http://www.trefis.com/stock/atvi/articles/184969/activision-blizzard-preview-beating-the-industrys-slump-handily/2013-05-06
Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) is expected to report earnings for the first quarter of 2013 Wednesday, May 8. [1] Successful franchises like Call of Duty and Skylanders helped the company beat the industry wide sales decline in the fourth quarter of 2012. Activision reported a 25% year-on-year increase in revenues for the three months ending December. In contrast, video game sales for the entire industry plunged 22% during the holiday period. [2] Results were buoyed by Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which was the highest selling game worldwide in 2012. [3]
The Black Ops II phenomena has shown no signs of slowing down. The game remained on the charts for the first three months of 2013, both in the U.S. and worldwide. We expect the company to deliver another solid quarter, staying ahead of the industry slow down.
Showing posts with label skylanders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skylanders. Show all posts
Monday, 6 May 2013
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Activision has opened special Skylanders concessions in three HMV stores
Activision has opened special Skylanders concessions in three HMV stores.
Special areas can be found in HMV's Oxford Street, Manchester and Glasgow branches. Each area will feature a variety of Skylanders products (including licensed cards, puzzles, wallets, bags and badges), character art, artificial grass and dedicated games stations.
Monday, 5 November 2012
Lesson 13 - Big business and the conglomerate
Videogames are big business - which is why some of the largest companies are including game companies in their product porfolios. You need to be aware of the bigger picture - aware of the huge conglomerates that overshadow the games industry.
Task 1:
Create a conglomerate map for Skylanders Giants - think of this as a hierarchy of the company. The output Skylanders game is on the bottom but there is a large multinational conglomerate on top. What companies are in between?
Task 2:
Create a conglomerate map for Grand Theft Auto 4 (or 5)
Homework for Thursday:
1.Ensure task 1 and 2 are completed for next lesson and fill any gaps in your Blogposts.
2. Read up on any GTA5 announcements that have been made in the last week
Further information on conglomerates can be found in the PowerPoint used this lesson - to be found after the cut.
Task 1:
Create a conglomerate map for Skylanders Giants - think of this as a hierarchy of the company. The output Skylanders game is on the bottom but there is a large multinational conglomerate on top. What companies are in between?
Task 2:
Create a conglomerate map for Grand Theft Auto 4 (or 5)
Homework for Thursday:
1.Ensure task 1 and 2 are completed for next lesson and fill any gaps in your Blogposts.
2. Read up on any GTA5 announcements that have been made in the last week
Further information on conglomerates can be found in the PowerPoint used this lesson - to be found after the cut.
Friday, 26 October 2012
Skylanders - Giants Youtube Channels
http://www.youtube.com/user/SkylandersGame
Go to the above address to view the commercials for Skylanders - Giants
TASK FOR HALF TERM:
Research as much as you can about this game and BlogPost a case study. (Hopefully after Miss Crompton's lesson yesterday you will know that copying and pasting is NOT to be found in a case study.)
What is so unique about the game? (The first game was the no. 1 kids toy of 2011)
How is the game marketing?
How much does it cost?
The article you should have taken home helps to illustrate the audience and the market involved in such games as Skylanders but anything you can find out would be helpful.
Tip: This toys+game combo is a golden example of symbiosis.
Go to the above address to view the commercials for Skylanders - Giants
TASK FOR HALF TERM:
Research as much as you can about this game and BlogPost a case study. (Hopefully after Miss Crompton's lesson yesterday you will know that copying and pasting is NOT to be found in a case study.)
What is so unique about the game? (The first game was the no. 1 kids toy of 2011)
How is the game marketing?
How much does it cost?
The article you should have taken home helps to illustrate the audience and the market involved in such games as Skylanders but anything you can find out would be helpful.
Tip: This toys+game combo is a golden example of symbiosis.
