Monthly Archives: September 2014

Train2Game News Mojang sale to Microsoft Confirmed

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MojangThe rumours have been confirmed and Mojang is selling to Microsoft for $2.5 Billion. So what does this mean for Minecraft and the company?

In a blog on www.Mojang.com the deal was confirmed today with a few details about the sale and the reasons why.

The main reason Markus “Notch” Persson, the creator of Minecraft and the majority shareholder of Mojang has decided to sell is that he feels that Minecraft and Mojang have become to big on a global scale. He has attempted to make smaller games again to no avail and he feels that is because he has had to spend to much time and energy focused on the global phenomenon that is Minecraft.

There are only a handful of potential buyers with the resources to grow Minecraft and Mojang have worked closely with Microsoft since 2012. They have been impressed by their continued dedication to the game and its development.

The other versions of Minecraft will still continue to run but as for what happens with future multiplatform projects is yet to be seen. That will be down to Microsoft to decide.

The founders: Notch, Carl, and Jakob are leaving Mojang with nothing confirmed of what they are going on to do.

The main points to take from this sale is that Minecraft will continue to evolve and thrive and that small project you are working on may net you $2.5 Billion.

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 15.09.14

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DestinyAs was the games destiny, Destiny has soared to the number one spot knocking The Sims 4 in to second. The yearly version of NHL debuted this week at number seven and the new Naruto game, Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution has just creeped in to the top ten at number ten. Lower down the chart at number seventeen is the first week for Infamous: First Light.

All formats

Week ending 13 September 2014

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 DESTINY ACTIVISION –
2 THE SIMS 4 EA GAMES 1
3 WATCH DOGS UBISOFT 2
4 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 6
5 THE LAST OF US: REMASTERED SONY COMPUTER ENT. 4
6 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 7
7 NHL 15 EA SPORTS –
8 – PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE EA GAMES 8
9 – MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION 3 EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 9
10 NARUTO ULTIMATE NINJA STORM REVOLUTION BANDAI NAMCO GAMES –
11 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 10
12 – THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 12
13 DIABLO III REAPER OF SOULS ULTIMATE EVIL BLIZZARD 5
14 METRO REDUX DEEP SILVER 3
15 TITANFALL EA GAMES 13
16 TOMODACHI LIFE NINTENDO 15
17 INFAMOUS: FIRST LIGHT SONY COMPUTER ENT. –
18 MADDEN NFL 15 EA SPORTS 11
19 TERRARIA XBOX 360 CLASSICS 17
20 SNIPER ELITE 3 505 GAMES 19
< 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 PEACEapp competition

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PEACEappA new competition is searching for a game or app about facilitating peace or an idea for one.

The competition, PEACEapp, aims to showcase the work of developers who examine peace and promote games as venues for cultural dialogue and conflict management. PEACEapp is a joint project between UNDP, UNAOC and Build Up.

Sponsored by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the United Nations Development Programme, and Build Up, the competition will award the winning entries with $15,000 in cash prizes, an invitation to present their game at the Build Peace Conference in Cyprus, and exclusive mentoring and advising from Games for Change. The competition will consider entries at all stages of development, from prototypes to fully developed, with awards going to five games or apps—three completed works and two prototypes.

An international jury, which includes representatives from Games for Peace, the Institute for Economics and Peace, Fields of View, Games for Change, and more, will review submitted games and apps according to three values:

  • Affording users a novel experience to engage with knowledge of other groups and issues of identity
  • Creatively engaging players in a playful manner
  • Enabling connections to key social media globally, in terms of functionality, language and reach

Click here for a complete competition guidelines, and then submit your entry.

Train2Game News Destiny sells huge amounts

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DestinyActivision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc announced that the company sold more than $500 million of Destiny into retail stores and first parties worldwide as of day one, making the game the biggest new video game franchise launch in history.

“Based on extraordinary audience demand, retail and first party orders worldwide have exceeded $500 million for Destiny,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “This industry milestone marks another blockbuster success for our company and demonstrates our unique ability to create some of the most successful entertainment franchises in the world. The success of Destiny, along with the recent introduction of Blizzard Entertainment’s Hearthstone, is further validation of our unique capabilities to create great entertainment franchises from the ground up.”

Destiny launched at over 11,000 midnight openings around the world, as fans in over 178 countries (Source: Radian6) shared their fervour on YouTube and in social media.

