Author: RallyCarDelta
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Our Take: WB Patents The Nemesis System – It Is Unlikely To Affect The Industry
On February 5, 2021, IGN reported that Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment (WB) secured a patent for the Nemesis system used in their Lord of the Rings “Shadow” games (Shadow of Mordor / Shadow of War). At first glance this might seem like nefarious attempt to lock down a video game mechanic, potentially using patent law…
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How Decisions Are Modeled – A Discussion About Anthem
Update 2/24/2021: In an update posted on Bioware’s blog, Christian Dailey announced the end of further development for Anthem. The cancelation of Anthem Next (or whatever it was to be called) might make this article appear “wrong”, but what I describe here is how projects are modeled. It just so happens that EA ran their…
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Xbox Game Pass is Changing How & What We Play…And That’s A Good Thing
There is a pattern emerging within Xbox Game Pass – a renewed exploration of unique, focused, “indie-like”, experiences. Bleeding Edge, Psychonauts 2, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves come to mind, but a quick browse of Game Pass right now demonstrates just how wide a net Microsoft has cast in terms of bringing a variety of…
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Action Audit: Looking Back on Battlefield V and the End of New Content
EA & DICE have announced the effective end of new content for Battlefield V. The last content update comes in June of 2020, with all follow-up updates being strictly focused on support & community games. This means that after approximately two years of content updates, BFV will move into “support mode”, reducing the overall financial…
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Efficient Gaming #7 (Working From Home)
This chapter in Efficient Gaming comes at a time when many people around the world have had to adapt their lives to the threat of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Like many around the world, I am working-from-home in order to do my part in social distancing. I am, for the most part, an information worker. I am…
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Our Take: Industry Insights – EA Responds to Investors Q3 FY2020
We are pleased to announce our third audio/visual experience is up on our partner YouTube channel – RallyCarDelta Gaming. In this edition of Industry Insights, we examine EA executive responses to investors during their Q3 FY2020 investor call. It clocks in around twenty minutes and we cover everything from Apex Legends to monetization strategies. Why…
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Action Audit: Why Horizon Zero Dawn is (probably) Getting a PC Release
Kotaku recently published an article stating that Horizon: Zero Dawn (HZD) will get a PC release in the 2020 calendar year. This is noteworthy because Sony has generally avoided PC releases for the titles that they own, opting instead for a “walled garden” strategy (meaning: you need to buy a PS4 to play their first…
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Games Industry and General Business Misconceptions
Games industry discussion, especially on the large social forums such as Reddit and Twitter, is often boisterous, with competing opinions and thoughts. This is especially true when it comes to some of the more business-oriented subjects, such as development costs or how a publicly traded company operates. Unfortunately, much of that discussion is baked in…
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Action Audit: Why Data Caps Won’t Be An Issue For Google Stadia…In The Short Term
Vice recently published an article that summarized Google Stadia’s potential roadblock with ISP data caps. You can find the article here: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/j5yagg/google-stadia-is-on-a-collision-course-with-broadband-caps-study-shows The article’s spirit is in the right place, but it leaves out crucial details that spell less of a disaster for Stadia in the short term. I don’t agree with the way the…
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Efficient Gaming #6 (Grab Bag)
It’s finally time for another edition of Efficient Gaming. The efficient gaming list highlights video games that should be rewarding for those that don’t have a lot of spare time to game. We usually showcase games that are fairly modern and feature design elements that are compatible with short gaming sessions. This time around, we’re taking…