Tag Archives: Ubisoft

Train2Game News: Mid-week round up – 14.11.12

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Cliff Bleszinski, better known as CliffyB, has received a mysterious package in a hotel room he is currently staying at. The package contained a phone with a Ubisoft background and one phone number in it. CliffyB told his twitter fans that he would ring the number saying “I do have a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me an asset for people like you.”

What started off as a breeding ground for indie titles now seems to be the only form of submission to the digital distribution service, Steam. This is a bold move by Valve as it means not only the bedroom developers but also the big hitters will have to submit their game to Greenlight.

Halo 4 earned $220 million on the day it launched. This isn’t quite as much as Halo 3 or reach but it is still an impressive figure. Microsoft reckons its juggernaut franchise is on track to hit its $300 million global sales target within its first week, thrusting lifetime sales for the Halo franchise passed the $3.38 billion mark.

Of course the other big release lately is Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2. The game is Amazon’s most preordered game ever beating last year’s Modern Warfare 3. Amazon said it “shattered” the previous record. The company wouldn’t reveal any further details on the launch or preorders of Black Ops 2.

Valve president Gabe Newell has has revealed Valve is working on a next generation successor to the Source Engine. Newell also confirmed the Source 2 engine would be completely new, instead of just another update for nearly ten year-old tech. Source made its debut in Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life 2 in 2004.

Mass Effect 4 will run on DICE’s Frostbite engine, the latest version of which was used in Battlefield 3. There also seems to be a lot of interest in being able to play as different alien races, similar to the style of Dragon Age:Origins.

Train2Game News: UK Top 20 – 22.10.12

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In the charts this week Skylanders Giants has come in at number two, leaving FIFA 13 still sitting pretty at the top for week number four and Bethesda’s Doom 3: BFG Edition has come in at number five.

Week ending 20 October 2012

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 –  FIFA 13 EA SPORTS 1
2 SKYLANDERS GIANTS SKYLANDERS –
3 DISHONORED BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 2
4 JUST DANCE 4 UBISOFT 6
5 DOOM 3: BFG EDITION BETHESDA SOFTWORKS –
6 POKEMON BLACK VERSION 2 NINTENDO 3
7 RESIDENT EVIL 6 CAPCOM 4
8 –  BORDERLANDS 2 2K GAMES 8
9 POKEMON WHITE VERSION 2 NINTENDO 5
10 XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN 2K GAMES 7
11 F1 2012 CODEMASTERS 9
12 007 LEGENDS ACTIVISION –
13 THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 10
14 –  ROCKSMITH UBISOFT 14
15 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2013 KONAMI 12
16 NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 NINTENDO 15
17 SLEEPING DOGS SQUARE ENIX 11
18 LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 19
19 FORZA MOTORSPORT 4 MICROSOFT 13
20 GRAN TURISMO 5 ACADEMY EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 16

leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2012 UKIE Ltd

Train2Game News: UK Top 20 – 15.10.12

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On Monday mornings I will now be posting the top 20 UK games chart from UKIE to keep you all updated.

 
Dishonored has come in as the highest new IP this year at number 2 but nothing can knock FIFA off the top spot for the third week running. It is interesting to see that Skyrim and Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are still in the top 20.

Week ending 13 October 2012

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 –  FIFA 13 EA SPORTS 1
2   DISHONORED BETHESDA SOFTWORKS –
3   POKEMON BLACK VERSION 2 NINTENDO –
4 RESIDENT EVIL 6 CAPCOM 2
5   POKEMON WHITE VERSION 2 NINTENDO –
6 JUST DANCE 4 UBISOFT 4
7   XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN 2K GAMES –
8 BORDERLANDS 2 2K GAMES 3
9 F1 2012 CODEMASTERS 5
10 THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 8
11 SLEEPING DOGS SQUARE ENIX 10
12 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2013 KONAMI 9
13 FORZA MOTORSPORT 4 MICROSOFT 11
14 ROCKSMITH UBISOFT 7
15 NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 NINTENDO 12
16 GRAN TURISMO 5 ACADEMY EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 13
17   CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3 ACTIVISION –
18 NBA 2K13 2K SPORTS 6
19 LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 14
20 DEAD ISLAND GOTY EDITION DEEP SILVER 16

 

Train2Game News: Mid-week round up

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Blizzard Entertainment released Mists Of Pandaria yesterday. The latest expansion for World Of Warcraft. Blizzard have also said that they have no fear of Windows 8 and will release games for any platform their players are on.

