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Codemasters believes in new IP, connecting with consumers
In an interview with GI.biz, Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens rejected the idea that there is no room for game publishers to tackle new IP during a recession. Concerning the difficulties of launching a new IP, Cousens said that if the industry only does "more of the same," it could stagnate like the movie and music industries. When asked if launching new IP is difficult when market conditions are poor and consumers tend to gravitate toward established franchises -- think Call of Duty -- Cousens said, "I don't buy off on that argument." He elaborated that one of the game industry's "most exciting things" is its ability "to be experimental, to be innovative, to take things into new areas and to make it interesting." Cousens noted that it's easy to understand why retailers want to give shelf space to familiar titles, but he believes that this practice eventually "wears a bit thin" and that some shelf space must go to new IP. Aside from this, he explained that publishers have to promote awareness of their products through direct marketing. "Shelf space is the equivalent to air play for music," said Cousens, "so you work it by establishing direct-to-consumer links, and then through those links start to create new IP and give them what they want."
Richard Mitchell11.02.2009
DirectX 11-powered Dirt 2 heading to PCs in early December
During Microsoft's big coming-out party for Windows 7 today in New York City, Codemasters showed off the new DirectX 11 version of the upcoming PC port of Dirt 2 that you see above. Though the developer said little of new content additions being made to the game, the already gorgeous visuals have been gussied up with help from DirectX 11, and cheevos will be ready for the taking on Games for Windows Live. Meeting its previously announced delay head-on, Dirt 2 starts shipping in North America on December 1, with December 3 and 4 release dates for the rest of the world (in your face, world!).
Ben Gilbert10.22.2009
Operation Flashpoint patch coming alongside first DLC
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is set to receive a network optimization patch alongside the game's first DLC at the end of October, according to executive producer Sion Lenton. In an interview with Eurogamer, Lenton said the team at Codemasters has planned for more downloadable content, but has yet to decide what the new content will be. "It's not a lot of fuss for us to make new content - it's actually quite easy for us to get it out there, with regards to things like levels, game modes, etc," Lenton said. What is being fussed about are the bevy of balance issues players of the military shooter have vocalized on the game's official forum. According to Lenton, the upcoming patch is set to make the game "flow a bit better." The patch comes at a good time, hoping to catch players before they "flow" directly into that other military shooter launching in November. %Gallery-67532%
Xav de Matos10.21.2009
Codemasters gives planned launch date for Siege of Mirkwood
European Lord of the Rings Online fans are anxious to get their hands on Siege of Mirkwood, especially after Codemasters told them about the great pre-order deals being offered. Players who purchase the expansion will receive the Harbinger's Cloak, and players purchasing the expansion and the Adventurer's Pack add-on will receive the cloak and an extra mount. So they've heard the story of Mirkwood, seen the screenshots, watched the trailer, been offered some extra items with their purchase and are just left with the big question: when?Sam "Satine" Russell, the Director of Community Relations for Codemasters, answered that question recently when she commented that Siege of Mirkwood "is currently tracking 3rd December for launch", two days after the scheduled December 1st release date for Mirkwood in North America. It's important to note the phrasing "currently tracking", meaning that this isn't an engraved-in-stone date. However, that date isn't too far off, so we feel pretty good about Satine's statement. We also feel pretty anxious to get our hands on Siege of Mirkwood, so it's great to have some dates to look forward to!
