Amazon Licenses CryEngine For Future Game Releases

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Amazon has been making a significant push in its games department over the past year, releasing original titles and acquiring a number of talents, including Killer Instinct developer Double Helix Games and Portal creator Kim Swift. This week, though, it made huge strides through a new partnership, one that will provide the kind of technology that will push its internal game development even further.

Gamespot has reported that the popular site has teamed up with Crytek in a deal worth approximately $50-$70 million. The deal would benefit both parties, as Amazon would be able to utilize the company’s CryEngine 3 game development tools for future game releases, while Crytek would receive a financial benefit, following a number of financial challenges that off-set the company last year, including layoffs and low morale amongst remaining employees.

Crytek co-founder Faruk Yerli hinted at the deal last month while speaking to Develop, stating, “It was a huge one, probably the biggest one. I can’t say anything more in detail, but hopefully we’ll be able to announce it with the partner soon.”

CryEngine 3 is a vital tool for game development these days, as it’s been utilized in a number of high-end releases, including 2K’s Evolve, Chris Roberts’ forthcoming Star Citizen and more. The toolset is capable of many great things in the right development hands, and Amazon certainly has a number of those on board, between acquisitions and its own Amazon Game Studios, among other talents.

With this deal in place, Amazon could now produce high-end console-oriented releases for its devices, including the popular Amazon Fire TV and its numerous tablets.

Neither company would quote exact details on the deal, but we’re sure to learn more about what Amazon intends to do with the technology over the next few months, perhaps even as soon as the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June. Considering it’s one of the world’s most highly regarded game meccas, Amazon is sure to be in attendance with plenty of games – and maybe even a hint of its plans with CryEngine.

Mobile Games Highlights: ‘DuckTales’, ‘Mortal Kombat X’

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Welcome to the debut of a new weekly feature that focuses on weekly mobile games, ones that just arrived on the iOS/Android front and offer something substantial to the market. Whether players are in the mood for a free-to-play casual game or a competitive action title, there’s certainly a lot to choose from.

DuckTales: Remastered (Disney, $9.99, available on iOS and Android) {links no longer active}

Initially released back in 2013 for consoles, Ducktales: Remastered is a remake of a popular adaptation of the hit Disney show, which originally appeared back on the 80’s for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Developed by WayForward, this new version features upgraded animation, level design and music, as well as a variety of locations for Scrooge McDuck to visit on his hunt for worldwide treasure. Kids should enjoy the side-scrolling gameplay, while adults will enjoy the nostalgia kick that DuckTales delivers, as it features the look and sound of the classic show.

Fans of Disney-based games are sure to love DuckTales, even with its somewhat high price of $9.99. Its quality certainly pays off, though.

Mortal Kombat X (WB Games, free-to-play, available on iOS, coming soon to Android)  {link no longer active}

With the console version of Mortal Kombat X arriving next week, WB Games has gotten a jump on the mobile fighting market with a separate release, available now for iOS and coming soon to Android. The game is set up similarly to WB’s previous release Injustice: Gods Among Us, as players can fight against opponents while earning experience points that can be used in the console version, through wireless connection. For those without that version, however, the fantastic visuals and easy-to-learn gameplay should make it a hit for those who can’t get enough of the grisly combat and fatalities.

Mortal Kombat X is free-to-play, with in-app items (like fighters and power-ups) available for purchase.

Attack the Light: Steven Universe Light RPG (Turner Broadcasting, $2.99, available on iOS and Android)  {links no longer active}

Based on the popular Cartoon Network show Steven Universe, Attack the Light puts kids (or fans of the show) into a turn-based role-playing adventure, as they guide Steven, Garnet and his other friends through a series of combat situations, using spells and other special attacks to fend them off. This mobile release features hours of gameplay, with new areas to explore and items to find, as well as certain techniques to master for each character.

Attack the Light is a flat $2.99 purchase, with no additional items needing to be bought. For parents and fans of the show, that’s a moderately easy price to digest.

Last Voyage (Semidome Inc., $.99, available on IOS)  {link no longer active}

For those looking for a deeper experience with their iPad and iPhone devices, Last Voyage offers something that some players just won’t get enough of. They’ll journey through various scenarios that take them to the far reaches of time and space, as they visit five unique chapters filled with psychedelic portals, abstract puzzles and much more. Featuring a brilliant art design and over 40 minutes of varied music, Last Voyage definitely seems like a trip worth taking. And only for a buck, too.

