Monthly Archives: July 2014

Train2Game News Creative England offering investment

Posted on by

Creative EnglandCreative England and SCEE have announced a new £250,000 fund to accelerate and incubate five UK games companies.

The organisation’s will invest £50,000 into each of the selected five developers to support the development of new titles for PS3, PS4 and PlayStation Vita. The studios will also receive business support, dev kits for the three PlayStation platforms and other technical and fringe benefits.

The partnership is part of a new incubator and accelerator programme called GamesLab Campus. Information on how to apply will be made available soon at www.creativeengland.co.uk/games.

The partnership was announced by SCEE’s senior account manager for publisher and developer relations Agostino Simonetta during the Develop Conference in Brighton today.

“We are delighted to work with Creative England on this program,” he said. “We believe this to be a great partnership and an opportunity to illustrate our continuous support and commitment to the independent development community.”

Jaspal Sohal, head of games and digital media at Creative England, added: “At Creative England, we are always looking to support new game development talent and opening doors to help ndie studios grow and achieve commercial success. It’s fantastic to have PlayStation on board and together we’ve designed GamesLab Campus to be a complete investment and support package.

“Whether you’re a start-up or an experienced developer, we’re looking for exciting and innovative projects to invest in.”

Train2Game News The Witcher Mobile Battle Arena

Posted on by

The Witcher Battle ArenaCD PROJEKT RED, creators of the critically acclaimed Witcher franchise of games, and Fuero Games are proud to announce The Witcher Battle Arena, a bold extension of the series into the realm of mobile entertainment.

“With mobile devices as powerful as they are and the graphics they offer being so beautiful, we can finally plunge into mobile gaming and deliver our take on free gaming to gamers worldwide,” said Adam Badowski, Head of Studio, CD PROJEKT RED.

The Witcher Battle Arena is a fast, fun and accessible MOBA game based in the Witcher universe. Designed with mobile devices in mind, Battle Arena combines great accessibility and a balanced learning curve with complex tactics and a limitless array of skill-based strategies gamers can deploy during each battle. Designed with fairness in mind, the game features no pay-to-win elements and allows players to unlock every piece of in-game content entirely via gameplay.

In the Arena, six heroes battle it out to the death, trying to capture and hold three conquest points in short, intense and action-packed skirmishes. The intuitive system of character progression allows you to create player-tailored character builds and unique item configurations to surprise your friends and stagger your foes. Become legendary characters such as the witcher Letho of Gulet, dwarven adventurer Zoltan Chivay or the mighty sorceress Philippa Eilhart and use their diverse skills to gain the advantage and crush those foolish enough to cross your path.

“In a world full of enter-your-PIN-number-to-win mechanics, what we value above all is well-balanced and honest gameplay,” said Tadek Zieliński, Creative Analyst, CD PROJEKT RED. “Battle Arena is all about skill and dedication, and we’ve spent hundreds of hours planning to make it a paragon of fairness in mobile gaming,” Zieliński added.

Designed by CD PROJEKT RED and developed by Fuero Games, The Witcher Battle Arena is scheduled to launch sometime in Q4 2014 on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Windows (Tablets), with free future updates planned to expand the game both in terms of number of characters, gameplay modes and more.

“The whole team here at Fuero Games is really excited at the prospect of developing a game for such a big and engaged community as that of The Witcher. I’m convinced that our skill in mobile multiplayer game development, combined with the creative flair of CD PROJEKT RED, will produce an experience Witcher fans will want to come back to again and again,” said Stanisław Fiedor, CEO, Fuero Games.

You can enjoy the teaser trailer below

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 07.07.14

Posted on by

Sniper Elite 3The charts this week are incredibly quiet with not a single new game entering the top twenty. Sniper Elite 3 holds the number one spot for a second week running.

All formats

Week ending 5 July 2014

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 – SNIPER ELITE 3 505 GAMES 1
2 – WATCH DOGS UBISOFT 2
3 FIFA 14 EA SPORTS 6
4 – TITANFALL EA GAMES 4
5 – WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 5
6 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 8
7 EA SPORTS UFC EA SPORTS 3
8 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL EA SPORTS 11
9 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION 3 EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 10
10 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 9
11 TOMODACHI LIFE NINTENDO 16
12 MARIO KART 8 NINTENDO 13
13 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 14
14 ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT 19
15 – BATTLEFIELD 4 EA GAMES 15
16 GRID AUTOSPORT CODEMASTERS 7
17 THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 18
18 TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK ACTIVISION 12
19 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 17
20 – PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE EA GAMES 20
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2014 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News Insomnia 52

Posted on by

image

Multiplay, organiser of the UK’s biggest gaming festival, is thrilled to announce the attendance of some of the most popular streamers, YouTube personalities, and online gaming broadcasters at its biggest ever Insomnia event.

