Archive for the ‘Games Related’ Tag
MMO Calendar 2009
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MMO Calendar is happy to announce that MMO Calendar 2009 is now on sale!
With the help of some wonderful MMO developers we have put together our 3rd annual one-of-a-kind calendar featuring autographed artwork from the hottest released and upcoming MMO’s!
MMO Calendar 2009 Includes:
Age of Conan
DC Universe Online
Dofus
Eve Online
EverQuest II
Free Realms
Guild Wars
Pirates of the Burning Sea
RuneScape
The Agency
Warhammer Online
World of Warcraft
Also, as a special thank you to everyone that purchases a calendar this year, we’ve been given a bag full of prizes to give away! Upon placing your order you will be entered to win 1 of 10 prizes for each game… boxed copies, premium accounts, 30-day passes, 60-day passes, closed beta accounts and more!
Keep in mind though… even if you don’t win a prize in one of the drawings you still win!
As always, 100% of the proceeds of the sale of MMO Calendar go directly to the amazing people at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, helping them in the fight for children’s lives. Is there a more noble cause anywhere?
Order yours today at http://www.mmocalendar.com
Cryptic Studios Hires Industry Veteran Bill Roper
Filed under: News | Tags: Game Publishers, Games Related, News
Leave a Comment “Cryptic has experienced huge growth over the past year and has exciting opportunities ahead of it,” said Bill Roper, Design Director, Cryptic Studios. “The company knows how to choose compelling IPs that have rich histories such as Champions and Star Trek. I’m looking forward to working with the team.”
As a 14-year game industry veteran, Roper has worked directly on numerous top selling titles, including the Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo series. He joined Blizzard Entertainment in 1994 to work in sound, music and voiceover, eventually being appointed as Vice President of Blizzard North and a Director of Blizzard Entertainment where he managed all external projects and coordinated internal development teams. In 2003, Roper co-founded Flagship Studios and Ping0 where he held the role of CEO for five years and oversaw the launch of Hellgate: London and development of Mythos.
Cryptic Studios, headquartered in Los Gatos, is currently in production of two highly anticipated MMO action games, Champions Online and Star Trek® Online. Champions Online, based on the popular Champions™ pen-and-paper RPG and published by 2K Games, will give players the power of total customization for their hero experience while they explore a vast comic book universe. Set in the year 2409, Star Trek Online will allow players to immerse themselves in the future of the Star Trek universe, exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations in an ever expanding vast universe.
Legendary Graphic Novel on stands and at Comic Shops now
Comments (1)Comic Gives New Details on Deckard’s Battle Against the Black Order
Spark Unlimited announced today that its 96-page graphic novel adaptation of Legendary is now on shelves. Written by comic book veteran, Mark Waid, and penciled by Top Cow Production artist Martin Montiel, readers are given further insight into Charles Deckard, the main character of both the graphic novel and the game.
Based on Spark Unlimited’s upcoming action game that pits players against werewolves, minotaurs, griffons and a horde of other mythological beasts let loose in the modern day, the Legendary graphic novel is filled with story details not available elsewhere. Not only will readers learn more about the backstory of Deckard, the main character in Legendary, they’ll also come to learn how exactly he became involved with Pandora’s Box, his dealings with the Black Order, and how he ultimately comes to terms with being the world’s unwitting savior against the hordes of mythological beasts that threaten mankind’s extinction.
“Our primary focus at Spark is all about making Legendary an epic gameplay experience,” said Craig Allen, CEO of Spark Unlimited. “However, there was a lot more of the story we wanted to tell and so we reached out to Mark Waid and invited him to create a unique expression of Legendary’s characters and narrative as a graphic novel.”
Mark Waid began working in the comic book industry as a writer in the early 1980s and eventually became an editor for DC Comics. He is perhaps best known for his graphic novel KINGDOM COME and SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT – a 12 part limited series generally considered the new official origin story for the Man of Steel. Currently he is Editor-In-Chief of the new comic publishing group Boom! Studios.
