Category Archives: Games Developer

Train2Game News Pawsome Players Helps Cats In Care

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Cats Protection has launched Pawsome Players to help gamers to raise funds for unwanted and abandoned cats in the charity’s care.

Players who sign up can get ideas of online activities to support the cat charity – such as streaming marathons or gaming tournaments – and source logos, social media images and other materials to promote themselves as a Pawsome Player.

“Whether it’s a solo Fortnite stream or a Super Smash Bros tournament, we can help you make the most of it, says Donna Forster, the charity’s Digital Marketing Officer.

“A survey among gamers shows that 58% are interested in donating money to charity and 67% would join other gamers to raise funds for charity. As cats are one of the nation’s most favourite pets, gamers could attract a substantial following by raising money for us.

“Funds help Cats Protection to provide food, shelter and veterinary care for thousands of unwanted and abandoned cats while they await new homes so gamers have the confidence of supporting a very worthy cause.”

For more details and a fundraising pack, please visit https://www.cats.org.uk/get-involved/support-us/pawsome-players

Cats Protection is the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and helps over 200,000 cats through a national network of 250 volunteer-run branches and 36 adoption centres.

The charity’s vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs.

Train2Game News Jagex Recruitment Drive

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Jagex today announced key senior hires within its development teams to drive forward the company’s growth plans to continue the stellar performance of the RuneScape franchise, build new game experiences and support its third-party games publishing initiative.

With Jagex aiming to grow its workforce by 25% in 2019, Melissa Bachman-Wood joins as Vice-President of Studio, a games industry veteran holding more than 20 years’ experience. Melissa started her career at Maxis, and continued with Electronic Arts, managing cross-functional teams of The Sims franchise.

Today, Melissa is a leader in game development and live services, and has held senior studio head roles at Backbone Entertainment, KIXEYE, and Jam City.

In addition, James Burns has joined Jagex as Technical Director working on the company’s as-yet unannounced online action role-playing game. Burns holds over 18 years in the games industry specialising in online engineering with stints at PlayStation, Activision and Splash Damage.

At Jagex, Burns will be the driving force behind the game’s development, ensuring the project is at the frontline of technical innovation.

Malachy O’Neill has been appointed as Director of Quality Assurance. Formerly of Nintendo Europe, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Natural Motion and Zynga, O’Neill will head Jagex’s experienced team to deliver a range of high-quality QA services.

Nick Beliaeff, SVP of Game Development, Jagex, said:

“With the significant talent we’re able to continuously attract to Jagex, it’s very clear that big things lie ahead for the studio. These great new additions to the team add industry leading experience and knowledge, which fuel our goals to build and expand RuneScape and Old School RuneScape for players on both PC and mobile, extend the franchise to new platforms and new game experiences, and bring new living games into the Jagex portfolio.”

Melissa Bachman-Wood, VP of Studio, said:

“I’m thrilled to join the Jagex team and delighted for the chance to enable our teams to deliver even more great games to our players. I’m eager to help lead Studio strategy and execution to enable Jagex to excel in its ambition to be the home of living games, building out our world-class studio teams and processes.”

Jagex has also welcomed back Mark Faulkner as its new Director of Publishing Platform, while Ben Albon is promoted to IT Director from his previous role as Lead Operations Engineer.

To find out more about further career opportunities at Jagex, visit the studios careers portal, http://www.jagex.com/careers.

Train2Game News The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series

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Following the recent conclusion of TELLTALE’S THE WALKING DEAD: THE FINAL SEASON, Skybound Games today announced it will release The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series, a comprehensive bundle of all four seasons of the acclaimed game series, on Sept. 10, 2019, for $49.99.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series will be available globally as a physical boxed product in stores for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One – as well as digitally on the PlayStation®Store, Microsoft Store, and the Epic Games store for Windows PC – on September 10.

The physical bundle can be pre-ordered via a variety of global retailers starting today. More information about digital pre-orders will be announced at a later date.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series contains all four seasons of the series, along with The Walking Dead: Michonne, 400 Days DLC and several digital bonuses. There are over 50 hours of gameplay across 23 unique episodes, more than 10 hours of developer commentary, behind-the-scenes bonus features including concept and character art galleries, a “Return of The Walking Dead” documentary short, faithful recreations of classic menus, and a music player with over 140 musical tracks.

