John Gaudiosi

‘Gears of War 2’ Tops November Sales

Posted by John Gaudiosi | Dec 12, 2008

Editor’s note: John Gaudiosi covers the videogame industry for Local Tech Wire. CARY, N.C. — Despite the harsh global economy, people are staying home and playing videogames. According to The NPD Group, November videogame sales in the U.S. were up 10 percent to $2.91 billion. Year-to-date game sales are up 22 percent to $16.04 billion and are poised to top $22 billion in the U.S. by the end of this month. Game software sales were up 11 percent to $1.45 billion, game hardware sales were up 10 percent to $1.21 billion and game accessories sales were up 7 percent...

Advertisers turn to in-game opportunities

Posted by John Gaudiosi | Dec 5, 2008

The post-writers-strike TV landscape is a wasteland. There’s only one hit, "The Mentalist," among the new fall shows and even once-mighty hits like "Heroes" and "Grey’s Anatomy" have seen ratings shrink. More people watch the TV shows they do like these days – at least the lucrative 18-to-34-year-olds – via TiVo or some type of DVR that can skip through commercials. That leaves advetisers with videogames. Massive Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., has taken a page from TV networks by offering advertisers an upfront in New York City that shows the games and opportunities for 2009....

Vicious Cycle Software partners with Sony to sell Vicious Engine

Posted by John Gaudiosi | Nov 10, 2008

Videogame development studio Vicious Cycle Software is stepping up its middleware business through a partnership with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). Through the deal, which will be officially announced on Tuesday, game developers in India will use the to spur production of PlayStation 2 and PSP games. It’s part of Sony’s a broader strategy to accelerate the adoption rate of the PS2 and PSP in the region. Vicious Engine will be available for both platforms to further promote game development in South Asia. “We looked for an all-inclusive game engine that provided flexibility and a rapid development cycle,” said...

‘E3’ show will be bigger in 2009 – but will interactive entertainment showcase be better?

Posted by John Gaudiosi | Oct 22, 2008

Editor’s note: John Gaudiosi covers the videogame industry for Local Tech Wire and writes the Gaming Guru blog for WRAL.com. He also writes for Wired and other national game industry publications. RALEIGH, N.C. — After two straight revamps of its annual , it looks like the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is at it again with more changes, but going bigger rather than smaller. The ESA finally confirmed that next year’s show will be held June 2-4 at the LA Convention Center. While this is where the scaled-down show was held this July, the ESA will increase everything from the...

EverQuesting in Vegas: From Games to Marriage

Posted by John Gaudiosi | Aug 9, 2007

Editor’s note: John Gaudiosi is a national journalist who has been covering the video game business for more than a decade. In addition to blogging for WRAL.com, he also writes about gaming for Wired Magazine, The Washington Post, Xbox.com and Yahoo! Games. His Gaming Guru blog is written for WRAL.com.LAS VEGAS — I spent the weekend amongst 2,000 Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) massively multiplayer online (MMO) gamers. They gathered together in Sin City for the eighth annual Fan Faire. What was once a celebration of all things EverQuest has expanded, along with SOE, to include new MMO game adventures...