MySpace launches Music site

MySpace Music launch
Social network is direct rival to i-Tunes
25 September 2008 - MySpace has today unveiled MySpace Music, artists can now make money, through Amazon, directly from downloads from their MySpace site.

Along with its joint venture partners which include SonyBMG, Universal, Warners, SonyATV/Music Publishing and The Orchard for independent digital music and EMI, who signed late yesterday, MySpace Music aims to give their massive community of musicians and artists a chance to make money.

Indies not happy as they have been left out, may be not the best way to handel this considering that the myspace has most definitely been helped by the presence of indie bands on network. I think they will do a deal but they should have sorted one prior to launching.

I also hear that they will offer variable prcing on MP3's somthing that I-tunes has refused to do. Its all an effort to get people to buy more music in stead of stealing it which can only be a good thing.

I think it also paves the way for the record industry to look to partner with more gaming destinations to leverage sales, in the likes of Habbo Hotel and other virtual worlds. Motor Head have just launched themselves into a virtual world. However I think it will be most successful when its in context with the game. A little bit like in game adverts, if you present music within context of the game and then offer the up sell to buy that music people are more likely to convert.

What more does it offer?

The MyMusic toolset allows users in the US to download, stream, and personalize their music content. Music fans can create both personal and public playlists and profile display, allowing friends to stream all playlisted content on-demand and purchase MP3s of their favourite songs. Users can virally add a friend's playlist to their own profile or take songs from a friend's profile to their own.

Beginning today, US users can purchase DRM-free MP3 music downloads through the system powered by Amazon MP3. MySpace Music will now feature buy buttons that will allow users to download and purchase MP3s playable on all digital music players.

The new venture also means artists can stream any number of tracks on their site, including back catalogue, whereas before the number of tracks were limited. This means artists who were previously cautious about allowing tracks for download, or to be streamed on the site, can now do so worry-free.

MySpace Music UK is rumoured to be launching before Christmas.

Sucess or Failure? Accessibility is the KEY

So many games come online these days with out taking into account how accessible they are....Causal games are among the most accessible online. But many of the virtual worlds and MMO's and browser based games are way off.

Over the coming weeks I'm going to pull together some examples of games that are not accessible and one that are and hopefully explain why. Some may argue with the points I make and say that they have a focus on a niche market and that's why they design that way. Fine but I'm interested in mass market and games that can reach millions of players. So if that's your goal you may find the data helpful.

Consoles could make a come back in the future

Occasionally I'm going to try an pear into the future and give my 2 cents.

Many have predicted that the future of the console is doomed.

Hold it there.....the PS3 may never recover the costs but the developments made in the technology and the programming will allow for the next generation of consoles to capture a market that has never been accessible in the past at a much lower cost.

This will be the age of mass market, consoles will dominate again but in a way we have never seen.

Everyone will play from your toddler to your grandparents they will all be players.

WHY....accessibility will be the key. AND IT WILL BE CONTROLLER DRIVEN. Controllers have always restricted the potential number of players.

Players of the future will use new controllers that make game play so simple that it literally becomes child's play. Opening up the potential for anyone to play out their wildest fantasy. Almost Star Trek holo deck style.

Probably made part from Wii type tech mixed with brain sensing equipment mixed with some form of goggles that provide the visuals and sound, SO you turn your head and the visual follow that movement. A kind of hybrid VR

Then think about the possibilities of entertainment and where you could go. Now think about how the movie studios are getting involved in gaming.

Casual gaming is paving the way for players who would never have been gamers...these gamers will progress if future technologies allow them to.

I will say that it could be possible that PC's will fill this gap.....But I just think that the PS3 is in such an early stage and future titles will literally blow us away. Right now the programmers are going through that learning curve. You have to remember that the results that they got after 5-6 years of PS1 arriving.

Big day Google release mobile OS ANDRIOD

Apparently Android isn’t nearly as “open” as Google and T-Mobile’s hype machine would have you believe. In fact, the most you could say about G1 is that it’s “almost open.”

What does this mean for Casual games, yet another platform to expand to...that promises great flexibility. Lets wait and see if developers can come up with games that best utilize online offerings mixed with Android capabilities.

Choices CHOICES choiceS

Having spent many years analyzing the market and coming up with business models and approaches to market its nice to see that there is common ground out there and some of the experts are thinking similar. I have published the summaries but you can read the full article on Gamesutra. Its also worth noting that Min Kim of Nexon has also picked up on the big Media companies involvement which I have touched on in the past, although I think his point is countered very well by Petursson.

