UFO Gaming, the pioneering blockchain gaming platform, unveiled its long-awaited Metaverse with thousands of visitors in attendance.
While many companies are building Metaverses following Facebook’s rebrand to Meta, UFO Gaming was among the early pioneers that announced audacious plans on building one long before this – and it has now finally come to fruition.
UFO Gaming is the first initiative to establish a unique multichain Metaverse with concrete advantages for gamers, providing them with digital assets such as NFTs in the form of in-game items, virtual land, and monetary value. $UFO holders may take advantage of a variety of perks, including dividends and community participation.
During the launch, UFO Gaming orchestrated an Easter Egg Hunt, Team AMA, Streamer Takeover, and Staking dApp Launch, all within their Metaverse event allowing their community to play and win prizes. UFO Gaming enclosing their gaming platform within their Metaverse was a strategic move; recent analysis by McKinsey&Co (2022) projects that the Metaverse market will top $50 billion by 2026.
The rise of ambitious crypto projects such as UFO Gaming is important in driving Metaverse growth and adoption. UFO Gaming utilizes virtual reality technology combined with the power of the blockchain to create uniquely immersive gameplay and future value for the $UFO token. The Metaverse market is expected to be driven by the increasing adoption of blockchain technology, the growing popularity of crypto assets, and the rise of UFO Gaming (CoinTelegraph, 20221).
Mckinsey surveyed over 3,400 consumers and executives on the Metaverse to find the vast majority believe that it will become increasingly important in the years to come. While Metaverse adoption is in its early stages, it is clear that it has the potential to revolutionize the way we live, work, and play. Those who don’t start planning for the Metaverse now may find themselves at a serious disadvantage in the years to come. One way to get involved is to research early pioneers in the Metaverse space such as UFO Gaming (McKinsey&Co, 20222).
About UFO Gaming UFO Gaming (UFO) is a revolutionary blockchain gaming platform giving players the power to earn cryptocurrency while playing games and to own their in-game items as NFTs. While launching their own games, UFO is developing its own Metaverse which invites users to meet, interact, and jump into its play-to-earn games.
Posted in Blockchain Gaming, Game News |
Comments Off on Planet Mojo Metaverse Begins Private Playtests for Launch Title Mojo Melee
Players will battle in multiplayer pre-alpha testing of the autochess title’s PvP gameplay.
Initial Mojo Melee playtests will be open to Planet Mojo NFT holders.
Feedback from the playtests will help Planet Mojo’s developers refine all facets of Mojo Melee’s player experience.
A Premint Campaign begins today for a free “VIP Playtest Pass” NFT that will grant additional gamers access to playtests in September.
Planet Mojo, the hotly anticipated Web3 gaming metaverse developed by Mystic Moose, will kick off pre-alpha playtests for their first title, Mojo Melee. Early supporters will be able to participate in scheduled live playtests throughout the rest of August. Mojo Melee is Planet Mojo’s first game in its mythical metaverse, in which players control teams consisting of magical creatures called Mojos and a range of Champions with diverse abilities to go head-to-head in a new autochess title, a type of chess-like strategy game.
The pre-alpha playtests for Mojo Melee will be organized in an 8-player, PvP format and introduce the game’s core mechanics. Playtesters will be able to select from pre-configured teams that each include a Mojo, 4 Champions, and 2 SpellStones that enable Mojos to channel offensive or defensive magical abilities.
Two to three sessions per week will be organized for Mojo Melee’s pre-alpha playtesters pitting players head-to-head in fast-paced matches. Each session will last for 45 to 60 minutes and involve multiple matches. The pre-alpha playtesting will be conducted in Mojo Melee’s WebGL build, meaning it will only be available through web browsers, on desktops. Mobile and downloadable versions are in the works.
Planet Mojo is recruiting a cohort of playtesters from existing Mojo NFT holders. In addition, a Premint Campaign to distribute “VIP Playtest Pass” NFTs is launching today. Passholders will be able to participate in live playtest sessions in the upcoming weeks.
“We are incredibly excited to let our community be the first to playtest our pre-alpha build of Mojo Melee. The autochess genre has been gaining traction over the past three years, and we’re pushing the envelope by introducing fresh concepts in the Web3 context. As a project that is always open to hearing from our supporters, we can’t wait to receive feedback from our players so that Mojo Melee can be fine-tuned for the best possible experience,” said Mike Levine, CEO and Founder of Mystic Moose.
Planet Mojo has quickly gained traction to become one of the top followed Web3 games. A range of organic campaigns have attracted a diverse and active audience that includes 88,700+ Twitter followers and a community of 69,500+ Discord members.