Thursday, 25 October 2012
The main players in the games industry
The players
(Taken from The Media Student's Book, Fifth Edition by G. Branston & R. Stafford)
The majors include Sony, one of the studio conglomerates, via its Playstation, and Activision Blizzard (Skylanders / Guitar Hero / Call of Duty / Tony Hawk / Warcraft etc), the company formed from the game division of the French media conglomerate Vivendi and the software company Activision. Vivendi was briefly part of the studio major Vivendi-Universal.
Harmonix, creator of the Rock Band series is part of Viacom, so some games companies are linked to the media conglomerates.
Many independent games designers and publishers, many from the UK, have been gradually consolidated to produce major publishers like Square Enix (Japan), Ubisoft (France) and Electronic Arts and Take Two (USA).
To make a comparison in which the hardware factor is stripped out, most of these publishers have a turnover from games roughly equivalent to a major Hollywood studio take from cinema box office (ie. around $1.5 billion). According to Activision Blizzard, which has major strengths in online franchises, the combined European and North American market for gaming software in 2008 was $24 billion. There are undoubtededly parallels between films and games in terms of how the Japanese and American companies publish games that are then possibly distributed in certain territories by their rivals.
Definition
Conglomerates: Companies that are made up of separate divisions, each with distinct identities operating in different sectors of the market - and possibly different industries altogether. They are often formed through a process of 'mergers and acquisitions.' When this happens in a specific market or sector, it is termed consolidation.
Renowned industry analyst Nick Parker claims that the tipping point - the "'iTunes moment" - will occur in 2014 when the games industry might have some parity between digital distribution and retail.
(Taken from The Media Student's Book, Fifth Edition by G. Branston & R. Stafford)
The majors include Sony, one of the studio conglomerates, via its Playstation, and Activision Blizzard (Skylanders / Guitar Hero / Call of Duty / Tony Hawk / Warcraft etc), the company formed from the game division of the French media conglomerate Vivendi and the software company Activision. Vivendi was briefly part of the studio major Vivendi-Universal.
Harmonix, creator of the Rock Band series is part of Viacom, so some games companies are linked to the media conglomerates.
Many independent games designers and publishers, many from the UK, have been gradually consolidated to produce major publishers like Square Enix (Japan), Ubisoft (France) and Electronic Arts and Take Two (USA).
To make a comparison in which the hardware factor is stripped out, most of these publishers have a turnover from games roughly equivalent to a major Hollywood studio take from cinema box office (ie. around $1.5 billion). According to Activision Blizzard, which has major strengths in online franchises, the combined European and North American market for gaming software in 2008 was $24 billion. There are undoubtededly parallels between films and games in terms of how the Japanese and American companies publish games that are then possibly distributed in certain territories by their rivals.
Definition
Conglomerates: Companies that are made up of separate divisions, each with distinct identities operating in different sectors of the market - and possibly different industries altogether. They are often formed through a process of 'mergers and acquisitions.' When this happens in a specific market or sector, it is termed consolidation.
Renowned industry analyst Nick Parker claims that the tipping point - the "'iTunes moment" - will occur in 2014 when the games industry might have some parity between digital distribution and retail.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Gotta Catch Them All!
Mr H
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Tomorrow - Test of what you know so far!
Tomorrow's lesson will be taking place in L22 - This is my classroom and where we will be every Thursday period 5.
You will have a sheet of questions to work through. Some will require longer answers than others - some will require examples from the games we have looked at so far.
To revise, it would be wise to revisit the lesson powerpoints label cloud on the right hand side of this page as well as the History of Rockstar Games video.
If you finish, I have an article from Edge Magazine that I will be asking you to read and make notes on. The article charts the current trend of games aimed at the pre-teen market - obviously a very different audience from the GTA IV and V games we have been looking at. One of the most successful of these games aimed at pre-teens is the Skylanders series, loosely based on the Spyro universe.
