Monthly Archives: April 2016

Train2game News 2016 Q1 Games Report

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Last year was the worst games deals ice age in a decade, but the topline numbers in Digi-Capital’s new Games Report for Q1 2016 (http://www.digi-capital.com/news/2016/04/games-deals-rebound-in-q1-but-rocks-below-the-surface/ ) make it look like there has been a thaw. However, the buoyant waters of the first quarter hide rocks beneath the surface, and games deal makers should look carefully before they dive back in.

The topline figures for games investment in Q1 make it look like a recovery, with more than $500 million raised. However, that half billion dollar figure is highly concentrated with three deals taking more than half of the total. The number of games companies that successfully raised money in Q1 2016 actually dropped 40% compared to the 2015 quarterly average. Similarly, games M&A appeared to make a spectacular recovery in Q1, with over $6.2 billion dollars of exits. Again the topline figure makes this sound like a huge wave of deals, but $5.9 billion came from Activision-Blizzard completing its acquisition of King. The remaining $300 million amounted to 36% of the 2015 quarterly average. Extreme concentration and a lack of momentum characterized games deal making in Q1.

The games investment market was dominated by games tech, web games and console/PC games sectors, with the largest deals happening in Asia. It is worth noting that the previously dominant mobile games sector took under 10% of games investment in the first quarter, where it had taken around $4 of every $10 invested in games in previous years.

Games M&A in the first quarter was all about the Activision-Blizzard/King deal. Everything else was small in comparison. There could be more thawing of games exits during 2016, with larger consolidation deals and take-privates coming over the horizon to move the market forward.

Train2game News Develop Brighton Indie Keynote Speakers

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Robin Hunicke, one of the games industry’s most talented developers, has been named as the Indie Keynote Speaker on Thursday 14 July at this year’s Develop:Brighton.

Over a career spanning an impressive 12 years, Hunicke has worked on a number of titles that have shaken the industry, including Journey (9/10 IGN), Boom Blox (9/10 Eurogamer), MySims (8/10 Game Informer) and The Sims 2 (94% IGN). She’s also the co-founder of indie studio Funomena, where she’s currently working on two upcoming titles: Luna and Wattam.

Though her glowing resumé reveals the depth of her knowledge, Hunicke’s candidacy for the Keynote spot is bolstered by an incredible commitment to fairness and diversity of both thought and participation in game design and culture. Recently recognised with an Influential Woman in Games award, Hunicke has also spent several years involved in the organisation of Indiecade while holding the role of Professor of Art, Games & Playable Media at UC Santa Cruz.

She believes game developers can create novel, experimental games by designing for feeling, and her talk will aim to highlight this by focusing on the core artistic and emotional inspirations at the heart of Luna, which focuses on themes of personal transformation. The talk will explain how decisions in art, sound and gameplay design are integrated via “Feel Engineering” to reinforce the games underlying themes and narrative.

“The quality of Robin’s output speaks for itself,” said Andy Lane, Managing Director at Tandem Events. “As someone who’s worked with both big studios and small indies, we know Robin will offer valuable insight and inspiration in her keynote, with her talk kicking off a day of great sessions from a talented cast.”

Other sessions in the Indie Dev Day include:

Pitching is Courtship
Shahid Ahmad, Indie Developer

How does someone in charge of budget for financing video games think? As a developer, how do you give yourself the best possible chance to unlock those funds? In this session, Shahid shares his experiences in commissioning over a hundred games. If you’re a developer and you’re looking for funding for your game, you’ll want to know how to give yourself every chance of success. In “Pitching is Courtship”, Shahid shares some of the things he looked for in a developer and their pitches when he was making funding decisions.

Killing the Indie Crunch Myth: Shipping Games Alive
Simon Roth, Machine Studios

Crunch has become commonplace in AAA and indie development, but it is often misunderstood, misrepresented and, more often than not, outright harmful to a game and the team developing it. This talk will explain the myths surrounding productivity and overtime in the indie games pipeline, illustrate how to avoid the common pitfalls and offer realistic strategies that can be used to keep your team healthy and your milestones on schedule.

Console Porting Indie Games with Network Support: Worth it?
James Parker, Ground Shatter

This talk aims to provide an understanding of the additional elements required to port games to console platforms. It’ll go into the knowledge you’ll need when trying to do network play with a micro-team, along with examples of who is currently doing this kind of work and what help is available.

