Jollibee swings to P1.58-B loss as pandemic hits sales

November 10, 2020 | 12:05 am

JOLLIBEE Foods Corp. (JFC) swung to a P1.58 billion net loss in the third quarter, a reversal of its P1.67 billion profits a year ago, as it continued suffering from dampened sales due to coronavirus-related restrictions.

In a stock exchange disclosure on Monday, the fast food chain operator said its revenues in the July-to-September period dropped 31% to P29.97 billion versus year-ago figures.

Its system-wide retail sales, which account for sales JFC made through company-owned and franchised stores, fell 29% to P40.59 billion.

On a year-to-date basis, JFC’s attributable net loss stood at P13.54 billion, a turnaround of its P4.18-billion attributable net income in the prior year. The company linked the loss to sustained challenges from the coronavirus pandemic.

Revenues in the nine-month period slid 27% to P92.73 billion. System-wide retail sales declined 26% to P126.42 billion.

JFC said the pace of its recovery varies depending on the location of its operations, such that stores in developed countries bounce back faster than those in emerging markets.

Across the globe, JFC has reopened 93% of its store network as of end-September. It has permanently closed 339 stores, of which 118 are in the Philippines and 221 are abroad.

The company is allocating P7 billion to transform its business, which involves the rationalization of its store network, store staffing, supply chain, and support groups. Minus the 339 closed stores, some 168 stores are still in the pipeline from the company’s target of shutting down 507 stores this year.

JFC is also opening new stores in new locations, reaching 180 opened stores in the past nine months of 2020. Forty-eight of these are located in the Philippines, while the other 132 are overseas.

“Our business is recovering from the pandemic in different parts of the world, some faster than others… We are now focusing our effort in rebuilding the business in a changed environment,” JFC President and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said in the statement.

“While the negative impact of the crisis is still affecting us, as we reopen stores, we are introducing new products, resuming strong marketing campaigns, strengthening our systems and infrastructure particularly for digital connections with our customers and for off-premise consumption of our products and opening of new stores mostly in our international business,” he added.

JFC has 3,247 stores in its global network as of end-September. It operates in the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Brunei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Malaysia, United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Italy, United Kingdom, Guam and Indonesia.

The company handles brands such as Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Burger King, PHO24, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Dunkin’ Donuts, Highlands Coffee, Hard Rock Cafe, Smashburger and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

By next year, JFC targets to generate positive operating income from Smashburger, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and parts of the SuperFoods Group.

Shares in JFC closed at P198.90 each on Monday, improving P2.10 or 1.07% from the last session. — Denise A. Valdez

How K-dramas are made

November 10, 2020 | 12:05 am

NO ONE can deny the current popularity of Korean dramas in the Philippines and the rest of the world. In fact, as an executive of the Korean Creative Content Agency — a government agency that oversees and coordinates the promotion of Korean content — put it, “Korean dramas have become their own genre.” But what does it take to create a Korean drama and what contributes to its global popularity?

A Korean producer boiled it down to two reasons: excellent writing and the resonance of similar cultural values (at least in Asia).

“One big [factor] in the competitiveness of our dramas are excellent writers. Thanks to them, Korea has produced many dramas in different genres through various platforms that blurs boundaries between traditional and new media channels,” Kim Hee Yeol, vice-president of drama production for Pan Entertainment and vice-chairman of the Korean Drama Production Association, said during a webinar hosted by the Korean Cultural Center and Bonifacio Global City (BGC) Arts Center on Nov. 6.

The two-day webinar was held on Nov. 6 and 7 and focused on topics such as what makes Korean dramas popular and how they are written. The webinar included a roster of a Korean drama executive, an executive from the Korean Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), a screenwriter, and two Filipino directors and writers, Laurice Guillen and Jose Javier Reyes.

“Our creativity appeals to the global citizens and specifically cultural similarities between Korea and the Philippines works best to attract more audiences from [the Philippines],” Mr. Kim said before adding that ideas such as filial piety and good versus evil are “the basic [concepts] that attract attention from other Asians.”

Looking back on the history of Korean drama, Lee Young Hoon, chief of the broadcasting industry team of KOCCA, said in the same webinar that they attribute the rise of Korean drama to Winter Sonata, a 2002 series starring Choi Ji Woo and Bae Young Joon. The series became so popular that Mr. Lee said “it became a social phenomenon,” especially in Japan where it spawned an anime adaptation and a stage musical.

Mr. Kim was one of the producers of Winter Sonata.

Mr. Lee also mentioned Jewel in the Palace (2003) starring Lee Young Ae as another series that propelled the Hallyu wave (a term used to describe the popularity of Korean content and culture in the world).

The show, he said, spurred interest in Korean culture and food as traditional Korean cuisine was the focus of much of the series.

While video games are considered “the number 1 export content” of South Korea, earning nine times more than broadcasting does, Mr. Lee noted that “the influence of [Korean dramas] is bigger” because they make viewers want to visit South Korea, visit the sites where the shows were shot, and try the food shown in the shows.

KOREAN DRAMA PRODUCTION
But what does it take to create a show? According to Mr. Kim, producing a show involves 17 different steps, seven of which are for pre-production and planning and 10 for production itself.

Each production takes months — sometimes years — to develop from idea to screen, and shows are typically produced by independent production companies instead of broadcasting companies.

Pan Entertainment, which Mr. Kim is a part of, has a pool of 35 writers, though they do hire new writers every year. The production company produces five dramas a year.

Each show is given over to a main writer who is responsible for writing the series, with several assistant writers who assist with research and proofreading.