“Working with Spark as a writer was great fun,” commented Mark Waid, Editor-In-Chief of Boom! Studios, “because they gave me the creative freedom to adapt their game world into my own vision of how the narrative should be structured to work well on the page.”
“It only makes sense that any adaptation of the game be an equally epic experience,” added Renae Geerlings, Legendary’s graphic novel’s Editor, “and so we worked hard to assemble some of comic’s greatest talent to produce this graphic novel, and together they’ve truly created something incredible.
The Legendary graphic novel is available now at all fine comic retailers for an MSRP of $14.99 (USD).
About Legendary
Legendary places you in the shoes of art thief, Charles Deckard, as he becomes the unwitting pawn in a centuries old struggle over Pandora’s Box. Tricked into opening it, Deckard becomes inexorably linked to its fate and single-handedly responsible for unleashing its mythological creatures upon the modern world.
Please visit www.legendarythegame.com for more info.
PayByCash Partners with OneCard for Middle Eastern Customers to Pay for Online Multiplayer Games
PayByCash®, a subsidiary of PlaySpan Inc., has added OneCard, through its relationship with Smart2Pay™, to provide more payment choices to online multiplayer game customers in the Middle East. OneCard is a pre-paid card that allows non-credit card customers to make speedy transactions. Available in over 4,500 retail outlets in Saudi Arabia alone, OneCard is also available in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt for PayByCash’s merchant partners.
“PayByCash gives online merchants the ability to tap the global customer base that wants to pay without a credit card,” said Kevin Higgins, PayByCash’s president. “Pre-paid cards are rapidly becoming the payment method of choice for online gamers. Our partnership with OneCard expands the payment options for customers in this region of the world.”
Independant videogame site: Crispy Gamer launches
NEW YORK — Oct. 27, 2008 — Crispy Gamer (crispygamer.com), a new independent destination dedicated to offering a voice for serious gamers, has formally opened its site with more than 1 million unique visitors. The new media company has secured $8.25 million in backing from Constellation Ventures and the company’s founders. Crispy Gamer is the brainchild of Chris Heldman, former head of media entertainment at Google, who recruited John Keefer, former editorial director at GameSpy, and Chris Hoerenz, former chief marketing officer at eMusic, to co-found the venture.
“Crispy Gamer was formed with a respect for the place of games in popular culture,” CEO Chris Heldman explained. “Gaming is a massive entertainment medium that draws an incredibly passionate, opinionated and dedicated fan base. We want to serve the gamer culture with an honest voice and a contemporary community experience. To seal our authenticity for critical opinion, we will eliminate any perceived or actual sway dictated by ad dollars coming from the game publishers.”
Crispy Gamer has a deep editorial bench of games journalists, called the Game Trust, to provide authentic and entertaining coverage of the videogame landscape. Crispy Gamer’s community, still in Beta phase, innovates by providing opportunities for the site’s readers to come together with the Game Trust experts to form critical opinions and share essential information around their passion for games and games culture.
Crispy Gamer has taken a bold stance in refusing to accept advertising from game publishers. This financial freedom allows for fearless and credible industry reporting, which draws a discerning and informed audience. Crispy Gamer believes its insistence on independence, authenticity and its fresh approach to community building also benefit its non-endemic advertisers eager to connect with the tough-to-reach-and-influence gamer demographic.
Crispy Gamer’s lead backer, Constellation Ventures, is a New York City based media, communications and technology-focused growth equity fund that manages over $500 million in capital. Tom Wasserman, managing director of Constellation Ventures, has joined the board of Crispy Gamer. The Crispy Gamer board also consists of Chris Heldman, founding president and CEO Crispy Gamer; Chris Early, general manager of Windows Gaming; and Rick Sirvaitis, 36-year media veteran and former president and COO of GM Mediaworks.
“Crispy Gamer is the destination for today’s and tomorrow’s serious gamer,” Tom Wasserman, managing director, Constellation Ventures, said. “We are confident in the diverse expertise the Crispy Gamer leadership brings to its razor-sharp vision for building an independent media business that relies on a credible voice, a vibrant user community, and a philosophical stance that will set it apart from its predecessors.”
