Continuing our semi-regular feature into the new year, the Stinger Report looks at those emergent trends that are shaping the digital out-of-home entertainment scene, this month covering the major growth of
MUSIC SIMULATORS
This game narrative, based on a musical theme, is not a new genre. Surprisingly the 'rhythm action' that nods to the 'Simon' electrical game of the 70s, was first deployed as a game narrative in the console game sector (described below). It wasn't until the Beat Mania presentation from Konami that the genre would gain momentum, though it has still proved a tempestuous genre to follow.
In order to understand the variety of game systems we have split them into four main, distinct, categories; Dancing Stage; Instruments; Unique Interface; and Performance.
- Dancing Stage
It may come as a surprise to some, but the notion of a floor based pressure sensor rhythm game was not actually originated by the BEMANI genre, but instead made its debut some ten-years earlier in 1987 with the 'Power Pad' (Family Trainer in Japan). A peripheral developed by Bandai for the Nintendo Entertainment System, this was fundamentally a video game application of family game Twister, targeted at families. In fact, it was only when the 'Dance Dance Revolution' dancing stage system launched in 1999 that the application of a dance pad ''found its feet''. The BEMANI dancing stage concept was said to have been based on a Konami exercise system developed at the same time, the concept turned to amusement application and the rest is history!
NOTE ~ The concept of BEMANI was originated in 1997 with the launch of 'BeatMania' and the creation of the music rhythm game genre. The first game offered a DJ style mixing board and turntable, but a wide variation of phenomenally successful music, instrument and dancing games have since been covered by this franchise. More recently the genre has grown to embrace a feverish market. However 2010 will prove a year of internal restructuring for BEMANI by KDE. The brand remains popular, with changes having been made to the development resource as well as a new focus on the quantity of sequel release ~ both responses to the impacts of a changing market and increased competition.
The Stinger Report has not covered in this report the legal battle that took place over the ownership of the Dance Stage patent between ROXOR, Konami and Andimaro. This has been covered in detail in earlier Stinger Reports over the years, those wanting copies of the previous coverage should email the editor.
Breaking Stinger News ~ As if to confirm the importance of this genre to the shape and development plans of the amusement trade, news was leaked just as we went to the wire that the game that started the BEMANI craze is about to receive a new outing. KDE has been Loctesting 'BeatMania IIDX 18: Resort Anthem' in Japan. So far there has been little information as to the new features of this latest disco and keyboard game, but a lavish application is expected.
The Konami Digital Entertainment (KDE) BEMANI franchise has had a mixed international representation, but with the launch of 'Dance Dance Revolution X' (DDRX) the award winning dance stage product received a full release. This 10th anniversary system title raised the bar in the genre, supported by a version of the USB edit. Recently presented by KDE in Japan 'Dance Dance Revolution X2' continues the momentum of this highly profitable application. During the Amuse Expo in March 2010 it was revealed that KDE plans to release this version in the USA and is considering releasing the game as an upgrade kit as well as a dedicated platform.
While Konami Digital Entertainment has rigorously protected their application, in many cases using legal force to maintain their grip, other companies have created their own takes on the dancing stage game genre. 'Pump It Up: NX Absolute', recently released by Korean-based Andamiro, is one such pretender to the DDR title. The 42'' Plasma display version of the system sees the NXA model for 2009 come with 31 new songs, along with a new ''hidden'' reward system to encourage player motivation and aerobic exercise. Also, if you have access to a broadband Internet connection, the game can be hooked up to the net for real-time worldwide player rankings. The company announced in February the launch of the next in the series with 'Pump It Up: FIESTA', a software and hardware update for machines in the field, with the largest ever selection of music on one machine (260 titles).
This highly sophisticated application of an advanced game platform, supported by a complex online infrastructure and tournament events, has cemented this title in the affections of a diverse international audience and Andamiro's 10th international dance stage title only serves to underline this popularity. An important aspect of the Andamiro range is its ability to broach a wide player base, the company even applying the concept to the kiddie sector version 'Pump It Up: JUMP'.
NOTE ~ Andamiro has worked hard to support the players and operators of their popular dancing stage series. Having defended their product range against legal battles from Konami, ~ the company has also entered into special relationships to promote the game ~ for example, working with Chuck E. Cheese on special cabinets for the entertainment chain. At the recent Amuse Expo Andamiro used actual players to promote their latest in the series on their booth, giving concrete evidence to visiting operators of the machine's popularity.
This mix of dancing stage and a younger audience has also been developed by Universal Space (UNIS) with their 'Boogie Down'. Meanwhile new release 'Dance Challenge' from FXLab Studios, a dance stage style game for the younger audience, is the first of its kind to include Tollywood tunes (Tollywood refers to the Telugu film industry in India).
