Joystiq

New info and trailer for Techland's Hellraid

Mike Schramm — Wed, 08 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

The first few details of Techland Hellraid have been revealed to Eurogamer's Polish site. The game is a horror/fantasy-style first-person RPG using Techland's Chrome Engine 5 to portray melee and spell-based fights with various demons, skeletons, and other bad guys. Just like Dead Island, the game will have four player archetypes that can work together, though they'll be classes rather than characters: Warrior, Paladin, Mage and Rogue.

The game will be influenced by older games like "the first Quake, [and the] second Hexen or Diablo," says producer Marcin Kruczkiewicz. Hellraid's maps will be less open than Dead Island, and the experience system will be simpler, with skill trees that unlock as characters level up.

Techland is currently looking for a publisher for the game, which it expects to have out this year on the Xbox 360, PS3, and the PC.

New info and trailer for Techland's Hellraid originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 May 2013 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: BlizzCon tickets on sale right about ... now [Update: Gone!]

Mike Schramm — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:45:00 EST

Just a heads up: Tickets for this year's BlizzCon event in Anaheim, California, are going on sale in just a few minutes at 7pm Pacific. The tickets - which will likely sell out quickly - are priced at $175, and include a swag bag and admittance to the two day event beginning November 8.

Tickets are on sale on from the official BlizzCon site.

If you don't get tickets today, there's two more chances to do so. This Saturday, April 27, a second round of ticket sales will begin at 10am Pacific, and when that's done, all of the regular admission tickets will be gone. Your last chance, then, will be on May 1 at 7pm Pacific, when Blizzard will sell 200 tickets at $500 a piece for the Blizzcon Benefit Dinner, which includes full admission to the show and a charity event.

Update: 29 minutes later, the first round of tickets is sold out. If you didn't get yours, you'll have to try again Saturday.

PSA: BlizzCon tickets on sale right about ... now [Update: Gone!] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon adds in-app microtransactions for PC, Mac and browser game devs

David Hinkle — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:00:00 EST

Up until now, developers of Windows PC, Mac and browser-based games offered through Amazon haven't been able to present microtransactions to consumers. Total bummer, right? Beginning today, however, developers can offer a multitude of extra power-ups or goofy hats in game for nominal fees, allowing players to enhance their experience while slowly bleeding out their wallets.

With the new service available now, developers can begin selling content at any time. In-app purchases will be billed through a player's selected Amazon, making the process of paying for those piecemeal items easier. With in-game content and toilet paper available for purchase from Amazon, the argument for the existence of any other store is becoming less compelling.

Continue reading Amazon adds in-app microtransactions for PC, Mac and browser game devs

Amazon adds in-app microtransactions for PC, Mac and browser game devs originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Game Blocks offers free, open-source game creation for novices

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:45:00 EST

Sheldon Pacotti, writer of the original Deus Ex games and indie developer in his own right, created Game Blocks, an open-source library for making games, for the students in his video game writing course at the University of Texas. Game Blocks is designed to help novice developers craft their stories, animations and physics effects with a simple, snap-to interface, as demonstrated above.

Game Blocks is able to compile platformers, adventure games, simulation games and arcade shooters for PC and Mac, and makes it easy to organize dialogue and story. Best of all, it's completely free. Anyone interested in messing around with game design or interactive storytelling, download Game Blocks directly from Pacotti's New Life Interactive.

Continue reading Game Blocks offers free, open-source game creation for novices

Game Blocks offers free, open-source game creation for novices originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Time-traveling lumberjack bear puncher news: 'Fist of Awesome' hits Kickstarter

Mike Schramm — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 02:00:00 EST

Nicoll Hunt, a Scottish game developer running a studio called I Fight Bears (which was previously responsible for the Tron-esque Hard Lines for iOS), has opened up a Kickstarter for a new project called Fist of Awesome. It's a retro beat-em-up starring a time-traveling lumberjack named Tim Burr, who fights bison, dinosaurs, and anything else thrown in his way.

The game is set to have some interesting touchscreen controls, in that all of Tim's combos come from different swipes and taps. The music will be composed by developer Brendan Ratliff, also known as Echolevel, who's made a few games of his own already.

Hunt says the game is set for iOS and Android at first, with other platforms possibly coming later. He's requesting £5,000 - a small price to pay for punching a grizzly bear in the face.

Time-traveling lumberjack bear puncher news: 'Fist of Awesome' hits Kickstarter originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Influential indies on the brouhaha around Ouya

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST

The Ouya, a $99 Android-powered console whose prototype has raised $4.9 million in 7 days on Kickstarter, is a mystery wrapped in a sleek silver box. Many players seem to gravitate toward the idea because of its price point, while it would appear developers, especially indies, are backing it for its open hardware.

