EA gets exclusive rights to make Star Wars Games. Is Disney trying to save EA?

Electronic Arts and The Walt Disney company today announced a new multi-year exclusive agreement to develop and publish new games based on Star Wars characters and stories.

As part of the agreement, EA will create new Star Wars titles for a “core gaming audience.” These games will span “all interactive platforms” and “the most popular game genres.” Disney, meanwhile, will retain rights to create new Star Wars games for mobile, social, tablet, and online markets.

“Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe,” EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said in a statement. “Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans.”

Battlefield studio DICE and Dead Space outfit Visceral Games are currently making new Star Wars games, joining BioWare, which will continue to support Star Wars: The Old Republic. The new games from DICE and Visceral will run on the Frostbite 3 engine.

“The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay,” Gibeau said.

Financial terms of the EA-Disney deal were not disclosed. EA will report earnings tomorrow after market close, where more information about the deal is expected to be divulged.

Looks to me like two big game studios that are in trouble are trying to save each other. But will consumers and fans buy the product? That remains to be seen.

Credit to GameSpot for breaking this story.

Photos of the Boston Bombers Released

Photos of the persons believed to set off the bombs in Boston.

If you recognize either of these suspects please contact the FBI at 1800 CALL FBI

Suspect Arrested in Boston Bombings “breaking news”

An arrest has been made in the Boston bombings investigation based on two videos showing images of the suspect, a federal law enforcement source told CNN’s Fran Townsend.

[Breaking news update at 1:28 p.m. Wednesday ]

Boston University graduate student Lingzu Lu has been identified by the school as the third person who died in Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon.

[Original story, posted at 1:11 p.m. Wednesday]

(CNN) — Investigators believe they have identified a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, a source who has been briefed on the investigation told CNN’s John King exclusively.

The breakthrough came from analysis of video from a department store near the site of the second explosion. Video from a Boston television station also contributed to the progress, said the source, who declined to be more specific but called it a significant development.

Earlier, a federal law enforcement source with firsthand knowledge of the investigation told CNN that a lid to a pressure cooker thought to have been used in the bombings had been found on a roof of a building near the scene.

While such clues may move the investigation forward, they did not reveal whether the attack was an act of domestic or foreign terrorism.

“If your experience and your expertise is Middle East terrorism, it has the hallmarks of al Qaeda or a Middle East group,” former FBI Assistant Director Tom Fuentes said. “If your experience is domestic groups and bombings that have occurred here, it has the hallmarks of a domestic terrorist like Eric Rudolph in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics bombings.”

FBI will try to rebuild Boston bombs, Breaking TGP TV News, More Evidence found

On their own, they’re simple household items.

Pressure cookers. Nails. Nylon bags.

But combine them with explosives, and you can get the kind of bombs that investigators now suspect were used to turn the finish line of the Boston Marathon into a bloody nightmare.

Scraps of them found at the scene of the twin bombings are being sent to the FBI’s national laboratory, where technicians will try to reconstruct the devices, the federal agent leading the investigation said Tuesday. Meanwhile, investigators combed through a digital mountain of photos and video clips and asked the public for help finding who planted them at two points on Boylston Street.

“Someone knows who did this,” said Rick DesLauriers, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston office. “Cooperation from the community will play a crucial role in this investigation.”

DesLauriers asked people to report anyone who talked about targeting Monday’s race or showed interest in explosives. He urged anyone who might have heard the sounds of explosions in remote areas — possibly by someone testing a bomb — or saw someone carrying “an unusually heavy, dark-colored bag” around Monday to come forward.

There has been no claim of responsibility, DesLauriers said. “The range of suspects and motives remains wide open,” he said.

The U.S. government has warned federal agencies in the past that pressure cookers — airtight pots used to quickly cook or preserve foods — have been packed with explosives and shrapnel and detonated with blasting camps. A law enforcement official said Monday’s bombs were likely detonated by timers.

Police search for van and suspect in Boston Bombings

On Monday night agents from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and other law enforcement agencies raided a unit in a high-rise apartment on Ocean Drive in the seaside Boston suburb of Revere, according to information posted online by a participating local fire department. Several bags, including what appeared to be a large duffel bag, were removed from the scene. Authorities were mum as to the specifics of their suspicions but confirmed that the Revere search was related to the case.

Police have issued an alert for a rental van that may have tried to gain access to the finish line area and for a man in dark clothing and a hood seen leaving the scene shortly before the blast, reported NBC. Surveillance video shows a hooded figure carrying two backpacks at about that time.

If you have any information please contact the FBI at 1-800-Call-FBI

For those sending emails about game reporting we will get back to that. But as the editor of The Gaming Post I’ve made a judgement call to do the right thing and get this information out there. Thanks for all your help.

