Category Archives: job

Train2Game News Record Games Deals may be bad news

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This year has seen $25 billion of games deals in just over 9 months.

This impressive news however, could mean we’ve hit the top of the market, as detailed in Digi-Capital’s new Games Report Q4 2018.

Last time this happened, games investment and M&A plunged into a games deals ice age at the lowest level in a decade. The games deals cycle has swung from boom to bust twice already since 2010, so the next 6 months will determine if history repeats itself or the dollars continue to flow.

$3.8 billion was invested in games companies between January and September, which is 50% higher than the previous full-year record from 2017. Games M&A also hit a near record $20.1 billion in the first three quarters. But as Digi-Capital forecast at the start of the year, the games IPO market has plunged over 90% from 2017’s record $17.1 billion to just $1.1 billion in 2018. While Epic Games’ $1.25 billion investment round in Q4 has already taken games investment over $5 billion for full-year 2018, these dynamics could still be early signs of game over (for now).

You can read the complete release with games investment, M&A and IPO analysis and infographics at www.digi-capital.com/news/2018/10/record-25-billion-games-deals-could-signal-top-of-the-market/, with the full details in Digi-Capital’s Games Report Q4 2018 at www.digi-capital.com/reports/#global-games-investment-review

Train2Game News Girls who game study PSTEM

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Girls who play video games are three times more likely to choose physical science, technology, engineering or maths (PSTEM) degrees compared to their non-gaming counterparts, according to new research from the University of Surrey.

The study, funded by the British Academy and published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour, found that 13-14 year old girls classed as ‘heavy gamers’ – those playing over nine hours a week – were three times more likely to pursue a PSTEM degree compared to girls who were non-gamers.

It also found that 100 per cent of girls in the study who were already in PSTEM degrees were identified as gamers. However, the same could not be said for boys where a similar amount of gamers existed regardless of degree type, leading to thoughts that boys experience far less pressure to conform to the video gamer stereotype if they were studying a PSTEM degree.

The research was led by Dr Anesa Hosein, Lecturer in Higher Education and Programme Director of PhD in Higher Education at Surrey, and a Physics graduate with a self-confessed ‘Geek Girl’ gamer past. Dr Hosein believes identifying and targeting certain female groups early may be a way to encourage more to study it at degree level and beyond.

Dr Hosein said: “Despite the pioneering work of people like Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Surrey’s own Daphne Jackson, the first female Physics professor, there are still too few female PSTEM role models for young women.

“However, our research shows that those who study PTSEM subjects at degree level are more likely to be gamers, so we need to encourage the girl gamers of today to become the engineering and physics students and pioneers of tomorrow.

“It therefore makes sense, in the short-term, that educators seeking to encourage more take up of PSTEM subjects should target girl gamers, as they already may have a natural interest in these subjects. We need to get better at identifying cues early to recognise which girls may be more interested in taking up PSTEM degrees.”

Dr Hosein recommends that educators use the results from her study to increase girls’ participation in PSTEM subjects in a number of ways. ‘Geek Girls’ who have a pre-disposition towards gaming should be identified early by teachers or parents and encouraged to explore PSTEM degree pathways, for example through attending gaming expert talks. School educators could also start including gaming in PSTEM degrees to increase engagement of girl gamers. It is also important for girls who do not fit a geek video gaming stereotype to meet and see more alternative PSTEM female role models during their school education.

The study is entitled “Girls’ Video Gaming Behaviour and Undergraduate Degree Selection: A Secondary Data Analysis Approach”. Read more about the University of Surrey’s Department of Higher Education.

Train2Game News London Games Festival 2019 Return

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The London Games Festival will return in 2019 with an extended run and bigger events from 2 April to 14 April across the city.

London Games Festival, backed by the Mayor of London with funding of £1.2m over three years, seeks to make London the games capital of the world. It is delivered by Games London, an initiative from Film London, the capital’s screen industries agency, and video games trade body Ukie (The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment).

Over 65,000 people attended 40 different events across 20 different venues during the 2018 festival. LGF has more games on show than any other global games event with nearly 400 games to play across its events. The Festival has also established itself as a platform for global business in games, connecting attendees with investors to secure deals worth nearly £20m in potential business last April.

