Monthly Archives: March 2015

Train2Game News Nintendo partner with DeNa

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Nintendo Co., Ltd. and DeNA Co., Ltd. today entered into a business and capital alliance to develop and operate new game apps for smart devices and build a new multi-device membership service for consumers worldwide.

Leveraging the strength of Nintendo’s intellectual property (IP) and game development skills in combination with DeNA’s world-class expertise in mobile games, both companies will develop and operate new game apps based on Nintendo’s IP, including its iconic game characters, for smart devices. The alliance is intended to complement Nintendo’s dedicated video game systems business and extend Nintendo’s reach into the vast market of smart device users worldwide. Under the alliance, DeNA will also be able to strengthen its gaming business at a global scale by leveraging Nintendo’s IP. To ensure the quality of game experience that consumers expect from this alliance of Nintendo and DeNA, only new original games optimised for smart device functionality will be created, rather than porting games created specifically for the Wii U home console or the Nintendo 3DS portable system.

In order to create completely new game experiences for smart devices, all Nintendo IP will be eligible for development and exploration by the alliance. As these consumers enjoy the unique kind of gameplay found only with Nintendo, they will have the opportunity to explore even more premium experiences on Nintendo’s dedicated video game platforms. Information on upcoming games and availability will be forthcoming.

Nintendo and DeNA also plan to develop an online membership service that is accessible from smart devices, PC and Nintendo systems, such as the Nintendo 3DS portable system and the Wii U home console. The membership service, which is targeted to launch in the fall of 2015, will be built on DeNA’s extensive experience and capabilities in online membership services.

As part of the long-term relationship and commitment by each company, Nintendo and DeNA have also agreed to form a capital alliance. Under the capital alliance, Nintendo will acquire 15,081,000 of DeNA’s treasury shares, which corresponds to 10.00 percent of its total outstanding stock, for a total of approximately 22 billion yen. DeNA will simultaneously acquire 1,759,400 of Nintendo’s treasury shares, which corresponds to 1.24 percent of its outstanding stock, for a total of approximately 22 billion yen. The payment is due April 2, 2015.

Train2Game News Android PlaytestCloud

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Games usability testing startup PlaytestCloud will start offering playtests and usability studies for Android games today.

For just $49 per player game designers can quickly learn how real players behave in their games and fix problems even before the game is launched.

PlaytestCloud offers game designers the ability to easily perform user studies on Android devices within 48 hours. By looking at how actual players engage with games and making changes based on their feedback, designers can easily improve the playability of their in-development titles. PlaytestCloud’s quick turnaround time and relatively low price point allow companies like TinyCo, Wooga and ZeptoLab to quickly iterate on game designs and gauge players’ enthusiasm for their prototypes.

Until now, PlaytestCloud offered testing exclusively for iOS devices. Starting today they also added Android game testing to their platform. Game designers do not need to make code changes to their game. They can upload any recent game build to the PlaytestCloud web site to get player recordings within 24-48 hours. Designers can pick their target audience by age, gender and casual/midcore/hardcore gaming preference. They can also select players of competitors’ titles. Each game test costs US$49 per player. Testers play the games on their own Android device, while their screen is being unobstrusively captured by an SDK that is automatically added to the game.

“Android players are accustomed to different user interface conventions than users of iOS devices. You can really profit from testing an cross-platform game with Android users as well as iOS users.” says Christian Ress, who co-founded PlaytestCloud in 2012. With their Android support, PlaytestCloud also bets on the growing importance of Android titles for game studios’ bottom lines. In 2015 Google’s Play Store has surpassed the App Store’s monthly revenue in Germany for the first time.

Train2Game News UK Top 20 games – 16.03.15

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GTA VAnother week another quiet charts. GTA V has re taken the number one spot and the only new games to enter the charts are special editions of previous games. The DMC: Definitive Edition has entered the chart at number five and Sniper Elite 3: Ultimate Edition has entered the chart at number ten.

All formats

Week ending 14 March 2015

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 2
2 DYING LIGHT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 1
3 – FIFA 15 EA SPORTS 3
4 MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION MICROSOFT 6
5 DMC: DEFINITIVE EDITION CAPCOM –
6 CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE ACTIVISION 4
7 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 10
8 EVOLVE 2K GAMES 9
9 ZOMBIE ARMY TRILOGY SOLD OUT SALES & MARKETING 8
10 SNIPER ELITE 3: ULTIMATE EDITION 505 GAMES –
11 DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE BANDAI NAMCO GAMES 5
12 WWE 2K15 2K SPORTS 13
13 TERRARIA XBOX 360 CLASSICS 14
14 FORZA HORIZON 2 MICROSOFT 15
15 FAR CRY 4 UBISOFT 11
16 THE CREW UBISOFT 19
17 – DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 DISNEY INFINITY 17
18 DESTINY ACTIVISION 12
19 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK 3D NINTENDO 16
20 LEGO BATMAN 3: BEYOND GOTHAM WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 14
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2015 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 Project BlueStreak using UE4

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During a panel at PAX East, Boss Key Productions, a new game development studio founded by industry veterans Cliff Bleszinski and Arjan Brussee, revealed to fans that Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4 will power the indie developer’s upcoming free-to-play, first-person shooter, currently known as “Project BlueStreak.”