Federal and local authorities execute warrant, one step closer to catching the Boston bombers

REVERE, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com)—Police were seen carrying several large bags from a suburban Boston apartment that authorities say was searched in connection to the Boston Marathon bombing.

The bags were removed from the apartment on Ocean Avenue in Revere just north of Boston at about 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Police did not disclose what was in them and calls to federal and state authorities were not immediately returned.

Massachusetts State Police confirmed that a search warrant was served Monday night but provided no further details.

The Revere Fire Department wrote on its Facebook page that firefighters responded to the scene for a search for “a person of interest.”

The FBI is leading the investigation into the explosions, which killed three people and injured more than 170 people.

Heavily armed state troopers, National Guard members and SWAT teams are patrolling the city. Expect bags to be randomly searched on the MBTA.

Gov. Deval Patrick said the area will pretty much stay in lockdown mode. Workers and visitors will not be allowed into that zone, and residents will not be allowed into their homes in the blast zone until further notice.

Boston Bombed in Terrorist Attack, Help us make a difference

As Editor of The Gaming Post, You may see I take on causes that I feel need a voice, Like their being no Unions or organization in the games industry for an example.

Being from Boston, Mass. When I woke this morning and saw my cousin Jay O’Neil post a comment on facebook about Boston being bombed, Then turned on the PC to the horror on http://CNN.com, I was simply blown away, I really couldn’t believe it, In this time in this age that something like this could happen.

But it did, And after watching much of the news today I was disappointed, Not at the brave men and women of the Boston Police Dept, Nor the brave citizens, But whoever was responsible for allowing “THE SUSPICIOUS PERSON” to just walk away.

Sadly I feel that after all these years since September 11th we have again become complacent and have the belief that “IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE”.

Well as we have seen today, It can.

Now what do we do about it?

Well we know our best and brightest will go over the area, View footage, subpoena cell phone records, pull cctv from the area. I know that they will do all they can to catch those responsible. But sometimes it takes more than that, And sometimes the little extra helps.

So as Editor here at The Gaming Post I have created a IndieGoGo account to help fund a reward for information that leads to an arrest for the person responsible, and to help those that need it most right now. You can help by clicking here

I pick my places on where and when I speak out, this is one of those times.

I want to personally thank the men and women of the Boston Police Dept not only for their bravery but their selflessness in the acts today. I also want to recognize and thank the average citizen that put their lives on the line to help their fellow Bostonians out today.

And lastly to our brave men and women who were there from the National Guard today who were some of the first to pull debris off of citizens and in one case actually held a mans leg and artery to keep him from bleeding out. To everyone who helped I send a sincere thank you.

To the FBI Joint Terrorism Task force for acting swiftly and hopefully catching the person or person’s responsible.

Today should allow you to reflect on what is most important in life, Your friends, your family.

Today a 8 year old boy lost his life exercising his right to be free, simply viewing a sporting event. Ladies and Gentlemen I want to remind you that freedom is not FREE. Brave men and women have given their lives for us to all be free, And sadly that young boy and other children did that today.

We should not hide, or stop attending such events, doing so only allows the terrorists to win.

Next time you go to the movies, a hockey game, a marathon, whatever it may be, When they play that National Anthem, Stop and really take a moment and think about what that means and all the people who have given their lives that allow us to be free.

Our thoughts go out to all the people affected and those families affected by the attack today in Boston.

Help us here at The Gaming Post make a difference and get the word out. If you have any information, Saw something, know something, someone talked about something, etc, Please contact the FBI immediately at 1-800-call-FBI.

Again our thought go to the families affected by the attack today. Please send your thoughts and prayers to them.

Thomas

Editor in chief

THE GAMING POST

 

 

EA Wins an Award it deserves….. The Golden Poo award

For the second straight year, the Consumerist has named Battlefield and FIFA publisher Electronic Arts the “Worst Company in America.” EA knocked out Bank of America in the 2013 final round with 77.5 percent of the votes, winning the site’s “Golden Poo” award.

 

To reach the final round of the consumer affairs blog’s tournament, EA took down companies like AB InBev, Facebook, AT&T, and Ticketmaster. Bank of America toppled Capital One, Chase, Wal-Mart, and Comcast to square off against EA in the final round for the second straight year.

According to the Consumerist, EA has failed at three “core requirements” of running a consumer-friendly business. These are: provide a product that people want and like, sell your product at a reasonable price, and support the products you sell.

Reached for comment, an EA representative pointed to chief operating officer Peter Moore’s recent blog post on the consumer poll, which stated, “We can do better. We will do better.”

Disney Goes to the DARKSIDE, and shuts down Lucas Arts, Another Big Company screws another company

“After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games,” the statement reads.