The collection also includes the application across all seasons and content of “graphic black,” an art style that pays homage to The Walking Dead comics and was previously only available for THE FINAL SEASON.

“Graphic black is a loving tribute to the source material and a powerful art style that makes the game look like a living comic book,” said Kent Mudle, Creative Director for The Walking Dead and the Still Not Bitten team at Skybound Games.

“An idea the team formulated and perfected with THE FINAL SEASON, this new visual styling offers longtime fans a way to play the series again in a brand-new light while giving new audiences a smooth visual ride across all seasons.”

Based on Robert Kirkman’s award-winning comic book franchise, The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series lets players experience the full story of Clementine as she grows from young girl to fearless survivor in the series that set a new benchmark for storytelling in games.

A light of hope in dark times, Clementine learns from many protectors and endures countless threats in a post-apocalyptic world where the weak perish and the cruel survive. It’s up to players who Clementine trusts, who she loves, who she hurts, and what she chooses to protect when she cannot save everyone.

For more information about The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series, please visit https://www.skybound.com/telltales-the-walking-dead-the-definitive-series.

To date, TELLTALE’S THE WALKING DEAD has sold millions of episodes worldwide, earning more than 100 Game of the Year awards and receiving two BAFTA Video Game Awards for Best Story.

Train2Game HyperX eSports Truck

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A 21 metre American style truck, known as Big Betty, will be making its Scottish debut at Glasgow’s Resonate Gaming Festival on 20-21 July at the SEC, as it hosts the final of Esport Scotland’s Scottish Esports League Live.

The HyperX Esports truck, brought to Resonate by Currys PC World and Legion by Lenovo was created to allow esports fans the chance to experience multi-player games and boasts a rooftop VIP area and players’ lounge with 20 gaming stations. The 2019 league final will be the first to be held live on the Big Betty truck, where contestants can battle it out to get their hands on an amazing £5,000 prize pool.

Alongside the tournament, show guests will be able to take part in live games on board the world’s first self-contained Esports facility, such as Super Smash Bros, Rainbow Six Siege, CS:GO and Rocket League.

James Hood, Esports Scotland owner, said: “We were over the moon to be a part of Resonate last year and this year we are coming back with a bang and we can’t wait for our teams to experience our finals live on Big Betty.”

Resonate is the largest gaming exhibition in Scotland, showcasing the latest games, software and gadgets. Spread across six fully-interactive zones; including the 18+; Indie Games; Kids; Retro and Esports Zone as well as the all-new Careers and Education Zone, the ultimate gaming experience will display some of the biggest brands in the industry.

Tickets are priced from £12.50 and available to buy from http://www.resonatetotalgaming.com (online tickets are subject to booking fee). Doors open from 10am – 6pm.

Train2Game News BAFTA Young Game Designers 2019 Winners

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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the winners of the 2019 BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD) competition at an awards ceremony last night at its headquarters, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly.

Four aspiring game designers aged between 10 and 18, as well as an inspirational teacher, have all been honoured with BAFTA YGD awards.

The BAFTA YGD competition, now in its ninth year, presents awards in two main categories: The Game Concept Award, for a written idea for a new game; and the Game Making Award, for a game made using computer software. The 2019 winners, chosen by a jury of industry experts, are:

  • Jesse Waymont for ‘I Seek Death’ – Game Concept Award (10-14 years)
  • Elizabeth Orji-Smith for ‘Creatively Bankrupt’ – Game Concept Award (15-18 years)
  • Maximillian Robinson for ‘LASERASE: Demolition in the future’ – Game Making Award (10-14 years)
  • Adam Pace for ‘Wip’ – Game Making Award (15-18 years)

Matthew Applegate, founder of the Creative Computing Club, was awarded the YGD Mentor Award.

This Award is presented to an individual nominated by the public for their involvement in the education of young game designers.

