This week we learn that social gaming is going to get a bit anti-social, Iran goes all Call of Duty on Israel and the creators of Witcher 2 are not that fond of piracy.
“Massive” Social Gaming Layoffs Predicted For 2012
The social gaming scene has always been kind of a mess. On one hand, you had Square Enix proclaiming that social gaming is the future; a few months later, PopCap declared that the golden era of social gaming is over. A little over a year ago, Scott Jon Siegel urged game designers to embrace the potential of the social arena to create “unanticipated golden poo,” but gamers complain that most of it is just, well, poo. (Link)
Rumor: Iran Responding to Battlefield 3 with Anti-Israel Game
As was expected by many, Battlefield 3 was banned fairly quickly in Iran for its depiction of American soldiers roaming around Tehran looking for nuclear weaponry. Now, the next stage of Iran’s response to the game has been announced by the director of the country’s National Computer Game Foundation (NCGF). It’s a game called Attack on Tel Aviv, and nothing is known about it other than its title. (Link)
Apple’s Founding Contract Sells For $1.59 Million
During an auction at Sotheby’s in New York, Apple’s original three-page founding documents sold for a whopping $1,594,500.00 after being estimated by the auction house to bring only $150,000. According to Sotheby’s, there were five bidders vying for the purchase, ending in a 1.35 million winning bid. A 12% buyer’s premium added at point of sale took the total to the final monster it was. (Link)
Witcher 2 Dev Defends Asking €1000 From Pirates
CD Projekt, the Polish studio behind the acclaimed Witcher series has sent letters demanding nearly €1000 (about $1,300) to numerous German gamers found to have pirated its most recent game. The developer is unapologetic for the response, claiming it only affects those it’s “100% sure have downloaded [the] game illegally.” (Link)
Captian America Creator Dies
The comics world has lost one of its greatest writers and innovators. Joe Simon – born Hymie Simon, 1913 – moved to New York City in the 30s where he met artist Jack Kirby. The pair became friends as they both tried to break into writing comic books, getting their big break on writing a new character for Timely Comics … (Link)