“As a result of this change, we’ve had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles.”

There may be hope for Star Wars 1313, as the representative told the site that it is looking for external partners to help bring the game to market, though nothing has yet been confirmed.

“It is worth noting that we are looking for proven external partners who can help us provide video games to our fans. We still believe in the video game industry, we still will provide Star Wars games, we’re just looking at different models rather than internal production… They’re evaluating everything. There’s always a possibility that it [Star Wars 1313] can still come out via licensing.”

Separately, a Disney representative told GameSpot, “Disney Interactive looks forward to working with Lucasfilm on new games opportunities that leverage their incredible IP and brings it to life across gaming platforms.”

The original story follows below.

LucasArts is no more. That’s according to a Kotaku source, who said Disney has laid off the company’s entire staff and canceled all current projects.

 

The closure took place this morning, the source said, with layoffs estimated to number about 150 people. Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313 were reportedly both canceled.

This news comes after months of speculation about the future of LucasArts, which Disney acquired, alongside LucasFilm, last October for $4.05 billion. When this deal was announced, LucasArts reportedly froze all hiring and announcements.

LucasArts was most recently known for its Star Wars games, but the studio was also responsible for praised adventure games like The Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, and Day of the Tentacle, among others.

Is it time for a Union in the Game Community for Developers? (Editorial)

Coming from Mobile Development and the support side of the Wireless Industry, I can remember when this same question was posed about Wireless Technicians. I remember people saying, “Those people make 50,000 to 100,000 a year they shouldn’t need a union.

Well 2013 is here and All four of the major carriers in the United States have unions, Not just for their tower workers, but support, technicians, And even some in sales.

How does this compare to the Game industry? I’m getting there. 

As the editor here at The Gaming Post, I have written more stories about BIG companies, i.e. Disney, Activision, etc, buying these smaller studios, producing whatever the title is and then closing down the studio.

Now I am no genius but I do know business, And it’s just is not good business. I have looked and am appalled that companies will do a massive hiring, have good people working for a year maybe two, then produce the product and LAYOFF aka Fire everyone there.

In business I have learned if you want the best people in a trade, No matter what it is…. You pay the best wages and keep them in place.

As the wireless business has become unionized in key aspects of the business, Guess what….. We have seen wireless costs go down, Year after year.

Look at AT&T and Verizon, Unlimited Talk and Text was $99.99 at the start of the Union’s 3.5 years later, They are down to $59.99 and $69.99.

Why? Because they have good people in place, “That are not going anywhere”. That make a decent wage and provide that same support that allows carriers to lower costs.

Now back to the game business.

People will say to me here that it simply doesn’t apply? I look at hollywood as a prime example, That place is an unorganized nightmare, But Unions work, Actors, Grips, all the way down the line have made hollywood the mess that it is, MORE EFFICIENT, and have produced better product.

I know I’ll have some EA executive or other blast me as “The business simply isn’t this way” But lets use EA as an example, Massive “Crunch” times, bad work environments, the lack of women in key position’s, I could keep going here.

With quality people, knowing their jobs could be on the line, do you think the SIM CITY debacle would have happened?

Another question, If you are not for Unions in the game industry, why? Tell me in the comments.

People will say it’s not for me, Until it’s you getting called into the office and being told, “We have to let you go because there isn’t enough for us to keep you on”

Or my favorite the slease email that goes out to a whole studio and says they are closing you down.

Here is a comment from a analyst Michael Patcher from Team Bondi

“I think unions are there to protect people who can’t protect themselves.  I think once you get up to a certain wage level you’re charged with being able to take care of yourself and if you can’t handle it, don’t work there.

We’re talking about a games industry where the average compensation is well above $60,000 and often above $100,000 a year.  I just don’t think people who make a hundred thousand bucks a year need a whole lot of protection because they might have to work overtime.”

If its going to happen it has to start somewhere. And just like in Wireless when everyone though it was bad and would drive up costs, It has had the exact opposite effect.

Would it be so terrible, To have the BEST programmers, the BEST designers, the BEST community people? Because right now the Game Industry loses those folks to government simulation companies, Software Companies and more.

Imagine the growth and expansion the Game Industry could see with people knowing they are secure in where they are. Building a company, building a life.

Ask people in Austin how they are feeling right now as studio after studio closes.

Unions will not solve ALL the problems in the game industry, But could be a big start. The facts are that most companies are mismanaged, and most have little or no business experience. Unions and the costs that come with them would make companies like EA, and even smaller companies make SMART business decisions and not the ones we see everyday that bleed cash from companies, Zynga is a prime example.

So today my TWO CENTS editorial is simple, Is the game industry ready for a union?

Should there be one? And what are your thoughts pros and cons?