In a written message to attendees and the young finalists, HRH The Duke of Cambridge and President of BAFTA, said: “This year the entries have an overwhelming social purpose to them, focusing on issues including mental health, climate change, conservation, disability, bereavement, and transgender rights. Many of the game ideas strive to educate players of all ages on the social issues they address, hoping to prompt real change in people’s lives. I think it is fantastic to see young people using games to express themselves and purposes that they identify with.”

The ceremony was hosted by Alysia Judge (games journalist and presenter) and Aoife Wilson (writer, presenter and video producer for Eurogamer), with notable industry figures presenting the awards to the winners, including YouTuber Dean Dobbs, game developer and co-founder of Media Molecule Siobhan Reddy, and BAFTA Games Vice President David Gardner. BAFTA-winning game designer Mike Bithell delivered the closing speech for the ceremony, praising the young designers’ creativity and talent.

The annual YGD competition, which began in 2010, aims to demonstrate the creativity that goes in to game design and give young people, and their teachers, an understanding of the rewarding careers available within the industry. The four winners, chosen from 53 finalists, received a host of prizes, including tours of games studios, software licenses, games and a mentor from the games industry to help them develop their skills further.

Previous winners have gone on to have successful careers within the industry. Dan Pearce was part of BAFTA’s flagship new talent scheme ‘Breakthrough Brits’, before becoming BAFTA nominated for his work. Dan Smith released his game The Spectrum Retreat with Ripstone Games Publishers last year. The game went on to be nominated at the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards.

Dr. Jo Twist OBE, Chair of Games Committee at BAFTA, said: “It is fantastic to see such a high calibre of games from upcoming creative talent being rewarded. It’s been another great year for the competition, and with previous winners having gone on to be BAFTA nominated, I can’t wait to see this year’s winners go out and make their own mark on the industry.”

Supporting partners of BAFTA Young Game Designers include: Creative Assembly (SEGA), Criterion (EA), Jagex, King, PlayStation, Ubisoft, and WB Games.

For more information visit http://ygd.bafta.org/

Train2Game News Pokémon Masters

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DeNA Co., Ltd. (henceforth DeNA), in partnership with The Pokémon Company, unveiled additional information about the upcoming mobile game Pokémon Masters, which is planned to release globally on iOS and Android devices in summer 2019.

In Pokémon Masters, players will embark on a new adventure to form teams of Trainers and their partner Pokémon and engage in 3-on-3 real-time battles.

Take the treasured bond between Trainer and Pokémon to the next level in an all-new location—the island of Pasio—where Trainers from every Pokémon region gather to compete

Pokémon Masters takes place on the island of Pasio, where the rules of battle are different and the treasured bond between Trainer and Pokémon is taken to the next level with sync pairs—the combination of a Trainer and their partner Pokémon.

For the very first time in a Pokémon game, Trainers and their partner Pokémon from every Pokémon region will come together to form sync pairs. Players can team up with duos such as Korrina & Lucario, Brendan & Treecko, Clair & Kingdra, and many more. With all sorts of Trainers on Pasio, there are sure to be some exciting and unexpected encounters in this new story.

At launch, there will be 65 sync pairs to recruit in Pokémon Masters, with additional sync pairs to come following the game’s release.

Form a team of three sync pairs, and battle to become champion of the Pokémon Masters League

In Pokémon Masters, players will explore Pasio to meet various Trainers and make new friends while progressing through the story. Once a player has made friends with other sync pairs, they can recruit those friends to form a team of three sync pairs (meaning three Trainers and their three partner Pokémon) and battle AI (artificial intelligence) opponents to become champion of the prestigious Pokémon Masters League tournament.

Command a team of Pokémon and Trainers in 3-on-3, real-time battles in this strategy and battling game

Pokémon Masters introduces a new way to battle in the Pokémon world. Players will command a squad of three sync pairs in real-time team battles and release a barrage of moves—all while the AI opponent unleashes theirs at the same time. For the very first time in a Pokémon game, players can also direct Trainers in battle to use moves and healing items to increase a Pokémon’s stats. In addition to standard moves, players can occasionally deploy sync moves—powerful attacks performed by specific sync pairs.

