Category Archives: Developer

Train2Game News Microsoft Accelerator Programme open to applicants

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Microsoft VenturesStart-ups and new studios can now apply to take part in the next round of Microsoft Ventures’ London Acclerator.

The programme lasts 14 weeks and gives start-ups a space to work in the UK capital, plus access to Microsoft expertise and mentoring. Past participants have even been able to get their hands on hardware such as Xbox One dev kits.

Starting in September, this will be the third round of the London Accelerator, which has previously aided new studios Whispering Gibbon, , 8-bit Studios, Gateway Interactive and Train2Game Student Studio, GallantCloud

Studios interested in taking part should apply for a place here. Spaces are limited as the Accelerator encompasses various tech start-ups, not just games developers.

The programme will end with a special event hosted by Microsoft where start-ups will be able to pitch to potential investors.

Source: Develop

Train2Game News BAFTA breakthrough initiative

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BAFTABAFTA are currently accepting applications for their Breakthrough Brits initiative. In partnership with Burberry, they are looking for the British Film, TV and Gaming talent of tomorrow.

The company wants to encourage potential Breakthrough Brits across the UK to apply and to get those who think they might know a potential Breakthrough Brit to nominate them. BAFTA Breakthrough Brit’s will be working professionally in these industries and making a name for themselves in their chosen field. In essence, they’ll just be breaking through and we want to support them in that with a tailored programme of support, mentoring and career development.

Further information on Breakthrough Brits and how to apply can be found at: http://www.bafta.org/about/supporting-talent/breakthrough-brits,3784,BA.html. The deadline for applications is Monday 9 June 2014.

Also, the BAFTA UK Scholarship Programme is now accepting applications. It assists up to 10 talented UK nationals in need of financial support to study a post-graduate course in film, television or games in the UK and each BAFTA Scholar will receive up to £10,000 towards their course fees for a year, mentoring support from BAFTA members and free access to BAFTA events around the UK.

The deadline for applications is Monday 16 June and further information on how to apply can be found here.

Train2Game News NaturalMotion hiring spree

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CEO Torsten Reil says the tool maker and games studio wants to recruit a ‘sizeable’ number of staff as it aims to create ‘something truly amazing’ on mobile platforms

NaturalMotion has begun a “sizeable” recruitment drive intended to help the studio expand its offering of console-quality mobile games.

The games and tool maker is hiring for numerous positions at varying levels, ranging from game design to producers and product leads for its Oxford, London and Brighton studios, CEO Torsten Reil told Develop.

“We are attempting to create console-quality games on mobile that go way beyond what people have seen before. For that we need to have the best people in the industry,” Reil said.

“We’re looking to grow our teams with designers, programmers and project managers in order to achieve those goals. But we’re also looking to fill some of the gaps we have in our teams, some of which are already fully functional, but some of them aren’t yet.”

NaturalMotion is best known for its animation middleware Euphoria and Morpheme, which have been in used in the likes of GTA IV and BioShock Infinite respectively. Its in-house development teams have created successful mobile hits such as My Horse, Clumsy Ninja and CSR Racing.

While its middleware is built to handle the demands of console game development, Reil says its team sizes are unusually slim by comparison.

“Our team sizes are quite small compared to a console studio, usually 20 to 25 people. But the output is quality high-end, so we need to have the best people to achieve that.”

Reil said the reason devs should choose to work at NaturalMotion is because “we have ambition”.

He explained: “We try to do something truly amazing. And hopefully people can see than in our games – it’s not lip service.

“We really try to push the boundaries all the time. And that means that, working here, there’s a sense of purpose. This not a job just to earn money or to make a few nice games. This is a job to move millions and millions of people. And that is what drives us. And if we find people or talent who are hungry and who want to do that, I think it’s a great combination.”

In addition to display and online advertising, the UK developer also visits game events and hosts some of its own, such as one recently held for data scientists, where attendees gave talks and shared knowledge.

The studio, which currently employs more than 200 staff, is headquartered in Oxford and has studios in London, Brighton and San Francisco. It was acquired earlier this year by social game maker Zynga for £317m ($527m).

Train2Game News Unity introducing multiplayer tools

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unity-logoUnity is developing an array of new multiplayer tools and services for developers using its game engine.

The first phase of the new UNET project will include features such as a high performance transport layer based on UDP to support all game types, a matchmaker service and a relay server to help solve connectivity problems.

The new multiplayer tools will be introduced when Unity 5 is released later this year.

You can find more details on UNET here.

Unity’s announcement comes as indie developers have aired mixed opinions on whether multiplayer games are viable for small teams What are your thoughts?

Train2Game News Develop 2014 keynote speakers

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DevelopAndrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), and Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, have been confirmed as the keynote for the Develop in Brighton conference which takes place at the city’s Hilton Metropole from 8-10 July 2014.

House and Cerny’s in conversation keynote, 20 Years of PlayStation, 40 Years of Console Games, and 100 Years to Come, will see these two industry heavyweights look over the history of PlayStation and how it propelled console gaming into the mainstream.

The pair will explore what the company has learnt along this journey, how these principles were applied to PlayStation 4 and what the future holds, both in terms of the opportunities PlayStation 4 presents and the long term direction of the industry.

Andrew House has been President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) since September 2011.  Working closely with Sony Corporation’s senior management, as well as business units and regional management teams, he is responsible for the development and growth of the PlayStation business globally.

House joined the Sony family in 1990 and in those 24 years has held a number of positions including Executive Vice President, Sony Computer Entertainment America and, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Chief Marketing Officer, Sony Corporation.  He has been part of the PlayStation team virtually since its inception.

