Tag Archives: game

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 Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us

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This November, CinEvents, Fathom Events and The Pokémon Company International invite Pokémon fans to experience the highly anticipated “Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us” on the big screen, with UK screenings on November 24th, December 1st plus additional screenings in select cinemas till December 3rd.

Based on the globally popular Pokémon brand, “Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us” tells a new story of Ash and Pikachu as they team up with diverse characters to face unique challenges and thrilling Pokémon battles in this heartwarming film that illustrates the value of teamwork.

The feature-length anime film has a unique art style, new characters, and some exciting and fun surprises for fans both new and old to the extremely popular franchise.

Continuing from last year’s “Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You,” it follows young trainer Ash as he voyages with the adorable and fan favourite Pikachu as they continue with their Pokémon-capturing adventures. The new installment takes place in the seaside town of Frau City, where an annual festival celebrating the legendary Pokémon Lugia is held each year, as it saved the town from danger in the years prior.

When the festival’s livelihood is put at risk, Ash must team up with others in Frau City as well as some extremely familiar faces to face off a procession of Pokémon imposing threat to Frau City. This is an unmissable and thrilling installment and a complete treat for the whole family.

“Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us” will be shown in more than 300 cinemas across the UK & Ireland.
Attendees at selected screenings of “Pokémon the Movie: The Power of US” across the UK & Ireland will be able to pick up a free sample pack of The Pokémon Trading Card Game, featuring three random trading cards.

To find your closest participating cinema showing “Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us” and to book your tickets please go to www.fathomanimation.com.

“Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You was a huge success last year and we are delighted to be bringing the next installment to fans across the UK & Ireland from November.” Joe Evea, MD CinEvents.

“We are thrilled to work with The Pokémon Company International to bring another exciting and new Pokémon adventure to cinemas nationwide this fall,” said Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt. “These cinematic events provide an opportunity for fans to catch up with their favorite characters, and for a whole new audience of moviegoers to discover Pokémon.”

“We’re excited that fans will be able to immerse themselves in Ash and Pikachu’s latest animated adventure from their neighborhood movie theaters,” said J.C. Smith, senior director of consumer marketing at The Pokémon Company International. “Our continued partnership with Fathom Events allows us to deliver more quality entertainment experiences that delight the Pokémon community.”

Train2Game News International Mobile Gaming Awards submissions open

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The International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) has now opened the call for submissions for their 15th annual Global edition.

What started in 2004 in Monte Carlo has now grown to be the largest competition for mobile games in the world, with additional region-specific events and competitions in China, Southeast Asia, and Middle East North Africa.

All mobile game makers, from indie developers to established studios, publishers, students and researchers from all countries are invited to enter their games into this year’s competition. Participants have until December 31, 2018, to submit their entries. The competition is free, and entrants may submit multiple games for consideration.

Following the deadline for submissions, an online judging panel will determine the shortlisted nominees who will then be revealed as the 15th IMGA Global finalists in February. This year’s winners will be determined by a panel of industry experts and revealed during the annual International Mobile Gaming Awards ceremony in San Francisco, at Minna Gallery on March 19, 2019.

Last year’s awarded games include Hidden Folks (Adriaan de Jongh), Life is Strange (Dontnod), Tokaido (Funforge Digital), Old Man’s Journey (Broken Rules) and many others.

“Mobile Gaming represents more than 50% of the games industry today,” says Maarten Noyons, IMGA’s CEO and founder. “More people play mobile games than PC and console games combined. At IMGA, we’re proud to be part of this industry. For almost 15 years, we have been celebrating the ever-increasing quality and stunning innovation of mobile games, and have witnessed huge advances over the years, from augmented reality to AAA-quality mobile productions. I’m already looking forward to what lays ahead for 2019, and which games we will be playing in our online and on-site judging sessions to come.”

The IMGA Global competition is also open to AR and VR games. Eligible games must be published in 2018 or have yet-to-be published and must be downloadable in a playable version.

Entrants from across the globe can submit their games for consideration on the official IMGA website.

Train2Game News One Special Day Today

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Some of the biggest names in the world of gaming will be coming together in partnership with their communities today to help the gamers’ charity SpecialEffect transform the lives of disabled gamers all over the world.

Now in its third year, One Special Day is a flagship fundraising day for SpecialEffect and is supported by a stellar line up of over 50 partners across the games industry including SEGA, Supercell, Codemasters, Electronic Arts, Seriously, Miniclip, Rovio, Splash Damage, Nordeus, Outfit 7, Logitech, CCP and many others.

PC and mobile partners are donating a day of their UK revenue (and in some cases making corporate donations) to help the charity get more of the world’s most severely disabled people enjoying the fun and inclusion of digital gaming. A Humble Bundle Store promotion was also launched last night to go alongside the One Special Day Humble Bundle, and fundraising events are taking place across the UK.

Nikki, the mother of Chase, a young gamer with a severe form of cerebral palsy that SpecialEffect has helped, is urging other gamers to play games, buy games and donate to One Special Day:

“Gaming is a huge part of our lives and I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome it is that Chase can game thanks to SpecialEffect.”