The 2019 event will see the return of tentpole activities for the public, including the headline-grabbing Games Character Cosplay Parade and an expanded Now Play This at Somerset House, which will reach more attendees than ever. Overall the festival will provide a wider programme of outdoor events and an even bigger offering for the games developer community – while some of its core programming will focus on the impact games are having on culture, health and the wider creative industries.

Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, said: “The creative industries are key to our success as a global city and the games industry is a thriving sector bringing jobs and investment to the capital. With the Mayor’s support, the London Games Festival has established itself as a global showcase for London’s cutting-edge games industry and once again shows that the capital is open to innovation and business. I’m delighted that the festival will return bigger and better than ever in 2019.”

Adrian Wootton, CEO of Film London and the British Film Commission, said: “The rapidly expanding global games industry delivers vital growth into the UK and London economies as a key, cutting edge component of the phenomenally successful creative industries. Through Games London, we are committed to cementing London’s status as a games leader, working to attract over £40m of potential investment into games businesses over the next three years. The London Games Festival is a key moment in celebrating and showcasing this success, bringing together the brightest and best talent and enabling major new business opportunities.”

Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of Ukie and Mayor of London Cultural Board Ambassador, said: “Games and interactive entertainment are an increasingly important part of the creative and cultural offer of London, our capital city. Games London is a hugely valued programme which showcases the talent, innovation and creativity of the sector from across the UK, and demonstrates the impact of what we make on the economy and culture. There is something for everyone at this year’s London Games Festival, which pulls together 12 days of play, with events and hands on fun for families, for fans, all over the city, as well as opening up a critical business focus through the Games Finance Market.”

Highlights of London Games Festival 2019 include:

  • The return of the LGF HUB (Tuesday 2 April and Wednesday 3 April) featuring showcases of start-ups and prototypes, workshops and summits on Games Impact, Games Culture, Convergence and Online Live Games
  • The return of Now Play This at Somerset House, a festival of playful work and experimental game design which is set to be expanded for 2019 after a popular event in 2018
  • The fourth Games Finance Market (Wednesday, 3 April and Thursday 4 April) the only event of its kind in the UK, connecting 60 games studios with 60 global games investors
  • A second phase of Ensemble, Games London’s exhibition profiling key UK-based BAME games talent
  • Games Character Parade (Saturday, 6 April) featuring a parade of cosplayers at key London locations alongside a day of family-oriented activities

Games London is also proud to have internationaly renowned global partners delivering further events during the festival including:

  • London’s largest games event EGX Rezzed (Thursday, 4 April to Saturday, 6 April), a showcase of PC and indie games at Tobacco Dock
  • The BAFTA Games Awards on the evening of Thursday, 4 April

Applications are now open for developers and industry professionals looking to take part in London Games Festival and the wider Games London programme – including the Games Finance Market and Pitch Bootcamp, the second phase of BAME exhibition Ensemble and an upcoming outbound mission to Slush in Helsinki, Finland in December.

Find out more at www.games.london and follow @londongamesfest for more updates over the coming weeks and months.

Train2Game News Games Dev Tool Crayta

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Independent video game studio Unit 2 Games today revealed its mass-market collaborative game creation and publishing platform – Crayta.

It also issued a call for people interested in making games to join its pre-alpha community programme.

Harnessing the power of Unreal Engine 4, Crayta will provide an intuitive, flexible and accessible suite of creative development tools, with an appropriate entry point for people of all ages, experience, ability and background. The UGC-powered, ‘free-to-play’, social creation platform will also be underpinned by a comprehensive publishing and discovery infrastructure that encourages and rewards creativity, community support, and collaboration.

CEO of Unit 2 Games, Richard Smithies, explains the vision for the project: “Games creation requires people to have a variety of highly technical skills. They have to understand and be able to use the available software, know how to publish and support their game once it’s out, and be able to promote their creations and find a fan base. The current landscape largely offers these elements individually, but with Crayta we’re combining them all into one free-to-access, streamlined ecosystem. Our dream is to make game-making accessible and fun for everyone.”

Unit 2 Games was formed in late 2017 and has been working behind closed doors on the ambitious project for the last year. Its team includes over 30 highly experienced developers and live operations staff, many of whom have worked together for over a decade and played a key role in a previous 4-year server-based, UGC-driven project that had a budget in the tens of millions of dollars.

Development on Crayta has already progressed considerably, and a small group of players from around the world has been collaborating with the Unit 2 Games team for several months. The studio is now actively looking to expand that team by launching its pre-alpha community programme. Anyone interested should apply via www.Crayta.com.

