The Top 10 Game Industry Disasters of 2013
03. Microsoft Xbox One
While it may seem odd that the Xbox One makes the list of disasters -- and that it scores so high a place on the list coming in at third -- but if you had been at E3 last year and sat through the unmitigated and horrific disaster that unfolded over those four days you would fully understand it.
It basically started on Day 0 - the day before the official E3 opens its doors, that being the day that the big publishers and game companies hold their press events. And at the Microsoft Press Event the big names in the game division appeared to be confirming a long list of worse-case-scenario decisions.
A universal DRM that required an always-on Internet connection. No used games. Phasing out traditional game media in favor of digital downloads. Kinect required and no way to turn the thing off if you want to play games - which meant it was always listening and always watching you.
Not only that but the new Kinect has a new range of sensors in it that not only monitors a room but can identify and track gamer identities! It was said to monitor and apparently record gamer health stats like heartbeat and body heat distribution?!The One was a marketing geeks dream device, because it not only tracks gamer play habits but also keeps track of their TV and Movie selections, detecting who is in the room thanks to its bio-ID capabilities and making note of that.
That was the word coming out of Microsoft on Day 0 -- but then Sony hove into view and, at its Press Event, fired broadside after broadside at Microsoft's hull: Used Games? Always had 'em, always will! DRM? Why bother? You don't like the camera and mic? Turn it off, we don't care!
Every bad element that Microsoft seemed to be heaping onto its gamer community Sony was doing the opposite. When the price announcements officially confirmed that the Xbox One would cost $100 more than the PS4, well, that is when the blood started to flow.
Things only got more interesting as E3 progressed and by the close of Day 2 the official word is that all of the items on the list that were discussed at the Press Event for the Xbox One were just considered ideas, not carved in stone. Well, all except the online DRM. The following (and last) day of E3 began with a bang when Microsoft's people revealed that even the online DRM requirement was not really an established fact. Really!
Over the course of last summer Microsoft waffled back and forth on the issues, one week it was one position, the next a different one, until the only conclusion that was reasonable was that the entire Xbox One announce had been a disaster and gamers would simply have to wait until the official launch in November to see what was and was not to be included!
Happily enough when the One finally did launch, with the exception of some of the Kinect issues, it was largely the same as its older brother the Xbox 360 in terms of restrictions and requirements.
Still it would not be fair to say that Microsoft dodged a bullet last November, because when you point the gun at your own head and pull the trigger that is not called 'dodging a bullet' it is called 'missing your target.'
DRM should be a crime. Publishers need to realize that ownership is what capitalism is all about. People move, have friends, share with their friends, and PC's and consoles die. Hard drives crash. No one should be punished for having to deal with an already horrible situation, ie: catastrophic HD failure.
DRM also creates more piracy that it stops.
I personally was sad to hear about the loss of THQ.
But thankful that the Warhammer franchise was bought over. For all of their terrible games, their Dawn of War and Space Marine IPs were solid, fantastic games!
Will Sims freeplay be a contender for 2014 given the uproar of their new update? Should be its been bsit and switch. A real time game where sims live 42 days! Disgraceful.
"The fact that the vast majority of the content that was being targeted legally qualifies as fair use under the current interpretation of the law considered"
That's where a lot of people have a misunderstanding about Fair Use. Their vids might be seen as Fair Use but ONLY a court of law can make that decision no one else can. Also Youtube isn't at fault here, they are doing only what the law says. If someone files a copyright claim against a vid Youtube has to take it down or they may face legal action from the content owner.
Youtube has been sued multiple times by companies and other people over copyright infringement. Youtube was actually going to shut down do to all the legal troubles until Google bought them.
I took a gamecube to Iraq as well. Eternal Darkness was the kind of thing that made war seem not so bad.
Considering the Steam OS, I personally think that was a very big announcement from Valve and as you can see, lots of game developers thought the same.
Linux is going to be the future, like it or not.
Great list. On a positive note for us non multiplayers The Last of Us single handedly saved the single player game 2013.
Who cares about THQ. In the long run something else will fill the void. And the Xbox one is hardly a failure as they are still selling strong and making microsoft money. They told us before that it will be a gaming system AND a multimedia system. People just need to understand that.