New amusement titles continue to appear, borrowing the dancing stage application for their own products. One example, the recently unveiled, Chinese designed, 'King of Dancer' by XiongYe Electric Game Co., Ltd. seems to be a homage to the King of Pop, with Michael Jackson stylings on and off screen.
NOTE ~The dancing stage genre has been applied far beyond the conventional amusement arena. Building on the physicality of playing the genre it has found a home in the new sector of ExerGaming, with companies developing exercise variants of the dancing stage application. How many other Music Simulator systems will find a new life in this exercise-entrainment hybrid is another question.
- Instruments
The simulation of playing an instrument (albeit with your feet) in the rhythm game genre is here transferred to hitting buttons in time to the music on a representation of a instrument. Again led by the BEMANI franchise - with piano, drum and guitars pulled into the action - it would be the success of a guitar interface game that would allow Konami to take a second large bite out of the market.
With 'Guitar Hero Arcade', Konami, working with developers Raw Thrills / Betson Industries, retained the out-of-home rights to the multi-million selling consumer game property, all licensed from consumer game publishers Activision, who have sold 25m units (generating $2b). One aspect of the installation of this system is its popularity against the issues of the application of music content licensing. To see how Guitar Hero and others have fared in the difficult waters of music licensing for amusement, (readers advised to see the following second part of this feature).
The possible future of the GHA concept has thrown up some interesting scenarios. Some sources speak of Raw Thrills looking at the expansion of the concept, possibly including more instruments and possible group competitive play (emulating some of what has been seen with Rock Band). Others have observed that completion of the CoinUP tournament and download elements seem to be the priority of the developers.
Konami released their own guitar playing franchise back in 1999, and it was the retention of this patent that forced Activision to concede royalties and control of the out-of-home rights. Most recently Konami released 'Guitar Freaks V6: Blazing', the latest in their self-created series, in Japan. This locally successful implementation has grown in popularity to the point where the game can now be linked in a virtual jam session with Konami's drum game system 'Drum Mania V6'. The recent AOU'10 had the latest version of the range on show with 'Drum Mania XG' and 'Guitar Freaks XG'.
The recent GTi'09 clearly illustrated the Taiwanese sector's love affair with the Music Simulation scene. The premier event showed a new drum game system, 'Beat Attack', that offered a professional drum kit platform. Meanwhile another game in this category, also shown at the event, was 'Jungle Drummer'. Jointly developed with International Games System (IGS), this game takes the Percussion Master series to a new level, mixing music with drum action. IGS also released 'Precision Kids' (also known as 'Tempo Kids' internationally), offering the same drum action only configured for a younger audience.
The drum game range has proven an interesting category, with a lot of innovation. One of the unsung success stories of the sector has been Namco Bandai Games' popular Japanese drum game 'Taiko no Tatsujin 12' based on the traditional drum systems.
One unusual new entrant into the amusement drum music scene comes from a new American amusement developer. 'World's Fastest Drummer' (WFD), from the company of the same name, offers a coin-op version of the emerging extreme sport of the same name. Players attempt to score the largest number of drum hits in the short time, as measured by the patented Drum-o-meter, the X-Sport contests having run for the past 10-years. Though in an early stage of development this game heralds an interesting new entrant into the field of Music Simulation, claimed by the developers as not a simulation nor is it a video-game it is "real life. Participants will have to beat this game the old-fashioned way. Gamers are transformed into drummers whether like it or not.
- Unique Interface
Beyond instruments and players' dance moves there is a new move towards rhythm games that take the button hitting element to their purest form. These games straddle the divide between a true music experience and a fun application of the gaming narrative. Once more leading the charge is Konami with 'Pop'n Music 18: Fever'; this eight-button rhythm game having established a popular following with its player base.
Back in 2008 Konami broadened the button rhythm game experience with their new undertaking 'JUKEBEAT' (called 'Jubeat' in Asia). Here, the player hit buttons superimposed over the video screen of the game, which offered a wide selection of music tracks for the player to compete with. The system has tested internationally, and there are plans (along with re-branding the name) to make the cabinet more acceptable for the North American and European player. During the AOU'10 exhibition, KDE showed the latest version of the series in Japan with 'Jubeat Knit', the Japanese application comprising extensive e-AMSUEMENT support and a new roster of game tunes, as well as a new and cabinet branding style.
