Monthly Archives: October 2015

Train2Game News Fallout Beer

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Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, today announced that it has teamed up with Carlsberg UK to offer fans Fallout™ BEER, a beverage inspired by Vault-Tec Industries and the multi-award winning Fallout® videogame series. 

Fallout BEER will be available via Amazon.co.uk and will begin shipping to customers from 5th November, ahead of the launch of Fallout® 4, the most anticipated video game of the year.

Fallout 4 will be available worldwide on 10th November 2015, and is being developed for Xbox One, PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system, and for PCs by the award-winning team at Bethesda Game Studios® under the direction of Todd Howard. Named ’Best of Show’ by the official Game Critics Awards following its world premiere at E3 2015, Fallout 4 is the eagerly-awaited follow up to the 2008 ‘Game of the Year’, Fallout® 3, and the first title from the world-renowned studio since the release of their global phenomenon and 2011 ‘Game of the Year’, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim®.

Bruce Ray, Corporate Affairs Director at Carlsberg UK: “This is something of a world-first. Adult participation in video gaming is a truly social activity, on a par with cinema and music.  We’re proud to work with Bethesda to produce a beer Fallout fans can enjoy”.

Fallout BEER is a 4% alcohol by volume (ABV) pilsner lager, with a refreshing zesty hoppy taste and a floral aroma, sold in a 330ml bottle format and sold only to customers aged 18 and over.  To reserve your case of Fallout BEER please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016XZVE96

For more information about Fallout 4 please visit www.fallout4.com

Train2Game News GAMEr Claus

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Forget the man in the big red suit, Gamer Claus is the one this Crimbo who knows what gamers want for GAME Season.

Whether it’s the latest releases, console upgrades or cool accessories, Gamer Claus is emerging from his underground lair to guide gamers and gifters through the raft of all-encompassing game gear at GAME this Christmas.

Created by illustrator Boneface, Gamer Claus is an intriguing and mysterious new character who will be the face of GAME this Christmas. Heralded as the champion of gamers, Gamer Claus knows exactly what they want and simultaneously will be on-hand to guide and advise those gift-giving shoppers to get the best gaming deals, exclusives and bundles, in-store or online at game.co.uk to make sure every gaming fan gets something totally awesome under the tree this year.

To catch a glimpse of this elusive character, stay tuned for his TV, print and radio appearances which will run through to December. For those who can’t wait to find out more about this mysterious figure, a series of online videos will bring fans a little closer to the gaming hero and his mysterious origins.

Fred Prego, Marketing and Insight Director at GAME, says: “In preparation for the big day, Gamer Claus has been hidden away, trying and testing the biggest games of the year, growing stronger with each new release and we can’t wait to introduce him to the gaming community. As the hero of all things gaming, GAME’s ethos really sits at heart of Gamer Claus helping both gifters and gamers get exactly what they want this Christmas.

“So whether you are a gamer wanting to get involved with his world of mystery and get the inside scoop on the latest releases or a gifter looking to find out more about the best gaming offers, Gamer Claus will be on hand to help everyone get the most from GAME Season.”

To find out more about Gamer Claus and catch up on his latest escapades on GAME’s social channels, follow @GAMEdigital.

Train2Game News Symphonica 64

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If you were in the British games industry of the 1980s,  you might just have been immortalised in a new comedy text adventure game, released today.

“Symphonica 64” is a prize text adventure/interactive fiction game playable online or downloadable for Windows and Linux.

Best described as “Pimania” meets “Bureaucracy” meets “Bedrooms to Billions”, it’s packed with in-jokes, satire, asides and many puns.

Storylines within the game include “The invention of Grand Theft Auto”, “Who owns Miner Willy’s Yacht now?”, “Spectrum vs C64 – the pub brawl”, and “moving Matt Smith”.

So, if there’s anyone who wanted to make amends for microwaving the hamster in Maniac Mansion, who wondered what Action Biker did on his down-time, or who wished they could take that terrible contract, smear it in dung and use it as fertiliser… this is the game for them.

