Gameplay Trailers Of The Week

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Welcome back to another round of Gameplay Trailers of the Week, where we take the best that the Internet has to offer in amusing, surprising and off-the-wall video game trailers and present them here in all their glory. Sit back, pop some popcorn, and enjoy the show!

For its latest Mario Kart 8 commercial, Nintendo of Japan has decided on showing the emotional side of the drivers involved through a new majestic, slow-motion powered piece. The real seller here, however, is the inclusion of the “Luigi death stare,” in which Mario’s plumber brother gives the gaze of doom while passing by his opposition. Good luck sleeping tonight.

Square Enix has announced a new contest for its forthcoming 3DS game Final Fantasy Theatrhythm: Curtain Call that challenges gamers to musically produce the main Final Fantasy theme, then share the video with them for a chance to win prizes. While this is a unique promotion, chances are it might be a little bit painful, especially when it comes to some people singing. There’s a reason some folks avoid karaoke bars.

CD Projekt Red revealed a dramatic new trailer for its forthcoming The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that shows what kind of effort went into producing the art for the game. As you might expect, it’s far from an easy process, but it’ll certainly pay off when the game releases for PC and next-gen consoles this coming February.

For its latest trailer for Madden NFL 15, EA Sports invited a number of NFL rookies to come in and learn what their ratings are in the game. Some were pleasantly surprised, like Johnny Manziel, while others reacted a bit differently. Some event went as far as to say they’re “beefing.” Hey, guys…the game isn’t done yet. It’s not coming till August. Always time for change, right

 

Finally, Microsoft made a bold exclamation that the Xbox One would be host to the “best games,” period. These include such titles as Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Sunset Overdrive, although some, like the featured Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Assassin’s Creed: Unity, will appear on the PlayStation 4 console as well. Still, there’s no question that Microsoft wants to put its best foot forward. But this seems more like a leap than a step, eh, guys.

Source: YouTube

 

‘The Last of Us’ Live Performance

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With the remastered version of the hit PlayStation 3 game The Last of Us set to arrive on PlayStation 4 next week, Sony has gone all out for promotion of the “new” version of the game by announcing a special “One Night Live” event. Geoff Keighley posted on the PlayStation blog: “I love great video game stories. Today, the narrative potential of our medium has never been greater. The best video games blend world-class acting, writing, music and gameplay to create art that rivals the best works in other entertainment mediums. To celebrate that point, I’m excited to announce an experimental project I’ve been working on with Naughty Dog and PlayStation.”

Taking place on Monday, July 28th at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, the event will bring together various actors from the game to read their dialogue live, under the direction of Neill Druckman, the director of The Last of Us over at Naughty Dog. These actors include Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, Merle Dandridge, Hana Hayes and Annie Wersching.

In addition, Academy Award winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla will be on hand to perform selections of his score from the game, which has earned great acclaim since its release last year.

This is a great move by Sony to promote the game, as it not only brings together the number of talents responsible for bringing it to life in the first place, but also gets fans excited for the new version, which will feature a faster frame rate, enhanced multiplayer features and the inclusion of the game’s DLC in the same package.

Those interested attending the event can visit the PlayStation Facebook page for more details.

Sony posted the following today:: Update: Tickets to attend the show in person have sold out. Thanks for your enthusiasm! That doesn’t mean you can’t watch though — tune in July 28th on Twitch, YouTube, or PSN’s Live Event Viewer to be a part of this one-time-only event.

The Last of Us is set to sell for $49.99, and will release on PlayStation 4 on July 29th.

Source: PlayStation

 

Hasbro Introduces New 3D Printing Initiative

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Have you ever wanted to create that dream My Little Pony character, or your ideal Transformer, but never came up with the means to do so Well, Hasbro is ready to lend you a hand. The company has teamed up with Shapeways to launch a new program called SuperFanArt, which allows fans to create their own toys with the help of a 3D printer.

With the launch, Hasbro will introduce the My Little Pony franchise, with others to follow soon after if it meets with success. This seems like a sure bet, with fans able to customize their creations.

