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Is Apple Pulling an Activision?

Original-Gamer.com: "Being the gamer that I am, I tried to think of a company that is acting like Apple right now. Then it hit me: Activision. Activision's whole focus for the year is Call of Duty. Every year they've released a new version with the slight upgrades to the gameplay and visuals without truly overhauling the system. Is it a better game? Yes. Is it a new experience? Nope."

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original-gamer.com
AznGaara4971d ago (Edited 4971d ago )

Here's the thing people don't realize. Apple HAS to come out with a new phone every year because they're the ONLY company manufacturing IOS and OSX devices. Meanwhile OS' like Android and Windows have MULTIPLE manufacturers. Sure Apple comes out with a new phone every year but, Motorola can come out with a new Android phone then a few months later HTC does then a few months later Samsung does. It's all a cycle of competition.

In gaming however, I think yearly installments are really harmful to a series. The improvements become less and less apparent when you go from tittle to tittle. I stopped playing Call of Duty after Black Ops. I had a taste of MW3 and realized it wasn't different enough for me to buy and INVEST my time in. Same thing happened with Assassin's Creed. The reason why AC3 looks so promising is that it was in development for 3 or so years and the team developed new engines etc. that really refreshes the series.

Point: Technology evolves day by day and creating a game isn't as easy as finding the newest CPU/GPU/etc. and slapping it into a device. A game is a collection of ideas displayed in an interactive form and if you don't give those ideas time to develop then the end result is something similar, which isn't bad, but nothing awe-inspiring.

schlanz4971d ago

You're going at it too literally.

It's still a fair comparison. Apple is known for incremental upgrades from one phone to the next, with a rabid fanbase who will follow from one iteration to the next, even when the competition has more to offer.

It's as mainstream as it gets.

Chitown712914971d ago

What exactly is the competition doing thats so much better than Apple?!?

BitbyDeath4971d ago (Edited 4971d ago )

"What exactly is the competition doing thats so much better than Apple?!?"

http://1.androidauthority.c...

Chitown712914971d ago

A bunch of gimick controls is the best you have? Come on dude, and dont throw specs around because every one basically knows, Apple makes some of the most optimized hardware on the market.

Chitown712914971d ago

I mean really the way I feel , you cant go wrong either way. Rather you get an iPhone 5 or a Galaxy S3. But Droid fanboys are getting incredibly annoying with this whole "Apple sucks movement"

wsoutlaw874971d ago

If apple wasn't improving and android was so innovative then they wouldn't even be close any more but in truth despite fanboy bs they are very similar. I dont understand how samsung or htc has innovated in any way different than apple. Its all just new cpu, screen, and camera. Fanboys are stupid. When it comes to the sell phone wars the, lets call them tech enthusiasts, want to act as if they know better than the masses and will always swear by which ever is less popular and act like everyone else is "sheep". It makes them feel smarter. They were for the iphone when BB was big, then when it became popular it went to android and now that its popular you can already see them jumping to WP8. Most of the "features" added are gimmicks and will never be used. My gf has a droid and i went iphone because she hated her phone, i like my iphone and havent had any problems. If you like something else thats cool, they're all really the same. People do the same with there hate for cod. We all know its not really worth the money and is the same game that has turned in to some sort of no scope 360 throwing knife kill joke. I defiantly understand not buying it but people go over board with the hate because its so popular. Cod could fade away or we could see it be a solid seller every year like madden and other games. If they like it then good for them.

Burackus4971d ago

@chitown just about everything, i have seen multiple people not know what to do when they get an android after and iphone because there are so so many more options on android

ExCest4971d ago

@ whoever

I have almost immediate control over my Android phone. It isn't locked to consumers like Apple products with their *weak* DRM and easy to break (Jailbreaking) system that they keep on trying to fix. Just having the CPU ready to play around with after a quick root is just freedom. (Except that my Android is a piece of crap and doesn't even compare to my itouch 2nd gen)

Also, Apple products ARE the most optimized. It's just that Android has quickly caught up with project butter and whatnot.

