16Aug

The Sandbox Partners with ITV Studios to Spice Up the Metaverse With Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen

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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.

Find more information on The Sandbox on our Medium page: https://medium.com/sandbox-game

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSandboxGame

Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSandboxGame

Message on Telegram: https://t.me/sandboxgame

Join the Discord channel: https://discord.com/invite/thesandboxgame

About The Sandbox

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.

Hell’s Kitchen ©2021 ITV Studios, Inc. HELL’S KITCHEN™, HK™ and the HK and pitchfork logo are trademarks of ITV Studios Ltd. GORDON RAMSAY HELL’S KITCHEN™ is a trademark of ITV studios Ltd and GORDON JAMES RAMSAY. Each used under license. All rights reserved.

16Aug

1950s LA Tycoon Management Game, City Block Builder, is Available Now on Steam Early Access

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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:

Add City Block Builder to your Steam Wishlist:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1191800/City_Block_Builder/
For more information about City Block Builder visit: https://www.tentworks.io/

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.

16Aug

LEGO® Bricktales Coming to Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC in Q4 2022

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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.”

LEGO Bricktales on Steam: https://s.team/a/1898290/

Thunderful
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thunderfulgames
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thunderfulgames
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thunderfulgames

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.

16Aug

Paintbucket Games Announces the Arrival of “The Darkest Files”

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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.

The Darkest Files can already be wishlisted on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2058730/The_Darkest_Files/

More Information about The Darkest Files is available here https://paintbucket.de/en/game/the-darkest-files

16Aug

Growth in the German games market levels off at 2 percent

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•   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.

16Aug

Let’s Sing 2023 is ready to raise the Roof!

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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.

PLAION is an Embracer Group company.

16Aug

MU Online’s latest update adds two new maps and plenty of events

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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 6^th, 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 6^th. 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].

For more of MU Online’s Season 17 Part 1 Update, visit the official website: https://muonline.webzen.com/en/events/Season17Part1-2/ and join the official Facebook community at: https://www.facebook.com/MUWEBZEN/

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/

16Aug

Fortnite x Dragon Ball is Now Live, Featuring New Kamehameha Item, Dragon Ball Super Episodes, and More!

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The world of Fortnite has never seen such power! Four powerful and iconic Dragon Ball characters, Son Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, and Beerus, have arrived in-game, and they’ve brought with them new gameplay items, Quests, Dragon Ball Islands and more.

Announcement highlights:

Dragon Ball Super Episode Festival: From August 16 until September 17, 2022, players can board a cruise ship and watch select Dragon Ball Super episodes with their friends! Check out the Fortnite blog for full details, including how to jump in.
Dragon Ball Adventure Island: Explore iconic locations from Dragon Ball on the Dragon Ball Adventure Island starting August 19, 2022! Soar through a ring course on a Nimbus Cloud (Kintoun) at Kami’s Palace, prepare food at Son Goku’s House, and more.
Power Unleashed Quests: A new “Power Unleashed!” tab has arrived in-game, full of Quests and rewards. Complete the seven sets of Quests, collect all seven Dragon Balls, and players will score the Shenron Glider!
Go Even Further Beyond in Battle Royale: Pick up the Kamehameha and launch a devastating energy beam at anyone who crosses your path, or call on the Nimbus Cloud (Kintoun) to take flight around the Island.
Dragon Ball Item Shop: Available in the Item Shop now are new Outfits Son Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, and Beerus. The collaboration also brings themed Back Blings, Pickaxes, Gliders, and Emotes such as The Charging Up Emote and The Fusion! Hah!!! Emote.

16Aug

MicroProse Regiments Released on Steam

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Grab it on Steam for 15% off today

MicroProse has released Regiments, its new Cold War RTS, on Steam and is celebrating the release with a 15 % launch discount.

Regiments is now available on Steam

What is Regiments?

Regiments is a Real-Time Tactics set in Germany 1989. The Cold War has gone hot, and the inferno is raging. Lead your Regiment through the fires of conflict and the fog of war. Break through the lines, call in artillery, maneuver, feign retreats, stage defenses, counter-attack. Do not relent.
What is the Regiments experience?

It’s 1989 and the flames of a New War are flaring up. Thousands of square miles of German landscape will become a stage for sweeping battles between the best NATO and Warsaw Pact has to offer.

Lead your Regiment through the inferno of a wide-scale Cold War conflict in this new Real-Time Tactics game. Break through the lines, call in artillery and air support, maneuver, feign retreats, and stage mobile defenses. Do not relent.

The Platoon Command system lets you orchestrate battles with unprecedented precision and ease. No need to micromanage every infantryman – you’re a Commanding Officer, not a sergeant.

Form your force on the fly. Selecting the main Regiment is just a start. You can expand your army during the game by calling in unique Task Forces, each bringing its own equipment and off-map support options.