Crayta will be shown behind closed doors at EGX in Birmingham, UK next week and the team is available for trade and consumer media appointments.

More information and latest news about the project can be found here:

Medium: https://medium.com/unit2games/what-if-everyone-could-make-video-games-430c2aeb1768
Twitter: @Unit2Games
Web: www.Unit2Games.com & www.Crayta.com

Train2Game News The Last Remnant Remastered

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SQUARE ENIX® announced that THE LAST REMNANT™ Remastered will arrive on PlayStation® for the first time this December, now fully remastered for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system.

THE LAST REMNANT Remastered Teaser Trailer is available here: https://youtu.be/qGY6PMg1ZRE.

Originally released in 2008, THE LAST REMNANT captured the hearts and minds of gamers with its enthralling story, countless characters and intricate battle system. THE LAST REMNANT Remastered features beautifully enhanced graphics enabled by Unreal®Engine 4, allowing for a more immersive and captivating adventure than ever before.

THE LAST REMNANT Remastered tells the story of a world filled with “Remnants” — ancient artefacts that grant mysterious power to their wielders, changing the world’s balance and leading to an era of countless frays between those who ruled, and those who obeyed. Within this war-torn fantasy world, players will follow the journey of a young man who is determined to uncover the truth.

THE LAST REMNANT Remastered will be available digitally via the PlayStation®Network for $19.99. This title is rated M (Mature).

Train2Game News Games festival at Leamington Spa

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The UK is set to welcome a brand new games festival as Interactive Futures announces its inaugural event in early 2019.

The event will be held in Leamington Spa, one of the UK’s largest games clusters outside of London, and will offer a range of sessions and opportunities across 3 days for games professionals, content creators and curators, game players and families.

Interactive Futures will bring together the creative and games communities to showcase the latest developments and opportunities, uncover career and industry insights and reveal new releases with a whole bundle of fun on the side. The event will celebrate the heritage and success of Leamington Spa’s games community, whilst also providing a platform for all UK based games professionals to gain industry insights, network and collaborate.

Known in the industry as “Silicon Spa”, the cluster employs over 2500 highly skilled individuals and equates to over 10% of the total UK games development workforce. The town has a history of over 30 years in the sector with local talent including key names such as Codemasters, SEGA and Ubisoft.

Among the first speakers to be announced is Dr Jo Twist, CEO of UKIE (Association for UK Interactive Entertainment), who will opening the conference on Friday 1 February, and Jordan Webber, who will be acting as Conference Chair throughout the event. A games journalist, often found in The Guardian or talking about games on The Gadget Show, Jordan is hugely passionate about both games and her adopted hometown of Leamington Spa.

“I spend a good deal of my time convincing people to come to Leamington, so this event is the perfect way to get lots of my friends, colleagues, and other people from the video game community to visit the best town in the world.”

Sessions across the event will focus on a range of key topics including accessibility, influencer marketing, project post mortems, diversification in talent, breaking into the industry, staying safe online and upcoming new releases. With influencer marketing a current hot topic, we’ll be discussing how companies can use this to their advantage in promoting their releases. Friday’s influencer session will see Rich Keith, Managing Director of influencer management company, Fourth Floor Creative, and James Day, Head of Social Media at Jagex, discuss their top tips for engaging influencers and how the marketing landscape is changing.

Another key topic at the event will be accessibility in games. Joining the panel discussions will be Playstation’s accessibility specialist, Mark Friend alongside Barrie Ellis from games accessibility charity, Special Effect, accessible games designer at Midoki, Lynsey Graham and specialist accessibility consultant, Ian Hamilton.

For those looking to start their career in the industry there will be a range of experts available to help you on your way. Nick Duncombe, Resource Manager at Playground Games, the team behind the Forza Horizon series, will be discussing routes into the industry alongside the likes of DJ Hero co-creator, Alex Darby, and e-sports presenter and influencer Elle Osili-Woods. If you fancy yourself as a games journalist or the next big influencer, then sessions with freelance journalist Alysia Judge and CMO of influencer platform, Matchmade, Heini Vesander, will be sure to help attendees get started.

The event is also backed by Warwickshire County Council, Warwick District Council and Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, who remain incredibly proud of Leamington Spa’s standing within the UK games industry.

