Train2Game News Tekken 7 announced

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Train2Game Blogger Team

At the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) fighting game tournament held in the Westgate Las Vegas Hotel & Resort, BANDAI NAMCO announced TEKKEN 7, the latest installment of the venerable franchise, powered by the award-winning Unreal Engine 4.

“The power and flexibility means that we can focus our efforts on making TEKKEN 7 the best possible game without worrying about spending time creating a stand-alone graphic engine,” said Katsuhiro Harada, TEKKEN series Executive Producer/Game Director at BANDAI NAMCO. “With Unreal Engine 4, we could rapidly achieve visual quality expected on next-gen platform and go beyond it. Not only is Unreal Engine 4 powerful and easy to use, but it allows us to immediately bring TEKKEN 7 to any platform we desire.”

TEKKEN 7 took center stage at EVO, bringing the competition to a halt with a sizzling trailer hinting towards the ambitious technical feats that Unreal Engine 4 will make possible for Harada and the TEKKEN development team. Working closely with the Epic Games engine group in Japan and leveraging the might of UE4, these two teams are fueling the next generation of fighting games.

“The Tekken franchise is beloved and we couldn’t be more excited to be working with the talented team at BANDAI NAMCO,” said Taka Kawasaki, Studio Head at Epic Games Japan. “This marriage is perfect – the most powerful engine in gaming along with one of the most enduring brands in fighting games. We have no doubt that these forces coming together will yield fantastic results.”

Tekken 7 joins a long line of games that have been announced recently and shown to be powered by Unreal Engine 4. Crackdown, EVE: Valkyrie, Fable Legends and many others round out the rapidly growing list of games using the engine. Developed by Epic Games, the award-winning Unreal Engine is known for its cutting-edge graphics technology, world-class toolset and scalability across PC, console and mobile platforms. Since its public launch as a $19 per month subscription-based service at the 2014 Game Developers Conference (GDC), Unreal Engine 4 has been evolving at a rapid pace. Development of the engine has been driven further by feedback from the community and numerous updates from Epic’s team of world-class engineers.

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 14.07.14

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Yet another week in the charts with no new games in the top twenty. Watch Dogs has managed to regain the top spot but apart from that there has been very little change.

All formats

Week ending 12 July 2014

POS.		TITLE	PUBLISHER	LAST WEEK
1		WATCH DOGS	UBISOFT	2
2		SNIPER ELITE 3	505 GAMES	1
3	–	FIFA 14	EA SPORTS	3
4		WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	5
5		TITANFALL	EA GAMES	4
6	–	CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS	ACTIVISION	6
7		MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION	MICROSOFT	10
8		MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION 3 EDITION	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	9
9		TOMODACHI LIFE	NINTENDO	11
10		BATTLEFIELD 4	EA GAMES	15
11		GRAND THEFT AUTO V	ROCKSTAR	13
12		EA SPORTS UFC	EA SPORTS	7
13		ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG	UBISOFT	14
14		THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	17
15		2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL	EA SPORTS	8
16		MARIO KART 8	NINTENDO	12
17		PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE	EA GAMES	20
18	–	TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK	ACTIVISION	18
19	–	LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	19
20		GRID AUTOSPORT	CODEMASTERS	16

< previous week

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 Cliffy B’s new game

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Bosskey Games plans to partner with Korean online games publisher Nexon to create the title, Bleszinski announced on his Twitter account.

Friends, @BossKey will be working with Nexon to publish a Free2Play Sci-Fi PC arena shooter code named #BlueStreak. #BossKey #UnlockTheFun— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) July 8, 2014

He added that the studio will not release a “fake CG trailer showing ‘Gameplay’ because that’s not how Bosskey does it.”

Guerrilla Games co-founder Arjan Brussee has joined Bosskey as its chief operating officer. Brussee and Bleszinski collaborated on the Jazz Jackrabbit platformer series.

Back in December, Bleszinski told press that he wants to make a “proper” arena shooter. “It will be a PC experience that will harken back to a certain type of game that we cut our teeth on,” he said. “A first-person shooter. It’s in my DNA.

“I want to get funding, I don’t want to do a Kickstarter. I’ve shown [the project] to various parties, and there are nibbles,” he added.