For more information about Crispy Gamer, please visit: www.crispygamer.com
New Chairperson for IGDA Women in Games Special Interest Group
Monday, October 27, 2008–Austin, TX–The Women in Games Special Interest Group of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has announced their new Chairperson, Fiona Cherbak, a game industry marketing and human resources executive. Committed to supporting women in games, the IGDA Women in Games Special Interest Group is a sub-organization of the International Game Developers Association.
Cherbak is taking over the IGDA leadership role from accomplished game developer and writer Heather Kelley, who held the chairperson position for more than six years. Cherbak will continue to push the mandate of certain initiatives and awareness programs, including those that challenge the way women are portrayed in games; support women as professional game designers and developers; and explore the wants and needs of the female game player.
Cherbak is an accomplished recruiting executive in the games industry, expertly placing professionals in key positions at leading games, mobile and Internet companies around the world while working with agencies such as GameRecruiter, Mary-Margaret and Enterprise Talent. Cherbak is also a co-founder and advisory board member of Women in Games International, and established as one of its major tasks the goal attracting more women to the industry. Presently VP of Marketing for GameRecruiter, she got her early start in entertainment recruiting and human resources at The Walt Disney Company, and joined the game business as a marketing consultant for Origin Systems ten years ago.
Kelley offers, “ It has been a great pleasure seeing the role of women in games grow over the past seven years, and see so many positive changes take place – but needless to say, there is definitely more that can be done. I am confident that under Fiona’s leadership, IGDA Women in Games is going to expand and change in dynamic new ways to not only respond to, but also help direct the progress of our ever-changing industry. Fiona comes to us with extensive experience in leadership and advocacy from her professional work as a game industry business developer and recruiting specialist. I am excited by the enthusiasm and know-how that Fiona brings to the role of IGDA Women in Games Chair, and look forward to the years ahead under her guidance.”
Cherbak adds, “From a personal perspective, I have a real passion for a set of objectives that we hope to achieve over the long haul with IGDA Women in Games. These goals include encouraging young women to join the games industry, acknowledgement of women doing significant things in games, increased employment support and exposure opportunities for female game careerists, and ongoing development and implementation of activities that promote IGDA Women in Games membership. A big focus in 2009 is our development and launch of an online mentorship program for game students.”
Cherbak’s first public outing on behalf of the IGDA Women in Games Special Interest Group is production of a featured panel at the East Coast Games Summit, part of VGXPO in Philadelphia this November. Entitled “What’s Next?: Women in Games,” Cherbak will moderate this panel of esteemed industry experts, taking a close look at what women have accomplished in games and what happens next for female professionals and players alike. The panelist line-up includes Gano Haine, Principal, The ONAG Group; Amber Dalton, PMS Clan Leader; Kim Callery, Game Design Program Chair, IADT-Detroit; and Jill Duffy, Editor-in-Chief, GameCareerGuide.com and Senior Contributing Editor, Game Developer. More info atwww.igda.org/women.
In addition to her new roles as Chair for the IGDA Women in Games Special Interest Group (SIG), Fiona is also on the advisory boards of Women in Games International, SXSW Screenburn 2009 and America’s Video Game Expo. Fiona has participated as a game career speaker at numerous industry and college events, including GDC and the Game Career Seminar. Fiona is an editorialist on hiring practices and diversity issues in the games industry, and is often interviewed by mainstream media on games career-related topics.
The Escapist and BAWLS Guarana Launch Commercial Contest
A Year’s Supply of BAWLS Guarana Caffeinated Drinks Up for Grabs
Durham, NC – October 23, 2008 – Calling all amateur commercial producers and professional couch potatoes! The Escapist, the Webby award-winning gaming destination, and BAWLS Guarana, producer of the highly caffeinated non-alcoholic beverages BAWLS and G33K B33R, have created a contest as part of the second annual The Escapist Film Festival with a grand prize that will keep you bouncing for hours: a year’s supply of BAWLS Guarana.
