ESA Dying?; Analyst Says Cut the Price!; Mass Effect PC; MGS4 PS3 Bundle

Questions concerning the future of the Electronic Entertainment Expo have swirled since show organizers the Entertainment Software Association decided to dramatically downscale the gaming industry’s premier event in 2006. While the ESA has continued to trudge on with E3 amid debate over the show’s relevance, this month saw a potentially debilitating blow struck to the organization when soon-to-be-merged publishers Activision and Vivendi said they would not be renewing their membership with the representative body nor attending its annual event. Now, another leading gamemaker has decided to part ways with the ESA. It has confirmed with LucasArts that the all-things-Star Wars publisher will not be renewing its membership with the ESA, though the publisher still plans to attend this year’s E3 Media and Business Summit at the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 15-17. “We can confirm that LucasArts is no longer a member of the ESA,” said LucasArts public relations director Margaret Grohne. “As a company we are still committed to bringing consumers the best interactive experience possible and support the ESA’s mission in the industry. LucasArts will be participating in E3.” The ESA was quick to issue a statement both acknowledging LucasArts’ departure and painting a bright portrait of the organization’s future. “Since its creation in 1994, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has grown and evolved into the pre-eminent voice of the video and computer game industry,” said ESA senior vice president of communications and research Rich Taylor. “The organization has 25 members, including three companies that were welcomed last year. Today, we can confirm that one of our members, LucasArts, has decided not to renew its membership. We value each member of our association, but respect the unique factors that led to LucasArts’ decision. Last year was a record year for an industry which is becoming an increasingly important part of the nation’s social, cultural and economic landscape. We are confident the industry will continue to thrive and ESA will continue to create a beneficial environment for the entire entertainment software industry.” In the wake of Activision and Vivendi’s departure from the ESA, several other publishers and developers, including NCsoft and Foundation 9 said they would also be skipping out on this year’s event. However, a number of other gamemakers, including Electronic Arts, Bethesda Softworks, Warner Bros. Interactive, Majesco, and D3Publisher, reaffirmed their commitment to the annual trade show. After having initially confirmed its attendance, id Software’s appearance at this year’s show remains in question.

Yesterday’s release of April sales figures for US retailers contained a contradiction of sorts that raised a number of eyebrows. Despite the massive launch success of Grand Theft Auto IV, the Rockstar game didn’t appear to be a “system seller,” as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 hardware sales were actually down significantly from the previous month. In a brief on the NPD figures today, Entertainment Design and Research analyst Jesse Divnich said the results strengthened an assessment he made last month that Sony and Microsoft’s latest consoles have saturated the possible market at their current price points. At the time, Divnich pointed to stagnant hardware sales of the two systems despite banner debuts for Army of Two and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 as evidence that prices would need to come down on the systems. Divnich pointed out that April was the first time Xbox 360 sales dipped below an average of 50,000 a week since last July, and that dip was followed the very next month by a price cut for the hardware. “Of course, it might be a little too soon to speculate that we can expect a price drop in the coming weeks or additional hardware SKUs (an Xbox 360 with Blu-Ray capability) in the coming month,” Divnich said, “but if May’s hardware sales drop below the 50,000 units sold a week threshold, we can definitely expect something in terms of a change in strategy from both Microsoft and Sony.”

With just four weeks remaining until Mass Effect on the PC was scheduled to stack up alongside Boom Blox and Speed Racer at retail, Electronic Arts and BioWare abruptly hit the brakes last month. According to BioWare community administrator Chris Priestly, the game would now incubate until May 28 so that the team could “incorporate more play-testing feedback, add extra polish, and tune the additional features.” The kinks now sufficiently ironed, BioWare said today that the PC edition of Mass Effect has entered mass production and is on schedule for its May 28 release in North America and June 6 debut in Europe. BioWare collaborated with Massachusetts-based Demiurge Studios on the PC edition of Mass Effect. As for those aforementioned tweaks, the PC edition offers a suite of additions to the 360 version, with the most visible being a reworked heads-up display and inventory-management system. The game also touts a new control scheme optimized for PCs, individual control over squad members, and a new decryption minigames. Mass Effect PC purchasers who also register with BioWare’s community site will also have immediate access to the Bring Down the Sky downloadable expansion free of charge. EA is looking to stimulate preorders by knocking off $10 from the game’s $49.99 sticker price for those who buy in advance, among other incentives. Responding to public outcry, the publisher also did away with the game’s controversial digital rights management protocol, which would have required the game to be reauthenticated every 10 days as a security measure.

