We didn't think it'd take long for former Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling to find work after leaving Activision last month, but we didn't anticipate that he'd be employing himself. In an exclusive with Game Informer digital on Monday, Bowling revealed the formation of his own studio, Robotoki. He also announced that his new digs will be pumping out titles for console and PC, as well as phones and tablets.
“As a developer, our focus is on creating a universe first, experiences second, and game mechanics last, “ Bowling told GI. “With focus being on universe, we aim to create experiences that transcend platforms and genres and allow our players to connect to our world, their characters, and gameplay via any medium: console, PC, or mobile.
“However, how they experience the world is unique to their device. The mobile / tablet experience should not mimic the console or PC experience, it should be additive to it, not supplemental. Allowing them to support their console and PC experience, continue their progression, but by experiencing the world in a meaningful and unique way."
Bowling's vision for the mobile space sounds like a dream. We haven't seen any game with the level of integration that he's suggesting his titles will have. Also, we don't see a lot of companion apps functioning as more than a database. This space has a lot of room to grow, so it'll be interesting to see what Robotoki does.
Robotoki will be funding its own projects, by the way. And we'll catch a glimpse of its first title by the end of this year. It's currently slated for next-gen consoles, iOS, and Android.
You don't see this often. Brink developer Splash Damage is stepping into mobile, but it's doing it with a newly created in-house publisher, WarChest. Consisting of staff sliced and diced from the Splash Damage team, WarChest is primed to deliver quality free-to-play games across iPhone, iPad, and other handsets. We spoke with a Splash Damage marketing dude at the studio the other night, and he seemed revved about the opportunity and the change of pace this represents for the studio. It as a whole, however, will continue developing games in the triple A space. In fact, there's a PC-exclusive free-to-play game and a separate free-to-play console game in the works right now.
At the moment, WarChest is buckling down on a game called RAD Soldiers. It's an asynchronous multiplayer strategy game with a beautiful look and a great premise. Set in London after an evacuation, you and a team of "collectible" mercenaries battle for control of the territory. As you play, you'll assemble your group of ruffians, as well as customize their gear, outfits, and special abilities. It's free-to-play, so you'll be using in-game currency to unlock stuff, including new soldiers, equipment, and customization.
“Turn-based combat means there’s no rush, allowing you to ponder your next move at your leisure, and giving you ample time to unleash your inner tactical genius” WarChest CCO Richard Jolly said in a statement, “and you’ll earn valuable experience for your soldiers whenever you play, leveling up your squad commander to unlock new abilities”.
We've got the first trailer available for viewing just below, and we think it'll give you a great idea of what to expect. RAD Soldiers is slated for a June 2012 launch across iPhone and iPad. Many map, solider, and weapon updates are planned to follow. We'll be getting our hands on this soon, so stay tuned. Oh, and if that video got you jumpy to play, go ahead and register your name now.
Hello Games' Joe Danger will be making his debut on mobile in the near future, and it won't be a port of the Xbox Live Arcade or PSN version of the title. In an interview with Gamasutra, Hello co-founder Sean Murray noted that the upcoming iOS and Android takes on the title will be very platform specific, written from the ground-up for iPhone.
Here's what Murray had to say about his studio's approach to controls, iOS in general, and what this new Joe Danger will bring to the table:
I think games that people love on the iPhone have something in common, their controls are made for the device. Swiping in Temple Run, slashing fruit in Fruit Ninja or pulling back a catapult in Angry Birds are controls that are best on a touchscreen. I hate the virtual d-Pad, it never feels right to me. It feels like something that only exists to make porting games easier.
Joe Danger is a game with a lot of depth to the controls. We want to make very much an arcade game on your mobile. You swipe the screen to make Joe wheelie, you nudge him in the air to affect his gravity, you can flick a barrier out of the way, or wrestle with the shark in the shark tank. You have such control that levels that would be impossible on console are much easier on the touchscreen.
Murray expressed that Hello isn't one percent locked-on to what it's doing right now. In fact, it's using the playable build that it's bringing to PAX East to gather feedback and assess if this is something it still wants to pursue.
We'll definitely be keeping our all-seeing eye on this, so buckle up.