But those are just appearances - we want to know what prominent and plucky indie developers actually think the Ouya can do for the industry. So we asked a few, including Minecraft's Markus Persson, The Binding of Isaac's Edmund McMillen, Retro City Rampage's Brian Provinciano and five other indie starlings. Their thoughts are collected below in the order each developer responded to the email thread, because that seems more fair than arranging them by "best hair" or something.

A few of the indies are tenuously linked to the Ouya and have already been quoted on the Kickstarter itself, or have a game listed in the mock-up images, but none of the following developers have seen or played the Ouya. These are initial reactions to an idea, and speculation about a rapidly evolving industry:

Continue reading Influential indies on the brouhaha around Ouya

Influential indies on the brouhaha around Ouya originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sit down before you read about Kinect SDK update 1.5

Mike Schramm — Tue, 22 May 2012 04:00:00 EST

The 1.5 update for the Kinect SDK has been released to developers, and it adds a solid list of new capabilities, including something called Kinect Studio (that allows developers to record user movements and play them back for the code later), a development kit for Face Tracking (which enables Kinect to track facial features), and new Human Interface Guidelines and other documentation improvements.

But the marquee feature here is that Microsoft has finally laid to rest the question of whether the Kinect works when seated or not. Now there's a full Seated Skeletal Tracking mode, which only tracks a person's head, torso and arms. Microsoft recommends this not only for when games players are seated, but for any application where the lower half of the body doesn't need to be tracked. Finally, there are also new language packs. In addition to languages like French and Japanese, you get Kinect support for regional differences in languages, like English/Canada and English/Australia. Crikey, devs will be well chuffed about that, etc.

Sit down before you read about Kinect SDK update 1.5 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 May 2012 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Techland trademarks 'Dead World,' declines to comment on Dead Island sequel

Mike Schramm — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 06:00:00 EST

Dead Island developer Techland filed for a trademark on something called "Dead World" recently, prompting speculation that plans for a sequel to the open-world zombie RPG were beginning to unfurl. Techland declined to comment on the matter, though the trademark is legit.

Dead Island shambled up the charts when it was released in September, thanks to plenty of zombie buzz and that popular trailer (never mind the less-than-glowing critical response). A title like "Dead World" hints that the game will take on a slightly larger scale than just an island resort, but we'll have to wait and see until the company decides to make any official announcements.

Techland trademarks 'Dead World,' declines to comment on Dead Island sequel originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recall is a time-based first-person puzzler concept worth watching

Mike Schramm — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:20:00 EST

Above is a quick video demo for a game concept called Recall built by a South Korean game developer named Jaewoo Jay Jeon. The intriguing video offers up time-based first-person gameplay in a 3D world. The basic idea seems to be that you can "record" the world and your movement, and then fast-forward, rewind, or pause or play back that recording, affecting either your own character, or various objects in the world around you.

That lets you do things like freeze time to hold blocks in place that can be used as platforms, or run a few different versions of yourself around a map, Braid-style. The last room in the demo shows the player recording just a moment, moving away from that point, and then playing it back quickly, warping the player past a dangerous barrier.

It's smart stuff, though obviously this is just a concept of a work in progress, and not actually a commercial game yet. Still, we've seen great games come from humble beginnings before -- could this be another Portal in the making?

Recall is a time-based first-person puzzler concept worth watching originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deadly Premonition director wants to make a new game, just can't afford it

Mike Schramm — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:00:00 EST

Swery65, the director of last year's Deadly Premonition, has taken to the Internet in a new blog posting asking for support for a brand new title. He says that his team at Access Games is itching to start a new project, but game design takes more than just dreams and ideas -- apparently it takes time and money as well. And since time is money, he basically just needs money.

"I want to make a new game," he wrote. "As much as I want, but that alone is not enough to start the process. Would anyone be ready to invest in us?" Swery doesn't say anything about what kind of game he plans to make, but does promise that he'll "work until it kills me," and that the team will definitely "make something good."

Any big-time investors out there willing to call his bluff? It seems like, despite the mixed reception for Deadly Premonition around the world, Swery shouldn't have too much trouble finding a publisher sooner or later. Even if not, there's always Kickstarter, right?

Deadly Premonition director wants to make a new game, just can't afford it originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Magic Pixel Games formed by THQ, EA, Activision vets

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:00:00 EST

Though some companies are characterized as being chock-full of "movers and shakers," we can't think of a company more deserving of the phrase than the newly formed development studio Magic Pixel Games. According to the developer's press release announcement, the team is composed of THQ, Electronic Arts and Activision veterans, including Boom Blox lead engineer Jeff Dixon and senior development director Mark Tsai. The announcement adds that the team possesses an "unparalleled grasp of human motion and physics to create unforgettable motion gaming experiences on console platforms."

