Multiplayer gaming - more players pay-to-frag?

demonWare, the Dublin based multiplayer software company, are working on a few interesting projects:

The project nearest completion - set for an unveiling at the Game
Developers Conference in March - is a middleware-product which will
technical allow more players per game without upgrading server
hardware. This will permit gamers to host larger games from their home
broadband connections.

demonWare are also working on a pay-to-frag system for first person
shooters, early this week they ran a public test in a Dublin internet
café.

Volunteers were allocated Swiftcall call cards, which are been
tested as an optional alternative to credit cards - “(it) examined
how people behaved in a deathmatch situation where each frag won them
40c and each death cost them the same amount”, commented
demonWare’s cofounder Dylan Collins, “Our volunteers were able to
type in the PIN and top up their account to that value. The whole thing
went reasonably well and we gained a lot of really useful
information”.

Collins, mindful of the problems when introducing money to gaming,
stated “There’s certainly huge potential there but you have to
consider a lot of different aspects like balanced matchmaking, heating,
payment, camping, different game types etc. even when you’re only
focusing on certain technical aspects of it. Saying that, we are very
excited by it and see some very interesting opportunities opening up,
particularly on the console front”.

Cian Ginty

Upstart backs Konami’s worldwide mobile expansion

Dublin-based mobile games developer Upstart Games has signed a distribution and redesign deal with Konami Online.

The deal will see Upstart distribution and redesign Konami’s games
for mobile phones in European, Asian, and the US. Konami has already
placed 200 games on Japanese market, however Upstart were need because
of differences in Japanese to other worldwide types of mobile phones.

The first part of the deal includes providing Konami’s games, such
as the classic Frogger, to ATT Wireless’ US mMode service priced
at 4.99 USD per download.

Konami Online’s President Mariko Hayashi, commented “Konami Online
is pleased to be working with Upstart Games. We chose to work with
Upstart as they demonstrated a strong understanding of Konami’s core
values and brand heritage, while delivering strong results from a
technical perspective.”

Source: Konami Upstart Games press releases.

http://upstartgames.com/
http://www.konami.com/

Cian Ginty