Marvel Mighty Heroes (DeNA, free-to-play, available on iOS and Android   {links no longer active}

With all the popular Marvel-based apps available on mobile devices, it shouldn’t be a surprise that DeNA has made one that caters to players of all ages, while built around an effective — but not overbearing — pricing model. In Mighty Heroes, players will choose from their favorite pint-sized versions of heroes like Iron Man, Captain America and more as they team up with others to defeat diabolical villains like Loki and the Kingpin. Featuring a cast of various different characters from such franchises as Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers and more, Mighty Heroes should be a considerable treat for fans of the comic books and/or movies.

The game is set up as a free-to-play title with optional gold purchases for additional items, but it’s set up in a fair manner that players can still get reasonable mileage out of it.

Endemol Shine Group Will Showcase Icon, ‘Legends of Gaming’ At MIPTV

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by Jessica Klein

Endemol Shine Group has announced its first ever MIPTV lineup, showcasing Michelle Phan’s new, global lifestyle network Icon, among other international content.

Icon launched in the US and UK at the end of March, and it will now showcase its beauty, fashion, and lifestyle offerings at MIPTV alongside Endemol’s Legends of Gaming. The YouTuber-starring gaming competition series debuted in the UK and has since been sold to Germany, France, Brazil, and the US.

Read more…

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.

Details Announced For Forthcoming TwitchCon Event

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Earlier this year, popular game streaming channel Twitch announced that it would be holding its very first convention, TwitchCon, in San Francisco on September 25 and 26 at the Moscone Convention Center. Today, the company revealed more details in terms of what attendees can expect from the show, as well as how they can get tickets.

Although full panels haven’t been revealed yet, there will be a number of panel rooms, where those interested in learning more about the art of game streaming can do so, straight from the experts. The show will feature a number of Twitch personalities that will be in attendance, including popular names like itmeJP, OMGitsFirefoxx, PokerStaples, Nightblue3, Towelliee and a number of others, including more to be announced.

TwitchCon will also be the hope to many “interactive events” with top Twitch partners, including the ability to stream alongside them in Broadcast Pods, playing games with them in a Gaming Lab, learning more from an interactive knowledge center, and mingling with them in meet and greet autograph sessions. In addition, live channels will be broadcast on the show floor throughout the event. Further partner announcements and events will be detailed over on the official TwitchCon website.

On top of that, Twitch has also revealed when tickets for the event will go on sale. Interested parties can start buying them on April 10 at 2 p.m. PDT over on the TwitchCon site, and pricing is as follows:

Individual one day passes will be different, with the Friday pass going for $50 and the Saturday pass going for $60. Those interested in a two-day pass will be able to save, paying only $85. Those who prefer “early bird” deals can pick up the passes for a $5-$10 discount, depending on which type of pass is preferred.

In addition, a huge after-party featuring various Twitch talents will also take place on September 25th, with admission costing $25. A location and theme haven’t been revealed yet, but it’s likely to be a big place that houses hundreds of people.

Even though this is the first year for the TwitchCon event, it’s drumming up a great deal of attention, and should be a big hit for hardcore “streamers” and newcomers alike. And attendees are sure to learn a thing or two about playing games online as well.

Now Hiring: April 8

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[a]listdaily is 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.

Stuck in a bit of a rut Learn how to strategize to evolve your career.

Check out last week’s jobs here.

Nexon’s ‘Ghost In The Shell Online’ Targets Western Markets

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Nexon’s been making big moves in the U.S. market recently, with investments in Cliff Bleszinski’s studio Boss Key Productions, Big Huge Games, and more. Nexon’s also showing the new team-based FPS Dirty Bomb, which began a closed beta last week on Steam. The biggest news this week is the advent of Neople’s Ghost in the Shell Online, which will ship first in Western markets with beta sign-ups beginning in Q2 2015. The [a]listdaily spoke with Nexon regarding these developments.

Ghost in the Shell Online releasing first in the Western market rather than other regions. Nexon America is expanding its presence in the West, both by publishing new Western-developed titles and bringing appropriate titles from other regions to North America, LatAm, Europe and Australia/New Zealand. Since Ghost in the Shell is a popular IP and the first-person shooter genre is also hugely popular, we felt it was a great fit for the Nexon America portfolio.

Nexon’s calling this part of its “free-to-win” games strategy. How are these games different from free-to-play games?

We realize the need to evolve to suit the market. As part of our ongoing strategy to expand in the West, we’re working with developers to ensure that the monetization models in our upcoming games are fair to the players and in-line with expectations of the Western audience. Monetization will vary from game to game, but the intention with our new titles is to offer cosmetic and convenience items only, rather than things that offer a competitive advantage.