Through the SuperFanArt page, fans can create and share their designs with others, and even sell certain ones through Shapeways’ marketplace and community, if they’re in hot enough demand. After finding which products they want, consumers can place an order, and then print out whatever designs suit their fancy.

The really interesting thing in this process is how Hasbro has unleashed some of its precious IP and put it into the hands of consumers, which is something companies are typically loath to do. Yet allowing fans to play around with IP, when properly managed, is a terrific way to increase engagment with a brand. Plus, of course, fans will be eager to share their creations and show off their creative talent, which becomes a remarkably effective way of marketing the brand through persoal recommendation.

“Many fans of our brands have remarkable creative talents and SuperFanArt empowers these artists to create unique expressions of Hasbro brands,” said John Frascotti, chief marketing officer of Hasbro. “By partnering with Shapeways, the largest online marketplace for custom 3D printed products, we are able to provide artists with an unprecedented opportunity and also provide brand enthusiasts with access to unique one of a kind creations.”

“Shapeways enables anyone to get the products they want, and with this partnership, we can further expand this to fans to design products based on a major brand,” said Peter Weijmarshausen, CEO and co-founder of Shapeways.

Some of the samples are set to be on display during San Diego Comic-Con this week, to give consumers an idea just how effective a program it really is.

Source: Variety

This Week’s [a]list Jobs – July 23rd

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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:

  • Sony Pictures – Director of Marketing, Games (Culver City, Calif.)
  • 20th Century Fox – Global Marketing Manager (Los Angeles, Calif.)
  • Machinima – Integrated Marketing and Media Solutions Manager (Los Angeles, Calif.)
  • Netflix – Coordinator, Creative Marketing (Beverly Hills, Calif.)
  • Defy Media – Consumer Marketing Coordinator (Los Angeles, Calif.)
  • Ayzenberg – Digital Producer (Pasadena, Calif.)

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

San Diego Comic-Con 2014 Preview

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It’s just about ready to happen again. Thousands of fans, excited folks and “nerds” alike will come down to San Diego for four days of sheer madness at the annual San Diego Comic-Con International. It’s here that these fans will be able to indulge in the latest and greatest of panels surrounding TV shows, movies and video games.

On the TV front, several big pilots are set to premiere during the show. DC Comics will represent with three big premieres over the course of the week: Fox’s Gotham, which takes place in a pre-Batman universe, focusing on Detective Gordon; Constantine, which features Matt Ryan in the role of a demon-battling hero; and The Flash, a fun little spin-off featuring the speedy superhero. Other TV shows will also be highlighted, including Community, 24, and the Showtime hit Penny Dreadful.

Since it is a Comic-Con event, comics will also be featured in a variety of panels, attributing such items as Batman’s 75th anniversary, the new Avengers line-up featuring a new Captain America and female Thor character, and others. Fans will also be able to visit the marketplace on the main floor to pick up exclusive items, including posters and a Guardians of the Galaxy-themed Rocket Raccoon hoodie, featured at the Marvel booth. (We’ll take one, thanks!)

Movies will also take center stage during the event. Marvel is once again hosting a huge presentation in Hall H detailing the upcoming movies in its fold, including Guardians of the Galaxy and maybe even some first footage from next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron; Warner Bros. will host early showcases for its forthcoming line-up, including Jupiter Ascending, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies; and a variety of celebrities and directors will be on hand to hype their forthcoming products.

Finally, video games will play a big part in the event as well. Disney Interactive is setting up a special space where players can try out Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes; Activision’s Skylanders: Trap Team will be featured at a number of events; a Bandai Namco panel will reveal more details on the just-announced fighting game Tekken 7 (among other projects); and Ubisoft is hosting a special obstacle course based on its forthcoming Assassin’s Creed: Unity, complete with a 25-foot “leap of faith.” (A playable demo for the game will be available as well.) Other events will also be hosted by the likes of Square Enix and 2K Games, among others.

So, yeah, there’s plenty happening this week, and we’ll provide full coverage of the event over the weekend!

