Category Archives: games

Train2Game News Future of Telltale

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Episodic story wranglers Telltale have a new CEO, and he’s revealed some interesting information in his inaugural statement.

Not content with their current series The Wolf Among Us, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Tales from the Borderlands and soon Minecraft: Story Mode, new CEO Kevin Bruner has announced big things in the companies future.

In a statement to Gamesindustry.biz Mr Bruner said “We’re thrilled to continue our growth and bring our unique style of scripted entertainment to the next generation of digital media, and do that across thousands of different devices. Our top priority is to continue fostering an environment where the most talented and creative storytellers in the industry are working side by side with the world’s biggest creative partners. We’re already working on some of the biggest franchises in entertainment, and when you add our unannounced partnerships and upcoming original IP, it’s clear the most exciting time to be at Telltale is now, and there will continue to be more and more opportunity to innovate ahead of us.”

Telltale are fast becoming one of the staple companies in the games industry with their fantastic story telling and moral dilemmas

I for one am incredibly excited to see where this company is going next and what there own IP will entail.

Train2Game News Free Assassin’s Creed Unity DLC

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Today, Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed Unity – Dead Kings is now available, free of charge, for all Assassin’s Creed Unity players on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC, and will be released tomorrow January 14th on PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system in the UK.

After the events of Assassin’s Creed Unity, Arno’s quest for redemption leads him to the town of Saint-Denis, then known as Franciade. There he is sent on a mission that will take him to the depths of the city, an intricate network of catacombs and deep caves that hold the remains and best-kept secrets of past French kings.

To uncover the dark mysteries that lie beneath the Basilica, Arno is equipped with a lantern to guide his way and will gain access to the Guillotine Gun, a powerful weapon made for both long-range destruction and deadly close-quarter combat.

In Assassin’s Creed Unity – Dead Kings, players will encounter familiar faces including Napoleon and the Marquis de Sade, as well as a new enemy faction, the Raiders, merciless foes desecrating the catacombs. Players will also be able to embark on additional side quests including new Murder Mysteries, enigmas, and co-operative missions, where players can join forces for a heist mission and a special Brotherhood mission.

Both single-player and cooperative modes enable players to unlock new weapons, gear, and outfits that carry over between Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s Creed Unity – Dead Kings.

Ubisoft promised it would give out Dead Kings for free to anyone who bought Unity, as a way of apologising for the game’s bug filled launch.

Train2Game News 15th Game Developers Choice Award Nominees

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GDC AwardsOrganizers have revealed the finalists for the 15th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers.

Winners in all categories will be honored at the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, taking place on Wednesday, March 4th, 2015 at 6:30pm at the San Francisco Moscone Center during the 2015 Game Developers Conference alongside the Independent Games Festival Awards.

Leading the pack with five nominations is Monolith Productions’ acclaimed open-world action game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – receiving nods for Game of the Year, Innovation, Best Design, Best Narrative and Best Technology. Following close behind are Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation and Destiny from Bungie, each of which were nominated for multiple awards across categories like Best Audio and Best Technology, and also nominated for the 2014 Game of the Year.

Mirroring years past, titles from smaller teams have once again received strong recognition, with nominations or honorable mentions in nine of the 10 categories. Polish independent studio The Astronauts was nominated across four categories for its work producing the atmospheric first-person mystery game The Vanishing of Ethan Carter: the Innovation Award, Best Debut, Best Narrative and Best Audio. Several other games of similar scope garnered multiple category nominations, including 11 bit studios’ This War of Mine, Inkle Studios’ 80 Days and Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight.
Nintendo also showed strongly in the Choice Awards nominations across both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. The latest iteration of the publisher’s flagship fighting game franchise, Super Smash Bros for 3DS picked up a nomination for the Best Handheld Game of the year, while the acclaimed puzzle-platformer Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is up for a Best Design award. The Nintendo-published, Platinum Games-developed Wii U character action game Bayonetta 2 was also nominated for multiple awards, including Game of the Year and Best Visual Art.

Additional titles with multiple nominations included Blizzard’s free-to-play digital card game Hearthstone (three nominations), Bungie’s ambitious online first-person shooter Destiny (three nominations) and Yacht Club Games’ love letter to NES platformers Shovel Knight (two nominations),

The 2015 Game Developers Choice Awards are freely open to any video game that was initially released and made publicly available to customers during the 2014 calendar year, irrespective of platform or delivery medium. Both finalists and winners are selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is an invitation-only organization, comprised of leading game creators from all parts of the industry.

The complete list of nominees, including honorable mentions, for the 15th annual Game Developers Choice Awards is in the pdf below

Choice Developers Nominees

The Game Developers Choice Awards also gives out three Special Awards yearly: the Pioneer, Ambassador and Lifetime Achievement awards, all of which will be announced in the near future. The Audience Award for the Choice Awards – open to all finalists for this year – will also return and will open for online voting in February.