“Since the beginning, we’ve been confident that our investment and belief in Destiny would pay off. But not many people believed we’d be able to say it did so on day one,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “Destiny is officially the biggest new franchise launch in our industry’s history. It’s also the highest-selling day one digital console release in history. We have more confidence than ever that Destiny will become one of the iconic franchises of this generation and Activision’s next billion dollar brand. Most importantly, it’s just a great game which we can’t stop playing. A big thanks to our incredibly talented team and partners who helped make this happen; most importantly, our partners at Bungie.”

Train2Game News iPhone 6

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Apple® today announced iPhone® 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the biggest advancements in iPhone history, featuring two new models with stunning 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Retina HD displays, and packed with innovative technologies in an all-new dramatically thin and seamless design.

The new iPhones feature a precision unibody enclosure of anodized aluminum that conforms seamlessly with the shaped glass of the display, resulting in a completely smooth and continuous surface. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are engineered to be the thinnest ever, delivering a bigger display in a design that is still comfortable to hold and easy to use.

Packed with innovative new technologies, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus include: the Apple-designed A8 chip with second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture for blazing fast performance and power efficiency; advanced iSight® and FaceTime® HD cameras; ultrafast wireless technologies; and Apple Pay™, an easier way to simply and securely make payments with just the touch of a finger. Both models include iOS 8, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, featuring a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience with new Messages and Photos features, QuickType™ keyboard, a new Health app, Family Sharing and iCloud Drive℠.

“iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the biggest advancements in iPhone history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The iPhone is the most loved smartphone in the world with the highest customer satisfaction in the industry and we are making it much better in every way. Only Apple can combine the best hardware, software and services at this unprecedented level and we think customers are going to love it.”

For the first time iPhone is available in two new sizes: iPhone 6 features a stunning 4.7-inch Retina® HD display with 1334 x 750 resolution, providing 38 percent more viewing area than iPhone 5s, while iPhone 6 Plus features an even bigger 5.5-inch Retina HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, providing 88 percent more viewing area and nearly three times the pixels than iPhone 5s. The Retina HD displays offer advanced technologies including higher contrast for deeper blacks and dual-domain pixels for more accurate colors at wider viewing angles.

With second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture, the all-new A8 chip offers faster performance and is more energy efficient, delivering higher sustained performance with great battery life. With Metal™, a new graphics technology in iOS 8, developers can take performance of the A8 chip even further to bring console-class 3D games to iPhone. The A8 chip also includes a new, powerful Apple-designed image signal processor that enables advanced camera and video features.

Both models include the M8 motion coprocessor that gathers motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and the new barometer, which senses air pressure to provide relative elevation. The M8 motion coprocessor can continuously measure your motion data, even when the device is asleep, saving battery life for fitness apps that use the sensors all day. With iOS 8, motion data from M8 appears in the Health app so you can see how many flights of stairs you’ve climbed, or how far you’ve walked or run. Developers can use CoreMotion APIs that take advantage of M8 and HealthKit to create apps that help you take better care of your health and fitness.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus introduce Apple Pay, an easy way to securely pay for physical goods and services in stores or apps with just the touch of a finger. Users can pay securely and conveniently in stores by simply holding the phone near the contactless reader while keeping a finger on Touch ID™; there is no need to unlock your iPhone or launch an app. With Apple Pay, you can also make one-touch purchases within apps, without having to enter credit card or shipping information. All payment information is kept private, encrypted and stored securely in the Secure Element, a chip inside the new iPhones.

The iSight camera gets even better with a new sensor featuring Focus Pixels for faster autofocus, making it easier to quickly capture any moment. iPhone 6 Plus users will also benefit from optical image stabilization technology that compensates for hand shake in low light and works with iOS 8 to reduce subject motion. High-definition video on iPhone improves with faster frame rates up to 60fps for 1080p video and 240fps for slo-mo, as well as continuous autofocus, cinematic video stabilization and time-lapse video. The FaceTime HD camera now captures over 80 percent more light with a new sensor, larger f/2.2 aperture and advanced new features including burst mode and HDR video.

With faster LTE download speeds of up to 150 Mbps, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users can browse, download and stream content faster. The new iPhones also support high-quality voice calls over LTE (VoLTE) as well as Wi-Fi calling. With support for up to 20 LTE wireless bands—more than any other smartphone in the world—the new models make it easier to experience high-speed networks around the world. Both iPhones also include 802.11ac Wi-Fi with speeds up to 433 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.0.