"Right now, the MMO industry is in flux, with much discussion over whether the subscription or free-to-play model is the correct one for ongoing projects. When you figure in the world market, things get even more complicated.

Gamasutra was at a panel at last week's Austin Game Developers Conference which featured Robert Ferrari (VP Business Development, Turbine), Hilmar Veigar Petursson (CEO, CCP), Nicolay Nickelsen (VP, Business Development, Funcom), Min Kim (VP of Marketing, Nexon America Inc.), and was moderated by Jessica Mulligan (COO, ImaginVenture SA). It delved into the complexities of the two models -- how are they performing, and what do users want this year?

Asked about the five year evolution of the MMO genre and its business models, the participants had this to say.

Petursson: "I think most companies will evolve ... I think a dual currency system is the most efficient way."

Ferrari: "Games will evolve to all platforms -- PC and consoles -- and you will see multiple payment methods, it's not one-size-fits-all."

Nickelsen: "I think also you need to look at the local aspect and you need to have local services."

Kim: "I think three to five years out, and we're starting to see it now, that the PC's going to make a hardcore comeback... I think that online will become mass market entertainment.... the kids who are playing Club Penguin five years out are going to become our players."

Petursson's parting shot: "I think we will see more companies like Nexon. It's not a small company, but it's a company that grew up in the industry... I don't see a lot of offline companies evolving."

In response to Petursson's complimentary words for Nexon, Kim replied, "The scary thing is the diversified media companies... you see Viacom starting it now, and Disney with Club Penguin... I'm not worried about the EAs, but the big media companies."

But Petursson said, "I am actually not worried about the diversified media companies... when I talk to them they are so unable to understand our business, which involves a direct relationship with consumers." He thinks they are too used to producing content and sending it out via linear channels to fully engage.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

Its great to see a gaming communities being used to Raise awareness of issues. (thumbs up)

Habbo To Hold Global Peace Gathering With War Child

Habbo Developer Sulake has claimed that it is to stage 'the world's largest online gathering' within the virtual world of Habbo on the 19th of September with charity War Child, to 'raise awareness of the impact of conflict on young people' and in support for the UN International Day of Peace on the 21st of September.

Seven teens with whom War Child have been working with in Uganda are to also take part in the virtual event, and are to share their experiences of living and working in regions that have encountered conflict.

Sulake and War Child conducted a worldwide poll to explore young people’s views on conflict, which revealed that over 50% of teens globally think that social networking sites should be used to 'raise awareness of important issues,' and that they are 'more effective than real-world marches or petitions submitted to governments.”

“Teens around the world are passionate about serious subjects,' commented Phil Guest, Habbo Regional Director, Central Europe. 'They are using new communication tools, such as virtual worlds and social networks, to make their voices heard.”"

It's All in Your Head (EPOC game contoller)

Emotiv's EPOC headset is a game controller fitted with 16 brainwave sensors. After some calibrating, the gamer is able to control the action on the screen with his or her thoughts. Those who've tried it say it takes a little getting used to, and it's perhaps not as precise as they'd like to see in a video game controller. But, they add, when the action on the screen mirrors your actual thoughts, the effect is 'surreal.'"

So this could be great for less controller heavy games like the Casual Genera. Especially virtual worlds and MMO's.

This product also has great potential for medical apps.

Information overload (Recents Books and articles to read)

Books


Wheres your WOW (Robyn Spizman)

Creating Casual Games for profit and Fun (Allen partridge)

Magazines

Harvard Business review September 08 How Pixar Fosters Creativity

Fast Company September 08 the MY story about Myspace

Wired Magazine July 08 The Google phone article


They will help you put the pieces together of possible future trends and to learn from the past.

Casual top 10

It's Global Top 10 Weekly! Edition #129 (Current week 37) is underway:

1 Farm Frenzy 2 (Alawar)
2 Jewel Quest 3 (IWin)
3 Righteous Kill (Merscom)
4 Sally's Spa (Games Cafe)
5 4 Elements (Playrix)
6 Tropix 2 (Robot Super Brain)
7 Jojo's Fashion Show 2 (IWin)
8 Janes Realty (Realore)
9 The Mystery of Crystal Portal (Artogon)
10 Fishdom (Playrix)

Farm Frenzy 2 got it's first place last week and looks like isn't going to give up, massive pos#1 this week. Jewel Quest 3 is just second, followed by amazing Righteous Kill by Merscom. Top 10 veteran Sally's Spa improved by 1 and now is on 4th. 4 Elements are on 5th. Tropix 2 froze on 6th. Jojo's Fashion Show 2 felt on 7th as well as massive drop of the week: The Mystery of Crystal Portal (-7 positions). Fishdom is back to Top 10 on 10th.

