‘Assassin’s Creed: Unity’ Shows Expert Parkour Promotion

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Ubisoft is no stranger to releasing fun live-action videos surrounding its games, including a breathtaking parkour-related video for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag which made the rounds last year. So it should be no surprise that it’s returned for another round with Assassin’s Creed: Unity, which features the French FreeRun Family running through the city streets, with patrolmen in hot pursuit.

As with any given parkour-related video, this one features mind-boggling stunts performed by the FreeRun team, including hanging onto buses, making incredible jumps over gaps, and climbing up walls – actions that players will be able to mimic in the game when it releases later this year.

It isn’t just about being on the run, though. At the conclusion of the video, which you can see below, the Assassins make no qualms about eliminating their targets, ambushing them and finishing them off with their hidden hand blades. Again, this is an act you’ll be able to perform in the game, whether you stab someone up close or eliminate them from above with a high dive.

To show the complexity of what went into the movie’s stuntwork, Ubisoft also posted a behind-the-scenes clip of the FreeRun Family in action, as well as the cameramen and director that attempt to keep up with them. (Thankfully, they succeed, for the most part.) It looks like a fun film-making process, too. This video is sure to get plenty of views and generate interest in the upcoming game, just as previous videos have done. Ubisoft’s got some content that works in perfectly with the game and will get the viral pass-along that’s so desirable.

Unity is currently in the midst of some big publicity, including a recent Assassin’s Creed Experience that drew a huge crowd over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, and the recent announcement of a female Templar, Elise, joining the cast.

Assassin’s Creed: Unity will arrive on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on October 28.

Source: Eurogamer

 

Android Projector Up On Indiegogo

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We’ve seen a lot of high tech gizmos make their way to Indiegogo, but the proposed TouchPico could easily take the cake, especially for Android users.

The device, which recently launched its crowdfunding program, was originally announced earlier in the year at the Consumer Electronics Show. With it, users can utilize its projector to show an image on a nearby wall, and then use a flat surface to act as its touch-screen. How’s it do this By using a camera that is built in, capturing your motions and mimicking them onto the projected image.

Even though it does require a stylus in order to mimic said actions onto the large projection, it’s still an interesting technology that could do wonders for business presentations and other uses.

As with any Indiegogo program, there are several investments users can make. They can purchase their own TouchPico unit for $309 (as part of a Special Early Pricing perk), or simply make a $10 pledge to help provide one of the devices for use in a classroom. There are also separate perks for buying two units, as well as distributor and development samples.

One other advantage to the TouchPico is that it’s portable. The device is about the same size as a larger mobile phone, but with only a slight bit more weight than the Samsung S4 model. That makes it convenient to carry around and use for business presentations, without needing any sort of elaborate set-up (or enormous briefcase to carry it around in).

TouchPico can also be used for other Android purposes, such as watching movies with family and friends or playing games on the go, including a number of given titles in the Google Play library.

Best of all, it looks like production on the device will happen. With still just under a month to go in the campaign, it’s already cleared its $55,000 goal by nearly one and a half times, with a total of $74,880 raised thus far. The final unit is expected to hit retail in October 2014, barring any development snags.

Source: Indiegogo

 

This Week’s [a]list Jobs – July 30th

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[a]listdaily is now your source for the hottest job openings for senior management and marketing in games, entertainment and social media. Check here every Wednesday for the latest openings.

Here are this week’s [a]list jobs:

  • Riot Games – Brand Manager (Santa Monica, Calif.)
  • Riot Games – Director of Marketing (Santa Monica, Calif.)
  • Warner Bros. – Marketing Coordinator (Burbank, Calif.)
  • Kabam – Director, User Acquisition Marketing for Mobile ( San Francisco, Calif.)
  • Tumblr – Brand Strategist (San Francisco, Calif.)

For last week’s [a]list jobs, click here.

EA’s Access Program For Xbox One

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The Xbox One has been seeing a huge promotional push as of late, with Microsoft touting that it was home to “the best games.” It’s also been putting some effort into its deal with the National Football League, providing a second-to-none experience for viewing and interacting with fans of the sport. Now, it’s teamed up with Electronic Arts on a new Access program that could be a real value for gamers.

With EA Access, players will be able to access numerous titles plucked straight from the company’s game library, for the low price of $4.99 per month, or $29.99 annually. These titles will include a number of popular favorites from the company’s library, via The Vault, including FIFA 14, Madden NFL 14, Peggle 2 and Battlefield 4.

