Sonic the Hedgehog is getting his own Lego set, thanks to a dedicated Sonic fan and support from the Lego community.
The Lego Group and Sega have given the green light to produce an official Sonic Lego set — officially known as the Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone Lego Ideas design — conceived by 24-year-old fan Viv Grannell.
The above image shows Grannell’s idea, which was submitted to the Lego Ideas website. Lego Ideas is a testing ground where brick enthusiasts can propose new sets, which are then voted on by the community, and can eventually become official Lego releases.
Grannell’s Lego Ideas submission received widespread community support.
“I’ve been invested in the world of Sonic for almost my entire life, and it’s such a perfect fit for the Lego system that I spent about a year rallying support for it to happen,” Grannell said in a news release.
“Having 10,000 people back my design was overwhelming enough, even with friends and family behind me, but having it be selected for further development was the most exciting secret I have ever had to keep!”
A finalized version of Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone is in development. Price and release date were not announced.
GAME, the UK’s largest high street retailer of video games today announced their homage to the headline hitting GameStop fan reddit page with ‘GameStonk to the moon’ t-shirts!
Available to pre-order now exclusively via the GAME website – www.game.co.uk/en/merchandise/gamestonks, the newly launched short-sleeved t-shirts have sizes in stock ranging from small to XL and are made from 100% cotton.
These black unisex t-shirts are available from the 12th February 2021 and have been produced to stand with supporters of gaming retailers.
All t-shirts are priced at £12.99.
For more information about GAME products please visit www.game.co.uk or follow GAME on twitter for loads of deals, competitions and news.
SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio are returning to the streets of Kamurocho, Tokyo, to present Judgment’s tale of murder and mystery in remastered form on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Google Stadia on April 23 for $39.99.
Judgment takes advantage of the new hardware with refined visuals in 60 frames per second along with improved load times and includes all previously released DLC on these three platforms.
Praised as ‘the best crime drama not on TV’ by the Hollywood Reporter, Judgment was originally released on PlayStation 4 in 2019. The remastered Judgment marks the gritty tale’s debut on Xbox and Stadia.
Judgment is an action thriller that puts players in the shoes of Takayuki Yagami, disgraced attorney turned rugged private detective, as he uncovers the mystery behind a grisly series of murders. Joined by his partner, ex-yazuka Masaharu Kaito, Yagami must claw his way through Kamurocho’s criminal underground to unravel the truth – as painful as it may be.
In addition to locale, Judgment takes on the classic hallmarks of the Yakuza series through the eyes of Yagami. Fans will recognize rough-and-tumble street fights, engrossing side missions with locals, and comedy breaks with mini-games. Judgment ups the ante with emphasis on investigative gameplay tracking suspects and discovering clues as Yagami walks the thin line of justice in a world of corruption. Packed with a thrilling story, filmic combat and a cast of intense characters, Judgment will keep all aspiring private detectives on their toes.
Square Enix® and Crystal Dynamics® today kicked off a year-long 25th anniversary celebration of TOMB RAIDER®, the iconic videogame series that debuted in October 1996.
Tomb Raider’s star, famous archeologist-adventurer Lara Croft, has become a powerful force in the gaming industry and beyond, and has made an indelible mark on virtually every facet of entertainment.
From being named an ambassador for scientific excellence to appearing live on tour with U2, Lara Croft has touched the lives of tens of millions of people around the world. With over 30 video game titles released and hundreds of awards, the heroine has been a cultural icon for 25 years on gaming screens and Hollywood silver screens alike, battling T-Rexes, unearthing ancient artifacts, and saving the world from an apocalypse or two.
Lara has had adventures in dozens of countries, explored the Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Andaman Seas, ventured to Antarctica and the Arctic Circle, and rediscovered Atlantis and the lost island of Yamatai.
