Tag Archives: EA

Train2Game news: Dead Space story producer Chuck Beaver on getting into the industry

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Train2Game students looking to get a job in the industry should regularly practice their skills and take up modding. That’s according to brilliantly named Dead Space story producer Chuck Beaver.

“I would say practice, practice, practice. Write entire stories for mods on any software you can, and implement them using something like Half-Life’s source code.” he said in EA’s latest breaking into the industry feature, echoing what Valve’s Chet Faliszek and id’s Tim Willits have previously told The Train2Game Blog.

“Oh, and buy and devour Robert McKee’s book called Story. It is the fundamental bible on how to write.” he added.

For those who have eyes on becoming a producer, the Dead Space man suggested internships are the best way forward.

“You need to get in the door as a Producer, so take internships as a Production Assistant in game companies. Learn the ropes of project management, working with creatives, and game making in general, so you can apply your writing training appropriately.” he said, before adding that a game design course is valuable for becoming a writer.

“I would also take game design courses, so you can know what you’re talking about, know the medium you’ll be managing, what its limitations are, etc. That is critical.” Beaver concluded.

The full interview with Dead Space story producer Chuck Beaver is over at EA’s The Beat blog.

Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning Producer Benjamin Smith, Dead Space 2 game designer Brian Bartram, and EA Environment Artist Phillip Simmons are among those that have previously spoken to EA’s The Beat, providing advice on how to get into the industry.

What are your thoughts on Chuck Beaver’s advice on getting into the industry? Do you mod?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: UK Charts – FIFA Street returns to top spot

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Train2Game students see FIFA Street claim its fourth No.1 this week, as EA continue to dominate the UK charts.

FIFA Street reclaims top spot, after previously holding the position for three consecutive weeks before it was dislodged by Kinect Star Wars. EA’s Mass Effect 3 rises one to No.2, while FIFA 12 is No.3 in its 29th week on sale.

Kinect Star Wars drops to No.4 after debuting in top spot last week, while Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 – another EA Sports title – is a non-mover at No.5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is another non-mover, taking No.6 in its 23rd week in the charts.

Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim moves up three to No.7, sitting one spot ahead of EA’s Battlefield 3, which rises one to No.8. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games slips to No.9, with the majority of its sales for Nintendo Wii, while former No.1 SSX completes the top ten.

Nintendo’s Pandora’s Tower is the only new entry into the top 40, debuting at No. 38.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 14th April 2012 is therefore as follows:

1. FIFA Street (EA)
2. Mass Effect 3 (EA)
3. FIFA 12 (EA)
4. Kinect Star Wars (Microsoft)
5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (EA)
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
8. Battlefield 3 (EA)
9. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega)
10. SSX (EA)

New releases this week include The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for Xbox 360 from CD Projekt. Read an interview with The Witcher 2 Environment Artist Marek Ziemak here on The Train2Game Blog.

What are your thoughts on EA’s continued dominance of the UK Charts top ten? Will it be broken by the release of The Witcher 2 this week?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: UK Charts – A hat-trick of No.1’s for FIFA Street

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Train2GameNews readers see FIFA Street take No.1 for the third week in a row, in a top ten that continues to be dominated by EA. As previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, FIFA Street also topped the charts for the previous two weeks.

The football title takes top spot ahead of Mass Effect 3, which moves up one to No.2, and EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 which debuts in the UK charts at No.3. FIFA 12 slips one to No.5, marking the fourth EA title in the top five.

Narto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations from Namco Bandai arrives at No.6 in its first week on sale, pushing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 down one to No.7. The FPS from Activision is one spot ahead of EA shooter Battlefield 3, a non-mover at No.8.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games moves up one to No.9, while SSX completes the top ten.

Other new entries this week include Silent HD Collection at No.12, Silent Hill: Downpour at No.15, while Ridge Racer Unbounded only reaches No. 21 in its first week on sale.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 31st March 2012 is therefore as follows:

1. FIFA Street (EA)
2. Mass Effect 3 (EA)
3. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (EA)
4. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (Capcom)
5. FIFA 12 (EA)
6. Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations (Namco Bandai)
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
8. Battlefield 3 (EA)
9. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega)
10. SSX (EA)

Releases this week include Devil May Cry HD Collection.

What are your thoughts on FIFA Street’s continued dominance? Or perhaps you have a view on Ridge Racer Unbounded’s low entry position?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: EA’s advice on getting your first job in the games industry

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Train2Game students can get some useful advice on getting a job in the games industry, in the latest instalment of EA’s ‘Breaking into the industry’ feature.

It provides advice from EA University Relations Specialist Iris Lin on how to get noticed when looking for that first job, even if you don’t have any ‘real-life’ experience of working in a games development studio.

“We understand that the majority of students don’t have any real life experience so early on in their careers, so details on school projects are very important.” said Lin discussing how to get noticed as a school leaver.