“[Main] writers should carry out writing the drama,” Kim Young Yoon, drama script writer and executive director of the Korea TV & Radio Writers Association, said in a webinar on Nov. 7, before adding that assistant writers are not allowed to write parts of the script and a main writer who delegates writing the script to their assistant is “not professional.”

Ms. Kim explained that the world of Korean writers is one where only the best survive as in the Broadcasting Writers’ Education Centre (the writing institute of the Korea TV & Radio Writers Association), only admits 350 candidates per enrollment season and those that do end up working as writers are whittled down to 7 writers.

The center, Ms. Kim said, is responsible for “producing 90% of screenwriters in Korea.”

Most of the time, she said, writers pitch their own stories and develop them for production, though sometimes broadcasters and production companies pitch popular webtoons for adaptation. This is a very involved process as many writers immerse themselves in the occupations of their character (helping out at hospitals if it’s a medical drama, etc.) to ensure that they get the nuances of the job right.

After the idea and the script are formed, Mr. Kim of Pan Entertainment said they pitch the script to broadcasting networks or streaming services such as Netflix. Usually, he said, networks ask to cast one or two “special grade” actors and several “grade A” actors to ensure viewership.

“Special grade actors” are considered the top-tier actors in South Korea. Mr. Kim said currently there are about 3,000 actors in South Korea, just 40 of whom are considered “special grade,” and 60 who are considered “grade A.” “Special grade actors” are guaranteed a pay rate of between $89,000 to $178,000 per episode, though for productions specifically made for streaming platforms the rate can go as high as $267,000 per episode. “Grade A” actors meanwhile are paid between $17,800 to $44,500.

Though Mr. Kim did not name which actors are considered “special grade,” a July article in The South China Morning Post noted that Kim Soo Hyun (of My Love from the Stars fame) earns $165,000 per episode and is considered the highest-paid actor in South Korea. Also included in the top-paid list are Hyun Bin ($84,000) and So Ji Sub ($84,000). A similar list by Preview.ph noted that Jun Ji Hyun (also from My Love from the Stars) earns $84,000 per episode, making her the highest-paid actress in South Korea. The list also includes Lee Young Ae ($83,000) and Song Hye Kyo ($42,000).

“The reason we pay this expensive guarantee is because it is the best way to guarantee very stable and high viewing rates and also to guarantee advertisement revenue,” Mr. Kim said.

Writers are also graded and their pay reflects that as Mr. Kim said that “special grade” writers — there are 50 of them — are paid a script fee of $445 per 10 minutes and $311 for every episode.

For a drama that has 16 episodes, eight episodes are typically shot and produced before the show is broadcast and the remaining episodes are shot while the show is already broadcasting.

While the writers and production company do keep track of ratings and audience comments on shows, Ms. Kim said that as writers they are “not swayed by the feedback of audiences and ratings,” adding that a character who is supposed to die but who is popular with the show’s audience will still die — though they can change “minor things” in response to feedback.

“Minor things can be changed like more popular characters getting more screen time,” she explained.

The popularity of Korean dramas, Ms. Kim said, has emboldened Korean writers to be more creative in the way they tell their stories because their market now goes beyond South Korea’s shores. She admitted that writers used to limit themselves to stories and genres that they knew would appeal to South Korean audiences, but now they can have a wider variety of stories and genres because “we are now working for the global market.” — Zsarlene B. Chua

AboitizLand reservation sales surge amid lockdown

November 10, 2020 | 12:05 am

ABOITIZLAND, INC. reported its average monthly sales have exceeded pre-pandemic levels, despite the ongoing quarantine restrictions.

In a statement, the real estate arm of the Aboitiz group said reservation sales for the months after the community quarantine averaged about 80% of its original targets, and is now on track to exceed sales in 2019.

AboitizLand attributed the strong sales to “the impact of innovative selling techniques and the shifting preferences of property seekers.”

“We are seeing sustained demand for our residential developments despite the limitations brought about by the pandemic. We are attributing this to a shift in our customers’ preferences towards houses and lots in next-wave cities, as bigger living areas, open spaces and amenities become more essential for work-life balance for people in quarantine,” David L. Rafael, AboitizLand president and CEO, was quoted as saying in a statement.

The company has benefitted from a shift in residential real estate preferences, as home buyers increasingly prefer properties in suburban locations. AboitizLand’s residential developments are located in emerging growth centers in central Luzon, Batangas and Cebu.

“Our residential developments are all borne out of a clear understanding of the market’s desire to live better and more sustainably. They are characterized by a superior masterplan with signature features like greenbelts or natural green open areas and a network of walkable spaces and amenities. We believe that this is what people are looking for right now,” Mr. Rafael said.

AboitizLand was one of the first developers to take their operations online and offer end-to-end, digital-based homebuying amid the lockdown.

The perfect testing ground

November 10, 2020 | 12:04 am

VIDEO GAME REVIEW
RPG Maker MV
Nintendo Switch

Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~
Nintendo Switch

Tennis World Tour 2
PlayStation 4 Pro

Vampire’s Fall: Origins
Nintendo Switch

Code Vein
Xbox One, with cross-play function on the PC

Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey
Personal Computer (via Steam)

RPG Maker should not be unfamiliar to anyone interested in game development. The handy software is, at its heart, a game-making system that allows interested parties to use premade assets in making their own titles. One only has to take a look at the Steam Store and see the plethora of RPG Maker games available.

RPG Maker MV is no different, and while it may look like just the latest release in a long series from Kadokawa Corp., it offers considerable variety and provides gamers with myriad choices on the Nintendo Switch.