Source: CVG

Train2Game News 2014 Develop Award Winners

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Games development stars from around the UK and Europe descended upon Brighton tonight to honour the winners of this year’s Develop Industry Excellence Awards.

More than 175 companies attended the event – the biggest attendance yet for these awards. The expanded array of 25 prizes went to 20 different companies, with Rockstar North the big winners of the night.

The Grand Theft Auto developer took home the special Studio of the Year prize – one of five new categories – as well as Visual Arts and In-House Studio. There was an extra gong for the seminal GTA V, with Faceware Technologies bagging the award for Creative Contribution: Visuals thanks to its work on Rockstar’s epic.

The full list of winners can be seen below.

Sony also fared well, with the platform holder and its studios picking up two awards – Publishing Hero and New IP (for Media Molecule’s Tearaway) – as well as the Development Legend award for PS4 lead architect Mark Cerny, as announced earlier in the summer.

There were also a few surprises on the night, most notably the special Services to Video Games prize, which was awarded to Lynne Kilpatrick for her hard work in pushing for the UK video games tax credits.

Other winners included Oculus VR, EA DICE, TT Games, Unity, Team17, Vlambeer, Space Ape Games and Abertay University’s Dare to be Digital.

DEVELOP AWARDS 2014: THE WINNERS

NEW GAMES IP

Tearaway – Media Molecule

USE OF A LICENCE OR IP

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes – TT Games

VISUAL ARTS

Grand Theft Auto V – Rockstar North

AUDIO ACCOMPLISHMENT

Battlefield 4 – EA DICE

MUSICAL COMPOSITION

‘Noise Pulse’ (from TxK) – Jamie Hamshere

USE OF NARRATIVE

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons – Starbreeze Studios

PUBLISHING HERO

SCE Strategic Content

TECHNICAL INNOVATION

Oculus Rift DK2 – Oculus VR

TOOLS – DESIGN & CREATIVITY

Maya LT – Autodesk

TOOLS – PRODUCTION

Perforce – Perforce Software

ENGINE

Unity Engine – Unity Technologies

SERVICE

Player Research

QA & LOCALISATION

Testology

CREATIVE CONTRIBUTION: AUDIO

Stafford Bawler – Monument Valley

CREATIVE CONTRIBUTION: VISUALS

Faceware Technologies – Grand Theft Auto V

RECRUITER

OPM Response

TALENT INVESTMENT

Dare To Be Digital – Abertay University

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Team17

MICRO STUDIO

Vlambeer

INDEPENDENT STUDIO

Bohemia Interactive

IN-HOUSE STUDIO

Rockstar North

NEW STUDIO

Space Ape Games

SPECIAL AWARDS
STUDIO OF THE YEAR

Rockstar North

DEVELOPMENT LEGEND

Mark Cerny

SERVICES TO VIDEO GAMES

Lynne Kilpatrick

Train2Game News Artist required for Student Studio

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Train2Game Student Liam Young is on the developer course and is just getting his own studio off the ground but requires an artist.

Liam is covering all the design and development side of the company himself but requires a talented artist to turn some concept art into in game assets and he is prepared to pay the right person for the work they do.

The right person would not be taken on as an employee of the company but would receive full credit for the work that is done for the game further helping the portfolio and CV of the decided on artist.

It is important you be a dedicated worker and reach a mutually agreed upon deadline at a satisfactory level of quality.

If you are interested in helping Liam with his work you can get in touch with him by emailing lyoung536@yahoo.co.uk

You can view the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ZombieBoffinStudioLtd

and the twitter page at https://twitter.com/ZombieBoffinLtd

Train2Game News Personal Pokémon Gyms

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire players will be able to create their very own Secret Base, a customisable area that will allow them to show off their individuality by setting up mazes or traps for visitors to encounter, and even creating Pokémon battle rules, transforming their Secret Base into their own Pokémon Gym!

Players will be able to share their Secret Base with other Trainers around the world using StreetPass functionality of the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS systems, or they can create a QR Code for their unique Secret Base, enabling friends to visit it with ease.

When visiting other Secret Bases, players can meet other Trainers in the same base and invite them back to their own Secret Base as Secret Pals. Players can interact and battle with Secret Pals, who have special skills that can support players in their adventures, such as sharing new Decorations, making a Pokémon Egg hatch faster, or raising the level of a select Pokémon by one.

The more Secret Pals players have in their Secret Base, the more special skills will be available to help them in their adventures.

