Joystiq

Robot Entertainment celebrates 4th birthday with catalog sale

David Hinkle — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 02:00:00 EST

Robot Entertainment is celebrating four years of game development with a sale highlighting library of releases: Orcs Must Die, Orcs Must Die 2, and Hero Academy.

Purchase of any item from the studio's official store will net you a Steam key to activate the item on Valve's digital distribution platform. Highlights include Orcs Must Die 2 for $3.74 and Hero Academy, with all DLC, for $4.24.

Robot Entertainment rose from the ashes of Ensemble Studios, the Halo Wars developer Microsoft shut down back in 2008. When Ensemble was shuttered, the founders went off and formed Robot Entertainment; others would go on to form Bonfire Studios.

Robot Entertainment celebrates 4th birthday with catalog sale originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Mar 2013 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hero Academy now enrolling on Mac

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:30:00 EST

Hero Academy, already available on iOS and PC, is now available on Mac via Steam. The addictive turn-based strategy game from Robot Entertainment (Orcs Must Die) pits two teams of various units against one another, tasking players with either destroying the opposing team's crystals, or eliminating all enemy units.

The Steam version is $5 and works on both PC and Mac and includes the special Team Fortress 2 team. Furthermore, all purchased teams work across all versions of the game, including iOS.

Hero Academy now enrolling on Mac originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hero Academy admits students today on Steam

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:48:00 EST

Robot Entertainment's delayed Steam edition of Hero Academy will be available today. The developer tells us it should be available "around midday Eastern time."

"The price for the base game on Steam will be $4.99. For that, players will get the core game without ads - the ios base game is free, but is supported by ads - the Council team, the Team Fortress 2 expansion team, which can then be used on iOS devices also and the Council-inspired Ninja Cowl cosmetic item for TF2," said community manager Justin Korthof of Robot to us about the release.

Korthof tells us additional pricing for expansion team packs will be revealed when the game goes live in a few hours.

Update: Available now.

Continue reading Hero Academy admits students today on Steam

Hero Academy admits students today on Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hero Academy delayed on Steam, will launch as soon as possible

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 09:30:00 EST

Robot Entertainment's Hero Academy for Steam has been delayed, missing yesterday's launch date.

"We ran into an unexpected issue at the last minute. The issue only seems to affect a small portion of players, but we're not comfortable shipping the game until we've resolved it," Justin Korthof of Robot told Joystiq. "We know it's a nuisance for players who were excited to start playing yesterday, but it's important to us that Hero Academy is at its best when it's released."

Steam now lists the game with an August 16 release date, but Korthof tells us that's a placeholder.

"While it could take that long to release, we're optimistic that it will be out sooner than that," he continued. "We want to release the highest quality game possible, and we're working hard to get this issue resolved quickly. We're hoping to have more info about an updated release date later today or early tomorrow, and we'll continue to keep people updated through our Twitter feed and Facebook page."

[Thanks, Will]

Hero Academy delayed on Steam, will launch as soon as possible originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hero Academy's Team Fortress 2 team sounds pretty powerful

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:20:00 EST

After announcing that Hero Academy would soon be making its way to Steam, developer Robot Entertainment has now revealed details surrounding the PC version's special Team Fortress 2 team. One thing Hero Academy players will notice right away is that there are a lot of different units. The Team Fortress 2 team has a whopping 9 units, as compared to every other team's 5.

All the Team Fortress 2 classes are represented, each with different special abilities. The Spy, for example, is a cloaked unit that can't be targeted at range. Meanwhile the Engineer can upgrade other units' weapons, the Demoman lobs area-of-effect grenades and the Sniper can target any unit in the same row. As if all that weren't enough, the team's bonus allows them to gain an extra action point every time they stomp an enemy unit (remove it from the board).

Honestly, it sounds like the team will be pretty powerful, although, in fairness, Robot hasn't announced how many of each unit will be available and the team description makes no mention of consumable items.

In other news, the PC version of Hero Academy will include a map based on "Well" from Team Fortress 2. Oh, and of course purchasing other heroic teams will unlock cosmetic items in Team Fortress 2. See some new screens in the gallery below and check out the full team description after the break.