Certainly, RPG Maker MV is a pretty robust piece of software. The tools it lets its players use, while relatively more limited in comparison to those found in the all-encompassing personal computer version, are actually quite flexible in nature. From editing map tiles to programming events to dialogue boxes and even to character sprites, the Switch release has more than enough to keep gamers immersed for hours on end. In the hands of those with talent, perseverance, and vision, it can, and should, serve as the perfect gateway to game development.

If there’s anything RPG Maker MV lacks, it’s a proper tutorial. There’s one at the start, but gamers won’t be able to go back to it in a pinch once it’s done. And considering the depth and breadth of programming variables at the disposal of would-be developers, what’s tackled doesn’t even come close to putting newbies in position to hit the ground running. It’s as if Kadokawa understands that commitment to the craft necessitates self-learning. The good news is that creations by other users of the title can be checked and played and, most importantly, serve as sources of knowledge and inspiration. The sense of community is underscored since acceptance of work done comes by positive feedback from others, who will also benefit from the process.

Not counting the lack of in-game guidance, RPG Maker MV has other very clear drawbacks. For instance, the available assets on hand are all stock assets, so multiple game creations will, at some point, need to reuse them between games, thus possibly leading to a “same, same,” “been there, done that” situation. RPG Maker likewise remains inherently clunky, so while the software is adept at manipulation, the process invariably gets complicated, especially when using the Switch’s controls. Past the learning curve, though, it provides ample rewards. Second nature comes with a little perseverance.

In sum, RPG Maker MV is a can’t-miss affair for those who want to dip their toes in game development. For aspiring video game developers, it’s pretty much a must-have, serving as the perfect testing ground to gauge commitment to turning endeavor into profession and committing to far more expensive software.

THE GOOD:

• Extremely flexible as a design tool, allowing would-be developers to create role-playing games as they please

• Tons of options on offer

• Games produced off it are actually playable and compelling

THE BAD

• Inherently clunky

• Switch controls a hurdle in getting used to the software

• Lack of an in-depth tutorial

• Relatively limited amount of stock assets to play with

RATING: 8/10

POSTSCRIPT: A look at the history of Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ is all gamers need to know that it’s a labor of love. Not even a couple of failed Kickstarter campaigns managed to deter developer Mr. Tired Media from completing a project its founders, formerly of Nippon Ichi Software America, first conceived in a Sta. Ana, California, café eight years ago. For all the setbacks, Ry-guy and NickyD were propelled by self-belief and persevered, and, upon their transfer to Seattle, Washington, found others who shared in their goals. Full-scale development followed, and was rewarded by Valve’s support for a prospective release on the personal computer via Steam.

Considering the road Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ trekked, it’s not without irony that the Nintendo Switch version wound up being offered ahead of any other adaptation. That said, the good news is that Mr. Tired Media has proven true to its East-meets-West vision with an outstanding presentation that is in equal parts a visual novel, a dungeon crawler, and a role-playing game. It has gamers invested in the efforts of Reginald “Reggie” P. Happenstance to keep safe the cure for a zombie pandemic plaguing the world. As he tries to find a way to mass-produce the cure his scientist father concocted, he leans on the assistance of longtime friend Pearl and a handful of other undead women whose sense, sentience, and sensibilities likewise remain intact.

What follows is a delightful romp that mixes VN and RPG elements with style. Striking hand-drawn visuals complement the excellent writing in Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~. And amid the humor that pervades the narrative, gamers are tasked to invest in relationship-building while exploring dungeons and engaging in combat. They’re all intertwined, as the characters have unique attributes that shine and help maximize turns in battles. And, make no mistake, the formation of the right parties for the right occasions is crucial; enemies are hard to beat, even early on, so proper knowledge is essential to victory.

Needless to say, gamers will find most of their time spent traversing floor after floor in typical dungeon-crawling fashion. Thankfully, Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ features a healthy variety of locations, as well as of psychedelic enemies, so there’s no danger of ennui setting in. Meanwhile, the story progresses quite nicely, with Reggie learning more about, and getting closer to, his companions. In the process, he winds up coping with the challenges more efficiently, unlocking combo skills and making better use of the Exponential Exploitation mechanic in combat.

All told, Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ proves well worth its $29.99 price tag. Available as a digital download on the eShop, it comes in at 3.2 gigabytes, hefty by the standards of independent titles. The file size is put to excellent use, and replay value comes in the form of multiple endings and, for completists, of collectible items. It’s quirky and fun, and figures to provide hours upon hours of enjoyment that roundly show off Mr. Tired Media’s efforts.

THE GOOD:

• Well-written storyline and dialogue

• Visually appealing

• Colorful characters of substance

• Deep combat mechanics

THE BAD:

• Uneven voice acting

• Battles already difficult from the outset

• Quality of Life issues

RATING: 9/10

Big Ant Studios seemed to be aiming for authenticity when it developed Tennis World Tour 2, and, to its credit, the game does provide realistic gameplay. Groundstrokes, the meat and muscle of the sport, feel impactful, compelling gamers to make choices on the fly. Precision or power? Setting up the point or going for the kill? The depth of the decision-making gives the title the gravitas to overcome its missteps and do a remarkably good job at mimicking actual competition.

In Tennis World Tour 2, gamers are given the choice to pick their favorite player or create their own from scratch. They can either invest no small measure of time in the game’s career mode and become the most successful player alive or just go set up a one-and-done match offline or online using marquee names. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. It aims to live and breathe tennis, and the effort shows.

