Jane Pinckard

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Webs.com, formerly Freeweb.com, yesterday announced the launch of a publishing network for gaming applications on social platforms like Facebook. Called the Social Gaming Network, it will tie together games under one banner and circulate players across the applications. The name of the enterprise is a little […] Read more »

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It’s not entirely clear yet how Vivendi’s plan to take a controlling stake in Activision, unveiled Sunday, will shake up the games industry. But the $18.9 billion deal will not only merge the maker of World of Warcraft with the owner of Guitar Hero, but will […] Read more »

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[qi:002] The mobile gaming market was supposed to be huge by now. Clearly that hasn’t happened. And although the jury is still out as to whether this sector will grow or fizzle, as games on cell phones face competition from all kinds of other media, some […] Read more »

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[qi:002] Last week saw a veritable explosion of launches and news centered around companies that are merging social networks, cash payouts and gaming. It’s the new frontier, apparently. Anyway we had trouble keeping them all straight and we figured you may have, too, so here’s a […] Read more »

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[qi:091] Two acclaimed boutique game studios recently released music-based games for the iPod, and I hope they are pioneers of a new frontier. The iPod interface offers such intriguing possibilities for play style, and with 100 million versions of the iPod sold, the install base is […] Read more »

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[qi:101] The market for online games in China shows no signs of cooling off as NetDragon, an online games developer, this week reported a nearly 2,700 percent profit increase, to $35.8 million, over the same nine-month period last year. NetDragon’s earnings growth is based on three […] Read more »

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[qi:002] Jack Myers posted a rather long article this morning chronicling the trials of a 13-year-old girl who recently had her avatar stolen in the casual anime-styled MMO Gaia Online. While it’s true that there are now virtual characters with virtual possessions that translate into real […] Read more »

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[qi:002] We all love the Wii — gamers, game developers, marketers — in theory, anyway. But mine has been collecting dust since the spring, and the ardor of developers has cooled as well. Sure, there was Metroid Prime — an excellent game, the first solid shooter […] Read more »

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[qi:027] For anyone out there who remains unconvinced as to how important the casual gaming market is, the latest report by the Casual Games Association may help change your mind. The casual games industry rakes in $2.25 billion a year, according to the org’s latest research, […] Read more »

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Outspark, a San Francisco-based casual games publisher with offices in Seoul, South Korea, launched its North American games portal yesterday. Like Nexon‘s South Korean-developed MapleStory, Outspark games will be free to play — in addition to advertising built into the games and the portal, the company […] Read more »

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The Wall Street Journal this morning is reporting that Microsoft (MSFT) and Google GOOG) are both pressing Facebook hard to close an advertising deal that would give the winner the right to broker ads for the site outside of the U.S. in conjunction with its planned […] Read more »

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[qi:012] These sites, in alphabetical order, offer food for thought with posts that will widen your perspective on the interaction of business and design in games, particularly in the realm of casual gaming. 1. Brinking by Nabeel Hyatt. Nabeel is a serial entrepreneur, currently co-founder of […] Read more »

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Earlier this month, MCV discovered that Google (GOOG) had filed for patents related to interactive entertainment. Today Tiga, the trade association for videogame creators in the UK and Europe, said that a product marketing manager from Google Adsense will speak at the group’s day-long “Working with […] Read more »

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[qi:022] While last week some called the popularity of the Wii a bubble that was on the verge of bursting, retailers are admitting that supply may, for the second year in a row, fail to keep up with consumer demand. So what’s going on here? There […] Read more »

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Though others have hinted at it in the past, Radiohead’s move to offer its latest album, “In Rainbows,” as a direct download — for a price set by the consumer — is a first among high-profile bands. It’s also a watershed moment in the music business, […] Read more »

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On the heels of ECD Systems CEO Jack Hart’s article exploring the methods of growing revenue for casual games, IGA Worldwide said it has signed an in-game advertising deal with casual games publisher Merscom. Chapel Hill, N.C.-based Merscom makes downloadable titles for the PC, as well […] Read more »

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[qi:012] The growth of casual gaming has spawned an unprecedented variety, and quality, of free web-based games. And as the development quality gets ever higher, it attracts more talent, bigger budgets, and more ambitious scopes. Here are five terrific games from independent developers you might have […] Read more »

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[qi:002] The massive success of Nintendo’s cheeky cerebral treadmill, Brain Age, which stayed on Japan’s best-seller list for 34 weeks and has sold over 8.6 million units, has tempted other companies into experimenting with non-games. The fact that older people bought Nintendo’s handheld console, the DS […] Read more »

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[qi:046] TOKYO: I’m at the Tokyo Game Show, which drew in more than 190,000 people last year, looking for games that really stand out, games that take the state of gaming in new directions. I’m searching for signs, in other words, that the Japanese game industry […] Read more »