How to Succeed and Where You’ll Fail: Money, Marketing, and Making a Mark
Chair: Joe Brammer, Bulkhead Interactive
Agostino Simonetta, ID@Xbox
Phil Elliott, Square Enix Collective
Gordon Van Dyke, Raw Fury Games
Howard Philpott, Bulkhead Interactive

This 30-minute panel will be discussing multiple avenues to success as an independent developer or studio, focusing on PC & Console. This panel will focus on the often forgotten parts of indie development; how to fund, market, and make a significant splash in the gaming community with your indie title. The speakers are interested in helping developers build sustainable and viable studios, audience members will have multiple opportunities to ask questions to the panel throughout the talk.

Alongside the expo, there are also a number of free-to-attend Indie BootCamp sessions.

Super Early Bird passes are available until 27 April, saving delegates up to 30% on a three day pass. Indie Dev Day passes cost just £90 if booked by this date.

Train2game News Global VR Gaming Challenge

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Steel Media, publisher of Pocket Gamer, is delighted to reveal the launch of a brand new VR competition created in association with DeePoon, the leading VR company in China.

The Global VR Gaming Challenge is a new initiative setup to identify the best new VR games development talent and concepts, from UK, Europe, and the rest of the world, and help bring them to the world’s biggest VR market, China.

The challenge will include a total of $35,000 worth of cash prizes up for grabs for the winners, alongside VR hardware for all longlisted teams, and an expenses paid trip to ChinaJoy, Asia’s biggest game show in Shanghai in July, for the developers that are shortlisted.

This competition is open to all Independent developers, providing their game / concept is suitable for mobile VR, and will be unreleased prior to 28th July 2016. A full detailed set of rules can be found at the following link.

In order to enter, developers must submit a one page description of their game / concept, alongside any artwork and video assets available via the Global VR Gaming Challenge website.

After an initial entry period, expert judges from the industry will create a longlist of nominees in June who’ll then be provided DeePoon hardware and a month to hone their games before a final judging session on 15th July creates a shortlist of developers who’ll all be invited to ChinaJoy (flights and accommodation paid) to pitch at the final in Shanghai.

Those interested can also find a full breakdown of the competition’s timeline at the following link.

Through this competition Steel Media and DeePoon collectively hope to not only help the development of brand new VR concepts, but also in deepening the ties between China, Europe, and the rest of the world within the video game industry.

Train2game News World of Warcraft Legion

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The great enemy of Azeroth is back, and soon the kingdoms of the Horde and the Alliance will be consumed in a storm of fel fire.

On August 30, realms will shatter, heroes will fall, and the world will stand on the brink of destruction with the launch of World of Warcraft®: Legion™, the sixth expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Defenders of the Alliance and the Horde can steel themselves for the return of the demonic armies of the Burning Legion by pre-purchasing World of Warcraft: Legion digitally at www.wowlegion.com . Players who pre-purchase will unlock an instant level-100 character boost, as well as early access to the Demon Hunter—Legion’s dextrous and deadly new hero class—prior to the expansion’s release.

“Legion opens a dark and thrilling new chapter in one of the Warcraft series’ greatest conflicts, and things will never be the same for some of Azeroth’s most iconic heroes and villains,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This expansion is loaded with features and content that give players whole new ways to explore the world and customize their heroes. We’re looking forward to sending everyone into battle against the Burning Legion this August.”

In this expansion chronicling the events following Warlords of Draenor, all hellfire breaks loose when the warlock Gul’dan, betrayer of the orcs and twisted servant of the Burning Legion, unleashes a demonic invasion force upon Azeroth unlike any the Horde and the Alliance have ever faced. To save their world from annihilation, heroes must unlock the mysteries of the mythic Broken Isles, master powerful Artifact weapons, and strike a forbidden pact with the Demon Hunters of the Illidari—vengeful disciples of the dreaded Illidan Stormrage.

Pre-purchase Now and Prepare for the Invasion

World of Warcraft: Legion will be available in a Standard Edition (physical and digital versions available, £34,99). Players also have the option to upgrade their pre-purchase to the Digital Deluxe Edition (£49,99), which contains a hoard of in-game bonuses for a variety of Blizzard games, including an Illidari Felstalker mount and pet for World of Warcraft, a Felstalker mount for Heroes of the Storm®, a helm transmog and wings for Diablo® III, and a pair of fel-infused StarCraft® II portraits.

Players who pre-purchase Legion either at participating retailers or the digital Standard Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition of Legion through www.wowlegion.com , will be able to immediately boost one character to level 100, allowing them to experience the latest World of Warcraft content alongside their friends.