Additional details about Mojo Melee’s playtests will be released on Planet Mojo’s Twitter, Discord, and Telegram.
About Planet Mojo Planet Mojo is a Web3 gaming metaverse being built by Mystic Moose. Set on a rich, mysterious alien world, players will compete using their NFT-based customized teams in a suite of player-versus-player (PvP), play-and-earn games and esports tournaments, including a debut autochess title. Visit www.planetmojo.io to find out more.
About Mystic Moose Mystic Moose is a decentralized independent development studio comprised of game industry veterans from LucasArts, EA, Activision, and HappyGiant. The company is backed by industry leaders, including Animoca Brands, Courtside Ventures, Republic, Sfermion, and Alameda. Mystic Moose is headquartered in moose-filled Conway, MA.
Posted in Game News |
Comments Off on Dial M for Mozart: Baroque Murder Mystery “Mozart Requiem” Launches This Fall
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: famous Baroque composer, integral figure in the history of music – and murderer? That’s the question on everyone’s mind after the renowned musician becomes entangled in a deadly plot in Mozart Requiem, which GS2 Games is bringing to PlayStationⓇ 4 and Switch™ physical and digital and digitally to PC September 6, 2022.
Prague 1788. Mozart, nearing the peak of his career, prepares for the glorious debut of his Don Giovanni in the heart of the Golden City when the unthinkable happens. Sinister forces plot to dethrone Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and Mozart’s patron, and plunge the realm into chaos. Suspicion soon falls upon Mozart himself, who must turn his prodigious intellect away from music and devote his genius to unravelling the deadly conspiracy that has the city in its grasp. Caught between a war of powers and occult ceremonies, you will have only one mission: to save the Emperor. Will you be up to the task?
“For years we wanted to put together a fun adventure game that brought Mozart’s amazing talents to console,” said Manny Granillo, Executive Director at HR GAMES. “MOZART REQUIEM brings back the classic adventure style that we all enjoyed and combined it with a thrilling mystery to unravel.”
Mozart Requiem deftly weaves fiction and historical fact, bringing its opulent vision of Prague to life with careful attention to detail and modeling it on extant 18th century maps of city. While this particular calamity didn’t occur during Joseph II’s reign, Mozart, his contemporaries, and other key events that unfold are also drawn from historical records.
Key features
The renowned Baroque city of Prague, accurately modeled on period maps
Characters, personalities and intrigue drawn from historical records
Dozens of mind-bending puzzles to solve
Unmatched musical soundtrack by Mozart
An unparalleled adventure with murder, conspiracy, and secret societies
About HR GAMES HR GAMES is the publishing arm of Hoplite Research, LLC. As a developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment software, Hoplite Research, LLC is currently celebrating its 21st year in Entertainment, Research & Design. Hoplite Research, LLC management creates intellectual property and games through technology, innovation, and design on console, online, arcade, PC, Mac, and mobile devices.
About GS2 Games GS2 Games is a licensed PlayStation® and Nintendo Switch™ publisher and distributor of video games all across the globe. Founded in 2019 by industry veteran Len Ciciretto, the independent company seeks to bring a wide range of games for all ages to market. https://gs2games.com
Posted in Blockchain Gaming, Game News |
Comments Off on The Sandbox Partners with ITV Studios to Spice Up the Metaverse With Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen
Leading Metaverse Adds Award-Winning Reality Show IP as Its First-Ever Virtual Restaurant and Chef-Themed Game Experience
The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming virtual world and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, announced today that it has partnered with ITV Studios to bring Gordon Ramsay’s award-winning reality show Hell’s Kitchen to The Sandbox metaverse. Hell’s Kitchen has traveled to 24 territories globally and the show will air its 21st season in the US starring multi-Michelin Star chef Gordon Ramsay on FOX starting on September 29th.
Through the partnership, Hell’s Kitchen restaurant experiences designed with input from Ramsay will be hosted on ITV’s LAND in The Sandbox. Additionally, Hell’s Kitchen-themed assets, including limited edition Gordon Ramsay avatars, will be available down the line for players and creators to include in their own original experiences.
Hell’s Kitchen is a five-time Emmy-nominated reality show in which aspiring chefs compete for the opportunity to run one of Ramsay’s eateries. The Hell’s Kitchen restaurant setting, seen in a new teaser video released today, will represent the first experiences based on cooking themes to appear in The Sandbox:
“We’re shaping the metaverse to become an expansion of all real world activities through the creative possibilities offered by technology – and who better than Gordon Ramsay and Hell’s Kitchen to bring our first restaurant culinary and social experiences to The Sandbox,” said Sebastien Borget, COO and Co-Founder of The Sandbox. “In this immersive setting, the show’s fans and community can bring their avatars into Gordon Ramsay’s world and be challenged to bring their creativity to new levels.”
