| DreamWorks, Universal Studios veteran working on a new game Apr 3rd 2013, 15:52 15-year animated film designer behind Despicable Me, The Lorax, and Spirit making medieval fantasy game Ghost of a Tale for PC. 
Animated film veteran Lionel Gallat, who spent 15 years making movies for DreamWorks and Universal Studios like Despicable Me, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and The Lorax is turning to games. The designer has launched crowd-funding campaign through Indiegogo for a medieval fantasy game called Ghost of a Tale, which stars an adventurous mouse. The game's funding target is €45,000 ($57,000). "You play as a mouse on an adventure set in a medieval world," Gallat explained. "At the beginning of the game, you get to the Island of Periclave. Now what is the mouse looking for? What happened on the island? Why are there undead rats roaming around? That will be up to you to discover." Gallat has spent the past year building the game, which he is making alone. A two-minute gameplay video is embedded below. Ghost of a Tale is currently slated to launch during the first half of 2014 for PC with no DRM, though he said his "lack of experience" in game development may push the title back to the end of 2014. A closed beta is planned for December 2013 at the latest. Linux and Mac versions are possible. Inspirations for Ghost of a Tale include Disney's Robin Hood, Winnie the Pooh, and The Secret of Nimh, as well as the paintings of Lord of the Rings artists Alan Lee and John Howe, among others. Game-specific inspirations include early Zelda titles, Ico, the Gothic series, and Dark Souls. "My goal is to craft a small yet beautiful game with environments that look a bit like movie sets and characters that have a sense of stylization in their design, while retaining a certain simplicity and immediacy as far as gameplay is involved," Gallat said. Gallat is not the only animated film veteran getting into games. A group of Pixar artists recently formed Steel Wool Games and have partnered with publisher Ripstone for a multiplatform title called Flyhunter. [ Watch Video ] Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
|  | Doom 4 rebooted but still in development Apr 3rd 2013, 15:22 Rage 2, however, is reported to have been scrapped. 
A "new version" of announced but long-absent Doom 4 is still in development, publisher Bethesda has said. Speaking to Kotaku, Bethesda marketing vice president Pete Hines confirmed that the game was still in development, with numerous sources suggesting a release on next-gen consoles. "An earlier version of Doom 4 did not exhibit the quality and excitement that id and Bethesda intend to deliver and that Doom fans worldwide expect," said Hines. "As a result, id refocused its efforts on a new version of Doom 4 that promises to meet the very high expectations everyone has for this game and this franchise. When we're ready to talk about the Doom 4 id is making, we will let folks know." Sources claim that the original version of Doom 4--which one sourced dubbed "Call of Doom"--was scrapped in 2011 after developer id Software finished work on Rage. Sources claim the original version of Doom 4 borrowed many of its creative elements from modern shooters. “People referenced Call of Duty,“ said one source. “There were jokes like, “Oh, it“s Call of Doom.“ They referenced it because of the amount it was scripted“there were a lot of scripted set pieces. There was kind of the recognition that in order to be a big shooter these days, you have to have some amount of the big, bombastic movie experience that people get pulled through.“ According to another source, Bethesda scrapped plans for Rage 2 after the original failed to meet commercial and critical expectations, and put everyone at id to work on Doom 4. One executive is reported to have told the project leaders at id that Doom 4 needs to have the same commercial success as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. But while John Carmack said the game will be "done when it's done" at Quakecon 2012, another source says the Doom 4 project is “not going well.“ Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Xbox 720 announcement in May? Apr 3rd 2013, 14:58 Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian says Microsoft to reveal future platform next month. 