The Grand Prize

The underlying goal of the game is to collect music scores and get them to the Royal Albert Hall with an expensive orchestra. A 400+ location map filled with 200 characters makes that a challenging task.

For the first player to finish, there’s also a prize: a 300 page leather-bound hand-made Commodore 64 score book from the Back in Time Symphonic Collection Kickstarter (they will get £100 if it doesn’t fund).

The game is a promotional release to support the “Back in Time Symphonic Collection” box-set Kickstarter, which launches 21st October.

Back in Time Symphonic Collection – “Video Games Live for the Commodore generation”

“It can be argued that video games have saved the symphony orchestra”, says Chris Abbott, “ but who needs more Mario and Zelda covers? Commodore 64 fans have to do it for themselves, as always, but I hope my 30-year old dream is shared by enough fans to make it work.”

The Back in Time Symphonic Collection campaign aims to raise £30,000 to create over 40 full symphonic Commodore 64 orchestral arrangements on a triple CD set, and then to have them transcribed to sheet music so they can be performed in concert halls worldwide. Music from artists such as Rob Hubbard, Ben Daglish and Martin Galway will feature.

A highlight of the campaign is the top level £2,999 pledge that features a one-off, UK hand-made 1000 page B4 orchestra score book. It’s bound in imported goat-skin, and cradled in a museum quality silk-covered presentation box. It may be the most expensive retro book ever created, and is so expensive to make that even the creators of the Kickstarter can’t have one.

This is Chris’s fourth solo crowdfunding campaign , after three previous successful C64 music campaigns. He also helped veteran composer Matt Gray to a £75,000 haul for this “Reformation” Kickstarter.

Train2Game News adjust gets huge funding

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adjust, the leading business intelligence firm for mobile apps, has received $17M in funding from Highland Europe.

The funding round takes the company to a total of $30M raised since it was established in 2012.

Over the past three years, adjust has quickly expanded from its Berlin (DE) office to six additional cities: San Francisco (US), Istanbul (TR), Beijing (CN), Shanghai (CN), Tokyo (JP) and Sydney (AU). adjust now processes over 1 petabyte of mobile data each month and its SDK recently surpassed 1.3 billion live instances in mobile devices. The company also turned profitable in 2015, and is further demonstrating its ability to scale fast and efficiently.

This investment will further accelerate adjust’s product expansion, while strengthening its commitment to the mobile marketing industry through the prevention of fraudulent traffic, encouragement of user-friendly advertising practices and prioritization of privacy protection in mobile marketing.

Christian Henschel, CEO and Co-Founder of adjust, said: “As an independent third-party attribution solutions provider, we assume a central role in connecting app developers to ad networks, publishers and other ecosystem parties. We have now reached a critical scale where as a market leader within the ecosystem, we are uniquely positioned to drive both product innovation as well as industry standards.”

Sam Brooks, Partner at Highland Europe, added: “At Highland, we seek to invest in rapidly growing companies with global ambitions and a commitment to product excellence. We consider adjust’s technical expertise, vast device coverage and deep network integrations as industry-leading within the premium mobile measurement space, demonstrated by the business’ impressive momentum and trusted position among leading international brands. We are thrilled to partner with the adjust team.”

The investment will also enable the company to expand its offering and presence among underserved, high-potential businesses.

Henschel continued: “The growth of mobile-born companies around the globe signals a positive environment for the development of tracking solutions that provide quality data for business decision makers. As these companies become market leaders, more and more businesses will require a holistic mobile marketing tool. Our ambition is to become that essential part of their business intelligence and process data at scale, just as SAP broke out of its market scope decades ago.”

Train2Game News Linkin Park playing Blizzcon

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Whether you’re geeking out on the show floor at BlizzCon® or tuning in from home, this is a performance you won’t want to miss.

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that Linkin Park will be taking the stage on Saturday, November 7, to provide an epic send-off for everyone attending this year’s BlizzCon or watching from home. While tickets to Blizzard’s two-day gaming convention are sold out, players and Linkin Park fans around the world can still watch the show live with the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket.