“Over the last 25 years Tomb Raider has become more than a game and Lara Croft has risen to become a cultural icon,” said Scot Amos, Head of Studio at Crystal Dynamics. “We’re so proud to be a part of this rich tapestry of adventure, but we recognize the true credit belongs to the fans! The amazing Tomb Raider community has made all of this possible and we look forward to celebrating with them his historic milestone and for many decades to come.”
Tomb Raider’s year-long celebration of its 25th anniversary will feature in-depth explorations of the major games released in the franchise, including nostalgic media deep from the archives, developer interviews, community activities, live playthroughs, and more.
Over the coming months, developer Crystal Dynamics will re-visit the lineup of major Tomb Raider games, focusing on one game each month. Fans of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft can look forward to additional franchise announcements over the course of the year.
Tomb Raider games are currently available on all modern gaming platforms, from PC to console, Stadia, and mobile.
February’s Interactive Futures event will welcome Caroline Dinenage MP, the Minister of State for Digital and Culture, to open the conference’s discussions about talent in the games industry – and the career opportunities available to children and young people in Leamington Spa and beyond.
Interactive Futures (www.interactive-futures.com) takes place from Tuesday, February 16 to Saturday February 20 as a virtual event. It will provide practical advice and guidance to students, young people and children – plus their parents – on how to navigate their pathways into the games industry.
Conservative MP for Gosport, Stubbington, Lee-on-the-Solent and Hill Head, Caroline Dinenage was appointed Minister of State for Digital and Culture at the DCMS in February 2020. She has also held roles in Government within the Women, Equalities & Early Years departments, amongst others.
Her keynote at Interactive Futures will take place on the morning of Wednesday, February 17.
Other confirmed Interactive Futures 2021 speakers include:
Rick Gibson, CEO of the BGI – which runs the annual Games Education Summit – will be hosting a keynote panel session discussing how Leamington Spa studios are working with educators to support and nurture the next generation of video games creators.
Dr Jo Twist, CEO of Ukie, will deliver a keynote speech outlining how the games trade body is working hard to provide educational resources for all ages – and why it’s important that the UK games industry nurtures its future pipeline of talent.
Declan Cassidy, Chief Executive of Into Games, will discuss why it’s important for the industry to support and advise children from as young as primary age about a career in games.
Interactive Futures is hosted by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council.
Sarah Windrum, board director at the CWLEP and chair of its Digital and Creative Business Group, said: “This is a really exciting line-up of speakers led by the Minister of State for Digital and Culture Caroline Dinenage MP which is a real coup for the event in its third year and testament to the hard work of the team.
“Interactive Futures is an ideal opportunity for students and parents to find out more about a sector which offers a really wide range of careers and to hear about the importance of the industry throughout the UK and particularly in Coventry and Warwickshire.”
The full Interactive Futures programme (https://interactive-futures.com/conference-2021/) will include a series of dedicated conference sessions for primary school children, secondary school children and young people, Further Education and Higher Education students.
Interactive sessions will also be featured, courtesy of Digital Schoolhouse and Into Games, while one-to-one Portfolio Reviews and Advice Clinics will run throughout the four days.
Gayming Magazine is proud to reveal that renowned game developer Robert Yang will be the recipient of the Gayming Icon Award at this year’s Gayming Awards.
The Gayming Icon award is given to an individual that has significantly contributed towards furthering the status and increasing the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in the gaming industry.
Described as “one of the most controversial game developers in the world”, Yang has been the driving force behind potentially the purest definition of “queer games”. His work, including historical bathroom simulator The Tearoom and male shower simulator, Rinse and Repeat, explores the world of gay relationships and intimacy.
Yang has previously called for the games industry to be more open about topics like sexuality, noting how queer sexual content is banned or minimized in certain areas. Importantly, this is framed through a lens of respect and consent with Yang calling the industry to be more open in regard to sexuality and sexual content.