The new iPhones come with iOS 8, the biggest release since the launch of the App Store℠, delivering a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience and new features including QuickType keyboard, a new Health app, Family Sharing and iCloud Drive. With more than 4,000 new APIs, iOS 8 allows developers to further customize the user experience with major extensibility features and robust frameworks such as HealthKit and HomeKit. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users also have access to the revolutionary App Store, which offers more than 1.3 million apps to iPhone, iPad® and iPod touch® users in 155 countries around the world.

iPhone 6 comes in gold, silver or space gray, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model, $299 (US) for the 64GB model and, for the first time, a new 128GB model for $399 (US) with a two-year contract.⁴ iPhone 6 Plus comes in gold, silver or space gray, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $299 (US) for the 16GB model, $399 (US) for the 64GB model and $499 (US) for the new 128GB model with a two-year contract.⁴ Both models will be available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, additional carriers and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK beginning on Friday, September 19, and customers can pre-order both models beginning on Friday, September 12.

Train2Game News Batman Arkham Knight release date

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Batman Arkham Knight Collectors EditionWarner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Batman: Arkham Knight is scheduled to release worldwide beginning June 2, 2015.

Also revealed, are two collector’s editions – Batman: Arkham Knight Limited Edition and Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile Edition. Both will be available in limited quantities at launch in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand for the PlayStation4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft. Batman: Arkham Knight Limited Edition will also be available in Europe, Australia and New Zealand for PC.

Batman: Arkham Knight Limited Edition will include:

· Custom Art Book – 80 Page, Full Colour Art Book Showcasing the concept art of Batman Arkham Knight
· Limited Edition SteelBook – Unique SteelBook case and game disc
· Comic Book – Limited Edition DC Comics Batman: Arkham Knight #0 Comic Book
· Exclusive Character Skin Pack – Three Unique Skins from DC Comics – The New 52
· Batman Memorial Statue – Imposing statue commemorating Gotham’s Protector, the Dark Knight
· SRP:
o Console – £89.99
o PC – £74.99

Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile Edition will include:

· Custom Art Book – 80 Page, Full Colour Art Book Showcasing the concept art of Batman Arkham Knight
· Limited Edition SteelBook – Unique SteelBook case and game disc
· Comic Book – Limited Edition DC Comics Batman: Arkham Knight #0 Comic Book
· Exclusive Character Skin Pack – Three Unique Skins from DC Comics – The New 52
· Transforming Batmobile Statue – Fully transformable Batmobile statue realised in exquisite detail by TriForce
· SRP: £169.99 (Console only)

Batman: Arkham Knight is based on DC Comics’ core Batman license and will be available exclusively for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC.

Batman: Arkham Knight brings the award-winning Batman: Arkham trilogy from Rocksteady Studios to its epic conclusion. Developed exclusively for the New Generation of consoles and PCs, Batman: Arkham Knight introduces Rocksteady’s uniquely designed version of the Batmobile. The highly anticipated addition of this legendary vehicle, combined with the acclaimed gameplay of the Batman: Arkham series, offers gamers the ultimate and complete Batman experience as they tear through the streets and soar across the skyline of the entirety of Gotham City. In this explosive finale, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city that he is sworn to protect, as Scarecrow returns to unite the super criminals of Gotham and destroy the Batman forever.

Train2Game News EGX 2014 Line Up

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EGX 2014Gamer Network, one of the world’s leading games media businesses, today announces exclusive details of the line-up available at the forthcoming EGX consumer show.

EGX, formerly known as the Eurogamer Expo, is the UK’s biggest video games show with over 80,000 gamers visiting London’s Earl’s Court over four days (25th-28th September 2014).

EGX is a celebration of all things gaming, from getting a career in the industry and getting invaluable insight into the development process from the experts, to coming dressed as your favourite games character or showcasing your skills in one of the competitive arenas.

At the heart of the show are the games themselves, and this year’s show will house more games than ever, with more opportunities for attendees to get their hands on this year’s hottest titles, weeks and even months before their actual release dates.

Microsoft once again supports the show with a full line-up including Sunset Overdrive, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Forza Horizon 2, Project Spark and Fable Legends while Sony will be presenting over 30 titles including The Last of Us Remastered, The Order 1886, Driveclub and Bloodborne.

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare and Assassin’s Creed Unity join the recently announced Mortal Kombat X along with the next in the much-loved Lego series from Warner, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. The CD Projekt development team will also be showcasing the highly anticipated The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Previously announced games available to play early include SEGA’s Alien Isolation, Deep Silver’s Dead Island 2 and Escape Dead Island, 2K’s award-winning Evolve, and EA’s Battlefield Hardline.