Admittedly, Tennis World Tour 2 is far from perfect. Graphics-wise, it doesn’t show its best. On the PlayStation 4 Pro, it looks serviceable, mostly propped up by its excellent lighting, atmosphere, and background design (which, while simplistic, shows a surprising amount of care). Meanwhile, the character models could be much, better; for gamers who put a premium on visuals, the effect can be a little jarring, especially when seen up close.

Thankfully, appearances aren’t the end-all and be-all of sports video games. So while Tennis World Tour 2 doesn’t look too hot, the gameplay props up its value considerably. Movement is slow and deliberate, albeit clunky; quick changes in direction make for jerky animations. On the plus side, gamers will find themselves amply rewarded when they serve and hit well, and then score points, whether through a well-constructed strategy or a fortuitous in-the-moment tactic. It captures the essence of tennis pretty well, and can pretty much hold attention until the matches are done.

Significantly, Tennis World Tour 2 boasts of a fairly substantial career mode, with variables such as training and preparation taken into account as gamers move to improve their character’s standing. There is also the option to purchase additional content to unlock official tournaments and stadia, as well as include the sport’s legends on the roster of available players, although at not inconsiderable cost.

On the whole, Tennis World Tour 2 does what it sets out to do. It’s bogged down by low resolution, but nonetheless provides compelling gameplay. And considering the dearth of titles catering to the sport, it proves to be a welcome addition for adrenaline junkies out for vicarious success.

THE GOOD:

• Compelling gameplay

• Fairly accessible and easy to play form the get-go

• Decent selection of marquee name

• Deep career mode

THE BAD:

• Character models could be much, much better

• Low-resolution graphics

• Quick changes in direction make for jerky animation

RATING: 7.5/10

Vampire’s Fall: Origins is technically the second offering in the Vampire’s Fall series, but it might as well have been a standalone title given its independent storyline and superior interface. In fact, it hews closer to Diablo II in look and feel, deliberately done as an ode to the computer role-playing games of old. The tone, art style, and handling should prove familiar to those steeped in Blizzard North’s seminal work at the turn of the century.

Developer Early Morning Studio does a great job of porting over the mobile game to the Nintendo Switch. Perhaps because Vampire’s Fall: Origins takes on an isometric view, it doesn’t push the hardware to present its dour, dark, decaying aesthetics. Meanwhile, it boasts of smooth and easy-to-understand mechanics. And coming from its original free-to-play release, it does well to eliminate the myriad microtransactions in the console version without sacrificing fairness.

Not unlike most multimedia online role-playing games, Vampire’s Fall: Origins’ plot is pretty much middle of the road. After going through typical character-creation choices at the start, gamers are treated to a backstory told through still images and text: The death of the kingdom’s ruler and absence of a successor has the Witchmaster, in command of dark magic and a horde of followers, planning a takeover. In Vamp’ire, one of the towns slated to be affected, lives the controllable character, who signs up to be part of the organized defense. Training sequences, which double as tutorials, follow, and set up what turns out to be an adventure-filled exploration of an open-world setup.

Interactions with townsfolk and other non-playable characters are standard, if occasionally humorous, fare, and lend to further appreciation of the overarching narrative. Where Vampire’s Fall: Origins distinguishes itself is in its randomized combat stages, where gamers need to strike a balance in the use of their character’s basic (“Weapons”) and special (“Control” and “Instinct”) skills. Side quests serve as level-up opportunities through the acquisition of either battle experience or actual gear. Note, however, that no small measure of grinding is required, as the game’s degree of difficulty rises, and steeply, without warning.

In sum, Vampire’s Fall: Origins proves well worth its $12.99 price tag. While no audio-visual marvel, it succeeds in presenting cues and effects consistent with its tenor. More importantly, it boasts of a complex but not complicated combat design that figures to keep gamers engaged. And because it plays without any technical glitches on the Nintendo Switch, it manages to meet its principal objective: The journey and not the destination is what matters most. Recommended.

THE GOOD:

• Well-done homage to RPGs of old

• Smooth interface and easy-to-understand controls

• Excellent turn-based combat design

• Compelling, humor-underpinned, side quests

THE BAD:

• Grinding required

• Online options not ported over

• No audio-visual marvel

RATING: 8/10

The Souls-like subset of the action role-playing game genre definitely has a lot of fans. While the borderline-insane levels of difficulty titles in this subset present aren’t for everybody, those who have the gumption to stick around for the payoffs experience a certain catharsis in imbibing their unique lore, exploring their labyrinthine environments, and ultimately overcoming their Sisyphean hurdles.

Bandai Namco’s Code Vein is one such release, pushing many of the buttons that any Dark Souls game does, albeit with an anime/rpg aesthetic. Players take on the role of an unnamed character of their making who suddenly wakes up in a devastated world. There, life exists as a hollow shell of itself, with surviving denizens exhibiting sudden vampiric urges to feast on human blood. Under this backdrop, the central figure is tasked with taking up arms to defend himself and his companions, unveil the mysteries behind the disaster, and ultimately fight off the darkness that has overcome the world.

Right off the bat, Code Vein starts off pretty strong. The art style, when combined with the serious tone of the story, does wonders to make the setting feel alive. Everything — from the characters to the monsters to the bleak, dilapidated environments players are forced to traverse — oozes with style. For all the challenges, exploration of the abandoned cities and mazes of underground caverns filled with mutated enemies never feels grating. Some paths may seem linear, with some dungeons leading off to narrow hallways or circular loops. That said, proper enemy placements keep combat fair for the most part.