Perhaps the biggest draw of this program is the introduction of a new Play First initiative. Subscribers will be able to access trials of forthcoming Electronic Arts releases five days before they release for both retail and digital purchase, including such upcoming games as Dragon Age: Inquisition, Madden NFL 15, FIFA 15, NHL 15 and NBA Live 15. Those who partake in these sessions will be able to save their progress for use in the full releases once they’re available.

The program will also provide a ten percent discount on EA digital content, including full digital downloadable titles and secondary downloadable content, such as Battlefield 4‘s Premium program.

The membership can be purchased online through the Xbox One service, as well as GameStop locations once the service is available. Interestingly, GameStop shares dropped over 5 percent today after this news was announced, as investors got nervous at the thought of even more game sales heading to digital and perhaps out of GameStop’s reach.

Currently, EA Access is in beta with limited users, with four titles to choose from. However, EA plans to launch the service soon, within a matter of weeks. The initial title selection is only the four games listed, but EA plans to introduce more titles. How many, and how quickly, will probably be a major factor in how well this program does.

It’ll be interesting to see if this “on demand” service works in EA’s favor. Will you take part in EA Access

Source: Electronic Arts

‘Batman Vs. Superman’ Rules Comic-Con

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Once again, it appears that the Dark Knight rules San Diego Comic-Con.

Despite the huge presence of Marvel at the show (with announcements surrounding such projects as Ant-Man, The Avengers: Age of Ultron and the recently revealed Guardians of the Galaxy 2), Warner Bros. came away with the victory, as research firms Mashwork and Way to Blue revealed that the company’s latest superhero flick, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, was the most talked about on Twitter over the course of the event.

The trailer for the film, which was teased during the movie’s panel over the weekend, drew huge reactions from those who attended, with some even calling it “amazing,” according to Mashwork. Around 73 percent of emotional reactions to the trailer of the film have been positive, even to those who didn’t see it.

In addition, the reveal of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, brandishing a lavish suit of armor similar to that of Xena: Warrior Princess, got some attention on the site as well, with the official photo (seen above) tweeted over 7,000 times. Fans are already generating buzz over the new costume, and wondering if Wonder Woman will get her own film at some point.

The overall mentioned clocked in at 248,960, and 24,550 intent-to-view mentions were also made with the teaser trailer, according to Way to Blue.

Warner Bros. had been facing slight controversy over the film, mainly due to the casting of Ben Affleck as the legendary Batman character, taking over for Christian Bale. However, the positive response could be a nice turn-around for it, as it could lead in to future DC Comics-based films, including a possible Justice League property.

The studio also garnered huge success from its first trailer reveals for next summer’s release of Mad Max: Fury Road and Peter Jackson’s final chapter of The Hobbit saga, The Battle of the Five Armies. Both trailers can be viewed below.

Source: Variety

 

Comic-Con Delivers Fan-tastic Celebration Of Digital

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By Michael Varrati

As VideoInk’s resident pop culture guru, there was little question that I was going to attend the revered San Diego Comic-Con. A behemoth of geek culture, SDCC is an unapologetic, five-day celebration of fandom that allows devotees to immerse themselves in what they hold so dear.

As such, this unbridled enthusiasm also applies to aspects of the digital space. When I wasn’t schilling my own films or spotting stormtroopers mingling with Sailor Scouts, I kept my eyes open for all the digital world had to offer Comic-Con, and I’m proud to say there was plenty. Beyond simply spotting the likes of iJustine, Khail Anonymous, Shane Dawson, and Rooster Teeth in the crowd, here’s what else the digital world had up its sleeve at SDCC:

Kaboom Studios and Cartoon Hangover:

Ongoing throughout the weekend, Kaboom Studios, which publishes the comic versions of several Cartoon Hangover properties, played host to the talents behind several of CH’s top YouTube shows. The impact of animation in the digital space was all but proven when the team from one of Cartoon Hangover’s newer products, “Bee and Puppycat,” came to the table, and the line of fans waiting to meet them extended for rows down the convention hall.

While visiting the table, I had the good fortune of meeting John Omohundro, the voice of Danny from Pendleton Ward’s “Bravest Warriors.” Omohundro was inundated with admirers, but took a minute to express his admiration for the project, telling me it was “fun to be part of something so edgy.”