Since joining Atari Games in 1982, Mark Cerny has had a long and storied career. He has worked variously as a producer, programmer, and game designer, in the US and Japan, in arcade games and console games. He is best known for his collaborations with Naughty Dog (on Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, and Uncharted) and Insomniac Games (on Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, and Resistance).

Most recently Cerny served as Lead System Architect of the PlayStation 4 system, guiding the development of the hardware and system software over the course of its six years of development.

“It is hard to believe it has been 20 years since the arrival of the first PlayStation,” commented President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Andrew House. “Mark Cerny and I will look back over this fantastic period in which console gaming became mainstream, how our experiences shaped PlayStation 4 and where the industry will go from here.”

“We learnt a lot of lessons over the past 20 years which shaped the decisions taken in designing PlayStation 4,” said Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect on PlayStation 4 and President of Cerny Games. “The Develop in Brighton conference is a wonderful opportunity for us to share some of these experiences with the industry and discuss what the future might hold.”

“Following the rave reviews and accolades PlayStation 4 has received we are honoured to have Andrew House and Mark Cerny deliver the Develop in Brighton this July,” said Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events.

Registration is open at www.developconference.com with passes starting from as little as £75. Entry to the Expo is free.

Train2Game News Meet the Students

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Train2GameWhilst at the 2014 Train2Game Game Jam there were several students who got interviewed about their time with Train2Game.

You can now view the students opinions in the document below! Enjoy what the Train2Game students had to say.

Train2Game News The Game Crowd

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A new Console game company called The Game Crowd has been created in Nottingham to focus on the next generation of console gaming.

The Game Crowd CEO Rik Alexander stated “We’ve always loved making console games and we think the timing is right for a new company to take advantage of the next generation and the creativity they enable. Having recently acquired the award winning racing technology that was used by the Monumental Racing Studio where there was a huge investment in the technology, tools and pipeline, we’re in perfect shape to be able to focus on that creativity and deliver some truly outstanding original games”

The new company already has deals in the pipeline and is looking for a publisher for its original off-road racing game due for delivery in Q4 2015. Rik added “We’re actively talking to and seeking potential publishing partners about how our concepts could fit into their release schedules and we’re always interested in talking to businesses that have a need for amazing next-generation content”

The Technology currently sits on X360, PS3 & PC and is being augmented for both Xbox One & PS4 with iOS & Android in the pipeline. It features a rich racing heritage with the award winning and critically acclaimed MotoGP series. The Game Crowd is investing in enhancing the engine focusing on the character, multiplayer and environmental aspects initially.

Alexander went on to say “Handheld devices are becoming more powerful and though may never catch up with next-generation consoles output due to the power consumption behind those platforms, we do envision a future where the similarities between devices becomes less noticeable to the player and helping to make that a reality is that’s one of our longer term goals”

The sister company AppCrowd is working hard with a number of publishers on IP driven titles which have yet to be announced.

Train2Game News Andy McCartney on Train2Game

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Andy McCartneyMicrosoft Ventures Andy McCartney was interviewed at the recent Game Jam that Train2Game held.

Andy is CEO of the Microsoft Ventures intiative which gives independent games development studios the help and support they need throughout the course of developing an app.

You can enjoy the video interview with Andy below and found out more about Microsoft Ventures at https://www.microsoftventures.com/

Train2Game News Mark Cerny Developmental Legend

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Mark CernyMark Cerny will be inducted as 2014’s Development Legend at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards in Brighton, UK on July 9th.

The video games icon will join an elite few to pick up the prestigious accolade. Previous recipients include the likes of Tim Sweeney, Mark Rein, David Perry, Peter Molyneux, David Braben, Charles Cecil, Phil Harrison and Ian Livingstone.

The award acknowledges Cerny’s significant contribution to the games industry throughout his impressive career.

His debut game at age 18 was Marble Madness for Atari in 1984, the first release in a sparkling career that saw him travel the world working on major hits such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Killzone 3, and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

Most recently Cerny is celebrated for being the mastermind behind the technical architecture of Sony’s PS4 console. The device for which he was lead system architect has already sold over seven million units, just six months after release – a games industry record.

Cerny will collect the award in person at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards, an event hosted by Develop (www.develop-online.net) and its publisher Intent Media.

“Mark Cerny is a true legend of games development,” said Develop’s publisher Michael French. “He is a respected games designer and hardware developer with a multi-faceted, cross-discipline skill set. He has helped shape some of the most compelling original titles in the history of interactive entertainment, and has been a true visionary in the design of new games machines. We look forward to presenting this award to him and celebrating his career on July 9th.”

The Develop Awards take place at the Brighton Metropole hotel. The event honours the achievements and efforts in the last year by European games studios, global technology partners and hardworking service companies.

The finalists for the award were unveiled last week. 136 companies are in the running to win one of 24 awards. You can see the full its of nominees here:  http://www.develop-online.net/news/develop-awards-2014-the-finalists-revealed/0192226

You can book a table or single seat at the event by contacting  Kathryn.Humphrey@intentmedia.co.uk or calling 01992 535 646.

Train2Game News New Pokémon Games announced

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????????????????????The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo announced today that Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire will launch worldwide in November 2014, exclusively for Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 2DS. Pokémon fans will collect, battle, and trade Pokémon in a new adventure.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire are a fresh take on Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, which launched in 2003 and were fan-favourite hits on the Game Boy Advance system. The new titles promise to take players through a dramatic story within a spectacular new world.

Be sure to visit Pokemon.com frequently for more Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire news and information that will roll out leading up to the worldwide launch in November.