What does that mean? Well, it probably means that Magic Pixel's first big title is going to incorporate some kind of motion controller. What else does it mean? It means that everyone knows there knows how to physically move their own bodies, which is a handy skill for any living being. More specific details about their upcoming projects should surface soon -- the press release also promises that Magic Pixel's debut title will launch this holiday season.

Continue reading Magic Pixel Games formed by THQ, EA, Activision vets

Magic Pixel Games formed by THQ, EA, Activision vets originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Jones joins APB Reloaded in 'advisory role'

Mike Schramm — Sat, 14 May 2011 03:00:00 EST

You know what they say: If at first you don't succeed, join the team doing the remake. Veteran game developer David Jones, responsible for classics like Lemmings, Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown, made an MMO called APB a little while back that eventually closed up shop in record time. Then, a company called GamersFirst bought the rights to APB, and made plans to redevelop it as APB Reloaded. Now, that same David Jones has joined the free-to-play remake in "an advisory role."

Really? GamersFirst says it's excited to have Jones around to "share his vast game design experience during critical design stages of the ongoing development of APB Reloaded." That sounds good, we guess. Everybody deserves a second chance, right?

David Jones joins APB Reloaded in 'advisory role' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 14 May 2011 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gas Powered Games replaces Robot as Age of Empires Online developer

Mike Schramm — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:20:00 EST

Chris Taylor's Gas Powered Games (makers of the original Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commander) has taken over development of the upcoming free-to-play Age of Empires Online title, according to the game's official blog. Microsoft says that it became clear during development of some of the game's content packs that the GPG team "share our long-term commitment to make this a success," and that the move has been "the plan for some time," and won't delay the game at all.

This, of course, leaves previous developer Robot Entertainment - comprised of AoE veterans from the now-shuttered Ensemble Studios - in the lurch, as Microsoft has shown them the door. On its official message board, Robot confirms that "this was always in the plan," and says that the goal all along has been to work on original titles. Now that they've handed off the reins to Taylor and GPG, the company is reportedly hard at work on a new title called Orcs Must Die! Still no word on how close we are to a release date for Age of Empires Online, but Microsoft is still pushing beta signups on its website.

Gas Powered Games replaces Robot as Age of Empires Online developer originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Riot Games confirms Tencent majority buyout

Mike Schramm — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:15:00 EST

Riot Games has confirmed that a majority of the company was bought by China's Tencent, putting its stamp of approval on rumors of the deal last week. Brandon Beck, Riot's CEO, is quoted as saying that "Tencent's investment will provide our talented team of designers, developers and community staff with additional resources to focus on innovating around League of Legends and launching new projects that push the boundaries in the gaming space."

Financial Times has a nice analysis of the deal -- it sounds like this agreement will help both sides, as Riot will not only get that nice cash infusion of a rumored $350 million, but also invaluable assistance and insight for what it was already hoping would be a nice overseas adoption. And Tencent, of course, gets to lay claim to League of Legends and any other titles that Riot developers, along with the huge microtransaction-based revenues that go along with them, both here and eventually overseas.

Plus, this is a sign of the growing trend of Eastern publishers picking up Western companies to develop content for the large audiences over there. Chinese publisher The9 recently bought another Blizzard spinoff, Red 5 Studios, for $15 million, and Japanese firm DeNA picked up iOS developer ngmoco for $400 million as well. Western audiences are big, but Eastern audiences are bigger and, as a result, there's high demand for well-developed games in that market.

Riot Games confirms Tencent majority buyout originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jade Raymond gives a video tour of Ubisoft Toronto

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST

We enjoy our sworn duty of bringing you news of video game industry happenings, but if Ubisoft Toronto offered us a position, we're not sure we could say no. Jade Raymond recently led Eurogamer on a video tour of the new office, which looks like a fun-filled employer -- impromptu Nerf Wars and all.

Continue reading Jade Raymond gives a video tour of Ubisoft Toronto

Jade Raymond gives a video tour of Ubisoft Toronto originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone dev cheers short development, quick patching at GDC Online

Mike Schramm — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Vijay Thakkar is the technical director at Newtoy, the company responsible for iPhone hit Words with Friends, as well as a former developer on Star Wars: Galaxies and at the late Ensemble Studios. He took the stage at GDC Online 2010 this morning to run a panel about how to embrace mobile gaming, and while extolling the virtues of Apple's mobile platform and its constant online connectivity, he took aim at the traditional game industry's long development times and buggy releases.

Thakkar railed for a bit on a bug found recently in the latest title of his "favorite gaming franchise ever," Metroid: Other M. When the save-breaking bug appeared in the game, Thakkar recounted, Nintendo couldn't use the Wii's internet connectivity to patch the game. Instead, Thakkar pointed out, the company had to "ask players to 'send us your memory card.'"

