22Cans boss and former Lionhead man to speak at Unity user conference

Peter Molyneux is to deliver a keynote speech at the Unite 2012 Unity user conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, this August.
Molyneux, who currently heads up Unity-using start-up 22Cans, will discuss the design philosophy behind 22Cans, and share with the audience how fast iteration practices can help create new game experiences.

"I am greatly looking forward to speaking at the Unite Conference. It's an excellent opportunity to address developers from all facets of the games development community including those that are, like ourselves, independent developers looking to create wildly new experiences,” said Molyneux.
“Unity has allowed 22Cans to prototype and release in a remarkably short time. I'm excited to share these experiences and potentially inspire attendees to use the fast iteration enabled with Unity to be creative, take chances, and design games that will in turn inspire others."
“At Unity we are lifelong fans of Peter Molyneux’s games, and I can't wait to hear his thoughts on the evolution of the game industry,” added David Helgason, CEO of Unity Technologies, who will deliver the opening address at Unite. “Peter is one of the coolest developers – and a great speaker – and we are extremely proud to count him amongst Unity users.”

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...ote-Unite-2012
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European figures are equally impressive, totalling $959 million.
US consumers $1.38 billion spent on digital game content in the first quarter of 2012.

On top of the $1.5 billion spent on new physical video and PC game software, The NPD Group has found that US consumers spent a further $1.38billion on digital content.

This includes full games and add-ons, subscriptions, mobile games and social network games.

Anita Frazier (pictured), industry analyst at The NPD Group, said: “The declines in the physical market for new physical software are well documented…. While the growth in digital format sales does not yet offset the declines in physical format sales, clearly the changes occurring within the industry are reflected in the trends we are seeing in the research."

Similar research in the UK, France and Germany shows that digital format sales in those three countries generated an additional $959 million in sales during Q1 2012. Outside of new physical retail, sales totalled $300m.

Frazier said: “Relative to the spend in the US, we find that the consumer spend on mobile games is still developing in the three European countries we are covering, while the spend on full game and add-on content digital downloads and subscriptions is more highly developed.”

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...g-in-q1/018503 ...

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The combined sales of the used, rental, digital and social games markets was worth £798m across the UK, France and Germany, says a new NPD report.
The combined sales of used and rental games content totalled £191.5m. Meanwhile, digital sales, which included full games, add-on content, subscriptions, mobile and social network games generated an additional £612.3m in sales during Q1 2012.
“Relative to the spend in the US, we find that the consumer spend on mobile games is still developing in the three European countries we are covering, while the spend on full game and add-on content digital downloads and subscriptions is more highly developed,” said NPD group industry analyst, Anita Fazier.
The report also detailed that, compared to Q1 2011, US sales saw a five per cent decline in the physical used and rental market and a 10 per cent increase in digital sales.
“While the growth in digital format sales does not yet offset the declines in physical format sales, clearly the changes occurring within the industry are reflected in the trends we are seeing in the research.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/npd-e...th-798m/098866 ...

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is number one in the UK all-formats software chart for a second successive week.
In second place is Activision's The Amazing Spider-Man, and the strong performance of the two comic book tie-ins means 2K's Spec Ops: The Line can only debut in third place - a disappointing start for the Yager shooter, which was announced in 2009 with a planned 2011 release date.
Sega's London 2012: The Official Videogame enters the chart at number 4, though the publisher won't be too worried as it will expect sales to pick up once the Olympics begin at the end of this month.
Konami's Vita compilation Metal Gear Solid HD Collection debuts at number ten; the game will likely have done well digitally as well as at retail given its appealing £19.99 PSN price point.
01. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Warner Bros)
02. The Amazing Spider-Man (Activision)
03. Spec Ops: The Line (2K Games)
04. London 2012: The Official Videogame (Sega)
05. FIFA 12 (EA)
06. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (Ubisoft)
07. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
08. Max Payne 3 (Take-Two)
09. Battlefield 3 (EA)
10. Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (Konami)

http://www.edge-online.com/news/lego...chart-top-spot ...

