In yesterday’s results call to analysts, Take-Two Interactive reported heavy fiscal losses for the quarter, underscoring Grand Theft Auto IV’s preeminence and proving just how important blockbuster titles are to the hit-driven publishing industry. Net loss for the second quarter was narrower than expected, reported at $10.1 million ($.13 per share), down by a factor of almost 10 compared to last year’s haul of $98.2 million ($1.29 per share). The loss was fueled by paltry year-over-year earnings, net revenue falling by 57% from $539.8 million this time a year ago to a mere $229.7 million. To make matters worse, Take-Two announced they have delayed the release of Mafia II and Red Dead Redemption until first half 2010, citing further development time needed to ensure quality and market performance.

This video I came across perfectly articulates how I have felt about the Simpsons for the past 9 years. It’s easy for me because I don’t have to write much, just use other peoples’ materials instead…. kind of like the Simpsons.

Great, now you are up to speed on the sound reasoning behind why the Simpsons suck. What I want to understand is why do people still defend it? Why do they watch it?

Introducing: LudoGrind, Entertainment Analytics, revamped blog and website concerning business intelligence from Hollywood to gamespace and around the synthetic frontier. As the interactive entertainment industry continues to expand, consolidation in game and film space is building momentum at an unprcedented rate. From unit sales and hardware launches to film criticism and game reviews, this space is grounded in ludotopian belief that games in all their forms make the world a better place!

At ludogrind, its all about the data and meaningful interpretation. The interpretation is key to decoding hit-driven entertainment.  I’ve got a lot going on at the moment, but some cool data sets are in the hopper. Once everything is up and running smoothly, I’m excited to really delve into what makes the industry tick and what just might rock the boat.

Started several years ago at UCI, the LudoGrind site has been in hybernation mode for too long.  The time away has provided a chance to do some exploring, from DVD Market Research in Century City and film festivals in Sonoma to conversational AI in Paris and San Francisco, its been a wild year and a half. While Distraction Economies are everywhere, however, I’m currently located in the sunny forested wetlands of Redwood City, California. This gaming life has finally reemerged!     

Pardon the dust as ludogrind evolves.

PS. Thanks to Andrew Mac over at SanTasti for the blog-o-assitance. By the way, Andre makes a great spokesman!