Make no mistake, though. Code Vein is hard — or, to be more precise, very hard. Enemies are invariably smart and situated in ways that take unwary players off-guard. There’s a learning curve, and players just starting out will find themselves giving away a handful of lives before getting the hang of things. The good news is that death doesn’t lead to permanent loss of progress. It’s still a setback, but because checkpoints are fairly generous in number, its occurrence becomes a source more of irritation than of frustration.

Players delving a little deeper into Code Vein will likewise welcome the companion system. Unlike other Souls-like titles, the game allows friendly non-playable characters to be brought to battle. They’re able to take hits and deal out damage just as well as the principal character can, and they bring their own special sets of traits, equipment, and bonuses. Considering their pluses, they become essential to progress, bringing a lot of variety to an otherwise straightforward combat system.

The same can also be said for Code Vein’s myriad weapons, most of which have a particular playstyle that need some getting used to. While they’re nowhere near in number as those in, say, Monster Hunter, they do have more than enough types to allow for significant variety in dealing with enemies. Is waiting opponents out before striking up close the best option in the moment? Or is picking on them from moderate range with a rifle more prudent, There’s no right or wrong answer to combat, and players will want to master the possibilities before sticking to a favorite.

All in all, Code Vein proves fairly accessible for a Souls-like offering. The difficulty spikes within the typically dark atmosphere remain glaringly evident, but the introduction of mechanics that allow for accompaniment makes the journey less disheartening. Moreover, it boasts of excellent level designs that make the campaign worthwhile. It’s not perfect; for instance, minor annoyances courtesy of NPC glitches and errant hit boxes show up on occasion. That said, it delivers in the end, and how. Highly recommended.

THE GOOD:

• Excellent core gameplay design

• Fairness in combat

• Immersive exploration sections

• Unique companion option

THE BAD:

• Can prove exceedingly difficult, especially for newcomers to Souls-like offerings

• Can feel a little rough around the edges

• Errant hit boxes

• Feels biased towards companionship, leading to single-player imbalance

RATING: 9/10

Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey is as much an experiment as it is a game, and just a few minutes of playing confirms the contention. The open-world survival offering is ambitious, seeking to retell a dramatized version of the evolution of mankind spanning 10 million to two million years ago. Unfortunately, the things it gets right often blend with the things it gets wrong, ultimately compelling players to exercise not inconsiderable patience lest they be frustrated with its flawed interface.

At its core, Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey wants players to wear the shoes of African forbears during the Neogene period and walk the path they once trod. It calls for survival in a cruel world, and doing so requires the examination of plant life, crafting of useful tools, and, at times, dodging or overcoming the many predators that roam the jungle. Scaling trees, hunting for food, jumping along vines and climbing branches, and even finding a mate and raising offspring – these become part and parcel of life within the game. Its core premise is clear: the main character, the leader of a clan, has to stay safe, stay secure, stay fed, stay with others, and keep others safe, secure, fed, and together as well. And, conceptually, it works pretty well, with progress involving a natural push towards more dangerous territory, wary of surroundings, but eager to learn more. If nothing else, it encapsulates the plight of early man — more like ape, really — and conveying the helplessness and fear he must have once felt.

However, while the premise of Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey is sound, the game doesn’t do so well with the controls. Whether using a peripheral or a keyboard-and-mouse combination, players will occasionally find themselves struggling with and for control. The aim for a realistic approach to survival is admittedly laudable; sight, sound, and smell are requisites to scoping out large swaths of land. The character will be gathering items to use as tools, or ducking into tall brushes to hide — great in theory, but difficult in practice.

When the same command keys tend to lead to different things depending on the character’s stance and posture and on the context of the action, the inability to execute moves as desired allows frustration to set in. For example, the character will constantly be stopping to pick up items when players actually want him to use other senses. Thus, much of the first part of Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey requires wrestling with the controls. Even after players get used to the interface, comfort and comfortability never set in; commands feel more like vague suggestions, thereby curtailing freedom and necessitating repetition. It’s a pain in a controlled environment, and an absolute nightmare in moments of stress. Again, patience is a must.

That said, Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey can prove satisfying, and perhaps oddly so. Assuming players get past, or used to, the clunky, annoying controls, they’ll appreciate the effort of Panache Digital Games to present a feral world that Earth was once, and to show the determination of mankind to buck the odds, transfer knowledge to descendants, and keep plodding on. Its opening cinematic conveys the state of nature, uncaring and cruel, and close to impossible to survive. And in the moments the character does survive seemingly insurmountable challenges, players feel like champions. The moments are few and far between, but they’re there. When an elusive prey is struck down, or when a predator is outwitted, for instance, pride sets in; because elements of the game — and the game itself — put up fight after fight, triumph tastes doubly sweet.

Considering how Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey unfolds, it’s fair to wonder if the developers meant it to run as it does. Was the hard-to-tame control scheme a deliberate attempt to parallel the uncertainty and fear progenitors might have once had, similar to how Resident Evil or Silent Hill used their tank control and awkward camera angles to evoke terror? Is the elicitation of sheer annoyance an attempt to immerse the player in the game even more? It’s anybody’s guess, although there can be no doubting the artistic choices they made to see their vision come to life.

At the end of the day, Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey winds up as a conceptually interesting release. Vexation can set it, but perseverance does have its rewards. Which, in a nutshell, is life itself. People live, people suffer, and people triumph in spite of the odds. And then people start all over again.

