Tag Archives: games industry

Train2Game News BAFTA Game Lecture

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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced today that Ilkka Paananen, CEO and co-founder of Supercell, creator of popular mobile games including Clash of Clans and Hay Day, will deliver this year’s prestigious BAFTA Games Lecture. 
The event will take place at BAFTA’s headquarters, 195 Piccadilly on Monday 5 September.

The BAFTA Games Lecture aims to deliver valuable insights into the creative minds of some of the world’s most compelling and esteemed games professionals, providing a platform for speakers to share their experiences, as well as their personal vision for the future of the industry. Previous speakers include Jade Raymond, Will Wright, Peter Molyneux, Hideo Kojima, Drs Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk and David Cage.

Ilkka Paananen co-founded the Helsinki-based Supercell in 2010. Since then its four games – Clash of Clans, Hay Day, Boom Beach and Clash Royale – have amassed 100m daily players and remain in the global top 10 years after launch. In June 2016 it was announced that Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited will acquire a majority stake in the Supercell, making it the first European technology start-up to reach a valuation of $10 billion.

During the lecture, Paananen will use case studies to demonstrate how Supercell works to achieve excellence through its company culture and how, through nurturing an environment of small, independent teams, organisations of all sizes can enhance their creativity and business success.

Harvey Elliott, former Chair of the BAFTA Games Committee said: “Ilkka Paananen has been instrumental in establishing the ever-more important role of mobile within the games landscape as a whole. His belief in the importance of company culture in nurturing creative excellence, and his passion for creating simple, fun, memorable games are central to his work; and we look forward to him sharing these insights at the BAFTA Games Lecture which has over the years hosted creative leaders from all over the world, making it a truly global platform for the games sector and the wider creative industry.”

In addition to his role at Supercell, Ilkka Paananen helps other entrepreneurs as both an investor and as an active member of the Helsinki-based startup community where he mentors and coaches other founders. Alongside his co-founder Mikko Kodisoja, he has established the We Foundation to fight social inequality and help disadvantaged children in Finland.

Prior to founding Supercell, Paananen was the CEO and co-founder of Finnish games developer Sumea, which was later acquired by Digital Chocolate, where he worked as President until 2010.

‘BAFTA Games Lecture: Ilkka Paananen’ event details:

Monday 5 September at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly in London

19:30 Champagne Taittinger Reception

20:00 Event commences

Public tickets for the BAFTA Games Lecture will go on sale at 13:00 on Friday 22 July 2016. To book tickets, please visit www.bafta.org/whats-on .

Video highlights, a podcast and a transcript from the event will be available in BAFTA Guru, BAFTA’s online learning channel www.bafta.org/guru . Recordings of previous Games Lectures are available now.

Train2Game News Batman Telltale Trailer

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​Today Telltale unveil the digital release date and world premiere trailer for BATMAN – The Telltale Series.
The first of five episodes in the season,   Episode 1: ‘Realm of Shadows’ will be available digitally worldwide starting Tuesday August 2nd on PC and Mac from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, on the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, on the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One® and Xbox 360®, for compatible iOS devices via the App Store, and for compatible Android-based devices via Google Play and the Amazon Appstore. 

The series will also be available to purchase at retailers starting September 13th in North America as a special Season Pass Disc, which will include the first of five episodes in the season, and will grant access to the subsequent four episodes as they become available for download via online updates. The series will then be available to purchase at retailers across Europe on September 16th. 

Rendered to look like a living, breathing comic book, Telltale’s vision of Batman will feature an award-winning cast of talent, including   Troy Baker in the role of   Bruce Wayne,   Travis Willingham as   Harvey Dent,   Erin Yvette as   Vicki Vale,   Enn Reitel as   Alfred Pennyworth,   Murphy Guyer as   Lieutenant James Gordon,   Richard McGonagle as   Carmine Falcone, and   Laura Bailey as   Selina Kyle. Additional cast and characters will be revealed as the season progresses.

You can view the trailer at https://youtu.be/Za8G70bbKRY

Train2Game News Great Fire of London in Minecraft

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The Museum of London is drawing on its rich 17th-century collections and historical expertise to create a unique and immersive virtual experience of the Great Fire of London using the videogame Minecraft.
Titled Great Fire 1666, the game will allow the museum to tell the story of the Great Fire like never before, as players can walk down the streets of London, interact with the very people of 1666, combat the flames, and rebuild their own vision of the capital. It will be playable on both PC and Mac from 29 July 2016.

