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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Mark Jacobs returns to the gaming industry with City State Entertainment]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/mark-jacobs-returns-to-the-gaming-industry-with-city-state-enter/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/mark-jacobs-returns-to-the-gaming-industry-with-city-state-enter/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/mark-jacobs-returns-to-the-gaming-industry-with-city-state-enter/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/misc/" rel="tag">Miscellaneous</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/mark-jacobs-returns-to-the-gaming-industry-with-city-state-enter/"><img alt="City State group pic" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/09/citystate-rb-930.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px;" /></a></div>
If you've been around the MMO scene for a while, you'll remember <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/mark-jacobs">Mark Jacobs</a> as the co-founder of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/mythic-entertainment/">Mythic Entertainment</a> and the force behind <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/dark-age-of-camelot/"><em>Dark Age of Camelot</em></a> and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/warhammer-online"><em>Warhammer Online</em></a>.<br />
<br />
He's been out of the gaming industry since his <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/24/mythics-mark-jacobs-leaves-ea/">departure from EA</a>, but according to an exclusive interview with Forbes.com, he's back with a new company. "Jacobs revealed that his new company is called City State Entertainment, and [...] the company aims to create games for the mobile, tablet and social networking space," says Forbes.com's Tracey John.<br />
<br />
Mark tells Forbes that social game development allows for a faster development cycle and lower costs, which equals more freedom to simply have fun making games. "We don't have to worry if the hardcore gamers are going to get incredibly upset because we're doing something a certain way. We don't have to worry if our game is going to sell another 20 copies. We're just looking to make fun, enjoyable games."<br />
<br />
Check out the full interview at Forbes.com<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/mark-jacobs-returns-to-the-gaming-industry-with-city-state-enter/">Mark Jacobs returns to the gaming industry with City State Entertainment</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/mark-jacobs-returns-to-the-gaming-industry-with-city-state-enter/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20070570/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/30/mark-jacobs-returns-to-the-gaming-industry-with-city-state-enter/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>city-state-entertainment</category><category>daoc</category><category>dark-age-of-camelot</category><category>forbes</category><category>forbes.com</category><category>mark-jacobs</category><category>mobile-gaming</category><category>mythic</category><category>social-gaming</category><category>tablet-games</category><category>war</category><category>Warhammer-Online</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rubi Bayer]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[World of Warcraft is for "hardcore" young male gamers]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/22/world-of-warcraft-is-for-hardcore-young-male-gamers/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/22/world-of-warcraft-is-for-hardcore-young-male-gamers/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/22/world-of-warcraft-is-for-hardcore-young-male-gamers/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/world-of-warcraft/" rel="tag">World of Warcraft</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/business-models/" rel="tag">Business models</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/humor/" rel="tag">Humor</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/17/marvel-universe-online-gaming-business-media-gazillion.html?partner=yahootix"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/03/hardcorewow.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
Yes. That's right. The most accessible MMO is too hardcore for the standard audience, according to <a href="http://www.forbes.com">Forbes.com</a> and Rob Hutter of the recently unveiled <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/netdevil-acquired-by-gazillion-entertainment-last-july/">Gazillion Entertainment</a>. In a recent interview with Hutter, he was quoted as saying that the MMO market could expand outside of "targeting the hardcore gamer demographic," using <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com"><em>World of Warcraft</em></a> as his main example.<br /><br />Forbes.com <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/17/marvel-universe-online-gaming-business-media-gazillion.html?partner=yahootix">paraphrased him as saying</a>, "...Most people unaccustomed to MMOs might be intimidated by complex games like '<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/world-of-warcraft"><em>Warcraft</em></a>,' Hutter says trends in technology suggest the audience for simple, well-designed games will grow quickly. The runaway success of <a href="http://www.nintendo.com">Nintendo's Wii</a> proved virgin gamers will try new titles if they are easy to play, while the boom in social networks like Facebook suggests people of all ages are looking for new ways to interact online, he says."<br /><br />While we understand what he's getting at and can appreciate trying to target gamers outside of the main demographic, we think he might need to pick a better example next time. <em>WoW</em> can be intimidating for first time users, but <a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-world-of-warcraft-too-easy.html">something must have clicked</a> with the <a href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/world-of-warcraft-keep-it-casual.html">non-hardcore gaming crowd</a> as many of them have stuck around in Azeroth. Unless, of course, all 11 million of the <em>World of Warcraft</em> subscribers have suddenly become<a href="http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/5-hardcore-gaming-rooms-you-dont-want-to-sleep-in"> hardcore male gaming nerds</a>, and those newbies in our guilds are simply the stuff of illusion.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://syncaine.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/forbes-says-wow-is-hardcore/">Hardcore Casual</a>]<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/22/world-of-warcraft-is-for-hardcore-young-male-gamers/">World of Warcraft is for "hardcore" young male gamers</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/17/marvel-universe-online-gaming-business-media-gazillion.html?partner=yahootix>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/22/world-of-warcraft-is-for-hardcore-young-male-gamers/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1494369/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/22/world-of-warcraft-is-for-hardcore-young-male-gamers/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>casual</category><category>complex</category><category>forbes.com</category><category>gazillion-entertainment</category><category>hard</category><category>hardcore</category><category>nintendo</category><category>raiding</category><category>rob-hutter</category><category>social-network</category><category>wii</category><category>world-of-warcraft</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
