Money is something that we talk about a lot on et geekera (and it’s something that is likely to come up again soon in an upcoming beta impressions post). However, we never really talk about some of the theory behind the rise of virtual economies in video games. Fortunately, PBS’ Offbook YouTube channel brought in a Cornell business professor and a Rutgers law professor to explain the theory and rise of video game economies.
Blog Archives
Phil Spencer Takes Over as Xbox Boss
How busy was I last week? I completely missed that Microsoft announced that long-time Microsoft Studios boss, Phil Spencer, got a promotion. The company announced that he would be taking on a newly created role as the head of the Xbox and gaming division of Microsoft.
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King has Worst IPO Launch of 2014
Sometimes, the evil empire wins. Sometimes, the evil empire loses. And, on the rarest of occasion, the emperor is wearing no clothes. I think the latter example applies to King.
The company behind Candy Crush Saga and all the sagas as a result had their IPO launch on Wednesday. While King managed to raise $500 million for the company with the share issuance, it was a painful day for King. The company’s stock dropped over 15% in price on its first day of trading.
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Wolfenstein Gets a Collectors Edition without a Copy of the Game
Just when you thought that the monetization of video games was reaching ridiculous levels, Bethesda has pushed the boundaries of good taste again. The same company that is locking a whole race behind a paywall in the $60 plus $15 per month with a cash store MMO, The Elder Scrolls Online, is now releasing a special edition of Wolfenstein: The New Order that doesn’t even come with the game.
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Facebook to Buy Oculus VR for $2 Billion
The company that is bringing the virtual reality headset back to gaming is now a part of the evil empire. The company behind the Oculus Rift, Oculus VR, has been bought by Facebook for a staggering $2 billion.
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Sony Raises PS4 Console and Game Prices in Canada
Back in January, we brought a story about EB Games Canada quietly raising prices on almost all of their new releases from $60 to upwards of $70 whether they were on current or last-gen consoles. Last month, Microsoft quietly announced that the price of Xbox One games would increase to $65 each. Now, Sony has announced that the price of the PS4 console in Canada will increase along with the price of games and peripherals.
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Jack Tretton, Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO, to Resign
We often lament when athletes retire at the top of their game but what about when corporate executives step back at the height of their powers?
Jack Tretton, the current President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, has announced that he is resigning from his post effective March 31st. Shawn Layden, Executive Vice President and COO of Sony Network Entertainment International, will take over Tretton’s job on April 1st.
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One of the Battlefield 4 Class-Action Lawsuits Has Been Dropped
Back in December, we brought you news of a pair of class-action lawsuits being brought against EA on behalf of investors as a result of the poor state of Battlefield 4 at release and the connection that the condition of the game affected the company’s share price.
This weekend, a little digging by GameSpot found that one of the two class-action lawsuits against EA over Battlefield 4 appears to have disappeared. That marks the first time in recent memory that EA has one something that isn’t the worst company in America award.
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The New Xbox Boss is a Man Who Wanted to Sell It Off
When Microsoft was looking for a new CEO late last year and earlier this year, the name Stephen Elop, former CEO of Nokia, was one of the name that kept popping up as a favourite. Bloomberg reported that part of Elop’s pitch for the job was that he would sell off parts of the business that weren’t part of the company’s core strategy, including the Xbox division.
So guess who was just named the new boss of Microsoft’s Devices Division, the division that Xbox falls under in the Microsoft corporate umbrella? On Wednesday, Stephen Elop was announced as the Devices and Studios Division’s third boss in seven months, replacing current head Julie Larson-Green.
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King Withdraws Candy Trademark Application but Nothing Really Changes
King, the company behind the infamous Candy Crush Saga game, has announced that they will no longer attempt to get a trademark on the word “candy.”
The move to trademark such a common word was met with controversy in the gaming industry as many felt that King was trying to kill any competition. However, King’s move has nothing to do with a change of heart about trademarking candy but how they’re going about defending their candy trademark.
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