The Museum of London is working with Digital Producer Adam Clarke, and Minecraft professionals Blockworks and Dragnoz to build three interactive maps released in three stages.

The first map launching next week is based on Wenceslaus Hollar’s map of burnt London from the museum’s collection. Featuring notable landmarks such as London Bridge, the old St Paul’s Cathedral, and the infamous Pudding Lane, a treasure hunt across the city will give players the chance to explore the streets in search of audio clips, introducing gamers to the factors that played a crucial role in the events that unfolded, including the long dry summer, wooden houses, narrow streets, and the ways in which people lived.

The second phase of Great Fire 1666, released in September 2016 around the 350th anniversary of the disaster, will take players through the start and spread of the Great Fire, from Pudding Lane to Pie Corner, as they take part in a series of mini-games to help evacuate residents, get stuck into fire-fighting, make crucial decisions and engage with famous figures from the time. The third and final stage of the game, released in February 2017, will see players creating and building their own vision of London, using examples of the architectural plans drawn up by the likes of Christopher Wren and John Evelyn.

Digital Learning Coordinator at the Museum of London and project lead, Joshua Blair, said: “Minecraft is an incredible game that captivates and inspires users of all ages around the world. Its reach and versatility offers museums a fantastic platform to share our knowledge and collections, and create engaging experiences. The Great Fire of London is one of the most popular topics within our learning programme, which currently reaches about 130,000 schoolchildren each year, and we hope that Great Fire 1666 will create a fun learning experience that can engage every young person in this fascinating story.”

The first map will be available to download for free online at www.museumoflondon.org.uk from 29 July 2016.

Great Fire 1666 forms part of the Museum of London’s varied programme of exhibitions, events, walks, talks and activities to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. This includes Fire! Fire!, a family-friendly exhibition opening on 23 July 2016 to 17 April 2017, which will focus on what happened in London just before, during and after the fire. Tickets priced from £8 for adults and £4 for children online, family tickets are available. Further information: www.museumoflondon.org.uk/fire-fire

Train2Game News Green Man Gaming One Special Day 

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Green Man Gaming, a global e-commerce technology company in the video games industry, has announced that the company are supporting  Special Effect by donating towards their One Special Day initiative today. 
The company will be partnering with developers taking part in the event by donating all the profit that they would earn from the sale of selected games to UK-based charity SpecialEffect.

Companies from across the video games industry will be donating 100% of today’s sales or profits of one or more games, advertising revenue, in-app purchases, DLC or income from a dedicated activity or promotion. All the proceeds will be channeled into the work that SpecialEffect do to help gamers with disabilities putting fun and inclusion into their lives by helping them play video games. The industry hopes to raise £25,000 for the charity.

The PC games that will be sold for the charity today include Stick it to The Man, Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones, Pure Pool, Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure and many more.    

The full list of  ‘One Special Day’ games sold at Green Man Gaming is available at www.greenmangaming.com/onespecialday

Train2Game News Batman Telltale Series release date

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BATMAN – The Telltale Series to Premiere this August; Available in Stores Sept. 16
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Telltale Games today announced a worldwide distribution agreement for the highly anticipated games BATMAN™ – The Telltale Series and Telltale’s third season of the Game of the Year winning series, The Walking Dead.

BATMAN – The Telltale Series  will be making its worldwide debut as a digital download with its first episode in August on consoles, PC/Mac, and iOS or Android based devices. The series will be available to purchase at retailers starting Sept. 13 as a special “Season Pass Disc,” which will include the first of five episodes in the season, and will grant access to the subsequent four episodes as they become available for download via online updates  in North America. The series will then be available to purchase at retailers across Europe on Sept. 16. 

“Telltale has a stellar reputation for delivering quality content based on world-renowned properties and these games make a great addition to our line-up,” said Kevin Kebodeaux, Senior Vice President, Sales, Americas, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment.  “We previously worked with Telltale on The Wolf Among Us and now on the recently announced Batman – The Telltale Series, so we are very pleased to expand our partnership with worldwide retail distribution for its upcoming titles.”