Pre-purchasing Legion will also grant early access to the Demon Hunter prior to the expansion’s release. During the pre-launch early-access period, players will be able to complete the Demon Hunter’s unique starting experience on the shattered, Legion-corrupted world of Mardum and achieve level 100, leaving them fully prepared to join their allies on the Broken Isles the moment the expansion launches. Further details on the upcoming Demon Hunter early-access period, including the timing and duration, will be announced at a later date.

World of Warcraft: Legion will also be available in a retail-only Collector’s Edition (£64,99), which includes the digital bonuses from the Digital Deluxe Edition along with a full-color hardcover art book, a behind-the-scenes two-disc Blu-ray/DVD set, a CD soundtrack, and a Legion mouse pad. Supplies are limited; players should check with their local retailer for preorder details and availability.

World of Warcraft: Legion Features

World of Warcraft: Legion is filled with features and content that will transform Azeroth’s heroes into Legion-slaying avatars of vengeance, including:

·       New Hero Class: Demon Hunter— Unleash the demon within as an all-new melee hero class gifted with preternatural mobility—and the ability to metamorphose into hellish new forms.
·       New Feature: Artifact Weapons— Smite the Legion with class-specific weapons of lore. Unlock abilities and traits, and customize your weapon to suit your needs.
·       New Continent: The Broken Isles— Discover the fate of a lost night elf civilization, confront twisted fragments of the Emerald Nightmare, and hunt agents of the Legion in all-new zones. Forge your own path through the Broken Isles as you explore content that dynamically scales to your level.
·       Boost to Level 100— Come fully prepared to battle the Legion with a level-100 character boost, and fight alongside your friends in this epic new chapter of World of Warcraft—available immediately upon pre-purchase.
·       New Feature: Class Hall— Gather with fellow members of your class and unite followers of your order—including iconic characters from Warcraft lore—to carry out missions at your command.
·       New PvP Honor System— Fight for fame, glory, and a range of new PvP-specific powers as you face the opposing faction in Arenas and Battlegrounds.

For more information about World of Warcraft: Legion or to sign up for the upcoming beta test, visit www.wowlegion.com

Train2game News Pokémon Camp on Android

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The popular Pokémon Camp application is now officially available on Android devices.

In Pokémon Camp, younger fans can head off to explore an island whilst interacting with different Pokémon and activities as they learn what it takes to become a Pokémon Trainer! App features include:

·         Pokémon Theater – Watch exciting videos that are fun for Pokémon fans of all ages. Different videos are regularly added the Pokémon Theater, so make sure to stop by often.
·         Pokémon TCG – Take part in Pokémon TCG Match, a fun way to discover and test your knowledge of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. You can even earn special Energy pins for your Pin Book!
·         Pokémon Activities – Play fun activities that teach the basics of Pokémon, such as Poké Ball Throw or the Battle Matchups quiz.
·         Collect Pins – Earn pins as you progress through Pokémon Camp, then check out the pins you’ve collected in your Pin Book.
·         Create awesome pictures – Collect stickers and use them to decorate photos.

Campers can begin their adventure now by downloading the free Pokémon Camp Android app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pokemon.camppokemon&hl=gb

Kindle Fire devices at the Amazon Appstore:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Pok%C3%A9mon-Company-International-Camp/dp/B01E69R2EC/

Pokémon Camp is also available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch at the App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pokemon-camp/id919218502?mt=8

For more information about Pokémon Camp, please visit: http://www.pokemon.com/uk/app/pokemon-camp/

Train2game News Game Marmalade game jam needs students

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Game Marmalade gathers momentum but needs more participants

Train2Game Game Jam organised by students has secured a major prize and support but needs more students to make the Game Jam a huge success

Train2Game student Slinks is organising the first ever online Game Jam for Train2Game students. She’s done incredibly well in setting up the event, four teams have signed up so far but the Game Jam could certainly get bigger.

Prizes have been secured and a theme will be decided at the beginning of the event. The Game Jam takes place on the 27th May. Students have heard about the jam and starting to sign up but more are needed. It’s a great networking opportunity, a way to improve skills and a great way to create more portfolio work.

Train2Game has provided a gaming laptop for the winning team. A student at YoYo games could also be providing a prize. Students will make a full game during the event and be able to use any games produced to impress future employers.

The organisers are on the lookout for more participants from all Train2Game disciplines and ideally want to source a Dev for the judging panel.