Microsoft will announce the Xbox 720 in May, according to Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian. The news came from a note to investors today about Electronic Arts, with Sebastian saying this announcement will be a catalyst for shares. No information regarding the exact date or venue of the rumored announcement was divulged. A previous report suggested Microsoft would announce the new platform during a one-off media event later this month. A Microsoft representative told GameSpot, "We do not comment on rumors or speculation. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform, but we don't have anything further to share at this time." Though Microsoft has not officially spoken about the Xbox 720, speculation about the platform has not been lacking. GameStop CEO recently said the console is a "very hot, compelling device," adding that the "world is going to stand up and take notice" when Microsoft finally shares details about the system. According to past reports, the Xbox 720 may require Kinect and an Internet connection to function, block used games, and feature Siri-like voice recognition, among other features. Microsoft has previously warned users about Xbox 720 scam sites. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | New Torment RPG delayed into 2015 Apr 3rd 2013, 14:25 Overflow funding pushes inXile to delay isometric role-playing game beyond intended December 2014 date. 
[UDPATE] The Torment: Tides of Numenera Kickstarter campaign has crossed $3.5 million, meaning Obsidian Entertainment creative director Chris Avellone will join the inXile design team. Avellone was lead designer on the original Planescape: Torment, the inspiration for Tides of Numenera. The original story follows below Torment: Tides of Numenera has been delayed into 2015. Developer inXile Entertainment explained on its Kickstarter page that due to the project's runaway success on Kickstarter, extra time will be needed to increase the game's scope and quality. "We purposely designed Torment to be modular so that, if we had additional funding, we could easily expand upon the game in ways that would make sense. Your support has exceeded our expectations. It is clear to us that to create as high quality a final product as we desire, and as you deserve, we“re going to want more time than we had in our original schedule," inXile said. The original funding target for Torment: Tides of Numenera was set at $900,000 with a projected launch window of December 2014. With 58 hours remaining, the project has drawn $3.4 million from nearly 63,000 backers. The game is now expected to release "a few months" after December 2014. "It's our plan to use funds to keep the team on the project longer, allowing us to design, iterate, and polish more, to make a game that truly lives up to the Torment name," the developer said. On Monday, inXile released the first Torment: Tides of Numenera screenshot and announced that fantasy author Pat Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy) will join the development team. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | New Square Enix president promises a review of the company Apr 3rd 2013, 13:56 Yosuke Matsuda says he'll look at the publisher and squeeze out what doesn't work. 
New Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda has promised a fundamental review of the publisher. "After having succeeded the important role as the president, I plan on reviewing all Square Enix duties, business and assets on a zero-based budgeting standpoint," Matsuda explained in a briefing to investors (via Siliconera). Matsuda became Square Enix president last week following the resignation of Yoichi Wada amid the announcement of "extraordinary losses" in the company's financial report. Wada had held the role for over a decade. "I'd like to fundamentally review what works and what doesn't work for our company," continued Matsuda, "then cast all of our resources towards extending what makes us successful and thoroughly squeezing out what doesn't." Phil Rogers, the current CEO of Square Enix Europe, will be promoted to company director and assist Matsuda. Yoichi Wada will remain at the company in a non-managerial role. "I will be retiring from the line of management, but I plan to work on site as a way to pay my debt to the company," he said. Last week Square Enix blamed the poor performance of its titles in America and Europe for its unsatisfactory revenue, and instigated a major restructuring process that the company expects will lead to a loss of 10 billion yen for the financial year ending March 31. The publisher is currently working on Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and HD versions of Final Fantasy X and X-2. A new Final Fantasy announcement has been promised for E3 2013, and Square Enix is also in charge of Eidos Montreal's next-gen reboot of Thief, which is due for release in 2014. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Sega admits Aliens: Colonial Marines trailers were misleading - Report Apr 3rd 2013, 13:31 Publisher to add disclaimers to videos in United Kingdom after acknowledging they do not reflect final game. 
