Grand Theft Auto is still the king. We’re in the middle of that part of the year where companies do all their financial updates for investors, and now it’s Take Two’s turn. The publisher revealed that Grand Theft Auto V has shipped 60 million copies across all platforms.
Of course, shipped doesn’t mean bought, but I can promise you there aren’t 59 million copies of GTA V sitting in a warehouse somewhere.
While the game shipped originally back in 2013, Take Two has kept it in the spotlight with a 2014 release to the new consoles and a Spring 2015 release on PCs, ensuring that it keeps finding new customers in order to stay atop the charts of sites like YouTube.
Not only does Grand Theft Auto V keep selling well, but Grand Theft Auto Online continues to do well, too, with this holiday season bringing Take Two the highest revenue yet for the game, according to CEO Strauss Zelnick. The period also saw the highest number of players yet for GTA Online.
All of this has helped the publisher beat expectations in this most recent quarter. When Take Two releases a game like Grand Theft Auto V, there are high expectations for sales, and those taper off over time as investors expect seasons without mega-hit releases to be less profitable. The company used to lose money during these periods which, really, wasn’t so bad, because when they were making money, it was by the dump truck.
While analysts had expected revenues of $452.8 million, Take Two managed to pull in $486.8 million. Spending on things like GTA Online currency, downloadable content, and other online content grew by nearly half over last year, and digital revenue overall accounted for 44 percent of total revenue. Helping this along is a strong stable of other, non-GTA titles like NBA2K16, WWE2K16, and the Borderlands games.
For 2016, Take Two currently has XCOM 2 hitting on February 5, as well as Battleborn in May and Mafia III sometime in Fiscal Year 2017. And we’re keeping our fingers crossed that this is the year they announce Red Dead Redemption 2, or Red Dead Revisited, Red Dead Remastered, or something. I want to sit on a horse and shoot at guys in cowboy hats, is what I’m saying.
Regardless,Take Two is doing well, and as usual Grand Theft Auto has played a big role in that.
Heads up, those of you who played DayZ, the game’s forums have been hacked and information was stolen.
Bohemia Interactive writes that the security incident occurred “recently,” though they don’t indicate when. They says that “all usernames, emails and passwords from forums.dayzgame.com were accessed and downloaded by hackers.”
The passwords were supposedly not stored in plain text.They recommend, as do we, that you change your passwords if you tend to use the same one for multiple accounts. Seriously. Do that.
Bohemia Interactive will be making changes following the breach, according to the post. Here’s what they plan to do, following their apology.
We would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused, and share with you one of the major changes planned in order to mitigate similar risks in the future. We will be replacing the IPBoards login system with Bohemia Account within the next two weeks. As Bohemia Account is a separate custom-built service currently used by Bohemia Interactive Forums and Store, it offers much better security and its use should prevent similar incidents going forward.
We ask for your patience over the next few days and weeks as we implement this and other security overhauls, as there are likely to be service interruptions and forum unavailability from time to time. In particular, the forums will be down until migration to the Bohemia Account is complete. We will keep you up to date on vital info and scheduled down-time on the site itself and via our Twitter.
Man, the Internet is like the Wild West. Be careful out there, and be smart about your passwords.
Who am I kidding? Ramza could be a joke character, and I would still choose him as my number one guy. The unsung Final Fantasy Tactics protagonist is finally appearing in a video game beyond the one that made him famous, and fans around the world just can’t hold their excitement.
Following up on the batch of screenshots from last week, Square Enix has released the first gameplay footage of Ramza in battle. Staying true to his Final Fantasy Tactics roots, he sports a wide variety of abilities thanks to the different job classes he mastered over the course of his game. He’s a lot like Final Fantasy V’s Bartz in that way, swinging away with his sword at enemies while still being able to chip away damage from a distance with magic and projectile attacks.
He’s even tucked away the “Throw Stone” ability into his back pocket! How great is that?! Can he use it to gain cheap experience by hurling it at his allies?
Ramza appearing in a fighting game spin-off only puts me in the mood to start demanding a home console release in North America. I get the feeling that Square Enix will be coming around to it, but it’ll take a while.
Dissidia Final Fantasy is currently available in arcades around Japan. A home console port on the PlayStation 4 has been confirmed, but even Japan doesn’t have a release date, let alone North America.
It seems Bungie’s seen a small drop in player counts for Destiny. At least, that’s what can be inferred by this new survey that’s popping up online. The maker of Destiny is asking players why they left.
Redditor unknownRNG started a thread in the Destiny subreddit about the survey. They included this screenshot. “Why haven’t you been playing Destiny lately?,” it asks.
The options are what pushed the user to post the question. Bungie highlights endgame content, grinding, PvP and recent changes as the possible cause for decreased playtime.
Hey doods! Disgaea is launching on Steam this month, and it is out to devour your worthless human soul… no to mention a gargantuan chunk of you free time in the process. NipponIchi’s quirky classic will launch for the PC on Feb. 24 bringing with it Steam achievements, a much needed HD overhaul, and a free pass to get out of social obligations you would not attend.
