Yesterday, Alex St. John, the CEO of the online gaming network WildTangent, gave a speech at the Casual Connect game conference in Seattle.

During his 45 minute speech, he stated that he believes that console gaming will be dead by 2020. While I was unaware that St. John was a psychic, I did find his comment to be quite funny if not downright bold, even if he thinks that PC gaming is taking over.

I am going to make some outrageous claims today. And then I will attempt to substantiate them. Feel free to disagree with me. Just remember, that I am right.

We are looking at the last generation of consoles right now. I am going to predict to you that the PS3, the Wii and the X-box are the last generation of consoles that you either see or that anybody regards as successful in the market.

St. John feels that the shift to PC games is occurring and the main reason is that PC games generally allow players to try out the games for free before purchasing them by the way of demos and betas.

He even took a stab at some game developers and publishers:

Everything they know how to do is wrong. They start in a well. They think that brand matters. They think that their marketing expertise matters. They think that a pile of art work and a box matters. They have got a bunch of people paid huge salaries with years of expertise who would never dream of firing themselves because they have got the wrong domain expertise. And so Disney, for example, would never have funded the $200 million project to build Club Penguin, but boy they paid $700 million like little b****** to buy it after it hit the market. … So the weird thing is that the expertise and the skill set to create these games — they are not really rocket science to make — it is just an entirely new mentality. The big budgets and the money and all the stuff these companies have that are entrenched are not an advantage, they are an encumbrance.

While I cannot disagree with him totally on everything he said, it seems that every week someone is saying that PC gaming is dead, console gaming is dying, and a big asteroid is headed on a collision course with Earth.  Bottom line, we will all know it when or if it happens.

Via: Seattlepi

Recently, I was speaking with Cryptic Studio’s Chief Creative Officer and the man behind the upcoming Champions Online and the subject of Gaia Online came up. Jack Emmert is one of the advisory board members for the game. This social networking site aimed at pre-teens to young adults is part Club Penguin, part Second Life and strangely addictive. My daughters are deeply involved with the Gaia community as are most of their friends; the ones that have access to the internet.

Michael Scott, author of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series is returning to Gaia Online to celebrate the release of his latest book, The Magician. Michael will be online to chat with Gaians Wednesday, June 25th. Visit the Magician Discussion Thread on the Gaia forums for more from Michael Scott, including links to some sample chapters, a poll to vote in, and a free item!

A further note to Gaia enthusiasts. The OMFG box will be disappearing from the Cash Shop Wednesday, June 25th. That gives you less than one day to grab one. Check out Gaia Online for the full details on this virtual Pandora’s box.

Thanks to a link provided by VG247, we now have a list of developers confirmed for E3 2008 along with what titles they will be showing off at the event. While the list is still updated regularly, as of this post, this is what you can expect should you be attending.

Akella
Postal III (PC, X360)

Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, X360)

Capcom
Bionic Commando (PC, PS3, X360)
Bionic Commando Rearmed (PC, PS3, X360)
Capcom Project #1 [untitled] (other)
Capcom Project #2 [untitled] (other)
Dark Void (PC, PS3, X360)
MotoGP 08 (other)
Neopets Puzzle Adventure (PC, Wii)
Plunder (PC, PS3, X360)
Resident Evil 5 (PS3, X360)
Spyborgs (Wii)
Street Fighter IV (PC, PS3, X360)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PS3, X360)

For the full list, hit the jump.

Read the full article

The former developer of Crackdown that is now at work on APB has wasted little time in making use of the recent $50 million investment that was made in the studio. Realtime Worlds has purchased back the global distribution rights for APB, which founder and CEO David Jones believes is critical to seeing the game all the way through.

“Owning the distribution rights to APB marks a major milestone in Realtime Worlds’ evolution into a premier online entertainment company,” explained Jones.

“By controlling the rights to APB we can ensure that gamers around the globe experience the revolutionary gameplay we envisioned when we first began creating the property.”

“We are excited about the prospect of having direct, personal relationships with our players, which is a dream come true for many development studios,” he added.

Jones talked about the success of online games like World of Warcraft and Runescape as helpful in garnering investors. “I think it’s given developers a different route they can take. I think it’s good to have some exemplars out there, as well as the one that everybody quotes, but then you can also look at what you might call the lighter casual titles, like Club Penguin, Jagex with Runescape – there’s a lot of stuff out there that’s doing really well in terms of online.

“So I think there are quite a few success stories out there, and in many ways they eclipse the studios doing the more traditional retail boxed product. Everybody sees the market has only just started, and there’s still a huge potential for growth.”

It seems like good news for gamers, as Realtime Worlds clearly wants to deliver on APB in every way possible. Given how great Crackdown was, I feel justifiably optimistic about how APB will turn out.

via GamesIndustry.biz

Virtual Worlds Management has set the date and agenda for the second annual Virtual Worlds Conference. The gathering includes representatives from Mattel, Disney, Gaia and many other companies in the social networking business. Business, operations and legal issues will be discussed at the conference which is scheduled for April 3 – 4 in New York City.