“As a publisher and developer of award-winning content around the world, we’re thrilled to strengthen our relationship with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to further extend our reach to retailers across the globe.” said Steve Allison, Senior Vice President, Publishing, Telltale Games. “Warner Bros. has been an incredible partner to work with, and we look forward to working with them to help ensure players can discover our unique, story driven experiences in stores everywhere for years to come.”

BATMAN – The Telltale Series is an episodic game series licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and based on DC’s iconic character. Rendered to look like a living, breathing comic book, Telltale’s vision of Batman will feature an award-winning cast of talent, including Troy Baker in the role of Bruce Wayne, Travis Willingham as Harvey Dent, Erin Yvette as Vicki Vale, Enn Reitel as Alfred Pennyworth, Murphy Guyer as Lieutenant James Gordon, Richard McGonagle as Carmine Falcone, and Laura Bailey as Selina Kyle. Additional cast and characters will be revealed as the season progresses.

Revealed this June at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, the highly anticipated third season of The Walking Dead – The Telltale Series will premiere later this fall across multiple platforms. The season will begin the tale of mysterious newcomer Javier, while also continuing the journey of young survivor Clementine as they both search for answers in a world ravaged by the undead. The Walking Dead is set in the world of Robert Kirkman’s award-winning comic book series and offers an emotionally-charged, tailored game experience where a player’s actions and choices affect how their story plays out across the entire series.

Train2Game News Mobius Final Fantasy

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Delivering an uncompromised FINAL FANTASY® experience to a wide array of mobile platforms, SQUARE ENIX® announced that preregistration has opened for MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY™.
Coming to iPhone, iPad and Android devices next month, this title offers players a completely new RPG adventure filled with deep character customization, ongoing live events and HD graphics that push the boundaries of the mobile platform.
Created by an all-star development team including producer Yoshinori Kitase and writer Kazushige Nojima – known for their work on the acclaimed FINAL FANTASY VII and upcoming FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE – MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY is the story of a man who wakes up in a world called Palamecia with no memory of his past. There, he finds himself tasked with bringing hope to the world by unraveling a mysterious prophecy around the legendary warrior of light.

MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY is a free-to-play app (with in-app purchases) that has already been widely acclaimed in Japan, and has received the App Store’s “Best of 2015” Award. Preregistration for the game begins today on the official registration site. Fans who preregister will receive FINAL FANTASY X-themed items, like the Tidus’s signature weapon, Brotherhood, and a Yuna character card along with other special rewards when the game launches on August 3.
The new announcement trailer can be viewed on 

YouTube: https://youtu.be/6ipfJv4Qp6g.

Train2Game News PlasisGames is back and better than ever

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Free online games platform created by Train2Game student updated and now back online.

A platform created by Train2Game student Sean Brady updated and now available for the people of the world to enjoy free-to-play online games. 

Sean from Dublin, Ireland, is delighted to have the platform live again. He’s been working to give the site a new look and remove barriers for player enjoyment.  Games are available in all popular online formats, the new site has been streamlined and many new games have been added. 

The site will continue to be improved with user feedback, also, games will be boosted and removed based on the popularity of the games when on the site. Plasis will work with partners that would like to post games on the site, which can be submitted through the platform.

Plasis game will also continue to develop its own games, including Hut of The Dead, which is inspired by zombie games, films and TV shows, such as The Walking Dead.

Sean Brady, Plasis and Train2Game: ‘The’ portal is back online with more addictive games and endless fun. Flash, HTML5, Unity3d, etc… 

‘Games are continuously being sourced for your never-ending enjoyment. Any obstacles which contributed significant delays to the growth of the portal have been overcome with new games being processed thick and fast to deliver a more varied entertainment mecca. After a considerable amount of years spent playing and crafting the experience of gameplay I know the portal will eventually provide everything desired contemporary fun-seekers.’

‘We are currently in the testing phase of hundreds of games at the moment to confirm they deliver the experience required. The games are sourced from any avenue that is approved by the author or provide free to use. At this time, we have 196 games residing on the portal that have been validated through our strenuous testing suites. They vary across many genres/platforms and use a freeform model of placement to allow a greater variety of fun choices. If any wishes to partner with Plasis Games or to have games included in the portal, please contact us using for further information.’