“There’s nothing more exciting to me than chartering new territory, whether that’s creating a signature dish, a new restaurant concept, a new show, or now a virtual experience in The Sandbox,” said Gordon Ramsay. “I’ve been fascinated by The Sandbox and its offering in the metaverse. I couldn’t think of a better platform to bring the high energy of my Hell’s Kitchen restaurant and brand.”
“We’re right at the beginning of exploring the potential of entertainment brands in the metaverse so we’re very excited to bring Hell’s Kitchen to The Sandbox. Both are innovators in their respective spaces, which is why they make a great match,” said Neil Bowler, Controller of Games at ITV. “We think the show’s fans all over the world will enjoy interacting with experiences set in a virtual Hell’s Kitchen in The Sandbox metaverse.”
Part virtual real estate, part amusement park, The Sandbox fully embraces the idea of the metaverse as a continuous shared digital space where worlds and heroes collide to make magic. Hell’s Kitchen joins over 300 existing partnerships including Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, The Rabbids, Gucci Vault, The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, ZEPETO, and CryptoKitties, all following The Sandbox team’s vision of empowering players to create their own experiences using both original and well-known characters and worlds.
The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, is one of the decentralized virtual worlds that has been fueling the recent growth of virtual real estate demand, having partnered with major IPs and brands including Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, The Rabbids, Gucci Vault, The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, ZEPETO, CryptoKitties, and more. Building on existing The Sandbox IP that has more than 40 million global installs on mobile, The Sandbox metaverse offers players and creators a decentralized and intuitive platform to create immersive 3D worlds and game experiences and to safely store, trade, and monetize their creations. For more information, please visit www.sandbox.game and follow the regular updates on Twitter, Medium, and Discord.
About Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands, a Deloitte Tech Fast winner and ranked in the Financial Times list of High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2021, is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification that is working to advance digital property rights and contribute to the establishment of the open metaverse. The company develops and publishes a broad portfolio of products including the REVV token and SAND token; original games including The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes; and products utilizing popular intellectual properties including Disney, WWE, Snoop Dogg, The Walking Dead, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Formula E. It has multiple subsidiaries, including The Sandbox, Blowfish Studios, Quidd, GAMEE, nWay, Pixowl, Forj, Lympo, Grease Monkey Games, Eden Games, Darewise Entertainment, Notre Game, and TinyTap. Animoca Brands has a growing portfolio of more than 340 investments, including Colossal, Axie Infinity, OpenSea, Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot), Yield Guild Games, Harmony, Alien Worlds, Star Atlas, and others. For more information visit www.animocabrands.com or follow on Twitter or Facebook.
About Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen originated in the UK and the US aired its 20th series. The format travelled to 24 territories around the world and sees one renowned head chef welcome a group of hopeful chefs into Hell’s Kitchen, where they will compete for the chance of a life-changing job in a top restaurant. Real-life drama, high emotion and culinary passion combine as the participants live, cook and compete in Hell’s Kitchen. Which chef can handle the heat?
About ITV Studios
ITV Studios is a creator, producer and distributor of world-leading programmes and formats that people can’t get enough of. Connecting millions of people every day and shaping and reflecting the world they live in, ITV Studios is More Than TV. Its Brand & Licensing department is responsible for all global commercial activities including sponsorship, brand licensing, consumer products, gaming, and live events. It represents a diverse portfolio including scripted and non-scripted content, game shows and kids titles, which offers a wide range of commercial opportunities. Brands include The Voice, Hell’s Kitchen, Love Island, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, The Chase, Coronation Street, Schitt’s Creek, The Last Unicorn, Thunderbirds, Space: 1999, The Prisoner, and more.
About Gordon Ramsay
Acclaimed chef, restaurateur, TV personality and author Gordon Ramsay inked a deal in 2019 with private equity firm Lion Capital to expand his restaurant concepts across the U.S., where the company currently has 13 restaurants across Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Lake Tahoe and Kansas City, several of which are in partnership with Caesars Entertainment. Gordon Ramsay North America is scaling dining concepts including outdoor and take-out, as the company taps into several of Gordon Ramsay’s successful U.S. and international key brands including Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, Gordon Ramsay Burger, Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza, Gordon Ramsay Steak and Hell’s Kitchen. In addition to the Gordon Ramsay North America restaurants, there are 43 international restaurants in the Gordon Ramsay Restaurants portfolio worldwide, where Gordon Ramsay holds a total of 7 Michelin stars.