Train2Game student and Game Jam organiser, Slinks, said:  ‘It’s certainly a slow burner and although I’ve put a lot of hard work into getting the message out there, it’s been more difficult than expected to get people involved. However I haven’t given up and I will continue to work on making Game Marmalade a success, as I believe it is important for students to have contact with other students, especially on a distance learning course, as it can feel very isolated studying on your own. This is something I experienced in the second year of my course and what prompted me to start the Team speak channel and now organising Game Marmalade.’

‘Train2Game are still top of the stack when it comes to prizes, with their generous donation of a gaming laptop for the winning team. I’ve also been contacted by a fellow student, Ryan Pearton of YoYo Tech, who has some interesting ideas for prizes which will be confirmed in the next couple of weeks. When I have more information I will update the website. We currently have 4 teams of 4, with a good mix of people in each, so we should be able to get 4 great games together at least.’

‘There will be a theme for Game Marmalade, as the aim of the event is to make a working game which uses the theme in some way. Teams have been asked to put forward their suggestion for a theme and at the beginning of the event all the suggestions will be put into a hat and one will be picked out at random. Whatever is picked out of the hat will be the theme for the entire event and teams will need to incorporate it into their game in some way. For instance if the theme was yellow you might make the UI buttons yellow, or you might use yellow in the title, but points will be awarded for how creatively the theme is used.’

‘I would really like to get a Dev on the judging panel as it’s totally artist heavy at the moment, the teams are going to have to come up with some good looking games if it stays the way it is lol. But yes, we are looking for as many people to get involved as possible. The more teams we have, the more interesting it’ll be to see the different art styles and the different ways the theme is used and interpreted.’

People can get involved by visiting the website http://slinkydink68.wix.com/game-marmalade which also has all the information about Game Marmalade, or contact Slinks directly by email slinky.dink68@outlook.com  and can also pm her on either of the Train2Game forums.

For more information contact: mark@train2game.com
Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Read the Train2Game blog at www.train2game-news.co.uk Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.gamatier.com

Train2game News Yogscast new mobile channel

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Yogscast, the UK’s leading games video specialist, is pleased to announce the forthcoming launch of TAPP, a new YouTube channel dedicated to all things mobile gaming.

TAPP is being created by Yogscast’s in-house production team and will be fronted by the firm’s star personalities including Kim, Duncan, Martyn and Hannah and will produce regular video entertainment focussed on iOS and Android gaming.

The TAPP launch is in partnership with IPC Ventures, who are using the channel to promote their Gaming Top Talent competition to find the best mobile gaming devs in the world, and reward them with prizes worth over $1M.

TAPP will launch with a range of programming covering the latest games being released and regular features on 3 May.

“We’re really excited to be launching TAPP, which we’re confident will quickly become the leading channel for iOS and Android gaming on YouTube,” said Mark Turpin, CEO of Yogscast.

“We all play games on our phones and tablets as well as PCs and consoles and it’s always been a frustration that it’s hard to find great videos that will help us find new games or enjoy the ones we’re already playing. I’m also delighted to have a legitimate reason to be able to expense all my gem purchases in Clash of Clans.”
“Gaming Top Talent is a great partnership for us as it means we’ll also be able to discover the best new mobile games while they’re still in development – and with the prizes on offer we know there will be both strong competition and high quality games being produced,” Turpin added.

“Through our Gaming Top Talent initiative we are taking on the challenge of finding the best mobile games being made and sharing them with the world”, said Shelley Lau, Managing Partner at IPC Ventures, “which is why we are excited to partner with Yogscast, a pioneer in the games video industry with a dedicated, game-loving fanbase.”

More details about TAPP and the initiative with Gaming Top Talent and other partners ​will be released over the next few weeks.

Train2game News Develop Brighton

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Develop:Brighton’s annual search for the next big thing in independent games development is underway as submissions open for its sixth Indie Showcase at www.developconference.com.

The conference’s free-to-enter Indie Showcase celebrates the very best of indie game development with an exhibition featuring the ten best entries as chosen by a panel of experts, chaired by Assyria Games’ Adam Green.

All 10 finalists receive two free Indie Dev Day conference passes, up to five Expo passes, pre-event publicity and a profile on the event website, plus the opportunity to show off their games to around 1,800 developers and publishers at the event.

Over the past five years, more than 500 indie developers have submitted their games to the judging panel. Alumni winners includes the critically acclaimed Gunpoint; That Dragon, Cancer; Darklings which has made it into the top-100 grossing games chart on iOS; and last year’s winner, Hue by Fiddlesticks which scooped both the People’s Choice and Overall Showcase award.