The 300+ hours on my original PlayStation 2 save file don’t lie.
Those still interested in physical copies can sink their chops into a special Deluxe Dood Edition, also recently announced by NIS America. This version will get both a physical and digital release, and it also comes with Etna and Flonne’s Netherworld Guide art book and the game’s soundtrack.
Warning, this is not a drill! Only those with all the free time in the world to lose should pick up this game with the intention of beating it. Disgaea PC will launch on Steam on Feb. 24, doods!
Square Enix’s charming Final Fantasy Adventure remake, Adventures of Mana, will make a surprise worldwide launch on iOS and Android this week, Thursday Feb. 4.
Of course, Japan is also getting a PS Vita version that the West has been outright denied. I’d love to see the explanation behind that one. I mean, you have the programming done for a Vita version in Japan and entire translation is already completed… What’s the problem here?
The remake features entirely rearranged music from famed composer Kenji Ito, and it overhauls the original’s combat and magic system to more like the “Ring” system found in Secret of Mana and other later games in the franchise. Players can also assign fast-buttons to select their favored attacks more quickly.
The original Final Fantasy Adventure is one of my all-time favorites, and I just burned through it last year. It holds up. I’d love to give the remake a try, but not without the aid of physical buttons to push. Touch screen controls just aren’t going to get it done with this game, especially during a few boss fights that require tight precision.
Sorry, Square Enix, but the longer you hold out on the PS Vita version in the English speaking world, the more reasons I’ll have to keep going back to the Game Boy original.
Adventures of Mana launches on iOS and Android this Thursday, Feb. 4.
Ubisoft makes Ghost Recon. EA’s recently founded development studio is named Ghost Games. EA has filed to trademark the word Ghost as it relates to video games, and now Ubisoft has filed an official Notice of Opposition to that trademark.
EA tried to trademark the term in order to protect its Ghost Games studio, but it looks like Ubisoft takes issue with the filing because it might lead to consumer confusion. Here’s the legal text from the Opposition that indicates as much. In the text, the Applicant is EA while the Opposer is Ubisoft.
Applicant’s Mark so resembles Opposers’ GHOST RECON marks alleged herein as to be likely, when used in connection with the goods and services identified in the Applications, to cause confusion, to cause mistake, or to deceive. Consumers are likely to believe, mistakenly, that the goods and services Applicant offers under Applicant’s Mark are provided, sponsored, endorsed, or approved by Opposers, or are in some way affiliated, connected, or associated with Opposers, all to the detriment of Opposers. Registration of Applicant’s Mark, therefore, should be refused under 15 U.S.C. §§ 1052(d) and 1063.
EA has until March 9, 2016, to respond.
Now, legal battles are often legitimate, but this one seems a little silly in my mind. What consumer will look at the Ghost Games developer and assume they make Ghost Recon? I’m not sure any would… ever.
Konami has released its financial reports for the most recent fiscal quarter, and you’d be surprised to learn that it even mentions video games. However, it’s true. Konami has devoted a few lines, in between its health, gym, and pachinko results, to mention thatMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has sold 6 million units to date. The game, developed by Hideo Kojima, is the only major video game mentioned in the entire report, unless you want to count Yu-Gi-Oh as still being relevant.
You have to wonder if 6 million is enough to call the game a success. I remember when the Tomb Raider reboot launched to 5 million copies, and Square Enix called it a flop. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was developed by two studios in two different countries with an enormous staff, the MVP of game directors, and a proprietary, high-end graphics engine.
Plus, much of the fallout between Kojima and Konami stemmed from the auteur ignoring budgetary limits, signalling this took a lot more to make than the average AAA release.
Is 6 million enough to call it a success? Do we even want his game to be a success? If Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain proves to be a dud in the long run, maybe Konami will think twice before continuing the franchise without its famed director.
In a fight between zombies, superheroes, space pirates and cartoons, who wins? You could argue it’s Zen Pinball on NVIDIA SHIELD that wins, as it’s host to all the most famous ones: The Walking Dead, the Marvel universe, Star Wars, and the animated TV shows of Fox and Adult Swim.
Zen Pinball is available now on SHIELD as a free download with a large variety of pinball tables based on popular franchises available as in-game purchases.
Zen Pinball offers the most advanced ball physics in existence, with detailed 3D tables that feature all the multiballs, bumpers, ramps and habitrails you expect of a physical table. They also play host to the animated objects only virtual pinball can enjoy, all made possible by NVIDIA’s powerful SHIELD technology.
Naturally they also offer sophisticated social elements, with challenge modes, pro scores and pinball champion rankings via Google Play Games Services. Each also has unique achievements, stats, and hotseat multiplayer, and can be bought individually, or within the Zen Pinball base game – which is free.
There’s a great selection of Pinball games available now in Zen Pinball, offering something for just about everyone.
Seth MacFarlane’s American Dad has hit its stride – and at its best is easily a match for the Griffins featured in Family Guy. Stan, Francine, Hayley, Steve and Roger the alien are a perfect match for Zen Pinball, too. Set at the Smith house, in Roger’s Place (transported to the garage) and the Fun ’N’ Gun, the game incorporates the infamous Threat Level that CIA-man Stan’s so obsessed with – and manipulating it impacts how the game plays.