A US judge has ruled against Apple in its lawsuit against Google, dismissing the complaint as ‘ridiculous’.
The lawsuit, which arose after Google bought and incorporated the Motorola Mobility division – including all patents rights – and sued Apple in early 2010, followed by counter-suits from Apple.
However, the presiding Judge Richard Posner dismissed most of the claims and cancelled the full trial. Although he relented by allowing both parties to file sealed claims, these were also dismissed as the judge found them to be lacking.
Among reasons cited for the dismissal were a lack of strong arguments – for example, Apple’s technical experts claim that Motorola could have avoided infringement by purchasing a certain chip, but that chip is never identified.
Irrelevant arguments were also cited, as Posner noted in his written report: “Apple wanted me to allow into evidence media reports attesting to what a terrific product the iPhone is. I said I would not permit this because the quality of the iPhone (and of related Apple products, primarily the iPad) and consumers’ regard for it have, so far as the record shows, nothing to do with the handful of patent claims that I had ruled presented triable issues of infringement.”
Among his remarks, Posner appears to have ruled out the idea that one company can sue another for generally ‘copying’ their products.
“Apple is complaining that Motorola’s phones as a whole ripped off the iPhone as a whole,” noted Posner. “But Motorola’s desire to sell products that compete with the iPhone is a separate harm—and a perfectly legal one—from any harm caused by patent infringement.”
You can read Judge Posner’s full remarks here. If it survives the inevitable appeals process, then this ruling could spell the end of the seemingly endless patent wars that have characterised the tech scene over the last few years.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...awsuits/028609 ...

The study from UK supermarket Asda shows that 18 per cent of phone owners use their phone while on the toilet, generating the trend known as 'throne calls', which dips slightly to 11 per cent for women.
Meanwhile, one per cent of gentlemen use the tech during 'intimate moments'.
In all, 98 per cent of Brits own a mobile phone, with one in 50 users checking their phone at least every five minutes per day, equivalent to a staggering 73,000 phone moments each year.
This is largely dominated by teens, with 60 per cent checking their phones every 15 minutes, compared to 48 per cent of over 60s that only use their phone when it rings.
41 per cent use the devices in queues and waiting rooms the most, while second-screen use is demonstrated as 37 per cent do so when watching films and TV at home.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...the-bog/018478 ...

Manufacturers and operators line up for HTML5-based system
Support is building for Mozilla’s plans to launch a new open mobile OS based on HTML5 and carrying the Firefox brand.
Device manufacturers TCL Communication Technology (under the Alcatel One Touch brand) and ZTE have announced their intentions to produce the first Firefox devices, while operators including Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telenor and Telefónica are backing the open OS.
The Firefox OS for mobile devices is built on Mozilla’s Boot to Gecko project, which unlocks many of the limitations of web development on mobile, allowing HTML5 applications to access the underlying capabilities of a phone, previously only available to native applications.
Matthew Key, Chairman & CEO of Telefónica Digital commented, “Firefox OS will deliver a higher performance than current low cost smartphones can achieve, enabling more people to benefit from a better experience. This is crucial for us to accelerate the adoption of smartphones in developing markets.
"The breadth of support for this initiative across the industry makes it clear that there is an opportunity in the market for a new, open mobile ecosystem.”

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...bile-os/018480 ...

NPD Group has revealed that almost one third of US gamers would rather buy their games digitally than in a shop.
The firm surveyed 8,500 consumers as part of its Online Gaming 2012 report. It asked if a game was available to buy physical and digital at the same time at the same price, what would they buy? 65 per cent said physical, while a surprisingly high 35 per cent picked digital.
Practically all PC games are released digitally and physically at the same time, but that trend is now starting to come to the console space. It is a requirement that all publishers release Vita games digitally and physically at the same time, while Nintendo says it will now be offering that option - beginning with next month's New Super Mario Bros 2.
Xbox 360 currently gives a three to six month gap between the physical launch and its digital counterpart.
The survey also revealed that 40 per cent of those surveyed obtained at least one game in both the physical and digital formats over the past 12 months.
“Gamers are growing more comfortable in acquiring content online, as we saw the preference for digital increase ten percentage points from last year,” said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.
“The proliferation of free games on mobile devices has reduced the barrier of entry for online gaming to zero, fueling an increase in acquisition.”
The report also revealed that there's been an increase in entertainment use on consoles and portable devices, with a slight increase in users who say entertainment apps cause them to spend less time gaming.
More than one-in-five online gamer state that other members of their house are using their machines for other entertainment activities outside of gaming.
“Every year at E3, we hear about new non-gaming features being added to major console and portable device manufacturers’ online services,” added Callahan.
“It is reasonable to expect changes in the share of time and spend as consumers become aware and increasingly comfortable with the number of features, including gaming, available through their multifunctional devices.”
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