Players can also capture flags while visiting other players’ Secret Bases. Flags are located beside the Secret PC in each Secret Base. The more flags a player collects, the higher the rank earned, which brings rewards like improving the skills of a player’s Secret Pals.

Train2Game News Boss Key Productions

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski has opened a new studio named Boss Key Productions.

Bleszinski recently teased he was coming out of retirement, with the official announcement of the new company and its debut project due to be announced shortly.

As spotted by Polygon, documents filed to the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State also list Guerrilla Games co-founder Arjan Brussee as the studio’s chief operating officer.

Another document filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office also suggests the developer will focus on online titles, referencing “downloadable multiplayer interactive computer game programs”.

Bleszinski left his former studio Epic Games in October 2012 after 20 years at the company.

Train2Game News Creative England offering investment

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Creative England and SCEE have announced a new £250,000 fund to accelerate and incubate five UK games companies.

The organisation’s will invest £50,000 into each of the selected five developers to support the development of new titles for PS3, PS4 and PlayStation Vita. The studios will also receive business support, dev kits for the three PlayStation platforms and other technical and fringe benefits.

The partnership is part of a new incubator and accelerator programme called GamesLab Campus. Information on how to apply will be made available soon at www.creativeengland.co.uk/games.

The partnership was announced by SCEE’s senior account manager for publisher and developer relations Agostino Simonetta during the Develop Conference in Brighton today.

“We are delighted to work with Creative England on this program,” he said. “We believe this to be a great partnership and an opportunity to illustrate our continuous support and commitment to the independent development community.”

Jaspal Sohal, head of games and digital media at Creative England, added: “At Creative England, we are always looking to support new game development talent and opening doors to help ndie studios grow and achieve commercial success. It’s fantastic to have PlayStation on board and together we’ve designed GamesLab Campus to be a complete investment and support package.

“Whether you’re a start-up or an experienced developer, we’re looking for exciting and innovative projects to invest in.”

Train2Game News The Witcher Mobile Battle Arena

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Train2Game Blogger Team

CD PROJEKT RED, creators of the critically acclaimed Witcher franchise of games, and Fuero Games are proud to announce The Witcher Battle Arena, a bold extension of the series into the realm of mobile entertainment.

“With mobile devices as powerful as they are and the graphics they offer being so beautiful, we can finally plunge into mobile gaming and deliver our take on free gaming to gamers worldwide,” said Adam Badowski, Head of Studio, CD PROJEKT RED.

The Witcher Battle Arena is a fast, fun and accessible MOBA game based in the Witcher universe. Designed with mobile devices in mind, Battle Arena combines great accessibility and a balanced learning curve with complex tactics and a limitless array of skill-based strategies gamers can deploy during each battle. Designed with fairness in mind, the game features no pay-to-win elements and allows players to unlock every piece of in-game content entirely via gameplay.

In the Arena, six heroes battle it out to the death, trying to capture and hold three conquest points in short, intense and action-packed skirmishes. The intuitive system of character progression allows you to create player-tailored character builds and unique item configurations to surprise your friends and stagger your foes. Become legendary characters such as the witcher Letho of Gulet, dwarven adventurer Zoltan Chivay or the mighty sorceress Philippa Eilhart and use their diverse skills to gain the advantage and crush those foolish enough to cross your path.

“In a world full of enter-your-PIN-number-to-win mechanics, what we value above all is well-balanced and honest gameplay,” said Tadek Zieliński, Creative Analyst, CD PROJEKT RED. “Battle Arena is all about skill and dedication, and we’ve spent hundreds of hours planning to make it a paragon of fairness in mobile gaming,” Zieliński added.

Designed by CD PROJEKT RED and developed by Fuero Games, The Witcher Battle Arena is scheduled to launch sometime in Q4 2014 on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Windows (Tablets), with free future updates planned to expand the game both in terms of number of characters, gameplay modes and more.

“The whole team here at Fuero Games is really excited at the prospect of developing a game for such a big and engaged community as that of The Witcher. I’m convinced that our skill in mobile multiplayer game development, combined with the creative flair of CD PROJEKT RED, will produce an experience Witcher fans will want to come back to again and again,” said Stanisław Fiedor, CEO, Fuero Games.

You can enjoy the teaser trailer below

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 07.07.14