Breaking Stinger News ~ Just as the dust settled on the Amusement Expo in Las Vegas in March 2010 (see Stinger feature on show), sources close to those involved in evaluating the US launch of JUKEBEAT confirmed that plans to re-launch the game have been abandoned. It would seem that the price of the innovative OLCD button screen for the proposed redesigned international cabinet was felt to be too prohibitive and so the system will not be given an official release. However during the 2010 GTI exhibition in Taiwan one exhibitor (GameBox) showed their copy of the JUKEBEAT system – called 'TOUCH' ~ hoping to fill the vacuum created.
One of the big IP music games ~ based on button thumping rhythm action ~ is SEGA's 'Project DIVA Arcade', the latest consumer game franchise making it to amusement. Originally developed for the Sony Playstation Portable, this rhythm game was launched in 2009. The arcade machine version continues the same premise, with players hitting the corresponding button to the music beat playing, and the game has already taken a prominent place in the company's AM lineup.
One of the new international entrants, with an already formidable Asian pedigree, is Daeseung Intercom (now represented as PentaVision). This South Korean company came to ATEI'09 with 'DJ Max Technika' developed by PentaVision; a year later and the same system now supports the 'Platinum Crew Network', offering an online back-up for players of the game. The range of games is represented by PM Studio in North America and the company has gone so far as to enrol the players into the monitoring process, instigating a 'Technical Failure Report Form' on their website so players can complain about broken machines to operators.
The latest in the Korean series was announced as we went to the wire. With 'DJ Max: Emotional Sense ~ Technika 2: Crew Race', Pentavision has been working with NeoWiz Games on new developments. A software update, and a full hardware release, expected to be seen internationally by the time of IAAPA'10. As before, PM Studio will be handling the international release and working hard on establishing an online community for the game.
Breaking Stinger News ~ The constant traction of the Music Simulation scene was again illustrated just before sending this feature out – with information revealed from well placed sources that the PentaVision game 'DJ Max', in its amusement guise, will be changing its distribution plans ~ PentaVision handing the products UK distribution from UDC and offering it too Konami (and their agent) – while avoiding issues of patent infringement. This instigated by a lawsuit filed against the Korean company by Konami Digital Entertainment regarding sales and to prohibit and to obtain payment of damages filed as of 23 December 2008 filed in Seoul Central District Court (based on Korea Patent No. 294603). Konami representatives will now be involved in the future placement of the game. News of both the fragmentation of the original development team of the 'DJ Max' amusement team from the developer, and now a shake-up of the actual selling of the amusement property ~ things developing for this popular title that The Stinger Report will keep an eye on.
A new entrant into the touchscreen music experience is HYPAA ~ the Taiwanese company launched at the 'MOZARC' cabinet system. A marriage between the scrolling line music skill game seen with 'DJ Max', and the large cabinet presentation similar to that seen with the video pinball tables such as 'Virtual Pinball' ~ an impressive flatscreen employed to give a compelling experience. The concept receiving a production version début at GTi'10 with a strong following of fans ~ with four modes and over 50 songs.
The emerging Chinese amusement scene has not been slow to jump aboard this particular bandwagon, either, as demonstrated by ZS Dragon World International, who released 'Finger Musician' this year. Another button action music game, this time focused on the territory specific titles, the company is currently looking at new applications for the music genre, even talking of a 3D version of the title.
Taking the concept of a musical experience in the interactive game narrative to its limits, Taito's Frontline R&D AM team has created 'Music Gun Gun!' As the name suggests, the players wield colorful weaponry, successively blasting at musical enemies. Skillful shooting allows the music to continue while those targets that get past the gunfire cause the player's life bar to drop. This is one of a number of innovative games that incorporate a musical element to build on the popularity of their given theme.
- Performance
An important aspect of the music game scene is that it is based on the creation of a live performance, one that can either be recorded or be used as part of a competition with others. Many of the games previously mentioned now include a 'competition' or tournament element through network, but there is another element of specially created performance systems.
One of the leading providers of the performance based entertainment systems is DH Recording with their 'Dance Heads Recording' system. The company offers a green screen-based dancing head experience as both a stand-alone attraction and a booth-based amusement enclosure. The system offers a DVD takeaway of the performer's performance; and its success is reflected in the number of emulators of this original concept penetrating the market, such as 'Pop' Noggins'.
A marriage of the karaoke experience with an interactive amusement application, Photo-Me International and Fremantle Media Enterprises presented 'The X Factor' at the EAG'10 event. This innovative booth invites you to unleash your inner superstar and relive all your favorite moments from the show. Choose from 100s of songs to perform live inside The X Factor machine, alone or with friends. The video is then burnt onto a DVD as well as connected to a special web-based service.