“Showing an interest in the gaming industry is important as well. Activities they are involved with outside of school are important too, such as game clubs and conferences and seminars they attend.”

She added that being patient and hardworking are key to securing that all important first job in the industry.

“Start with something little and build a strong foundation of your craft. It doesn’t matter if you are a software engineer or an artist.” said Lin.

“Be patient and don’t be discouraged by the rejections. No one is great overnight. Have an open mind and be a hard-working person, and with a great attitude you will get far.” the University Relations Specialist added.

The full Breaking into the Industry feature with Iris Lin is right here on the EA website.

Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning Producer Benjamin Smith, Dead Space 2 game designer Brian Bartram, and EA Environment Artist Phillip Simmons are among those that have previously spoken to The EA blog, providing advice on how to get into the industry.

There’s more advice from industry professionals on getting into the industry right here on The Train2Game Blog.

As usual, leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: UK Charts – FIFA Street stays top

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Train2Game students don’t see any change at the top of the UK Charts this week, with FIFA Street holding onto No.1 for the second week running. It marks EA’s ninth week at No.1 this year, with five of their titles having reached top spot.

Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City is this week’s highest new entry at No.2, and the only non-EA title in the top five. Former No.1 Mass Effect 3 slips one to No.3, FIFA 12 holds No.4, while SSX drops to No.5.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 jumps four places to No.6, sitting one place ahead of new entry Kid Icarus: Uprising for the Nintendo 3DS. Battlefield 3 jumps 12 places to re-enter the top ten at No.8, and it’s followed by F1 2011 which moves up ten to No.9.

Find out more about F1 2011 in The Train2Game Blog interview with Chief Game Designer Steve Hood. 

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games complete this week’s top ten.

Other new entries this week include Shogun 2:  Total War Fall of the Samurai at No.17, while Ninja Gaiden 3 debuts at No.19.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 24th March 2012 is therefore as follows:

1. FIFA Street (EA)
2. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (Capcom)
3. Mass Effect 3 (EA)
4. FIFA 12 (EA)
5. SSX (EA)
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
7. Kid Icarus: Uprising (Nintendo)
8. Battlefield 3 (EA)
9. F1 2011 (Codemasters)
10. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega)

New releases for the week ahead include Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12, Silent Hill Downpour and Ridge Racer Unbounded.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on this week’s UK Charts? What does the continued dominance of EA say? And which game do you think will be No.1 next week?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: EA Play4Free producer Eduard Roehrich on breaking into the industry

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Train2Game students with ambitions to become a producer will certainly find this post interesting, as EA Play4Free group producer Eduard Roehrich offers advice on how to get into that specific role.

“I believe that the most important thing is probably to try developing an instinct about what kinds of games people like to play.” he said in the latest instalment of EA’s ‘Breaking into the Industry’ features.

“As a Producer you’re going to be asked to make a lot of decisions, and ideally you should make as many of them as you possibly can with the gamers’ interests in mind. This is just a small part of a big puzzle, but there is a lot of helpful advice out there and many puzzle pieces to be found.”

Roehrich added that to be a good producer, you need to have a simple grasp all elements of game development.

“You should get a basic insight into as many fields of game development as possible, like coding, art, game design, QA, project management, sound, etc.” he said.

“You’re never going to be an expert in any of them, but you’re expected to bring all of these people together to create something extraordinary, so you’ll have to understand what these highly talented people will be telling you in order to make informed decisions on what to do.” the EA producer added.

The full interview is available on the EA News website.

Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning Producer Benjamin Smith, Dead Space 2 game designer Brian Bartram, and EA Environment Artist Phillip Simmons are among those that have previously spoken to The EA blog, providing advice on how to get into the industry.

There’s more advice from industry professionals on getting into the industry right here on The Train2Game Blog.

What are your thoughts on Roehrich’s advice?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: UK Charts – FIFA Street is No.1

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Train2Game students see a new No.1 this week, with FIFA Street topping the UK charts. It marks a third top spot for EA in a row, with the publisher achieving top spot with Mass Effect 3 last week, and SSX the week before that.

Those two games drop to No.2 and No.3 respectively, with another EA title in FIFA 12 a non-mover at No.4. Mario Party 9 is the highest placed non-EA title at No.5. Mario also sits at No.6 as part of Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, while price reductions help RAGE shoot up thirteen places to No.7.

You find out more about RAGE, and get advice on getting into the industry from Creative Director Tim Willets in this extensive Train2Game Blog interview from last year’s Gamescom in Cologne, Germany.

Zumba Fitness moves up two to No.8, while Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is a non-mover at No.9.  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 completes the top ten.

