Capcom has been notorious for its boxart screwups in recent years. There was the “Resident Evil: Revelaitons” spelling error. And don’t forget the IGN watermark on Okami Wii’s box!
But Capcom isn’t alone. Other companies mess up boxarts as well – like Namco Bandai. The publisher is just a week away from launching Naruto Powerful Shippuden, though appears to have incorrectly spelled the game’s title.
Take a look at a photo of the 3DS box:
Something tells me that Namco Bandai meant “Naruto”…
A majority of THQ’s most-popular IPs have found new homes. There are some franchises, however, that have yet to be auctioned off.
By mid-May, THQ hopes to complete the bidding and sale process of numerous IPs that remain such as Darksiders and Red Faction.
Here’s the full listing:
- Darksiders;
- Red Faction;
- Homeworld;
- MX;
- Other Owned Software, including Big Beach Sports, Destroy All Humans!, Summoner, and more; and
- Other Licensed Software, including Marvel Super Hero, Supreme Commander, Worms, and more.
Initial bids are required to be submitted before April 1, while final bids are due by April 15. THQ says it will “determine the best and highest bid for each lot and designate a back-up bid. In May, the sales will be presented to the Court for final approval.”
THQ expects “a vigorous sale” of its various IP as it “has received more than 100 expressions of interest in purchasing various titles”.
Source: THQ PR
Ubisoft decided to delay the Wii U version of Rayman Legends so that it could launch the game alongside the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. However, it won’t be sitting in a corner somewhere – the team will be using the extra time to improve the experience.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot suggested that Legends could see an increase in the amount of bosses and hinted at further social features:
“What’s very important to consider is that, when a team has more time, they are able to continue to improve the quality of the game. When we saw we had more time, we saw all of the possibilities. Some of the possibilities are the social features that we are seeing today, but also new bosses, new possibilities that will take the game to a level that people will love.”
Rayman Legends is now scheduled to launch in September. The Wii U version would have been out today, had Ubisoft not pushed back its release.
Nintendo is publishing LEGO City: Undercover even though it isn’t being made internally. But while the Big N is tied to the game, the company mainly allowed developer TT Fusion to do its own thing without interfering.
Know that Nintendo wasn’t out of the picture completely. TT Fusion shared Undercover’s script and other elements, and Nintendo actually suggested that the team include references and cameos.
According to executive proudcer Loz Doyle:
“We were sharing information with them, the script and everything went to them to look at, and they were always keen to have a look at the game and let us know what they thought. They pretty much left us to it to develop the game, and only flagged things up if they thought there was a major problem, but on the whole they acknowledged the fact that we know how to make a LEGO game better than they do. So they were quite happy for us to make it. Nintendo cameo ideas came from them, as they suggested getting some of those references in there; which we obviously lapped up. Overall they were not that intrusive, but hands on in terms of getting the game to its finished state.”
LEGO City: Undercover is being made by TT Fusion as opposed to the main TT Knutsford team. Undercover is Fusion’s first real shot at a console game.
Executive producer Loz Doyle explained the relationship between the two teams while speaking with Eurogamer:
“I think it’s fair to say that a lot of the guys here are very keen to work on consoles. At the same time, we do share the technology, so the engine was done in Knutsford. The cutscene team is shared. There’s quite a lot of crossover really. It feels like a team effort.”
Believe it or not, LEGO City: Undercover has been in the works for three years. Numerous prototypes – including one involving a Sim City-esque construction element – were considered when work began in 2010, and at that point, Nintendo wasn’t in the picture. The Big N approached the team in 2011, which was when Undercover started to round into form.
“That’s when Nintendo came to see us. They brought the Wii U with them, with the new game pad. We could instantly see it was a perfect match. All the design guys were like ‘Oh my god, the things we can do with this’. It just seemed to fit perfectly.”