At the Taiwanese GTI'09, International Games Systems (IGS) showed their new title 'We Dancing Online'. The three-button-bashing music rhythm game incorporated graphics similar to the SEGA ‘Love & Berry', as well as Namco's 'The idol M@ster' style of female dancing contest play narrative. The game includes a detailed online aspect with images captured of winning players (some sources have speculated that this game was attempting to attract audience from the Asian phenomenon 'Audition Online'). The mixture of button-pounding and dance action proved very popular at the show, with IGS running a show player competition during the event. Indeed, IGS were making a big song and dance of the game, even running a public competition at a local arcade.
NOTE ~ IGS announced in January 2010 that they held the 1st national final tournament for the game in Beijing, China. 32 contestants undertook a closely fought battle to be crowned champion, confirming the popularity of the online game, which is now expected to be repeated in its amusement incarnation.
Korea's G*STAR'07 event saw the launch of T3 Entertainment's official amusement license of the mega-hit MMOG 'Audition Game'. This game was based on Audition Online (also known as X-Beat), a multiple player online rhythm game avatar competition with an estimated 300million worldwide player base. The T3 amusement system was to have been launched with a 2,000 connected unit penetration of Korea during 2008.
Another Korean concept that hopes to break into the big time is from KN&U Electronics. 'Go Go Dancer' is a 2-player motion tracking dance game which, unlike the dancing stage systems, focuses on the performance of the players though leg and hand sensors. Launched in 2009, the company is currently running live performances at prominent venues to mark the popularity of the tournament aspect of the game and hopes to find an international distributor to build on its reputation.
Though originally reported in 2009 as a rumored development project, in March this year the Mobile Star Corporation confirmed the completion of their Karaoke Vending Machine. Now called the 'Mobile Star Studio' the free standing enclosed Karaoke booth houses a coin-operated system that dispenses an edited digital CD. At the same time it was also revealed that the company had reached a preliminary distribution agreement with Apple Industries, the North American manufacturers and distributors of coin-operated electronic entertainment, with over 1,000 units expected to be distributed in the first 12 months.
Following a 30-day pilot, the Israeli-based corporation originally forecasted a Return on Investment (ROI) from the system of 12 to 15 months, but after a successful test the company stated that 9 months was now projected to return machine investment; another example of the rollercoaster that seems to be gripping the out-of-home application of music.
NOTE ~ One product not included in this list is 'American Idol – Star Studio' by Raw Thrills. Though presented at IAAPA'08, the game was abandoned due to contractual and licensing issues. This element, of licensing music content, is a constant issue; other amusement releases significantly impacted in production as the rights to certain music was arranged for the 'public-space' version of the property.
Just as the amusement sector increases its investment into the music genre, another, potentially revolutionary, application for the music simulator makes its presence felt. As was revealed exclusively at the 2009 IAAPA exhibition, RWS & Associates Entertainment, developer of live-performance attractions, announced a partnership with MTV Games to produce a multi-media spectacle called ‘Rock Band Live: an Interactive Experience'. Still wrapped in secrecy, initial reports reveal that RWS will be creating an audience experience using the instruments and live performance elements from the 13m selling console title. This live performance attraction will encourage guests to perform, the best 'show-offs' being recorded for final voting. The first installation is planned for a US theme park for the summer of 2010.
Breaking Stinger News ~ Just as we went to the wire it was revealed that Cedar Fair Entertainment Company has partnered up with MTV with plans for a summer long version of the show at both Canada's Wonderland near Toronto and the Company's park, Cedar Point in Sandusky. The chief operating officer for Cedar fair stated: ''We're extremely excited to merge the popular Rock Band video game with a unique, interactive live show for our guests this summer.''
This move by MTV Games not only marks a major departure for the music game scene but threatens to impact the very core of amusement. At the Nightclub & Bar Show in March 2010 at Las Vegas, MTV Games revealed what has been described as 'Public Space Promotion Systems', moving beyond attraction into live performance. With 'Rock Band: Bar Nights' the company has created a non-pay-to-play gaming system to be used as an in-bar entertainment platform, an interactive game system on a level of karaoke. It seems to be effective: the marketing team at MTV reporting major increases in sales at venues that operate the system.
MTV were not the only company to launch a Public-Space Promotion System in Las Vegas during March. At the Amuse Expo across the hall, Peavey Electronics, falling back on their extensive background in making instruments and special promotion systems, exhibited their 'Game Audio System', which allows operators to acquire a console and game and have a promotional system to encourage performances at their sites. This and the MTV system both offer a new perspective on the use of consumer content in the public-space sector.
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News Story with thanks to Kevin Williams.