Source: San Diego Comic-Con

Simulation War Games Making A Comeback

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At one point in time, old-school war games were quite popular on the PC front, including simulations based on classic battles, as well as more modern themed titles like Command & Conquer. Lately, we’ve seen a switch-up in popularity with more first-person shooters, like Call of Duty and Battlefield, a sign that the war game may be on its way out. However, that isn’t the case.

A new article in VentureBeat talks about how the war game genre is getting a nice little opportunity to shine again, thanks to a number of new independent game offerings on the horizon, as well as the ease of downloading the games through digital distribution, rather than needing to track down a physical copy of the game.

Titles such as Ultimate General: Gettysburg, which recreates the battle between the Union and Confederate armies at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War, are thriving thanks to the addition of the game in the Steam Early Access department. It brings back the classic strategy of war, while staying true to the overall theme of it.

Other games, like IL-2 Sturmovik: The Battle of Stalingrad, is another game that’s benefitting from being on the indie gaming scene, with a digital download release. “There is no way we could have made this game if it were only for physical retail,” said Albert Zhiltsov, producer of IL-2 over at Moscow-based 1C Game Studios. “This genre has not gotten a lot of love from the AAA development community.”

A lot of games also prove easy to use in the market, so that they can accommodate newcomers as well as “hardcore” fans. These include Wargaming’s World of Warplanes (along with its World of Tanks offerings), as well as the recently released War Thunder, which features a number of biplanes from the World War II era. For good measure, that game isn’t just a darling on PC, as it’s available for PlayStation 4 as well.

“We re-create every detail, because most of our fans are pilots,” said Zhiltsov. “We want you to feel the emotion of the freedom of flight. This is not fantasy. We talk about casualties and how terrifying it was.”

War gaming, welcome back to the fold.

Source: VentureBeat

FIFA World Launching In Brazil

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Brazil has become a huge scale global gaming market, with billions of dollars being spread throughout mobile, console and PC gaming. So it should be no surprise that EA Sports is ready to storm in there with a huge weapon in hand – FIFA World.

The publisher has confirmed that it plans to launch the multiplayer online soccer experience in Brazil, alongside Electronic Arts’ Origin digital distribution service. EA is teaming up with Sao Paulo-based UOL BoaCompra to launch the service, as it can assist with game portal design and payments.

Market researcher Newzoo reports that the Brazilian game market is the 11th largest in the world when it comes to revenues, and has an estimated 48.8 million gamers actively taking part. 61 percent of that audience spends money on games, with the digital market expected to reach $1.5 billion by year’s end. No wonder EA Sports wants to get on that action with Origin and FIFA World.

Through BoaCompra, EA will be able to provide a local payment option for services and games through both Origin and FIFA World, since credit cards aren’t used most of the time for said purchases.

“In Brazil, soccer is like a religion, and with the country hosting the FIFA World Cup this summer, this is the perfect time to be able to integrate BoaCompra billing into both EA Sports FIFA World and Origin for Brazilian gamers. We’ve seen an overwhelming demand from BoaCompra users for EA Sports FIFA World and PC games from Origin and we’re excited to be able to offer both in the market,” said Julian Migura, Director of Global Business Development at UOL BoaCompra.

“EA Sports FIFA World is for football lovers who were missing an accessible game to be played on almost any PC. Partnering with BoaCompra to offer local payment opportunities for Brazilian gamers enhances that accessibility,” said Mike McCabe, executive producer of EA Sports FIFA World. “We’re also giving Brazilian gamers an easier way to pay for games in the Origin portfolio, so it’s a great time to be a PC gamer in Brazil.”

FIFA World already has a huge global reach, with various languages and over 600 clubs to choose from, including 19 from Brazil. No doubt it’ll be a hit with soccer fans.

Source: VentureBeat

Harmonix’s Up And Down Year

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Harmonix, the studio best known for Rock Band, has had quite a busy year. The development studio has been hard at work on numerous projects, including Disney’s Fantasia: Music Evolved and a new Dance Central game for Microsoft, which will debut on Xbox One in September.

Inbetween these two projects, the team managed to launch a KickStarter campaign to bring back a classic title released for the PlayStation 2 years before, a music/rhythm game called Amplitude.