After a successful debut at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena with last Easter’s Insomnia51, Multiplay is gearing up for an expanded summer gaming festival. Headline sponsors for Insomnia52 include Scan, HyerX and Iiayma.

This upcoming event introduces the Festival Arena, which will take place in the stadium, with a huge marquee taking over the pitch with an array of new features including the biggest stage yet. YouTube continues its dominance as the hottest form of video entertainment, with Insomnia52 featuring a brand new YouTuber Live Zone featuring Lets Plays, and a wide variety of interactive stage content from a roster of high profile personalities.

Insomnia52 will feature special guests such as Syndicate of TheSyndicateProject, who will also be launching his exclusive clothing brand in the UK for the very first time at the show. There will also be opportunities to meet Syndicate and your chance to win an exclusive one hour gaming lock-in session on the Razer Gamer Bus, where a handful of lucky winners will get to play alongside the YouTube star. Other currently confirmed special guests include Ali-A, SIVHD, Keyori, the Noxcrew, AshleyMarieeGaming and members from the Mindcrack Minecraft server, with more huge announcements to follow in the coming weeks.

As the biggest ever Insomnia Gaming Festival, this summer’s event will be solidifying the gaming festival feel with live music. Headlining the Main Festival stage on the Friday Night of the event will be Zane Lowe. The internationally renowned DJ and remix artist will be mixing up a DJ set of epic proportions. Other great live acts will feature across the weekend including sets from contestants of BBC’s The Voice, with the full line-up being announced shortly.

“When we first started Insomnia all those years ago we had these far-off dreams for where we’d like the event to one day be, and reality has finally caught up,” said Craig Fletcher, Founder & CEO of Multiplay. “This is our 52nd event, and we all feel incredibly proud to have helped Insomnia grow into the unique gaming festival experience it is today, in no small part thanks to our fantastic community. I’m already looking forward to watching Zane from the front row!”

Multiplay is set to grow the Insomnia Gaming Festival throughout 2014, delivering unrivalled gaming entertainment to tens of thousands of fans. Insomnia52 will deliver more competitive gaming tournaments, LAN-based gaming, new title showcases, panel talks, more interactive activities, and more exhibitors and sponsors than ever before this August bank holiday weekend.

For more information on Insomnia52 and to purchase tickets visit http://insomniagamingfestival.com. More announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

Train2Game News Develop 100 Tech List

Posted on by

Develop 100Develop have recently put together a list of the top one hundred bits of tech in the games industry today.

It is full of everything from Game Engines to Consoles to peripherals.

This list is definitely a required read for anyone even remotely interested in the games industry to know what is used to make all the games you adore and enjoy.

You can view the full magazine of the Top 100 Tech from develop below:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/232466314/Develop-100-Tech-List

 

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 03.07.14

Posted on by

Sniper Elite 3The charts are late this week but there is a new number one with 505 Games Sniper Elite 3 shooting to number one in its debut. Grid Autosport from Codemasters enters the chart at number seven and further down Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark comes in at number twelve.

All formats

Week ending 28 June 2014

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 SNIPER ELITE 3 505 GAMES –
2 – WATCH DOGS UBISOFT 2
3 EA SPORTS UFC EA SPORTS 1
4 TITANFALL EA GAMES 3
5 WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 4
6 FIFA 14 EA SPORTS 5
7 GRID AUTOSPORT CODEMASTERS –
8 – CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 8
9 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 10
10 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION 3 EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 9
11 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL EA SPORTS 6
12 TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK ACTIVISION –
13 MARIO KART 8 NINTENDO 7
14 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 11
15 BATTLEFIELD 4 EA GAMES 12
16 TOMODACHI LIFE NINTENDO 19
17 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 16
18 THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 17
19 ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT 15
20 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE EA GAMES 18
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2014 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News 12 Year Old launches successful game

Posted on by

image

Spacepants, the hit iPhone and iPad game developed by 12-year-old Sam Smith, is now available for Android devices on the Google Play store.

