Tag Archives: mobile gaming

Train2Game News: Google Play downloads surpass App Store

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Google PlayThe number of downloads on Google Play was ten per cent higher than on iOS during the last quarter, according to research.

Stats from analytics firm App Annie claimed that India, Russia and Brazil were helping drive increased downloads on Android devices.

Despite getting more downloads however, the iOS App Store was generating over twice as much revenue as its Google Play counterpart. Games were said to dominate revenue share for both app stores, representing 75 per cent of revenue on iOS, and 80 per cent on Google Play.

The UK, along with the USA and Japan, were ranked as the top countries by revenue on iOS during Q2 2013. Japan, South Korea and the USA meanwhile drove revenue on Google Play, accounting for 70 per cent of total spend. The UK ranked fifth behind Germany.

This information may help influence a mobile game any Train2Game student studio is currently creating. It also does show that the games industry is still constantly growing and has taken over the mobile market.

Train2Game News: Microsoft’s Accelerator Programme

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Microsoft VenturesTrain2Game are looking for a team or studio that might be suitable to take part in Microsoft’s pilot for their Accelerator programme, www.microsoftventures.com.

This is aimed at promising early-stage start ups. For 8 weeks the new studio would receive strong mentoring, technical guidance and connections to other start ups.

This is a highly sought after programme so your team (studio) would need to be already established and have collectively produced at least one game. The game may not have been published, but we will need to see at least one game that you’ve made.

The team should have between 2 and 5 members with at least one member of the team able to attend the Microsoft Accelerator offices in tech city, central London, Monday to Friday from 1st September for 8 weeks. Other members can work remotely but one member of the team must work from tech city.

Microsoft will work with the team to develop them into a fully fledged studio. The team, for example, may be one which has previously taken part in one of our game jams and has stayed together since, although this is just an example. All members of the team must be Train2Game students.

It is essential that all teams who wish to be considered apply to us through the correct route; please see Student World for more details of how to enter. Your entry must be in by 3pm on 14th August; entries received after this date cannot be considered.

We cannot guarantee that any team will be accepted into the Microsoft Accelerator programme but suitable teams will be put forward by us. Teams which we feel may be suitable will be contacted by us by 16th August 2013.

Good luck to all those who enter!

Train2Game News: Imp Paired getting good attention

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Imp PairedTrain2Game would like to congratulate Nicholas Lister, a young man who has just released Imp Paired on his own.

Imp Paired is a memory game released for iOS devices. The game is a bold, modern reinterpretation of a classic memory game mechanic. You’ll find yourself trying to match up patterns under packages on a production line overseen by a pair of maniacal imps.

It has a charming art style and catchy music whilst you use the best of your memory to complete the levels.

The game has just been featured in The Sun newspaper with an excellent four out of five score, highly impressive for a young man who created this game on his own.

You can enjoy a play through of the game by Nicholas himself in the video below

This is a perfect example that anyone can create a good game, no matter what there circumstances. Congratulations Nicholas from Train2Game, we look forward to seeing what you create in the future!

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 02.08.13

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Batman It’s the end of the week so is is time for the Train2Game news round up.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today confirmed that Batman: Arkham Origins will ship with a mode that allows players to take the franchise’s award-winning gameplay online to play with friends and foes.  The online component blends the traditional Arkham gameplay with third-person shooter mechanics and is in development by Splash Damage. The multiplayer will be available on all platforms except the Wii U. You can enjoy the trailer for it here: http://youtu.be/CFx82wX3NE8

Continuing the hero game theme, Deadpool has had it’s first DLC announced. The “Merc with a map pack” will introduce two new challenge maps; GRT Plaza and Inside the Tower. You will also get two new costumes for Infinite Mode: a D-Pooly and Uncanny X-Force suit. The DLC is available now for 240 Microsoft points. You can also now purchase the game from the On Demand market.

In celebration of the highly anticipated launch of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, the first of three legendary character distribution events begins August 30 at participating Game stores across the UK. Players can get their hands on Shiny versions of the Legendary Pokémon —Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina—starting with, Dialga, which was featured on the cover of the Pokémon Diamond video game. What makes this event extraordinary is that each of the distributed Legendary Pokémon, which are already difficult to get during gameplay, will be Shiny, meaning they have unusual colouring that is extremely rare. Each Shiny Pokémon will be available, one at a time, for only two weeks each, so Trainers will need to plan accordingly and head to a participating Game store if they want to add these extremely rare Legendary Pokémon to their Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2 game.

A new character has been announced for the hit mobile game, Temple Run 2. You can now pay for and download Gold medal olympian, Usain Bolt to run from the dangerous in the game. As the first branded character in Temple Run history, Usain Bolt’s worldwide recognition demonstrates the global and cultural reach of the original endless runner game. “I am a big fan of Temple Run. I travel all over the world and travel time gives me lots of opportunity to play Temple Run at airports or on car journeys,” said Usain Bolt. “It’s exciting to see myself represented within a game I already play.”  The Usain Bolt character is available now as an in-app purchase in Temple Run 2 for $0.99, for a limited time only.

