Editor's Warning: The following information contains not only information about Macintosh industry news and information, but also information about MS-DOS, 3D0, Genesis, etc. Readers who get squeamish when reading about other non-Mac platforms should skip this section.
• Aye, you’ve been hearing me speak of video games and sales and sad-times for some months. However, after watching early sales figures for this holiday buying season, I’m gonna wager that just over 5 million video game units’ll move into homes before the end of the year. Helping the pack is the Sega 32X, which really provides the only upgrade path from 16-bit to 32-bit functionality. However, the number of titles are somewhat lacking. Still, the SNES and Genesis units remain a good value. We’ll see . . .
• According to 3DO, they’re really starting to gain ground in the electronic entertainment market. They now claim more than 500,000 units have been sold worldwide. Also, ‘cause of the heat the company received when they raised their royalty rate to $6 per title, 3DO has now reduced their Market Development Fund surcharge to $1 per unit through the remainder of 1995 and then it’ll climb to $3 per unit starting in 1996. Hmmm, a temporary Band-Aid, but the price still goes up in the long haul. We’ll see what developer reaction is to this announcement.
• New, even stronger distribution services have been acquired by Acclaim. VIDCO International & Associates will provide everything from time sensitive pick and pack deliveries, direct-to-store, air express, ground transportation and traffic management of goods, customized order processing and warehousing, point-of-purchase materials and electronic retail communications. The agreement also provides Acclaim with “preferred client” status.
• Those in a quandary that cannot decide between a DOS or Windows multimedia system OR a Macintosh multimedia system, p’raps it’d be wise to hang on for a bit. Coming this January is Apple’s new DOS Compatibility Card that’ll pack a 486/66 MHz CPU. The company is also going to debut their Power Macintosh 6100 “DOS Compatible” system at the same time. The SRP for the former is gonna be just under $700, while the latter, complete system that’ll run BOTH Macintosh and DOS/Windows program (at decent speed!) is going to be just under $2,500.
• Speaking of Apple, here’s some more info on that company’s move into the electronic entertainment market. As you know, Apple has joined with Japan’s largest toy maker, Bandai Co. Ltd. Any parent can tell you about the success of the latter’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Now, Bandai has been granted a license to use a particular version of the Macintosh operating system for use in a new game player that is code-named “Pippin,” which uses Macintosh computer technology and a PowerPC CPU. When connected to a television set, Pippin’ll be able to run CD-ROM titles you already see on the Mac. The SRP will be around $500 and this unit should release in time for the Christmas buying season in 1995. Only minor modifications to current Mac titles would be needed to run them on the Pippin.
• Atari is definitely on the move-they’ve now signed an agreement for virtual reality systems with English-based Virtuality Group. These titles will be targeted at the home consumer.
• Michael Crichton is one of the world’s most successful authors, screenwriters, and all-around super creative person. Seems as though his Westworld(TM) novel and movie have been the target of a license acquisition by Byron Preiss Multimedia Company. They are going to create a interactive multimedia game based on this science fiction film that many consider a classic after they successfully obtained a license from Turner Publishing, Inc., for such rights. We look forward, with much anticipation, to the end-result, which will allegedly offer multiplayer capabilities and will be released on PC CD-ROM!
• Electronic Arts stock is heading up-rumors running rampant throughout the industry that a “super media colossus” is going to invest in the company. P’raps the rumors are actually founded in concrete truth! Electronic Arts and Capital Cities/ABC are going to combine forces to produce video titles based on the latter’s TV shows. The new titles will be carried under the ABC/EA Home Software label. This new venture will be shared equally by both companies, with financial contributions estimated to be around $30 million by both firms. Look for the first titles in December of next year.
• GameTek has hired the former senior vice president of Capcom U.S.A. as their new senior vice president of Sales and Marketing. Yep, it’s none other than Joseph P. Morici. We wish him well with his new company.
• Thousands of vendors are jumping into communication pipelines with both feet. One of the latest is MCI Communications who will intro their InternetMCI services next year. This offering will feature a browser, high speed connection nodes and a shopping mall. Starting prices are expected to be less than $50.
• Yep, it’s true! Matsushita Electric Industrial company is going to use the PowerPC CPU in the company’s next 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Systems. Look for this 64-bit machine to be released just in time for the holiday season next year.
• As expected, Donkey Kong Country title sales are going crazy! Nintendo has stated that the first week sales grossed them over $30 million. That’s more than 1/2 million units sold during the Thanksgiving holiday. If these sales stay on course, Donkey Kong Country could become the highest selling game ever produced, outdistancing Super Mario Brothers 3, which managed some 9 million in sales. Some retailers are already reporting shortages of the new Nintendo cart.
However, all is not good news for Nintendo. The award of over $208 million to now-defunct Alpex Computer Corporation has been upheld. The award was made when Nintendo was accused of violating a video-game patent held by the latter firm in better days. The money will go directly to the creditors of Alpex. Look for an immediate appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals by Nintendo.