Twisted Metal is the highest placed new entry, reaching No.12 in its first week of sales.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 17th March 2012 is therefore as follows:

1: FIFA Street – EA Sports
2: Mass Effect 3 – EA
3: SSX – EA Sports
4: FIFA 12 – EA Sports
5: Mario Party 9 – Nintendo
6: Mario & Sonic at the 2012 Olympic Games – Sega
7: Rage – Bethesda
8: Zumba Fitness – 505 Games
9: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – Ubisoft
10: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Activision

New releases for the week ahead include Ninja Gaiden 3 and Armoured Core V.

So, what are your thoughts on FIFA Street taking top spot? Will it be another short lived No.1?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances enters open beta

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Train2Game students have the opportunity to take part in the Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances open beta.

The free-to-play MMO strategy title from EA sees you gathering resources, forming alliances and fighting battles in this browser based iteration of the Command & Conquer series.

Train2Game students interested in taking part in the open beta can sign up at www.tiberiumalliances.com. You’ll need an EA account to get involved.

Find out more about Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances in the trailer below.

Beta testing is an excellent way for Train2Game students, especially those on the Games QA Tester course to practice their bug hunting skills. In a recent interview with The Train2Game Blog, Brawl Busters developers Rock Hippo told us that beta testing is “crucial” to the game development process.

For more on beta testing, how it’s useful for Train2Game students, and opportunities to get involved with it, keep reading the Train2Game blog.

What are your initial thoughts on Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances? Will you be getting involved?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: UK Charts – Mass Effect 3 breaks series records to take No.1

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Train2Game students see the much anticipated Mass Effect 3 firmly take hold of No.1 in the UK Charts this week, as it achieves the biggest first week sales of the year so far.

It has also smashed previous launch figures of the previous games in the series, with Mass Effect 3’s week 1 sales beating those of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 combined. Mass Effect 3 also marks the first time the BioWare series has launched simultaneously across three platforms, but the Xbox 360 version proves most popular, providing almost three quarters of total sales.

You can find out more about BioWare in our interview with studio co-founders  Dr. Ray Muzyka & Dr. Greg Zeschuk, right here on The Train2Game Blog.

The success of Mass Effect 3 knocks fellow EA title, and last week’s chart topper, SSX down one spot to No.2. New release Street Fighter X Tekken, is the second highest new entry at No.3, while FIFA 12’s position continues to fluctuate, with the football title marking EA’s third appearance in this week’s top ten. Mario Party 9 slips two to No.5 in its second week on sale.

The Sims 3: Showtime, also from EA, debuts at No.6, sitting one place above Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 slips one to No.8, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations in a non-mover at No.9, while Zumba Fitness returns to complete the top ten.

PlayStation Vita title Unit 13 reaches No.15 in its first week on sale.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 10th March 2012 is therefore as follows:

1. Mass Effect 3 (EA)
2. SSX (EA)
3. Street Fighter X Tekken (Capcom)
4. FIFA 12 (EA)
5. Mario Party 9 (Nintendo)
6. The Sims 3: Showtime (EA)
7. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega)
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
9. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft)
10. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)

Releases for the week ahead include Silent Hill: Downpour, FIFA Street and the one you’ve been waiting for, European Bus Simulator.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Mass Effect 3’s record breaking No.1? What are your thoughts on the game? And do you expect it to stay at No.1 next week?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: EA Creative Director offers advice on getting ahead in the industry

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Train2Game Blog readers may be familiar with our coverage of EA’s Breaking Into The Industry series, which sees experienced, established names talking about the job they do and offering advice on getting into the industry.

The latest in the EA series sees EA Partners Creative Director David Luoto – who has worked on titles including Road Rash and James Bond games – take the spotlight, as he offers advice on how to get ahead in the industry. 

He’s specifically talking about how to become a Creative Director, but Luoto’s advice also provides hints on how to become a great member of any game development team.

“Some practical advice – any design role is about mediating between fundamentally opposed goals. It’s all too easy for an aspiring designer to think, “The designer is the one who gets to say what the game is!” While it’s trivially true that the designer is responsible for planning, the challenge of the role is to successfully moderate among many competing interests.” said Luoto

“To use an analogy… An architect may have a great vision, but the project is built within the context of many conflicting goals: the intended use of the building, the amount of money to be invested, the materials used, structural engineering limits, the image the client wants to project, etc. So my advice is to cultivate your ability to listen and moderate, because it’s one big balancing act.” he continued, before adding that it’s a great time to be a game developer.

“I’ll also add this: Interactive entertainment is an incredibly interesting art form that is continuing to evolve. It’s a great time to be in the industry, and there are all sorts of ways to be involved in this business if you have the drive and aptitude. Dream big.” Luoto concluded.

Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning Producer Benjamin Smith, Dead Space 2 game designer Brian Bartram, and EA Environment Artist Phillip Simmons are among those that have previously spoken to The EA blog, providing advice on how to get into the industry. 

EA are keen to hear from you if you’ve got a specific video game job you’d like to hear more about, so if you’re interested, leave a comment at the bottom of their latest post.

As usual, leave your thoughts here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.