"That's awful," Thakkar added. It's 2010, he said, developers should have ongoing access to update and patch their games when necessary, and he pointed to the iPhone as a platform where games could be released and patched quickly. "At Newtoy, we've completed full games in less time than it took me to design systems for older triple-A titles."

This agility means that developers can not only fix bugs quickly after launch, but they can also prototype new ideas ridiculously fast (Thakkar said that Newtoy had created one internal test game in just two workdays). Plus, this business model lends itself to filling in and growing features according to player demand after release -- something that a lot of big, lumbering developers haven't figured out how to do yet.

iPhone dev cheers short development, quick patching at GDC Online originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fez shows off gameplay, still in development

Mike Schramm — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Hey, remember Fez, the little mind- and dimension-twisting indie platformer that was due out in ~~2009~~ ~~2010~~ sometime in the future? Apparently that's still true -- developer Phil Fish has shared a brand new gameplay video on Twitter today, and you can watch it right after the break. The lead character's name is Gomez, according to the video's description, and the game will take him "a voyage of discovery into the mysterious 3rd dimension." Sounds fun, but when's it out?

Fish doesn't say that, but he does confirm that the game "does indeed appear not to be an elaborate prank." Cute. Normally we wouldn't allow ourselves to be strung along like this on so little information, but this video has changed our perspective just enough for us to stay patient for this one a little longer. Weird how that works.

Continue reading Fez shows off gameplay, still in development

Fez shows off gameplay, still in development originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Path honored with awards in Spain, goes half price to celebrate

Mike Schramm — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Surreal horror/exploration indie title The Path was one of the finalists at last year's Indiecade festival, and it's been honored again with two awards at Bilbao, Spain's hóPLAY International Video Game Festival. The game won Best Sound and Best Design, and its creator, Tale of Tales, picked up a tidy sum of €12,000 ($16,000) in prize money.

To celebrate, the company is putting the game on sale, and you can pick up a digital copy right now for just $4.99, half of the usual price. Careful, though -- it's a creepy experience, combining a strange retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood tale with dynamically generated music and environments. Congratulations to Tale of Tales on the awards, which it says is the first actually won in its eight-year history. Always a finalist, finally a winner.

The Path honored with awards in Spain, goes half price to celebrate originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How Xbox Live Achievements work

Mike Schramm — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 04:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

This post is for eggheads only -- we won't be talking about how to get Xbox Live achievements, or how the system of earning Gamerscore actually works. Nope, the latest Xbox Engineering blog post gets down and dirty with the actual software and hardware behind the Xbox Live Achievements system, and not only how your Xbox actually learns from whatever game you're playing that you just earned some points, but how you friends get to know it as well.

Turns out the sound we most connect with the whole system (that "Achievement Unlocked" beep) was an afterthought -- originally, Microsoft's team wasn't planning on having any notification of point scoring at all. The idea of achievements has evolved over time as well -- they did start out with the 5-50 and 1000 Gamerscore requirements, but since launch, devs have better learned how to use Achievements and how to customize them. Apparently there's a whole bunch of code and science behind the whole thing. Go figure! We always thought it was unicorn magic of some kind.

How Xbox Live Achievements work originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Jul 2010 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect: The company behind the tech explains how it works

Mike Schramm — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

PrimeSense was at E3 this week showing off the raw technology that it licensed to Microsoft for what officially became Kinect this past Monday. The company developed the method and core software that Microsoft's forthcoming camera/controller uses to read human bodies and gestures, and had it running on a prototype unit live in the booth.

Unfortunately, company reps weren't able to comment on specifics of the licensing deal, and were very quick to point out that much of what has been done so far with Kinect is Microsoft's own software -- PrimeSense only provides the raw tech behind the visual gesture system, not any of the menus or games that are actually appearing on Kinect. But they were able to explain the core technology to me, and shine a little light, so to speak, on what Kinect is capable of.

Continue reading Kinect: The company behind the tech explains how it works

Kinect: The company behind the tech explains how it works originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recently laid-off devs rant about being recently laid off

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST

I think we can all agree that, aside from being hit by a speeding train or dropping a hot meal you've been cooking for hours, being fired from your job is like, the worst thing that can happen to you. As such, we expected the speakers on last week's GDC rant panel, titled "Fired and Fired-up: Jobless Developer's Rant," to be especially inflammatory. We were not disappointed.

Just past the jump, we've highlighted three of our favorite presentations from the panel. Some of them get awfully, explicitly blue, so if you happen to find yourself reading this video game news site while at work, you might want to think twice about going beyond the break. (You should also get back to work, you lazy so-and-so!)