• CD-i is not cooking as well as Philips Electronics NV had hoped. These compact interactive disc players simply aren’t reaching the target of 1 million units sold in 1994. The company states they’ve sold about 850K right now, with 60K sold in the Netherlands alone. As it is, CD-i equals only about two percent of the total multimedia hardware market. However, we feel that the inclusion of new CD-i add-on boards for computer systems will certainly boost sales of the software, so there’s encouraging news for CD-i developers. Two new titles that are making their way onto retailer shelves include TV Guide Multimedia Crosswords and Disney’s Animated Storybook: The Lion King.
Additionally, to help boost their platform, Philips is going to release the CD-i/Playback Board for an SRP of just under $1,000. When used with a Philips CM208 CD-ROM drive, any 386SX/16MHz or better PC will be able to run CD-i discs. The board will plug into the AT Bus slot.
• Hang on, Wing Commander fans . . .Wing Commander III launched from Origin. The hype has been phenomenal . . .over $3 million spent in its production, a true, cinematic title . . .with high hopes, we all await the product to see if the finished material is as good as the company’s public relations and marketing departments.
• One of the most popular football sims used to be distributed and supported by Broderbund Software. That ended a year ago. Then the developer of the game came forward and purchased the rights to his program. That is none other than Brian Brinkmann and Playmaker Football for the Macintosh. December 16th. is the date for the on-line keyware version (Version 2.1) to be released, with retail distribution coming soon after. The new Playmaker Football incorporates the NFL’s 1994 rule changes, including the two-point conversion, kick-offs from the 30 yard line, a 40-second play clock and the ball placed at the spot of a field goal try after a missed attempt. The AI has also been improved. The new product will be available for download via most on-line services. The keynumber will be available through a 24-hour, toll-free number and American Express, Visa and MasterCard will be accepted. The keynumber will also be available through e-mail and regular mail. Version 2.1 will be compatible with all Mac system software from version 6.0.7 and up, including compatibility with AV Macs and PowerMacs. The company has plans to develop Jim Jackson’s Playmaker Baseball for release in the summer of next year. Ed Trice’s BlackJack Deluxe v.2.0 will also be available soon.
• The USA’s largest cable company, Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) has inked a deal with Microsoft Corporation whereby the former will acquire around 20 percent equity stake in the latter’s new online service, Marvel. You’re gonna see a whole bunch more of this communications/software developer unions as time goes on.
• Packard Bell Electronics has been sued by Compaq Computer after the latter accused the former of patent infringement in the construction of notebook and desktop computers. The suit relates to graphics systems to power-conservation technology.
• Prodigy has to downsize . . .that’s twice in two years. This time about 100 folk’ll have to find new jobs, leaving around 600 left to keep the on-line service pumping along. The company is also going to start looking for publishers to provide content to the service, instead of producing its own material.
• No one can stay away from the interactive software market! Now The Walt Disney Company has decided to start a new software unit that’ll produce titles based on their own films. The focus will be on SNES and Genesis games and edutainment titles. Look for much to made from the company’s The Lion King movie.
• Aye, there can be little doubt in anyone’s alleged mind that Magic: The Gathering from Wizards of the Coast is one of the absolute, most successful fantasy games ever created! Why, the company is racking up sales of over five million cards already, and the game has only been available for about a year or so! (I know I’ve spent a small fortune on the basic set and literally thousands of expansion set cards, from Antiquities to The Dark to Fallen Empires.) You already know that MicroProse is creating the PC CD-ROM version of the game which will contain not only the stand-alone but the online version (being created by Simutronics) code as well. Now comes word that Acclaim Comics, Inc. has obtained exclusive rights from Wizards of the Coast to create comic books based upon this hit trading card game. Look for these new titles to debut in March of 1995.
The company has also acquired Iguana Entertainment, Inc., who have been involved in interactive entertainment software development. Their past successful titles have included NBA Jam, NFL Quarterback Club and NBA Jam Tournament Edition. After the acquisition has been completed, Iguana will maintain their offices in Texas and the United Kingdom.
• If you get into the new Star Trek: Voyager series that premiered on Monday, January 16th, and are also a net-cruiser, you’ll want to know about about http://voyager.paramount.com. Yep, this is the site you can delve into via the Internet that’ll enable you to glom onto over 150 screens dealing with the new Star Trek Voyager series. See you there!
• One comic I used to collect each and every month, including its offshoot titles, was Judge Dread from Britain. Now Acclaim is going to produce a game based on this title that’ll release at the same time as the motion picture! The game will pop this summer for SNES and Genesis just in time for the Stalone movie.
• The push is certainly on as more and more entertainment companies decided the CD-ROM entertainment market is the way to carve chunks of consumer bucks their way. Time Warner has decided to invest around $10 million in Accolade for a 35 percent interest of that company. The new division will be called WarnerActive. Watch for electronic entertainments that combine music and graphics, many based on the Warner Music library.