‘Apart from the publishing of games, the development side of Plasis Games is in full swing and will result in a small indie horror game for World Weaver to continue with Hut of the Dead series. Actually the game is a different take on the hut/house full of the walking dead/dying concept to deliver a more immersive relatable experience. The main delay has involved developing solutions to surpass the technical limitations of the prescribed engine and feature vacant tools. 

Frankly, the development is leaning more towards manual-granular game development trials and tribulations instead of their modern hyper productive counter-parts. In the end the quality delivered shall be the same using either approach leaving an extended development time as the only negative among an arsenal of hard-fought positives for guaranteed delivery of a solid game.’

‘There will be a lot of advancements over the coming year, all to provide more opportunities for players, developers and publishers a like. If anyone wants to view the portal, the web address is www.plasisgamesportal.com and again the contact email is info@plasisgamesportal.com ‘

‘Don’t forget to come along to play some games on the portal and follow us on the channels below as updates are soon to come…’

Twitter (https://twitter.com/PlasisGames)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PlasisGames/)

YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu6VCNG4OATLjY0twFL7lag)

For more information contact: mark@train2game.com

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Train2Game News Games London sees West Coast investors

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​This week Games London brings a delegation of West Coast games investors to the UK as part of its ongoing work to forge new business relationships between talented London developers and US investors looking for the next global gaming hit.

Execs from CrossCut Ventures, Upfront Ventures, The Venture Reality Fund and Zynga, Inc. will be taken on an intensive business trip to showcase the city’s creative talent, its rich, versatile skills base and demonstrate how the UK’s generous creative sector tax reliefs can be put to good use.

The visiting execs will visit London studios including Improbable Worlds, Lift, Mind Candy, Space Ape, Third Floor and ustwo. They will also listen to pitches from UK developers, receive talks from tax and legal experts and a take part in a trip to Brighton’s Develop Conference and the Develop Awards. 

Games London is a partnership between Film London, the capital’s screen industries agency, and games trade body Ukie. This aspect of the project builds on successful familiarisation trips run by Film London for the capital’s film, television and animation industries and Ukie’s intricate understanding of the gaming landscape. This trip forms part of a wider programme of ongoing work, which has so far included the inaugural London Games Festival – which welcomed some 38,000 attendees – and the Games Finance Market which linked UK developers with overseas investors who, between them, had over £100m to invest in UK businesses.

Andy Payne, Chairman of Games London, said: “London’s games industry is very much wide open for business, and there really couldn’t be a better time to come experience the city’s amazing tech talent, diversity, creativity and downright disruptive nature. Over the course of five days we’ll be taking our visiting execs on an intensive tour of what our vibrant games sector has to offer, providing an invaluable opportunity to forge connections, strike up new new business partnerships and help us in our mission to make London becomes the games capital of the world.”

Train2Game News Develop Brighton

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Tandem Events confirmed both PlayStation VR and HTC Hive developers will showcase its headsets at Develop:Brighton this year. The attendance of HTC and Sony add to the strong presence Virtual Reality will have at this year’s conference and expo.
On the expo show floor, a number of VR titles will be on display for attendees to try:

    PlayStation VR Worlds (Sony) – a collection of five different VR experiences that have all been built from the ground up exclusively for the PS VR headset.

    Here They Lie (Sony) – a dark psychological horror experience that transports you to a terrifying, surreal world inhabited by strange and malevolent creatures.

    Sociable Soccer (Tower Studios) – the well-known football title, now brought to virtual reality.

    Radial-G Racing Revolved (Tammekka) – an exciting sci-fi racer using Oculus Rift.

    Battlezone (Rebellion) – designed for the next wave of virtual reality devices, Battlezone gives you unrivalled battlefield awareness, a monumental sense of scale and breathless combat intensity.

    Unseen Diplomacy (Triangular Pixels) – part of the Indie Showcase, Unseen Diplomacy casts you as an elite member of the British Espionage Tactical Initiative, defeating the plans of evil-doers around the world. With a real-life obstacle course created by Vive HTC environment, you will run and roll, sneak and solve your way through volcano lairs and moon bases.

    A Chair in a Room: Greenwater (Wolf & Wood Interactive) – part of the Indie Showcase, explore your surroundings as the protagonist of your own horror story as you immerse yourself in this tense VR thriller set in America’s Deep South.