However, the news hasn’t been entirely good for Harmonix, as the studio faced recent layoffs in the wake of news surrounding Microsoft’s decision to make an Xbox One system bundle without the inclusion of the Kinect motion-reading device – something that’s required for both of the company’s forthcoming titles.

Harmonix staffers, namely former director of publishing and PR John Drake and publicist Nick Chester, responded negatively to the news with simple “Oh, great, super great” and “Oh, good” Twitter responses to the news. However, Alex Rigopulos, the chairman and CCO of Harmonix, explained that Microsoft’s decision wasn’t as harmful as the studio believed.

“No,” he stated. “We’ve worked with Microsoft for years, and we had some awareness of the plan. So it wasn’t a surprise actually.”

The developer plans to keep its goals focused on experiences that involve the Kinect, despite the decision. “Look,” Rigopulos replies. “I basically view it as our responsibility to make games that are sufficiently compelling for players to be motivated to pick up the hardware they need to play them. If you look back to the last generation, the original Kinect was not bundled with the 360. It was independent, and still millions of people bought the Kinect so they could play Dance Central, among others. Our hope is that Dance Central Spotlight and Fantasia: Music Evolved will be good enough to sell the hardware. We’ll be trying to make the games that make that worthwhile.”

Harmonix also faced some critiques in regards to needing to launch a KickStarter campaign for Amplitude, to which Rigopulos was quick to respond. “One of the things that we really underestimated was how polarized the Kickstarter community has become following events like the Facebook acquisition of Oculus, for example,” he says. “A lot of people felt betrayed by that. Something that we didn’t expect, but that turned out to be a significant factor, was that a lot of that audience felt almost insulted that a company like Harmonix would be turning to Kickstarter.

“People have the image of us as this company sitting on big piles of Rock Band money, and that we don’t need crowdfunding for our games. But it’s just not the truth. The fact is that our hit games were years ago, and we’re just like any other independent studio – we need to find ways to fund our games.”

We certainly wish the developer the best of luck. Fantasia and Dance Central will release later this year, with Amplitude following sometime in 2015.

Source: GamesIndustry International

Microsoft Closes Xbox Entertainment Studios

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It looks like Microsoft’s grand experiment in original video programming is being scaled back, as Xbox head Phil Spencer confirms the the Santa Monica-based Xbox Entertainment Studios are closing.

“As part of the planned reduction to our overall workforce announced today and in light of our organization’s mission, we plan to streamline a handful of portfolio and engineering development efforts across Xbox. One such plan is that, in the coming months, we expect to close Xbox Entertainment Studios,” Spencer said in a memo to the Xbox team.

“I am pleased that Nancy [Tellem], Jordan [Levin] and members of the XES team remain committed to new, original programming already in production like the upcoming documentary series Signal to Noise whose first installment takes on the rise and fall of gaming icon Atari and of course, the upcoming game franchise series Halo: Nightfall, and the Halo television series which will continue as planned with 343 Industries. Xbox will continue to support and deliver interactive sports content like NFL on Xbox, and we will continue to enhance our entertainment offering on console by innovating the TV experience through the monthly console updates.”

The studio has around 200 employees, and was built up in order to provide a slate of original video programming that would help encourage people to pick up an Xbox One or an Xbox 360. Additionally, many of the titles were planned to have interactive features that would set them apart from plain old video programming.

Despite the decision to close Xbox Entertainment Studios, work on Remedy Entertainment’s hybrid game/video IP Quantum Break will continue as normal. In a note sent to Polygon, Microsoft confirmed that Quantum Break “will be released next year and the game and show both remain on track.” Remedy’s bold concept blends both game and TV show with the story arc playing out across both media. So far, further details have been relatively thin on the ground, but Remedy has pledged to reveal more at Gamescom in August.

Source: GamesIndustry International

The Future Of Wearables In Entertainment At Wearable Tech LA

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Yesterday, experts in the wearable technology industry graced the Pasadena Convention Center with innovative insights in Los Angeles’ biggest wearable event of the year, Wearable Tech LA.