Freddie Wong and Satu Rana:

On Thursday morning, a panel titled “Taming the Web: The Nuts and Bolts of Web Series Creation,” featuring Freddie Wong and Satu Runa, got into the nitty gritty of making narrative content for a digital audience. Furthermore, the panelists offered up tips and tricks to aspiring web series creators who may be hopeful about starting their own channel.

Later that day, Wong joined the team from Nerdist in PetCo Park for a live Facerockers podcast and LazerTag showdown, making himself essentially the digital MVP of SDCC.

Pemberley Digital, Geek & Sundry, and More:

On Friday afternoon in the marina park behind the convention center, YouTube’s literary elite hosted a meet-up of epic proportions. Cast and crew members from such popular shows as “Emma Approved,” “Classic Alice,” “Peter & Wendy,” and Geek & Sundry’s “Talkin’ Comics” all made appearances to cut-up with fans and each other. Organized by “Peter & Wendy”‘s own Paula Rhodes, the meet-up was a welcome dose of sunshine in an otherwise convention hall-filled weekend. In the crowd, I spotted “Classic Alice” stars Kate Hackett and Chris O’Brien sharing a laugh, “Emma Approved”‘s Dayenne Smith making a daisy chain out of legit daisies, and cameo from Anna Lore, the star of Pemberley Digital/PBS’s upcoming “Frankenstein M.D.”

Machinima:

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At Machinima’s panel Saturday, the MCN unleashed a presentation of their Happy Hour channel. Highlighting “after hours” animation, Machinima provided a clip show of upcoming and popular favorites such as “Action Faction,” “Prison Pit,” “Late Night Snack,” and “Hail to the King.”

Following this montage, a well-curated panel of talent took the stage to discuss animation creation in the digital space. Moderated by Happy Hour’s own Lon Strickland, the discussion group consisted of Jon Schnepp (“Metalocalypse,” “Hail to the King”), Mike Parker (“Sonic for Hire,” “Morty Kombat”), Mike William (the voice of Sonic in “Sonic for Hire”), Tyler Rudolph (“Happy Hour Saloon”), and Greg Franklin (creator of “Late Night Snack,” creative director of Six Point Harness & Rug Burn YouTube Channel).

As expected with this group, conversation got wacky. However, Tyler Rudolph brought the point of Happy Hour’s success home by mentioning that the internet gave both him, and really everyone on the panel, “a chance” to do what they wanted to do and create what they wanted to create.

Machinima was further represented throughout the weekend by their creators on-site, including Wayside Creations and Bat in the Sun, as well as continuing coverage of SDCC by the team at Machinima ETC.

Angry Video Game Nerd:

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Lloyd Kaufman, filmmaker and president of Troma, emphasized the importance of net neutrality for the independent artist, and discussed how, without a free internet, voices like Rolfe’s may never have had the chance to rise up and be heard. In addition to having appeared in a hugely popular episode of Angry Video Game Nerd, Kaufman has long been an advocate for creation in the digital space, making Troma the first of any studio to upload entire movies from their back catalogue onto sites like Hulu and YouTube (for free, no less) in the early days of cross-media promotion.

Naturally, Comic-Con is huge, so I’m sure there are digital/YouTube-oriented events I missed. If I didn’t mention your favorite SDCC digital space happening, share it below in the comments, or tweet us about it @VideoInkNews!

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

 

Budweiser’s Made For Music Campaign Launches ‘Underground’ Series

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By Jessica Klein

Budweiser’s Made for Music campaign, launched last year with Jay Z and Rihanna, continues in 2014 with the six-part series “Made Underground.” The series follows Jamie N Commons and X Ambassadors as they travel from New York to London to Rio De Janeiro to Philadelphia searching for members of a new band of street performers.

The series will culminate in a performance at the Budweiser Made in America festival on Saturday, August 30. Produced by Noisey, Vice’s music channel, Alex Da Kid, and, of course, Budweiser, “Made Underground” episodes will feature the search for musicians in London on August 4, then in New York on the 12, with episodes based in Philly on the 19 and Rio on the 26. Those episodes will roll out on Budweiser’s music platform, including additional ones that focus on what happens when the band comes together.

The founder of KIDinaKORNER Records (which has signed both Jamie N Commons and X Ambassadors), Alex Da Kid also co-directs the series while producing and mentoring the band. Meanwhile, Jay Z curates the Budweiser Made in America festival, where the band resulting from “Made Underground” will play in late August.

