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GDC Canada 2010: Day 1

The feedback on the day's events

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Also on the floor were Radical Entertainment and Relic Games. Radical was showcasing their latest work, Prototype. While they could not reveal what was their next project, another major open-world title was hinted at. A new IP, or perhaps Prototype 2? We might have to wait till E3 to find out. Relic Games, meanwhile, were showcasing their current project from the Warhammer 40k universe, Space Marine. The title is a step in the new direction for the developer, as it is a third person action game rather than a strategy title.
 
From then, I attended the last (and busiest) event of the day, a discussion panel in regards to the current state of console gaming. Moderated by Howard Donaldson from Disney Interactive, the panel included Adel Chaveleh from TimeGate, Dan Tudge from Propaganda Games, Kelly Zmak as independent member, and Dan Winters from Activision Blizzard. The panel was presented with questions by Howard, and everyone went on to discuss their thoughts on various questions. The panel was in agreement that the console gaming market has seen a lot of competition from the online Social entertainment, but it is in no danger because of it. As long as the console market is able to adjust and evolve together with consumer demand, the panel believed that Social and Online media will be able to co-exist and integrate peacefully into the market. While digital titles are becoming more relevant on PC, shelf space for console products is unlikely to shrink any time soon. Ideas were presented that in today’s world, AAA titles must make over $2.8 million to break even with development costs, while lower end titles require $1.5 million. It was also agreed that the top 20 best selling titles were primarily major franchise sequels with average review scores over 85%, while the rest of the games on the market were averaging at scores below 75%.
 
screenshot
 
The panel discusses their thoughts
 
The panel also discussed the focus of developers to move away from the traditional requirements of 15 hour single player experiences, shortening the standard to 5-8 hours while adding various multiplayer and co-op features. The current mindset of studious is to compensate for the shortness of single player by providing the consumers with new and highly replayable multiplayer modes and social features. It was emphasized that to make a successful title, you need more than a great game – the marketing and development departments must be integrated, allowing the marketing direct access to assets that they may use to promote the title before and, more importantly, after release. It was agreed by the panel that at the end of the day, businesses are here to make money, so there is a trend to battle used games sales and piracy by offering DLC and other downloadable content (both free and paid).
 
The first day at the GDC Canada conference was a busy one, with a significant amount of people hovering around the conference center, filtering in and out of meeting rooms. The final attendance numbers will likely be released shortly after the conference concludes, but the organizers are confident that they will beat last year’s 800 or so attendees. Day 2 looks to be just as exciting as the first, with the focus of lectures shifting to the Game Career Seminar, which aims to provide new members of the industry with tips and advice on making Game Development their career.
 
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#1 May 7, 2010 03:39:55 (May 7, 2010 03:39)

nutcrackr
Sounds interesting, certainly we can see developers move away from the 15 hour long games and provide a multiplayer atternative instead. I do sometimes want to play a long single player game and some games don't translate to mp too well.
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