Google released games for Google+ yesterday. This was immediately seen as a move against Facebook. Facebook responded by redesigning the way it presents games on its social network. Facebook’s goal is to get more users to play games through a bombardment of notifications. At this point, Facebook’s games still vastly outnumber Google+’s offerings. It will take a while for Google+ to catch up to Facebook in terms of the number of games and total users. Google+ does have an advantage over Facebook however. Google doesn’t ask for much money.

Players of a variety of games have used auction houses as a way to purchase items, armor and weapons that they haven’t been able to earn through their normal activities. It’s a good way for the sellers to earn extra in-game currency. When Diablo 3 is released, it will feature auction houses that allow players to exchange goods for real money.

Today (November 3, 2010), THQ announced the results of its fiscal second quarter which ended on September 30, 2010. THQ’s net sales totaled $77.1 million as opposed to $101.3 million during the same period last year. As far as losses go, THQ lost $47 million this past quarter compared to $5.6 million last year. This isn’t the best quarter THQ has been a part of, but the company remains optimistic of its performance in the months ahead.

Valve is adding a new payment option for its Steam service. Steam Wallet is used to store your hard earned cash that will eventually be used to purchase games on Steam. Its value to customers can be questioned, but it’s a viable option for younger gamers who don’t have access to a steady stream of income.

Reatime Worlds has fallen on hard times. The company is in deep financial troubles and had to layoff a large number of employees while struggling to stay in business. A small number of staff were re-hired to work on MyWorld, but some of those who were not asked to come back are left in dire straights. One former Realtime Worlds employee took to his personal blog to voice his disgust with what happened to himself and the rest of his colleagues.

Mad Catz released the financial figures for its first quarter ending in June 2010. It saw a 11% loss in net sales compared to the same time last year. In addition to a loss in sales, Mad Catz also reported a rise in operating costs. The result of which ended up costing Mad Catz an additional $0.8 million. The primary reason behind the loss in sales? Street Fighter IV.

So how did you feel about the announcement Blizzard made regarding their upcoming sequel to the decade old and still selling RTS game, Starcraft II, would be split up into three games, or at least one game and two expansions? Did you not care? Are you one of those players that only cares for the multiplayer experience? What about those that do enjoy Starcraft’s story? What was the first thing you thought about? My money (no pun intended) is that you thought Blizzard was at it again with a new scheme to nickel and dime players. Well, Blizzard COO, Paul Sams, begs to differ and speaking with Videogamer.com makes his point clear (or at least tries)…

If you want to purchase downloadable games on the current generation of consoles, only one company has made it counter-intuitive. It’s not Sony – they charge actual $US money for games. Neither is it Nintendo, which uses and one-to-one, point-to-penny system.

Why the hell, then, does Microsoft bother with a non-equal point system? I have two guesses: misdirection and laziness.

For those of you who fear math, click through and check out a few online and downloadable Microsoft Point converters…

Virtual worlds are luring a myriad of people hungry for living virtual lives that run parallel to their real lives. Virtual worlds are an industry by themselves with spectacular growth prospects, and many investors have already taken note. A prominent media firm, Virtual Worlds Management, which keeps track of the virtual worlds industry, has revealed that investors poured in $425 million into virtual worlds in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Ubisoft has released a financial statement which says three things: 1) they’ve done really well from September to December 2008, raking in $625.81 million, thanks in no small part to Assassin’s Creed; 2) they intend to rake in a total of $1.21 billion for this fiscal year, which ends this April Fools Day; and 3) they’re going to release a new Prince of Persia game within the next fiscal year. No platform(s), gameplay or story details have been announced.

I was always under the impression that the past three games were supposed to be their own self-contained trilogy, so this game could be the start of a whole new plot arc, possibly with a different prince. On the other hand, the current prince changed his accent and…