Starting today through November 19th, we’re asking contestants to submit a 15-second to one-minute video in any format type in which both The Escapist and BAWLS Guarana brands and products appear. We’ll choose five of the best commercial entries and post them for The Escapist community to vote on and declare a winner. The grand prize winner will take home a year’s supply (12 cases) of BAWLS Guarana, and the four runners-up will receive an amazing prize package which also includes a case of BAWLS Guarana.
“BAWLS Guarana has a huge following in the gaming world,” said Jeff Palumbo, brand manager of The Escapist. “Working with BAWLS Guarana allows us to create yet another creative avenue that focuses on the core of who we care about and cater to, not to mention an excellent addition to The Escapist Film Festival. Gamers are some of the most imaginative people around, so we look forward to seeing what types of commercials are submitted.”
Rules and submission guidelines for The Escapist and BAWLS Guarana Commercial Challenge and the second annual The Escapist Film Festival video contract contest can be seen atwww.escapistmagazine.com. The window for entries is closing fast, so grab your camera, dust off your computer, get creative and submit to win!
Sumthing Else Music Works announces release of Gears of War 2: The Soundtrack
New York – Oct. 27, 2008 – Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Epic Games, Inc., proudly presents Gears of War® 2 The Soundtrack. The original soundtrack from the highly anticipated blockbuster Xbox 360™ action video game will be released on Nov. 25, 2008 to retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works record label www.sumthing.com, and for digital download at www.sumthingdigital.com.
Gears of War 2 The Soundtrack features a new original music score composed by Hollywood composer Steve Jablonsky (“Transformers”, “The Island”, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”) and recorded with the Skywalker Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus at the world famous Skywalker Sound.
Epic Games wanted every aspect of Gears of War 2 to be “bigger, darker, and crunchier” than the original game, including the bombastic orchestral soundtrack. Drawing on his extensive experience scoring big budget action films as well as a unique musical repertoire and Hollywood production values, Jablonsky was the perfect match for creating the adrenaline-pumping, emotionally charged Gears of War 2 score.
“It’s been a real treat working with Steve on the score for Gears of War 2. We have a tremendous amount of confidence in him, and believe the Gears community will embrace the new sound,” said Mike Larson, Audio Director of Epic Games. “We’ve designed Gears 2 to impact players on a deep emotional level, and much of that connection is made with music that grabs their attention and makes them feel personally involved with the game universe. We have aimed to create something a bit more serious, cinematic, and refined with a harder-hitting approach toward composition and production.”
“Epic gave me a blank canvas, which was really great,” said Steve Jablonsky, Composer for Gears of War 2. “I experimented with a lot of hybrid organic/electronic elements, and combined them with the power of a large orchestra and choir.”
Track Listing:
1. Return Of The Omen
2. Hope Runs Deep
3. Green As Grass
4. Expectations
5. Finally, A Lead
6. Armored Prayer
7. Hold Them Off
8. Derrick Chase
9. Building Thunder
10. Hell Breaks Loose
11. Bedlam
12. Breakneck
13. Landown
14. Racing To Extinction
15. If They Can Ride Em
16. Hollow
17. Unexpected Changes
18. March Of The Horde
19. Highway
20. Denizens Of The Deep
21. With Sympathy
22. Insurmountable Odds
23. Bump In The Night
24. Frenzy
25. Outpost
26. Finale
27. Autumn Of Mankind
Gears of War 2 tells the story of humanity’s last stand against the nightmarish, underground Locust Horde, and is the follow-up to one of the most popular Xbox 360 games in history. Gears of War 2 blends best-in-class third-person shooter action with unsurpassed high-definition visuals, all layered on top of an engaging story of survival, loss and retribution. Gears of War 2 will be available worldwide on Nov. 7 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. For more information, visit http://gearsofwar.com.
Decrease Payment Fraud and Convert High-Risk Customers With Paxguard
Drawing upon its ten years of experience in the online payment processing market, PayByCash® today launched PaxGuard™ which will reduce payment fraud-related expenses and lost revenue for e-commerce merchants of any size. PaxGuard not only reduces the expense of fraud, it also offers no-risk payment options for high risk customers via PayByCash.