“Each year, the quality of submission to the Develop:Brighton Indie Showcase seems to get higher and higher and it’s fantastic to see our growing list of shortlisted alumni going on to both critical and commercial success,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of conference organisers Tandem Events. 
 
“The showcase is now in its sixth year and continues to be a fantastic opportunity for indie developers to get their games in front of publishers, the gaming press and their fellow peers,” added Adam Green, managing director of Assyria Games and chair of the judging panel.

“The diversity and detail of games submitted to the competition is something to be admired and highlights the good health the UK indie game scene is currently in. I can’t wait to see what this year’s selection has to offer.”

Dan Da Rocha, director of 2015 Overall Indie Showcase winner, Hue, added, “Being involved in Develop:Brighton’s Indie Showcase is great for feedback and exposure for your game. Some of the industry’s top developers and journalists attend the event, so being able to get your game in front of them for free is brilliant. On top of this you can win an award or two, which gives you credibility as a developer and further exposure for your team and game.”

Submissions for the Develop Indie Showcase are now open and it’s completely free to apply. Applicants wishing to enter must comply with the following rules:

– Studios with no more than 15 people
– Studios – and games – that are non-publisher funded
– Games which are not published by a third party at the time of submission
– Games that have a development budget of less than £1million
– Games that are created in the “indie spirit”
– Full information and application forms can be found on the website www.developconference.com

The deadline to enter is 19 May and the overall Indie Showcase and People’s Choice winners will be announced to press and delegates at the Develop:Brighton Conference on Thursday 14 July 2016.

Train2game News Green Man Gaming Supporting SpecialEffect

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Green Man Gaming, a global e-commerce technology company in the video games industry, has today announced their participation in the Twin Town Challenge from 27 – 29 May 2016 in support of Special Effect, a charity enabling anyone with physical disability to enjoy video games, leisure technology and communication. 

The Green Man Gaming team aims to raise as much money as possible for the charity by offering its partners a chance to sponsor the team and donate directly through its donation page.

To help increase awareness of Special Effect and raise money for the charity, the Green Man Gaming team will be taking part in The Twin Town challenge which will see 100 cars costing less than £500 drive from Witney to its twin town of Le Touquet and back via Silverstone and Croix en Ternois.  Paul Sulyok, Founder and CEO and Callum Jay, CFO of Green Man Gaming will be representing the Green Man Gaming team.

“We are truly inspired by the great work that Special Effect do every day enhancing the quality of life of people with physical disabilities through technology and video games. The Green Man Gaming team are honoured to support Special Effect as our main charity and will work hard to raise as much money as possible for the charity,” says Paul Sulyok, Founder and CEO of Green Man Gaming.

To find out more about Green Man Gaming’s participation in the Twin Town Challenge and to donate, please visit the Green Man Gaming website.

Train2game News Pocket Gamer Awards 2016

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Steel Media, publisher of Pocket Gamer, feels as sprightly as an Irish Setter at finally being able to reveal the winners of the seventh edition of the Pocket Gamer Awards.

A record-shattering number of votes by PG readers this year has determined the final standings, with the Square Enix Montreal-developed Lara Croft GO dominating by claiming the Android Game of the Year, Overall Game of the Year, and Best Developer awards.

Meanwhile, celebrated puzzler The Room Three secured iOS Game of the Year, with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Super Meat Boy grabbing the equivalent honors for 3DS and PS Vita, respectively.

And there was more handheld recognition in the Best Publisher category, with Nintendo claiming the award for an impressive third year in a row (and fourth time overall).

In addition to the above awards, which focused on games released during 2015, this year’s edition also featured the ‘Pocket Gamer Legends’ categories. Designed to coincide with Pocket Gamer’s 10-year anniversary in March, the three PG Legends awards celebrate the games, developers, and publishers that the PG team feels have most impressed from the past decade.

Some enthusiastic and very close voting eventually saw Supercell and Gameloft emerge as PG Legends Best Developer and Publisher, respectively, with readers evidently keen to reward the considerable contribution both companies have made to mobile gaming over the past few years.

When it came to the PG Legends Best Game, the fight proved even tighter. But once the votes were cast it was the critically acclaimed (and Apple Game of the Year 2013) Ridiculous Fishing from admired indie studio Vlambeer which reeled in the distinguished honour of being named the finest mobile gaming experience of the decade.

To further mark the special occasion, the PG Awards include for the first time runners-up positions in all categories. They, along with the deserved winners, can be viewed at http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/pgawards2016