Will Project Bluestreak and Dirty Bomb also be arriving this year?

Dirty Bomb is currently in closed beta exclusively on Steam, and we are accepting sign-ups at www.dirtybomb.com. Open Beta will launch later this year. We have not yet announced dates or details for Project BlueStreak.

What sort of marketing plans does Nexon have for Ghost in the Shell Online?

We are currently working on announcement timings & marketing plans for Ghost in the Shell Online. It will definitely kick off this year, but still a bit early to know exactly when.

Will YouTube and Twitch be a major part of the marketing strategy? Will players be allowed to stream the beta action from these games?

Moving forward, YouTube and Twitch streaming and player-created content will be part of our strategy for all games. Both platforms have a huge influence on the industry and offer the ability to talk directly with our fans and potential players.

Website: www.nexon.net
Twitter: @Nexon_America

eSports In Cinema Series Will Take Pro Gaming To The Big Screen

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Hollywood has officially taken notice of the rise of eSports. In addition to a new big screen documentary, All Work All Play, from the filmmakers behind the critically acclaimed Wordplay, ESL has partnered with BY Experience to bring eSports events to the big screen worldwide this July. That’s right, eSports will be taking on Hollywood blockbusters like Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Pixels. But the movie premiere will have some extras that Hollywood may not be able to compete with when it comes to the Millennial eSports demographic.

Immediately following the world premiere there will be a live eSports show that includes top players, famous eSports personalities and exclusive content targeting pro gaming fans. The event — “All Work All Play: The Pursuit of eSports Glory Live” — will be premiered from the ESL Burbank studio in California on July 23 for North American and Latin American cinema audiences, and from the ESL Cologne studio on July 28 for European and Asian cinema audiences.

“BY Experience is working with theaters on a global basis to distribute this live event to the broadest range possible,” said Amy Kuessner, head of content acquisition at BY Experience. “While distribution is not 100 percent solidified in the U.S., we anticipate every major movie theater chain from Regal, AMC, Carmike, Cinemark, Marcus, National Amusements, Kerasotes, Landmark, etc. participating in this monumental event.”

All Work All Play, which brings the stories behind the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) global tournament to life, will screen as a work-in-progress at the Tribeca Film Festival this month. Patrick Creadon, director of the film at O’Malley Creadon Productions, said he’s had amazing experiences at Tribeca in the past, and he’s looking forward to getting valuable feedback from a festival crowd. The film will be completed by mid-June, and will hit theaters a month later during the busy Hollywood tentpole season.

“It’s an interesting time in film distribution, and there are exciting new models on how to bring your stories to a large audience,” said Creadon.  “We’re thrilled to be working with BY Experience, the world leader in alternative theatrical content, to distribute not just our film but also a live eSports experience which will take place immediately following our world premiere. The plan is for All Work All Play to be distributed on over 2,000 screens worldwide in late July, which is an especially exciting proposition for those of us in the documentary community.”

Since eSports is a truly global event, and the IEM stops in different countries during its tour, there’s a great opportunity for fans to come out and show their support of this documentary. Michal Blicharz, managing director of pro gaming at ESL, said the ninth IEM season, which is the focus of this documentary, was a breakthrough season for ESL. It served as a transition season between the eSports world of the past and the eSports world of the future. That provided a great backdrop for all the human stories in the film.

“We’ve always been drawn to stories that are comprised of people with a unique passion, especially if their passions include some sort of creative problem solving — Wordplay and crosswords; I.O.U.S.A. and tackling the challenges of the national debt; and If You Build It and design-thinking to help transform a struggling rural community,” said Creadon. “In that sense, All Work All Play was a great fit for us.”

IEM is the longest-running global pro gaming tour in the world today. Season 9 had stops in Shenzhen, San Jose, Taipei, Toronto, Cologne, and Katowice. Creadon said Intel was looking to have someone capture the personalities and dynamics that exist behind the scenes of this community and they enlisted his team to film.

“Like all of our previous work, we’ve enjoyed coming into a new world and figuring out what makes these people tick,” said Creadon. “And as a non-gamer, I think our approach is framed up a little less around the specifics of gaming and eSports and a little more around broader questions that interest us on perhaps a more universal level:  What is it about games and competition that draws you to this community What are your concerns about building a career in this new industry What are the sacrifices you’ve made to pursue this passion ”

Julie Borchard-Young, co-president of BY Experience, said this documentary is the first in a series of cinema broadcasts that will afford eSports fans an opportunity to get together in their communities to enjoy several high-profile events throughout the year, as part of a global shared experience.  