Renowned for highly successful and award-winning original programming, Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning Ramsay produces TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic, seen by audiences worldwide in more than 200 territories, and he is the only talent on air in the U.S. with six prime-time national network shows. He hosts and executive produces “Next Level Chef,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “MasterChef,” “MasterChef Junior”, “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back,” and the upcoming “Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars” all on Fox, in addition to specials including “Gordon Ramsay’s American Road Trip.”
Ramsay and Fox Entertainment recently announced their leading new worldwide production venture Studio Ramsay Global to develop, produce and distribute culinary and lifestyle programming for FOX, Tubi and global markets. His earlier multimedia production company Studio Ramsay was launched in the U.K. in 2016 to create and develop unscripted, digital and scripted programming, focusing on new formats and innovative programming, as well as fostering new talent. Its shows include “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back,” which was the highest-rated food show of 2019; “The F-Word Live With Gordon Ramsay”; “Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted,” on National Geographic Channel, which airs in 172 countries and 43 languages worldwide; the ratings hit and BAFTA-nominated “Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip,” for ITV; “Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance,” on BBC1; the daytime cooking series “Culinary Genius,” which premiered on ITV in the U.K., and was syndicated on FOX stations in the U.S.; the ITV series “The Savoy” and “Gordon on Cocaine”; and the highly popular children’s series “Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch,” starring Tilly Ramsay for U.K. children’s channel CBBC.
Studio Ramsay Global Digital Division is behind all of Ramsay’s original content on his highly successful YouTube Channel, which has made Ramsay the most subscribed chef on the platform. The 18-34 dominated channel launched the trending interview series “Scrambled,” and is also behind the highly successful “Ramsay in 10,” which went live during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Studio Ramsay Global Digital oversees and creates content for all behind-the-scenes moments from Studio Ramsay linear programming, has produced content for National Geographic and Masterclass, and produces recipe content across Gordon’s 90 million plus Social Media reach, including his breakout TikTok account.
For more information, please visit www.gordonramsay.com or follow Gordon Ramsay on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter.
Posted in Game News |
Comments Off on 1950s LA Tycoon Management Game, City Block Builder, is Available Now on Steam Early Access
Create your own slice of Tinseltown heaven!
Tentworks Interactive has release its multi-business management game, City Block Builder, on Steam Early Access and via Xsolla today. Finally, you can construct the Tinseltown empire of their dreams!
City Block Builder is a mashup of deep tycoon management games with large-scale city building elements. Set in Los Angeles during the 1950s, the game puts you in the shoes of a young, budding entrepreneur who is determined to build their own business empire. Fresh off the victory of WWII, Los Angeles is the pop culture capital of the world. With the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, designer shops, and the finest cuisine money can buy, all under a canopy of clear blue skies, the City of Angels represents the “American Dream” at its most ideal.
City Block Builder – Vlog with Concept Artists
As the owner of several establishments, it’s up to you to make every decision, both large and small, about how your enterprise operates. Choose which tiles, wallpapers, and furniture to decorate with. Set the cuisines and menu items for your restaurant. Hire and fire staff. Nobody said building an empire was going to be easy!
The full version of City Block Builder will allow you to erect all manner of trades from cinema theatres, to bowling alleys, to jazz clubs, to drive-in theaters, parlors and more. This Early Access launch focuses entirely on the restaurant building portion of the game, but new businesses will be added as free updates between now and the full launch. A future update will add cinemas, allowing you to decide what movies to show and when, as well as the Story/Campaign Mode.
City Block Builder lets you micromanage each business down to every detail, from its layout, to its lighting, to ensuring the entrance makes optimal use of foot traffic in your bustling borough! City Block Builder encourages players to find creative solutions to complex problems. Setting up the L.A.’s entertainment hub has never been so immersive!
Each detail of City Block Builder is brought to life in glorious detail through hand-drawn art paying homage to the incredible culture of the era. Movies, posters, comic books, and advertisements capture the look and feel of the 1950s with their bold, technicolor palette, dapper outfits, and neat slogans. Even the foliage has been extensively researched to be accurate to the time, changing dynamically with the seasons.
While City Block Builder’s campaign mode will take you from rags to riches as you micro and macro manage each monetary decision, there will also be a Sandbox Mode offering full freedom to create the Los Angeles of your dreams with no expense spared! Every decision you make will set you on a different path giving different players varying outcomes.
“With City Block Builder we aim to make an extremely in-depth empire builder that’s still accessible to anyone with an interest in the golden age of Hollywood,” said Jay Basani, CEO of Tentworks Interactive. “This Early Access launch is only the beginning, as we have so many more businesses coming to the game over the next several months. As an independent game developer based in India, we want to show off our homeland’s talent on a global scale.”
