‘Fates Forever’ Aims To Be A Mega MOBA For Mobile

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A significant title arrived in the App Store last week, one that fans of multiplayer online battle arena games (or MOBAs, for short) will want to check out. It’s called Fates Forever, and it’s the latest effort from game studio Hammer & Chisel. It’s received dozens of good reviews thus far, as well as hundreds of thousands of downloads – which indicates that the avid community from the immensely popular League of Legends could be taking notice.

The game has been tweaked to work specifically with touch-screen commands, which will mean a world of difference to those who are used to playing with a keyboard and mouse at their fingertips. Fates Forever is the latest among many efforts either shipping or announced to bring the MOBA genre to mobile platforms, including Zynga’s Solstice Arena and Super Evil Megacorp’s Vainglory. While some mobile MOBAs have already been in the market a while, nothing has yet made a huge splash. Fates Forever is looking to change that.

Jason Citron, the founder of OpenFeint and chief executive for Hammer and Chisel, spoke at great length about the game. “We have hundreds of thousands of players who’ve tried the game,” he said. “Many of them are really into it. Some of them, we’ve heard, have given up Hearthstone and switched to Fates, which is pretty cool.”

The game was developed in just 18 months’ time, a true feat considering how deep and involving it is to amateurs and Legends veterans alike. As to why mobile was the ideal platform, Citron explained, “We tried to figure out what kind of games that already work on the PC would also work on tablets. This is a bit of a tangent, but I don’t think you get new game genres very often. Genres are reflections of the way our brains are wired. The human brain doesn’t change that much. As technology changes, it gives us the ability to make new types of game experiences, but rarely do you get a totally new genre. So we didn’t say, “What’s a totally new genre ” We said, ‘What genre exists on PC that we think we can do well on the tablet ‘

“We picked MOBA because it’s very popular. It’s culturally in vogue. I thought we could do a good job of it on a tablet, and I guess we did.”

Fates Forever can be downloaded here.

Source: VentureBeat

Today’s Video: ‘League of Legends’ Cinematic

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The latest video from Riot Games is a League of Legends cinematic entitled A New Dawn. The video shows the immense level of care put into its creation, with a level of quality comparable to the best animated features. It’s a brief tale of an encounter between two groups of five champions, the usual groupings that do battle in League of Legends. Here, though, we get a closeup look at some of the most popular champions, and some insight into their personalities as they battle.

“The goal of this particular piece was we wanted to dive into the League of Legends universe with a bigger, more diverse cast,” proclaims the Behind the Scenes video that accompanies this piece. It’s an engaging glimpse into the thinking behind this cinematic, and shows some of the elaborate foley work and the orchestral accompaniment that was created for it.

Aside from being an impressive piece of entertainment for its own sake, the video served a useful marketing purpose as well. “A cinematic of this depth leads to champion discovery,” said Riot CEO Brandon Beck. “It forces us to go deeper in understanding the characters we are trying to portray.” That leads to a richer backstory and a more attractive world that can engage players to an even greater extent.

Will Riot do something more with all of this effort put into character development, backstory and animations Certainly fans would love to see an animated feature, but so far Riot has shown little interest in anything but League of Legends itself. President Marc Merrill did remark last year, though that “We do intend to make the ‘s’ in Riot Games mean something.” That’s about as much of Riot’s future plans as we are likely to know . . . for now. One thing seems certain, though – we’re going to see more high-quality animation from Riot. This video already has over 10 million views in less than a week.

The VR Battle Gets Real

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The Virtual Reality market is anything but real yet, though that hasn’t stopped companies from spending billions of dollars to compete in it. Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR closed recently, and that’s a good moment to take a look at this business where we still don’t have products on the market. There’s no lack of excitement among various companies, though, and the maneuvering is already beginning to be in position to grab the biggest part of the VR market — however big the overall market will be.

Google’s entry is a low-tech one so far, with the Cardboard VR device announced at Google I O in June. Sure, it’s more than a little tongue-in-cheek, but it actually does provide some of the elements of a VR experience — for a very small price, and to pretty good reviews. We already know Google is experimenting with computing devices on your face with Google Glass — it’s not too much of a leap to think the company is considering a step into VR, where there’s so much excitement. Google’s Project Tango has obvious applications to VR. Maybe we’ll see something more come from this in the VR space.

Meanwhile, Samsung is reportedly working with Oculus VR to get help with Samsung’s “Gear VR” headset, which uses a mobile device as the screen instead of a dedicated headset. Engadget says they’ve heard “very positive things” about the Samsung device. “Though our sources only experienced a few demos, they repeatedly described them as ‘impressive,’ specifically with the caveat ‘for a phone,'” noted Engadget.