“Cinemas provide the optimal setting for spectators to watch their favorite players and teams compete across an array of gaming titles, broadcast live on a 70 foot cinema screen in surround sound,” said Borchard-Young.

With over 89 million people watching eSports last year, according to Newzoo research, this big screen boost could not only attract Millennials to theaters, but also introduce new people to this huge phenomenon.

“After our film Wordplay was released in theaters in 2006, attendance at the annual crossword tournament featured in the film doubled,” said Creadon. “In addition, the film helped bring more crossword constructors and solvers into the puzzle world. I think there’s a good chance our film will expand the audience for eSports in a dramatic way and will further the understanding of eSports to gamers and non-gamers alike.”

Blicharz said if this film is a success, it could have a broad range of influence on eSports, from bringing new players in, or people that are interested in working in the industry, to convincing more company executives to invest in it.

“We are quickly reaching the point where eSports and its value does not need to be explained to the world’s major corporations,” said Blicharz. “It is imminent with or without the film, but hopefully All Work All Play opens more eyes to eSports and speeds up the process.”

That’s good news for Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Activision, Valve and other developers at the forefront of eSports.

 

 

A Millennial’s Top Five Apps

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Instagram

Being a current college student, it might come as no surprise to you when I say that Instagram is without a doubt the most frequently used app on my smartphone. According Business Insider, more than half of American 12- to 24-year-olds said they had an Instagram account in 2014, with an even larger number of people prospected to have created an account since the survey was taken. As you can see, this is the demographic I clearly fall under.

There are many appeals to using the platform, most of which come from the app’s most basic purpose and functionality. Instagram has gained its marvel from being a platform that offers the service of social communication along with aesthetic appeal to provide a forum for artistic production for its users.

Personally, I enjoy Instagram more so because of the social component present when scrolling through my feed; however the aesthetics is what keeps me posting and coming back for more. It is very popular amongst my peers, so it is a cool way to check out what everyone is up to or where they are etc.

Venmo

For those not familiar with Venmo, it is an app that makes financial transactions social. The app allows its users to pay and request money from their friends, acting as a virtual wallet to most. Venmo’s demographic consists mainly of users ages 18 to 24, with college kids making up the largest portion of that faction.

It’s safe to say kids aged 18-22 are proactive when it comes to going out and spending money, and a common misfortune that occurs when a group of friends go out is having a few peers that don’t have enough accessible cash to do whatever it is the activity may be. In these circumstances, friends will usually lend money to the person in need. However, the problem that too often occurs with this is that your friend “forgets” to pay you back, or pushes it off long enough that you, yourself, forget. Venmo aims to end this all-too-common mishap. Venmo acts as a safety net that enables kids to be reimbursed immediately after lending a friend, or peer money by sending the appropriate amount through your phone via Venmo. The common lingo among college kids these days is now, “Just Venmo me!” rather than the wretched, “Yeah don’t worry, I’ll pay you back later…”

Additionally Venmo has integrated a social component into the app through use of its memo line. Like a check, the memo line is used for stating what you are paying the allotted amount of money for; however many users tend to use the memo line as a forum for posting witty comments.

Overall, Venmo is a platform whose convenience should appeal to just about anyone living in the ever-growing modern tech age. It is ideal for people who make copious amounts of small transactions, or for people who simply don’t like to carry around cash.

*Venmo works using your credit/debit card.  Once the app is installed, you wire your card to the app – allowing all transactions to take place virtually. 

Yahoo Mail

As you can guess, as I college student I am constantly having to use my phone to send emails to professors and colleagues either on the go or at times when I don’t have access to a computer. While I also have a Gmail account, a majority of my emails are sent through Yahoo.

Facebook Messenger

I hardly ever go on Facebook nowadays to actually post something or to see what friends are up to – I mean, who has time for that? The only time I do logon is to either chat with friends or to get in touch students or peers whose phone numbers I don’t already have. This is why I love Facebook Messenger. Messenger allows me to utilize all the best parts of Facebook’s chat functionality without having to deal with the constant, annoying and insignificant notifications, wall posts, and ads Facebook also has to offer. The apps interface is extremely simple and can send messages even while other apps are being used. It also allows me to hold several different conversations at once through use of its multi-tab function.