“What began as technologies embraced by Internet sophisticates is now at the heart of revolution that is reshaping the media industry, toy industry, the entertainment business and technology companies,” said Christopher Sherman, Virtual Worlds Conference executive director.

“Virtual worlds are changing how our children are entertained, how teenagers communicate and how media and advertisers engage millions of consumers everyday.”

For further details check out GamesIndustry.biz.

It’s almost scary how big virtual worlds are becoming. Businesses invested USD 425 million dollars in virtual worlds companies during the fourth quarter of 2007 alone. My kids and all their friends use Gaia, Webkins and Club Penguin. There’s no regulation of security measures to protect minors on these sites, although each site monitors itself to an extent. Nothing replaces parental monitoring. Yes my kids find me a colossal pain in the butt, however at least I know they’re safe.

Sometimes, I find some really interesting lots for sale on eBay. Doing a little searching today, I came across a lot of 400 video games for $3,199.99 + Shipping (US $250, Canada $400). That works out to about $8.62 per game if you have it shipped to the United States. Keep in mind that a majority of the games are for the PS2 and original Xbox. I’m not sure what a collection like this would cost you at a store like GameStop for example, but I think the price would actually be pretty close. I wouldn’t classify this as a great deal, but it would be sweet to have all these games in your collection. If the price were closer to say $2,000 for all 400, I’d consider buying it myself.

Auction Link

The exact games included follow the break:
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Silicon Knight’s Denis Dyack took a break AGDC to do an interview with Gamasutra and Game Developer’s Brandon Sheffield.This extensive interview covers a broad range of hot topics in the games industry today. Dyack runs down the similarities and differences of video games to social programs like Club Penguin and MySpace which are giving the industry a run for its money today. He also explores the way video games are slowly become accessible to mainstream society and how future generations will relate to them. For instance, will the Wii’s popularity be sustainable as society in general becomes more techno savvy?

Read the full article about Dyack’s perspective on game development, the role of story in games and the lessons that can be learned from Hollywood and applied to the video gaming industry on Gamasutra.

Creating your own internet startup after college isn’t something on many people’s To Do list, and of those few not many would be prepared to start a casual gaming empire.

“I came straight out from University and just went straight into it,” Rob Small, CEO of Miniclip.com, told FileFront. And what he started has now become the world’s largest online gaming site with 34 million unique users per month. Small considers the site to be what he refers to as a “true internet company,” with virtual offices set up and connecting employees worldwide.

“For us, it’s just the way of tapping into some of the most talented people in the world,” he said. “We will work with anyone wherever they are in the world.”

Some of the site’s success has most recently been reflected in Disney buying Club Penguin, a move that would not have happened if Miniclip had not put the Club on the map.

Read the full article

The agenda for the Game Career seminar, part of the Austin Game Developer’s Conference, is available. Pocket Watch Games’ Andy Schatz will be giving the key note address; “A Game Industry Journeyman”. The talk follows his career in the industry from his start as a an intern to his current position as founder of Pocket Watch Games.

Disney will be outlining its MMO plans in another seminar session. It’s strategy is building on the recent purchase of Club Penguin.

Attendees will also be offered sessions on “Schools Under the Microscope: An Open Q&A,” “Pitch Your Game Idea,” and “What Are Employers Looking For Now?”

The Game Career Fair will be running at the GDC September 7 at the Austin Convention Center

via GamesIndustry.biz

The Walt Disney Company has announced the purchase of the successful Club Penguin, a virtual world for kids, for the purpose of “establishing clear leadership in the kids and families online virtual worlds space around the globe.”

“We have been actively searching for an organization that not only shares our values and concerns for children, but also has the ability and desire to help us bring Club Penguin to more children throughout the world. We’ve found that partner in Disney,” said Lane Merrifield, one of Club Penguin’s three founders.

Despite the $700 million purchase, Disney says that Club Penguin will retain its original URL. The company’s three founders, Lane Merrifield, Dave Krysko and Lance Priebe, have been taken on by Disney and will be Senior Management of Club Penguin. Merrifield has accepted a position as EVP of Walt Disney Internet Group, reporting to WDIG president Steven Wadsworth.

“Club Penguin is going to continue to exist as is… The experience will not change at all. It will continue to evolve.” Iger said. “We really don’t intend to get in the way of that or do anything by virtue of the way we own it.”

The one thing WDIG does plan to do is to take Club Penguin international, with plans to expand to Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

My own girls play Club Penguin.

You waddle around the site as a penguin avatar of your color choice, which you can dress up any way you like. You play games to earn points with which you can buy items for your penguins. You can also chat with other kids. Any numbers or words that aren’t in Club Penguin’s site specific dictionary are not allowed in chat, which is closely monitored. I was very skeptical of letting them use the site, but have since come to appreciate the safeguards and protocols used. There is a small online fee for upgraded play options that our girls are dieing to get. I can see why Disney took an interest in this little venture.

via Gamasutra