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Akaneiro: Demon Hunters Kickstarter just clears goal

Richard Mitchell — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:20:00 EST

Spicy Horse and American McGee's Akaneiro: Demon Hunters Kickstarter squeaked in under the wire. Closing on February 2, the drive ended at $204,680, just surpassing its goal of $200,000. In an update, McGee told supporters that backer rewards will go out as soon as possible, starting with in-game items for Akaneiro. He also stated that Spicy Horse will be looking into a possible Ouya version of the game. As for the success of the project, he said simply, "I'm going to go fall over."

The Windows, Mac and browser versions of the free-to-play action RPG are available now, with a Steam version expected later this month. Android and iOS versions are also planned.

Akaneiro: Demon Hunters Kickstarter just clears goal originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Akaneiro: Demon Hunters delayed to Jan. 31 on Kongregate, Feb. 28 on Steam

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:30:00 EST

Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, the latest game from American McGee and Spicy Horse, is now scheduled to launch on January 31, one week after the original release date of January 25. This is for the Kongregate launch; the Steam launch will take a little while longer, expected to hit some time around February 28.

Spicy Horse originally intended Akaneiro to launch on Steam today, January 24, but only if it was approved in Greenlight's January round, which it was. Akaneiro has nine days left of its Kickstarter campaign and needs $95,000 to reach its goal and polish off the game.

"For Steam, integration and testing are taking longer than anticipated," McGee writes in a Kickstarter update. "We could be ready for launch by 7th of February, but because Chinese New Year starts on the 9th, we're forced to delay until the end of the month, meaning launch on or around the 28th of February. We're being extra cautious about launch timing to ensure a balanced and bug-free experience."

Akaneiro: Demon Hunters delayed to Jan. 31 on Kongregate, Feb. 28 on Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Akaneiro: Demon Hunters targets Steam release by January 24

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST

Spicy Horse aims to publish Akaneiro: Demon Hunters on Steam by January 24, although that depends on a big if. Posting on the game's recently unveiled Kickstarter page, Spicy House founder American McGee said if the Japanese-tinted action RPG is selected in the next round of Steam Greenlight, his team will "push to publish the game on Steam by January 24th."

We should know more by tomorrow, as Jan. 15 is the scheduled date for an announcement of the next batch of Greenlight inductees. McGee is confident the game will be selected, stating that with "Akaneiro currently sitting at #3 it's pretty much certain" of a place. McGee hopes getting the Greenlight approval will bring more people and funding to the Kickstarter campaign, which is currently sitting at just under $70,000 of its $200,000 goal with 19 days to go.

Whatever happens, you don't have to wait until January 24 to give Akaneiro a whirl. The game entered open beta last week, and that doesn't close until Wednesday, Jan. 16.

Akaneiro: Demon Hunters targets Steam release by January 24 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alice creator American McGee turns to Kickstarter for Akaneiro: Demon Hunters

Sinan Kubba — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:30:00 EST

American McGee, the man behind Alice, Grimm, and most recently Alice: Madness Returns, is the latest prominent developer to try out Kickstarter. McGee and his Shanghai-based Spicy Horse studio are seeking $200,000 in funding for Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, a free-to-play action RPG detailing the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but with a Japanese slant.

The more modest sum compared to some of the big names of last year reflects on Akaneiro having already been in development for around one and a half years. According to the Kickstarter page, Spicy Horse needs the money to provide Android and iOS ports in addition to the already planned PC and Mac versions, cross-platform support, co-op multiplayer, community support, and an equipment crafting system. The page also lists potential stretch goals including two new expansions, a Linux version, a player versus player arena, and guild creation.

Spicy Horse collaborated with EA to release Alice: Madness Returns in 2010, but McGee since said that will be the studio's last physical release in light of much better returns from F2P games like Akaneiro. In the video on the Kickstarter page, McGee says his studio's goal is now to "deliver console-quality content to mid-core gamers, and to do this without having to rely on traditional publishers" and that "Akaneiro is the result of those efforts."

Alice creator American McGee turns to Kickstarter for Akaneiro: Demon Hunters originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Akaneiro: Demon Hunters shots put the color back in Little Red

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:30:00 EST

American McGee's Akaneiro: Demon Hunters puts a fairytale spin on Japanese mythology, then puts all that in a blender with a box of Crayolas. The first screens for Akaneiro traverse the Shigemori River, showing Little Red with a bow, axe and fireball powers. This ain't your mom's bedtime story.

Gallery: Akaneiro: Demon Hunters (Shigemori River)

First Akaneiro: Demon Hunters shots put the color back in Little Red originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Akaneiro: Demon Hunters beta pits Little Red Riding Hood against Yokai in feudal Japan

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:30:00 EST

Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, the next game from American McGee's Spicy Horse, is holding beta sign-ups right now via its official site. First, we suggest checking out the first-ever gameplay trailer above to get a feel for the hand-painted, dungeon-crawling, demon-slaying action.

Akaneiro is a free-to-play ARPG that tells the story of Little Red Riding Hood, set in feudal Japan. As a member of the Order of Akane, Red must rid the Hokkaido village of the invading Yokai, demons inspired by Japanese folklore.

After the launch of Alice: Madness Returns with EA last year, McGee has left behind traditional console development to create free-to-play, browser-based games such as Big Head Bash, and now, Akaneiro. Sign up for the beta here.

Akaneiro: Demon Hunters beta pits Little Red Riding Hood against Yokai in feudal Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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American McGee on F2P, Ouya and his 'acceptable' experience with EA

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:00:00 EST

American McGee's Spicy Horse studio is shrugging off the madness of console development to create free-to-play, browser- and cloud-based games such as Kongregate's Big Head Bash. This move follows Spicy Horse's partnership with EA to launch Alice: Madness Returns last year as a mainstream, boxed and digital title. Alice was Spicy Horse's last foray into the physical space, McGee tells Game Informer.

"Our studio wouldn't consider going back to traditional console development, but I do think we'll end up being in the right place when consoles come back to us," he says. "By that I mean we fully expect the definition of 'console' to shift radically over the next two years. Our consoles will become our mobile devices (Or if you prefer: Our mobile devices will become our consoles)."

Spicy Horse has already seen a larger return on investment from its free-to-play games than Alice ever produced, or likely ever will. This is the future, McGee says, and static games locked to specific physical media will be unable to compete with always-updating, fluid titles in the free-to-play universe.

Continue reading American McGee on F2P, Ouya and his 'acceptable' experience with EA

American McGee on F2P, Ouya and his 'acceptable' experience with EA originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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American McGee takes on Red Riding Hood with Akaneiro

Richard Mitchell — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:15:00 EST

After all the madness Alice could muster and social action game Bighead Bash, it look's like American McGee's Spicy Horse studio is ready to move on to another new project. Entitled Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, the action role-playing game retells the story of Little Red Riding Hood with a feudal Japanese twist, reports Kotaku. As part of the Order of Akane, players are charged with putting an end to a Hokkaido village's demon problem. Akaneiro uses mid-19th century Japan as a backdrop, as tensions arose and the country reluctantly opened itself to western trade.

The game will be free-to-play and will be playable on PC, tablets and via the web. Early screenshots suggest gameplay similar to Diablo, Torchlight and other dungeon crawlers. A beta is planned for later this year.

American McGee takes on Red Riding Hood with Akaneiro originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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