Upon accepting his award, Robert Yang wanted to share the following message: “Thanks for naming me the Gayming Icon this year. The goal of my games has always been to explore gay and queer sexuality in games, and it’s always very motivating and encouraging to know there’s an audience for this type of work. Thanks for your time and attention. I also want to thank the countless trans women who pioneered so much queer game design practice before me — yet so many have been forced out of games by right-wing harassment movements or by the larger lack of institutional support from the industry. Let us remember that better representation means more than diverse fictional characters, it also means empowering and supporting real marginalized people and their real lives.”
Robin Gray, founder and editor of Gayming Magazine had the following to say on Yang’s award: “The Gayming Awards celebrates all types of queer games as art forms. Robert Yang’s work in celebrating and exploring consenting gay intimacy, sex, and kink is something that should be widely celebrated, not shied away from. He has single-handedly defined a whole genre of gay games and I am so proud that we have chosen him to be the recipient of our Gayming Icon Award for 2021.”
Previously, Robert Yang was an Assistant Arts Professor at NYU Game Center. He holds a BA in English Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School for Design. Find out more about Robert Yang at his website: debacle.us
The Gayming Awards 2021, presented by EA Games, exclusively on Twitch, will broadcast February 24th at 20:00 GMT. As with the Gayming Icon Award, the nominations and winners of each category have been voted upon by a committee of LGBTQ+ video game industry professionals.
The University of East London is a venue host for the world’s largest game creation event GGJ – Global Game Jam – and the organisers are looking beyond gaming for recruits.
Anyone over 18 can join in and there’s a special invitation for students and staff outside the computer games discipline to sign up – from programmers, designers, architects, writers and artists of all kinds. Experience is not necessary, and organisers are looking to hear from a diverse range of voices.
The Global Game Jam Online runs 29-31 January, starting at 5pm.
Games designer and lecturer Shringi Kumari said, “There are so many skills we need to call on to make a fully rounded game so we’re hoping for a diverse range of talents to sign up.
“The Game Jam provides an opportunity to expand what video games could or should be, which is why diverse voices and fresh perspectives are so welcome.
“Because of Covid-19 and the lockdown, interest in computer games has gone through the roof. This kind of Game Jam is not only a lot of fun and a chance to meet like-minded people, but it provides a window on the type of collaboration and skills people in the sector might need to turn a passion into a career.”
This year it’s fully online because of Covid-19. Participants will be using digital platforms such as Discord to organise and arrange teams as well as showcase work. The theme will be kept secret until the last minute.
In a game jam, participants try to make – or start – a game from scratch, working in teams with a range of skill sets from programmers, designers, artists, writers and others in game-related fields. The games can be small text-based interactions, Instagram games, board games or digital games made using any game engine.
Register – or ask questions – at the Global Game Jam website for the UEL event and don’t forget to use #UELGGJ. Join the GGJ on Discord.
Unlock the secrets of a post-apocalyptic universe in Age of Rust, a single-player RPG (roleplaying game) and crypto treasure hunt launching on Steam on March 19th.
US-based indie developer SpacePirate Games combine combat and stealth play mechanics with an NPC-driven story, AAA graphics and cerebral gameplay into an epic treasure hunt for a grand prize of 20 Bitcoin (BTC), worth over $650,000 at the time of writing.
This bounty hunt will be complemented by additional prizes of 4 BTC and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) backed with Enjin Coin (ENJ).
The Age of Rust will go on sale on March 19th on Steam for $14.99. Wishlist the game on Steam now to stay updated and start your adventure and treasure hunt as soon as the game is available!
“When we first started working on Age of Rust in 2014, we decided to do a treasure hunt to teach people about cryptocurrency and provide a fun onramp into this new world of blockchain,” said Chris LoVerme, CEO of SpacePirate Games.
“We set aside 24 BTC, which was worth about $20,000 at the time. We had no idea that this bounty would grow to be so valuable, as the roots of the idea were planted back when Bitcoin was virtually unknown. We believe Age of Rust is not only a fun RPG adventure that players will love, it will also serve as a great, easy introduction to the exciting world of blockchain gaming just as it’s really starting to take off.”