Buried in yesterday’s pile of Konami announcements, which included reveals of Rock Revolution and the obligatory passel of DanceDance Revolutions, were new details about a highly anticipated product. One month after revealing it was releasing the Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 hardware bundle in North America, the Japanese publisher has now priced the package. For $599.99, gamers will get a gunmetal gray 40GB PS3, matching DualShock 3 controller, and a copy of what is being billed as antihero Solid Snake’s final adventure. Unfortunately, those wishing to leisurely pick up an MGS4 PS3 bundle at their local game store are out of luck. First, the bundle will only be available via Konami’s online store. Second, the bundled is being billed as a “highly limited edition,” with Konami playing up the fact that very few will ever be produced. Third, preorders begin sometime on May 19th, meaning those hoping to buy the console will have to repeatedly check the product page and be ready to pounce the moment it goes on sale. Luckily those who can’t acquire a limited MGS4 PS3 bundle can still get the regular MGS4 PS3 bundle, which is arguably a better deal, since it is $100 cheaper than the LE and includes a backward-compatible 80GB PS3 that can play previous MGS games. GameStop is also exclusively selling a limited edition of the now-gold game, which goes on sale in North America on June 12

GTAIV Album; Castlevania DS; Sony’s Hand; Georgian Law

Of the many neat little touches to Rockstar’s action adventure Grand Theft Auto IV, the mind-boggling array of different radio stations to choose from while driving around Liberty City proved to be a big favourite with fans. The stations have some 200 songs on rotation, spanning a wide range of genres, and include The Beat 102.7 (hip hop), Electrochoc (dance/electronica), Jazz Nation Radio 108.5 (jazz), and Vladivostok FM (Eastern European). DJ Green Lantern, also known as The Evil Genius, who presents The Beat radio station, has announced a soundtrack album that includes eight tracks pulled from his in-game setlist, and eight more exclusive songs inspired by GTAIV. It will be different from The Music Of Grand Theft Auto IV which was included with the Special Edition. The album, Liberty City Invasion: Music From and Inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV, will span hip-hop, reggae, and R&B, with featured performers including Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, and Fabolous. It will be available to download from “all major digital retailers” on May 20, with a retail release is planned soon after.

The full tracklisting is as follows:

Styles P–”What’s the Problem”
Busta Rhymes–”Where’s My Money”
Wyclef, Uncle Murda & Mavado–”Informer”
Joell Ortiz & Dante Hawkins–”Alone”
Jim Jones & Juelz Santana–”Bustin’ Shots”
Maino–”Get Away Driver”
Uncle Murda–”Anybody Can Get It”
Fabolous & Fat Joe–”I’m So Fly”
Qadir–”Nickname”
38 Special, Fever & Dwayne–”Streets Raised Me”
Clipse feat. Re-Up Gang–”9mm”
Heltah Skeltah feat. Buckshot–”Can’t Trust Em”
Red Cafe–”Stick’m”
Immortal Technique–”Parole”
Tru Life–”Wet Em Up”
Johnny Polygon–”Price On Your Head”