Rubi Bayer10.19.2009
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising DLC only 'weeks' away
Ten-hut, soldier -- Codemasters' Sion Lenton reveals in an interview with Telegraph that the company is currently working on DLC for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising and the first round will be available in "a matter of weeks." Lenton also says the company has "ambitious plans" for the game's DLC, though he only mentions the requisite weapon and map add-ons most shooters receive post-release.The rest of the interview isn't a bad read; Lenton discusses how the idea to bring back the Operation Flashpoint series came about, why Codies went for consoles, the balancing act between keeping it a hardcore, realistic experience without making it too frustrating for gamers and planned Title Updates to keep the game balanced. We're glad he mentioned that last item, because we've heard some folks in the game's forums aren't all too happy with the experience right now.[Via CVG]
David Hinkle10.14.2009
Codemasters reveals the LotRO Europe pre-order deals for Siege of Mirkwood
Coming hot off the heels of Turbine's Siege of Mirkwood pre-order announcement comes the European pre-order details from Codemasters. While the European players won't be able to simply upgrade their subscription plans to a multi-month plan to get the expansion for free, they do get a very nice deal on the Lord of the Rings Online adventurer's pack.European players can pick up the expansion and the adventurer's pack add-on, which offers two character slots and 20 shared inventory slots, for 20 pounds or 28 euros. If you buy the bundle, you get the Harbinger's Cloak and the extra mount (the Dusky Nimblefoot Goat) included. Otherwise, if you just buy the expansion for 15 pounds or 20 euros, you only get the Harbinger's Cloak -- a change from the cloak being offered solely in the US adventurer's pack.
Seraphina Brennan10.14.2009
GTA IV, Dead Space coming to Xbox 360 Games on Demand this month
The Xbox 360's Games on Demand service is getting quite the booster shot this month, as Microsoft has announced six new titles coming to the service in October. The festivities kicked off earlier this week with the release of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Call of Duty 3. Here's what the rest of this month has in store: October 13 Grand Theft Auto IV October 20 Midnight Club: Los Angeles Army of Two Sonic Unleashed October 27 Dead Space DiRT There's no word on price for any of these titles right now, so we've checked with Microsoft and will be sure to update you when we hear back.
David Hinkle10.09.2009
Archlord's return heralded by extra buckling of swashes
Fans of the free-to-play MMO Archlord were probably less than thrilled in September, when the game's North American and European hosts lost the rights to the game. Codemasters was "unable to renew a license agreement" and had to shut down their servers for the game, with players left only with the taunting promise of another distributor picking up the game in the near future.The near future, however, is apparently right now, with Webzen having returned the game to operation in North America and Europe. The game has also been updated with the Swashbuckler class, an all-female close-melee combat class that sports rabbit ears. (We're not sure if comparisons to the viera were intended, but they seem largely inevitable and perhaps suitable.)In addition, Webzen is offering a transfer service for all former players of the Codemasters servers, with the transfer scheduled to complete on the 14th of October and offering a small amount of in-game money as an incentive -- that is, the money usually reserved for microtransactions. If you're a fan of the game, this is pretty unambiguous good news. If you aren't, well, now you have a chance to play it again one way or the other, which is always a good thing.[ via Kotaku ]
Eliot Lefebvre10.09.2009
Latest LotRO dev diary details legendary weapon changes
From the last "Ask the Dev Team" session with the Lord of the Rings Online developers, we knew that some changes were coming to the game's Legendary Weapon system. The latest Developer Diary entry is devoted entirely to filling in some of the details on these changes, which should come into effect when the Siege of Mirkwood expansion launches in December. First and foremost (and definitely one of the best tweaks) is that you'll be able to tell if a legendary weapon will ever turn into something good before you pour time and money into improving it.There will also be a brand new item type, a series of "legendary item advancement scrolls". They will provide an alternative method of improving or altering legendary weapons, and will be found both as loot from enemies and from the deconstruction process. In addition, crafters are getting a significant nod with the introduction of a fourth relic slot that can only be filled by player-crafted relics. It gets better: every crafting profession can make a different kind of relic, providing a range of improvement options, and ensuring that no crafter is left out of the fun. To read up on all the details of the upcoming legendary item changes (including specifics on how experience will be altered) see the full dev diary at the official site.
William Dobson10.07.2009
Codemasters' go-to driving dev departs
Gavin Raeburn, the guy who may be most responsible for beloved Codies-brand racers like DiRT 2 and GRID, has resigned from the company, VG247 reports. After a stint lasting more than 20 years, the former executive producer has "moved on to pastures new," said Gavin Cheshire, VP of Codemasters Development. Cheshire added, "it's positive for any individual to move when they feel they're at the top." "[Raeburn] leaves having built an incredibly talented team that's led by key players who will drive our racing portfolio forward." There's no word on where Raeburn is headed, but there's a good chance it's Disney World.
