Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Bret Morace
Square Enix Los Angeles hit with layoffs
Square Enix’s offices in Los Angeles have been hit by a new round of layoffs. According to the company, these layoffs are due to “corporate restructuring.”
Reilly Brennan, Senior Director of Public Relations, wrote in a statement to Polygon: “We can confirm that Square Enix’s Los Angeles office has eliminated a number of positions as part of the corporate restructuring announced last week. This is an unfortunate situation and we are offering assistance and severance packages to any employees affected by this, we want to thank them for their hard work and sincerely wish them well in the future.”
A Joystiq post broke down the affected positions: “Half of marketing has been cut, which is estimated at 10 people. Public relations, which we understand is approximately seven people, will stick around until late June (post E3), after that only three or four will remain. One source notes “close to around 20″ were let go in accounting, IT and events, with another five to 10 people who left community and support last week.”
These layoffs come after Square Enix announced an “extraordinary loss” for its fiscal year ending March 31. Our thoughts at Warp Zoned go out to all those affected by the layoffs.
Posted in News
Buy Dove products, get $20 off Dead Space 3, SimCity, or NFS: Most Wanted
Amazon has an interesting deal for you today. It looks like Electronic Arts has teamed up with Dove Men+Care… yes, the soap guys… and is offering $20 off any one EA game when you buy $15 or more of Dove Men+Care products. There’s no expiration date on this offer, but as always, if you’re interested, jump on it sooner rather than later.
The games being discounted are SimCity, Dead Space 3, and Need For Speed: Most Wanted (however, the offer doesn’t apply to the Vita version of Most Wanted or the recently released Wii U port, Need For Speed: Most Wanted U).
Nothing says hygiene like staring at your computer for ten days straight as you play SimCity, right?
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Dead Space 3, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, SimCity
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm sells 1.1 million in 48 hours
Blizzard’s Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm, released on March 12th, sold about 1.1 million copies in the first 48 hours according to the company. On top of that, more than 1.1 million viewers watched the 21-hour launch event (with peak concurrent viewership of over 125,00).
Heart of the Swarm wasn’t done yet though. Last weekend, more than 1.1 million viewers (with peak concurrent viewership of over 157,000) tuned in to watch the Heart of the Swarm tournament taking place at the Major League Gaming Winter Championship in Dallas, Texas.
Major League Gaming was thrilled, “StarCraft II has been a premier game at Major League Gaming events since Wings of Liberty was released,” said Sundance DiGiovanni, CEO of Major League Gaming. “Heart of the Swarm has generated even more excitement, and we’re all looking forward to what the future brings for StarCraft II eSports.”
So yeah, I guess StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is popular.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Shovel Knight confirmed for Wii U, 3DS
With the help of Kickstarter, the group at Yacht Club Games has announced they’ll officially be able to bring Shovel Knight to the Wii U and 3DS. The game had been previously only been announced for Windows PC with the Nintendo versions coming later if all went well. Now, all three versions of the classic 8-bit action-adventure game will be released in September 2013 (UPDATE: Yacht Club has commented on their Kickstarter page that the Wii U/3DS versions might lag slightly behind the PC release).
To receive a copy of the game on the Wii U or 3DS one must pledge $15 or more, while those seeking the PC version only have to pledge $10. Over $39,000 has been pledged at the time of this writing, and Yacht Club Games still has 25 more days to reach their goal of $75,000. So, if you’re looking for a great opportunity to help out an awesome indie company, pledge today!
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Shovel Knight
Civilization V: Brave New World announced for Summer 2013 release
Sid Meier’s Civilization fans, your day to celebrate has come. 2K Games and Firaxis have announced that the second expansion of the critically acclaimed Civilization V, Civilization V: Brave New World, will be released this Summer on Windows PC by 2K and on the Mac by Aspyr Media.
“Civilization V: Brave New World continues the strong tradition of ambitious expansion packs that fans have come to expect from the Civilization franchise,” said Sarah Anderson, senior vice president of marketing for 2K. “Brave New World is destined to continue the strong Civilization lineage that already includes massive expansions such as Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword and Civilization V: Gods & Kings.”
Brave New World will focus on culture and diplomacy as well as introducing international trade. Prepare to do a lot of nothing this Summer, Civ Fans! A complete list of key features for Brave New World, straight from 2K, can be found after the break. (more…)
A World of Keflings comes to Windows 8; Wii U version announced
NinjaBee has announced that A World of Keflings, the popular city-building game that came to the Xbox Live Arcade in 2010, is available in the Windows 8 Store now and will be released on the Wii U later this year.
Brent Fox, Art Director at NinjaBee commented, “Both of these new platforms offered us huge advantages and were ideal marketplaces for a light-hearted city-builder. Windows 8 gave us the chance to make the game mobile and add in very smooth, natural touch controls. The Wii U has allowed us to significantly enhance the game’s visuals and, with the Wii U GamePad, explore new ways to interact with the game and its characters.”
Gamers who sign onto Xbox Live on Windows 8 will be able to experience playing as their own Xbox Avatar, compete with Xbox Live Leaderboards, and be able to unlock 20 all-new Achievements. However, A World of Keflings on Windows 8 does not include multiplayer or support Avatar FameStar functionality.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, Wii U
Tagged A World of Keflings
Sniper Elite 3 targets a 2014 release on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, next-gen platforms
After the strong success of Sniper Elite V2, its sold 1.1 million copies since it’s April 2012 release, 505 Games has announced that Sniper Elite 3 will be released in 2014. Rebellion will once again handle the game’s development.
“Sniper Elite V2 has been a great success for us and we are thrilled to partner with Rebellion on Sniper Elite 3,” said Ian Howe, president, 505 Games North America. “Fans can look forward to the same heart-pounding action they have come to expect from a Sniper Elite game as well as refined and new features that will blow them away.”
Sniper Elite 3 hopes to follow in V2’s successful footsteps when it comes to the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and next-generation consoles in 2014.
SXSW: Pachter predicts next-gen games will cost $70
Michael Patcher, a video game industry analyst for Wedbush Securities Research, has predicted that games for both the next Xbox and the PS4 will cost $70. The infamous Patcher was speaking at a panel at the SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, TX and the quote originally appeared on the Twitter feed of GameTrailers TV host Geoff Keighley:
At #SXSW panel @michaelpachter says PS4 and next Xbox games will likely cost 70 dollars, 10 dollars more than current gen.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) March 9, 2013
This might be news to Sony as Jack Trenton, Sony Computer Entertainment America’s President and CEO, has previously stated that the PS4, “will offer games with prices ranging from $0.99 to the more traditional $60 range.”