“We considered several options regarding what technology we’d use to build ‘Project BlueStreak’. Ultimately, we found ourselves coming full circle to my friends at Epic Games and the elegant solution for rapid and quality game development that is Unreal Engine 4,” said Cliff Bleszinski, founder and CEO of Boss Key Productions. “We look forward to making a top-tier product through this partnership.”

“Project BlueStreak” is a free-to-play FPS grounded in a recovered apocalyptic sci-fi setting, to be published by Nexon America for future release on the PC. Fans can sign up for ‘first to know’ insider updates at bosskey.com. With a team comprised of experienced developers from across the videogame industry, Boss Key Productions aims to innovate the first-person-shooter genre. Pairing Unreal’s unique set of tools with Boss Key’s industry-leading talent, the studio is poised to create a new IP that redefines the DNA of the arena shooter.

“Cliff is intimately familiar with the Unreal Engine and he and Arjan have put together a highly talented team,” said Joe Kreiner, head of Unreal Engine licensing for the Americas, Epic Games. “With that level of experience and creativity, we’re expecting great things from ‘Project BlueStreak’ and we’re looking forward to playing it.”

“Project BlueStreak” joins an impressive lineup of games powered by Unreal Engine 4, including Street Fighter V, EVE: Valkyrie, Fable Legends and many others. Developed by Epic Games, the award-winning Unreal Engine is known for its cutting-edge graphics technology, world-class toolset and scalability across PC, console and mobile platforms.  Unreal Engine 4 has been evolving at a rapid pace, driven by feedback from the community and numerous updates from Epic’s team of world-class engineers. Best of all, Unreal Engine 4 is now free for anyone to download and begin working with today.

Train2Game News BAFTA Award Winners 2015

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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the winners of yesterdays British Academy Games Awards, which celebrated the very best in games of the past year. The ceremony was hosted by Rufus Hound at Tobacco Dock, London E1, where presenters included Rob Beckett, Alex Brooker, Linford Christie OBE, Dynamo, Ian Livingstone CBE, Tim Schafer, Chet Faliszek.

Destiny – the online first-person shooter in which players work together to protect the last safe city on Earth from aliens – won Best Game. This is the fourth win for US games studio Bungie, whose previous wins have all been for games in the popular Halo series.

Monument Valley, the puzzle adventure game, took home two BAFTAs: British Game and Mobile &; Handheld. Daniel Gray, a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, collected his first BAFTA for his work on the game.

The Last of Us: Left Behind, an additional chapter to the BAFTA-winning The Last of Us, won for Story and Performer, making it the second consecutive year in which Ashley Johnson has won a BAFTA for her role as Ellie.

Lumino City, a puzzle adventure game handmade in card and paper, won in the Artistic Achievement category, while Alien: Isolation, the first-person survival horror game, collected the BAFTA for Audio Achievement. Far Cry 4 collected the award for Music, the second win for the series after Far Cry 3 won for Action in 2013.

Skateboarding game OlliOlli fought off strong competition to win the BAFTA for Sport, while League of Legends, a leading title in the burgeoning field of eSports, picked up the award for Persistent Game.

Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna), an atmospheric platformer that explores the vibrant world of Alaska Native cultures, won Debut Game. Minecraft: Console Editions collected the award for Family.

Game Design was awarded to Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, a dynamic action game set within Tolkien’s universe. The BAFTA for Game Innovation was presented to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, the story-driven detective mystery.

Valiant Hearts, an animated story inspired by letters sent during the first world war, won the BAFTA for Original Property. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, an intricately designed card-battling game, collected the award for Multiplayer.

Showcasing the best in young games development and design talent, Chambara, a game created by a team of student developers from the US, won the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to be Digital.

The Fellowship was presented to David Braben OBE for his outstanding and exceptional creative contribution to the games industry.

The ceremony was streamed live online at Twitch.tv. BAFTA’s website, http://www.bafta.org , features red carpet highlights, photography and winners’ interviews, as well as dedicated coverage on its social networks including Facebook (/BAFTA), Twitter (@BAFTAGames / #BAFTAGames), and  Tumblr.

BAFTA has a year-round programme of events and initiatives that support the games industry. It includes developer talks, games showcases, debates, scholarships and networking, as well as the flagship Games Lecture by an inspirational practitioner. BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD) gives young people and educators unique insights into the games industry and access to the creative minds behind some of their favourite games.