PaxGuard uses a suite of detection rules and market-leading fraud detection technologies. It employs a vast, ever expanding network of payment and fraud intelligence to determine the risk of fraud. Rules are configured and managed by merchants to suit the unique risk tolerances of their enterprise. High-risk customers can be converted using PayByCash’s no-risk payment methods. Thus merchants can set their risk tolerance as low as they like and not turn away legitimate, paying customers.
“Proprietary elements of PaxGuard have long been used by PayByCash to cut fraud rates for our merchants,” said Kevin Higgins, president of PayByCash. “Now we’ve layered in technology from strategic partners with complementary approaches to fighting fraud. What we have now is something remarkably effective and comprehensive, a phenomenally powerful product. It’s the only fraud protection solution that protects merchants across a broad range of payment methods. This is critical in an environment where more merchants are accepting numerous payment methods.”
PaxGuard has an extremely effective default configuration. Every setting, however, can be customized, enabling merchants to set their risk tolerances based on their specific business and the payment methods they accept. PaxGuard provides a number of on-demand reports that help merchants gain insight into the incidence of fraud on their site and tune their detection rules to better prevent fraud while maintaining a positive customer experience.
“PaxGuard protects e-commerce merchants from both technically sophisticated fraudsters using illegal techniques such as phishing and identity theft to make fraudulent purchases, and so-called ‘friendly fraud’ which can be perpetrated by any legitimate customer,” said Christopher Corry, product manager of PaxGuard. “With a single integration to PaxGuard, e-commerce systems receive the protection of many best-of-breed fraud detection solutions for all of their payment methods.”
For more information about PaxGuard™, visit http://www.paxguard.com.
dx hosts Fantastic Contraption
dx, a leading custom hosting solutions provider dedicated to the games industry, is pleased to announce that it is providing managed hosting for Fantastic Contraption the 9/10 rated level-based physics puzzler.
The crushing weight of success enjoyed by Fantastic Contraption had left the main web and dB server struggling to cope with the huge level of demand. dx put forward an instant solution as well as a sensible upgrade path to allow Fantastic Contraption to cope with extraordinary levels of demand. As the reviews first started appearing new users registered at the rate of 25,000 a day and clocked up 200,000 plays of the game on a single Sunday.
dx supplied enterprise level hardware and managed the whole migration minimising downtime whilst providing a firm foundation upon which Fantastic Contraption can continue to flourish.
Casual Gaming going social?
Is social gaming really the most powerful gaming revolution since the release of Pong?Online games are joining forces with social networks to make a play for mass audiences. After fundamentally changing the internet and the ways people communicate and interact, the entire games industry is getting ready to be socialized. This phenomenon will be explored in detail during the PICNIC Special ‘Games go Social’ on September 26 in Amsterdam. Is social gaming really the most powerful gaming revolution since the release of Pong?
Casual Games are already setting new records with one-third of people ages 6 to 44 having played them, according to market researcher The NPD Group. With Facebook and MySpace battling over the position of the most popular social network (and Facebook proclaiming itself as the winner du jour), game developers have discovered a new friend, flirting with the millions of users that MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Hyves and the likes have to offer. This is the theme of Games go Social on September 26 in Amsterdam, a full day event probing the synergies between games and communities, organized in collaboration with PICNIC, the undeniably most original, pioneering and unusual get-together for creatives.
The trend of ‘Games go Social’ is predicted to revolutionize the gaming and entertainment industry, fusing games, communities and networks by playing against your friends, family and people you know (or don’t). “Online social networks have become the aggregators of our digital life. With friends, we don’t just consume – we create, communicate and comment on stories, pictures, videoclips, music, applications – anything that has meaning to ourselves and others. And games are rapidly becoming the main catalyst for social interaction. A game played via a social network – or a game that embeds social features in its design – is something that can add value to a relationship long after you’ve run out of things to chat about. Games are an immensely powerful social lubricant and we’re very excited to see the games, media and social network industries joining forces to take this to the next level.” says Jeroen Elfferich, CEO of Ex Machina who together with PICNIC is organising the Games go Social event. And this is where it gets interesting. Because games fused with social communities turn the traditional console business on its head. Through viral distribution, these games can quickly reach out to anyone out there, creating overnight critical mass, as new consumers are being pulled into the game.