Main features

Several dynamic operations, encompassing warfare around the Inner German border
Three distinct skirmish modes with varied, dynamic objectives
Aggressive, competent AI that can challenge experienced RTS players
On-the-fly force customization, rewarding adaptability, and creativity
Deep game mechanics, simulating the Cold War era mechanized fight with great detail
Four key Cold War Factions: Soviet Union, USA, West Germany, and East Germany
Visceral visual effects, bringing the WWIII to your screen in all its terrifying glory
Over 60 authentic vehicles modeled, combined into a multitude of different formations. Deploy such iconic vehicles as Leopard 2, T-72M or M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle
Smooth learning curve and high accessibility even to novice RTS players
Refined controls that make commanding hundreds of soldiers a breeze

MicroProse, founded in 1982, is a world-famous simulation software company known for developing groundbreaking, classics and cult titles like, the Falcon, F15 Strike Eagle, Silent Service, Gunship, Grand Prix, Civilization, B-17 The Mighty Eighth, and X-COM series and many more simulation products that sold millions of copies each at retail.

Today, MicroProse is not only remaking select classics from its past but also paving the road to next-generation, state of the art games that will create the memories and experiences of the demanding new generations of gamers.

Bird’s Eye Games is a small development team that has been developing Regiments since 2016, a step-up from previous RTS modding work.

Standing on the shoulders of RTS genre giants, Bird’s Eye Games strives to combine the best ideas classics has to offer and give them a fresh spin.

15Aug

World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing Brings “The Greatest Show on Dirt” to PlayStation, Xbox Consoles in September 2022

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Pre-orders begin August 15 featuring World of Outlaws legend Sammy Swindell; base game and Gold Edition available

The World of Outlaws returns to console gaming for the first time in over a decade on September 27, as World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing hits the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The official game of “The Greatest Show on Dirt” features six different dirt series, from the premier World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Cars and CASE Construction Equipment Late Models to four DIRTcar classes, and more than 40 tracks, including Eldora Speedway, Knoxville Raceway, and Volusia Speedway Park. Pre-orders open on August 15 at worldofoutlawsgame.com, with three-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion Sammy Swindell included as a special bonus for pre-orders only.

World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing is the latest dirt racing-themed title from developer Monster Games, but its first since being acquired by iRacing in late 2021. The new title takes the established Monster Games platform to a new level, with the addition of car and track models, sounds, and multiplayer technology from iRacing to elevate the authenticity and gameplay experience. All-new physics, also tuned by iRacing, and a retooled, more competitive AI add to the challenge, with real-world driver feedback held at a premium throughout the development process.

“We’re thrilled to bring World of Outlaws back to console gaming with World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing,” said Monster Games founder and general manager Rich Garcia. “With the addition of iRacing resources to the established Monster platform, as well as the support of World of Outlaws, this is the most realistic, challenging, and most importantly, fun dirt racing experience ever seen on the PlayStation or Xbox. We can’t wait for dirt racing fans to go wheel-to-wheel at Eldora, Knoxville, and more this fall!”

“Many of our fans have been asking for a World of Outlaws console game, and now through our partnership with iRacing we’re able to deliver,” World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter said. “Whether it’s PlayStation or Xbox, fans can race against World of Outlaws drivers in the most realistic game available. The team at iRacing and Monster Games has really developed an authentic option to see what it’s like to race on dirt against the best in the business.”

For those looking to chart a unique course through the world of dirt racing, World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing is infinitely customizable, with no shortage of fun to be had for players of all backgrounds. The all-new Career Mode structure sees drivers start as a local rookie, working hard to upgrade their equipment and become more competitive as they look to advance to the national World of Outlaws tours. Drivers can race any vehicle available to them in Career Mode at any time, and with an all-new Car Creator that includes more layers and shapes, can bring just about any design imaginable to the track.

No matter your dirt racing car or track preference, World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing has you covered. Sprint car racers can do battle in the 305, 360, and World of Outlaws 410 Sprint Car divisions, while World of Outlaws Super Late Models, Pro Late Models, and Street Stocks are available for those who prefer fenders. Alongside the 13 licensed tracks that will appear in the game, the remaining tracks pay homage to the soul of dirt racing in America with various lengths, layouts, and locales.

Three-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series champion Brad Sweet and 2015 CASE Late Model Series champion Shane Clanton adorn the cover, and the duo headlines a list of real-world drivers who are both playable in single-player modes and appear as opponents in Career Mode. Those who pre-order World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing will also unlock Sammy Swindell, winner of three World of Outlaws Sprint Car championships and nearly 400 Sprint Car Features in his illustrious career.

World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing will retail for $49.99, while the Gold Edition will be available for $69.99. The Gold Edition features all additional downloadable content for the remainder of calendar year 2022, a $35 value; 2022 DLC items will include Limaland Motorsports Park, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, and Lucas Oil Speedway, as well as two additional DIRTcar classes, UMP Modifieds and Super DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds. For those who purchase the base game, a Season Pass for downloadable content will be available for $29.99.

For more information about World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing and to pre-order the game starting on August 15, visit worldofoutlawsgame.com. For more information about the World of Outlaws, visit worldofoutlaws.com. For more information about iRacing and for special offers, visit iRacing.com.

Copyright and trademark info:
Copyright 2022 iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC

Additional license terms:
World of Outlaws is a registered trademark of World Racing Group, LLC. All car images, driver names and likenesses, corporate trademarks and other intellectual properties are used under license from their respective owners.

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