David Hinkle10.01.2009Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising multiplayer video ups the carnage
Guys, if you haven't been keeping up with Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, then brace your butt for the first glimpse at its massive multiplayer action. The latest trailer comes from the game's official site, and impresses us not only through the sheer scale of the maps shown, but also -- oh man, did you see that helicopter blow up everything? Sorry, what were we talking about?[Via Big Download]
David Hinkle09.17.2009
LotRO Europe celebrates Bilbo's birthday week with free account keys
Last year on Bilbo Baggins' birthday (the 22nd of September), a special quest involving Bilbo and Frodo was made available to Lord of the Rings Online players. This year the birthday celebration has started early, almost a week before the actual date. LotRO Europe is giving away a very specific number of full game account keys: 111, or eleventy-one as Bilbo himself might say. They will be given away on the game's community forums, the LOTRO_Europe and Codies Twitter feeds, as well as the Codemasters blog May Contain Gamers. The way they are given out at these locations may differ, but we do know that in the case of Twitter, it's first come first served -- if you can plug the key into a Codemasters account quicker than the next punter, it's yours. An additional 111 keys will be given away by some German and French community sites. Past the account key giveaway, there will also be in-game festivities starting on the 21st of September and continuing until the 25th. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more news regarding the birthday fun.
William Dobson09.16.2009
Guitar Hero 5 goes straight to the top of the UK charts
Guitar Hero 5, which is like the tenth (give or take a couple) installment in the series, has resonated with UK consumers and hit a high note atop the Chart Track all-formats chart. The Dark Knight of Arkham Asylum -- who was perched above the charts for two weeks -- slipped off the top to the number three spot, with Colin McRae: Dirt 2 taking the silver. The Beatles: Rock Band premiered at the number four spot, which some are sure to find disappointing. Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band have previously debuted at the fourth and sixth spot, respectively, with previous iterations. Music games may be on a sales decline, but they apparently still know how to make an entrance. Source -- Guitar Hero 5 hits the right notes (Chart Track) Source -- All formats chart (Chart Track) %Gallery-63471%
Alexander Sliwinski09.14.2009
Lord of the Rings Online reveals their horse design contest winners
A while back we announced that Turbine was looking for some community artists to participate in a horse design contest for Lord of the Rings Online in both the US and EU. Well the entries have been gathered, the judges have weighed their decisions accordingly, and a winner has been chosen.Congratulations to Iben K. Pederson, the winner of the Design-A-Horse contest in the EU! His beautiful entry has been shown above, and he'll get a special forum title, a Codemasters goodie bag, and the honor of having his horse come to life in the game. The other winners can be found on the Codemasters LOTRO website, so be sure to drop by and check out the other entries!
Seraphina Brennan09.04.2009
Turbine announces LotRO's next expansion: "Siege of Mirkwood"
The next expansion for Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online has just been revealed (along with the logo above): players will be able to download Siege of Mirkwood this fall and finish the epic storyline of Volume II that began with the Mines of Moria. Specifically, this will include Volume II Book 9 and an Epilogue. The level cap will be raised to 65, and along with the predictable traits, skills and virtues that come from extra levels, there will also be some new class quests. For the raiders, a new 12-man challenge involving the Nazgûl Lord awaits, and additional 3 and 6-man instances will cater to those hungry for small group content. Some enhancements to the Legendary items system and an upgrade to the game's responsiveness will be making it in too.A brand new feature to be introduced to Lord of the Rings Online in Siege of Mirkwood is the Skirmishes system: Skirmishes offer endless action in repeatable, randomized instances where players can create and lead customizable soldiers into battle, training them to greater skill as they earn victories against the forces of shadow. Answer the call of war wherever violence erupts with the new "World Join" function that lets players and their fellowships band together to fight in various locations throughout Middle-earth.You can be sure that more information about the expansion is coming up -- as a matter of fact, we'll have an interview to share in the next day or so. Stay tuned!