Players will need to ration their move gauge, which refills over time, to deploy the best moves at the most opportune times to lead their squad to victory.

“The Pokémon brand has captured the imagination of the world, and we are honored to create the newest Pokémon adventure for mobile devices with Pokémon Masters,” said Isao Moriyasu, CEO of DeNA. “We look forward to sharing new ways to battle when the game releases.”

“For years, fans have created enduring memories engaging with their favorite Pokémon characters throughout the Pokémon video game series,” said Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of The Pokémon Company. “With DeNA’s development expertise, we’re excited to bring together past and present Trainers and their partner Pokémon in a unique gaming experience that will delight fans around the world.”

Pokémon Masters will be available worldwide as a free-to-start game with in-app purchases on compatible iOS and Android devices, with release planned for summer 2019.

The game will be available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.

Fans can learn more about Pokémon Masters by watching the game’s video presentation, which also includes an original animation trailer, available at https://youtu.be/QXuT7ZsrqRA.

Train2Game News Yer A Wizard…

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Ready your wands! Niantic, Inc. and WB Games officially launched Harry Potter: Wizards Unite™ in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand on Friday.

The highly anticipated augmented reality (AR) real-world mobile game is co-published and co-developed by Niantic, Inc. and WB Games under the Portkey Games label, and will launch in additional countries around the world in the days ahead.

Players in the launch regions can download the game for free on the App Store for iPhone, Google Play for Android devices and the Samsung Galaxy Apps Store for Samsung devices.

“This marks the beginning of an incredible journey for fans of the Wizarding World, opening up virtual doorways to remarkable adventures in the world around them,” said John Hanke, Founder and CEO, Niantic.

“Everything we’ve learned about augmented reality and real-world game design over the last seven years has been poured into this game.”

“We are very pleased to partner with Niantic, the AR gaming market leader, for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite to create a deeply magical and immersive Wizarding World experience for our Portkey Games label,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

“If you are a wizard or witch who always felt the magic was really all around you, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite’s combination of unique narrative and cutting-edge AR technology will let you live out that fan fantasy.”

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is built on the Niantic Real World Platform, and created using the game design and content creation expertise of WB Games San Francisco.

As new recruits of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, players will investigate the chaotic magical activity that is leaking into the Muggle world and work together to solve the mystery of this Calamity. Players will be able to explore their real-world neighborhoods and cities to discover mysterious artifacts, cast spells, and encounter fantastic beasts and iconic characters along the way.

To stay up to date on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, please visit www.harrypotterwizardsunite.com to receive the latest information about the game, and follow the game on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Train2Game News Dr Mario on Mobile

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Players can pre-register now to be one of the first to be notified when Nintendo’s newest mobile game, Dr Mario World, launches for iOS and Android devices on July 10.

A new trailer revealed new details about the puzzle game, including its capsule and virus-matching gameplay, colourful cast of viruses and characters, and more.

In Dr Mario World, meddlesome viruses have the world in a panic, and Dr Mario and friends are tasked with eliminating them by matching capsules with viruses of the same colour. Players should keep calm, take their time and plan their approach carefully, as each puzzling combination of viruses in each stage must be cleared using a limited number of capsules.

Luckily, Dr Mario isn’t the only one on call: A full office of doctors, including Dr Peach, Dr Bowser, Dr Toad and many others, will be available to help players overcome the pesky viruses through various virus-busting skills. Over 200 stages across many different worlds will be available at launch, with new doctors, stages and worlds continuing to be added to Dr Mario World on a regular basis after launch.

Dr Mario World can also be played together with friends and family around the world. Players can earn and receive stamina-giving hearts from friends, and use the hearts to play Stage Mode. In Versus Mode, players can turn up the intensity by challenging others online to a one-on-one showdown in real time.

Dr Mario World is free-to-start and will be available to download for iOS and Android devices beginning July 10. Those who want to be notified once the game is available to download can pre-register for the game notification today at https://drmario-world.com/pre-registration-link.

For more information about the game, visit http://drmario-world.com.