For a more in-depth look at City Block Builder, Tentworks has released a new vlog post showcasing the game’s rich feature set below:
About Tentworks Interactive Founded in 2018 by Jay Basani in Bangalore, India, Tentworks Interactive is a rag tag crew of passionate developers specializing in tycoon and strategy games, with the goal of making India a serious contender on the world stage of video game development with its high quality titles. Having expanded to opening a second branch in California, Tentworks is working on its most ambitious enterprise yet with the 1950s LA empire-building tycoon game City Block Builder.
Posted in Game News |
Comments Off on LEGO® Bricktales Coming to Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC in Q4 2022
A charming new LEGO® adventure comes to console and PC later this year
In collaboration with the LEGO Group, Thunderful are delighted to reveal the platforms that the anticipated LEGO® Bricktales will be releasing on. The new digital adventure from the developers behind the Bridge Constructor series will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in Q4 2022.
In LEGO Bricktales, journey across 5 different LEGO themed biomes and use an intuitive new brick-by-brick building mechanic to solve puzzles and bring your solutions to life. From purely aesthetic creations, such as market stands and music boxes, up to functional physics-based puzzles like building cranes and gyrocopters, LEGO Bricktales offers a host of challenges and quests to test your imagination and building skills.
Through the deepest jungle, sun-drenched deserts, a bustling city corner, a towering medieval castle and tropical Caribbean islands, you’ll be treated to delightful environments packed full of secrets, challenges and fun characters.
In each diorama, there are LEGO Minifigures who need your help, as well as the opportunity to unlock new skills for your good deeds. While exploring these colorful environments, you will discover a variety of construction spots with their own sets of bricks – it’s up to you to figure out a unique build that will work. Whether you’re being asked to put on your designer hat and build a throne fit for a king or testing your engineering skills to build a bridge that will get a digger across a river, how you construct your builds and meet the challenges you’re being offered is up to you!
“We know that LEGO fans across the world will be incredibly excited to get their hands on LEGO Bricktales,” said Dieter Schoeller, Vice-President of Production at Thunderful. “That’s why it’s so great to be able to announce that the game is coming to such a wide-range of platforms. Across PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC, we are ensuring that as many people as possible are able to play and enjoy this title and its intuitive brick-by-brick building mechanic.”
About Thunderful Thunderful Group is a group of companies that develops, publishes and invests in games as well as distributes Nintendo products, games, game accessories and toys. Founded in 2017 Thunderful Games is one of the two business segments in Thunderful Group, the other being Thunderful Distribution. Over the last few years Thunderful Games has, organically and via acquisitions, grown into a global organization with eight development studios and over 300 employees. Besides the award-winning internal development pipeline, Thunderful Games also publishes a large number of third-party titles and invests in external game projects.
About the LEGO Group The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO® bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine. The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”. Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. However, its products are now sold in more than 140 countries worldwide. For more information: www.LEGO.com.
Posted in Game News |
Comments Off on Paintbucket Games Announces the Arrival of “The Darkest Files”
In this historical investigation game set in the immediate postwar period, players expose the crimes of the Nazi era and ensure justice.
Berlin-based developer studio Paintbucket Games announces the arrival of “The Darkest Files,” the spiritual successor of their award-winning Nazi resistance game “Through the Darkest of Times.” The game is currently under development and is expected to be released in 2023 for PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. A demo version will be available to play at this year’s gamescom in the Indie Arena.
In “The Darkest Files,” players take on the role of Esther Katz, a young prosecutor living in West Germany in the 1950s. She is part of the team around the Frankfurt Attorney General Fritz Bauer. As Esther, players investigate crimes committed by former Nazi officials, collect evidence, question witnesses and ultimately bring the perpetrators to justice. The game leads players on a gripping, emotional journey through the crimes and dark times of the Nazi era.
“After Through the Darkest of Times, we decided to stay in the realm of history for one of our next games — especially since current events continue to concern us deeply. We decided to move chronologically to the period after World War II, when many former Nazis were still active in high-ranking posiitions all over West Germany,” explains Jörg Friedrich of Paintbucket Games. “Fritz Bauer and his team did immensely important work during this difficult time by pressing charges against numerous criminals and publicly trying them for their crimes. Through their work, they made a lasting impact on how Germans understand the National Socialist period and the Holocaust and helped create the social consensus of: “Never again!” We want to give our players a view into this difficult and fascinating work with The Darkest Files.”