Genre Top:
1 Click Management (4 games)
2 Match 3 (3 games)
3 Hidden Object (2 games)
4 Arcade (1 game)"

Google Lively opens up API for embed games

Google Lively's Kevin Hanna explained the genesis of the search engine giant's online world space, along the way revealing an upcoming API to embed playable games inside Lively.

Google Gadgets API will work on surfaces in the game, meaning that people can embed and play casual games on polygonal surfaces (such as TV screens) in the world, much like Sony's Home has been experimenting with.

The future, see a more general API for game developers to potentially create 3D multiplayer games using Google Lively's technology and back end though this is intended to be a longterm goal. (I guess it will depend of the success of Lively)

Mentioned that virtual item creators able to make money from Google Lively

The Google Lively which runs embedded in webpages requires a plug-in download for Windows.

As for the online space itself, Hanna explained that: "We wanted to add something that is a piece of the puzzle", rather than an all-encompassing online world such as Second Life.

The world has drawn some criticism for requiring a reasonably robust plugin download, but Hanna indicated that the visual fidelity and quality -- and diversity of content -- is key to Google Lively's appeal.

For example, there's 16,000 base hair styles in the game, part of Hanna's point that: "You kind of get sick of seeing the same characters over and over again."

Approved Google developers can add furniture, and 120 just got added to the system - Hanna noted it "goes to the Google core philosophy of empowering the user."

inappropriate content may be vetted by users in a similar way to YouTube, according to Hanna.

despite some negative blogosphere buzz for the application, it has actually been remarkably successful compared to initial estimates - with the unspecified target for the first month's downloads and userbase exceeded in the first 12 hours after launch.

He actually quipped that for the first 2 days, "we thought we were under attack by spam bots" - but it was actually just people downloading the game.

Twist on standard avatars by Rocketon

This is a good angle on the usual "create your own avatar" offerings.

With this you can take your avatar to any page on the web.



I see multiple opportunities with this for great games, like treasure hunts, music exploration etc.

MM OH NO! Too many MMO's

Ok here here are some quick facts about the MMO market ( the ones I know about)

15 closed down

52 in closed beta

68 in Open Beta

55 in Development

214 already on the market

total of 408 MMO's of which 60 of those are in the CASUAL GAMES SPACE
Over 50% of the casual titles are download many of them copy each other.

So where does this leave the market, the mass market is WIDE OPEN. The formula is just not right yet. Watch this space!

Casual Games Go Social (Good event worth checkingout)

CASUAL GAMES ARE GOING SOCIAL
Is social gaming really the most powerful gaming revolution since the release of Pong?
Online games are joining forces with social networks to make a play for mass audiences. After fundamentally changing the internet and the ways people communicate and interact, the entire games industry is getting ready to be socialized. This phenomenon will be explored in detail during the PICNIC Special 'Games go Social' on September 26 in Amsterdam. Is social gaming really the most powerful gaming revolution since the release of Pong?
Casual Games are already setting new records with one-third of people ages 6 to 44 having played them, according to market researcher The NPD Group. With Facebook and MySpace battling over the position of the most popular social network (and Facebook proclaiming itself as the winner du jour), game developers have discovered a new friend, flirting with the millions of users that MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Hyves and the likes have to offer. This is the theme of Games go Social on September 26 in Amsterdam

For more information on Games go Social, hosted on September 26 in Westergasfabriek Amsterdam, go to http://www.picnicnetwork.org/page/22325/en or contact Susanne Waldau-te Brake on +31 6 48 07 07 16 or by email susanne@exmachina.nl

FUNDING FUNDING FUNDING

A sample of some of this weeks funding news.

BIGFISH
ROBOT GALAXY
MPOWER
MINIWEB

Big Fish is planning a rapid global expansion off the back of a massive $83.3m investment from leading venture capitalist firms.

Balderton Capital, General Catalyst Partners and Salmon River Capital are the three firms stepping up to pump big money into the firm, famous for its 'a game a day' release strategy that sees a new casual PC title released via the web every day of the week.

