"Ender's Game" game in the works

by Tiberius Jonez

Ender's Game and the "Ender" series of novels are some of the most memorable books I've read, so I am excited to see Orson Scott Card, the series' author has given permission for a game to be developed based on his work.

Chair Entertainment Group, developers of the Xbox Live Arcade game Undertow, and author Orson Scott Card announced a partnership that allows Chair to develop the first video games based on Ender’s Game. Details of the announcement were specific in scope, stating that Chair would focus on the Battle Room, a central aspect of the novel. Development will begin later this year, with the first games coming as downloads. Chair said its games will be available on all next-gen consoles, handheld platforms and PC.

"I have been a huge fan of Ender's Game since I was ten years old, so it is a true honor for our team to be entrusted with creating the first video game inspired by this classic story," said Donald Mustard, creative director at Chair. "Our goal is to create an authentic Ender's Game experience that delivers awesome gameplay and can be enjoyed by both longtime fans and gamers new to the series."

In Ender’s Game, Earth’s best and brightest children are enlisted in the fight against a vicious alien enemy, the Formics. There, the kids are taught military tactics through battle simulations in the Battle Room.

"From the moment I started working with Donald Mustard and his team at Chair, I knew that these were the guys I wanted to do the first Ender's Game video game," said Orson Scott Card. "It's not enough to slap the Ender's Game name on just any game - it has to be exciting, memorable, and endlessly replayable. Chair shares my understanding of this and I am looking forward to working with them to ensure the game is as authentically Enderish as possible."

Nintendo does not plan to increase western game development

Even with the Wii's phenomenal success in America, Nintendo has no plans to ramp up video game development here, so says senior vice president George Harrison. When asked if Nintendo wanted to develop more games tailored for the North American audience, Harrison told Wired News, "I'm not aware of any plans to push for more software development here in the U.S."

"The actual decision about producing more software and who should do it is driven by Satoru Iwata and the management team, including Mr. Miyamoto, in Japan," he said.

This statement seems confusing considering the Wii is seeing its best sales in the U.S. market. Nintendo is moving about half a million consoles per month here, well above what they are currently selling in Japan. So what gives?

Believe it or not, it's an honest admission from the famed creators of Mario and Zelda that they're really not very good at producing games for the western market.

Nintendo's recent history with western-style games is less than stellar. While one of Nintendo's top-selling Wii titles in North America, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, was developed by Austin, Texas-based Retro Studios, that success is the exception rather than the rule. Project Hammer, an action game developed by Redmond, WA based Nintendo Software Technology was shown at E3 2006 but is now officially "on hold."

And that's the only other Western-developed first-party game that's ever been announced for the Wii, other than Mario Strikers Charged, which was developed in Vancouver.

Nintendo attempted to expand into North American development during the GameCube era, but never managed to create products as highly-rated as their Japanese titles. The now-defunct Exile Entertainment was chosen to create a game called Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball, which was canceled, presumably for quality issues and a first-person shooter called Geist, created by Florida game makers N-Space, was released to a critical drubbing.

On one hand, the fact that a game maker as respected as Nintendo can't seem to find the magic touch when it comes to western style games is a bit dumbfounding. Then again, if they can manage to sell consoles without them, more power to them. But you have to wonder, how long can the keep that up?

Do you want to make video games?

It's every gamer's dream.

Scott Brodie of Livonia, Michigan scored an internship with Microsoft Games last summer, just before his senior year at Michigan State University. He worked on the side-scrolling space shooter "Aegis Wing" with two other interns. Not only did Microsoft decide to go ahead with the game -- which launches Wednesday as the first-ever totally free game on Microsoft's online Xbox Live Arcade -- but they decided to go ahead with Brodie, too.

Brodie gives some good advice on how to break into the games industry. Teach yourself how to do what you love.

"It definitely hasn't worked out the way I expected," he says. "I was just happy to be involved with the game and be able to contribute. This is a good fit for me, and I've put in work to get there. Take the time, make a game. It's OK if you fail -- you just need to try. It's harder than it looks."

The lesson is...if you have a passion for making games, then don't wait for someone to hire you to do it...do it yourself. You never know what may come from it. At the very least you'll learn some things and gain some skills that will make your resume more attractive to possible future employers.

Read the full story from the Detroit Free Press. It's a good read for anyone who's dreamt of becoming a game developer.

Aegis Wing will be available tomorrow for free download from the Xbox Live Arcade.