THE GOOD:

• Visually pleasing, featuring outstanding environmental character design

• Near-realistic attention to detail with regards to actions, requiring good use of sound, sight, and touch for navigation

• Movement is fast and fluid

THE BAD:

• Clunky general control scheme, with most of the things to do in-game having a layer of tedium

• Repetitive at times

• Unintuitive combat and game design

RATING: 8/10

THE LAST WORD: Publisher 2K Sports has revealed a Next-Gen Courtside Report and trailer introducing The City, the new multiplayer setting for the next-gen version of NBA 2K21. The most ambitious execution of a virtual basketball community ever with a map much larger than previous Neighborhoods, The City is complete with towering skyscrapers, sprawling plazas, a city center, and distinct boroughs controlled by rival affiliations. The next-generation version of NBA 2K21 will be released today for the Microsoft Xbox Series X|S and on Nov. 12 for the Sony PlayStation 5.

Fruitas buys a P140-million Manila property as headquarters

November 10, 2020 | 12:04 am

FOOD AND BEVERAGE kiosks operator Fruitas Holdings, Inc. has bought a P140-million property in Manila City to be used as its new headquarters.

In a disclosure to the exchange Monday, the listed firm said it has acquired a 909.5-square meter parcel of lot in Ramon Magsaysay Blvd., Sta. Mesa, Manila.

“The acquisition of the property allows Fruitas to secure ownership, and therefore the long-term use, of (an) asset which is vital for the future operations of the group,” it said.

Fruitas is using a portion of the P820-million proceeds from its initial public offering (IPO) last year to pay for the property in cash. Some P40 million have been paid last week, while the balance may be paid until Dec. 15.

“Given the current low-yield environment, [the company decided to] invest in assets which can provide higher returns, consolidate certain back-office operations and also generate rental income from tenants of potential excess space,” it said.

“[I]n the long-run, we also expect the asset will have capital appreciation,” it added.

The property has a five-storey building with a net floor area of more than 2,000 square meters. It was bought by Fruitas from the Philippine Bible Society, Inc.

The company first announced its plan to buy a property for its new headquarters in September. It has allotted P145 million for the plan from the P165-million IPO proceeds it is reallocating.

The remainder of the reallocated funds, or P20 million, will go to its fund for commissary expansion. Fruitas is looking to buy the 1,328-square meter land, where its Quezon City buko water commissary is located.

In the first half of 2020, Fruitas booked an attributable net loss of P12.35 million, reversing its attributable net income of P51.97 million the same period last year. This is due to temporary store closures following the government’s lockdown protocols.

Fruitas shares closed at P1.35 apiece on Monday, down five centavos or 3.57% from the last session. — Denise A. Valdez

Construction of DMCI Homes condo remains on track

November 10, 2020 | 12:04 am

CONSTRUCTION of three 15-storey buildings of DMCI Homes’ The Atherton development in Parañaque City remains on track despite the pandemic.

In a statement, DMCI Homes said work on The Atherton resumed in late May when the government lifted the suspension on construction activities due to the lockdown.

“As of October 2020, masonry work is in full swing on two of The Atherton’s three buildings, Oak and Helicia, which topped out last March and August respectively. The Oak building is already halfway to completion while the Helicia building is 44% finished,” DMCI Homes said.

The third building, Almond, is currently 21% complete, with top-out targeted by March 2021.

Turnover of Oak building is scheduled in August 2022, followed by Helicia building in February 2023; and Almond building in August 2023.

The Atherton is located along Dr. A. Santos Avenue (formerly Sucat Road).

Megawide says it can finance NAIA rehab project ‘in phases’

November 10, 2020 | 12:03 am

MEGAWIDE Construction Corp. on Monday reiterated it has enough options to finance the P107-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) rehabilitation project.

Megawide issued the statement in response to a news report about its alleged “non-compliance” with the documentary requirements to prove its financial capability to carry out the multibillion-peso project.

The company said it can sustain the financing requirements of the project in “different phases.”

Megawide added its “financial management plan provides sufficient equity and leverages debt at manageable levels in order to fund the project in compliance with the requirements set out in… the BOT (build-operate-transfer) law implementing rules and regulations.”

The company also said it submitted “all the necessary documents” to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC).

In August, Transportation Undersecretary for Planning & Project Development Ruben S. Reinoso said at an online briefing that the NEDA-ICC had asked the joint venture of Megawide and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. to clarify issues “on financial capacity and the joint and solidary liability agreement of the consortium,” before negotiations could continue.

On Monday, Megawide reiterated that its “financial fundamentals are strong, and it has the complete capability to fully meet all financing requirements of the NAIA project in its proposed phases.”

The GMR-Megawide tandem received the original proponent status (OPS) for the NAIA rehabilitation project in June, after the government revoked the OPS granted to the so-called super consortium of the country’s top conglomerates.

The GMR-Megawide tandem submitted in March 2018 a $3-billion unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate NAIA over an 18-year period. At that time, they said they plan to increase NAIA’s capacity to 72 million annual passengers from its original 30.5 million by boosting the airfield capacity to 950-1,000 aircraft movements per day and expanding existing terminals to more than 700,000 square meters. — Arjay L. Balinbin

If ‘true crime’ shows are your thing, go to hayu

November 10, 2020 | 12:03 am

STREAMING platform hayu (pronounced like “hey you”) is adding 40 new true crime series to its current reality slate with programs ranging from “unthinkable mysteries that would send shivers down your spine, to the entertaining lives of your favorite reality stars,” according to a press release.

Among the shows added to the platform are: Snapped, a series which first aired in 2004 and which is focused on telling the “fascinating cases of women accused of murder, usually of their partners, featuring interviews with friends and family members of the accused and victims, law-enforcement officials, attorneys and other people with first-hand knowledge of the cases,” and Ice Cold Blood, a show hosted by American rapper and Grammy Award winner Ice-T where he tells true stories involving sex, money, and obsession.