Continue reading Recently laid-off devs rant about being recently laid off

Recently laid-off devs rant about being recently laid off originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Japanese game programmers report low salaries

JC Fletcher — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:30:00 EST

[Chris Gladis]

It would be, like, totally glamorous and exciting to be a programmer for a game company in Japan, right? Maybe not so much. According to anonymous responders on Japanese super-forum 2ch (as translated by CNNGo), salaries for game programmers are far below what you'd expect for a tech job in one of the most expensive countries in the world to live in.

"¥130,000 [$1,457] for 256 hours of work a month," one poster reports. "¥160,000 [$1,793] and I am ready to die," another laments. "I can't even afford the 'recruit suit' I'll need for interviewing for another job." How do you live in Tokyo on that kind of scratch? "¥180,000 [$2,017] a month, no bonus, and only thanks to the company dorm can I afford to live in Tokyo," one responder explains.

It seems that game development is considerably less prestigious than other fields. "I'm 27, live in Tokyo, working for a major company, and make ¥680,000 [$7,622] a month, with a separate yearly bonus," one anonymous poster boasts. "But it isn't in the game industry. Ha!" The moral of this story is this: Don't work for a game company in Japan.

[Via Kotaku]

Rumor: Japanese game programmers report low salaries originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard, NCSoft talent set up MMO developer En Masse Entertainment

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:21:00 EST

A piping-hot press release from Korean MMO developer Bluehole Studio has announced a new subsidiary for the company named En Masse Entertainment. Based in Seattle, En Masse will focus on "selecting high quality online games and adapting, refining, and positioning them so they are perfectly suited for audiences in Western markets." In other words, slightly reducing the size of everyone's swords. You know, just to the point where it looks reasonable that they could lift them off the ground.

According to the presser, the En Masse team features talent from other big players in the MMOverse, including Blizzard, EA, ArenaNet and NCsoft. It sounds like the studio's got a pretty experienced roster; whether or not they'll be able to get us excited about their first project -- a Westernized version of a Korean MMORPG called TERA -- remains to be seen.

Blizzard, NCSoft talent set up MMO developer En Masse Entertainment originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone game devs give us their thoughts on the iPad

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:20:00 EST

With yesterday's announcement from Apple of its much hyped "latest creation" -- the iPad -- and the news that already existing iPhone applications (that means games too, folks) will be playable on the device, we started wondering how the developers of the world felt about this shiny new piece of gadgetry. So we asked a handful of our favorites -- Canabalt's Adam "Atomic" Saltsman, Pocket God's Dave Castelnuovo, and PopCap's Andrew Stein, just to namedrop a few -- to give us their reactions.

"It's hard to say anything concrete without actually playing with the thing personally, but I'm optimistic about it continuing to open up video games to even more 'normal' people," Saltsman told us. "I'm hopeful that having a big multitouch space will help mediate the whole 'fat fingers on a tiny screen' problem." PopCap's Andrew Stein agreed, telling us "We'll certainly look at the unique capabilities of the iPad and work hard to utilize those in instances where they can make our games even more fun."

Republic of Fun prez Mike Rasmussen sees things a bit differently, noting the opportunity in the upped horsepower of the device. "From a pure gaming perspective, I'm excited about the additional resolution and horsepower, and really interested to start understanding the 3D performance of the A4 [chip]." But even the most successful app developer on the market -- Pocket God creator Dave Castelnuovo -- seems a bit reticent of the iPad, telling us he sees "a lot of potential with the device," but his company is going to "wait to see what kind of acceptance the tablet will have" before moving forward with development.

But that's not all! See the full reactions from a variety of iPhone game developers after the break.

Gallery: Apple iPad

Continue reading iPhone game devs give us their thoughts on the iPad

iPhone game devs give us their thoughts on the iPad originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ex-Lionhead devs form Wonderland Software, announce 'GodFinger'

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:40:00 EST

Venturing forth from Peter Molyneux's famous dev house, Lionhead Studio veterans Mark Rose, Al Harding and Matthew Wiggins recently announced their new mobile game startup Wonderland Software. In addition to the studio's unveiling, the trio has also offered up information on the their first project: GodFinger. "We're collaborating with some awesome freelancers, along with the super-talented girls and guys over at ngmoco, to bring the god game back to your fingers," the announcement post reads.

According to ngmoco's description of the game, GodFinger puts you in the position of a "fledgling deity" trying to "make a name for yourself amongst the pantheon of gods in this universe." Given the fact that GodFinger is planned for release on iPhone and iPod Touch, there's no solid release date (Apple decides that), but both the devs and the publisher note we'll see a release "very, very soon." So get out that God Hand and chop off a digit, you'll need it soon!

