Displaying items by tag: Call of Duty

It seems the Judge in the case involving the FTC, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard thinks that the FTC failed to reach a sufficient threshold to prove harm in a request for a preliminary injunction. To some this is cause for celebration although most people who have followed Microsoft’s history of anti-competitive behavior, in any market they play in, will know this is not a good thing. What makes this decision even more suspect is the fact that the judge precising over the case, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, has a direct family member working at Microsoft.

Every now and then you see a game developer/publisher really push the limits when it comes to the goodies they are willing to pack into a game. We have seen everything from personal drones to night vision goggles in some kits. Now the latest Call of Duty will feature some pretty impressive gear including mockups of two of the weapons used in the game.

Back when I first started writing about the computer industry the term photorealistic was thrown around a lot whenever a new game was about to hit the market. Bear in mind that this was back when 800x600 was considered a pretty good resolution and 1600x1200 was what everyone dreamed of. Still that term was out there despite the simple truth that it was not really obtainable with the hardware and software that existed for the consumer market.

Over the last few days, positive articles and media coverage about upcoming game, Titanfall, has been accompanied by very severe and unpleasant gossip. In fact, a rumor was spread claiming Respawn studios bribed some journalists to write positive reviews and articles.

Although this is not a new or novel concept we are seeing companies begin to use the power of branding to make their games more attractive to the consumer. The concept really started many, many years ago when software companies noted an increased demand for games that had not only similar themes, but the exact same theme and setting. To capitalize on this they began making follow-on installments to their games. Some of the more notable are Doom, Quake, and Wing Commander. Certainly there are more than this small list, but these represent some of the early franchise names that pushed the market along. For those of you wondering why HalfLife is not in there, it is simply because of the length of time between the first and the second games, but yes HalfLife is certainly one of the major Brand Names in gaming now.

There is a tendency to assign personalities to corporations due to the way they seem to, at times, to take on the life of their CEO. One of the places this is most noticeable is in the tech industry. One good example of this it Apple, under Steve Jobs rule Apple became an extension of his personality and drive. Under Tim Cook we are seeing a change in Apple with things happening that never would have under Jobs. So you can see how it is easy to view a corporation as a single collective instead of the many, many parts that go to make them up.