Avenged Sevenfold have released a new track that will feature on Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2. The song, Carry On, is the second song the band have released for a Call Of Duty game. They previously released Not Ready To Die with one of the Call Of Duty: Black Ops DLC packs.

Telltale’s five Walking Dead episodic games will be put on disc in December for Xbox360 and PS3. The game is based on the graphic novel turned TV show and through playing them myself I can say, if you are a fan of the series, play this game. You won’t be disappointed.

Nvidia’s head of cloud gaming, Phil Eisler, believes that cloud gaming could take over from consoles. He believes that consoles have one final generation in them before they die out, leaving the world of gaming in the hands of the cloud.

Ubisoft have announced that Assassins Creed 3 will not play on Windows XP. The company has released the specifications needed to play the game. There is a version for Windows 8 in the pipeline though.

Bethesda have released an animated prequel to its upcoming Dishonored. The webseries is called Tales of Dunwall and the gorgeous animated shorts are being released in three parts. The videos can be found on YouTube and they show the downfall of the in game city.

Sony Xdev are giving a small studio the opportunity to win £25,000. This new initiative, called Playstation Pioneers, will reward developers for a PlayStation Mobile game concept and will also offer successful candidates the opportunity to work alongside XDev. Further details can be found here.

An extra four titles have been added to the Humble Bundle 6. The titles are: Bit.Trip Runner, Gratuitous Space Battles, Jamestown, and Wizorb. If you have already purchased the bundle, you will get the new games added at no extra cost.

If you are attending Eurogamer this weekend you can get a special surprise when you play Company Of Heroes 2. Everyone that plays the game or attends the developer session at the event will get a code to access a future beta for the game.

Finally Train2Game will be at Eurogamer this weekend. If you are attending go and say hello, it is always nice to meet these people. I will be attending on the Saturday so if you see me feel free to talk to me. I hope everyone that attends has a brilliant time.

Train2Game News: More games should focus on real-world issues and events says Jade Raymond

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Video games can be used to focus on real-world issues and provoke intelligent debate. That’s according to Ubisoft Toronto boss Jade Raymond who was speaking about the state of the games industry in an interview with Develop.

“The Arab Spring, class divide, internet freedoms… why aren’t there triple-A games about these topics? We can actually use the interactive power of our medium to talk about these subjects in a way that can provoke discussion about them.” she said, adding that while these subjects probably won’t become the core focus of games, they can quite easily be made a part of them.

“I am a realist – at $60m per triple-A game it’s not likely we can make a subject like this the core of a brand new IP. Games may be stuck in this narrow genre of action shooters – but that shouldn’t mean we are stuck.” said Raymond.

“So why not weave more meaning into existing blockbusters? Maybe GTA could make a statement about the penal system? Or maybe games like Call of Duty could make a statement about sexism? Maybe Splinter Cell could make a statement about the ethics of interrogation?” she continued.

“The first step is to add that into existing blockbusters, it’s easier to do it this way than introduce a new IP and be riskier with your content and your message.” the Ubisoft Toronto boss added.

The full interview is available to read in Develop magazine, or on Develop Online.

There’s more from Jade Raymond here on The Train2Game Blog, including her advice on getting into the industry.

What are your thoughts? Should video games make more of an effort to focus on real world issues?

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

Train2Game News: Assassin’s Creed III creative director commentates Boston gameplay video

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Assassin’s Creed III creative director Alexander Hutchinson commentates on a brand new gameplay video, giving us a glimpse at city gameplay and insights into development into the latest title in the Ubisoft series.

Hutchinson discusses a number of new features, including implementing side missions into the main narrative, the mechanics of the new stalking zones, and how combat for Assassin’s Creed III has been built from the ground up. All of this commentary takes place over gameplay footage of one of the new cities for the game, Boston.

Watch the Assassin’s Creed III Boston demo with commentary below.

You can get more insight into development of Assassin’s Creed III in this Frontier video, which also features commentary from the creative director.

There’s more Assassin’s Creed news here on The Train2Game Blog, while you can also keep reading for more from Ubisoft.

What are your thoughts on the new features for Assassin’s Creed III?