To explore this phenomenon, from its roots in multiplayer games and social networks to the latest cutting edge online games communities, Games go Social have invited a selected number of creatives, visionaries and industry leaders to share their visions, ideas, case-studies and strategies. With international luminaries from leading companies such as EA, Playfish, GoSupermodel.com, Spil Games, Social Gaming Network (SGN), MySpace and Hyves, Games go Social presents a jam-packed program of inspirational presentations and dynamic panel sessions.
Spellborn’s Coop Band publishes Live-DVD
Exclusive record of live concert by goth rock band Within Temptation
Berlin, 2008/09/08: News about Spellborn’s cooperation band Within Temptation. The world-famous gothic-rock band is publishing a monumental concert recording under the name “Black Symphony” on September 19th as double-CD and double-DVD. Prior to the publication, the Dutch metal rockers will release the single “Forgiven” on September 12th as outcoupling in a 5-track premium edition. The single-pack will contain the previously unreleased live bonus tracks “Hand Of Sorrow” and “The Heart Of Everything” as well as a live version of the Spellborn video song “The Howling” in addition to the title track.
Within Temptation recorded the Live-DVD on February 7th 2008 during their giant show with the Metropole Orchestra of 60 concert musicians and a classic choir of 20 singers in the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam. The band around front woman Sharon den Adel celebrated the event with precision fireworks and a gigantic light show in front of 10,000 enthusiastic fans from all over the world. These and several high-profile duets with Keith Caputo of Life of Agony and Anneke van Griesbergen (ex. The Gathering) induced the British Kerrang! Magazine to call it “the best show on earth”. In addition to the concert recordings, the live DVD includes an abundance of bonus content such as detailed “Behind the Scenes” material and a 10-day countdown documentary of the preparatory phase.
Accompanying the launch of the fantasy online roleplaying game The Chronicles of Spellborn, the Dutch developer and publisher Frogster Interactive will revive their cooperation with Within Temptation. The partners have planned several online activities for fans, along with the launch of the new Spellborn website in September. Moreover, an information leaflet of the band will be integrated in the Spellborn box version at launch. The trailer for the current DVD “Black Symphony” was already shown on the Spellborn booth at the Games Convention two weeks ago. It is available as streaming video on www.within-temptation.com and on YouTube: http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=yCxb8FwhzK8. The joint Spellborn video “The Howling” is also still accessible after a short registration on www.the-howling.com.
What lies hidden, must be found
In The Chronicles of Spellborn players enter an impressive online scenario with scenic landscapes, majestic cities and the remnants of an ancient civilization. Alone or with a party of allies, PC adventurers step into a huge fantasy realm consisting of varied shard worlds floating in the magic Deadspell Storm. Those who want to prevail in the grippingly staged combats of The Chronicles of Spellborn need to apply their mighty arsenal of spells, melee and ranged attacks skillfully. Battles with bloodthirsty creatures, hostile peoples and human opponents in PvP battles are waiting. An innovative and tactically challenging combat system with shooter-like controls and rotating skill deck provides a fresh breath of air for the dusty MMORPG genre. Thanks to the largely extended Unreal Engine 2.5, The Chronicles of Spellborn boasts stunning 3D graphics, spectacular effects and countless elaborate details. More information, images, videos and a form for the beta registration can be found on the official website: www.tcos.com.