Some features of The Darkest Files:
Players search investigative files from the Nazi era for clues, and interrogate relatives, witnesses, and suspects to find out the truth.
Players draw conclusions, evaluate evidence, and reconstruct the crime in real time.
Players interview witnesses and suspects, diving into the statements in immersive-mode to better understand the actions of the perpetrators and uncover any clues and contradictions.
Then, players discuss their findings with their team of investigative experts in order to build an air-tight case.
Players must determine and press the correct charges and have the criminals arrested.
Finally, they need to convince the judiciary to reveal the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Historical Background With a team of young prosecutors without ties to the old regime, Frankfurt Attorney General Fritz Bauer founded a taskforce to investigate Nazi-era crimes and to prosecute the perpetrators. He became known, among other things, for being instrumental in the search for Adolf Eichmann, one of the central organizers of the Holocaust, and for prosecuting the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials in the 1960s. “Nothing belongs to the past, everything is still present and can become the future again.” – Fritz Bauer
In “Through the Darkest of Times,” the spiritual predecessor of “The Darkest Files,” players lead a small anti-Nazi resistance group in Berlin. The game was nominated for numerous awards, including in the “Game for Impact” category at “The Games Awards,” as well as winning the German Developer Award 2020 for “Best Indie Game” and “Best Serious Game,” among others.
Paintbucket Games will also show The Darkest Files at this year’s gamescom from August 24 – 28. In the Indie Arena in hall 10.2.
Posted in Game Industry |
Comments Off on Growth in the German games market levels off at 2 percent
• Sales of games and corresponding hardware defied challenging conditions to increase by approximately 2 percent over the first six months of 2022 • More than 6 in 10 Germans have watched films or series, or purchased toys, books or clothing based on game brands • 19 million Germans believe that games can be beneficial to mental health • gamescom 2022 is taking place from August 23-28 both online and in person in Cologne
The German games market is running into headwinds: following sharp gains in sales of games and corresponding hardware in previous years, growth slowed significantly over the first six months of 2022. Whereas the German games market grew by 22 percent over the first six months of 2021, growth had slowed to just 2 percent during the same period one year later. As a result, sales revenue from purchases of computer and video games and games hardware over the first six months of 2022 amounted to about 4.5 billion euros. This was announced today by game – the German Games Industry Association at the gamescom press conference. The world’s biggest games event will be taking place in person again in Cologne next week.
This data is based on surveys carried out by the market research companies GfK and data.ai. In fact, the growth drivers of previous years such as sales in the field of game apps actually experienced a decline in the first six months of 2022. In-app purchases generated 1.3 billion euros in sales revenues, approximately 7 percent less than in the previous year. Revenue from in-game purchases for PC and console games, on the other hand, rose particularly sharply. This submarket experienced growth of 24 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, rising to 705 million euros. Subscriptions for individual games (+19 percent, to 85 million euros) and fees for online services (+10 percent, to 416 million euros) also helped to make up for falling sales revenues in other areas. In the field of games hardware, continuing supply chain difficulties meant that the gaming PCs and laptops segment was the only one to experience growth. Here, turnover increased by 10 percent, to 479 million euros, in the first six months of 2022.
‘The long-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic, numerous postponements of new titles, delivery bottlenecks and general deterioration in the economic outlook have also left their mark on the games market. Following the particularly strong growth of the last two years, especially in comparison to the far more difficult situation facing many other industries, the games industry continues to be in a good position,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – the German Games Industry Association. ‘This resilience is also closely tied to the incredible relevance of computer and video games, which has long since expanded far beyond the actual games market itself. There are innumerable examples of this phenomenon, particularly in popular culture, where games have come to exert a great deal of influence. More and more people now recognize this relevance and appreciate the tremendous potential that games hold for society, something that is even better news for the industry.’
More than half the people in Germany have already purchased or used pop culture products related to games The theme of gamescom 2022, ‘Games: at the heart of pop culture’, highlights the incredible relevance of this medium far beyond games themselves. Games are more than just the most successful entertainment medium of our time – they have also established themselves at the very heart of popular culture, with other media and fields increasingly taking their cue from games. This is underscored by a new representative survey conducted by the market research institute YouGov on behalf of game, according to which more than 6 in 10 Germans (62 percent) have watched films or series or purchased toys, books or clothing based on games brands. In fact, nearly half the people in Germany (48 percent) have watched films based on games, and both soundtracks and television series related to games are frequently consumed.