As a portent of things to come last month, a rating for Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia turned up in the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s online database. Naturally published by Konami, the online listing indicated Order of Ecclesia would be the Belmont family’s third trek onto Nintendo’s DS behind 2005’s Dawn of Sorrow and 2006’s Portrait of Ruin. As part of its Gamers’ Day event today, Konami unsurprisingly confirmed Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for the DS, saying the game would arrive on Nintendo’s platform this fall. The ESRB couldn’t be bothered with spilling details on the game when it rated it T for Teen, so Konami’s announcement today shined more light on what gamers can expect later this year. As a member of the oath, sworn Order of Ecclesia, players assume the role of a heroine named Shinoa, which producer Koji Igarashi called a code, name in an interview. Vampire hunting is once again paramount to the game’s story, and players will employ a number of tactics, including the new Glyph attack mechanic, to defeat Dracula’s minions. Order of Ecclesia’s single-player experience offers 20 different areas to explore, with environments ranging from forests to oceans. The game will also put to use the DS’s Wi-Fi Connection for head-to-head multiplayer battles, and players will also be able to go online to buy and sell items they acquire during their journeys.

At Sony’s EU PlayStation Day in London early last week, the publisher dropped a handful of heartening details, as well as a few downers for PlayStation 3 owners. Namely, the publisher said that two of its most anticipated exclusive titles, Guerrilla’s Killzone 2 and Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet, had been bumped from their projected ship dates, in Europe, at least, to February 2009 and October 2008, respectively. With Sony throwing a stateside Gamers’ Day event in Southern California today, the publisher confirmed that Guerrilla’s long-awaited first-person shooter and Media Molecule’s sandbox playground have indeed be furloughed to launch in proximity to their European counterparts. In addition to confirming the delays, Sony also laid out its lineup for the rest of 2008 and into early 2009. Of primary note, the publisher said Insomniac Games’ Resistance 2 will arrive on the PS3 this fall. The publisher stressed the game’s large-scale 60-player online multiplayer component, as well as the MyResistance.net community portal. PS3 gamers looking for a little less mayhem will also be interested to know Buzz! Quiz TV, featuring more than 5,000 questions in five categories, will also land on Sony’s flagship console this fall. A slimmed-down PSP version of the game, Buzz! Master Quiz, will be available in the same time frame, and include 3,000 questions spanning a variety of topics. In addition to its retail offerings, Sony also gave PS3 owners a heads-up on what will arrive on the PlayStation Network this summer. Before summer’s end, the publisher expects Sony Liverpool’s Wipeout HD, 8bit Games’ Elefunk, Q-Games’ PixelJunk Eden, and Sony Japan’s episodic series Siren: Blood Curse.

A full lineup of upcoming titles published by Sony is listed below.
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2–PSP–June 3
Secret Agent Clank–PSP–June 17
Wipeout HD–PSN–Summer 2008
Elefunk–PSN–Summer 2008
PixelJunk Eden–PSN–Summer 2008
Siren: Blood Curse–PSN–Summer 2008
SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Confrontation–PS3–September 16
LittleBigPlanet–PS3–October 2008
NBA 09–PS3, PSP, PS2–Fall 2008
BUZZ! Quiz TV–PS3–Fall 2008
BUZZ! Master Quiz–PSP–Fall 2008
MotorStorm Pacific Rift–PS3–Fall 2008
Resistance 2–PS3–Fall 2008
Killzone 2–PS3–February 2009

Earlier this week, Georgia’s Republican governor, Sonny Purdue, signed into law a proposal to offer greater tax incentives not only to game producers, but also to music video, movie, and TV production projects. Its latest goal, in the name of economic development, is to become the video game production capital of the United States. “The new incentives will put Georgia among the top five states in the US, in terms of financial competitiveness for entertainment projects,” Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said in a statement. “We expect to see an increase in the number of industry jobs and overall economic impact for the state in the coming years.” Under the 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act, eligible companies that spent at least $500,000 on production costs in the state would be eligible for a 20 percent tax credit on that investment, up from the 9 percent that was previously on the books. The companies can qualify for an extra 10 percent tax credit, too, but only if they agree to embed promotional ads and animated Georgia logos in their content. According to a statement from the Peach State, the entertainment industry has contributed more than $1.17 billion to Georgia’s economy since 2005, when the first wave of tax credits took effect. Georgia, of course, is home to Turner Broadcasting System, the high-power media empire that includes CNN, Cartoon Network, and game network GameTap.