(Real)time has run out

So Scottish developer Realtime Worlds has gone into administration, following the poor response to its online game APB, leaving ambitious future project MyWorld hanging in the balance. What has gone wrong for founder David Jones, and what impact will it have on the British software industry?

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Obscure Gamer – Into the third dimension

Nintendo themselves are trying again with the 3DS. Interestingly, this includes a control button to turn down the depth of the 3D “field”, presumably in an attempt to make things comfortable for the player. Shaped like a conventional DS with two screens, only the top screen displays the 3D image – the bottom screen is still touch-sensitive. Familiar Nintendo franchises will make the leap to 3DS, including the long-forgotten Kid Icarus, Zelda and Starfox.

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Obscure Gamer – Tax Break

In April 2010 the Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling announced a review of tax rules for companies producing computer games, with the promise of tax breaks for games with a British cultural flavour – in line with a similar French system. After the General Election, June’s Emergency Budget by Conservative Chancellor George Osbourne announced that there would be no tax breaks. Why the sudden change? And why is it such an important issue?

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False Start

Sony confidently predicted a ten-year lifespan for the PS2, and that has come to pass. They are now suggesting a similar tenure for the PS3, and it could be to their advantage. This year has been a strong one for Sony with exclusives and good sales on the back of the PS3 Slim, and another good Christmas with interest in Move could push it further. Meanwhile, Kinect is going after the Wii’s audience to a large extent. Microsoft still has the edge in online gaming for many with Live, but the gap has narrowed. Moving on from the 360 may not suit Microsoft either, now that is making good profit and building its user base.

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Exploring Expo Expectations

The E3 Expo is a lot like a roller-coaster. There’s the anticipation of that first hill (the build-up to the show with hints of what’s coming), the sudden drop into the exciting parts (the actual announcements and reveals) and the slowing down as the ride comes into the station (wading through discarded goodie bags and leaflets to the exit).

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Obscure Gamer – a Prince among men

Sitting near my computer is a pile of unwatched films on DVD, each of them based on a computer game. They all have a bad reputation, both as films and as adaptations. But the other day I did pay my money and take a chance on visiting the cinema to check out Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the movie adaptation of the successful series. I was pleasantly surprised to find a summer blockbuster worth my time.

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Not So Jolly Roger

Piracy is once again back in the headlines, for several reasons. The latest DRM for PC games from Ubi Soft has been heavily satirised by the web cartoonists. The industry has also released figures showing losses accumulated due to game piracy. Then there was the million-dollar fine for the Australian accused of illegally uploading a Wii game.

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