Snapchat

Perhaps a year or two ago you might not have seen Snapchat on my list of most frequently used apps. However about 8 months ago, as I feel is the case with just about all smartphone users in the past 12-24 months, I hopped on the Snapchat bandwagon and haven’t looked back since. I mainly use the app to keep up to date with friends, relatives and, as of late, celebrities via their Snapchat stories. Snapchat has transformed from a dinky app used by middle schoolers and high school kids to take and send silly selfies, to a powerful, influential platform that now employs media from all over the globe, and is now becoming a popular destination for formal, big-name brands.

Mobile Games Lead TV Game Advertising

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For the longest time, companies like Microsoft and Sony, along with third-party publishers, spent the biggest bucks when it came to advertising their games on television. Over the past year, however, a new player has emerged – free-to-play mobile games. And it’s growing even larger.

A report from iSpot.TV indicates that TV advertising has increased for games in general, rising up to $210 million for the past year. That’s a $60 million difference from the previous year.

In the chart above, you can see how this spending is broken down. While Sony’s PlayStation division still plays a big part in terms of advertising getting on television (most recently hyping games like Bloodborne and The Order: 1886), other companies like Machine Zone and Supercell have bumped up their spending, behind lucrative campaigns for popular free-to-play titles like Game of War and Clash of Clans. Both of these ads have featured superstars, including model Kate Upton and actor Liam Neeson (whose Clans ad made a big splash during the Super Bowl).

Mobile game companies made up 30 percent of all game related TV ad spending, according to the report, although other companies like 2K, EA and Ubisoft, who produce third-party releases for both mobile and consoles, still played a pretty big part with their campaigns as well, according to VentureBeat.

This spending upswing marks the first time that mobile is doing more advertising than traditional game consoles, although the likes of Sony and Microsoft usually save its TV pushes for bigger titles, mainly around the holiday season.

Showing the biggest increase in spending is Machine Zone, who only had 6.7 percent of TV ad spending last year, but has since risen to 21 percent with its Game of War commercials. Meanwhile, Supercell rose from 10 percent to 22 percent. Other companies are playing a part as well, such as UCool, which spent a significant amount of money to advertise Heroes Charge during the Super Bowl earlier this year.

Whether spending will remain this way has yet to be seen, but considering the success of both Game of War and Clash of Clans, it isn’t likely to slow down soon — which means that Sony and Microsoft have their work cut out for them, even if they are in a completely different game market.

Virtual/Augmented Reality Market To Overtake Mobile By 2020

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Even though it hasn’t reached the “big time” yet on the consumer market, the potential for both augmented and virtual reality is growing, between a number of big investments, including Oculus Rift by Facebook for $2 billion and Google’s $542 million investment in Magic Leap.

That said, a new report from Digi-Capital, indicates that once the market does take off, it’ll grow immensely — and stands a good chance to overtake the mobile market in just a few years’ time.

Both augmented and virtual reality have the possibility of impacting the market with their use of technology, even if they are vastly different. Between the creation of enveloping virtual worlds and being able to implement items in a real-world environment (augmented), there’s a lot of appeal for the general market.

In addition, Digi-Capital also broke down how these items could be used outside of gaming, whether it’s watching a movie in full interactive 3D with virtual reality, or using augmented reality in a whole new light for voice calls, web browsing, film and TV streaming and much more.

The site broke down the numbers in the chart above, indicating that the augmented and virtual reality market combined could reach $150 billion in just five years. That would give it enough strength to overtake the mobile software market, which is considered one of the biggest growth technologies of the past few years.

Digi-Capital was quick to point out that virtual reality could amass an audience of millions of users, with hardware that would be priced similarly with popular game consoles, around the $300-$500 range. Consumer software would increase greatly with these devices, including the introduction of interactive films, theme park simulations and other means of involvement.

However, Digi-Capital also mentioned the benefits of augmented reality, seeing its similarities to smartphones and tablets. It could see “hundreds of millions of users”, according to the report, with a more reasonable price range that would be in competition with smartphones and tablets. As a result, hardware revenues would quickly be generated for those who made the devices, as well as those who develop for them.

This secondary chart breaks down where profits would generate from both markets. On the augmented reality front, hardware would lead the charge, followed by eCommerce, leading to a very healthy $120 billion sales front by 2020. Meanwhile, virtual reality, far behind with $30 billion, would see a boost from involving games, with hardware and film following closely behind. Notably, Digi-Capital’s prediction shows VR games to be a substantially bigger market than AR games, at roughly twice the size.

That’s not to say the technologies would be flawless, as Digi-Capital did point out that certain applications could cause motion sickness with users, and privacy would also be a major issue, similar to when Google Glass was initially launched. But these issues could be resolved as the augmented/virtual reality market comes to fruition.

The full analysis behind this report can be found here.