    Windlands (Psytec Studios) – part of the Indie Showcase, a first person grappling hook exploration game. Soar through the ruins of a fallen world and discover the secrets of the ancients.

During the conference on Tuesday, Oculus’ head of Developer Strategy, Anna Sweet, will deliver the Evolve keynote on how the new medium of VR will help reinvent traditional genres while creating entirely new games and experiences.

Throughout Wednesday and Thursday, Tandem Events has added a brand new dedicated VR track has been added to the conference that will explore every aspect of VR across all disciplines. Sessions will be delivered from the likes of Google, Bossa Studios, nDreams, Hammerhead VR, Valve, Rebellion, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Virtual Reality developer Dave Ranyard.

“We’re very excited to have such a wide range of Virtual Reality games and speakers at this year’s event,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events. “VR is the buzz of 2016 and this year’s conference and expo will showcase some of the very best talent the sector has to offer.”

Develop:Brighton is Europe’s leading game developer conference taking place at the Hilton Brighton Metropole from Tuesday 12 July to Thursday 14 July. Other highlights include talks from industry visionaries Hideo Kojima and Mark Cerny on Wednesday morning and a #askrami session with Rami Ismail of Vlambeer to close the conference.

To view the full conference programme and to find out more details on purchasing passes visit www.developconference.com

Train2Game News Pokémon GO Europe release coming soon

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Th​e Pokémon Company International and Niantic, Inc. are excited to announce the launch of the long-awaited mobile game Pokémon GO, which is now available for download at no cost on the App Store and Google Play. 
Pokémon GO is currently available in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and will be coming soon to Canada, Europe and South America.
In Pokémon GO, players around the globe will explore their surroundings to find and catch wild Pokémon hiding in their midst. Some wild Pokémon appear in their native environments—for example, Water-type Pokémon may appear near lakes and oceans. Once players have encountered a Pokémon, they can catch it by using their smartphone’s touch screen to throw a Poké Ball. Poké Balls and other special items can be found at PokéStops located at interesting places, such as public art installations, historical markers and monuments.

Pokémon GO’s features include:

·         Catch Pokémon: Pokémon GO invites players to step outside, walk around and catch wild Pokémon. As players increase in level, they’ll be able to catch more-powerful Pokémon and gain access to more-powerful items. While working to complete the Pokédex, players will be able to evolve Pokémon by catching multiples of the same species and can even find Pokémon Eggs which hatch after a player walks a specific distance. Players are encouraged to keep exploring and encountering the many different Pokémon needed to complete the Pokédex!

·         Join a Team and Battle: Players can join one of three teams, Mystic, Instinct or Valor  and assign Pokémon they have caught to an open Pokémon Gym location or to a Gym claimed by a fellow team member. Teams must battle against the defending Pokémon in their rival teams’ Gyms to lower a Gym’s Prestige and claim the Gym for their own team. Cooperation amongst team members is important in securing as many Gyms as possible.

·         Share the Fun: Activate the camera feature to take photos of Pokémon encountered in the world. With their real-life surroundings providing a backdrop for these photos, players will be able to share these memorable moments with their friends.

·         Customise the Trainer Avatar: Players can choose from a range of apparel and accessories to match their in-game avatar with their personal style. The customised avatar will appear on the map as players move around, as well as on their profile page. Trainer’s avatars will also appear in Gyms under their team’s control.

·         Soundtrack by Junichi Masuda: Pokémon GO will feature all-new music composed by GAME FREAK’s Junichi Masuda. Mr. Masuda has worked on Pokémon video games since the very first games and has composed many of the classic and memorable songs that have inspired fans for decades.

In-app purchases will be available for players who would like to enhance their Pokémon GO experience. Players can purchase PokéCoins, the in-game currency of Pokémon GO, which can then be exchanged for power-ups and extra items.

The Pokémon GO Plus device is a portable accessory that will enable Pokémon GO players to enjoy the game even while they’re not looking at their smartphones. This optional device connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth and notifies the player about events in the game using an LED and vibration. In addition, players can catch Pokémon or perform other simple actions by pressing the button on the device.

A brand-new launch trailer for Pokémon GO can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmhyG_d1QKU

For more information, and for details on compatible devices, please visit www.PokemonGO.com .