Train2Game Student Studio Icey Monty has again expanded their online empire and have launched another new gaming site.
Joining their previous site www.shooter3dgames.com which is full of the best browser based shooter games they have now released www.gamonaut.com to house all styles of game and is a perfect house for their own games the studio releases.
Icey Monty has been going from strength to strength over the past year with getting work from Strongbow and releasing their gaming portals. They are a true inspiration for other Train2Game students and studios.
It seems nothing can stop this young studio from rising. Congratulations on the site launch guys.
Square Enix and Amazon.com Inc., in collaboration with a host of gaming partners including AMD and the team behind The Dark Mod, today announced the ultimate THIEF mod contest in celebration of the upcoming reboot to one of the most renowned stealth franchises in gaming history.
Beginning today, the THIEF and modding communities are challenged to put their imagination to the test. Whether it’s creating a new heist for Garrett or reworking a classic level from the series, Square Enix and Amazon are looking for fans to submit entries in one of two categories; either a short video playthrough of a mod they’ve created, or a pitch for a mod they would like to create.
Once submitted, all entries will be voted on by the community, members of the Thief development team, and members of The Dark Mod team.
One winner from each of the two categories will be chosen and will receive a host of prizes from key partners, including:
o A high-end gaming rig from AMD which includes an AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics card
o An all-expenses paid trip to E3 2014 with Square Enix
o Steam code for all Square Enix Games with the matching Prima Guide
o A bundle of game development books on Kindle
o An Amazon Kindle DX
In addition, every entrant to the competition will also receive a free digital version of Thief: Gold (1999) courtesy of Amazon.com.
For more information on how to enter and the full list of categories and prizes, visit www.amazon.com/thiefcontest
For information on how to create a mod, along with all the tools needed, visit TheDarkMod.com
As part of the PR team’s ongoing support of students creating games, we’re offering you the chance to win a month’s worth of free PR.
The initiative will search for the most promising titles and give them support by taking the game to UK press for reviews and features. Your game will feature in blogs and on websites, getting you the much needed publicity that will result in your title getting in the hands of gamers. We’ll also introduce you to our business connections to get you further support in releasing your game.
What you will win:
• Creation and distribution of press release to announce the title.
• Approach to press for reviews and features.
• Placement in magazines, on the radio and in blogs associated with theTrain2Game.
• Media training where applicable
• Advice and consultation
• Business connections, we can put you in touch with organisations that can help get your game out there.
The criteria:
• Your game needs to be completely finished and ready to take to market.
• Teams and individuals qualify for the opportunity. If you are in a team the majority of the group need to be Train2Game students.
• A playable version of the game will need to be submitted to the judging panel.
• The games will be judged by the PR team who have many years of experience working in the Games Industry.
In an interesting development the Lego Movie Video Game has become the number one game, beating new arrival the highly anticipated Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII which enters the charts at number three.
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2014 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.
When Daniel learned that one of his girlfriend’s favorite game developers produced a game in which you can create your own stories to play with friends, he hatched a brilliant plan to win her heart…
You can imagine that at Larian Studios they never expected to become a wedding agency when they started developing Divinity: Original Sin, but requests to use the game for marriage proposals began pouring in when the studio offered players a chance to create their own cooperative dialogs during the Kickstarter campaign.
Daniel, for instance, wanted to create a dialog of his own in which he’d ask his girlfriend, Dolores, to marry him. ‘Sure,’ was the studios reply, expecting to ship the game in plenty of time for those planning imminent proposals to enjoy.
With the delay of the game’s release, however, Daniel had to act: He contacted them directly, asking what arrangements could be made to facilitate an in-game proposal. This was a man utterly tired of being unengaged to his Dolores, it seemed, and the delay simply wouldn’t do.
Working together with the team’s writers and designers, Daniel made not one, but two stories: one to get an unsuspecting Dolores over to Larian Studios and one to set up a proposal in the game.
