Deep Silver Signs Deal With Apogee

July 15, 2008 8:35 AM

Following yesterday's news about the resurrection of Apogee Software, Deep Silver today announced it will co-publish the Duke Nukem Trilogy (NDS, PSP).

Deep Silver has mostly been a European distributor since its founding in 2002, but the Koch Media subsidiary recently expanded into North America. Among other games, it will publish the upcoming S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky.

Maarten Goldstein

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deadhorse

 reply
July 15, 2008 8:59 AM

This got me thinking about distributors and old games. Why don't we get some weird-ass game boxes anymore? Like "Even More Incredible Machine" had a box designed like a cat and you would pull the tail to open it. Plus Sierra adventure games sometime had odd-shaped box design. I know that mostly went away when they switched to the smaller boxes, but I'd love to see a wacky design or two among them.
- Lunaran
  
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  July 15, 2008 9:23 AM
  
  If wal-mart won't shelve it a publisher won't ship it, and wal-mart won't shelve it unless it's the standard little size that's cheap to ship lots of. Besides, you get Collector's editions of stuff in wacky metal lunchboxes and shit still.
- ninjase
  
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  July 15, 2008 10:21 AM
  
  probably because it just costs that much more to print and manufacture a uniquely shaped box (requiring specialized production) than to just change what the label looks like and use the existing stuff/production lines. I agree though, I miss the days of going into Babbages and having all kinds of crazy shaped computer game boxes!
- intangir21
  
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  July 15, 2008 10:36 AM
  
  Games For Windows had an article on that several months ago(along with the old copy protection schemes, funny pack-ins, etc....), there was also the triangular Marathon Infinity box, the trapezoidal Tomb Raider ones, and several others. Aside from the form factor change I think the other problem with them was that they were hard to ship and stack on shelves.
- Killrig
  
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  July 15, 2008 10:49 AM
  
  Retailers want to maximize their shelf space. Personally, I'm in favor of DVD cases being used instead of low-quality cardboard. Publishers do this in the UK more so than they do in the US, but it's improving.
- Schnapple
  
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  July 15, 2008 11:31 AM
  
  OK so since we can agree that there's overwhelming if disappointing business reasons for uniform game boxes, let's post our favorite weirdass computer game boxes.
  
  I'll go first
  
  Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
  http://www.mobygames.com/game/gabriel-knight-sins-of-the-fathers/cover-art/gameCoverId,957/
  
  Two triangular boxes, and a guy hanging from a tree. No way could that happen today...
  - deadhorse
    
     reply
    July 15, 2008 3:25 PM
    
    Heh, I was gonna mention that box, because it was the first one I thought of after incredible machine. I still have it in my closet and it's a bitch to keep together when it's not upright. ;)
- wytefang
  
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  July 15, 2008 12:13 PM
  
  I wholeheartedly agree with Deadhorse. I miss the cool creativity of some of the awesome game boxes of yore. We can thank big-box stores like Wal-mart/Target and the monopoly of Gamespot for this lame decision. So lame.
- OverloadUT
  
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  July 15, 2008 12:35 PM
  
  I prefer them to follow a standard. I like to have my boxes next to each other on my shelf :)
- [deleted] 92559685
  
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  July 15, 2008 1:24 PM
  
  [deleted]
- DinK
  
   reply
  July 15, 2008 5:29 PM
  
  Simple, do that for collectors editions but always release a standard version, preferably in DVD cases like consoles have been doing.