In addition: microSD

schlanz4971d ago

NFC (not concerned with mobile payments, but sharing content and smart tags)
more advanced widgets, floating widgets such as a calculator or video player
in-app voice commands (taking pictures, controlling music, ect)
expandable notifications (wouldn't interest you until you see for yourself how useful this is)
multicolor LED indicator
tap to top
direct call
pan to browse
palm touch to mute/pause

If you really want to see how Samsung is separating itself from the other Android OEMs, you have to check out their hands on with Galaxy Note 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

also @ wsoutlaw, your "people hate popular phones" theory is bunk. The GS3 has sold faster than any phone before it and is nearly universally loved by the android community. It isn't about popularity, its about real, tangible difference between operating systems and what they both offer. Android offers more, plain and simple. Does that make it the best phone for everyone? No. Does that make it the best phone for someone who wants a highly customizable OS? Absolutely.

I remember not to long ago Apple fanboys would troll the hell out of android users. Seems these days they have done a 180 and are extremely defensive. Inferiority complex?

XxWalksOfShamexX4971d ago

Didn't know there are fanboys in the phone industry too. seems there is a fanboy for everything.

MaxXAttaxX4970d ago

Apple has been taking things from Android phones, like the Notifications bar and folders.
iPhone doesn't even have widgets yet...

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 4970d ago
vortis4971d ago

THANK YOU. You get it man.

Gaming is about the celebration of entertainment through creativity.

Activision has removed the creative aspect and replaced it with a factory-quality perfunction to keep the games rolling out on a regular basis just for profit. It's turned a lot of mainstream gaming into a race to the bottom for who can cash in the most before their brand tanks.

I can't wait until the mainstream gaming arena crashes and then only creative minds re-emerge to take control of the reins. Kickstarter, Greenlight and Indiegogo are looking mighty promising right now.

Spinal4971d ago

Totally agree. Some people just dont get this at all. Im using a 4S an pre ordered an iphone 5 reason being not only does it have a better screen an proven to be twice as fast as my phone but it is the first 4G LTE phone in the UK. Its a huge worthy investment for me. And many of the fandroids dont get it at all. Its a huge deal for the UK being the first 4G phone here.

dakunclear4970d ago

okay I see your point on that but the upgrade from the 4s to the 5 isn't that big aside from a slightly bigger screen and LTE which means even worse battery specially since they used the same 1430mah battery they used in the 4s and yes i'm an android user but I used iphone's for years and i mean i had the orginal, the 3gs and the iphone 4 before i went android so ya

AznGaara4971d ago (Edited 4971d ago )

I never said it wasn't a fair comparison but I am implying that its a pointless one. Why? Its comparing two different things that evolve for two different reasons.

Lets break it down. According to this article's logic EVERY company, not just Apple, is like Activision. Whats the difference between my Motorola Droid X and a Droid X2? A faster CPU and a slightly higher resolution. Whats the difference between a Samsung S2 and S3? A faster CPU, supports more external storage, 4GLTE & better screen resolution. Sound familiar? Incremental improvements right?

Let me go back to my point. In TECHNOLOGY it is all about getting the newest things and putting it into a single device. You HAVE to have the newest and fastest parts in your device in order to have the "best" product. And those parts change every year. I mean would the Samsung S4 better a better device if it came with a single core CPU when the S3 has a quad core?

In GAME DESIGN there isn't an "ideal part" that comes out yearly that everyone should include in their games to make is the "best" game. (Ex: Red Dead Redemption which has multiplayer, voice acting and a 20+ hour story is an amazing game. BUT Journey, a game that doesn't have any of that, is also an amazing game.) So sequels to games have to differentiate themselves from their predecessors by making unique experiences.

In short:
Apple, along with EVERY OTHER PHONE COMPANY, is following the "new device this year because we can use newer and faster technology to make a BETTER device from what we had before."

Activistion goes against the "lets make a sequel that offers a unique experience to our tittles before it." and settles for "lets copy and paste what we had previously but use a different font color this time."