Created in 1941 and not promoted yet, Captain America takes a break from his stalled career with this superb table. In it Cap, Bucky and the Howling Commandos launch an assault on Baron Zemo’s castle, while attempting to destroy the Sleeper robot. A series of huge battles against the Red Skull ensues – it takes all your skill to grab back the Cosmic Cube.
In South Park for Zen Pinball, players can choose between Super-Sweet Pinball and Butters’ Very Own Pinball Game. Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are featured in the tables, but expect to see Wendy, Jimmy, Timmy and even Mr Hankey. You’ll also find genuine voices and scenes, such as Sarcastaball, Christmas in Canada and Cartman’s probe.
Get right into the danger zone with Sterling Malory Archer, the world’s greatest spy/lacrosse player. Archer Pinball features authentic voices and sound effects, multiple mini playfields, and unique progression and achievement systems. It’s also hilarious.
Get into a fight with Darth Vader, take down AT-ATs by winding the ball around their marching legs and recover Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber – this clever table absolutely embodies the original trilogy, and is stuffed with genuine voices and sound effects to boot.
While Stewie once created a clone to deal with all his nitpicky stuff, rest assured a lot more effort has gone into making this. Help Peter Griffin fight the Giant Chicken, aid Chris in catching the Evil Monkey, save Stewie’s beloved teddy Rupert and much more. It’s a must-play game for Family Guy fans.
Spider-Man can do everything a spider can and this table captures Spidey’s personality brilliantly. It’s a super-fast creation with tons of twisting, swirling ramps, and fantastic obstacles such as the Mary Jane kicker ramp, the Jameson Mini and the Unpredictable Sink Hole.
Based on the award-winning game series, and involving Telltale Games and Walking Dead-creator Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead Pinball follows the game’s Season One. The real cast provide the voices, and it goes way beyond authentic locations (such as Clementine’s treehouse and Everett’s pharmacy) to include authentic, often heart-wrenching, scenarios.
All three Iron Man movies are in the top six grossing Marvel movies ever, and Tony Stark earns his place here. This table pits you against the villains of the second two films, such as Whiplash, Mandarin and Ultimo, and it stands out as a fittingly tough challenge.
The Star Wars of 2016 has stolen almost every record going, and it’s set to beat Avatar and Titanic to become the biggest film of all time. Only the most isolated moisture farmer (or crazy old wizard who lives in a cave) could deny it the top spot here.
Valve’s enormously popular first-person puzzle franchise is celebrated in Portal Pinball, which features Chell, Wheatley and all of the sights, sounds and humor fans of the Portal series will appreciate.
Offering Rey, Finn, Poe, General Leia and Han Solo on the rebel side, and the First Order – led by Kylo Ren – for the Empire, this amazing table has a lot to discover. Yes, you can hit hyperspace on a Star Destroyer, but more importantly you can affect the Balance of the Force. With comprehensive social elements tracking scores globally, Zen Pinball players fight for overall supremacy on either the dark or light side.
Inspired by our own Brandon Russell’s “Guess the Phone” series, we’re taking a crack at “Guess the Game.”
Games are easier, I think, so we’re going to try and ride the line between easy and challenging. We don’t want to pick some crazy obscure title that no one has ever played, but we also don’t want to roll out here with Modern Warfare and call it a day.
So, we’ll start with a game that’s probably easier than it should be. In fact, the title of this post, “this is too easy,” is actually a quote from this game.
This one was creepy. It packed an amazing art style, stands as one of the best on its platform and has a loving cult following. It’s not a game for everyone, but those who give it a fair shake typically wind up in love.
It also sports a ridiculous control scheme, so there’s that.
As you may or may not know, one of Final Fantasy’s greatest protagonists is also one of its most unsung. Final Fantasy Tactics’ Ramza Beoulve, the honorable noble who threw his birthright in the dirt for a greater sense of justice, has never appeared in another majorFinal Fantasy title. He is never slapped into a spin-off to boost the fanboy sales numbers, and he certainly doesn’t appear in the spin-offs to his own games.
In fact, his acknowledgement in the greater gaming world runs parallel to his fate in Final Fantasy Tactics in which nobody ever learns about his selfless heroism.
Until now, of course. Square Enix promised the sky when it stated that Ramza would be appearing in its arcade fighter Dissidia Final Fantasy, and it has finally followed through with his highly-anticipated reveal. Somebody stop these goosebumps!
He doesn’t have a trailer just yet, only a series of screenshots, but this is real! It’s Ramza Beoulve… in a game outside of Final Fantasy Tactics. I never thought we’d see the day.
Ramza joins Dissidia Final Fantasy on Feb. 4. Square Enix will give him a full trailer during a live-streaming event on Feb. 3. Dissidia Final Fantasy is currently available in Japanese arcades around the country. We’re still waiting for information on the PlayStation 4 home console release.