The first Skylanders game was the big hit of Christmas 2011 and Friday sees the release of sequel Skylanders: Giants - which many predict to be a similar success (sales if not critical!). If you have time with your revision, have a glance at a couple of the trailers to see what makes this IP so unique
Click below for the official trailer for the sequel.
Consider the difference in marketing between Skylanders and GTA IV. Where do you think Activision (Publishers of Skylanders) choose to spend marketing £££ advertising the game?
You will have a sheet of questions to work through. Some will require longer answers than others - some will require examples from the games we have looked at so far.
To revise, it would be wise to revisit the lesson powerpoints label cloud on the right hand side of this page as well as the History of Rockstar Games video.
If you finish, I have an article from Edge Magazine that I will be asking you to read and make notes on. The article charts the current trend of games aimed at the pre-teen market - obviously a very different audience from the GTA IV and V games we have been looking at. One of the most successful of these games aimed at pre-teens is the Skylanders series, loosely based on the Spyro universe.
The first Skylanders game was the big hit of Christmas 2011 and Friday sees the release of sequel Skylanders: Giants - which many predict to be a similar success (sales if not critical!). If you have time with your revision, have a glance at a couple of the trailers to see what makes this IP so unique
Click below for the official trailer for the sequel.
Consider the difference in marketing between Skylanders and GTA IV. Where do you think Activision (Publishers of Skylanders) choose to spend marketing £££ advertising the game?
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
How is Skylanders changing the way kids play games?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/figures-of-fun-how-skylanders-is-changing-the-way-children-play-7569021.html
In the Nintendo Store in midtown Manhattan a woman is asking if they have any Skylanders figurines. "Sorry ma'am, we're all out," comes the reply. "Not even under the till?" the customer pleads, "I know some stores are keeping them back."
After being patiently reassured that the $10 (£6.35) plastic toys aren't being stashed like contraband, she gives up, but not before explaining the struggle she's had getting them elsewhere.
So far, so annual toy fad – a tradition that dates back to queues for Christmas "must-haves" such as Buzz Lightyear, Furby and Tickle-Me Elmo. But, unlike the rest of the plastic delights on show at this year's New York Toy Fair, Skylanders are a bit different. Different because they combine two parents' pocket-straining items: the collectible plastic toy and the computer game. The game itself is a standard (but critically praised) platform game, written by Toy Story's Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow. It's available on all major consoles.
So far, so annual toy fad – a tradition that dates back to queues for Christmas "must-haves" such as Buzz Lightyear, Furby and Tickle-Me Elmo. But, unlike the rest of the plastic delights on show at this year's New York Toy Fair, Skylanders are a bit different. Different because they combine two parents' pocket-straining items: the collectible plastic toy and the computer game. The game itself is a standard (but critically praised) platform game, written by Toy Story's Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow. It's available on all major consoles.
Spyro soars again in acclaimed hybrid ‘Skylanders’
http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/spyro-soars-again-acclaimed-hybrid-skylanders-231303939.html
Three years ago, when Activision was trying to figure out what to do next with the long-running Spyro the Dragon series, it really didn't have ambitious plans.
While the character was tremendously popular in the PlayStation 2 days (when Ratchet & Clank/Resistance developer Insomniac Games was running the franchise), a string of mediocre sequels had long since dulled its earnings potential. But a radical idea from Toys For Bob, a developer most gamers had never heard of, quickly convinced the company to bet big on the little fire-breather.
"We were looking for a new way to reinvigorate [the series] and they came to the table with this idea of bringing physical toys to the game that got everyone's imaginations firing," says Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "It took what was a smallish, moderately ambitious project and turned it into a larger one."
The result — Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure — is a unique blending of the toy and video game worlds. Action figures are sold with a peripheral (dubbed the "Portal of Power") which plugs into the Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3. When a player puts the action figures on the portal, they're instantly imported into the game.
That alone is a pretty cool thing to witness, but Skylanders' real hook is that the action figures are portable, letting you take them to a friend's house and play the character in their version of the game, retaining all of the achievements and level-ups you've already amassed — even if it's on a different console.