For more information about the 15th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, visit http://www.gamechoiceawards.com.

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 12.01.14

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GTA VThe second chart of the week and no new games have entered this week but we do have an old favourite at number one. Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V has retaken the number one spot pushing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare down to number two.

All formats

Week ending 10 January 2015

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 2
2 CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE ACTIVISION 1
3 – FIFA 15 EA SPORTS 3
4 – FAR CRY 4 UBISOFT 4
5 THE CREW UBISOFT 6
6 ASSASSIN’S CREED: UNITY UBISOFT 5
7 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 11
8 MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION MICROSOFT 10
9 DESTINY ACTIVISION 7
10 MIDDLE EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 13
11 ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT 19
12 DRIVECLUB SONY COMPUTER ENT. 9
13 LEGO BATMAN 3: BEYOND GOTHAM WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 12
14 THE EVIL WITHIN BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 15
15 FORZA HORIZON 2 MICROSOFT 14
16 HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION MICROSOFT 18
17 WWE 2K15 2K SPORTS 8
18 SUPER SMASH BROS. NINTENDO 20
19 DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION EA GAMES 18
20 ASSASSIN’S CREED: ROGUE UBISOFT 19
< 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 Films on twitch

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Devolver Digital, the Austin-based independent video game and film distributor, today announced plans to air a weekly series of live screenings of video game related movie titles on  Twitch, the world’s leading video platform and community for gamers.

The series kicks off on January 9, 2015 with a new airing each Friday through February 20. Each film will air at approximately 2:15pm at  www.twitch.tv/twitch and will feature live chatting with the respective filmmakers. 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_uE3-OKWC0

The series will begin with a  screening of the Devolver-produced documentary  Stream Dream. This film chronicles the rising influence of gaming video content creators using Twitch and other video platforms to reach their worldwide audiences. Devolver will preface Stream Dream with a premiere of its new Winter Releases Trailer which features upcoming movie releases from the indie publishing and distribution house.

2015 Schedule:

• January 9:  Stream Dream and Winter Releases Trailer
• January 16:  Pixel Poetry – A games-as-art documentary
• January 23: (no broadcast)
• January 30:  Angry Video Game Nerd – The movie adaptation of the popular comic web series
• February 6:   Gaming in Color – LGBTQ gamer documentary
• February 13:  Super Game Jam: The Movie – Game development becomes entertainment
• February 20: To be announced

“Twitch represents a new frontier for filmmakers looking to connect with an audience who is passionate about video game culture,” said Ben Goldhaber, Director of Content Marketing, Twitch. “Devolver Digital is the perfect example of a studio who understands the appeal of Twitch’s social video format by both documenting our brand in Stream Dream and scheduling broadcasts of half a dozen gaming films on our platform.”

All of the films will also be available for rental and download on digital VOD platforms including Amazon, GOG, Google Play, Playstation, Vudu, Xbox, VHX, Vimeo on Demand, and Gumroad.

Train2Game News The Princess Bride game

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Gameblend Studios today announced the launch of  The Princess Bride – The Official Game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Prepare to play!

Based on William Goldman’s romantic fantasy-comedy, famously brought to life in Rob Reiner’s 1987 film, The Princess Bride – The Official Game takes players into this classic story to experience its best and boldest moments firsthand. There are four games to play within the adventure:

    Survive the Shrieking Eels!
    Scale the Cliffs of Insanity!
    Cross swords and duel with Inigo!
    Wrestle against a Giant!

Each mode features its own unique leaderboard, challenges and rewards, including genuine images and audio clips to unlock from the film. The game is designed with Retina-display art crafted to pop vividly on iPhone 6 and iPad devices.  Future free updates will test the players’ wits and have them running through the dreaded Fire Swamp.

Mars Williams from English rock band The Psychedelic Furs composed the music for the game.

The Princess Bride – The Official Game is available for $3.99 on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Train2Game News Free Developer Event in London

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Amazon will be hosting an event for indie developers in London next week, offering a mixture of free drinks and info on developing for Amazon platforms.

The ‘free happy hour’ will be held at Loading Bar, located in Dalston, London on the evening of Monday, January 12th.

Attending will be Amazon Developer Evangelist Jesse Freeman, who is looking to meet indie developers and share information on how they can get their games onto Kindle devices, Fire TV and Amazon App Store. He is also footing the bill for the drinks all night!

Devs are invited to show off demos of their game – although you’re also welcome to keep your secrets, if it’s just info you’re after. There will also be giveaways on the night.

All you need to be eligible is have a game or something in development that you’d be tempted to port over to the Amazon Fire platform.

The event kicks off at 7pm at the bar with details at http://loadingonline.co.uk/

Train2Game News Outplay Entertainment Hiring

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Outplay Entertainment, creators of some of the brightest and most addictive games on smartphones and tablets, is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting and fastest growing game developers in the world.