Sony’s Project Morpheus ha sattracted a lot of attention from its slick design and use of PlayStation Move controllers, as well as the fact that it’s powered by a PlayStation 4. Still, even Sony admits that it’s ultimately about the experiences the hardware can deliver (in their case, they’re looking at games), and the company is working to develop some games to see just how compelling an experience this can deliver.

The target that Oculus VR is shooting for is on a different level, though — similar to what Michael Abrash discussed for Valve, before he left to join Oculus as chief scientist (see above). The headset would need to be connected to a PC, because the amount of computing required is substantial for the graphics specifications that Oculus is looking to hit. It’s going to make the headset something that’s not self-contained, at least not for a while. However, the Oculus is looking more substantial now that Facebook is throwing its weight behind it. Oculus now has a publishing effort, led by veteran Jason Rubin, and that should result in some excellent content for the device.

For now, though, we still have no idea of the pricing for VR hardware or software, or even when the devices will begin to hit the market. It’s something to watch, but it’s not going to have an effect this year. 2015 may be a different story.

Source: Engadget

China Telecom To Sell Xbox One

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Microsoft is getting very serious about selling Xbox One consoles in China, as the company has cut a deal with China’s leading fixed-line broadband operator, China Telecom, to sell the Xbox One console beginning in September. This is a major breakthrough for Microsoft, locking up the leading broadband provider in China while Sony is still in the early stage s of bringing the PlayStation 4 to China.

The Xbox 360 has sold reasonably well on the black market in Chna and in other Asian countires, but the recent lifting of the official ban on consoles in China brings a chance for Microsoft to come out of the shadows. According to the Wall Street Journal, “China Telecom will be the exclusive carrier partner of the Xbox One in China and consumers will be able ‘to enjoy the games and entertainment experience at home’ by signing up for the company’s broadband subscription contract, the carrier said in a statement Thursday.”

China Telecom has been buys expanding its service offerings beyond it basic voice plans for phones to a wide range of higher value services, like e-commerce, online learning and medical services, via its broadband connections. China Telecom does have over 100 million broadband subscribers, so there’s a solid market base for Microsoft to go after.

The price of the console in China hasn’t been announced. Microsoft will be producing the consoles in Shanghai, under an agreement with Best TV announced earlier this year. Clearly price will be a major hurdle for Microsoft to overcome in China, but there’s now a substantial middle class in China with a fair amount of disposable income. What sort of games will be available on the Xbox One in China> How well will these games be localized. Will Microsoft try to bring some of the biggest hits on PC in China to the Xbox One? So far, Microsoft isn’t saying, but perhaps we’ll hear more as the launch date approaches.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Movie Games Show Progress At Comic-Con

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The 130,000 people (or more!! that attended the San Diego Comic-Con had plenty to occupy their attention, between all of the costumes, comics, games, movies and television shows that were buys pouring out hype. The convention was the perfect place to promote the intersection between gaming and movies, though, and the studios did not miss their chance. The three biggest movie projects based on games all had updates for the fans.

Sony Pictures announced that the upcoming movie based on Uncharted will be arriving in theaters on June 10, 2016. This slot had originally been reserved for The Amazing Spider-Man 3, but that film has been pushed back to 2018. A different film featuring some of Spider-Man’s top adversaries, The Sinister Six, will release later in 2016. Filming for Uncharted will begin next year, said director Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief). No one has been cast yet in the title role.

Another Sony picture, The Last of Us, also had news to excite the fans. The movie, based on the hit game of the same name, will be led by veteran director Sam Raimi (of The Amazing Spider-Man and The Evil Dead fame). Sony revealed that Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams (who plays Arya Stark) is in talks to play the role of Ellie. So one has been named for the lead role of Joel, but Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann has said he’d like to see Bruce Campbell in the role).

Warcraft props

Moving away from Sony, we have the Warcraft movie, based on Blizzard’s World of Warcraft MMORPG. Legendary Pictures and Universal Studios unveiled the Warcraft movie logo, as well as decorating their booth with exclusive props from the film, which included the Doomhammer, Dragon Sword, and Lion Shield. Director Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) is helming the Warcraft project and also wrote the screenplay with Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond). Dominic Cooper (Captain America: The First Avenger), Travis Fimmel (Vikings), Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand), and Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) are set to star in the movie.

GrowthBeat — August 5-6, 2014

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VentureBeat’s inaugural event on the future of marketing tech — is gathering the industry’s biggest names to uncover new case studies, insights, and strategies designed to help companies more effectively acquire and retain customers and grow revenue.