The next generation of mobile gaming Smartphones have established themselves worldwide as one of the most successful games platforms. The gamescom trend ‘The next generation of mobile gaming’ pays tribute to the fact that today’s devices are so good that they are even suitable for more complex games. Millions of Germans share this view: approximately 1 in 2 players (48 percent) says that the technical quality of mobile games is getting closer and closer to that offered by PC and console games. As a result, nearly 4 out of 10 players (38 percent) here in Germany are playing games on mobile devices more often. Thanks to this sharp increase in the quality of game apps, 1 in 3 players in Germany (33 percent) believes that mobile esports on smartphones will play an increasingly important role in future. This demonstrates that the trend that began in Asia is continuing its expansion in Europe. For example, this year’s gamescom will also be hosting a mobile esports tournament.
19 million Germans believe that games can be beneficial to mental health Be it gamified fitness apps or movement games, people have been keeping fit with games for quite some time now. Now computer and video games are increasingly being used as a means of improving mental health as well, something that is reflected in gamescom’s ‘Healthy through games’ trend. Germans put a lot of faith in games when it comes to health, with 19 million Germans in all believing that computer and video games can be beneficial to mental health. This belief is particularly strong among the young, with nearly half of 16- to 24-year-olds (46 percent) stating that games can help improve people’s mental health. Video game players in Germany are especially convinced of games’ potential when it comes to memory training (78 percent), relaxation (75 percent) and improving well-being (60 percent). A large majority recognise games’ positive impact on these spheres.
About gamescom gamescom is the world’s largest event for computer and video games, as well as Europe’s largest business platform for the games industry. In 2022, gamescom will be held from Tuesday, 23 August, to Sunday, 28 August, in Cologne and online. The official partner country of Gamescom 2022 is Australia. gamescom is jointly organised by Koelnmesse and game – the German Games Industry Association.
About the data Please note: GfK has modified the definition of gaming PCs. In order to make it easier to compare data, this new definition has also been used for the market data from 2021, whereby the figures for gaming hardware in 2021 that result are somewhat lower than those that were communicated one year ago.
The market data is based on statistics compiled by the GfK Consumer Panel and data.ai. The methods used by GfK to collect data on Germany’s video games market are unique in terms of both their quality and their global use. They include an ongoing survey of 25,000 consumers who are representative of the German population as a whole regarding their video game purchasing and usage habits, as well as a retail panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.
The data used is based on an online survey commissioned by game and carried out by YouGov Deutschland GmbH. 2,039 people were interviewed for the survey, which was conducted between July 26 and August 1, 2022. The results were weighted and are representative of the German population aged 16 and older.
game – the German Games Industry Association We are the association of the German games industry. Our members include developers, publishers and many other games industry actors such as esports event organizers, educational establishments and service providers. As a joint organizer of gamescom, we are responsible for the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. We are an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, and answer questions relating to market development, games culture and media literacy. Our mission is to make Germany the best games location.
Posted in Game News |
Comments Off on Let’s Sing 2023 is ready to raise the Roof!
Get a glimpse of the chart-breaking playlist in the first teaser trailer
It’s time to warm up your vocal cords: Ravenscourt and Voxler are announcing Let’s Sing 2023, the next entry into the acclaimed karaoke franchise.
The game will be released later this year for Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, the Xbox One family of devices – including Xbox One X – and will also be playable on Xbox Series X/S.
Current smash hits as well as classics and all-time favorites – Let’s Sing 2023 has them all. Rock out to Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits”, Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” or swoon to Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever”. Giddy up for Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus and “Old Town Road” or chill with Jason Derulo’s “Acapulco”. Or, if none of those get you in the singing mood, how about Rita Ora and “Your Song” or Charlie Puth and “How Long”? These are just a few of the 30 hits included in Let’s Sing 2023.
About Ravenscourt
Established in 2014 – and operating from its Munich headquarters in Germany – Ravenscourt’s mission is delivering amazing games to a broad audience from both established studios and industry newcomers. With a diverse portfolio, managing the titles of multiple international studios, Ravenscourt games span everything from adventure and management sims through to city builders and indie gems. The label even boasts a good old sing-along karaoke franchise.
Our players delight in engrossing narrative driven adventures, relish the challenge of building new worlds and love solving puzzles. We have more delights in store for them…
The publishing label Ravenscourt stands for worthy interactive entertainment for a broad range of players. It belongs to the Koch Media Group.
About PLAION
PLAION is a leading independent developer and producer of games and entertainment products, with ten development studios and five publishing units based all over the world. Founded in 1994 as Koch Media, PLAION offers a unique breadth of services and solutions, dynamically growing its business to push ourselves and our partners to the forefront in all the segments we operate in.
PLAION runs a multi-label strategy, with fully owned publishing units, such as Deep Silver, Prime Matter, Milestone, Vertigo Games and Ravenscourt, publishing games for consoles, PC and VR platforms across all physical and digital channels.
