Gamasutra News

Ovelin raises $1.4M for music education games

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 10:19:00 -0500

Newsbrief: Finnish startup developer Ovelin has raised $1.4 million in funding, with which it plans to expand on its WildChords guitar-teaching game for iPad. Released last year, WildChords uses audio technology to listen to the sound of a guitar, and allows the player to progress through the game and earn more points if they are playing the correct chords and notes. The round of funding was led by VC firm True Ventures, reports TechCrunch. Ovelin ...

Rift heading to China, in 'biggest game deal ever' for a Western MMO

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 10:02:00 -0500

Trion CEO Lars Buttler revealed today that his company's MMO Rift is coming to Chinese audiences via Chinese MMO giant Shanda -- and that this is just another step in the company's plans for global domination. "Let's say we dated a few, and they dated a few, and we fell in love," says Buttler, speaking of the Shanda's decision to operate Rift in China -- and Trion's own decision to go with Shanda. "They are ...

DeNA restructuring leads to Ngmoco layoffs

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 07:43:00 -0500

Newsbrief: Mobile developer Ngmoco confirmed today that there has been a number of layoffs in the company as part of a corporate restructuring in parent company DeNA. DeNA bought Rolando and Topple dev Ngmoco back in 2010 for $400 million. While the company has not stated a specific figure for the layoffs, Inside Mobile Apps reports that the number is "around 30." These layoffs come as DeNA posted a drop in profits year-over-year for its ...

Minecraft, Portal 2 on shortlist for BAFTA's 2011 Game Award

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 06:55:00 -0500

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced the shortlist for its Game Award 2011, with the likes of Portal 2 and indie behemoth Minecraft up for the award. The Game Award, a collaboration between BAFTA and UK retailer Game Group, is the only BAFTA award that is voted for by the public. Call of Duty: Black Ops previously picked up the 2010 award. Notable inclusions to the shortlist include war shooter rivals ...

Cannon Fodder 3 released 17 years after original games

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 06:32:00 -0500

Newsbrief: Quite out of the blue, Codemasters has released Cannon Fodder 3, a new instalment in the popular war-based action series. The game is available exclusively via Gamersgate, and features gameplay similar to the original releases, albeit set in the 21st century and with 3D visuals. It also boasts 17 different weapons, boss battles, and an achievements and ranking system. The original Cannon Fodder was released on a variety of platforms in 1993, while a ...

Opinion: My game design hat

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 04:38:00 -0500

[In this reprinted #altdevblogaday opinion piece, Nlogn Information's Charilaos Kalogirou shares the various ways he had to "improve the fit" of his game design hat while trying to create an approachable and addictive game.] One of the main traits that an indie developer must cultivate is that of wearing many hats. All indie game developers will tell you about it, and it is the first thing you will realize when going indie. Wearing many hats ...

What Nintendo's 2011 sales mean for Wii U, third parties

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 04:35:00 -0500

[In his latest Behind the Numbers column, Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews looks at what the future holds for Wii U, Nintendo's existing platforms, and third-party publishers by analyzing 2011's DS/3DS/Wii software sales.] A few weeks ago Nintendo quietly released software charts for the top-selling games on each of its platforms in the U.S. for all of calendar 2011. I haven't seen these covered extensively elsewhere, and I think they offer an interesting window on the ...

DICE 2012: Culture, pride lead to success at Skyrim maker Bethesda

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 23:44:00 -0500

There was no shortage of jokes during Todd Howard's DICE 2012 keynote speech in Las Vegas, but the underlying message was serious, as he explored why people create games, and why people play them. Howard, creative director at The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim house Bethesda Game Studios, has been at the company for 18 years, shipping everything from games based on The Terminator in the mid-90s to Fallout 3 and most recently, Skyrim. "I see ...

Double Fine launches $400K Kickstarter for Schafer-led adventure game

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 21:26:00 -0500

Psychonauts developer Double Fine announced on Wednesday a $400,000 Kickstarter campaign that aims to crowdfund development of an "honest to goodness adventure game" led by designer Tim Schafer. It's a surprising move for an established studio with major releases under its belt to turn to crowdfunding, but Double Fine said an old-school adventure game doesn't exactly make traditional publishers run for their checkbooks. Before games like Brutal Legend and Psychonauts, Schafer, founder of San Francisco, ...

Gameloft Live app takes on discoverability challenges

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 20:43:00 -0500

Mobile game publisher Gameloft announced this week a new version of its Gameloft Live online service for Android, which adds new features and greater interactivity with other Gameloft Live users. The improved service underscores the importance mobile game publishers recognize in connecting players across a company's entire portfolio of games. Mobile game makers are finding they need new ways to promote their products and improve game discoverability in a market flooded with competing products. The ...