Nick Harper, from Exient Studios, commented, “Our Silicon Spa businesses are key to the thriving games market in the UK and display the wealth of talent that lies across the country in this sector. Interactive Futures is the perfect way for us to celebrate this talent and success and will allow us to welcome those from outside the area to see what we have to offer.”

As well as the conference programme visitors to Interactive Futures can immerse themselves in the Talent Expo, featuring a range of companies showcasing new releases and opportunities throughout the event, as well as a range of soon to be announced Fringe events around the town.

Interactive Futures will take place at the Royal Spa Centre on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 February and will be preceded by an academic conference for colleges and universities on Thursday 31st January.

Tickets for the event are on sale now from www.interactive-futures.com with Friday 1 February providing an industry specific focus and Saturday 2 February open to all families, students and active gamers. You can also follow the event on social media @int_futures on Twitter and @interactive_futures on Instagram.

Train2Game News Atari 2600 returns for Christmas

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One of the most iconic video games consoles, the Atari 2600 is returning as a handheld console and innovative plug and play TV joystick in time for Christmas 2018.

The ‘Atari “Retro” Handheld‘ features the immortalised “wood” effect and includes 50 classic games built-in, including: Asteroids®, Pong®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Breakout®, Millipede® and more.

In addition to featuring a 2.4″ screen, it also includes A/V output (with HDMI adapter available) and super responsive buttons with a stylish analogue control stick.

The ‘Atari “Retro” Plug and Play TV Joystick‘ features a progressive design, with the inclusion of an arcade style button on top of the controller and will connect to your TV with the included A/V cable (or HDMI with an available adapter). It will feature the same 50 built-in games as the handheld.

Pre-orders from FunstockRetro.co.uk will also receive an exclusive limited edition Centipede coin:

The range is officially licensed by Atari and is being developed by PQube, the leading distributor of retro gaming hardware in Europe.

The range was originally announced in 2017 however, development has seen the product range move to October 19th 2018. A lot of care and attention has been put into remaining faithful to the Atari brand and the outcome will be worth the wait. The new images in this announcement are photos of the latest samples, ahead of final production and give the first glimpse of the final design.

CEO of PQube, David Pain quoted:
“We are delighted to be working with Atari on this amazing project. Having sold over a million retro gaming consoles, we have taken the extensive feedback from press, retail and the consumer to develop new range of hardware that is faithful to the Atari brand”

CEO of Atari, Frederik Chesnais quoted:
“We are thrilled to partner with PQube on the compact handheld and Plug and Play TV Joystick,” said Fred Chresnais, Chief Executive Officer, Atari. “Both products are packed with nostalgic and fun-filled games that will give our fans the opportunity to relive the golden age of videogames wherever they go.”

The “Atari ‘Retro’ Handheld console” will retail for just £34.99 and the “Atari ‘Retro’ TV Plug and Play Joystick” at just £24.99. It is available to pre-order now at Europe’s Number One Retro Gaming Destination, FunstockRetro.co.uk

Train2Game News Insomnia63 Details

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GAME Esports and Events is excited to announce further details of Insomnia63, the UK’s biggest gaming festival, as it returns to Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre over the Bank Holiday Weekend.

The four-day gaming extravaganza kicks off from 10:00 a.m. on Friday 24th August 2018.
Attendees will be able to get their hands-on the biggest upcoming titles from major publishers as well as the most exciting new indie titles. Ubisoft’s line-up includes the UK debuts of Assassins Creed Odyssey, The Division 2, StarLink and Just Dance 19.

Insomnia63 will also be hosting the UK qualifiers of the Just Dance 19 World Cup – each day of the show, fans of the franchise can head to the Ubisoft stand to take on the Just Dance challenge and get the highest score. At the end of the day the highest scorer will be invited to compete at the qualifier final on the Main Stage on Monday. The winner will not only be crowned Just Dance 19 UK Champion, but will have won a spot to represent the UK at the World Cup finals taking place in Brazil.

This year PlayStation® will be offering players the chance to get hands on with such eagerly anticipated PS4™ exclusives as Marvel’s Spider-Man, Concrete Genie, Days Gone and the latest PlayStation™VR titles, Firewall: Zero Hour and Beat Saber. Also available to play on the stand will are FIFA19 and Fortnite with attendees having the chance to win prizes across the weekend.

For the Nintendo fans among attendees, the Japanese publisher will have Splatoon 2, Super Smash Bros Ultimate as well as many more titles playable throughout the show.