Spacepants was named one of the “Best Apps of the Week” in  The Guardian on its original release, and was featured by Apple on the front page of the UK App Store. Since then, it has received acclaim from players and critics across the world for its “Easy to play, hard to master”, “just-one-more-go” gameplay.

“Spacepants are the future of trousers,” explained Sam. “In the game they give our hero, Guy, the ability to walk up walls and along ceilings. But when his Spacepants malfunction and cannot be stopped, Guy’s survival skills will be tested to the limit. And beyond. And, incredibly, beyond even that.”

The objective is to survive for as long as possible against hordes of deadly aliens, and to compete against other players for the highest score possible.

Its young creator has been delighted by the game’s success. Despite his age, Sam has been making games for some time, having been taken out of school and home educated from the age of nine.

“School just didn’t work for me,” he said. “I’ve learned much more through game development than I ever could in the classroom. I couldn’t be happier to see so many people play and enjoy Spacepants, and I’m thrilled to bring it to Android devices.”

Sam has received tremendous support from the game development community. Thomas Was Alone creator Mike Bithell helped Sam to launch his Twitter presence @boxfacegames, and gave Spacepants breakthrough coverage. Gaming radio show One Life Left and the Indie Haven podcast had Sam as a guest – and Spacepants has been used as an outstanding example of British creativity in presentations to teachers, students and even to government.

Sam is now hard at work on his next game. At this stage, he will only reveal that “it’s about a robot”.

Spacpants costs 99p from the App Store or Google Play Store.

Train2Game News Develop next week

Posted on by

image

One week from today, Tuesday 8 July, over 1,600 developers are set to descend on Brighton as the industry comes together for the ninth annual Develop in Brighton Conference.

The three day conference will host over 90 sessions covering the whole spectrum of games development. More than 100 speakers will debate the biggest issues and trends in the industry, from the Virtual Reality boom and growth in Second Screen to cloud gaming, new types of funding, alternative publishing models and the psychology behind player interaction.

Rob Fraser, Chief Technology Officer for Cloud Services at Microsoft UK, will open the Evolve Conference on Tuesday. Wednesday starts with Andrew House, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, giving the Develop in Brighton opening keynote entitled 20 Years of PlayStation, 40 Years of Console Games and 100 Years to Come. On Thursday, Co-founder and President of Capybara Games, Nathan Vella, will deliver the Indie keynote, while Garry Taylor, Audio Director for Sony Computer Entertainment, will give the audio keynote.

Other headline speakers include Peter Molyneux, David Braben, Chris Charla, Dave Ranyard, Roberta Lucca and Siobhan Reddy, Ian Livingstone and Richard Bartle, while the list of companies speaking includes Amazon, Google, Versu, Twitch, Nickelodeon and Lift London.

In the Expo area, delegates attending Develop in Brighton can meet some of the biggest names in the industry including Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft and Epic, as well as discovering some breakthrough talent in the Develop Conference Indie Showcase, sponsored by Unity.

Centrally located within the expo, the Indie Showcase highlights ten unpublished, independently-developed games selected by a judging panel of industry experts. Delegates have the chance to get hands on with the games and vote for their favourite through the People’s Choice vote.

Organisers Tandem Events has also announced new features for the 2014 conference including a new Marketing track, free Indie Boot Camp sessions in the Expo hall and the inaugural Develop Game Jam.

Full information on the conference sessions and speakers together with who is exhibiting at the expo can all be found on the new mobile event app, sponsored by Autodesk, which is available to download through the App, Google Play and Windows store by searching Develop in Brighton.

With around 500 companies booked to attend, the Develop in Brighton Conference isn’t just about the content, but the people you meet during the After Hours events. There’s a host of networking events including Tuesday’s Ice Breaker Drinks, sponsored by Unreal Engine, and the GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament sponsored by Relentless Software. On Wednesday there is the Develop in Brighton Expo Booth Crawl and the Develop Awards. Finally, on Thursday delegates can attend the Close of Conference Beers.

“With only a week to go, we’re thrilled with the quantity and quality of speakers and exhibitors we have to offer our delegates,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events. “From our headline keynote speakers to sessions dedicated to the hottest topics currently in the industry, we have something to offer every type of developer – from one man indies to the biggest studios. Develop in Brighton really is the go-to event for everyone who develops games and I can’t wait to see everyone down in Brighton.”