Registration for the British Academy Games Awards in 2016 is now open: http://awards.bafta.org/entry#games

Train2Game News SEGALives

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REZtron Ltd., have announced its move into London’s club scene with its first Friday night pop-up retrotainment at the most immersive (and sexiest) venue to date, BonBonniere club in the heart of Mayfair…

Guests will be transported into the sexy golden era of SEGA gaming, mixed with drinks, networking,music,sprites,vectors,polygons,3D,CRT TVs, projector screens, sexy LEDs and much more…all under the roof of a sumptuous Tron-esque nightclub for to indulge all of your senses…

The interior is inspired by the infamous Fabergé Egg which paints the perfect backdrop for a timeless, priceless and exquisite experience.The enchanted sweet shop will sweep you into a state of youthful bliss dusted with elegance.

Attendees will also be given the chance to entertain the crowd by showing off their gaming/music skills on the artistic electro-trance fuelled game Rez via the SEGA Dreamcast, whist standing inside a Fabergé Egg DJ Booth.

The LED fuelled retrotainment will take place on Friday 10th April,6pm til 11pm. The FREE tickets can be registered through Eventbrite.

It will be a night of 8-16-32-128-BIT retrotainment like no other…

Further details on REZtron’s upcoming events or for corporate bookings please visit  reztron.co.uk  or email logan@reztron.co.uk

Train2Game News Audio localisation software

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Tsugi is pleased to announce the release of Alto, a new software for game audio localization.

As games grow bigger and become more complex, the amount of dialog they require increases dramatically. Once localized, it is not rare for a game to ship with thousands or tens of thousands of voice lines. How to make sure that all these files are in the right format, at the right level and that nothing is missing, in all languages? Checking thousands of recordings manually is time-consuming and error-prone, when not impossible.

Enter Alto. Whatever your naming convention or file hierarchy is, Alto analyzes your localized dialog files and compares them with the reference language, reporting any mistake. Alto can also import the lines from an Excel sheet, or synchronize with game audio projects from middleware such as Wwise, FMOD and ADX2.

Not only does Alto check for missing or misnamed files, but it will also make sure that the audio format of each file is correct (sample rate, bit depth, number of channels), compare the average and peak loudness, the duration, leading or trailing silence of the files, and even the timbre of the voices!

Alto generates complete error reports and statistics (in XML, HTML, PDF or Excel format) that you can then give to your client or manager. Try it for free; you will not believe the time you will save, all the small (and sometimes bigger) mistakes you will find, and the peace of mind it will give you!

You can find out more and try your free trial at www.tsugi-studio.com

Train2Game News Student in Wales on Sunday

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A few days ago a story was posted about Train2Game student, Sean Kelly, who studies whilst protecting ships from Pirates. This story had now been picked up and published in the Wales on Sunday Newspaper.

You can view the newspaper article in the link below

Wales on Sunday T2G 2015 March

Train2Game News G-TECHEAD

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The world’s only rear-vision heads-up display helmet manufacturer, Reevu, are developing another world first: G-TECHEAD – a fully immersive sound, feeling and visual experience in a gaming headset. G-TECHEAD is a revolutionary development in immersive headsets.

With a decade of experience in pioneering the safe delivery of data to the near eye area in their motorsports helmet range, Reevu have decided to employ their expertise in other market sectors.

The G-TECHEAD is a fully immersive concept product that will enable the owner to insert their device into the helmet through its interchangeable carrier. The devices can then be viewed across the optical cassette, delivering high definition images to the curved mirrored visor in front of the user’s eyes, using their own visual systems instead of trying to replicate the phenomena with varying results. The invention overcomes the issue of having to use strong lenses close to the eye or the projection of light directly onto the retina due to Reevu’s patented binocular optical system that reflects the image over its focal length onto the wide-angle curved visor. The headset will create a fully immersive world with vibration, high definition sound and visual display, designed to fit within an encapsulated article of headgear. The environment will enable the user to game for periods without detrimentally interfering with the natural human interface, something that gamers will appreciate.

Markus S, head of development comments: “Safely  developing optical systems in helmets  has led us to understand that a number of other sectors could benefit from our expertise

“After reviewing videos of concept augmented reality designs that show  head-up display systems, we feel there is a better, safer way to reach that goal”

Extensive research into human interface visual systems has enabled the company to develop an un-paralleled understanding of the science.

Reevu are currently in talks with a number of tech companies about the development and are currently developing the prototype and media interest so that the project can be launched on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter for late summer 2015, with a proposed production date in 2016 and retail price of $299.

“This invention  will revolutionize  head-up displays,  so that they overcome  a number of problems that occur at the human interface.” – Graham Steele ,Director Reevu.