Additionally – as a global publishing partner – PLAION has formed long-term multinational publishing collaborations with numerous game publishers including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Capcom, Focus Multimedia, Giants Software, Koei Tecmo, Paradox, Sega, SNK, Square Enix, Techland, THQ Nordic, Tripwire, Warner Bros and many others.
With its parent company in Höfen, Austria – and the HQ in Munich, Germany – PLAION owns local publishing companies in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, the United States as well as Japan and Hong Kong.
PLAION owns ten game development studios: Deep Silver Volition (Champaign, IL, USA), Deep Silver Dambuster Studios (Nottingham, UK), Fishlabs (Hamburg, DE), Warhorse Studios (Prague, CZ), Milestone (Milan, IT), Voxler (Paris, FR) , DigixArt (Montpellier, FR), Flying Wild Hog (Warsaw, Kraków, Rzeszów, PL), Free Radical Design (Nottingham, UK) and Vertigo Games (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, NL). Additionally, PLAION collaborates with numerous independent development studios around the world.
Part of PLAION is also PLAION PICTURES, a leading independent film distributor in Europe with a library of more than 1,400 titles. Further business operations include Sola Media, a sales agency and production company for family entertainment, Spotfilm Networx, a multi-channel streaming network, and a sub-label dedicated to Japanese animation.
PLAION also owns the leading video game merchandise company DPI Merchandising (Denver, Roseburg, USA and Munich, DE) and a Quality Assurance Facility in Olomouc, CZ.
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Comments Off on MU Online’s latest update adds two new maps and plenty of events
The new patch brings two new maps of the lost city Kethotum along with EXP Boost Event, Level-up Event, Kundun & Lemuria Character Event, Bullet Roulette Event, and much more.
MU Online The Lost City Revival of Kethotum
WEBZEN announced the latest update for its classic PC MMORPG MU Online. Following the Season 17 Part 1 Update in July, the new patch brings two new maps – Old Kethotum and Burning Kethotum along with some limited-time events that will offer various in-game rewards.
Kethotum is the lost city where Kundun was dominated by the sealed dark god and now lies sealed. Players who reach level 700 and 1,160 can enter Old Kethotum and Burning Kethotum respectively.
Starting from today until September 6th, the newly updated map will allow players to collect Elemental Symbols (Fire/Water/Earth/Wind/Darkness) from the elemental monsters in Burning Kethotum. After collecting them, players can go to NPC Lahap to combine the Elemental Symbols to acquire the Elemental Box containing rare items such as Sealed Bloodangel Armor.
In addition to this update, the MU Expedition Event will offer players a second golden chance to obtain exclusive support for players who have missed the Speed server and created Kundun and Lemuria in the original server.
Anyone who creates a new character such as Kundun or Lemuria will get the Talisman of Ascension (3 days). With the new character level-up event, various rewards including Gold Channel Tickets, Darkangel Soul, and much more will be waiting for each level until level 800 is reached.
Along with the max level expansion to lv. 1,400 in this update, the EXP Boost Event where players can get extra EXP of 30% will be running until the maintenance on September 6th. Once players reach level 1,350, a Limited Edition Kundun & Lemuria Muun Reward will be given through the Gremory case in the ‘Season Level Reward Box’.
Furthermore, there will be a Mastery Equipment Enchantment Event, Fruit Decrease Stat Reset Event, and Seed Sphere Free Cost Event for players to take part in, offering them the chance to earn various rewards.
Lastly, the Bullet Roulette Event and Roulette Point Ranking Event are now live. Players must use their Goblin Points and get 5 Dimensional Keys to play the Dimensional Roulette for 1 minute. Also, Top 200 Roulette Point rankers will get special prizes such as Blessed Divine Archangel Weapon, Brilliant Armor, Manticore Weapon, Ruud, and more. Especially, the Top ranker who earns the most Ranking Points for each week will receive additional rare set items, +0 4th Wing + Luck +2 Option [Level 3].
About WEBZEN WEBZEN Inc. is a global developer and publisher of a variety of PC and mobile games such as MU Online, R2(Reign of Revolution), Shot Online, the MU series, the Metin series and an array of exciting game titles listed for release in the global game market. WEBZEN has expanded its publishing services to Europe, North and South America and other countries by operating its global game portal ‘Webzen.com’ which hosts 50 million registered players globally. WEBZEN is also leading the expansion of IP (Intellectual Property) franchise business and collaborations with a wide range of creative partners. Further information on Webzen and its games can be found at: https://www.webzen.com/
