“Last week, EA launched The Simpsons: Tapped Out, a new title that is a big part of its expanded strategy into fermium,” Jordan Golson reports for MacRumors.
“Using the same writers and voice actors as the TV series, the game features a Springfield wiped out by a nuclear explosion caused by Homer,” Golson reports. “The game, however, proved more popular than EA expected. The game has been pulled from the App Store just 4 days after it went live because overwhelming demand on the game’s servers was causing a degradation in experience — though players who have already downloaded the game can continue playing.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” and “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
D’oh!
Good one!
Uhhhmmmm… increase server capacity?
Sori – da mothership ain’t been built yet.
Now what were those Nintendo and Sony execs saying about their hand held game devices?
Sony was saying that the PS Vita will put Apple’s hand-held devices in the crapper because the PS Vita has physical buttons to press and an analog thumbstick to wiggle.
Maybe for the core gamer, really there is room for both. Very different target markets in my opinion.
Trust me – no core gamer wants a pocket toy.
And there are fewer and fewer “hardcore” gamers. All of us who used to be are either grown up now and don’t have time, or they have died of heart disease. 😉
Seriously though, the younger kids seem to be much more casual gamers than we were. I remember waiting in line to get the the latest Ninendo game, camping out for the SEGA Saturn, the Dreamcast, and pre-ordering games like crazy, importing games from Japan, etc. The teens now seem to just play a game for a day and move on to the next one – they just don’t really seem interested. It’s just something to do.
And all the 20 – early 30 somethings that do play seem to only play Madden and Call of Duty, so they buy, what, maybe 3 games per year as the “new” versions of those same games are released?
Maybe I’ve been looking in from the outside for too long, but it just seems that the quick, cheap, casual games provided by iOS are far more popular now, and seem to be the direction the industry is going.
BTW, I have to say that the PS Vita looks really good. I personally won’t be carrying around a dedicated device, so I’ll stick to the iPhone/iPad for my occassional gaming fix, but I think the Vita will do really well.
I don’t think it will be a “challenge” to the iOS devices though, just because there is no way Sony will sell that many devices. But it will be successful for them I think.
I think its a convenient thing rather people wanting to play iphone and ipad games. If they really wanna game they will play a wii, 360, or ps3. But, for things to kill time, on a bus, plane, or waiting for food….the iphone is perfect. I dont think there are less hardcore gamers, as there are just more gamers. I mean, Call of Duty Black Ops sold the most in its first 24 hours then any other game ever. That tells me there are a bunch more games being sold now than ever was. So the hardcore market is definitely still there, there is just a lot more the general gamers that exist today.
And as for kids moving to another game. I would fault the game developers for not making a game challenging enough. Its not that the kids are more ADD, its that the game industry makes a game to easy, and to give it longevity they ask you to pay for an expansion.
@Muddygun
I know the majority of the newer gamers are for consoles.. Cheap machines that require little upkeep.
but when it comes to “hardcore” gamers… Consoles get their ass handed to them by PC’s gamers. period.
http://www.destructoid.com/pc-gamers-destroy-console-gamers-in-crossplatform-tests-179579.phtml
old article, but MS even got it right…
“Microsoft killed off the idea due to tests that revealed PC gamers “destroyed” console gamers every single time.”
there is a reason you see “Auto Aim” and other assistants in a console FPS.
The hardcore do not play console.. they play PC. Every test I have ever seen, the KB/M guys RAPE the console kiddies. (why do you think the KB/M adapters are banned at console FPS contests?….)
but HTML5 Gordon is 100% correct.
“The teens now seem to just play a game for a day and move on to the next one – they just don’t really seem interested. It’s just something to do.”
outside a FEW games, that is exactly the way “gamers” are anymore. casual gamers. and thats good for apple, iOS thrives on casual stuff. I have a ton of great iOS games, most of them I have played for maybe 2-3 days before moving on. I do come back and play them from time to time, but after that first few days.. it’s almost forgotten. Even Angry birds doesn’t get the playtime it used too. I still sit down and play it for an hour.. but it may be 2-3 weeks before I do so again.
When I meant hardcore gamer FTB, I was just talking about people that game hard. Not a choice of which platform you use, be it PC or PS3. I can bet you that there are hardcore gamers on every platform. I understand your trying to say that the best gamers and the true to the core gamers are on PC’s…but if you were to ask a MW 3 player on PS3 or Xbox, they will say their hardcore…and I would believe it. My roommate is one of them.
And I have worked at a tech camp that dealt with kids playing games….and trust me they are playing sky rim. They are trying to be best on their server for MW3. Their playing WOW. So, when you say the teens are more casual gamers. What I think should be said is that there are just a lot more kids playing games. And in ratio, the kids are more casual…but its because there are more gamers. There are still a bunch of hardcore gamers as well.
@muddygun
That’s why I said except for a few games though.
I didn’t say teens, I said gamers in general. I play skyrim, among others. I played wow for a while, but I beat wow a few years ago. Beating wow is extremely hard to do… it involves clicking the “unsubscribe” button on your account page… and then not going back and hitting “subscribe” ever again.
hard to beat wow, but it is possible.
Side note…. I mentioned in another thread I picked up a kindle fire cheep a while back.. I’m typing this from it. F**KING HORRIBLE.
this is the first time I actually typed out something more then a few words… ugh.
And ‘core gamers’ make up how big a global market?
No manufacturer cares about a bunch of socially retarded overweight slobs living in their parent’s basement on a diet of Cheetos and Red Bull.
parents’
There is the iControlPad that plugs into an iPhone and has manual controls. The world just keeps on moving. 🙂
I have a PSP, and a PSP GO, and i’ll maybe pick up a Vita eventually.
I always liked the PSP over the DS, I do have both. But I do use the iPhone and iPad for games a hell of a lot more than the PSP.
@Really
Don’t get involved in the “core” gamer argument. Trust me there is no winning that fight.
Charadium is even worse, either provide the servers to support your apps or DO NOT CHARGE MONEY for them. I’m getting a little sick of this crao.
crap.
AT&T would have raised the price and just kept selling.
“…it’s expanded strategy into FERMIUM.”
Fermium? Who knew? Lol
Must be a new Element.
Nope, Fermium (Fm) has already been named.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermium
http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/03/05/apple.still.uncontested.in.mobile.html5.benchmarks/
ISO devices rocketing speed of Safari – blow the competition away.
Brilliant buzz generator!!!
Pull the product, get tons of free publicity, then re-introduce the product after you claim you’ve improved server capacity.
Someone over there is getting a big bonus. (or at least a free skateboard autographed by Bart)
yeah.. I never heard of it, and guess how many looked up the game after reading this article?