The festivals interactive zones celebrate all elements of gaming culture from VR to retro, cosplay to table-top gaming, there is something for the whole family at Insomnia63.

Youtube sensation Alfies Dayes of the wildly popular ‘PointlessBlog’ with headline this year’s all-star special guest line-up, making his Insomnia debut. Youtubers WillNE and JMX will also be in attendance along with as well as dozens of favourites including the likes of Syndicate, Ashens, ImAllexx, FazeKay, Yammy making Insomnia63 the most star-studded show to date.

In addition to the plethora of YouTube and Twitch talent, Insomnia Gaming Festival welcomes WWE’s NXT UK to the event for the first time ever. Showing off the best of the UK and Ireland’s wrestling scene, superstars including WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven plus many more favourites will be lighting up the ropes.

Outside the wrestling ring, competition will be heating up on across a number of esports tournaments in Insomnia’s famous LAN hall including CS:GO UK Masters with a £30,000 prize pool. Insomnia63 will also play host to Rocket League’s Game Fuel League European Finale, courtesy of Mountain Dew, where aspiring teams will have the opportunity to meet and compete with against esports mega-star Splyce. The show also boasts the Flightball World Championships, where attendees can sign-up to compete in this spectacular aerial football contest.

Insomnia63 is set to be the biggest summer show ever this Bank Holiday weekend. Doors open on Friday 24th August at 10:00 a.m.

For more information including full line-up of guests and games, please visit: https://insomniagamingfestival.com

Train2Game News Ocarina of Time goes Metal

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Materia Collective is thrilled to release The Temples (Music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) by arranger Ro Panuganti.

Ro Panuganti is an avid fan of videogames, rock and metal, and computers. Alongside experience in IT Development, he’s worked on home-recording of various videogame, movie, and even original tracks from an array of rock and metal styles.

This creative metal album remixes each of the iconic temple themes from this beloved classic in explosive metal fashion, incorporating ambiance and sound design to tell the game’s story over the course of the album. The Temples (Music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) is available today:

The Temples (Music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) on Bandcamp
The Temples (Music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) on iTunes
The Temples (Music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) on Spotify

“The Temples is a culmination of learning new production skills, exploring wholly new areas of guitar playing, and above all, story-telling,” notes arranger Ro Panuganti. “Just like its inspired work, The Temples sets out to be a story of bravery over adversity, inviting new worlds and influences to the core music, and hopefully inspires any listener to pick up their instrument.”

The track list for The Temples (Music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) is as follows:

01. In Time
02. In Forest
03. In Fire
04. Ice Interlude
05. In Shadow
06. In Spirit
07. In Evil
08. In Courage

Learn more about the The Temples (Music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time):
https://www.materiacollective.com/music/the-temples-music-from-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time

Train2Game News Esports Academy Workshop

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EOB Esports Academy, the UK’s first esports academy for anyone between the ages of 7 to 30 looking to understand the business of esports, is proud to announce a partnership with Riot Games for their first tournament at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London.

EOB Esports Academy aims to help guide new talent by offering opportunities to learn everything from esports team creation, event management through to game design and 3D modelling.

The team have partnered with Riot Games for their first tournament which will see 13 budding esports professionals take part in this one-of-a-kind course, funded by the Prince’s Trust. Over the last four weeks League of Legends players have been developing the skills needed to manage a successful team, understand the challenges and the roles of an esports player, and most importantly, understand how to work as a team.

The students have been involved in a series of masterclasses and workshops with esports players and industry professionals and will now come face to face in the final day of their course where their plans are put into action with their first tournament at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London on 19th August.

EOB Esports Academy’s creator Steven Godwin says, “Riot Games have been a big inspiration for starting the EOB Esports Academy, I could see how young people could become stronger individuals by playing League of Legends. The guys at Riot Games have been very supportive and through a chance meeting with Mo Fadl head of esports, we started making this course a reality.”

Mo Fadl, Head of Esports at Riot Games said: “Riot is committed to furthering the esports ecosystem and providing new talent with an opportunity to learn and grow. We are very excited to help the EOB Esports Academy with their first tournament. Having spoken to the students taking part I can already see myself working for them in the future!”

EOB Esports Academy runs a number of workshops and events throughout the year. If you would like to find out more information please visit: http://wuwomedia.com/