While the character was tremendously popular in the PlayStation 2 days (when Ratchet & Clank/Resistance developer Insomniac Games was running the franchise), a string of mediocre sequels had long since dulled its earnings potential. But a radical idea from Toys For Bob, a developer most gamers had never heard of, quickly convinced the company to bet big on the little fire-breather.
"We were looking for a new way to reinvigorate [the series] and they came to the table with this idea of bringing physical toys to the game that got everyone's imaginations firing," says Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "It took what was a smallish, moderately ambitious project and turned it into a larger one."
The result — Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure — is a unique blending of the toy and video game worlds. Action figures are sold with a peripheral (dubbed the "Portal of Power") which plugs into the Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3. When a player puts the action figures on the portal, they're instantly imported into the game.
That alone is a pretty cool thing to witness, but Skylanders' real hook is that the action figures are portable, letting you take them to a friend's house and play the character in their version of the game, retaining all of the achievements and level-ups you've already amassed — even if it's on a different console.
Skylanders Giants: Innovator or money-spinner?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/skylanders-giants-innovator-or-moneyspinner-8208303.html
‘But mum I need Stumpsmash.’ It’s a refrain heard in toy shops up and down the country. Replace Stumpsmash with your child’s (or inner child-like gamer’s) Skylander monster of choice and you have the making of a hunt that spans supermarkets, big shed retailers and local toy stores.
Creative characters, ground-breaking design and 48 toys to collect, but does Skylanders Giants represent value for money this Christmas? Andy Robertson investigates.
‘But mum I need Stumpsmash.’ It’s a refrain heard in toy shops up and down the country. Replace Stumpsmash with your child’s (or inner child-like gamer’s) Skylander monster of choice and you have the making of a hunt that spans supermarkets, big shed retailers and local toy stores.
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure was unique in its ability to store progress in the toy figures that came with the game via Near Field type technology much like that now included in the Wii U GamePad. Skylanders Giants looks set to follow up the success of the first game by extending the range of toy figures and introducing new gameplay elements.
PS3/X360/PC Preview - 'Skylanders Giants'
http://worthplaying.com/article/2012/10/16/previews/87274/
Last year's release of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure was a surprise hit for Activision. The video game and toy combination was both innovative and fun to play, not to mention a bit addictive. Unlike Nintendo's Pokémon franchise, "collecting them all" in Skylanders meant tracking down the toys in real life in order to use them within the game. With the sequel, Skylanders: Giants, just around the corner, we decided to join other media and Activision reps on a trip to the northern California office of Toys for Bob, the developer behind the Skylanders games, to see the magic behind the plastic.
Toys for Bob is housed in an old hangar that was converted to an office. Once inside the building, everything is decked out retro tiki-island style. There are faux thatched roofs, leis, a surf board with a Skylanders poster attached and actual tiki statues to set the island feel. If you have a hankering for gum, there's a big '70s style spaceship filled with gumballs.
It's the kind of environment that caters to open-ended creativity, which even spilled over to the bathrooms. The converted hangar has urinals in all the bathrooms. Since the women had no use for the urinals, they turned them into glorified plant holders and plastered the walls with male pin-up photos — just like a teenage girl's bedroom. You can tell they have fun here.
After a quick look around, we were escorted to seats facing a projector screen where Paul Reiche, the Toys for Bob studio head, gave us an overview of the company's history and how it came to develop Skylanders. The presentation then shifted to Giants and the lore behind the new characters.
Last year's release of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure was a surprise hit for Activision. The video game and toy combination was both innovative and fun to play, not to mention a bit addictive. Unlike Nintendo's Pokémon franchise, "collecting them all" in Skylanders meant tracking down the toys in real life in order to use them within the game. With the sequel, Skylanders: Giants, just around the corner, we decided to join other media and Activision reps on a trip to the northern California office of Toys for Bob, the developer behind the Skylanders games, to see the magic behind the plastic.