For more information on who is taking part in One Special Day 2018 and to find out how you can support the biggest games industry fundraiser of the year, go to www.onespecialday.org.uk or call Nick Streeter on 01608 810055.

Train2Game News Sony 180 on crossplay

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Sony have announced that crossplay is a feature that will be available.

Taken from the PlayStation blog:

“Following a comprehensive evaluation process, SIE has identified a path toward supporting cross-platform features for select third party content. We recognize that PS4 players have been eagerly awaiting an update, and we appreciate the community’s continued patience as we have navigated through this issue to find a solution.

The first step will be an open beta beginning today for Fortnite that will allow for cross platform gameplay, progression and commerce across PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Mac operating systems. We see the beta as an opportunity to conduct thorough testing that ensures cross-platform play is best on PlayStation, while being mindful about the user experience from both a technical and social perspective.

For 24 years, we have strived to deliver the best gaming experience to our fans by providing a uniquely PlayStation perspective. Today, the communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players. In recognition of this, we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required to ensure that the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact today, and in the future, as we look to open up the platform.

This represents a major policy change for SIE, and we are now in the planning process across the organization to support this change. We will update the community once we have more details to share, including more specifics regarding the beta timeframe, and what this means for other titles going forward.”

I for one am looking forward to seeing where a world of crossplay can take us.

Train2Game News Downloadable Gaming Platform Kartridge

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Kongregate, a leading publisher of mobile, console, PC, and web games, has revealed that Kartridge, the upcoming downloadable gaming platform, currently in closed beta, will become available to the public on November 1, 2018.

The Kartridge Open Beta will launch with several distinct features; most notably, it will reward playtime by providing tangible perks to those who level up their account.

Players accrue experience by completing game-specific achievements and collecting unique badges, co-designed by Kartridge and selected development teams.

As players earn experience, their Kartridge account will increase in level. As a reward for their progress, they’ll receive substantial benefits at specific levels that allow them to purchase any game at a discount or receive a game of their choice for free.

“For over a decade, we’ve cultivated an environment where players not only care about their in-game accounts, but about their entire platform persona; we’ve found that players respond well to empowerment and choice,” said Alison Huffman, Director of Product at Kongregate. “We hope that players will find the substantive benefits of gaming on Kartridge to be a personally rewarding experience.”

With over 200 games from a total of 100 founding developers, Kartridge’s debut will feature content from industry headliners such as Double Fine, Versus Evil, and Thunder Lotus.

The inaugural platform release will also provide an effortless content upload process, expanding developer tools and analytics, and core community features, including a global platform chat system.

“We want Kartridge to feel like an investment that pays off for both developers and players. Developers will gain a bigger and expanded audience through purchases subsidized by Kongregate and players will get more of what they want: games,” Alison continued. “We hope Kartridge accounts will become a point of pride for players, with a lot of completed achievements, a large library, and a place where community investment, health, and longevity are encouraged.”

Kartridge is currently in closed beta and will be released as an open beta on November 1, 2018. Players and developers can learn more about the Kartridge platform, and sign up for the ongoing closed beta, at kartridge.com.

Train2Game News Insomnia63 smashes records

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The GAME Events team, previously known as Multiplay, smashed expectations with another successful Insomnia show featuring record-breaking feats with games such as Fortnite and Mario Kart.

Insomnia63, which was held at the NEC in Birmingham, is the largest family gaming event in the UK, bringing together people of all ages and genres. Over the four-day event from 24th – 27th August a staggering 14 records were achieved at the Guinness World Records GWR Live! stand, establishing six brand new record-holders (two individuals and two pairs) across Fortnite, Mario Kart, Rocket League and TrackmaniaTurbo.

The four records up for grabs were:

• Fastest time to complete the Rocket League training time trial
• Most coins collected in one minute in a game of coin runners on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (team of two)
• Fastest completion of the TrackmaniaTurbo race track in double driver smash mode
• Fastest time to build a three-story wooden fort in Fortnite: Battle Royale solo Playground mode (Console version)

Hot off the heels of the teams Insomnia success is the upcoming BrickLive event – http://bricklive.co.uk . The UK’s largest LEGO® exhibition is back at the NEC, Birmingham on 1st – 4th November 2018. With a wealth of new features including new for 2018, the Mythical Beasts section which houses over 50 models and interactive experiences from mythology to life, making it an unmissable experience for LEGO® fans of all ages.

For tickets please to go http://bricklive.co.uk/bricklive-tickets/

Train2Game News Golden Joystick Award vote open

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Voting is now live for the 36th Golden Joystick Awards presented with AMD.

The public can now cast their vote in sixteen different categories including ‘Most Wanted Game’, ‘PlayStation’, ‘Xbox’, ‘Nintendo’ and ‘Esports Game of the Year’ and new categories ‘Best Competitive Game’ and ‘Best Cooperative Game’.