Over the course of Linkin Park’s genre-defying career, the Grammy Award–winning band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and is the biggest band on Facebook with over 63 million fans and counting. They also made Internet history by becoming the first rock band to hit 1 billion views on YouTube. This week, Linkin Park is celebrating the 15th anniversary of their smash debut album, Hybrid Theory. They’re currently in the studio working on their seventh studio album.

“We’re beyond excited to welcome SoCal natives Linkin Park to close out BlizzCon with a bang on Saturday night,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We can’t think of a better way to bring two full days of gaming and action-packed eSports matches to an epic conclusion than with a band that’ll carry the weekend’s electricity through to the very end.”

“Playing BlizzCon will be one hell of a first for us,” said Chester Bennington, lead vocalist of Linkin Park. “We’re looking forward to giving all the gamers out there a killer rock show.”

BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities that bring Blizzard’s games to life. Taking over the Anaheim Convention Center November 6 and 7, this year’s show is brimming with discussion panels of all sorts, eSports tournaments, contests, hands-on play time with the latest Blizzard Entertainment games, and much more.

Though tickets to the convention sold out rapidly, viewers at home can still join the excitement by ordering the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket (£24,99), which offers comprehensive live online coverage of both days of the event—including the community contests hosted by Wil Wheaton on Friday evening and Linkin Park’s performance on Saturday night.

As the countdown to BlizzCon continues, further details about the show will be announced at www.blizzcon.com

Train2Game News Instant Indie Collection Volume Two

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The Instant Indie Collection Vol Two is designed to offer Xbox One and PlayStation owners the opportunity to build a collection of the The Instant Indie Collection Vol Two is designed to offer Xbox One and PlayStation owners the opportunity to build a collection of the very best indie games, for a fraction of the total retail price.

Instant Indie Collection Volume Two contains The Swindle, Pumped BMX + and Nova-111 and is available from today on the US PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita (cross buy) stores, tomorrow in Europe and Friday (23rd October) on Xbox One worldwide, priced £19.99/$24.99/ €24.99.

The Swindle hails from developer Dan Marshall. A mixture of platform, action and stealth gameplay, The Swindle gives player access to the ultimate thieves’ guild and tasks them with breaking into procedurally-generated buildings, hacking their systems, stealing their cash and then charging to the nearest exit to the sound of alarms and breaking glass.

Pumped BMX + is the latest game in the series which has captivated both the BMX and gaming communities alike from one man studio YEAHUS. Pumped BMX + takes everything that made the original game so well loved and brings it up to date for the console generation. With 50 tricky courses, a comprehensive collection of authentic ticks and 500 intense in-game BMX challenges, this truly is the ultimate Pumped experience.

Nova-111 is the brain child of ex Q-Games developers Eddie Lee and Kalin, whose previous work included the PixelJunk series. Nova-111 is a sci-fi themed adventure that lets you utilise both real-time decisions and turn-based strategy to fight enemies and solve puzzles. Pilot rescue vessel Nova through mysterious and alien planets, navigate mind warping puzzles and engaging in strategic battles with bizarre astrobiological creatures.

“Instant Indie is designed to allow console owners the opportunity to discover indie gems that they may have missed upon original release in one no hassle, discounted bundle.” says managing director of Curve Digital, Jason Perkins. “Volume Two showcases some of our year’s biggest hits from a variety of different genres. There is something for everyone in this bundle” very best indie games, for a fraction of the total retail price.

Instant Indie Collection Volume Two contains The Swindle, Pumped BMX + and Nova-111 and is available from today on the US PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita (cross buy) stores, tomorrow in Europe and Friday (23rd October) on Xbox One worldwide, priced £19.99/$24.99/ €24.99.

The Swindle hails from developer Dan Marshall. A mixture of platform, action and stealth gameplay, The Swindle gives player access to the ultimate thieves’ guild and tasks them with breaking into procedurally-generated buildings, hacking their systems, stealing their cash and then charging to the nearest exit to the sound of alarms and breaking glass.