[Via Develop]

Ex-Lionhead devs form Wonderland Software, announce 'GodFinger' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Portal lead Kim Swift heads to Airtight Games for 'new, unnamed project'

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST

Best known for her work on Joystiq's 2007 Game of the Year, Portal, Valve's Kim Swift is reportedly leaving her current position for Dark Void developer Airtight Games. According to Develop, she'll be heading up a team of developers working on a "new, unnamed project" for the US-based company. Airtight prez Jim Deal says that he's "thrilled to work with Kim," and that "her addition to the team represents a strategic move ... into new and broader gaming markets."

Swift's team will be tasked with creating "games aimed at a more diverse audience" -- a challenge Swift appears ready to handle. "I've learned so much and had some amazing experiences at Valve, but when I heard I had the opportunity to work on innovative titles with my friends over at Airtight, I couldn't pass it up." And now we wait (and hope) for the puzzle-based air combat game that's sure to come of this partnership.

Portal lead Kim Swift heads to Airtight Games for 'new, unnamed project' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Edge of Twilight developer FuzzyEyes laid off majority of staff

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:41:00 EST

Following yesterday's report that unsung steampunk action title Edge of Twilight had ceased development, we were unsure of the fate of the game's Australian developer, FuzzyEyes. That fate was revealed earlier today in a public statement from the company's CEO, Wei-Yao Lu, who explained, "On 30th of September, FuzzyEyes has let go the majority of staffs as FuzzyEyes was confronted with number of challenges, including economic downturn and some legal complications."

Lu confirmed that the studio is still in business, and is transitioning as it sells a "portion" of its shares to an unnamed third-party company. During this transition, the studio will "suspend all onsite development," while outsourced development will continue on. Lu claims the studio will be fully operational once more, after the transition, and that a number of employees will be offered their positions back in early 2010. The statement promises more details once the transition is finished -- at which point, we'll hopefully learn the true fate of Edge of Twilight.

Gallery: Edge of Twilight

Edge of Twilight developer FuzzyEyes laid off majority of staff originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ex-Visceral Games staff find new home with Activision's 'Sledgehammer Games'

JC Fletcher — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:15:00 EST

It's official: Visceral Games staffers Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey (best known for Dead Space) have taken positions at a new Activision studio in Foster City, California, called Sledgehammer Games. This tidily clears up two rumors we've been hearing. Yes, Schofield and Condrey went to Activision. Yes, the trademark for "Sledgehammer Games" is for their new studio!

As for the small matter of what the studio is doing ... all Activision says is that it's an "as-yet-unannounced new videogame." It might be called Bloodhunt. It might be an "innovative" action game. Kotaku posits that it might even be Activision's new James Bond game, given that Schofield worked on From Russia with Love back at EA. Whatever it is, we're sure it will be totally visceral ... you know, like a hit from a sledgehammer.

As a service to those of you thinking about it anyway (i.e. all of us), we've got the Peter Gabriel video after the break.

Continue reading Ex-Visceral Games staff find new home with Activision's 'Sledgehammer Games'

Ex-Visceral Games staff find new home with Activision's 'Sledgehammer Games' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The best of WoW.com: October 20-27, 2009

Mike Schramm — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: RPGs, Meta (about Joystiq), MMO

It's a great time to be a WoW player -- Hallow's End is in the air, patch 3.3 is being tested, and the Cataclysm expansion is slowly revealing its secrets to us. Heck, Eliza Dushku is playing World of Warcraft, why aren't you? After the break, ten of the most popular stories from Joystiq's Azeroth-obsessed sister site, WoW.com. If you haven't ever visited the biggest MMO around yet, now might be the time to finally take the leap.

Continue reading The best of WoW.com: October 20-27, 2009

The best of WoW.com: October 20-27, 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former Maxis employee working on new project, SpyParty

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST

If you enjoyed the bioengineering action of Spore, you owe Chris Hecker a debt of gratitude. He was a contributing developer for the title, and is a six-year employee at Maxis -- rather, he was an employee, until he was let go from the company during Maxis' recent round of layoffs. However, he's not recovering from the downsizing by crying into his ice cream -- instead, he's using his newly found free time to develop one of the most interesting-sounding independent games we've heard of in a while.

Hecker's project, SpyParty, pits two players against each other in two different roles -- one plays the eponymous Spy, who must move around a party, discreetly completing objectives and blending in with the other guests. The other player is a Sniper who must identify the Spy's movements, and, well, snipe them. The game was received fairly well when demoed at GDC earlier this year -- now, we hope Hecker will have the time he needs to crank out a finished product. Best of luck, Chris!