Toys for Bob is housed in an old hangar that was converted to an office. Once inside the building, everything is decked out retro tiki-island style. There are faux thatched roofs, leis, a surf board with a Skylanders poster attached and actual tiki statues to set the island feel. If you have a hankering for gum, there's a big '70s style spaceship filled with gumballs.
It's the kind of environment that caters to open-ended creativity, which even spilled over to the bathrooms. The converted hangar has urinals in all the bathrooms. Since the women had no use for the urinals, they turned them into glorified plant holders and plastered the walls with male pin-up photos — just like a teenage girl's bedroom. You can tell they have fun here.
After a quick look around, we were escorted to seats facing a projector screen where Paul Reiche, the Toys for Bob studio head, gave us an overview of the company's history and how it came to develop Skylanders. The presentation then shifted to Giants and the lore behind the new characters.
Rumour: Activision to release Skylanders: Battlegrounds 'mobile starter pack' on iOS
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Skylanders%3A+Battlegrounds/news.asp?c=45676
If you're an iPhone- or iPad-toting Skylanders fan, prepare to get excited. An image has surfaced online for an all-new mobile title called Skylanders: Battlegrounds.
As you can see from the image below, the game is part of a "mobile starter pack" that features three Skylanders - Double Trouble, Jet-Vac, and Cynder - a Hidden Treasure item, and a portal.
Yes, it actually contains a portal, which we presume will work via Bluetooth.
This portal means that Skylanders: Battlegrounds should be compatible with all current Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure figurines, as well as the forthcoming Skylanders: Giants toys.
Naturally, the above image could be completely fake, but we've got our fingers crossed that it isn't.
If you're an iPhone- or iPad-toting Skylanders fan, prepare to get excited. An image has surfaced online for an all-new mobile title called Skylanders: Battlegrounds.
As you can see from the image below, the game is part of a "mobile starter pack" that features three Skylanders - Double Trouble, Jet-Vac, and Cynder - a Hidden Treasure item, and a portal.
Yes, it actually contains a portal, which we presume will work via Bluetooth.
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Naturally, the above image could be completely fake, but we've got our fingers crossed that it isn't.
Spyro takes another leap onto the iPad in Skylanders: Lost Islands
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPad/Skylanders%3A+Lost+Islands/news.asp?c=45605
Activision has just released another iPad title set in its increasingly popular Skylander universe. It's called Skylanders: Lost Islands, and it's a freemium build-'em-up that tasks you with restoring the lands of the Mabu to their former glory.
Activision has just released another iPad title set in its increasingly popular Skylander universe. It's called Skylanders: Lost Islands, and it's a freemium build-'em-up that tasks you with restoring the lands of the Mabu to their former glory.
'Skylanders': How the toy franchise became a success story
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a410226/skylanders-how-the-toy-franchise-became-a-success-story.html
Now one of the most profitable franchises in the game industry and with more than 30 million toys sold, Skylanders' success has been remarkable. In October 2011, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure launched in stores but with a unique twist - the player can introduce characters into the game by putting toys onto a portal.
An initial 15 million toys were produced, which were all sold out not long after Christmas. Because the toys are hand-painted, it took six weeks before they could re-stock. Even though Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure can be played with just the three toys that come with the bundle, people went out in their droves to add to their collection.
An initial 15 million toys were produced, which were all sold out not long after Christmas. Because the toys are hand-painted, it took six weeks before they could re-stock. Even though Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure can be played with just the three toys that come with the bundle, people went out in their droves to add to their collection.
The Skylanders Franchise Is Kiddie Crack
“Went to three stores yesterday—all sold out,” the desperate tweet read. “Had to go black market. Help.”