Pumped BMX + is the latest game in the series which has captivated both the BMX and gaming communities alike from one man studio YEAHUS. Pumped BMX + takes everything that made the original game so well loved and brings it up to date for the console generation. With 50 tricky courses, a comprehensive collection of authentic ticks and 500 intense in-game BMX challenges, this truly is the ultimate Pumped experience.

Nova-111 is the brain child of ex Q-Games developers Eddie Lee and Kalin, whose previous work included the PixelJunk series. Nova-111 is a sci-fi themed adventure that lets you utilise both real-time decisions and turn-based strategy to fight enemies and solve puzzles. Pilot rescue vessel Nova through mysterious and alien planets, navigate mind warping puzzles and engaging in strategic battles with bizarre astrobiological creatures.

“Instant Indie is designed to allow console owners the opportunity to discover indie gems that they may have missed upon original release in one no hassle, discounted bundle.” says managing director of Curve Digital, Jason Perkins. “Volume Two showcases some of our year’s biggest hits from a variety of different genres. There is something for everyone in this bundle”

Train2Game News Open Gaming Alliance welcomes Ubisoft

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The Open Gaming Alliance (OGA), a non-profit trade association focused on the games industry business, today announced Ubisoft® as its newest Corporate Member.

Ubisoft joins a growing roster of other forward-thinking industry leaders including  Intel,  Dell/Alienware,  Logitech,  Razer,  Unity, Webroot and the recently announced  Lenovo in supporting the OGA’s efforts to provide leadership and opportunities; and encourage growth and diversity within the games business ecosystem.

At this year’s E3, the  Open Gaming Alliance announced several  new initiatives including new  membership levels; new AR/VR, Software and Cloud Gaming special interest groups; and a significant expansion of its indie developer support. Additionally, the OGA issued its annual  Pinnacle research report analyzing industry revenues and trends

“PC Gamers are important to Ubisoft, and we’re committed to better understanding and addressing their needs and to continually improving our relationship with them,” said Sandrine Caloiaro, Consumer and Marketing Knowledge Director, Ubisoft. “By joining the OGA, we’re able to glean gamer insights from their research, learn from best practices in our industry and contribute to the group’s upcoming initiatives.”   

The Open Gaming Alliance provides an array of resources to its industry members, ranging from research and best-practice guidance; to marketing support and networking with some of the industry’s premier middleware and hardware providers, and publishers. Founded in 2008, the organization has evolved to cover multiple platforms and operating systems; maintaining its primary goals of strengthening and promoting the community around all game platforms while providing a unified voice.

“Whether Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Rainbow 6 Siege or one of the many other big games in its portfolio, Ubisoft brings quality entertainment experiences to gamers. It’s a thought-leader that spans every genre, platform and emerging technology within the industry,” said Wanda Meloni, OGA executive director. “Joining the OGA demonstrates Ubisoft’s determination to reaching even more players and to partnering with our other members to better our industry.”

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 19.10.15

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FIFA-16A few new games have been added to the charts this week the highest new game is at number eight with the latest instalment of the Tales series, Tales of Zestiria. Lower down the chart at number twelve is WRC 5 and the latest Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest Heroes has debuted at number eighteen, FIFA 16 remains in the number one spot.

All formats
Week ending 17 October 2015

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 – FIFA 16 EA SPORTS 1
2 – UNCHARTED: THE NATHAN DRAKE COLLECTION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 2
3 – DESTINY: THE TAKEN KING ACTIVISION 3
4 – LEGO DIMENSIONS LEGO DIMENSIONS 4
5 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 6
6 FORZA MOTORSPORT 6 MICROSOFT 5
7 METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN KONAMI 8
8 TALES OF ZESTIRIA BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT –
9 LEGO JURASSIC WORLD WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 12
10 MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION MICROSOFT 13
11 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 15
12 WRC 5 BIG BEN –
13 SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS SKYLANDERS 14
14 ANIMAL CROSSING: HAPPY HOME DESIGNER NINTENDO 7
15 MAD MAX WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 11
16 NBA 2K16 2K SPORTS 9
17 RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 BIG BEN 16
18 DRAGON QUEST HEROES SQUARE ENIX –
19 SUPER MARIO MAKER NINTENDO 18
20 DISNEY INFINITY 3.0 DISNEY INFINITY 17
< 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 EGX Rezzed 2016 Tickets

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EGX, producer of the UK’s premiere video games events, today announced that tickets for EGX Rezzed 2016 – in partnership once again with BAFTA– are now on sale.
  