Finally in the lead up to the realease of The Elder Scrolls Online, Bethesda have announced The Elder Scrolls Anthology for PC.  The game arrives on retail shelves in Europe on September 13, 2013 for £49.99/€59.99, The Elder Scrolls Anthology features all five critically-acclaimed games, plus official add-ons – packaged together in an exclusive premium collector’s set.

 

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 25.07.13

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FEAR OnlineIt’s the end of the week so it is time for the industry news round up!

Face your fear together with friends in F.E.A.R. Online! Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games, announced today the upcoming brand-new installment in the popular horror FPS series. Developed by Korean company Inplay Interactive and being brought to the United States by Aeria Games, the new chapter in the F.E.A.R. saga will deliver hardcore multiplayer shooting action while furthering the dark and ominous story surrounding Alma Wade.

Electronic Arts Inc. announced that EA SPORTs FIFA 14 is allowing fans to bring their FIFA 14 Ultimate Team experiences with them to the new generation of consoles this year. Fans will be able to access their FIFA 14 Ultimate Team full roster, in-game items and in-game currency (coins) from either console: between Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and between PlayStation3 and PlayStation4. All changes made in FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be reflected in both consoles so fans will be able to compete with their squads on either console throughout the season.

Fully revealed is The Sims 3 Into the Future Expansion Pack, the latest title from The Sims Studio shipping this Fall. It’s a brave new world for the Sims as they go where they have never gone before – into the future and back. In The Sims 3 Into the Future, Sims can transport themselves hundreds of years forward where they can explore the world of tomorrow, meet their descendants, master the technology of the future, like hoverboards, jetpacks and food synthesizers and more. Have your fun, but be prepared for the consequences. Your Sims actions in the present will have surprising effects on the future.

Get behind the wheel of the most powerful stock cars in the world as leading independent racing game developer Eutechnyx today announced that NASCAR The Game: 2013 has fully launched on Windows PC. NASCAR The Game: 2013 allows players and diehard NASCAR fans everywhere, to take to the track and race against the world’s most elite competition.The game features the top drivers, teams, and Gen 6 cars from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Finally, Ubisoft announced that the legendary saga Prince of Persia continues with the new mobile episode Prince of Persia The Shadow and the Flame, available now on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch as well as on Android devices, through Google Play and Amazon, at a price of £1.99. Developed by Ubisoft Pune, Prince of Persia The Shadow and the Flame follows the storyline of the original game, released 20 years ago. It is set after the events of Prince of Persia Classic, successful mobile title also developed by Ubisoft Pune. The game’s experience can still be extended through social connectivity, allowing to unlock achievements and ascend the leaderboards or to share scores with Facebook integration.

The Train2Game London Connection 2013 at AppsWorld

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Train2Game exhibiting where the global Apps market meets

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This year Train2Game will hold its London Connection at AppsWorld,  22-23 October 2013, in Earls Court 2 along side 250 exhibitors and over 8000+ attendees including developers, mobile marketers, mobile operators, device manufacturers, platform owners and industry professionals registered for two days of high level insight and discussion.

Jan Telensky, Train2game, said, “For the first time we have moved our annual London Connection to AppsWorld where we hope to meet up with as many students as possible.

“Our move to AppsWorld reflects our strong relationship with Microsoft launching Apps on the Windows 8 platform, including Windows8 phones, both for games and non-games.

“We look forward to a great event, our students gaining even more knowledge, and some fun networking”.

Being showcased at AppsWorld will be both gaming and none gaming Apps showing the wide range of skill sets Train2Game students achieve. Members of Train2Game Student Studios will also attend.

 

For more information about all Train2Game courses including the new Apps courses please visit www.train2game.com

Train2Game News: Mad Catz releasing Android MicroConsole

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MoJoConsole peripheral manufacturer Mad Catz is creating an Android MicroConsole to be released by the end of this year.

The system, currently called Mojo, comes bundled with Mad Catz’ own game controller as well as a miniature console with USB and HDMI connections.

Rival Android microconsole Ouya primarily sells games through a bespoke on-console marketplace, Mojo runs stock Android and gives players access to the Google Play, Amazon and Nvidia TegraZone stores.

How well those Google Play games are optimised for televisions and game controllers could be crucial in how well the system is received. Most Android games are not mapped to controllers and are built for smartphone touch-screens.

The official name for the Mojo handset is the ‘CTRL R’, and it’s another gamepad that uses a layout similar to the Xbox 360. Featuring both Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Smart 4.0 technologies, the controller is also compatible with Android phones. The latter Smart mode improves latency considerably, Verrey claimed.

