The Friday Funspot for 4/26

Well, things have picked up this week, and not always in good news, either.

1) EA enters the "Game of Knives" phase

What's the Game of Knives phase? It's where a company has started to go downhill, and folks realize that sadly, layoffs and restructurings are going to be the normal way of life going forward, so the rules are simple. Plant YOUR knife in their back before they plant theirs in yours.

Earlier this month, it was announced that EA was "refocusing" its mobile efforts, shutting down the Sims Social, and other such underperforming mobile games. This goes further. They're shutting down the "EA Partners" label, which was responsible for Rock Band. Two studios (PopCap Vancouver and Quicklime Studio were shut down entirely).

This is definitely a period of retrenchment and it will be interesting to see how (or even perhaps IF) the company pulls themselves out of this one.

2)The hottest MMO of the year 2025 will be...

Well, that release date may be a bit pessimistic, but honestly, when you announce a game in 2006, and it's still in pre-alpha in 2013.. Duke Nukem is looking at you and going "Dayumn.". This dubious accomplishment belongs to CCP Studios (who I think I'm legally obligated to remind you makes EVE Online), and the World Of Darkness MMO. This year, they're apparently working on "working on out-of-game web-based social tools, clothing systems, and PvE game environments. There are also plans to work on item creation, but direct crafting is probably not on the cards"

(pause)

Yeah. Don't hold your breath for this one to come out any time soon.

3) The board game based on the comic game based on the movie based on the comic book..

Wow. That's a mouthful. But that's what Cryptozoic's Arkham City: Escape board game is. One player controls all of the Bat's close friends and confidants (or in otherwords, all the loonies locked up in Arkham Asylum).. and the other player of course plays Batman. Low, scratchy growly voice hopefully optional. The baddies try to escape, Batman tries to beat people up, well you know how it goes. Batman is always trying to beat people up.

4) The XCOM Game that was XCOM then wasn't XCOM is now XCOM again as a prequel to XCOM

(Note to self: FIRE my Funspot headline writer. Wait, that's me? Nevermind).

Well once again, it is what it is. The XCOM game that gamers hated because you know, it wasn't XCOM, then was shelved because another XCOM came out that was actually XCOM, is now renamed as prequel to XCOM. It's going to be called The Bureau: XCOM Declassified and serve as the origin story for the modern XCOM initiative in the XCOM TBS game. Apparently you'll have a squad of agents who slowly find out that the biggest problem of the Kennedy Administration isn't the Reds, it's the Greys.

5) Don't expect huge news out of Nintendo at E3

One of the traditional post-E3 press games is "Who had the best press conference" This year, probably wisely, Nintendo is staying OUT of this race, as they will not have the big press debuts that Sony and Microsoft will have (instead focusing more on small directed playable gettogethers). Let's put it this way, the Wii U has some distance to go until it is just merely disappointing, and with the behemoths both having new shiny consoles with ubergraphics and wow moments galore, there's probably no way that Nintendo wouldn't be blown out of the water.