[Via Big Download]

Former Maxis employee working on new project, SpyParty originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ex-GRIN staffers form Outbreak Studios

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST

Now that's what we call an expedient rebound -- a number of developers who were recently laid off from GRIN have bounced back, forming a new studio operating under the moniker Outbreak Studios. The head honcho for the new outfit is former GRIN lead programmer Peter Björklund, who, in addition to the games produced by his former place of employment (Wanted: Weapons of Fate and Bionic Commando, among others), worked on Battlefield: Bad Company, Race Pro and Just Cause.

The studio's recently opened site has a clear mission statement -- to "develop titles for Xbox 360 (XBLA), PS3 (PlayStation Store), Games For Windows Live, PSP Go and iPhone." The new developer is also hoping to "deliver online components for AAA titles, both existing or upcoming." We wish the Outbreak team the best of luck, and hope their new ventures far outshine their previous ones.

[Via Edge Online]

Ex-GRIN staffers form Outbreak Studios originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get in the Game initiative offers grants to PSN devs

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:00:00 EST

If you've got a great concept for a downloadable PlayStation Network title -- one you feel rivals the genius of overweight royalty, tumbling rectangles and pixel-sized pollination -- then your chance to shine is approaching. Sony, in conjunction with Pixel-Lab and Northwest Vision and Media are offering £10,000 grants to companies who have great ideas for PSN games as part of their second annual Get in the Game initiative.

You can prepare your brainchild for adjudication during a three-day "pitching and concept development workshop" from October 14 through 16. If you think you've got a shot at the big leagues, you can submit your concept to Get in the Game's producers in November. Five entrants will receive the grant, which they'll use to polish their ideas into something playable before presenting their projects to Sony in March. If they're not terrible, they might get released, and we might end up writing about them, creating some sort of beautiful gaming journalism circle of life.

[Via GamesIndustry]

Get in the Game initiative offers grants to PSN devs originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Koei 'nams new studio location

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:30:00 EST

Koei Tecmo has discovered a clever way to combat rising game development costs -- Japanese gaming blog AndriaSang recently turned our attention to a Japanese newspaper article that explained the company will be opening a studio in Hanoi, Vietnam in mid-September. The lower labor costs in that area should reduce the overall price of game development for the company. As ninjas are extremely expensive to render accurately, we're sure it's a much appreciated discount.

Though the new studio (which will initially be staffed by 20 to 30 locals) will be named "Koei Tecmo Vietnam," the original newspaper report states it will be a subsidiary of Koei rather than the recently merged Koei Tecmo Holdings. In other words -- Koei's gettin' some action on the side. Scan-duh-lous!

Koei 'nams new studio location originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubisoft opening studio in Toronto, continuing to take over Canada [Update]

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:35:00 EST

Having already built successful strongholds in Quebec, Vancouver and Montreal, Ubisoft will reportedly continue its fiendish occupation of Canada by building a studio in the heart of Toronto as part of an agreement with the Ontario government to create more digital-age jobs in the area.

The focus of the studio, the number of jobs it will bring to Ontario and projects it will be tasked with developing are still unknown, though Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat are expected to make a detailed formal announcement later today. Heck, we don't even know what the new studio will be called -- hopefully it'll break from the "Ubisoft + Territory Name" formula the company has used so many times in the past. C'mon, guys! Get original!

Update: Sure enough, McGuinty and Mallat's press conference pulled the veil off of Ubisoft Toronto (ugh!), a new studio which will open up 800 new jobs to the area over the next decade. The new studio will be headed up by Mallat himself, and "will work on Triple-A games" as well as "build on the city's existing experience with the film production industry." Ubisoft has been boasting its digital effects work in films lately -- this new studio will likely lend even more pizzazz to Canadian-made movies. We've got an interview scheduled with Mallat later today, so stay tuned for more specific details.

[Image]

[Via Clint Hocking's Twitter]

Ubisoft opening studio in Toronto, continuing to take over Canada [Update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Orc on Campus: We tour through Blizzard

Kevin Kelly — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:40:00 EST

Blizzard's main company headquarters are, much like any other, located somewhere inside a massive corporate building complex, this one deep inside Irvine, California. Once you get past the guard gate and make your way inside, it's not quite like most business parks. For one, Blizzard has its own ginormous Orc Wolfrider statue guarding the front doors.

There's enough lush green vegetation around to conceal a Fallout-style vault, or a mechanized army of robotic dragons ... which might be where your monthly World of Warcraft fees are going. At least part of that money went to pay for the company's own sand volleyball court, where brave employees reenact that scene from Top Gun.

What other secrets does the place hold? Read on to find out, and browse through the 99 images in the gallery below, which sadly doesn't include the photos we were asked not to show or talk about. Hopefully they'll let us do that soon. For now, let the speculation begin ...