Running from 7-9th April 2016, EGX Rezzed will build on the enormous success of this year’s event where over 12,000 gamers arrived to play more than 150 PC, console, virtual reality and board games from the likes of PlayStation, Xbox and Blizzard. Further developing the highly popular informal format, EGX Rezzed 2016 will feature more playable AAA and indie games, more Developer and Rezzed Sessions, more after show activities, more devs on the show floor and more free gaming stuff. Over 15,000 visitors are expected to attend.
  
All the headline features will be present, including the highly successful GamesIndustry.biz Career Fair. In 2015 49 Ukie Video Games Ambassadors and BAFTA Crew Games members, plus 8 games industry execs and many exhibitors advised the next generation of games industry professionals – including many school, college and university students – on how to land a career in games.
  
Visitors to EGX Rezzed 2015 were delighted with the show’s new home at the superb Tobacco Dock, London, reporting the highest ever satisfaction levels of any EGX event. Not only will the venue play host to EGX Rezzed 2016, BAFTA’s headline British Academy Games Awards will bring a touch of red carpet glitz and glamour to the event on Thursday 7th April.

“We can’t wait to return to London’s Tobacco Dock with an upgraded EGX Rezzed 2016”, said Matt Styles, Event Director. “Visitors and exhibitors loved the new and fascinating venue, especially the wonderful sense of gaming community it created. We’ll be building on the success of 2015’s Developer Sessions, which were a revelation. Valve dev Chet Faliszek’s Future of Virtual Reality and PlayTonic’s Yooka-Laylee announcement attracted record-breaking crowds both at the show and online. Developers and publishers are increasingly finding EGX Rezzed the ideal platform for their exclusive announcements”.
  
Starting from just £10, tickets are available to buy now from the new EGX Rezzed website (www.egx.net/rezzed/tickets). A variety of day and full event passes are available:

●        Thursday day ticket – £10 (lower price as the Developer Sessions begin Friday 8th April)
●        Friday and Saturday day ticket – £13.50
●        Early entry day ticket – £20
●        Three day Super Pass – £30

For the latest information, exclusive content and free giveaways please follow, like and subscribe to our channels:
  
EGX Rezzed event newsletter: www.egx.net/rezzed

Train2Game News ZX Spectrum Android app

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Recreated ZX Spectrum – App Now Available for Android Phones & Tablets. Roadmap Announced.

To coincide with today’s release of the Android app Elite, the 1980s publisher behind the recreated device, has released information about how it’s expected to be used along with a roadmap outlining how the Recreated ZX Spectrum will be enhanced through further apps and firmware updates.

A survey of more than 275 users revealed that only 44% expected using the recreated device solely or primarily for playing ZX Spectrum games, whilst 49% placed equal or greater importance on its use as a keyboard for use with phones, tablets, Macs, PCs and connected TVs.

Further apps are currently in development for the recreated device, one for the soon to be released 4th generation Apple TV, the other for Android TV. Both of the forthcoming apps will include Chuckie Egg, Sinclair BASIC and a huge game bundle. When available, the apps will enable games and applications to be played on connected TVs using the Recreated ZX Spectrum – without the need for an intermediate device such as a phone or a tablet.

Through firmware updates additional keyboard functionality will be added in response user feedback. Several additional features have already been identified, including a simpler method of accessing CRTL functions. Updating the recreated device’s firmware couldn’t be simpler:

– connect the recreated device’s 5V DC port to a Mac / PC
– go to the published web address
– follow the on-screen instructions. It’ll only take moments.

About the Recreated ZX Spectrum http://sinclair.recreatedzxspectrum.com/ataglance1.php