Sega of Europe has admitted that some of its Aliens: Colonial Marines trailers are misleading, and will add disclaimers informing viewers that the final game may look different. It is not clear if similar disclaimers will be implemented in North America or other regions. As reported by Eurogamer, the admission and decision to add disclaimers was made following a discussion between Sega and the UK's Advertising Standards Agency (ASA). This conversation was sparked by a Reddit user going by subpardave. Subpardave filed a complaint with the ASA regarding the "absurd" differences between in-game footage and footage used in trailers to promote Aliens: Colonial Marines. This user then publisher the letter he received from the ASA in response to his complaint. A portion of it reads: "We contacted Sega Europe to discuss this issue. They explained that their online trailers used demo footage, created using the in-game engine. Sega Europe understood the objections raised about the quality of the game in relation to the trailers, but explained that they weren't aware of these issues when the trailers were produced, in some cases several months before release." "Sega Europe acknowledged your objection that the trailers did not accurately reflect the final content of the game. They agreed to add a disclaimer, both on their website and in all relevant YouTube videos, which explains that the trailers depict footage of the demo versions of the game. The disclaimer will be visible when each online trailer is played." With the disclaimers in place, the ASA said viewers will clearly understand that the videos they watch are not representative of the final product and therefore aren't "likely to materially mislead the public." Aliens: Colonial Marines was largely bashed by reviewers at launch in February. A Wii U version was supposed to launch last month, but neither Sega nor developer Demiurge have commented on whether or not this project is still in the works. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Angry Birds studio sales double in 2012 Apr 3rd 2013, 12:51 Rovio full-year revenue grows 101 percent to €152.2 million, headcount doubles. 
The Angry Birds sensation is not fading away. Developer Rovio Entertainment today announced financial results for 2012, revealing revenue grew 101 percent to €152.2 million ($195.1 million) up from €75.6 million ($96.8 million) last year. Earnings before interest and taxes hit €76.8 million ($98.4 million), up 64 percent year-over-year, while net profit was €55.5 million ($71.1 million) compared to €35.4 million ($45.4 million) last year. "Rovio has grown from a phenomenon to a very successful global business," Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said in a statement. "In 2010 we set out to build an entertainment company and after last year's performance we are on a strong path to achieve our goal." Rovio's rosy 2012 benefited from the release of major mobile games like Angry Birds Space, Amazing Alex, Bad Piggies, and Angry Birds Star Wars. In May 2012, the Angry Birds franchise crossed 1 billion downloads and monthly active users across all platforms hit 263 million in December. Rovio sales were not the only component of the company's business that doubled in 2012. The Espoo, Finland-based studio also saw its headcount rise to 518 people, up from 224 in 2011. Looking ahead, Rovio said it expects its business to continue to grow, noting future success will depend on the success of new game launches, the company's ability to keep fans engaged with its titles, and the prosperity of "new initiatives" in 2013. The total number of Rovio game downloads has exceeded 1.7 billion, Rovio said. Rovio recently launched its Angry Birds Toons television series, while an Angry Birds feature film from Iron Man and Despicable Me producers will launch in 2016. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Levine: Violence has always been part of the storyteller's toolkit Apr 3rd 2013, 12:07 BioShock designer Ken Levine says for better or worse, violence as a story device has been used since "the dawn of narrative." 
In the wake of the December Newtown, Conn. shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead, Ken Levine has responded to the ongoing violence in games discussion. Speaking with NPR's On Point radio program, Levine said violence being used as a narrative device is nothing new. "Violence, for better or for worse, is“going back to the dawn of narrative, is a part of the story teller's toolkit," Levine said. Levine then brought up an example of his childhood, explaining that he had a tough time making friends growing up and so he spent a lot of time playing Dungeons & Dragons. At the time, this game was linked to murders and suicides, though Levine said it did not have a negative effect on him. "I think there's a couple questions here. I remember when I was a kid; I was not a very popular kid. I was a nerdy, little kid. And I didn't have friends because I wasn't very good at socializing," Levine said. "And I found Dungeons & Dragons and if you remember, back in the 70s there was this big human cry about Dungeons and Dragons; kids were going off and killing themselves and disappearing into caves. And that happened with comic books and that happened with rock and roll music." Interviewer Tom Ashbrook then interjected, pointing out that in the case of the Sandy Hook shooting, the loss of life was immediate and overwhelming to the world at large. Levine responded to this, saying for him, games were a shield, in a way, from violence. "My point is, for me personally, games were a way around being 'that kid.' I'm not speaking as a scientist here; we can argue the science, but I'm“ not the best guy to do that," Levine said. "I think the other point is they call them first-person shooters; F-P-S. There's the F-P, the first-person aspect of being, inhabiting a character's role," he added. "And then there's the S part, which is the shooter part. And I'm not sure that they're necessarily one in the same." Levine's latest body of work is BioShock Infinite, which released last week to rapt reviews. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Epic: PlayStation 4 is like being given 'the world's best PC' Apr 3rd 2013, 11:46 Epic Games vice president Mark Rein calls Sony's decision to use off-the-shelf PC components a "very smart move." 
