A selection of links, hand-picked by the Guardian games writers.
Original Madden NFL designer awarded $11 million in EA lawsuit | Joystiq
A US District Court jury in the Northern District of California has ruled in favor of Robin Antonick, the original credited designer for EA's Madden NFL series, in his lawsuit against publisher Electronic Arts, awarding him $11 million. Antonick's lawsuit against EA sought unpaid royalties for iterations in the series released between 1990 and 1996.
Xbox One retail consoles double as debug units, Microsoft to allow indie self-publishing | Engadget
This was always going to happen:
Microsoft's Xbox One is getting decidedly more indie-friendly with today's confirmation from Microsoft that its forthcoming game console will double as a developer debug unit. In so many words, each $500 unit purchased at retail this holiday will also run in-progress game code, enabling developers to get in on the action all the more affordably (debug versions of game consoles cost far more than retail game consoles, and tend to look slightly different from their retail counterparts). "Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development," Xbox corporate VP Marc Whitten said in a statement.
I'd be very surprised if Microsoft didn't make more indie-friendly announcements at Gamescom, too...
Sony's PS4 Has Fifty Percent Lead Over Microsoft's Xbox One, Says Strategy Analytics... | PRNewswire
Remember yesterday's story about the analysts predicting an early advantage for Xbox One in the coming console war? Well...
Sony's PS4 will have the edge over Microsoft's Xbox One in the new games console battle which will erupt later this year according to feedback from Strategy Analytics' latest ConsumerMetrix survey. According to the report, "Games Consoles: Purchase Intention Index Q2 2013", 14.2 percent of consumers are very or somewhat likely to buy a PS4 within the next twelve months compared to 9.5 percent who will buy an Xbox One. If the results were reflected in sales data this would imply that sales of PS4s would be nearly fifty percent higher than Xbox One. The survey interviewed a representative population sample of more than 6000 respondents across the US and Europe in June 2013.
Now I don't know what to think!
Why Steam Trading Cards Should Embarrass Microsoft and Sony | IGN
The latest idea to grow user engagement in Valve's digital gaming service: indie game trading cards!
When you play trading card-enabled games on Steam, that game's cards will randomly "drop," automatically adding them to your Steam inventory. The number of free drops you can get just by playing is equal to half of that game's total number of cards. So if a game has 10 cards, you'll get 5 free card drops.
After that, you become eligible for a random booster pack drop, which provides three more cards for that game. Booster packs are awarded randomly to any Steam user that has received all their free drops and remains active on Steam.
Once you complete a set of cards you can redeem them for a nifty profile badge and a variety of other digital rewards. The more Steam users turning in cards to create badges increases that game's booster pack drop rate, smartly regulating the card supply.
It's a neat idea, even though the benefits are mostly digital customisation trinkets.
Sony gives green light to Gran Turismo movie | GamesIndustry International
Great news for petrol heads... who are also undemanding cinema-goers:
Need for Speed isn't the only driving game heading for the big screen. According to Hollywood blog The Wrap, Sony Pictures has begun development on a film project for its long-running racing sim Gran Turismo.
The only names attached to the project so far are producers Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti, who are also co-producing the upcoming adaptation for 50 Shades of Grey along with the best-selling book's author E L James.
So, a car film from the makers of an erotic novel tie in. That could lead to some interesting concepts. Fast and Bi-Curious?
Call of Duty dev told he deserves to die for releasing game-balancing patch | Games industry news | MCV
This is, quite frankly, bizarre and shaming:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 design director David Vonderhaar has received death threats regarding tweaks made to weapon balancing in the game's most recent patch.
I've read some of the abuse David has been subjected to over the last 24-hours – insane, vicious ramblings threatening him and his family with sickening violence. The best response has come from Activision community manager Dan Amrich:
Now consider that these Internet Tough Guy rants and demands are not unique to COD, but exist everywhere, in many gaming communities. This is why the world often does not take gaming seriously; this is why gamers are assumed to be immature, whiny assholes. Because the immature, whiny assholes are louder.
You can follow Press Start at Pinboard.