The first was an outright fib: Daniel and Dolores, as it went, had won a fan contest to come and test-play the game at Larian Studios. So they did, but as she explored the game world, Dolores soon found a mysterious ring on the beach near Cyseal, engraved with a message. ‘Bring me to the statue of the lady’, it said, ‘and her spirit will be revealed to you.’
Later on, as they explored the game world, they located a statue in a forgotten corner. The magic ring was employed, and lo and behold, a ghost rose from the ground, bathing the area in golden light. ‘I am the spirit of Love’, she spoke, ‘so say what has been in your heart for so long!’
‘Will you marry me, Dolores?’, Daniel asked. ‘I will!’ the shocked Dolores answered. The rest is history.
Soon, however, proposal arrangements will be out of Larian’s hands: Divinity: Original Sin will release this Spring with a game editor, and you may see what creative custom campaigns other hopeful lovers will make to impress their beloveds.
You can enjoy the video of Daniels in game proposal below:
The candles are lit, Barry White is playing and the champagne is on ice, but one half of the happy couple has gone for a quick gaming session that can last for hours without an intervention.
Now the perfect Valentine’s accessory has been created by retailer GAME for gaming widows and widowers – GAME On undies – a range of pheromone fuelled underwear to help them tempt their loved ones back into the bedroom.
According to new research by GAME, today one in four gamers (23%) admit they will be tempted to slip away for a ‘console quickie’ – unable to resist the urge of a few snatched moments of Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto V behind their partner’s back.
And the girls are getting in on the action too – the guilty secret applies just as much to women (19%) as it does to men (26%). Similarly a quarter of gamers (24%) admit that their partner has accused them of paying more attention to their console than to them. That’s why GAME has decided to take the unprecedented step of calling gamers to go easy on the gaming for one night of the year. To help the cause, it has launched the limited-edition underwear for partners who want to have their own buttons pushed.
Ailsa McKnight, Marketing Director GAME Retail Ltd, says: “We understand and share our customers’ passion and commitment for gaming but we want to do our bit for harmony on February 14th. Many of us can get easily distracted by our consoles – even on Valentine’s Day.
“It can be tempting to dip into a game for a few minutes, lose track of time while the dinner is on the table and then get caught in the act. Hopefully the GAME On range of undies can be a more welcome distraction to help bring couples together.”
With Londoners (27%) the most likely to two-time their partners by gaming on Valentine’s Day, a limited number of the cheeky undies will be available at the GAME Stratford store this week. Head in store for more details.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has today announced that tickets for Inside Games, a new public showcase of the latest games from the world’s biggest games companies, are on sale now.
The event will take place on the same day as the British Academy Games Awards, Wednesday 12 March, at the Tobacco Dock London.
Inside Games is BAFTA’s first-ever pre-Awards event celebrating gaming excellence. It will offer the public hands-on experience with a wide range of highly anticipated games. The event includes a series of BAFTA-curated talks with leading game developers and, with the ‘Inside Games Arcade’, a playable showcase of independent games. These will vary in scope, platform, style and development budget, showcasing the best the art form has to offer.
Also this year, for the very first time, BAFTA is selling public tickets to the British Academy Games Awards. The ceremony, hosted by comedian Dara O’Briain, will take place later that evening. Tickets for the Awards, which include entry to Inside Games, are on sale now.
Harvey Elliott, Chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee, said: “After a review of last year’s Awards activity, the committee believed it was time to broaden the ways in which BAFTA celebrates games and to enable the industry to engage more directly with gamers. Our Inside Games event has been curated by BAFTA to give gamers unprecedented access to the developers behind some of the best new titles of 2014. Also opening our Awards to the public for the first time is another way in which we are helping them have a better connection with the industry.”
Tickets to Inside Games are available for £12 in advance, with a limited number available on the day.
Tickets to the British Academy Games Awards, which include access to Inside Games, are available for £30.
Extreme Reality, the only company to bring full-body motion analysis and control via a device’s native or peripheral camera, today announced the call for submissions for the Extreme Motion Android Challenge 2014.
The contest, open to Android game developers, gives participants a chance to win prizes of up to $8,000, and a meeting with gaming pioneer and the founder of EA Trip Hawkins, for the most innovative uses of motion control in an existing or new Android game.