“Living in New York, it’s hard to miss the amazing talent around every corner, which is why I am so thrilled to work with Budweiser’s ‘Made Underground’ to showcase the truly brilliant street performers throughout the world and highlight the energy they bring to our city life,” the X Ambassadors’ Sam Harris stated in regards to the upcoming series.

You can watch the trailer below:

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

 

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Trailer Debuts At Comic-Con

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One of the highlights of the cinematic material screened at this weekend’s Comic-Con convention was Mad Max: Fury Road. Warner Bros. publicly unveiled this first footage exclusively to the excess of eager fans that attended the convention; however, they also decided to release a shorter version of the preview online Sunday.

The plot for the new installment of the Mad Max film is as follows: The post-apocalyptic action film is set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a desolate desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world of “fire and blood” exist two rebels on the run who might be able to restore order. There’s Max (played by Tom Hardy from The Dark Knight Rises), a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his family in the aftermath of the chaos. And Furiosa (played by Charlize Theron from Prometheus), a woman of action who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland.

Mad Max: Fury Road is the fourth film of George Miller’s Road Warrior/Mad Max franchise co-written and directed by Miller.

The trailer featured, what can be considered, the ultimate car chase, starting with a feeling similar to The Road Warrior, but then opening up into incredible vistas and blasts of action that go far beyond anything Miller has put on screen in the past.

Watch the Mad Max trailer here:

Nerdist Pokes Fun At YouTube Commenters

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YouTube may be a great place to post and find videos, but when it comes to getting the attention of a positive community, some folks have had better luck than others. And Nerdist Industries certainly knows this well.

The popular news-oriented website, which has nearly one million subscribers on YouTube, has also been the place for a number of negative comments on certain videos. The site’s co-founder, stand-up comedian and TV personality Chris Hardwick, addressed this Saturday night during his annual panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

Hardwick stated that he will no longer post exclusive videos on YouTube first, instead referring interested parties to check them out over on Nerdist.com. The reason for this, according to him, is that people often come to YouTube for a single viewing of a particular clip, then move on to other things. It’s not a place for them to “hang out,” according to him.

He’s also not fond of the commenters, as he refers to them as “toxic,” a term that actually got a huge reaction from the crowd. “YouTube is a bunch of 13-year-olds who are like, ‘Look at me, I am unattended!'” he stated. “The second comment is always ‘FIRST’, because they never make it.”

The Nerdist site, however, has become quite positive with community, featuring a number of audio podcasts, daily news posts, and other broadcasts that are highly popular. It’s also spreading out to TV, with one of the company’s offerings, All-Star Celebrity Bowling, being worked on by AMC.

While Nerdist will be premiering most videos on its site first, the company hastened to correct the impression Hardwicvk may have left that YouTube was less important than before. A Nerdist spokesman provided the following statement in an update:

Chris Hardwick is both Nerdist’s CEO and a standup comedian. His comments about our stance on YouTube were intended to be comedy rather than a reflection of our business strategy with respect to YouTube.

YouTube continues to be a tremendous partner for Nerdist, and while we will premiere much of our upcoming content on Nerdist.com, YouTube will remain a home for us well into the future. We are part of the YouTube community and we have no intention to turn away from our fellow creators, subscribers, and the 1-billion users that come to visit each month. Some upcoming content will even live exclusively on YouTube, as the personal touch that comes from being a vibrant, video-facing social media platform allows us to connect with fans in ways that simply aren’t available anywhere else. YouTube.com/Nerdist is here to stay, regardless of who shows up first and how many capital letters they use to tell us about it.

What do you think? Is posting its own videos a better strategy for Nerdist than trying to turn to YouTube?

Source: Recode.net

Sales On Mobile To Rise 25% By 2016

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eMarketer has released a report that projects 19.0 percent of US retail e-commerce sales will stem from mobile devices this year and will rise to 25 percent by 2016.

While apps are where mobile users spend most of their time, it’s mobile websites where consumers spend the most money. A sizeable share of US mobile users buy frequently from mobile sites: 32 percent of US mobile phone owners surveyed in November 2013 by PricewaterhouseCoopers said they purchased merchandise on a weekly basis from a website they accessed through their phone.

Photo Courtesy of eMarketer

The question concerning many retailers is whether apps in general are a threat to mobile website sales. The consensus among those interviewed for this report is they’re not. In fact, apps often drive incremental sales. It’s clear that, with more retailers having mobile websites than apps and many apps lacking commerce functionality, apps are more of a driver of mobile websites sales than a threat.

Source: eMarketer