As one of the 22nd’s century’s most prolific weaponized cipher-hackers, you were sequenced and stored away for future use. Forgotten for centuries, you wake up in the year 4424 to the desolate and dilapidated remnants of humanity’s once great creation. In a post-apocalyptic wasteland with a healthy dose of cyberpunk aesthetics, you must fight, hide and hunt for special items to help you survive and progress through perplexing puzzles. But Age of Rust is more than just a danger-fraught journey with secrets to uncover and treasure troves to progress; it’s an immersive, cryptocurrency-enriched experience with an innovative new class of weapons and items with real-world value and blockchain-verified ownership, which can be used in various games across the metaverse.
Season 1 of Age of Rust contains approximately 40 hours of gameplay, with 3 Seasons planned in total. However, earning the BTC bounty by discovering easter eggs and solving puzzles could take much longer, possibly even years. The winner of the largest bounty will claim 20 BTC (approximately $650,000); the next-biggest bounty is 4 BTC, with over 35,000 smaller bounties to win and more than 250,000km2 of landscape to explore. As bounties are discovered, they will be removed from gameplay, with ownership of the item passed onto the player.
Follow Age of Rust on social media to stay up to date!
As part of RuneScape’s programme of 20th anniversary-themed content, the first instalment of ‘Once Upon A Time’, the living game’s multi-part anniversary storyline, launches in-game today.
Titled ‘Foreshadowing’, it begins a celebratory adventure that will run across the entire year and sees players journeying through the living game’s past, present and future as the story unravels.
In Once Upon A Time: Foreshadowing, players will meet both allies and antagonists who will establish the story’s themes and plot.
Players will encounter Relomia, emissary of the now deceased Sliske, as she attempts to find her place in a world without her idol and long-time players will recognise a few familiar faces as her adventure unfolds.
Completing Foreshadowing rewards players with a new kind of hat called ‘Relomia’s Party Hat’, paying tribute to the beloved and much sought-after party hat.
While RuneScape has already received more than 1,000 game and content updates in its two decades, 2021 is packed with 20th anniversary excitement and much more for both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape.
Leading retro games platform Antstream Arcade is today adding beloved retro classic Star Wars titles to its extensive library of fully licensed games.
These iconic games will be made available on a single platform for the first time, including the entire Super Star Wars series for the SNES and Star Wars for the NES. Adventure game classics like Grim Fandango, and titles from the Monkey Island series will also be coming to the platform.
Starting today, subscribers to the Antstream service will be able to play the following classic Super Star Wars titles:
Super Star Wars (SNES, 1992)
Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (SNES, 1993)
Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (SNES, 1994)
All the games available via Antstream Arcade’s cloud-based streaming service are available using any 4G connection or better, and are playable on almost any device for the cost of a single flat monthly subscription. Expanding Antstream Arcade’s library of classics and curios, this will take the total number of licensed games to 3786, with 5-7 new games being added to the platform every week.
Steve Cottam, CEO of Antstream, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing the retro Star Wars series to customers, taking us one step closer to delivering thousands of iconic games to the global gaming community through the power of streaming technology. The fact we’ll be able to play Star Wars for the SNES on their laptop, Grim Fandango on their TV or Day of the Tentacle is a massive win for both existing and new audiences.”
This latest news follows recent announcements of collaborations with retro gaming giants Taito, Atari and Bandai-Namco – making Antstream Arcade’s library the world’s largest collection of retro games. With playable titles ranging from definitive classics to obscure curios, Antstream Arcade represents the only way that gamers are able to access many classic games of the past.
Antstream Arcade also provides something new for players, with many games on its platform featuring challenge modes, tournaments and international leader boards, giving retro gamers old and new a modern social aspect to classic games.
Thanks to Antstream Arcade’s streaming technology all these games can be played on TVs, laptops, desktops, tablets and of course mobile phones, bringing more iconic games to a wider audience than any platform ever before.
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