Also on hayu is The Kim Kardashian-West Justice Project, a 2020 documentary following Ms. Kardashian-West on her personal mission to address the criminal reform crisis and her efforts to free incarcerated Americans whom she believes have been wronged by the justice system.

Those who prefer medical mysteries can binge on the second season of License to Kill, a show that investigates cases involving murderous doctors and nurses with family members of victims weighing in on the loss of their loved ones. The show is hosted by Dr. Terry Dubrow, known for being the host of the plastic-surgery-gone-wrong series, Botched.

Then there is the documentary about the high-profile murder of celebrated fashion designer Gianni Versace, Killing Versace: The Hunt for a Serial Killer. The documentary features interviews with fashion fans, witnesses, and experts trying to get into the mind of Mr. Versace’s killer, Andrew Cunanan.

Hayu is available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Subscription fees range from P49 for a weekly subscription to P149 for a monthly subscription. — ZBC

GDC sees high demand for suburban projects

November 10, 2020 | 12:03 am

GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT Corporation (GDC) said it is seeing a rise in property purchases despite the overall economic slowdown.

Duane A.X. Santos, GDC executive vice-president and general manager, said demand remains high for residential projects, particularly those in suburban areas.

“Now that working from home is the new normal, proximity to work and traffic may no longer be primary concerns. Sales for the suburban residential communities have returned to pre-quarantine levels and the buyers are predominantly the end users mostly for Pramana and Solen. The recently launched Trava, being a luxury development has started picking up in interest as well,” he said in a statement.

Pramana, Solen and Trava are located in Greenfield City, Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Mr. Santos said sales for condominiums, especially ready-for-occupancy units, were brisk after the lifting of strict quarantine restrictions and sales activities were allowed for the real estate industry.

While the projected value appreciation within the year will be minimal, he said they are also not expecting any decline in property values.

PLDT sets up data privacy, information security committee

November 10, 2020 | 12:02 am

PLDT, Inc. announced on Monday its creation of a data privacy and information security committee to “ensure guidance and oversight” over how the company addresses privacy and information security issues.

The committee will be headed by PLDT Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Manuel V. Pangilinan. Other members are PLDT Directors Ray C. Espinosa and Junichi Igarashi.

PLDT said Bernido Liu will serve as an independent member while PLDT Chief Revenue Officer, Smart President and Chief Executive Officer Alfredo S. Panlilio will serve as an advisor.

Also on Monday, PLDT said it had secured a carrier ethernet certification from Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) 3.0. According to its website, MEF is a “global industry forum for network and cloud providers.”

“This level of certification will assure customers that they will receive the highest levels of performance established by the world’s defining authority for standardized network services,” MEF President Nan Chen said in a statement.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Shopping specials on 11.11

November 10, 2020 | 12:02 am

Over the past few years, Nov. 11 — often referred to as 11.11 — becomes one of the biggest sales days for e-commerce platforms and this year is no different, with more brands joining and holding their own 11.11 promotions. Here’s a rundown of what to expect in the next few days.

Alibaba

Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba has reported “strong results” in the first sales window of its 11.11 Global Shopping festival, held from Nov. 1 to 3 featuring 14 million products, according to BusinessWire. The e-commerce giant is expecting to serve “800 million shoppers for over 200,000 brands across 89 countries,” during the 11.11 sales period said Chris Tung, Alibaba’s chief marketing officer, during the global shopping festival’s launch event in late October. The main shopping window will be on Nov. 11.

This is also the first year the e-commerce giant and its various platforms — including Taobao and TMall — will have luxury brands joining the sale including Prada, Cartier, Montblanc, Balenciaga, and Chloe. Alibaba’s warehouses have been stocking up on skincare products, feminine hygiene goods, and household cleaning items as these are the “top three must-buy categories,” according to a company statement.

Alibaba is expecting a 30% increase in parcel delivery during the sales period.

Lazada 11.11 Sale

Southeast Asian e-commerce platform Lazada will be featuring over 350,000 brands and sellers during its 11.11 Shopping Festival, the platform’s biggest one-day sales promotion. The sale will also feature more than 150,000 local brands and sellers. Some of the brands joining the event include Asahi Home Appliances, Fully Booked, Sandals, Ana & Joe, grocery seller Zupafresh, Maybelline, Benefit Cosmetics, Nespresso, Ray Ban’s, La Germania, and Xiaomi among many others.

This year, Lazada has enlisted the services of Korean actor Lee Min-Ho as one of the faces of the platform alongside Filipina actress Kathryn Bernardo.

Shopee 11.11 Big Christmas Sale

Aside from free shipping and discount vouchers offered starting midnight of Nov. 11, Shopee will also have multiple P1 deals.

The platform is also holding the Shopee Milyonaryo, an interactive lucky draw contest on variety show Wowowin airing daily on GMA Network. The contest is awarding a lucky winner P1,000,000 in cash every weekday until Nov. 11 if they manage to select the correct box from six.

Some of the brands joining the sale are Pampers, Nestle, Vivo, Globe, Havaianas, Unilever Beauty, Abbott, Garnier, realme, Lysol, La Germania, and Enfagrow.

Lazada may have Lee Min-Ho and Kathryn Bernardo but Shopee is taking a different tack by having celebrity Kris Aquino as the face of its sales promotion.

BeautyMNL Super Sale

Beauty, health and lifestyle e-commerce platform BeautyMNL will be holding its own version of an 11.11 sale and will be having several flash deals for Sunnies Face, CosRX, and Esfolio as well as brands offering up to 93% off on Nov. 11. Aside from skincare brands, BeautyMNL will also be offering discounts on health and bath and body care brands during the period.