Of the 20 keynotes at the event, there were two presentations whose message seemed particularly targeted to marketers. These were “The Future Of Wearable Entertainment And Hollywood” and “The Future Of Wearable Music”

Seven speakers*, tackled the topic of wearables in entertainment, with each advocating for a different field of wearable technology. The prevailing view of this group, as stated by Kayvan Mirza (CEO of Optinvent), is that, “What’s happening now is that technology is catching up with what entertainment’s vision of wearable technology has been.”

Moderator Ken Hertz, Sr. Partner at the Law Firm of Hertz and Lichtenstein LLP, challenged the panel with the generic question, “What impact will these devices have on entertainment.”

In his opinion, the answer might be, not so much. In fact, Hertz went on to tell [a]listdaily, “The only reason that there is this concept of wearable technology is not that were trying to figure out how not to carry our technology with us, but rather become [ourselves] part of the Internet of things. Wearable technologies are sort of a clumsy way of describing that we, in fact, will be connected devices.”

Attendees try on Muse's headband outfitted with brain sensors.Attendees try on Muse’s headband outfitted with brain sensors.

Naturally, the panelists, all of whom had developed or are pushing these types of products tended not to agree with this less-than-enthusiastic assessment. But as if to put an exclamation mark on his point of view, Hertz went on to say, “I think we have to be vigilant and pay attention to the things that take our humanity away. I think in the very near future we will laugh about this period of time when we strapped devices to ourselves.”

In the end, the one thing both sides agreed upon is that the wide adaptation of wearable technology will require branding these products in association with high profile individuals, much in the way Dr. Dre and Michael Jordan associated their names with their particular line of products.

Next on the agenda was the fun part — a live demo on how wearables are changing the music industry.

The panel consisted of speakers Ed Tang, Head of Global Marketing at Avegant; Nadeem Kassam, CEO of BioBeats; and David Plans, Co-Founder and VP of Product Science at BioBeats alongside moderator Chris Gore of G4TV and DJ Eric Sharp.

Kassam and Plans began the performance by showing off their piece of wearable technology, music that is dynamically generated from a user’s own unique heartbeat. They demonstrated this by hooking a cell phone up to the room’s sound system and running around stage. The tool in their device produced more up-beat music the more the demonstrator moved around, proving that the technology learns about the user from their biometric data and adapt to help them live a more engaging, healthier life.

Next, Tang dazzled the audience with his pair of “Smart Headphones.” This was basically a headset designed to turn the immersive experience of the Oculus Rift into something decidedly more mainstream. It looks like a hefty pair of black or white headphones, but it’s the display located on the headband that makes them so unique. The headphones harness a piece of technology known as Virtual Retinal Display, which is supposed to be similar to looking through a window.

“We’re trying to recreate your vision as closely as possible,” Tang said. “Look at how you naturally see. When you look around the room, your eyes don’t get tired. You can see 3D. And you don’t get nauseous or get headaches around the normal world.”

The product won first prize at CES for best mobile product and has raised over $1.5 million from a crowdfunding campaign earlier this year.

“We’re creating a product that is real and applicable for people, and that’s really cool,” Tang added.

In addition to the panel discussions, the convention center featured an exhibition area designated for curious attendees that was filled with innovative displays and demonstrations from almost every major wearable company in attendance.

Some popular tables seemed to be Muse’s which fostered a brain sensing headband, Actonr’s rocket skates, and Optinvent’s smart glasses. Other notable keynotes included “The Future of Smart Footwear,” “Emerging Wearable 2.0 Health Platform,” and “The Wearable Economy: How To Create A Mass Market For Wearables.”

*Erick Miller, Founder & CEO of Epiphany Eyewear; Andy Grignon, CEO of Quake Labs; Ariel Garten, CEO of InteraXon; Takuro Yoshida, President of Logbar Co.; Janet Hansen, Founder & Chief Fashion Engineer of Enlightened Designs; Kayvan Mirza, CEO of Optinvent; Stuart Brazell, TV Host/Producer.