In addition to the blockbuster games on show, the event will also host EGX Rezzed, a space where developers of all sizes will be showcasing their new releases including the much talked about Gang Beasts by Boneloaf, Volume by Mike Bithell and Heat Signature by Tom Francis. This year’s event also includes the Leftfield Collection, a curated show of games from the newest and most promising indie developers of the future.

A full list of games can be found at: www.egxlondon.net/whats-on/show-floor

A number of Competitive Gaming events will be held over the four days including the EGX Fight Zone featuring Capcom Pro Tour, a Nintendo Life Mario Kart 8 Tournament, EGX Dota 2 Challenge in association with Epic.LAN and a League of Legends Tournament to be streamed live on GFinity.

In addition to the games available to play, the event includes a careers fair for anyone looking to work in the industry along with number of Developer Sessions with talks from some of the world’s leading games makers. These include an exclusive announcement from OlliOlli developer Roll7; new details from Techland on the eagerly anticipated Dying Light and the latest on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor’s Lead Designer, Bob Roberts.

For the second year running a dedicated Cosplay stage will feature parades, workshops and competitions, and visitors are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite characters. The show even hosts a retro gaming section, including games from the past 30 years should attendees fancy a trip down memory lane.

Last year saw a number of politicians, celebrities and leading YouTubers attend EGX, an event that is gaining a reputation for one of the most cutting-edge and colourful consumer shows in the world.

Train2Game News Vote for SpecialEffect

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SpecialEffectIn the games industry? If so, SpecialEffect need your help! They have been selected in the vote for the fantastic, grant making, games industry charity GamesAid.

Last year they made an amazing donation of £52,000 to SpecialEffect to help them meet their growing demand to help amazing young people like Ben who is now rocking Minecraft, FIFA and many other games!

SpecialEffect are in the fortunate position to once again be amongst the charities nominated for GamesAid support but your help is needed to secure a grant. All you need to do is vote at the link below.

SpecialEffect is by no means the biggest cause in the list of nominees so every vote counts.

If you work in the industry then please do visit the link below and consider a vote for SpecialEffect. Current members have to email their choice of charity and user name to GamesAid and new members can register for FREE and cast their vote.

http://www.gamesaid.org/vote-now-2014-voting-re-opens/

You can view the story of Ben in the heart warming video below. SpecialEffect have helped Ben and many others like him to experience the pleasure of gaming as much as we all do.

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 08.09.14

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The Sims 4A new week, a new chart and a new number one in the form of the long awaited Sims 4 from EA. The question now is will The Sims 4 be able to retain its number one spot once one of the most anticipated games of the year, Destiny, is released tomorrow?

All formats

Week ending 6 September 2014

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1   THE SIMS 4 EA GAMES –
2 WATCH DOGS UBISOFT 9
3 METRO REDUX DEEP SILVER 1
4 THE LAST OF US: REMASTERED SONY COMPUTER ENT. 3
5 DIABLO III REAPER OF SOULS ULTIMATE EVIL BLIZZARD 2
6 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 5
7 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 8
8 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE EA GAMES 4
9 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION 3 EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 11
10 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 7
11 MADDEN NFL 15 EA SPORTS 6
12 – THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 12
13 TITANFALL EA GAMES 10
14 WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 18
15 TOMODACHI LIFE NINTENDO 14
16 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 20
17 TERRARIA XBOX 360 CLASSICS 16
18 ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT 19
19 SNIPER ELITE 3 505 GAMES 15
20 BATTLEFIELD 4 EA GAMES 17
< 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 Destiny Fragrance

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Destiny FragranceYou may have seen the new advert showing Destiny as a perfume going around the internet lately. It has emerged Microsoft UK are behind the amusing advertising.

If you head to www.DestinyFragrance.com you’ll be greeted by an advert for “the new fragrance by Xbox”. Click through to the next page and the truth is revealed.

“Okay, so here’s the lowdown. Destiny is actually an epic new first-person shooter, available on Xbox,” the site’s text reads. “Thing is, we didn’t have permission to run adverts for the game. So we didn’t. Thanks for smelling that something was up. Now get the game and become a legend.”

A following page then leads to various Xbox One and Destiny bundles available at third-party retailers, including GAME, Tesco and Amazon.co.uk.

Sony has a close relationship with publisher Activision for the game, which has seen Destiny heavily featured alongside PlayStation 4 in marketing. The game’s PlayStation versions will also get a selection of timed-exclusive content.

A Microsoft UK spokesperson confirmed to Eurogamer that the Destiny Fragrance site was indeed “legitimate”.