Train2Game News Xbox One S for £3

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To celebrate another amazing year at the largest gaming conference in the world – E3 – leading technology retailer Argos is offering selected customers the chance to take home the new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition in white for the price of a takeaway coffee.

In a UK first, the console, usually priced at £199.991 will be available for just £3 – a massive 98 per cent discount for 10 lucky customers.

The consoles will also become one-off pieces of art, with acclaimed artist Josh Parkin illustrating them with an image of each lucky gamer, in his unmistakable style.

To be in with a chance of getting a customised console for just £3, customers simply need to register their interest in the exclusive offer on the Argos website https://competitions.argos.co.uk/xbox_one_s_2019_06 between now and 23:59 on Wednesday 19 June.

Lucky customers will be randomly selected to collect their console at London’s Old Street Argos store on Monday 24 June. Those unable to make it in person have the option of having it delivered to their home2.

The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition enables gamers to build a library of digital games and offers the chance to pre-order and pre-install upcoming games, ready to play the moment they launch. With a disc-free experience eliminating the need to constantly change and store physical games, the console is the ideal choice for minimalists who want to reduce clutter.

It comes with Forza Horizon 3, Sea of Thieves and Minecraft ready to play and includes a wireless controller and one month of Xbox Live, making it the best value console in the Xbox range. For even more value you can add an Xbox Game Pass for Console membership. Over 100 high-quality console games for just £7.99 a month. With games added all the time, there’s always have something new to play3.

Peter Wray, Head of Gaming at Argos, said: “We wanted to share the excitement of E3 and celebrate the launch of the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition with this very special price of £3. Our collaboration with renowned illustrator Josh Parkin also means gamers can make an aesthetic feature of their console in their home.”

The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is available at Argos nationwide with free Click & Collect available at more than 1,000 locations, including 250+ Argos stores inside Sainsbury’s supermarkets. Shoppers can also take advantage of Argos’s market-leading Fast Track service, which offers home delivery in as little as four hours up to 10pm, seven days a week, for just £3.95.

Train2Game News Nintendo E3 2019

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Nintendo opened its activities at E3 2019 by showcasing multiple Nintendo Switch games scheduled to launch in 2019 and beyond.

During its Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo revealed new information for games, including Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black Order, Fire Emblem:
Three Houses, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, ASTRAL CHAIN and Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate.

The Nintendo Direct also revealed upcoming Nintendo Switch games, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition from CD PROJEKT RED, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics from BonusXP and En Masse Entertainment, CONTRA ROGUE CORPS from Konami and TRIALS of MANA from SQUARE ENIX.

Nintendo also revealed two new paid downloadable fighters coming to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game: Hero from the DRAGON QUEST series to be available this summer, and Banjo-Kazooie for this fall. The Nintendo Direct presentation concluded with the reveal of the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is currently in development for Nintendo Switch.

“After more than two years on the market, Nintendo Switch has appealed to every kind of player with its ever-growing library of games, including notables like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” said Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser. “At E3 we’re giving fans a look at what’s in store for the rest of the year and beyond by demonstrating the widespread support for the system from both Nintendo and a wide range of indie and bigname development partners.”

Nintendo followed its presentation with a Nintendo Treehouse: Live segment that gave fans their first look at live gameplay of the new Pokémon games in development for Nintendo Switch. The games are scheduled to launch Nov. 15. Nintendo Treehouse: Live, which provides closer looks at Nintendo Switch games featured at E3, will continue with daily programming through Thursday. Wednesday and Thursday’s livestreams will start at 9 a.m. For the first time, Thursday’s show will be dedicated entirely to new indie games coming to Nintendo Switch.

To celebrate E3 2019, Nintendo eShop is offering savings on select digital games.

Between now and 11:59 p.m. PT on June 18, more than 60 Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS digital games are discounted 30%, 50% or even more.

These include games in well-known franchises and indie games. My Nintendo members will also earn My Nintendo points on eligible purchases. The full list of sale items can be found in Nintendo eShop on the respective systems and at https://e3.nintendo.com/sale.
To watch Nintendo Treehouse: Live, learn game details or see the most up-to-date information about Nintendo’s presence at E3 2019, keep an eye on https://e3.nintendo.com/.