By chance, a whole bunch of industry-related posts landed in our newsroom this week. Well, not entirely by chance; our tipsters showered us in VR links in particular. We’ve rounded everything up for a quick look at what’s going on in the depths of the game industry’s moneybags.
- USA Today mocks VR, pointing out that devices’ game offerings are still weak and running down all the big platforms.
- AMC, however, is all in on virtual reality — in movie theaters.
- Intel’s Project Alloy VR headset is dead before it began, without much explanation. “Project Alloy served as a great proof of concept for Intel and the industry – showing what’s possible in a high-performance, immersive and untethered VR experience,” the company reportedly said. “What we’ve learned through Project Alloy will inform future efforts.”
- Want to feel creeped out? Goldman Sachs is poking around in digital gaming, paying attention to mobile, business models, and e-sports. Spoiler, they looooooove how the gaming business model is shaping up.
- Gamasutra has a new piece discussing online gaming business models, specifically the pay-to-dress-up model vs. pay-to-win models. (There’s a cynical note about how pay-to-dress-up actually begins as pay-to-win when characters first launch, only to see nerfs later.)
- Bethsoft is still working on its trio of VR ports, including one for Skyrim. What would you think of ESO in VR?
- Pearl Abyss’ recent IPO did well enough that the company gave free phones to everyone in its employ.
- Even car games are getting in on the lootbox action, as Ars Technica reports on Forza Motorsport’s new “prize crates,” which will eventually be sold for real money.
- Remember when Bluehole denied the claim that Tencent had invested in it? It has now confirmed that talks did happen; Tencent aims to publish PUBG in China and buy up a stake of the company. In the interim, Bluehole has set up PUBG Corporation to manage the game, with offices eventually in Korea, USA, Japan, and Europe.
With thanks to Sally, Serrenity, and Leiloni!