The frantic dad is talking about Skylanders (for his 5-year-old daughter of course, not for him, no, definitely not). Unless you’re a tween or the guardian of one, you probably don’t know about Skylanders, a new franchise from Activision that skillfully mixes the most addictive (and lucrative) features of Pokémon and Beanie Babies. It’s a videogame series and a line of collectible figurines—cute toy monsters unlock new pieces of in-game content.
Since its debut in October, this opiate of the schoolyard masses has scored more than $200 million in North American sales alone. Here’s how it gets its hooks into kids—and some grown-ups too.
The Stages of Skylanders Addiction
Try it, you’ll like it
Kids buy the game, which is available on PC and all consoles. It comes with a few action figures and a plastic “portal of power” that reads RFID tags in the toys. Plop any of the figures on the portal and poof—that character materializes onscreen in the game.
Cost of game: $60-75
Kids buy the game, which is available on PC and all consoles. It comes with a few action figures and a plastic “portal of power” that reads RFID tags in the toys. Plop any of the figures on the portal and poof—that character materializes onscreen in the game.
Cost of game: $60-75
One more can’t hurt
Once your kids have played through the game with the three characters that came with it, they’ll beg for an Adventure Pack. The additional figurines have new powers or can access new parts of the gameworld.
Cost of all four packs: $80
Once your kids have played through the game with the three characters that came with it, they’ll beg for an Adventure Pack. The additional figurines have new powers or can access new parts of the gameworld.
Cost of all four packs: $80
I can quit anytime
Each situation requires characters with different attributes. Players can trade figurines with one another, but a serious aficionado will want to own all 48 characters (including the forthcoming Giant and LightCore figures). They can be bought individually or in packs.
Cost of all additional figures: $381
Each situation requires characters with different attributes. Players can trade figurines with one another, but a serious aficionado will want to own all 48 characters (including the forthcoming Giant and LightCore figures). They can be bought individually or in packs.
Cost of all additional figures: $381
It doesn’t control me! I control it!
Activision has also released some limited-edition toys, like a version of Cynder the Dragon made exclusively for people who attend Toy Fair in New York. The unrepentant Skylanders addict turns to eBay for these hard-to-find items.
Cost: Up to $1,000
Activision has also released some limited-edition toys, like a version of Cynder the Dragon made exclusively for people who attend Toy Fair in New York. The unrepentant Skylanders addict turns to eBay for these hard-to-find items.
Cost: Up to $1,000
Don’t look at me!
So that’s a total outlay of at least $1,521 to be an elite Skylanders player. The next iteration of the franchise, Skylanders Giants, comes out later this year, along with several new lines of alluring action figures.
Cost: Your immortal soul
So that’s a total outlay of at least $1,521 to be an elite Skylanders player. The next iteration of the franchise, Skylanders Giants, comes out later this year, along with several new lines of alluring action figures.
Cost: Your immortal soul
How children are transforming gaming: we chart the trends shaping the next generation
http://www.edge-online.com/features/young-bucks/
Their fingers may be stubby, but children seem preternaturally adept at grasping the true function of new technology: games. If you’ve seen parents taking their young children out for a meal lately, you’ll probably have witnessed the child’s inevitable request for a smartphone to play on. Maybe you’ve also heard them utter the cry of a generation: “It’s only 69p!” Or perhaps they’ve simply demanded an App Store password.
No longer restricted to a brief spell of pestering outside a local game shop, children’s access to games is now untrammelled, whether at home on browsers, or out and about via smartphone marketplaces. And this means that our kids are quietly reshaping the entire entertainment industry right under our noses.
Of course, given our medium’s history, it wouldn’t be remiss to expect the driving force behind industry shifts to be men aged 16-34. And yet, according to entertainment consulting company KZero, the single biggest group purchasing virtual goods is children under the age of 15. At the same time, the growth in virtual goods revenue is skyrocketing, rising from $0.9 billion in 2007 to $9 billon in 2011. This year alone, it’s estimated that kids could end up spending a staggering $7 billion on virtual items. At least they can’t leave them lying all over the floor.
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