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Canadian Indie Bundle on Steam: Superbrothers, Shanks and more

David Hinkle — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST

Our brothers and sisters in The Great White North are getting some time in the spotlight today with a new bundle on Steam. The Canadian Indie Bundle packages together games from Klei Entertainment, Capybara Games, Gaslamp Games and more for $14.99.

Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, Shank and Shank 2 highlight this Canadian Indie Bundle, joined by Space Pirates and Zombies, Waveform, Hoard, Dungeons of Dredmor and Capsized. Many of the games in the bundle offer SteamPlay between Windows and Mac OSX.

Canadian Indie Bundle on Steam: Superbrothers, Shanks and more originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sword and Sworcery EP: 350K units swold

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:45:00 EST

iOS title Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP has sold 350,000 units life to date, Capy president Nathan Vella revealed at GDC 2012 today.

The long-form game, which took 18 months to develop, has done incredibly well on the app store, despite having "small amount of birds, no fruit, limited water," which have all become cliche requirements for iOS success.

"Everyone isn't a demographic," Vella noted. "Target a niche due to iOS scale, niches can be huge."

He said two-thirds of all sales were on the iPad universal app and that three quarters of revenue were made on the universal app. He also noted that the title going on discount only accounted for 10 percent of sales, meaning the game had a potential audience that was willing to pay full price for the experience.

Vella feels Sword & Sworcery is a good case that longer experiences can fit on the iOS platform and targeting "everyone" isn't the only way.

Sword and Sworcery EP: 350K units swold originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capy posts ideas from its internal game jam, and they all sound pretty good

Mike Schramm — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:45:00 EST

Given the talent of the folks at Capy Software (who've made the excellent Critter Crunch, Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, and most of the programming behind Sword and Sworcery), you'd expect them to prototype an interesting game in less time than it takes some to develop a full game. You're partially right -- they made seven.

All seven games from Capy's internal game jam are now listed over on the company blog, and to a title they all sound pretty good. The Final Act has the player acting on stage to win a battle, Ferret Wings features Captain Farris the Ferret fighting against Adolph Hamster, and Jetman Adventures (above) is described as "a kind of touch screen Panzer Dragoon/Defender hybrid with Fruit Ninja influence." Yes please!

Unfortunately, these are just prototypes developed over the two-day period of a game jam, so they're all unfinished (one turn-based tactical game, for example, didn't get any further than having just one unit), and most likely unplayable by the public. But one of these might plant a seed for Capy's next title, and when that flower blossoms we'll be happy to stick our noses right in it.

Capy posts ideas from its internal game jam, and they all sound pretty good originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie Fund created to help fund indies

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST

A group of well-known independent studio vets has formed a new fund for other independent developers. Members of 2D Boy, Number None, thatgamecompany, Capy, Flashbang Studios and AppAbove Games have banded together to create the appropriately named Indie Fund, which they hope will become "a serious alternative to the traditional publisher funding model." The fund will ideally help independent studios "get financially independent and stay financially independent."

The Indie Fund is already backing some unnamed projects, and the group plans to reveal more details about the fund at GDC next week. Specifically, 2D Boy's Ron Carmel will host a panel at the conference entitled "Indies and Publishers: Fixing a System That Never Worked." The panel will focus on the "adversarial" and "unhealthy" nature of the relationship between developers and publisher and, naturally, what could be done to improve it.

Expect the panel to be included in Joystiq's GDC 2010 coverage, which begins next week.

[Via GamePolitics]

Indie Fund created to help fund indies originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie devs struggle to find the perfect iPhone price

Justin McElroy — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:00:00 EST

The ease of getting your game onto the iPhone is something of a double-edged sword for indie devs. On the one hand, it's an amazing opportunity to get your pride and joy in front of millions. On the other, though, the amount of competition is pushing prices way lower than some devs are comfortable with. Or as Nathan Vella, co-founder of Toronto-based Critter Crunch/Clash of Heroes developer Capybara Games, so directly put it to Gamasutra "The push to 99 cents is the single most frustrating and terrible thing about App Store pricing." Read the full piece if you'd like a better understanding of why indies are pricing they way they do.

Though we understand their frustration, we're surprised there's not more hand wringing about all those free games littering the App Store, since we know so many people who refuse to pay cash for any game on the mobile platform. Do you have any purchasing guidelines you try to stick by?

Indie devs struggle to find the perfect iPhone price originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2009

JC Fletcher — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:45:00 EST

Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Muramasa appealed to me in a way that Odin Sphere didn't, thanks to an emphasis on combo-heavy sword action instead of planting and whatever. And the RPG elements that are left, like the sword upgrades and cooking, are not only fun, but simple enough that I can get right back into the game after a long break and still know what is going on.

Also, I don't mean to be shallow, but the fact that Muramasa is the most beautiful game of 2009 helps me be positive about it.

Continue reading Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2009

Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snap Judgment: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes

JC Fletcher — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:45:00 EST

Having received my copy yesterday, I've only been able to put a few hours into Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes for DS. However, I can already tell that it's going to become an obsession, at the expense of things like other games and interacting with my family. Critter Crunch developer Capy has created an incredibly engrossing game that melds the best aspects of both strategy RPGs and puzzle games.

Gallery: Might and Magic Clash of Heroes (DS)

Continue reading Snap Judgment: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes

Snap Judgment: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capy's latest: Sword & Sworcery EP, a 'brave experiment in I/O cinema'

JC Fletcher — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST

One day after the ship date of its DS game Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, the newest project from Critter Crunch developer Capy has been somewhat revealed: a collaboration with artist Craig "Superbrothers" Adams and singer Jim Guthrie, called Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP.

We aren't sure exactly what this is: the description on the site describes it in terms like "a brave experiment in I/O cinema" and "a crude videogame haiku about life, love & death." It appears to be for the iPhone platform, and the "EP" in the title suggests a short-form experience. Whatever it is, we desperately want to know more, as you will after you watch the teaser after the break.

[Via GameSetWatch]

Continue reading Capy's latest: Sword & Sworcery EP, a 'brave experiment in I/O cinema'

Capy's latest: Sword & Sworcery EP, a 'brave experiment in I/O cinema' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes

Randy Nelson — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:30:00 EST

The most pleasant surprise -- and quite possibly our most favorite game -- from Ubisoft's "UbiNintendo" event was for Nintendo DS. Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes is a fresh new direction for the classic RPG franchise, and, from what we played, it's a good direction to be heading in on the handheld.

Clash of Heroes is being developed by Capybara Games of Critter Crunch semi-fame, so we weren't surprised by its combat's similarity to a puzzle game -- specifically Critter Crunch. Sure, it's a different approach for the genre, but, combined with a very JRPG art style, lush visuals and an actual story, it just ... works.

Continue reading Hands-on: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes

Hands-on: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Might and Magic Clash of Heroes coming to DS August 2009

Justin McElroy — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:35:00 EST

Oh Might and Magic brand, how we've missed you! We really hoped that this wouldn't be the swan song for your venerable RPG series and Ubisoft didn't disappoint. The company has just announced Might and Magic Clash of Heroes, coming to DS this August.

Now, we'll admit that we weren't necessarily hoping for a puzzle RPG developed by Capybara Games (you know, of Critter Crunch fame?). But at least there's two-player peer-versus-peer mode, so that's something, right?

Gallery: Might and Magic Clash of Heroes (DS)

Might and Magic Clash of Heroes coming to DS August 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 May 2009 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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