Alex Verrey, the global PR director for Mad Catz, said that “not all touchscreen games will work”, though assured the company was working on a solution.

Mojo is registered as a standard Android device, meaning that gamers who have already purchased numerous apps on these stores can simply log on with their existing details and re-download those apps without the need for a second purchase.

“Because Mojo runs stock Android, you have day-one access to literally hundreds of thousands of games and applications,” Verrey added.

“We’re going down a very different road to the competition and believe in being open, honest and fair with the consumer. We’re not offering a walled garden with a small selection of a hundred or so games. We’re not forcing gamers to use our controllers if they don’t wish to, we’re not trying to sell services or software, nor are we forcing the gamers into a walled garden. Our commitment to the gamer is simple: We’re going to deliver the most powerful Android based Micro Console on the market when we launch later this year.

“We are totally open. No walled garden, no small selection of games, no subscription fees. We bring the hardware, gamers bring the games. Buy games from where you want, when you want and how you want”.

Mojo will launch “this holiday” but a price hasn’t yet been confirmed.

Train2Game News: Unity Update includes new platform support

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unity-logoThe Unity engine has just been updated to 4.2 and it now includes support for Windows Phones, Windows Store and Blackberry 10.

In Unity 4.2, all users of the free version of Unity can publish to any mobile platform they wish, including Windows Phone 8, Windows Store, iOS, Android or BlackBerry 10, without any additional charge.

In addition, Unity Pro users will be able to use the Windows Store Pro deployment option, which includes the Windows Phone 8 and Windows Store apps platforms, free of charge.

Unity Pro users will have access to advanced Unity features when deploying their iOS, Android or BlackBerry 10 projects by if they choose to purchase Unity iOS Pro, Android Pro or BlackBerry 10 Pro Add-On products from the Unity Store.

A host of other features have also been added to the game development engine.

In the graphics realm, there’s now OpenGL ES 3.0 support for Android and static and dynamic batching for shadow casters and shadow collector pass.

The editor now has integrated version control support for Perforce, and, crucially, splatform switching, player building and asset importing can be cancelled, bringing greater flexibility to the software. Tweaks has also been made to the shader and texture importers to reduce the time spent switch between them.

Looking to the mobile development side, deferred lighting is now a feature on both Android and iOS, and there have been a number of usability upgrades for both platforms.

There have been improvements to other areas of the tool too, and you can read more about those, as well as more details on the features mentioned above on Unity’s blog page which you can find here, http://blogs.unity3d.com/

The major change for the 4.2 update is support for the new platforms, which means the engine provider has effectively doubled its platform supports.

Train2Game News: Firefly game announced

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FireFlyTrain2Game students who are fans of the SciFi series, Firefly will be happy to know that a game based on the cult series has been announced.

Firefly Online was announced for Android and iOS at the San Diego Comic Con by Fox Digital Entertainment. The game will be released in summer 2014.

The game is in development at QMXi and Spark Plug Games, which handled the iOS port of Puzzle Quest 2.

When announcing the game, Fox said “Firefly Online will let players take on the role of a ship captain as they hire a crew and lead missions, while trading with and competing against millions of other players like themselves.

“Much like the crew of Serenity, the Firefly-class transport ship featured in the original show, players must do whatever it takes to survive in the Verse: find a crew, find a job and keep flying.”

Once you have assembled a crew, you can customise your ship, take part in space and planet-side missions, use “unique social features” to interact with fellow Firefly fans and make use of cross-platform, cross-device support.

You can enjoy the trailer, which was shown at the San Diego Comic Con, below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y364b2Hcq7I

You can sign up for updates on the game at Firefly Online’s official website, Keepflying.com.

Train2Game News: SuperAwesome launches Kids Mobile Network

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Kids NetworkThe team behind Box Of Awesome and Swapit; SuperAwesome, yesterday launched the Kids Mobile Network.

The service is designed to offer mobile content creators a new way to work with mobile ads.

“Not all content creators in the kids sector are comfortable using in-app purchases as a revenue model on mobile and tablet,” said CEO Dylan Collins, whose track record includes card battling game, Fight My Monster and Jolt Online Gaming.

“Our premium ad network will provide another monetisation tool which is appropriate and effective. Ultimately, our philosophy is about creating a safe environment for kids with a sustainable model for brilliant, inspiring content to make them smile.”

SuperAwesome was founded in December 2012 and is home to Box of Awesome, The Kids Network, Swapit and Swapit Research, and is a discovery platform aimed at UK children aged between 6 and 16.

“As the go-to expert in the kids market, we’ve had growing numbers of our clients asking us to support their games, apps and other content on mobile and tablet so we’re delighted to formally announce the Kids Mobile Network. We only work with approved content creators who are fully compliant with all marketing standards and legislation,” added head of sales Lee Veitch.