articles, videos, and news pieces from around the internet which have caught our eye throughout the week.]
It’s been an interesting week in gaming, with more news on Oculus Rift drama breaking; who would have thought there would be more fallout from Facebook’s $2bn purchase of Oculus Rift? It’s been less than a month since the controversial buyout of the partially crowd-funded VR headset, which set the internet on fire moments after it happened. Facebook’s PR team is still engaging in damage control, as famous and vocal voices from within the gaming industry speak out on twitter or other publications.
Also this week was CCP’s Eve Online Fan Fest. Eve Online, of course, is the popular interstellar Excel-spreadsheet-inspiring MMO, and their annual fan-fest is CCP’s way of honoring their loyal and active players. This year, they honored their most devoted players with a monument etched with their character name. The half-meter-tall monument is dedicated to active players’ main characters, provided that the names are not offensive. There are even the names of players who have passed away during the game’s long life, which players were able to submit personally to CCP.
In Xbox One news, Microsoft has released details on their grand television experiment on the Xbox One. More specifically, information on original programing. In an effort to make the Xbox One the centerpiece in your living room, Xbox Entertainment Studios has lined up what they are calling “Xbox Originals - offering premium dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation, unscripted shows, and live events.”
It looks interesting; Microsoft put an emphasis on home entertainment last year with the Xbox One, and they are positioning themselves to be a big media player in the future.
Finally, rounding out the week, Giant Bomb’s Patrick Klepek - noted fan of horror videogames -put out a great piece on a terrifying-looking game being developed by Digital Happiness, DreadOut. Digital Happiness hopes to attract more interest in bigger game development in Indonesia, a country which is primarily focused on mobile and social gaming. The company has already raised quite a bit of funds through crowd funding: $29,067.
Here’s to a good week. Cheers.
“Oculus Rift Technology Was Stolen, Zenimax Lawsuit Claims”
There’s a new fight over the rights to the technology in the upcoming Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.
ZeniMax Media Inc. has claimed that the intellectual property that runs Oculus Rift was stolen by id Software co-founder - and Doom co-creator - John Carmack. According to ZeniMax, lawyers have issued two letters apiece to Rift developer Oculus VR and Facebook - which recently acquired Oculus VR for $2 billion, in a deal that has yet to close.
FPS pioneer John Carmack left id Software - a subsidiary of ZeniMax - to become Oculus VR’s new chief technology officer; ZeniMax accused Carmack of taking intellectual property developed under the auspices of id Software to help propel Oculus VR into a buzzy piece of tech.
“Xbox Originals: Coming Soon to a Screen Near You”
Xbox Entertainment Studios has attracted a slew of top Hollywood talent to develop its original programming slate, with names like Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott attached to two separate scripted projects based on the “Halo” franchise – but that’s only the beginning. Other shows in production include an unscripted series about international street soccer, an original drama about robotic servants in a dystopian world, and a documentary about the search for discarded Atari games in a desert landfill – which were unearthed yesterday in New Mexico – amongst several others.
“We are developing premium, original content for the Xbox community which is an audience we are incredibly respectful of,” said Nancy Tellem, President of Xbox Entertainment Studios. “We believe Xbox Originals should embrace the way our fans think about traditional TV.” Tellem’s creative vision involves year-round, high-quality programs based on subjects gamers care about, with interactive features tailored to each show.
Xbox hopes that Xbox Originals will provide incentive for fans to make the Xbox their all-in-one entertainment device. In the eyes of the Xbox Entertainment Studios team, original shows aren’t a departure, but rather an extension of what Microsoft Studios has been doing for years with first-party game development.
“CCP’s Eve Online monument in Iceland honors the players by making their names immortal”
Videogames are ephemeral by nature, but that goes double for online titles such as Eve Online. CCP creates the sandbox in which the players operate, but it’s up to the community to create the community, stories and in some ways the game itself. The stories created in the game will never be repeated, and even now the in-game player-created factions and characters are either doing battle or taking part in an uneasy peace between wars.
You can’t go back in the game to relive your favorite moments, and the game’s biggest events and battles, the ones that make news and impact the game’s economy, are often unplanned. The press releases come later; CCP is often just as surprised by the actions of the players as everyone else.
So how do you make something that will last the test of time if you want to honor your game? You have to make it physical. CCP revealed a physical monument to the game in Iceland yesterday in a ceremony that included the game’s developers, player who have traveled to Iceland for Fan-fest and government representatives. The ceremony drew an impressive crowd.
Further Reading:
“Eve: The Most Thrilling Boring Game In The Universe“
“Indonesia May Be Developing the Next Great Horror Game”
When one thinks about where the next great horror game is coming from, it’s probably not Indonesia. But it’s possible that might change with DreadOut, a love letter to Fatal Frame, when it arrives this month.
Bali is the most well-known island in Indonesia, as it’s home to the country’s largest tourist population. DreadOut developer Digital Happiness is located in Bandung, situated to the west of Bali.
You might remember DreadOut because of its splashy, terrifying playable demo from more than a year ago. Only having a camera to fight the undead remains a terrifying setup for a game, quickly paralyzing the player.
Not long after the demo’s release, Digital Happiness sought a modest $25,000 in funding on Indiegogo. The crowd-funding campaign made it slightly over the mark, drumming up $29,067. The reason Digital Happiness went the crowd-funding route was because it was the studio’s best option.
The Wolf Among Us – Episode 3 – “A Crooked Mile” Trailer
“Are JRPGs Making a Comeback?” PBS Game/Show
Extra Study Material
Vice has a great story on Sim City: “The Totalitarian Buddhist who Beat Sim City”
China is opening its doors to gaming: “China Releases Censorship Rules for Console Games, and There are a lot of Them”
A lot of Destiny news this week. “What is Destiny Offering That’s New and Different?”
Here’s different look at Destiny: “I Played 45 Minutes of Destiny, And It Was Kind Of Boring”
Mike Bithell announces Thomas was alone milestone on twitter. “Thomas Was Alone Surpasses 1 Million Sold Copies”
PlayStation Plus’ May games have been announced. “Preview May’s Instant Game Collection”
Actor Kevan Brighting has Dota 2 news. “Dota 2′s The Stanley Parable Announcer Pack has Been Recorded, Reveals Narrator”
There’s been another Naughty Dog departure. “The Last of Us lead character artist leaves Naughty Dog”
Not really video games, but hey, it’s gaming: “Two Page Tabletop”
Ubisoft on Watch Dogs Delay. “We had no choice”
Brian Kale
@brianwkale
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