Games submitted by the deadline of May 20, 2014 will be evaluated by a panel of judges led by Trip Hawkins. The grand prize winner of the contest will receive $8,000 and a meeting with Trip Hawkins and three additional winners will receive $1,000 respectively.
With Extreme Reality integrated into an Android game, all a player needs to do is place their Android device on a table with the device’s camera facing them, take two steps back, and the motion of their body will be captured and analyzed in real-time, enabling their motion to control the game. Similarly, an Android device can be tethered to a larger screen, such as a TV, so a player can enjoy the same level of immersive motion control offered by console systems.
“No longer limited to gaming consoles or other hardware, motion control is adding an entirely new and exciting experience to games on any platform,” said Sarit Firon, CEO of Extreme Reality. “We look forward to seeing the innovations in motion gaming created by participants in the Extreme Android Challenge, from adventure to sports to fitness or dance games.”
Developers can sign up now by submitting their project proposals at http://www.xtr3d.com/android-challenge-2014/. After their concept has been approved, they will receive the Extreme Reality Android SDK that enables them to easily incorporate motion control into their game. The Android SDK will be sent by March 17 to start development until May 20when they will submit the game to Extreme Reality. Evaluation of the games by the judges will begin May 25, and winners will be announced on May 30.
The judges will review the following six aspects in their scoring:
Motionization – Best utilization of motion control to enhance the game experience
Graphics and Audio – The level of visuals and audio in the game
Gameplay – The storyline and mechanics that underpin the game. Is it fun to play?
Stickiness – Does it have lasting appeal? Is it addictive? Would you finish the game? Would you play it again?
Polish – Is the game ready for prime time?
Usability – Is it easy to use with minimal explanations? Is it intuitive?
This would be a good challenged for some Train2Game student studios and give you access to some powerful software. There is also the chance for some healthy prize money and to meet someone who could offer invaluable advice.
Train2Game Student studio Merkury games is looking for new and experienced artists to join their studio.
Merkury games is built of several students of differing experience working as one to forward their respective careers. The studio specialises in retro style games with a twist which can be seen in their two previously released PC games.
The studio is looking for a voluntary artist to join the team who preferably has previous experience based on the retro games in the 8/16 bit drawing. The main requirements for the work will be around sprites, backdrops and concept art. They are looking for an individual who would be willing to take on this challenge. All serious applicants will be considered.
Lewis Gordon said about working at the studio “It’s an open, happy environment where any idea is welcomed and put to use. We are all about helping each other to learn and expand to get the most out of our career”
Rodeo Games has licensed Epic Games’ leading edge Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) technology for an unannounced project.
Rodeo can so far reveal they are using UE4 to build a new turn-based strategy game based on one of Games Workshop’s many properties, which is set for a release on mobile platforms in Q2 2015. The UK-based independent developer is known for “Hunters: Episode 1” and “Hunters 2,” as well as “Warhammer Quest,” the successful mobile game that kicked off their ongoing partnership with Games Workshop.
Rodeo Games, a team of experienced industry professionals who previously shipped triple-A titles before coming together to develop games featuring best in class graphics for mobile platforms, is the first indie mobile studio to announce a UE4 license. Rodeo had previously been working with its own in-house ‘Taurus’ engine before switching to UE4.
“We’ve made it our mission to raise the bar on what players can expect to see in mobile visuals and gameplay,” commented Laurent Maguire, co-founder of Rodeo Games. “In short, we want to set a new standard, and working with Unreal Engine 4 we can achieve that more efficiently and with greater impact.”
“Rodeo Games is already a very impressive player within the dynamic mobile sector. We’re working closely with them to help them achieve their objectives in the months ahead,” remarked Mike Gamble, European territory manager at Epic Games. “As Rodeo will demonstrate, UE4 has so much to offer indie developers, and we look forward to helping many more teams compete in the marketplace.”
Train2Game Student Studio Icey Monty has again expanded their online empire and have launched another new gaming site.
The Train2Game Blog 