William Dobson09.04.2009
Dirt 2 is the 'breast' tattoo simulator ever
Somehow we totally missed Dirt 2's reinvention of digital "dirt" -- from dusty rally racing to busty Sally tracing. At least, that's what the ploy at Dirtytats.com (NSFW) would have us believe. The game's promotional site presents visitors with a pair of animated assets to put one's ink on. We decided to give our models a lace bra–like tattoo to cover up the ample skin real estate and express -- in a word -- what we thought about this type of marketing being tied into a racing game (after the break, fellow art lovers).Now, if Saints Row 2 had done something like this ... brilliant! It's all about context.%Gallery-45501%
Alexander Sliwinski09.03.2009
Archlord to transition from Codemasters to Webzen
Codemasters, while best known for running Lord of the Rings Online in Europe, was never a one-trick pony. While many people have been adventuring through Middle Earth, a brave few gamers were still calling the realm of Chantra, the continent of the archlord, their home. Sadly, however, all things must come to an end as Codemasters will be shutting down their service for Archlord.However, this is not a game sunset, but a game transition. Codemasters has failed to come to an agreement with NHN, the Korean developers of the game, to continue their service. NHN has transferred operation over to Webzen instead of Codemasters. If the images of Huxley and Soul of the Ultimate Nation just popped into your head, then you have indeed remembered the correct Webzen.This transition will move all character data over to Webzen's servers, making Webzen the go-to spot for almost everything Archlord related. What hasn't yet been confirmed is if item data will be transported with the characters as well.Archlord has shut down new account creation until October 2nd, when everything will be transferred over to Webzen. For the full details of the transfer, or if you want to make a new account, check out Webzen for all of the gritty details.[Thanks, Adam and Doran!]
Seraphina Brennan09.02.2009
DDO Eberron Unlimited rolls high initiative, gets early head-start release
According to a recent Turbine press release, the developer's free-to-play, D20-rolling MMO, Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited will be granting early access to ... well, to people who've already had their fair share of early access. Though the game launches on September 9, anyone who is a former or current subscriber to DDO, or those who participated in Unlimited's closed beta, can log onto the game right this hot second.The game offers all the DDO action you (might) know and (may) love, albeit with a higher level cap and lower price. Sure, you'll still need to dish out a few bucks for access to the game's full catalog of zones, classes, races and items -- but even without this premium content, there's plenty of game available for the Gygax enthusiast on a budget.%Gallery-71416%
Griffin McElroy09.01.2009
Sony publishing DiRT 2 for PSP, PS3 in PAL regions
Sony continues its third-party publishing strategy in PAL territories today by taking up Codemasters' DiRT 2. Unlike the Ghostbusters venture, however, this is not a timed exclusive for PlayStation platforms. MCV reports that Sony will publish the PSP and PS3 versions of the game, while Codemasters handles publishing duties on all other platforms.Codemasters' senior VP of publishing for EPAC, Axel Herr, is glad to have Sony take over, citing the series' "great affinity with the PlayStation brand in PAL territories for over 10 years" as one of the key factors behind the decision. We're sure all of the buzz around the PS3 Slim didn't hurt either.
David Hinkle08.27.2009
Demos for NHL 10 and DiRT 2 join Lost Planet 2 and Mini Ninjas on Live
Need something to chew up your free time between constant attempts to sequence break Shadow Complex? Xbox Live Marketplace has been invaded by a slew of new game demos -- currently available to Gold members -- to help combat your boredom. With four demos hitting the Marketplace in the last two days, Xbox users are treated to a collection of completely different gaming experiences. Strap into the Mitsubishi Eclipse GT and race the Trailblazer event in DiRT 2, lace up your skates and hit the ice in the NHL 10 demo, show off your ninja skills in Mini Ninjas or jump online with up to four players and attack the evil Akrid in the Lost Planet 2 Co-op demo. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a diverse selection of video game demos. Queue up the DiRT 2 demo Queue up the NHL 10 demo (and check out Xbox Canada's exclusive Q&A) Queue up the Mini Ninjas demo Queue up the Lost Planet 2 Co-op demo
Xav de Matos08.20.2009