Once again: Two different things that evolve for two different reasons. So comparing them is pointless.

wastedcells4971d ago (Edited 4971d ago )

Apples focus is software and then the hardware to support it. But every company milks it while they are hot and if they innovate then they stay on top. Think about It every year people are talking about apple. Would they if they didn't have something new every year.

Vip3r4970d ago

@AznGaara

To be fair, other phone companies come up with different designed. Not just 2% thiner ad 0.001 grams lighter crap.

I mean, apple should release a cheaper phone like what the ipod mini was to the ipod.

That and their software is just slightly more refined that last years one.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4970d ago
Agheil4971d ago

What was the purpose of this article, honestly.... guess this is what you get when there isn't any real news out.

ceballos77mx4971d ago

I just hope they don't come into the console business.

california4971d ago

I hope you are going for a run after that long stretch.

wastedcells4971d ago (Edited 4971d ago )

I don't think their focus is COD. It's their crutch. They make a ton of licensed games and that seems to be their focus over all. No?

30°

Co-founder claims Activision put "pressure" on Infinity Ward to make game about Iran invading Israel

Chance Glasco, one of the co-founders of Infinity Ward and creators of the Call of Duty franchise, has claimed that Activision once pressured the studio to include an invasion of Israel by Iran.

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eurogamer.net
50°

Kotick claims lawsuit objecting to MS-Activision deal was "tied to Embracer's desire to boost sales"

Former CEO describes lawsuit filed by Swedish pension fund as a "collateral attack" on Activision Blizzard.

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gamesindustry.biz
OpenGL118d ago

Yeah, the Microsoft deal has DEFINITELY worked out for everyone.

galgor118d ago

Can this mother fucker just get lost already

PRIMORDUS118d ago

He belongs in here ⚰️, hopefully sooner than later.

MrDead118d ago (Edited 118d ago )

Kotick Made $155 million from MS in the buyout, the little b*tch needs to stop whining. Thanks to this Microslop deal and massive industry consolidation thousands upon thousands of devs and other workers lost their livelihoods. This greedy piggie pervert needs shut up and f-off.

160°

Microsoft needs to listen or risk irreparable harm to Call of Duty

Windows Central: "The money may keep rolling in, but Microsoft is the custodian of one of the biggest selling video game series in history. If something doesn't change, I fear we'll reach a breaking point and irreparable damage will have been done."

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windowscentral.com
StoneTitan169d ago

Because ms is so good at managing studios, surely they will get it right

:P

franwex169d ago

In my view, they should probably merge MP with Warzone and essentially make it free to play like Halo Infinite. The campaign/zombies mode can be $30 yearly DLC. I know this would be insanity as most COD players essentially pay the full price of the game simply for the MP. However-with a shrinking player base they may have to consider it. Making it free would bring in a ton of players.

Profchaos169d ago

To late MW3 should have been a lesson but here we are two years later with a steaming pile a shite called blops7

bsingle40169d ago

Nothing lasts forever, eventually something will come along to make people forget about COD

169d ago Replies(1)
1Victor169d ago (Edited 169d ago )

@Oumba:”We’ve heard that story many times before 😂”
You know what we seen many times good franchises been run into the ground by bad management like h___o , f___a and most of the sports game oh I forgot the dynasty warriors
Oh forgot to say
Happy thanksgiving to all the N4G members
🥳 🍗 🦃

MDTunkown168d ago

Halo killer once arrived and technically call of duty killer also arrived, its name is Fortnite

dveio169d ago

Call of Duty was riding the revenue horse and charts for ~20 years. Whether undeserved or deserved.

But I endorse everyone to remind you that Microsoft could have decided differently when they took it over.

The money was certainly there, and they could have taken their time revamping the franchise:

Current-gen tech, manageable microtransactions, not imitating Fortnite and returning to core values of the franchise's origin.

They didn't.

Let's see next year. Hopefully without the then 13 years old PS4 and One hardware.

blacktiger169d ago

you need to stop saying "let see next year"

XBManiac168d ago

dveo is an alias of Phil Spencer?

XBManiac168d ago

dveio is an alias of Phil Spencer?

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