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MTV to Invest Over $500 Million in Video Games

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the good-time-to-get-published dept.

Wowzer writes to mention that MTV is planning to invest over $500 million in video games over the next two years. In addition to incorporating games into all new programming plans, MTV is also seeking "ways to link their upcoming game Rock Band to its traditional cable networks and Web properties. But they are fearful of alienating players by cramming TV and other content into the game."

19 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. MTV is crap by Jaysyn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So they couldn't let well enough alone by making music suck, they have to make videe games suck too? I wonder if they'll be better at it than EA?

    --
    There is a war going on for your mind.
  2. O rly? by EveryNickIsTaken · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "But they are fearful of alienating players by cramming TV and other content into the game." Why? They weren't fearful of alienating fans of music by cramming crap onto their network...
  3. Nothing new by Hugues999 · · Score: 4, Informative

    For those who don't know, Gametrailers.com is owned by MTV. So this is nothing new.

  4. Ugh by Aneurysm · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I get enough advertising and product placement thrown at me in any given day. It's in all new films, most TV channels are 20% advertising, and most magazines are probably a similar amount. Games were until recently a safe haven.

    Not saying that they will definitely fill their games with advertising and weakly structure a plot around it, but I got a pretty good idea that they will....

    1. Re:Ugh by ThinkWeak · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Seriously? Maybe your definition of advertising and product placement is different than mine, but it's been in our video games for quite some time now. An easy example is the Tony Hawk series. You buy skateboards with various logos (from skateboard manufacturers) which adds to the "realism" of the game, but it's product placement all the same.

      Basically ANY game that touches on ANY aspect of reality will have some advertising or product placement in it. If you've watched any of the trailers for Rock Band, you will see that you dress up your avatar in any number of clothes (with brand name labels) and will probably buy instruments with manufacturer designations on them. This is nothing new, and if everything was fictional you would hear people complaining about how lame it is that you have to buy some made-up brand instrument or Gucci knock-off shirt.

      I agree that MTV has diluted into nothing more than commercials and lame reality shows, but they aren't going to get into video games and just make it a long drawn-out Geico commercial. They'll more than likely add more "realism" to the game and sell advertising and product space to clothing manufacturers, product manufacturers, and things of that nature to bring "real life" into the video game world.

      If you think games are still a safe haven, then you won't really notice a difference.

  5. Well, at first there will be games... by hal2814 · · Score: 4, Funny

    At first there will be games coming from MTV. But then they'll put out the occasional TV show for your console. At first, they will be relatively good shows like a TV trivia game show with a few good up-and-coming comedians as regulars. You'll buy some of them with your regular game purchases. The next thing you know you'll be trying to find a game for your console but all you'll find are a bunch of lame dating and reality shows and you'll say to yourself, "My God, what have I done?!"

    1. Re:Well, at first there will be games... by iamdrscience · · Score: 4, Funny

      The next thing you know you'll be trying to find a game for your console but all you'll find are a bunch of lame dating and reality shows and you'll say to yourself, "My God, what have I done?!"
      Same as it ever was... same as it ever was... same as it ever was...
    2. Re:Well, at first there will be games... by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Welcome to MTV World of Warcraft! Get ready as we put 5 wild and wacky characters in the same instance! The slutty dark elf, the playa rogue, the bigoted dwarf, the impulsive and cah-razy skateboarding fighter, and the drama queen mage. We'll have cameras following their every move as they get into wild and sexy hottub parties, tearful confessions, and drunken brawls with orcs.

      And if that flops we'll have Battlefield 1942 Survivor!

      --
      It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
  6. My Prediction by Renaissance+2K · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm throwing down $500 and guessing that games produced by MTV - which, for those that have forgotten, stands for Music Television - will have absolutely nothing to do with music.

    When's the last time you saw a music video on MTV?

    ...Actually, when's the last time you saw MTV?

    1. Re:My Prediction by iamdrscience · · Score: 4, Funny

      When's the last time you saw a music video on MTV?
      Turn in your nerd card at the door on the way out. Every over-caffienated insomniac computer nerd should know that MTV runs videos between roughly 5AM and 8AM on weekdays, just as surely as we all know that Comedy Central goes to infomercials at 4AM and Comcast cable internet connections go down momentarily for maintenance at 3AM between Sunday and Monday.
  7. That's a *lot* of video games! by BillGatesLoveChild · · Score: 2, Funny

    > MTV to Invest Over $500 Million in Video Games

    Woo hoo! We better all start writing video games! The boom is back on! Thought I should warn MTV their staff productivity is going to plummet.

    1. Re:That's a *lot* of video games! by grumling · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually, most of that will go to licensing deals with rappers and other criminals. They'll only have enough money left over to dig up all those ET carts from the landfill and repackage them.

      --
      "Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."
  8. Today's post brought to you by the letter "meh" by jollyreaper · · Score: 4, Funny

    Anybody remember what the "M" in MTV stood for? Is it an assigned code or just short for someone's name?

    --
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    1. Re:Today's post brought to you by the letter "meh" by solios · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The M stands for Money.

      As in, Advertising.

  9. Re:Seriously. by Hijacked+Public · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And those who came before you were complaining that stupid Music Television was wrecking their stupid channel with stupid cartoons. They just wanted music videos.

    --
    "Sacrifice for the good of The State" - The State
  10. You forgot one. by solios · · Score: 2, Informative

    They've made music suck, they're about to make video games suck, and they've also made a bunch of really shitty movies.

  11. Sing... by Bullfish · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Mario killed the video star, Mario killed the video star"...

  12. MTV is to music... by Jim+in+Buffalo · · Score: 4, Funny

    MTV is to music what Fox News is to... um... news.

    --
    This sig, aah-ah, is comin' like a ghost-sig...
  13. Re:I thought MTV got out of the music business... by Oktober+Sunset · · Score: 2, Funny

    that may be true, but you conveniently forgot to mention your habit of stamping on successful stand up comedians didn't you.

    --
    What if Tetris was invented by Nazis?