Epic Games vice president Mark Rein has said Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4, which features a mix of off-the-shelf computer components, is like being given "the world's best PC." "I think it's a very smart move on Sony's behalf to build this sort of enhanced PC architecture and then put so much in it," said Rein in an interview with CVG. One of the chief positives for Rein is the PlayStation 4's 8GB of GDDR5 RAM. "Let's not forget it has 16 times the memory we had in PlayStation 3--that's not insignificant. Knowing that every machine has that“ we can do crazy, ridiculous stuff with that." "The other exciting thing is that“ when you think about Windows, even Windows for most people is tied to about 2GB of addressable memory space. This really opens up beyond what most PCs can do, because most PCs are running a 32-bit version of Windows." "It's like giving you the world's best PC," he added. In terms of gaming, then, Rein was enthused. "The kind of stuff that they announced that they're doing, the level of convenience and things like that“ they're making a really perfect gaming PC," he added. Rein added that the next-generation of consoles is about more than just adding extra specs to the hardware, though. "I've always said that the things in the next-generation that aren't just brute force hardware are all about the service and simplicity of the experience - the things that make it as fun and easy to get a PS4 game as it is to get a game on your iPad." The PlayStation 4 is due for release later in 2013. At GDC last week, Epic released a new video of the Unreal Engine 4 running on Sony's new hardware. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Amiga and CD32 video game music compilation out worldwide this May Apr 3rd 2013, 10:14 Collection by Netherlands record label 010101 Music to feature composers like Chris Huelsbeck, Tim Wright and David Whittaker. 
Netherlands record label 010101 Music announced that it will be releasing a video game music collection featuring tunes from Amiga and CD 32 titles. The 19-track album is called Paula Agnus Denise and will consist of remastered tracks and remixed versions of music from titles like Alien Breed, Turrican 3, and Shadow of the Beast 2. The composers who will be involved in the project include Chris Huelsbeck, Tim Wright, Allister Brimble, David Whittaker and Barry Leitch. The album will be out worldwide on May 6 in CD and digital download form via Amazon MP3 and iTunes. The full track listing is just below. "Hired Guns Medley" (Synchaoz Remake) -Synchaoz
"Shadow of the Beast 3 Game Over (Urban Slide Mix)" - CoLD SToRAGE
"Turrican 3 Main Theme" - Chris Huelsbeck
"Shadow of the Beast 2 Title Theme (Oxygene Moon Mix)" - CoLD SToRAGE
"Narcissus (Cannon Fodder Lost in Service Synchaoz Remix)" - Synchaoz
"Alien Breed" - Allister Brimble
"Apidya Techno Party (Rapture Trance Mix)" - Fabian Del Priore
"Battle Squadron Intro" - Ron Klaren
"Pinball Dreams Title (Digital World 2011 Mix)" - Char7ie
"Clockwiser Title" - Ramon Braumuller
"Agony Title (Acoustic Jam)" - Danja & Martine
"Battle Squadron Game Over" - Ron Klaren
"Shadow of the Beast Title (daXX Orchestra Remix)" - daXX
"Megablast (Xenon 2 Mix)" - Bomb the Bass
"Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 Theme (daXX Remix) - daXX
"Turrican 2 Main Title" - Tomi Jylhä-Ollila
"Project-X" - Allister Brimble
"Brutal Deluxe (Speedball 2 Theme Remake)" - The Zero One
"Apidya Theme" - Chris Huelsbeck Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Free SimCity DLC offers sponsored Nissan Leaf car dock Apr 3rd 2013, 09:41 Sponsored DLC offers in-game happiness for displaying a company logo. 