Votes are cast at www.goldenjoysticks.com, with voting closing on Thursday 25th October. Every voter will receive a free ebook worth up to £15.99.

New for 2018 is a dedicated one-week voting window for ‘Ultimate Game of the Year’ held at the end of the voting period. The voting for this category will now open on Friday 26th October and close on Friday 2nd November.

Dan Dawkins, editor in chief GamesRadar+ said: “We’re opening the vote later for ‘Ultimate Game of the Year’ this year to give people more time to play the year’s biggest games before making their final decision. With so many big titles coming out in Autumn including Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2 it is important to make sure these games can be considered fully by gamers.”

Other category updates include ‘Best Competitive Game’ and ‘Best Cooperative Game’ which replace the ‘Best Multiplayer Game Award’ of previous years to better reflect how people play. Gaming phenomena, Fortnite: Battle Royale sits alongside well-established titles such as PES 2019 and FIFA 19 in ‘Best Competitive Game’. While the ‘Best Cooperative Game’ category includes titles such as Sea of Thieves, No Man’s Sky NEXT and Overcooked 2. This new category celebrates the cooperative side of gaming – a field that grows ever more diverse every year.

Leading the shortlist this year is God of War, a reinvention of one of the PlayStation’s most enduring flagship titles, and Gorogoa, a wordless hand drawn puzzle game, each with four nominations. Subnautica, an undersea survival game and Monster Hunter: World, a deep online RPG co-op game, follow with three nods apiece.

Dan Dawkins, continued: “Over 100 different games have made the shortlist this year. The variety of games nominated reflects the diversity of modern gaming and the awards themselves. The shortlisted games are a true mix of single player, online multiplayer, online competitive, F2P, indie, VR and classic console AAA titles.”

The critics choice award winners will be revealed on the night for ‘Critics Choice Award’, ‘Breakthrough’ award, ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award and new for 2018, ‘Outstanding Contribution’ award to celebrate the games, people or technology that has changed our industry for the better in 2018.

Categories open to vote:

  • Best Storytelling
  • Best Visual Design
  • Best Audio
  • Best Indie Game
  • Best Competitive Game
  • Best Cooperative Game
  • Still Playing
  • Esports Game of the Year
  • Best VR Game
  • Studio of the Year
  • Mobile Game of the Year
  • Nintendo Game of the Year
  • PlayStation Game of the Year
  • PC Game of the Year
  • Xbox Game of the Year
  • Most Wanted Game

Viewers can tune into the Golden Joystick Awards livestream on Friday 16th November when the awards will return to London’s Bloomsbury Big Top for a spectacular ceremony hosted by comedian Danny Wallace.

To stay up to date with news from the Golden Joysticks follow Twitter or Facebook.

Train2Game News Ghostbusters World

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Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Ghost Corps and publisher FourThirtyThree Inc. (4:33) have today revealed new gameplay and never-before seen features for the hotly anticipated location-based mobile AR game, Ghostbusters World.

Check out a new gameplay trailer showcasing the exciting new Story and PVP modes here: https://youtu.be/0Fn7n5jF6sQ

Available worldwide in late 2018, Ghostbusters World includes skill-based single-player AR battle mechanics and RPG-style multiplayer mode. The game allows players to battle and capture hundreds of ghosts from all dimensions of the franchise, including the films, TV shows, comic books, theme parks, and video games as well as new ghosts unique to the Ghostbusters World. Assemble your team, trade ghosts, gear up, face off in asynchronous PVP battles, and try not to get slimed.

When you’re not out keeping the streets spirit-free or competing against rival Ghostbusters, enjoy your own personal adventure in the game’s single player story mode, featuring original artwork and a full-fledged story from the minds behind the beloved IDW comic book series.

The game is now in soft launch in select countries for Android devices. A collaboration between Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Ghost Corps, the game’s publisher FourThirtyThree Inc.(4:33), and developer Next Age, Ghostbusters World uses Google’s ARCore and Apple’s ARKit to bring the latest AR technology to Ghostbusters all over the world.

If you ain’t afraid of no ghosts and want to keep track of news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

More information and assets can be found at: www.ghostbustersworld.com.

Train2Game News Resident Evil 2 Trailer

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Today at Tokyo Game Show, Capcom unveiled a new trailer for its hotly anticipated game Resident Evil 2, which offers gamers a completely fresh take on the classic survival horror masterpiece.

Delve deeper into the gripping events taking over Raccoon City, and follow the journey of rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield as they begin to uncover what’s behind the terrifying zombie outbreak.

As both Leon and Claire embark on their own campaigns independently, their collective experiences piece together a comprehensive story uncovering the malicious motives behind the nightmare engulfing the city, the truth behind the nefarious Umbrella Corporation, and the Birkin family’s role in the tragedy.

The trailer also introduces some of the evil foes and potential allies that players can expect to encounter including the iconic series femme fatale Ada Wong, mysterious Annette Birkin and Chief Officer Brian Irons.

The new trailer can be viewed here.