There’s science in knowing your prospect or customer, learning what he or she does with or around your offering, understanding how your users interact with your product, and endlessly optimizing what you’re doing, how your product works, what messages engage, and how you can be more relevant to your customers’ needs.

GrowthBeat is bringing in some of the best and brightest in modern digital marketing to unclutter the landscape, simplify the functions, clarify the goals, and point the way to success.

Our friends at VentureBeat are offering our network a 15 percent discount on tickets. Register now and save using code alist15.

 

Featured Speakers include:

  • Gordon Evans, VP Product Marketing, Salesforce
  • Jeanette Gibson, VP Customer Experience & Community, HootSuite
  • Alex Schultz, VP of Growth, Facebook
  • Amanda O’Brien, Head of Digital/e-Marketing & Advertising, Jiffy Lube
  • Loren Simon, Sr. Director of Online Marketing, Walmart
  • Lisa Archambault, Head of Demand Generation, Zappos
  • Lee Hammond, VP Digital, Interscope
  • Elisa Haidt, Director of Marketing, TripIt
  • Kevin Akeroyd, GM & SVP, Oracle Marketing Cloud
  • Scott Brinker, Co-Founder, President & CTO, Ion Interactive
  • Kim Matlock, Sr. Director, Digital Marketing & CRM, Hard Rock Cafe
  • John Mellor, VP of Strategy, Adobe

 

For more on the vision of this year’s GrowthBeat, including in-depth program themes, check out the event site.

 

Google (Reportedly) Finally Buys Twitch For $1 Billion

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By Jessica Klein

It’s finally happened…as far as the internet buzz is concerned. After months of rumors, Google buckled down and signed the deal to purchase video game streaming service Twitch for $1 billion, according to unnamed sources in a report from VentureBeat.

Though the deal has yet to garner an official announcement, it seems like it was only a matter of time before it went through. Acquiring Twitch marks the logical next step for Google, since gaming YouTube video annotations already had the ability to bring viewers directly to live play on Twitch with a single click. Twitch Live Annotations premiered in June, merging the companies closer to the current deal.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YArShAADohI

Started by the creators of Justin.tv in 2011, Twitch has raised $35 million in past funding initiatives. Bessemer Venture Partners, WestSummit Capital, Alsop Louie Partners, Thrive Capital, Take-Two Interactive Software, and Draper Associates invest in the game streaming service, which boasts over 45 million users each month.

With YouTube having yet to claim a strong live-viewing option, the acquisition of Twitch will serve to fill a void on the digital video platform. Many users who have live-streamed their game play on YouTube note the hurdles they have to jump through due to copyright, and a common practice of Let’s Players is to upload their footage from Twitch to YouTube.

The acquisition could make the Twitch to YouTube transition more seamless for gamers, but details of the purchase are being kept very much under wraps for now. What we do know is that–if the reports are true–it will end competition between the two platforms.

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.

 

Major Copyright Suit Filed Against YouTuber

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YouTube has been making millions for popular entrepreneurs who have created unique videos and massive audiences. The future of YouTube video has never looked brighter, but with success there often problems that arise.

Ultra Records, which has signed up musicians like Kaskade, deadmau5 and Calvin Harris, claims that popular YouTube personality Michelle Phan has been using some of their songs without proper permission. The result is that Ultra Records has filed a lawsuit claiming copyright infringement by Phan, and claiming she has used 50 of their songs without permission in her popular YouTube videos and on her web site.

Ultra Records is asking for a serious amount of damages, too – $150,000 per song, which would add up to a hefty $7.5 million dollars if Phan is found liable to pay that entire judgment. Phan has built up an audience of over 6 million subscribers who eagerly follow her makeup tutorials. Her most popular video, the Barbie Transformation Tutorial, has been viewed 50 million times, and her video on reproducing Lady Gaga’s look has been viewed 45 million times.

One of the odd twists in the lawsuit is that one of the musicians that Ultra Records featured in the suit (and, in fact, the most prominently featured musician), Kaskade, is on Phan’s side in the dispute. “Copyright law is a dinosaur, ill-suited for the landscape of today’s media,” said Kaskade on Twitter. He expressed his disbelief that his own record label was suing Ms. Phan for copyright infringement. “And the kicker . . . they’re citing her using my songs for the suit. Come. On,” he tweeted. The Grammy-nominated Kaskade said there was little he could do to stop the label from pursuing the case.

“Your music inspired not just myself, but millions of my followers to dance and dream on,” Phan responded to Kaskade.

Ultra Records filed the suit in California, and they are also seeking an injunction to prevent Phan from continuing to use their music. Ultra Records claims it has “sustained and will continue to sustain substantial, immediate and irreparable injury” as a result of Phan’s use of its copyrighted music.