Train2Game News GDC 2015

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UBM Tech Game Network’s 2015 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, has set a record for event attendance, with more than 26,000 game industry professionals at last week’s conference in San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

In 2016, the Game Developers Conference will be celebrating a major milestone with the 30th anniversary of the event. The organizers of the event have announced that GDC 2016 will return to the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco from Monday, March 14 to Friday, March 18, 2016, with a call for submissions to open this summer.

GDC 2015 saw a huge surge of interest and developer engagement with Virtual Reality (VR) devices and platforms, with huge tech and game industry players including Sony, Oculus, Valve and HTC showcasing new technology months, even years before the products hit retail shelves. Following its debut at GDC 2014, Sony again showcased its Project Morpheus VR headset, while Valve and HTC partnered to show off their new co-developed Vive Virtual reality system, which uses new tracking hardware to offer 3D positioning, allowing users to be fully immersed in a 3D virtual world.

GDC 2015 once again reflected the changing shape of the videogame industry, with a dedicated summit track for the rapidly expanding field of eSports with talks from Riot Games, Blizzard Entertainment, MIT Game Lab and many others. Tied to the theme of videogame spectatorship, GDC has also expanded its focus on Community Management, with a dedicated summit that included talks on building, supporting and maintaining an engaged and respectful online community for gamers.

The Classic Games Postmortems shined a light on the development and inspiration for some of gaming’s most groundbreaking classics, including the seminal Star Control, Yars’ Revenge, Adventure and Loom. The dedicated Advocacy Track of GDC once again shined a light on the need for civil dialogue and engagement, and how developers can deal with issues of harassment in their field. A talk titled “Game Developer Harassment: How to Get Through,” presented by Elizabeth Sampat, Zoe Quinn, Neha Nair and Donna Prior, offered first-hand accounts of online and real-world harassment, invasions of privacy, and described personal experiences coping with hostile threats. The provocative and emotionally cathartic #1Reasontobe session returned to present a powerful panel on what it means to be a woman working in the video game medium and industry, interrupted throughout by thunderous applause.

The Expo Floor in the Moscone South Hall exhibited some of the biggest names in the tech and games industry, including Sony, Google, Qualcomm, Oculus, Valve, Microsoft and nearly 350 other top companies offering product demonstrations, networking and recruitment opportunities. The Moscone North Hall, across from the Expo Floor, housed the GDC Play floor, with additional exhibitors and sponsors showcasing playable games and apps from emerging developers in a low-cost venue. These exhibitors will show off their games to key distributors, potential business partners and investors. GDC Play was inspired by the success of the Independent Games Festival Pavilion, and similarly offers a dedicated space where developers can conduct meaningful business at GDC.

Beyond the business of games, GDC once again offered entertaining spaces for attendees looking to loosen up and have fun. These spaces included the Videogame History Museum, which presented “The History of Atari,” alt.ctrl.GDC explored cool and unusual control methods in games (i.e. foot pedals, briefcases and telephone receivers). The Indie MEGABOOTH Showcase featured a curated selection of the best and brightest indie games of the past year. iam8bit Productions hosted the “Wheel of Whimsy,” a collection of four unique games played by one lucky attendee each hour –PIXLatr, Cheat Code, Videogame Bingo or Name That Chiptune, and GDC hosted “Shut Up & Sit Down: A Lovely Tabletop Lounge,” a dedicated space for participants to try out some of the most fun tabletop games of the year together.

On Wednesday evening, GDC 2015 hosted the 17th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards and the 15th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs) on Wednesday night, March 4. Outer Wilds from Team Outer Wilds won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize award of $30,000, as well as the award for Excellence in Design.  The Game Developers Choice Awards immediately followed the IGF Awards, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s epic open-world action title, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, took home the prize for Game of the Year, alongside the night’s other big winners, Monument Valley (winner for Innovation Award, Best Visual Art and Best Handheld/Mobile Game Awards), Destiny (winner of Best Technology) and HearthStone (winner of Best Design).

“As with every year, GDC offered a glimpse into the future of gaming, but still honored the history of the industry. This year’s success is a testament to the hard work of the staff, volunteers, speakers, indies and students who maintained a fun and safe environment for everyone at the show. As the conference enters its 30th year, we reflect on the tremendous growth in the medium of video games, and we’re thankful for the friendly faces, engrossing debates and friendly discussions we’ve had along the way,” said Meggan Scavio, general manager of the Game Developers Conference. “After all the software and hardware demos, networking over drinks, and lively sessions, it’s good to meet with the people who bring life to the most popular form of entertainment in the 21st century, and to discuss how to make these amazing games even better in the years to come.”

More information on Game Developers Conference 2015, as well as the other GDC events throughout 2015 – including GDC Europe and GDC China – will be available at www.gdconf.com