The investment is said to be the US state of Washington's biggest VC payout this year.

interactive retail experience" RobotGalaxy has announced the raising of $5 million in private investment which is to fuel the company’s expansion, including the launch of a new virtual world.
RobotGalaxy's site currently allows young “explorers” to assemble, program and activate their own robots from thousands of combinations, with two retail stores opened – one in the Freehold Raceway Mall, NJ and one in the Palisades Center, NY.

Mpowerplayer today announced that it has received $2.5 million in Series A funding. This round was led by New Atlantic Ventures, the Center for Innovative Technology GAP Fund, and LaunchBox Digital




"70 percent of online consumers play games in their web browser, but less than 5 percent play games on their mobile phone," said Michael Powers, CEO of Mpowerplayer. "Every one of these people carries a game console in their pocket, but they need to discover what they can do with it." 



The mobile company's resource infusion will help support its widget-based mobile game catalog on the social networks and gaming community web sites. The company's current customers include EA Mobile and Sega Mobile.

"Casual web gamers are a hugely under-served market for mobile content and we are uniquely positioned to bridge that gap," added Powers. 



Miniweb, a British interactive TV platform spun out of BSkyB (NYSE: BSY), has announced a massive $32 million (£18.35 million) venture round from US investors to take its product offerings international. Funding comes from Meritage Funds in Denver, Colorado and DeGeorge Holdings III, Nevada. The announcement was made at the IBC event; it's not clear what kind of stake Miniweb had to give away for this.

Middlesex-based Miniweb targets iTV advertisers who want to go beyond the walled garden offered by digital satellite's red button, instead offering them TV Sites, more internet-like websites built using WTVHTML, on broadband-capable set-top boxes. It's a variant of HTML and so, the theory goes, wraps the cost of developing an iTV presence in to existing web production budgets.

The outfit was formed in 2006, when former BSkyB technical alliances director Ian Valentine left the broadcaster's interactive unit and bought its SkyNet and SkyKeys services. Rebadged TV Key and Key-And-See, these other two Miniweb services let advertisers buy branded alphanumeric short codes that, when keyed in to a remote control, link the set-top box to a TV Site (ie. the TV Key for "ROBERT" is 762378 and would cost £15,000 a year to rent, if anyone's feeling generous). The service is also offered to programme makers to offer interactive web services without forcing viewers to go fetch their laptops.

Gamasutra - Study: Video Game Improves Cancer Treatment In Young People

Gamasutra - Study: Video Game Improves Cancer Treatment In Young People: "Specially-designed video games help encourage young people with cancer to take their medications more consistently, according to a recent study by nonprofit organization HopeLab and published today in the medical journal Pediatrics.

The study's aim was to provide evidence in support of the potential of video games to improve human health. Said HopeLab vice president of research Dr. Steve Cole, 'This study shows that a strategically designed video game can be a powerful new tool to enhance the impact of medical treatment by motivating healthy behavior in the patient.'

Study participants played a HopeLab-developed game called Re-Mission, in which players pilot a microscopic robot named Roxie through the bodies of fictional patients to attack cancer cells and combat the side effects of treatment.

Those who played the game, the study found, had higher blood levels of chemotherapy and took their antibiotics more consistently than those who did not, and also demonstrated a higher rate of cancer-related information learning.

The randomized, controlled study followed 375 teens and young adults with cancer at 34 medical centers in the United States, Canada and Australia during three months of cancer treatment.

HopeLab has also distributed more than 125,000 free copies of Re-Mission in 80 countries since its release in Ap"

Casual game design the importance of working with professional writers

"Mystery-thriller author James Patterson reckons the games he is making with I-play - casual titles based on his Women's Murder Club books - are better designed than most other similar offerings.

I-play's Jane Jensen, famed for her work on the Gabriel Knight games, designs the titles, in collaboration with Patterson, one of the best-selling contemporary crime authors.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Patterson explained how he and Jensen are trying to merge his storytelling smarts with her design skills.

"I think its great that game developers are seeing real benefit in working with writers. I would certainly adopt this approach if I launch a title that has a story"

Koch in $3m casual marketing bonanza | Casual games | News by Casualgaming.biz

"A while ago I asked the question about casual games and marketing and since then I am seeing more emphasis going into marketing. Clearly this does not mean good marketing but at least there is more focus. The fact the Koch are willing to spend so much on advertising is great providing that they deliver a good campaign".