Maxis is offering sponsored DLC for SimCity, starting with a free Nissan Leaf charging station. In game, the Nissan Leaf charging stations offers no real downsides--the building generates happiness without requiring power, water, or workers. It doesn't generate any waste. The in-game advertisement does, however, feature a prominent Nissan logo and fill your city with Nissan's electric Leaf cars. "Plopping down the Nissan LEAF® Charging Station will add happiness to nearby buildings," says Maxis. "Adding the Charging Station will not take power, water or workers away from your city. Zoom in to the streets of cities and players will start seeing a percentage of their Sims from all wealth classes driving the electric vehicles. The Charging Station produces no garbage or sewage as well making it pollution free." Any SimCity player interested in the Nissan Leaf charging station can download it for free from Origin or the in-game store. The content will be available for the next six months. For more information on SimCity, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Square Enix Los Angeles hit with layoffs Apr 3rd 2013, 09:25 Undisclosed amount of people let go from Californian studio. 
Update: Joystiq has reported that half of Square Enix Los Angeles' marketing department has been let go, which is estimated to be 10 people. Around 20 members of staff were laid off across the accounting, IT, and events departments, with another five to 10 going from community and support. The PR department, which is believed to be roughly seven people, will be reduced by about half after E3 this June. Executives will also be hit with redundancies, including the head of marketing and Square Enix America president and CEO Mike Fischer. Original story: Square Enix has laid off an undisclosed number of staff at its Los Angeles studio in California, the publisher has confirmed. In a statement issued to Joystiq, a Square Enix representative said "we can confirm that Square Enix's Los Angeles office has eliminated a number of positions as part of the corporate restructuring announced last week." "This is an unfortunate situation and we are offering assistance and severance packages to any employees affected by this, we want to thank them for their hard work and sincerely wish them well in the future." Square Enix Los Angeles was involved with the publisher's MMO titles, such as Final Fantasy XIV and Wakfu. The studio had previously suffered another round of layoffs back in December 2012. Former Square Enix president Yoichi Wada resigned last week after announcing an "extraordinary" loss in the publisher's first quarter financials. The loss was attributed to many of the publisher's games suffering in America and Europe, with the recent high-profile reboot of Tomb Raider failing to hit its sales target, despite selling 3.4 million copies in its opening month. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Telltale's The Walking Dead landing in Australia May 9 Apr 3rd 2013, 06:33 Episodic adventure series hitting Australian stores next month; retail release will include all five episodes of the first season. 
Telltale Games' episodic adventure series The Walking Dead will be getting a retail release in Australia on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on May 9 this year. Telltale announced it would be releasing the game as a retail product in Australia following the Classification Board of Australia's decision to rate the title MA15+ for "strong themes and horror violence". The retail release of the game compiles all five episodes of the first season of Telltale's The Walking Dead, which debuted in April 2012 as a digital download. Telltale revealed early last year that it had no plans to release the game in Australia and New Zealand due to strict rating laws. Australia officially introduced an adult classification for video games on January 1 this year, allowing R18+ rated games to be sold at a national level. Prior to its classification in Australia, Telltale's The Walking Dead was obtainable on PC and Mac via digital games retailer Steam, or purchased online through Telltale's own site. Telltale's The Walking Dead is a single-player episodic game that is based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series. It stars Lee Everett, a man convicted of a crime, but given a chance to redeem himself, albeit in a world infested with the undead. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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