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

Train2Game News: Ghost Recon Online and Shootmania developer sessions added to Rezzed line-up

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PC and indie games show Rezzed has revealed more developer sessions for the Brighton event, with Ghost Recon Online and Shootmania developers speaking about their games.

Developers of both of the Ubisoft titles will be talking about their games on the second day of the show, with the Ghost Recon Online developers taking to the stage at .3pm, while the Shootmania team will discuss their title at 5pm.

Peter Molyneux,  Day Z creator Dean “Rocket” Hall, The Indie Stone,  Introversion Software, The Creative Assembly, Splash Damage CEO Paul Wedgwood and Gearbox Software’s Randy Pitchford are among those giving talks during the two day Brighton event, while a variety of games are available to play on the show floor.

Not only that, but everyone who buys a ticket for Rezzed gets a free DOTA 2 beta key. Rezzed takes place in Brighton on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th July, with tickets available here.

We’ll be sure to keep you up to date with the latest news as the show approaches and the final speaker is announced.

Will you be attending these developer sessions?

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

Train2Game News: Shootmania closed beta begins soon

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FPS Shootmania from Ubisoft and Nadeo is entering closed beta in the near fure, and you can sign-up to be a part of it.

The free-to-play shooter comes from the makers of Trackmania, and will allow players to create and share their own levels.

Those interested in taking part in the Shootmania closed beta can register their interest on the official website up until Monday 2nd July.  The level creation tools could be of particular interest to those on Train2Game courses.

Get a taste of Shootmania in the trailer below, right here on The Train2Game Blog.

There’s more beta testing news, and information on how it’s useful for developers and Train2Game students, here on The Train2Game Blog.

What are your initial thoughts on Shootmania and its level creation tools? Will you be applying for a place in the beta?

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

Train2Game News: Assassin’s Creed III gameplay video features game director commentary

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Get an insight into development of Assassin’s Creed III with a gameplay video from Ubisoft, complete with commentary from game director Alexander Hutchinson.

The Frontier walkthrough shows game design elements such as tree navigation, moving through snowy terrain and new controls in action, in addition to Hutchinson telling us a bit about Assassin’s Creed III protagonist Connor who he describes as “‘most robust character in 3D action games today.”

The game director also discusses Ubisoft’s new AnvilNext engine, which you can see in action throughout the demo. Watch it below, here on The Train2Game Blog.

There’s more Assassin’s Creed news here on The Train2Game Blog, while you can also keep reading for more from Ubisoft.

What are your thoughts on Assassin’s Creed III?

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

Train2Game News: UK Charts – Ghost Recon: Future Soldier shoots to No.1

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Train2Game students see Ghost Recon: Future Soldier from Ubisoft take top spot of the UK Charts in the tactical shooters’ first week on sale, one of three new entries in the top five.

The fifth full game in the Ghost Recon series has had better week one sales than any of its predecessors.  Last month, The Train2Game Blog spoke to Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Creative Director Jean-Marc Geoffroy and Ubisoft Development Director Adrian Lacey, with the pair offering advice on getting into the industry.

The success of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier sees Max Payne 3 drop to No.2, while Capcom RPG Dragon’s Dogma and Codemasters’ DiRT Showdown are new entries at No.3 and No.4 respectively.  FIFA 12 is a non-mover at No.5.

Sniper Elite V2 from Oxford studio Rebellion slips to No.6, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 remaining at No.7 for the second week in a row. Prototype 2 drops two to No.8, while Diablo III is this week’s biggest loser slipping seven places from No.2 to No.9. FIFA Street completes the top ten.

Other new releases making the top 40 this week include Mario Open Tennis for 3DS at No.11, and Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock for PlayStation 3 at No. 34.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 26th May is therefore as follows:

1. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (Ubisoft)
2. Max Payne 3 (Rockstar)
3. Dragon’s Dogma (Capcom)
4. DiRT Showdown (Codemasters)
5. FIFA 12 (EA)
6. Sniper Elite V2 (505 Games)
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
8. Prototype 2 (Activision)
9. Diablo III (Blizzard)
10. FIFA Street (EA)

Releases for the coming week include Resistance: Burning Skies for PlayStation Vita.

What are your thoughts on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier taking No.1? And what about the success of a new IP in the form of Dragon’s Dogma at No.3? And which game do you think will take top spot next week?

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