A spokesman for Phan said the lawsuit “lacks any merit” because “Ultra agreed to allow Michelle to use the music and Michelle intends to fight this lawsuit and bring her own claims against Ultra.” Further, the spokesman said, “Michelle’s intention has always been to promote other artists, creating a platform for their work to be showcased to an international audience. Kaskade, whose music has been featured in Michelle’s videos, has publicly defended Michelle against Ultra’s claims and acknowledges the success he’s gained from her support.”

This will need to get sorted out in court, but certainly the case will be watched closely by other YouTube stars. It certainly seems like YouTube videos would be a great way for musicians to get their music more widely noticed, and benefit both parties. The devil is in the details, though, and all parties will need to feel that the agreements are fair and equitable.

Source: BBC

That Darth Car Is Some Hot Wheels

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You may know Darth Vader as the dark lord of the Sith in Star Wars, but what you didn’t know is what kind of wheels he’d drive if he was here on Earth. Some pretty Hot Wheels, it turns out. Mattel’s using the occasion of San Diego Comic Con to launch its new Star Wars Hot Wheels line, and the company has chosen an interesting promotional vehicle – or rather, had one created by PCW Brands.

The Darth Car is based on a C5 Corvette, with a body crafted mostly from fiberglass (with carbon fiber used on the front splitter), and the result weighs almost half of the standard Corvette. The chassis was lowered slightly, giving it an even more ominous look. It’s perfectly street-legal, too, and it’s been road-test up to 80 mph – though PCW Brands CEO Billy Hammon says the Darth Car could hit up to 150 mph.

What’s under the helmet It’s not scarred and ugly, it’s a GM LS3 V8 engine that is tuned to put out 526 horsepower. Hey, the Sith Lord doesn’t want to be left behind at a stop light. Of course, the Darth Car uses a six-speed manual transmission, which no doubt can be handled telekinetically if you’re so inclined (and have the requisite Force skills). The Darth Car also has a secondary, hand-acutated drift brake on the rear axle for when you need to outmaneuver a pesky landspeeder on a curve.

The Darth Car is fully armed and operational, outfitted with plenty of fine Hot Wheels touches – like the logo on the side. The wheels are custom-milled for the Darth Car, and the unique tires are high-performance while also deliving the Hot Wheels look. The missiles mounted on the side are machined from stainless steel, and the side pipes look just like Lord Vader’s light saber – and of course, they are illuminated. Not to omit the special sounds of Star Wars, the car can emit the unmistakable sounds of Vader breathing and his light saber activating, all controllable remotely via an iPad.

Oh, and just to top things off, the hatch opens like Darth Vader’s helmet, and includes a smoke machine to generate the appropriate vapor when opening. The Darth Car took seven weeks from final design to completion, and it’s already causing jaws to drop wherever it goes – and generating interest in Mattel’s new Star Wars Hot Wheels line, too.

Source: Car and Driver

 

Up To Half Of Redbox Rentals Result In Purchase

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Game publishers have traditionally viewed game rentals with a jaundiced eye, presuming that people who rent a game for a day or two won’t be buying the game, and thus represent a lost sale. Not so, avers Redbox’s director of video games Ryan Calnan. While an increasing number of people are streaming games and downloading games, there’s still plenty of game sales happening. Game rentals are also growing in popularity, and Redbox says that leads to more game sales.

“We have a 20-50 percent conversion rate of people buying a game after they’ve tried it through Redbox,” Calnan said. “The percentage varies depending on the time of year, but it’s a very healthy conversion of rent-to-purchase rate.”

Redbox operates rental kiosks for DVDs. Blu-ray discs and video games at more than 35,000 locations across North America. Customers can rent popular games for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. Some kiosks in selected areas offer PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Wii U games as well.

Game rentals gives publishers a way to engage with a customer without requiring that massive initial purchase. If the game is good, getting some hands-on time can convince a customer to buy the game. Just as with mobile games, console games are facing the discovery problem, and rentals help solve that for publishers. “It gives them the ability to reach beyond the hardcore gamer,” Calnan said. “And it offers publishers an incremental revenue opportunity.”

Redbox has been trying some promotions in conjunction with publishers like Square Enix and Deep Silver. The promotions for Saints Row 4 and Thief led to an increase in incremental purchases from customers who normally wouldn’t identify as gamers. “There is still a very big emotional attachment to the physical media,” Calnan said. “And a lot of people have slow internet connections and can experience extremely long download times. So I think Redbox has a very strong place in the gaming industry.”

Source: Polygon