Gallery: Blizzard Tour

Continue reading Big Orc on Campus: We tour through Blizzard

Big Orc on Campus: We tour through Blizzard originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Game Developer Research lists 'Top 50 Developers' of 2009

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:15:00 EST

Game Developer magazine (and its brainy Game Developer Research division) recently published its second annual enumerated accolades for the fine folks who make the games that you crudely jam into your home entertainment consoles -- or, in layman's terms, the "Top 50 Developers 2009" report. The rankings are based on how many games a studio created, the sales for those games, and their metacritic ratings. Quality of box art and amount of 'tude possessed by the games' protagonists, however, were not taken into consideration.

The results are utterly shocking -- for the second year in a row, Nintendo took top honors, with fellow money-printing organization Blizzard taking second place. Ubisoft Montreal skyrocketed from 12th place in the '08 report to third place in the most recent rankings. Regardless of your fanboyism for a certain developer, we think we can all agree -- in such a financially (and employmentmentally) challenging time, we're just glad to hear there's at least 50 game developers that haven't been forced to shut down.

The full list is posted after the jump.

[Thanks, Braz!]

Continue reading Game Developer Research lists 'Top 50 Developers' of 2009

Game Developer Research lists 'Top 50 Developers' of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2 Player Productions' inside look at Sucker Punch raises dev diary bar

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:00:00 EST

Here's a fun, recently discovered fact -- people who make video games are ... people! We know, we know. Stop the presses!

This fact came to our attention in the form of 2 Player Productions' recent three-part developer diary for inFamous -- though, really, inFamous isn't the centerpiece of their work. It's about the minds behind the game: The charismatic, hard-working folks from Sucker Punch Productions. It's a great piece of work -- the diary and the game are, that is -- and we've posted it after the break for your perusal and enjoyment. So ... peruse! Enjoy!

Continue reading 2 Player Productions' inside look at Sucker Punch raises dev diary bar

2 Player Productions' inside look at Sucker Punch raises dev diary bar originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 May 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Krome CEO: Developer budgets have increased more than games market

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:15:00 EST

Sure, everything's all sunshine and daffodils in the ever-expanding video game market, right? Wrong. Dead wrong, mister. While stories to that effect might seem to inspire hope in the gaming industry's seemingly impervious leaders, indie developer Krome's CEO Robert Walsh thinks the gaming press has missed out on an important fact impacting the modern development scene -- developer's budgets "have probably doubled or tripled during the console transition."

To put Walsh's entire argument (which he made in an interview with Develop) into simple terms, the gaming industry is raking in a bajillion dollars annually, but the current console generation has made developing games astronomically more expensive than it has been in the past. Like, a hojillion dollars more expensive. Seeing as how a hojillion is more than a bajillion (of course), developers aren't really seeing a major financial boon from the burgeoning industry. Which really sucks for them.

Krome CEO: Developer budgets have increased more than games market originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 May 2009 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zoe Mode expands to US, takes along two Sony vets

Majed Athab — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:30:00 EST

From Brighton, to London, and now San Francisco, Kuju Entertainment's Zoë Mode studio (developer of You're in the Movies, Crush and Rock Revolution) is ever-expanding. All this, despite initial foreboding that hovered over its parent company earlier this year.

At the helm of the new US Zoë Mode office in San Francisco are two former SCEA employees: US SingStar Senior Producer Sarah Stocker and former EA/SCEA employee Mark Danks. With a team like this, it seems likely that this new ZM studio will have a strong focus on music games, although ZM worldwide general manager, Ed Daly, told GamesIndustry.biz: "In addition to the increasingly crowded singing and dancing, peripheral-based music games, we are interested in exploring some new territory." Aw, and we were so looking forward to Rock Revolution 2.

Zoe Mode expands to US, takes along two Sony vets originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 19 May 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No Bone about it: new Bone game NOT coming (curses!)

Kevin Kelly — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:30:00 EST

Despite the fact that we wrote about it, and our hearts yearned for it, Jeff Smith has dashed our hopes to pieces on the sharp rocks below by confirming that a new Bone game is not indeed coming out anytime soon:

"You know, I don't know what the video game thing is all about. There is no new Bone video game in the works. I think it may be refering to something Scholastic is planing for its website - - a little flash game, maybe, or it could just be an internet rumor that made it onto the list!"

It's too bad, because if you've read this magnum opus comic book, you'll know how cool another Bone game would be. Or rather, a good Bone game. We'll cross our fingers in the hopes that someone will start work on something that brings Bone to life in a video game setting, preferably in the original black and white. With all the indie game action at SXSW, it seems ripe for the developing.

[Via VGTribune]

No Bone about it: new Bone game NOT coming (curses!) originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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