The franchise formerly named after legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara in the UK and current baggy green captain Ricky Ponting in Australia has had a few years' hiatus but is finally ready for a comeback, and just in time for the height of the 2009 cricket season. Codemasters has revealed exclusively to GameSpot UK that it's handed development duties to Melbourne-based Transmission Games, formerly IR Gurus. Transmission was previously responsible for Brian Lara Pressure Play on the PSP, Heroes over the Pacific, and several titles based on Aussie Rules and Gaelic football.
Ashes Cricket 2009, as the game will be known, includes official licences for both the English and Australian international teams and the rights to the Ashes name, courtesy of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The game will release alongside the biennial test match series of the same name. The series is fought biennially, alternating between England and Australia. Dating back to 1883, the series is one of the most contested and oldest in international sport.
It’s fair to say that Cricket has been embarrassingly under represented in the history of gaming. A sport that is followed and loved by many millions around the world. In fact given the fanaticism of the Indian public the number could be approaching half a billion. In this article we explore the reasons for Cricket’s diabolical gaming history and the possibility of a turn around.
I'd love a well made cricket game, I can sit down and watch cricket for hours, looking forward to the Australians 5 - 0 the English.
Cricket games are dead and buried IMO. A series of average games plus a niche market equals a disaster.
But at least we have the memories. Shane Warne '99 on PS1, those were the days.
I'm sure (hope) a good indie game will come along eventually, just because AAA studios don't find it profitable enough doesn't mean indies will.
Stick cricket is a simple flash game and that's lots of fun.
Cricket? Isn't that the British game that combines bowling and baseball? Lol that's one wacky game you have there but way too boring for video game. You couldn't give that game away.
As a Brit I've no idea who Lebron James is, I've vaguely heard of the name before but that's about it. I think if you asked most non Americans to name a famous basketball player they would all say Michael Jordan and that's primarily because of Hollywood.
NFL, NBA, MLB are only really popular in the USA but that's a big enough market by itself as far as publishers are concerned.
Cricket is a complicated game not weird, which is perhaps one of the reason video games of it have always been a challenge. Baseball/Rounders are both extremely simplistic by comparison.
Rugby is also more popular worldwide than the NFL.
Pocket Gamer - Were The Ashes still a case of Australia turning up and taking home the title in all but name before a ball has even been thrown, one suspects Codemasters might not have been quite so keen to pick up the license.
However, with England seemingly making the series something of a contest again, interest on this side of the globe is renewed and, it has to be said, Ashes Cricket is the perfect game to complement this fresh faced fever.
CricketGaming: Codemasters' financial situation not much stable even after an investment from undisclosed investor. This was the reason that made Codies cancel their title Heist as they wanted to avoid another flop after Damnation.