Mortal Kombat: Flawless PR Work, But…

Warner Brother Interactive Entertainment’s approach of “we failed the first time, but here is the same thing again but this time we’ll point out how wrong you are” around getting Mortal Kombat classified in Australia hasn’t worked, with MK being refused classification a second time. WBIE then thanked “the thousands of Mortal Kombat fans in … Continue reading →

DCUO: Economics Trumps Cosmetics

A lot of MMO developers don’t get in-game economies. They put them in the game, sure, but they don’t seem to spend a lot of time thinking about what that in-game impact is going to be. This is probably because: Doing in-game economies properly is hard, where most MMOs implement in-game economic frameworks like auction … Continue reading →

John Needham Crosses Universes: From Cryptic to Gazillion

I actually missed the first part of this story since I was travelling: fan favourite pinata Jack Emmert has become Cryptic’s new CEO after John Needham chose “to depart the company to pursue other opportunities within the games industry”. Said opportunities are becoming the CEO of Gazillion. An interesting move, and one that leaves Gazillion … Continue reading →

An Open Letter To WBIE re. Mortal Kombat

Dear Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, I have noted with interest your reactions to the recent news that Mortal Kombat has been refused classification in Australia. It probably wasn’t a surprise to you in the slightest; there was a pretty high potential for a game with slo-mo bone breaking and a focus on brutal finishing moves … Continue reading →