Zalora

Apparel e-commerce platform Zalora is offering up to 80% off on major categories such as apparel, activewear, footwear, cosmetics, and accessories. Over 500 international and local brands will be participating in the sale, some of which are Burberry, Calvin Klein, Carrera, Diesel, Dolce & Gabbana, and Emporio Armani.

Aside from clothing and accessories, Zalora will also be having promotions for home items such as pots, pans, and bedsheets. The platform also introduced a new category called Essentials where customers can buy daily food staples like milk, noodles, sauces, health and personal care items, and home supplies such as laundry detergent, floor cleaners, and disinfectants.

Rustans.com 11.11 sale

The online portal of Rustans Department Store (rustans.com) will be holding a sitewide sale on Nov. 11 with a limited-time sitewide discount code dropping on the same day.

Some of the brands available on the platform are Acca Kappa, Baby Einstein, Old Navy, Dolce & Gabbana, Elizabeth Arden, and more.

A note on the site advises customers to place their orders before Dec. 11, 5 p.m., for those outside NCR and before Dec. 15, 5 p.m., for those within NCR to ensure that the order comes before Dec. 24.

Max Factor Flagship Store on LazMall

On Nov. 11, the Max Factor Flagship Store on LazMall will be offering discounts of up to 50% off on select products and platform exclusive bundles of up to 46% off. For a minimum spend of P799, enjoy free shipping up to P50 and P100 collectible vouchers. There will be flash deals from midnight to 2 a.m. and from 6-10 p.m. on that day.

Meanwhile, Max Factor Resident Makeup Artist Bobby Carlos and influencer Chloe Collings will have a product demonstration on holiday makeup looks.

Aside from the 11.11 events, the Max Factor Flagship Store on LazMall will offer discounts of up to 50% off during the Lazada Essentials Shopping Spree on Nov. 17-18 and Nov. 23-25; Beauty Black Friday on Nov. 27; Max Factor Payday Treat on Nov. 13-16 and Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

Gov’t upsizes T-bill award as yields drop further

November 10, 2020 | 12:02 am

THE GOVERNMENT upsized its award of Treasury bills (T-bills) on Monday as yields declined across the board amid strong liquidity in the market.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) borrowed P24 billion via the T-bills on Monday, bigger than its P20-billion program, as the offer was nearly six times oversubscribed, with bids amounting to P112.101 billion.

The government accepted more bids from non-competitive investors for the three-month and six-month tenors to take advantage of the lower yields fetched for these papers.

Broken down, the BTr awarded P7 billion in 91-day papers, higher than the P5-billion program, as tenders reached P33.058 billion. The three-month debt fetched an average rate of 1.024%, down by 3.4 basis points (bps) from the 1.058% seen in the previous auction.

The Treasury likewise awarded P7 billion in 182-day papers, more than the planned P5 billion, as bids amounted to P37.548 billion. The six-month T-bills were quoted at an average rate of 1.453%, 4.6 bps lower than the 1.499% logged in the previous offering.

Meanwhile, the government borrowed P10 billion as planned from the 364-day T-bills, with tenders reaching P41.495 billion. The one-year securities fetched an average rate of 1.745%, inching down by 1.4 bps from the 1.759% quoted in last week’s offering.

At the secondary market on Monday, the 91-day, 182-day and 364-day T-bills were quoted at 1.105%, 1.505% and 1.774%, respectively, based on the PHL Bloomberg Valuation Reference Rates published on the Philippine Dealing System’s website.

National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon told reporters in a Viber message after the auction that the lower yields reflected “hefty liquidity” among investors on expectations of benign inflation.

Ms. De Leon added that the bigger volume of bids from investors indicated their continued preference for short-term debt papers.

Meanwhile, a trader said the auction result came as “no surprise” as the market favors T-bills over longer-tenored papers amid continued uncertainties in the country’s economic outlook.

“Investors continue to flock short-term assets while waiting for any solid developments that pertain to the pandemic and how it continues to affect lives and the economy,” the trader said in a Viber message.

The Philippine economy is expected to have declined in the third quarter, though at a slower pace than the previous three-month period amid relaxed lockdown restrictions, economists said.

A BusinessWorld poll of 19 economists yielded a median estimate of a 9.2% decline in gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter, easing from the downward-revised 16.9% plunge in the second quarter.

If realized, this will bring the GDP contraction in the first three quarters of 2020 to 8.9%.

The government expects the economy to shrink between 4.5% and 6.6%, or an average of 5.5%, this year.

The Philippine Statistics Authority will report third-quarter GDP data on Tuesday.

The Treasury plans to borrow P140 billion from the domestic market this month: P80 billion in weekly T-bill auctions and P60 billion in fortnightly Treasury bond auctions.

It will also offer another tranche of Premyo bonds to raise at least P3 billion. The offer period is set to run from Nov. 11 to Dec. 18.

Premyo bonds are part of the government’s bid to attract more small investors to invest in government securities. Last year, the BTr raised P4.961 billion from the sale of one-year peso-denominated Premyo bonds, up from its initial offer of P3 billion.

Premyo bonds are government securities that have corresponding raffle numbers for cash and non-cash prizes, aside from earning interest. The minimum investment for the bonds stands at just P500 and can be bought in multiples. One Premyo bond is equivalent to one raffle ticket.

The government wants to raise around P3 trillion this year from local and foreign lenders to help fund its budget deficit, which is expected to hit 9.6% of the country’s gross domestic product. — K.K.T. Jose

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