Author: sick skills

Take-Two Interactive gave financial results for its latest quarter to investors today, and despite reporting a loss the company seems optimistic enough about its future to raise its revenue projections for the fiscal year.

Notably, one of its top highlights for the quarter was a 66 percent year-over-year increase in net revenue from “recurrent consumer spending” — that is, purchases of DLC, in-game currency, and other microtransactions.

Such transactions accounted for nearly half (48 percent) of Take-Two’s net revenue for the quarter, led by microtransactions in games like NBA 2K17, Grand Theft Auto V and its online component Grand Theft Auto Online.

“Grand Theft Auto Online delivered its best quarter yet, Net Bookings from Grand Theft Auto V grew year-over-year,” stated Take-Two chief Strauss Zelnick in the earnings release, which also noted that GTA V has “sold in” (that is, sold to retailers) over 85 million copies since its 2013 release.

In terms of numbers, Take-Two reported a (GAAP) loss of $2.7 million in net profits on $443.5 million in net revenues during the three months ending September 30th. That seems a bit less impressive than the same period last year, when the company reported profits of $36.4 million on $420.1 million in net revenues.

Nevertheless, Take-Two is raising its expectations for how much revenue it will pull in this fiscal year even as it lowers its predictions for how much profit it will generate on that revenue. The company now expects to earn a net income of $63 – $91 billion on net revenues of $1.74 – $1.84 billion durings its 2018 fiscal year, which ends next March.

In writing for games, devs are often tempted to put everything onto the page, with all motivations clearly and explicitly stated for the player to understand.

At GDC 2016’s Narrative Summit, game and narrative designer Mata Haggis took the stage to walk devs through the value of leaving things unsaid when crafting stories for their games.

Citing everything from Shakespeare to Eternal Darkness to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Haggis offered some interespecting perspective on how devs can effectively use unreliable narrators and words unspoken — without slipping into hackneyed tropes.

It was a fascinating talk, and well worth a watch if you missed it in person last year. Luckily, you can now watch Haggis’ talk for free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!

Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.

Location: Novato, California

Toys for Bob is looking for a qualified Generalist Software Engineer with Unreal Engine 4 experience to join our team in creating the next generation in our history of award-winning, best-selling games.

This individual will be responsible for providing guidance to other engineers and to content creators on best practices working with the Unreal Engine.  This role requires a strong focus on communication and collaboration with others.  As time progresses, you can expect your role to evolve from being support oriented into being more feature development oriented.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Implementation of software in C++ and other languages.
• User support for the Unreal tool suite.
• Architect and design software systems through collaboration with engineers, designers and artists.
• Participate in design and code reviews.
• Support and educate other engineers on available Unreal features.
• Follow and enforce group standards and best practices.
• Continually expand knowledge of new game technologies and systems.

Essential experience to be considered for this role

• Developed and shipped at least one Unreal Engine based game from start to finish.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience working with Unreal Engine 4

Additional skills & experience we’re looking for

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or other relevant discipline or equivalent experience.
• 5 years’ minimum software engineering experience
• Strong C++ skills
• Ability to analyze, improve and extend a large established code base
• Excellent debugging skills within a networked environment

• Actively voices ideas and opinions to the team in a constructive manner
• Takes available opportunities to help and support team members
• Communicates clearly and responsively project-wide
• Coordinates work between multiple people, crossing discipline boundaries
• Coaches less-experienced engineers to assist them in skill development
• Empathizes with the users of their systems and workflows
• Strong written communication skills
• Ability to resolve conflicts in an effective manner

Toys For Bob is one of the longest-lived game studios in the world.  We founded the company in 1989 and have developed a wide variety of successful games on virtually every platform. Most recently we reinvented the world of toys and kids video games by creating the ‘Toys to Life’ genre with Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure.  We are proud of our game’s innovation and success, but more so the passion and joy we see in the millions of Skylanders fans around the world.  Our studio is located in Novato, California, a quick 20-minute drive north from the Golden Gate Bridge.  We are a mix of game-industry veterans, energetic new developers, and everything in-between.  We work hard, yet maintain a fun and laid-back workplace complete with Tiki/Pirate Culture and a welcoming policy for friendly dogs.

Interested? Apply now.

Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.

Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.

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