Gallery: Hero Academy (Team Fortress 2 Heroic Team)

Continue reading Hero Academy's Team Fortress 2 team sounds pretty powerful

Hero Academy's Team Fortress 2 team sounds pretty powerful originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hero Academy coming to Steam this August

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:45:00 EST

I've had a great run here at Joystiq. It's been a wonderful six years but, this morning, Senior Reporter Ben Gilbert informed me that Hero Academy will soon be coming to Steam. It will feature a special Team Fortress 2 team of heroes, will be cross-platform compatible with the iOS version and all purchased teams will work across both versions.

Hero Academy will come to Steam on August 9, which means I have about 40 days of productivity left. I can't promise I will write another word after that. Sorry.

Continue reading Hero Academy coming to Steam this August

Hero Academy coming to Steam this August originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blatant Hero Academy rip-off on App Store is the laziest yet

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:30:00 EST

It's astoundingly easy to make an app and have it published on the App Store, a fact that has helped the dreams of many developers blossom into reality and is largely regarded as A Good Thing. However, as previous, blatantly plagiarized apps have proven, some people will take A Good Thing and use it to make a quick, dirty buck.

The latest scam may be the laziest yet: "Knights Fight" has stolen the screenshots, icon and dignity of Hero Academy, and is selling it for $0.99 on the App Store. Hero Academy itself is an intricate, free title from established indie developer Robot Entertainment, while "Knights Fight" is from Idea House, which exists only as a stark website and is apparently based in suburbia, Wisconsin. At least Idea House got the second half of its name correct.

Robot Entertainment told Game Informer it is aware of the fake title and is waiting on a response from Apple, who we assume is too busy counting its money to respond right away, or to thoroughly check the apps it puts in its store.

Blatant Hero Academy rip-off on App Store is the laziest yet originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hero Academy update adds Tribe team, optimizes app for iPad

David Hinkle — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST

Sick and tired of the lack of variety in your team selection when playing Hero Academy? You've got three teams: the Council, the Dark Elves and the Dwarves. Three is plenty, right? Not for Robot Entertainment -- a new team known as the Tribe is coming soon.

On top of the new team, Robot Entertainment is also adding a new battlefield, free to all players, and iPad support that optimizes the universal app with high-res graphics and more screen space specifically designed for iPad. For a breakdown of the new content, march on past the break.

Continue reading Hero Academy update adds Tribe team, optimizes app for iPad

Hero Academy update adds Tribe team, optimizes app for iPad originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Portabliss: Hero Academy (iOS)

David Hinkle — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Hero Academy from Robot Entertainment.

Remember that scene in Star Wars where R2 and Chewie are playing a weird, virtual Chess-type game? Hero Academy is perhaps the closest we'll ever come to experiencing such a distraction firsthand.

Gallery: Hero Academy (iOS)

Continue reading Portabliss: Hero Academy (iOS)

Portabliss: Hero Academy (iOS) originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hero Academy available now on iOS, free

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST

Robot Entertainment, developers of the polished tower defense action game Orcs Must Die, launched Hero Academy today for iOS. The strategy game is "free," but if you enjoy the experience at all, you'll find yourself paying the $1 to make the intrusive ads popping up after every turn go away. There are also more heroic teams, avatars, uniforms and taunts to buy at $1+ apiece.

The strategy title features asynchronous play, allowing you to keep up with several matches against friends or strangers while on the go. Robot clearly has plans to expand on this property, its first foray into the mobile market, with more teams and a la carte items.

Gallery: Hero Academy (iOS)

Continue reading Hero Academy available now on iOS, free

Hero Academy available now on iOS, free originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robot Entertainment reveals iOS game, Hero Academy

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:20:00 EST

Orcs Must Die developer Robot Entertainment recently revealed to us the identity of its next opus: A two-player competitive iOS board game titled Hero Academy. It's a tactics game in which players move heroes across a staging area in an attempt to destroy their competitor's home base crystal before theirs, in turn, gets smashed. If that sounds a little too intense for your usual iOS gaming tastes, don't fret -- the action all takes place asynchronously.

Check out the screens below for a first look at the downloadable title, and keep an eye out for the debut trailer in the coming days!

Gallery: Hero Academy (iOS)

Robot Entertainment reveals iOS game, Hero Academy originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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