International Protection and Enforcement Act is Good for Industry Exports
September 11, 2008 – Washington, DC – In response to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and Senator Orrin Hatch’s introduction of legislation strengthening trading partners’ resolve to crack down on game piracy and bolster the international market for video games, Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), released the following statement:
“This is smart legislation that goes to the heart of many of our international piracy problems. It provides a path forward for countries to work their way off of the Priority Watch List, while developing more effective ways to also protect products of their own artists’ and industries’ creation. High piracy in export markets adversely impacts sales and removes incentives for further market expansion. We are deeply appreciative of the efforts of USTR, the U.S. Administration and Congress in helping to protect our products internationally, and this legislation will make their actions even more effective.”
The Entertainment Software Association is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. The ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, owning the E3 Media & Business Summit, business and consumer research, federal and state government relations, First Amendment and intellectual property protection efforts. For more information, please visit www.theESA.com.
BlackFoot Studios Licenses Unreal Engine 3
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox360, News, PC - Windows, Sony PS3 | Tags: 360, Dev, Games Related, PC, PS3
Leave a Comment COLUMBUS, Ohio – September 3, 2008 – BlackFoot Studios LLC today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Epic Games, Inc. to license Unreal Engine 3 for its upcoming premiere release Sky Gods, a military tactical action game for PC, Xbox 360™ and PLAYSTATION®3.
“Epic supports the smaller studios, and they work hard to make the right things happen for all involved.” said John Sonedecker, founder of BlackFoot Studios. “Epic is a great company to deal with, and we are proud to partner with them.”
Unreal Engine 3 is perfectly suited to BlackFoot Studios’ vision for their products, offering cutting edge technology, versatility and the ability to develop a multi-platform product.
“A nicely proven engine solution makes it feasible for us to release our first title, Sky Gods, on multiple platforms. Unreal Engine 3 is proven on PC, Xbox 360™ and PLAYSTATION®3 with an art pipeline that allows for easy cross-platform development and drastically reduces the effort and costs involved with releasing a title on both PC and consoles,” says Sonedecker.
“BlackFoot Studios has a rich history of working with Unreal Engine 3, and we are proud to support their efforts with technology and tools that help them ramp up quickly and minimize risk,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. “It can be especially tough for smaller teams to tackle cross-platform challenges, so we feel great about getting behind these guys.”
Sky Gods will focus on a complete co-operative game experience centering on Special Forces operations, specifically HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening) and helicopter insertion missions. BlackFoot Studios plans a worldwide release of Sky Gods via digital distribution in the first quarter of 2009.
Pearl Research forecasts Korean online games to exceed $1.7 billion by 2009
San Francisco, CA, September 2, 2008, – Pearl Research forecasts the online games market in South Korea will exceed $1.7 billion by 2009, driven by new releases and a fervent gaming culture. These findings are contained in business intelligence and consulting firm Pearl Research’s new “Games Market in Korea” study. One of the fastest growing segments is casual games, that are free-to-play, easy-to-learn and can be played in “micro-slices” of time of ten minutes or less.
Pearl Research’s key findings:
+ South Korea has a sophisticated information technology (IT) infrastructure with 80% of households connected to the Internet.
+ South Korea has one of the highest adoption rates of purchasing virtual items and micro-transactions. Approximately 67% of those in the 20-30 age cohort purchased online paid content. Of those who have purchased digital content, 91% purchased music while 39% purchased community and avatar items from online services.
+ A common strategy in Korea is the operation of large game portals that provide a wide selection of games, including massively-multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), casual, and web board games all within one convenient site. Top game portals such as CJ Internet’s Netmarble, NHN’s Hangame, and Neowiz’s Pmang can attract 500,000 to 1 million unique visitors a day. More than 10 million Korean adults visit game portals every month, according to estimates by Pearl Research.
While South Korea has a robust games market, critical challenges include intense domestic competition; prevalence of “me-too” or derivative titles; challenges in expanding overseas to the US and China; and rising development costs.
The “Games Market in Korea” report provides an in-depth analysis of the Korean online games market and contains an executive summary; 2007 to 2011 forecasts for the online games platforms; inhibitors and drivers to growth; deep marketplace analysis; discussion of key market players, and strategic conclusions. To purchase this report, please call (+1) 415-738-7660 or email research@pearlresearch.com.