Venture-backed, the company recently announced over 20 million downloads and has more than doubled its family of employees throughout an unstoppably successful 2014, with six games currently live across multiple platforms – including the App Store Editors’ Choice and BAFTA nominated Monster Legacy and Best New Game Alien Creeps TD – and three more exciting titles in development.

Outplay HQ is based in right in the heart of Dundee’s beautiful £1 billion waterfront project, where the team of 75+ staff has attracted talent from all over the world, including team members from Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Iran, Bulgaria, Greece and Germany. As their plans get even bigger and better for 2015, they’re still on the look-out for gifted game-makers and team players the whole world over, to join their ranks. Outplay make some of the most addictive and enjoyable social games across all gaming platforms – and have a great time doing it.

To find out how you can become a part of Outplay Entertainment’s continuing success story, head on over to outplay.com/careers and get in touch – to be in the game, you just have to press ‘Start’…!

Train2Game News Versatile student finds home at T2G

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Student who tried many careers finds Train2Game is the place where he can accomplish his life’s ambition to work in the Games Industry You name it, he’s tried it.

James Hardman has attempted many directions in his life: Seven years in Education, Franchise Manager, The Navy, Tattoo Artist, Events, Bank Employee and many more. But he’s finally found where he belongs, creating creatures and art in the Games Industry.

It has been an interesting journey for the 30 year old who has roots in Prussia and Egypt. James Hardman has tried everything to get a job and a career that he enjoys, but it took him a great deal of time and effort to find his ideal arena of employment.  Working in hotels, events and working in data processing in a bank. He tried work experience with Jenny Clarke Design Ltd as a Flash Tattoo artist and Aphelio Ltd as a Creature Designer (3 month unpaid internship). He tried to join the Navy and also trained as a franchise manager.

Since birth he’s loved gaming but struggled to make it his career. After many attempts in other directions it was when he joined Trai2Game that he rediscovered his love of gaming and found the passion to get into games.

“To enter the game industry is more than a job to me; it’s a sense of identity and my place in life. I noticed through each job role generates a certain type of person. I am specific type of individual needing to be a specific type of environment to really take off. I feel mis-understood in many job roles due to my style of thinking and how I approach subjects to produce solutions.

It is really important to me to around great people who support each other and understand each other without constant questioning of one’s self. I’ve had seven years in education and two at T2G. Proving it’s not just qualifications but you also need experience, that is why I am now looking to work and gain experience in art.”

“My experience with Train2Game has been the best course I’ve entered. The course not also teaches essential techniques but provides many opportunities of job placements. Also get your name out there. The course itself already has done so much for me, I am forever grateful. They have really improved my self-esteem and I can see hope finally. The content is up to date and explains all vital processes very clearly.”

James is now completing his studies with Train2Game and looking for an internship/employment at a games studio. James is a great conversation; ask him about his roots in a country that no longer exists or how he created an energy loop that he was going to build with a team of Belgian Nuclear Physicists.

You can find James on the Train2Game Forum or reach him through the Train2Game blog.

Train2Game News Yogscast 2014 Christmas Charity

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Yogscast, the UK’s most watched family of YouTube channels announces today that its latest Christmas drive has raised $1,104,882.09 – just over £725,000 – for a mixture of international charities.

The incredible haul for the ‘Yogscast Jingle Jam’ beats last year’s total and brings the overall amount raised to over $2.6m since the Christmas events began in 2011.

Talent from across the Yogscast family of YouTube channels – plus some special guests – appeared on Twitch.tv every night during December playing games, taking on challenges and having fun.

The money will be shared between five charities: Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders/MSF, Fauna & Flora International, Special Effect, and End Polio Now.

Those who donated more than $25 got an amazing bundle of games and in-game items, including Thomas Was Alone, Magicka and Call of Juarez – delivered digitally via Humble Bundle and kindly supplied by generous game developers.

Those who gave more than $5 were able to leave messages for the livestreamers and received a unique accessory item in Team Fortress 2.

The month of donations clocked in at a total of $930,097 – with the other $175,000 being raised by the Yogscast directly, through a mixture of initiatives including the Christmas song ‘Does Santa Claus Visit Zombie Pig-men Kids in the Nether in Minecraft (At Christmas Time)?’ and from limited edition Christmas jumpers.

Yogscast co-founder Lewis Brindley said, “It blows our mind every year just how incredibly generous people are – I want to thank each and every person who donated to make the Jingle Jam so successful.”

“Once again we’ve had fantastic support from the UK and international video games industry supplying the games and items,” said Yogscast CEO Mark Turpin.

“We also have to thank the Yogscast family and other YouTubers who gave up their nights throughout December to broadcast live and raise so much money,” Turpin added.