Train2Game News Develop next week

Posted on by

image

One week from today, Tuesday 8 July, over 1,600 developers are set to descend on Brighton as the industry comes together for the ninth annual Develop in Brighton Conference.

The three day conference will host over 90 sessions covering the whole spectrum of games development. More than 100 speakers will debate the biggest issues and trends in the industry, from the Virtual Reality boom and growth in Second Screen to cloud gaming, new types of funding, alternative publishing models and the psychology behind player interaction.

Rob Fraser, Chief Technology Officer for Cloud Services at Microsoft UK, will open the Evolve Conference on Tuesday. Wednesday starts with Andrew House, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, giving the Develop in Brighton opening keynote entitled 20 Years of PlayStation, 40 Years of Console Games and 100 Years to Come. On Thursday, Co-founder and President of Capybara Games, Nathan Vella, will deliver the Indie keynote, while Garry Taylor, Audio Director for Sony Computer Entertainment, will give the audio keynote.

Other headline speakers include Peter Molyneux, David Braben, Chris Charla, Dave Ranyard, Roberta Lucca and Siobhan Reddy, Ian Livingstone and Richard Bartle, while the list of companies speaking includes Amazon, Google, Versu, Twitch, Nickelodeon and Lift London.

In the Expo area, delegates attending Develop in Brighton can meet some of the biggest names in the industry including Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft and Epic, as well as discovering some breakthrough talent in the Develop Conference Indie Showcase, sponsored by Unity.

Centrally located within the expo, the Indie Showcase highlights ten unpublished, independently-developed games selected by a judging panel of industry experts. Delegates have the chance to get hands on with the games and vote for their favourite through the People’s Choice vote.

Organisers Tandem Events has also announced new features for the 2014 conference including a new Marketing track, free Indie Boot Camp sessions in the Expo hall and the inaugural Develop Game Jam.

Full information on the conference sessions and speakers together with who is exhibiting at the expo can all be found on the new mobile event app, sponsored by Autodesk, which is available to download through the App, Google Play and Windows store by searching Develop in Brighton.

With around 500 companies booked to attend, the Develop in Brighton Conference isn’t just about the content, but the people you meet during the After Hours events. There’s a host of networking events including Tuesday’s Ice Breaker Drinks, sponsored by Unreal Engine, and the GamesAid Charity Poker Tournament sponsored by Relentless Software. On Wednesday there is the Develop in Brighton Expo Booth Crawl and the Develop Awards. Finally, on Thursday delegates can attend the Close of Conference Beers.

“With only a week to go, we’re thrilled with the quantity and quality of speakers and exhibitors we have to offer our delegates,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events. “From our headline keynote speakers to sessions dedicated to the hottest topics currently in the industry, we have something to offer every type of developer – from one man indies to the biggest studios. Develop in Brighton really is the go-to event for everyone who develops games and I can’t wait to see everyone down in Brighton

Train2Game News Organic Motion improves MoCap Market

Posted on by

Organic MotionOrganic Motion has taken another giant step forward in the motion capture market with their release of OpenStage 2.4.

In addition to multiple usability features added to the product, OpenStage 2.4 boasts a real-time frame capture rate of 120fps; double its previous mark of 60fps. The increase in frame rate means a substantial increase in tracking quality for users of OpenStage 2.4. Quicker character actions, such as kicking, punching or swinging a golf club now track better than ever. Brent George, professional animator and beta tester of OpenStage 2.4, has already recognized a noticeable improvement.

“At 60fps, OpenStage drastically improved the efficiency of my motion capture pipeline. The increase in frame rate opens up even more possibilities to further leverage OpenStage to save money and improve overall animation quality.”

In addition to animation, the upgrade also substantially impacts the system’s versatility within life sciences.  Dynamic Athletics, an Organic Motion partner and the leader in the application of 3D motion capture in human performance and musculoskeletal health, is excited at the possibilities that exist with OpenStage 2.4.
“The advancements that Organic Motion has made with version 2.4 allows the applications of motion capture to expand into new arenas.” explained Patrick Moodie, Chief of Science and Co-Founder of Dynamic Athletics. “At DARI, collections start with simple movements and progress to the more complex. From golf swings to pitching motions, the possibilities with OpenStage 2.4 are now endless.”

In an effort to allow everyone to witness the new features of OpenStage 2.4 live, Organic Motion will be hosting an online live demonstration from their headquarters in Manhattan on July 15th at 2pm ET. Those interested may register via the following link – Organic Motion Live Online Demo Registration.