• The clones are on the march. This may not seem to be much of a radical statement when you consider there have been IBM PC clones for (seemingly) decades. But when you mention Apple in the same breath as clone, you normally become susceptible to that shake-of-the-head, double-take. My friends, it’s true! Power Computing, a small start-up company based in Milpitas, CA, has signed a licensing agreement with Apple to produce Mac clones that’ll powered by the PowerPC CPU and use the Macintosh operating system. Look for their first products in March of this year.
Known by users as “emptyWorld,” Apple’s online service eWorld has finally decided to lower their pricing. And about time, as well! When you have little to attract consumers, the wise marketing individual will see what less cost can do to further appeal. The new price is $2.95 per hour and for the $8.95 monthly charge, users get four hours of use.
• 7th Level has much to crow about! The company has now shipped more than 50K units since their Monty Python’s Complete Waste of Time(TM) shipped in early October. What’s really great is that this title has earned a number of “BEST” reviews. But I’m also extremely excited to learn that the company has signed a letter of agreement with author Raymond E. Feist to produce entertainments based upon his epic science-fiction epic, “Riftwar Saga,” as well as the sequel to one of the best-selling fantasy role-playing games ever produced, Betrayal at Krondor. If you’ll recall, the original publisher and developer was Dynamix, but they lost the license and 7th Level stepped up to the plate. Watch for this title to really blaze new trails in FRPG’ing.
• No longer leading Borland is Phillippe Kahn, who founded the software company. He has resigned after being the target of much criticism in the way the company was being managed. THe new president and director is Gary Wetsel. Kahn is going to remain as chairman of the board.
• Delays in product releases are significant-perhaps a company has bitten off more than it can chew . . .perhaps the product development was based on initial response to its tech specs and can no longer meet expectations . . .whatever! Such happenings usually result in a negative for the company involved. And such could be the case for AT&T Microelectronics who have delayed the intro of their MPEG-2 video decompression chip. They claim this is because the set-tops that would use this chip simply won’t be available for quite some time to come. Others feel that perhaps second thoughts have delayed the funding for the project. Time will tell.
• And speaking of AT&T, news has been received that it looks like the Ziff-Davis Communication Company online service called Interchange will become part and parcel of the telephony institution. The price tag is around $50 million, about half of what the Ziff brothers originally wanted for this service.
• Life certainly is grand when your company does well. Whether the fantastic results can be credited to actual product, or amazingly rich rumors, the end-result is usually the same for public companies-your stock rises! Such is the case for Broderbund Software, whose net income has jumped to $11.6 million. One reason for the high sales is the success of the CD-ROM version release of the company’s extremely popular Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? computer game. The quarter ending November 30th boasted income of $6.2 million. Heady stuff!
• And another company is ready to deliver product for the burgeoning MPEG market. This time, it’s LSI Logic Corporation of Milpitas, California. Their MPEG-2 video compression chip set for direct-broadcast satellite systems and digital cable providers is already under development. Join the crowd.
• Maris Multimedia has acquired a great, new Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Arriving at the new subsidiary offices of Maris in San Rafael, CA, the new exec. is Jeneane Harter. Formerly, Jeneane was the Director of Marketing Communications for Mindscape (formerly The Software Toolworks). Good luck!
• When earnings are lower than expected, companies must blame someone or something! In the case of Marvel Entertainment Group, their trading card sales slipped thanks to the rotten timing of professional sports deciding they would rather strike than play ball. The company states their share earnings’ll be around 60 cents a share, rather than the previously projected 70 cents a share. The company is able to pull in just about $300 each year from its card sales.
• Wherever Microsoft decides to hang its hat, rest assured other caps follow. The company is emphasizing its commitment to entertainment with Microsoft Baseball (developed in association with Stormfront Studios of San Rafael, CA) as well as PlayerNet. The latter enables gamers to use modems and phone lines to game against each other using their PCs. Also look for a super flight sim and an action game on their list of hot, action titles to release this year.
• Moving can be such a pain in the fleshy part of one’s backside. Moving your home is bad enough, but when you change jobs as well, the stress can be absolutely horrendous. Now taking a change of roles and moving from Mindscape to Time Warner Interactive is none other than Tracy Egan, the company’s new Public Relations Manager. We wish you well!
• There’s big bucks in them thar video games . . .even the 16-bit puppies! Info from Nintendo reveals the company sold one million units of Donkey Kong Country in the two weeks after Thanksgiving. Now we learn that over 2.1 million copies have been sold, to date, within the United States alone! This graphically-pleasing game is sooooo popular you can expect a television series to air, starting in September of next year. Also, the video game machine that created the Nintendo powerhouse, the NES, will no longer be actively sold. With almost 60 million of these puppies sold worldwide since its debut in 1985, the NES lead the way to today’s exciting video game offerings. Farewell, fine friend. And, check this out-Nintendo has joined with GTE Interactive to produce and distribute video games, eventually via telephone lines and into interactive television sets.
• Investing overseas can be a tricky business. But there’s nothing holding up Time Warner, U.S. West and Toshiba from joint development discussions centered upon investment in a cable system for Japan. Rumor has it that the amount of money being bantered about is in the realm of $400 million. That’s certainly a lot of money, but consider the ROI-if successful!