Koch in $3m casual marketing bonanza

Koch Media is to back its new range of casual Wii and DS titles with a whopping £1.5m ($3m) marketing spend in the UK.

The company’s Cherry Tree Lane range will feature its line of ‘Let’s Play’ titles, due for release in November, as well as titles based on the popular Groovy Chick franchise.

Other titles in the range include Ellen Whitaker’s Horse Life and Baby Life.

The range will enjoy national print magazine promotion in youngsters’ publications such as C-beebies, Animals and Go Girl Kids, as well as parent-focused titles including TV Times and Take A Break. Games magazines carrying ads for the titles will include Official Nintendo and GamesMaster.

On TV, ITV, ITV 2, Nickelodeon, Dave and More 4 will all carry Cherry Tree ads, as will UK Living.

Ads will appear online on The sun’s official site, as well as Yahoo and Closer – as well as games and kids’ sites.

So let watch the space and see if they get a return on there investment?

Games Go Social speakers announced

The great thing here is that the Industry is starting to make the links. I hope this event gets the support it needs.

Top execs from the likes of MySpace, Electronic Arts and PlayFish are set to speak at a new social gaming event in Amsterdam this month.

Games Go Social will take place in Amsterdam on September 26th and romises to ‘probe the synergies between games and communities’ and ‘explore the phenomena, from its roots in MMORPG’s to the latest causal games-dedicated communities’.

The full-day event has been organised by the Picnic Network and Ex Machina, and boasts an impressive list of speakers including:

Kristian Segerstrale, CEO Playfish
Derek Fehmers, Managing Director Benelux Myspace
Robin Hunicke, Senior Producer EA
Charles Foreman, CEO I'm in like with you
Marc van der Chijs, CEO Spil Games Asia
Jurriaan van Rijswijk, COO and co-founder Game Entertainment Europe
Shervin Pishevar, CEO Social Gaming Network (SGN)
Martin de Ronde, Director OneBigGame"

Casual Games Headlines

Little Big Planet will make it big on the planet.

I saw this game about 9 months ago and loved what I saw. I hope it does well.

Pop cap sell mobile games direct to consumers in UK and Ireland

This is a good move and its nice to see a developer doing there own thing outside of the networks

Dizzywood Surpasses 500,000 users since is beta launch in Nov 2007

Its a great concept so good luck. Dizzywood was developed to "encourage children to use their imagination, cooperate with others, and participate in activities that promote caring, honesty, respect and responsibility, among other important values

There.com to expand to Mac Facebook and IM

I like this approach it shows that they understand that providing There to other media portals can enhance the gaming experience and promote loyalty while drawing in new customers.

Internet traffic analyst Hitwise posted its findings from a case study documenting Stardoll's recent promotion with department store chain Kohl's.

Worlds In Motion - Hitwise Releases Case Study Of Kohls, Stardoll Partnership

DVD board game maker ScreenLife has been acquired by movie studio Paramount
according to new media reports. Although the deal has not yet been officially announced, a Seattle Post-Intelligencer report suggests the acquisition was made for "less than $100 million". The Scene It? board game uses a DVD filled with video clips of famous movies.

What a great story and a strategic move by the movie studio. Again this shows that the media world is converging and its only going to happen more and more watch the space.

Casual Games top 10

This is Global Top 10. Let's take a look at the last summer week (week 35 | 126) resutls:

1 Jewel Quest 3 (IWin)
2 Little Shop - Road Trip (Gamehouse)
3 Jojo's Fashion Show 2 (IWin)
4 Farm Frenzy 2 (Alawar)
5 Sally's Spa (Games Cafe)
6 The Mystery of Crystal Portal (Artogon)
7 Ancient Quest of Saqqarah (Codeminion)
8 Righteous Kill (Merscom)
9 Treasure Masters (Alawar)
10 Janes Realty (Realore)

Jewel Quest 3 is still number one, for 3 weeks in a row. Little Shop – Road Trip got it's best position so far: №2. Jojo 2 lost 1. New game on position number 4: Farm Frenzy 2 and this is the main candidate for leadership on next week. Sally's Spa got 5. More new games in Top 10: Righteous Kill by Merscom entered on 8th and James Realty by Realore entered on 10th.

Genre Top:

1 Hidden Object (4 games)
2 Click Management (4 games)
3 Match 3 (2 games)"