Cafeteria Nipponica is the latest Kairosoft game to grace Android. In it, you'll play as "the chef de cuisine" and assume his or her role of planner, architect, and chef. You'll compose menus, discover and research ingredients, construct a restaurant and then put in various trimmings in an effort to boost its popularity and make customers happy. This is as traditional as it gets, from the look and description of it.
We're giving you the heads up on this because there's a solid chance we'll see this on iOS soon. Historically, Kairosoft launches its titles on Android first, and then ports the game to iPhone about a month later. We haven't seen a Kairosoft release since the beginning of the year, so we're ready for it to... spice up our lives with any game, including this one. Help us feel complete, Kairosoft!
Penny Arcade On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Three, the long-awaited follow-up by Cthulu Saves The World developer Zeboyd Games, is coming to the iPhone and iPad, according to a recent Joystiq preview. This version will hit this summer alongside the PC, Mac, Xbox Live Indie Games, and Android versions of the game. These guys have all their bases covered, right?
If you're not in the loop, Episode 3 is a... change of pace. It has the look, and what seems to be the feel, of an old-school RPG. In a chat with Joystiq, Zeboyd said that its major influencers were Final Fantasy V and Grandia, so go figure.
Zeboyd says this will continue the story Hothead Games and Penny Arcade set out to tell before things didn't pan out, but it'll also operate as a stand-alone title, which is a great thing for us. I mean, we didn't even see the previous two games on our tablet and phones of choice.
We'll definitely keep our eyes on this as it nears release, but you should definitely go read what Joystiq has to say. Episode Three sounds pretty hip.
As more and more third-party controllers enter the mobile market, the wicked small base that wants something physical in their hands as they play games becomes steadily more fractured. It's through this lens that we view the latest controller to catch our all-seeing eye, the Bladepad. It's an NES-like controller with an admittedly cool hook: it's thin, slide-out design theoretically makes it possible for you to carry around the phone with the controller firmly attached. Other products, including ION's upcoming PSP-alike shell, obviously don't embrace portability like this does.
Bladepad’s case fits around your phone and a razor-thin gamepad slides out from beneath the case. The gamepad can also be removed from the case for enhanced mobility and convenience.
No word on when this will be released, or if it's even actually in some sort of production phase. The page does mention that the company behind Bladepad is actively looking for developers to support the device, so get ready for some weird splintering or a lackluster show of support upon release.
In a universe in which ninja tournaments aren't just an elaborate excuse to stage a gory multidimensional melee, there's an adorable little ninja on his way to castle Shimawa on a hill. Hatted and garbed in his finest eentsy weentsy blacks, this little ninja is on his way to the 200th annual ninja tournament. He doesn't know it until he gets on the stage, but he's not skilled enough to win, at all.
And thus little ninja's failure becomes the premise of another game on mobile platforms that revolves around fruit. And while 8-bit Ninja might roll in one of the most dry and tired design elements in today's market, it does have something to share: simple fun.
Simon Oliver of Rolando fame is coming back to mobile with a new Okabu game, The Guardian is reporting. Oliver released the original Okabu on PS3 back in 2011. It took a slugging from critics for its overly dry and simplistic design, but Oliver and his studio Handcircus Games has since been working on a free-to-play take in preparation for a release this year across iOS and Android. He didn't comment on what this one will do differently.
He did, however, describe the original Okabu as a first step. He and his studio built a universe, and they'll continue to work within it. "We wanted to retain ownership of the IP so we could build something that we knew would work across different platforms," Oliver said. "That's been our focus since October, working on a prototype for a new free-to-play game set in the Okabu universe, for iOS and Android," he continued, hopefully with a flourish.
If you've been whining for an extra bits update in 1-Bit Ninja [$1.99 / Lite], you can stop now. DogByte Games has you covered on that front, as its new ninja game, creatively titled 8-Bit Ninja, has SEVEN MORE BITS. That's, like, a lot.
Seriously, though, you should check this out. Taking place in a world where ninjas have tournaments that don't involve men with metal plates stapled to their heads, you play as a variety of tiny ninjas tasked with evading fruit after a demonstration of ninja-ness goes sideways. We've got some footage just below:
Sega's Phantasy Star Online 2 won't cost you a dollar -- unless you'd like an item or two. Sega has announced that the upcoming sequel to the everyone's favorite "light" MMO, Phantasy Star Online, will roll with the standard MMO free-to-play model, and charge users for select item transactions from its in-game store. Also, an iOS and Android version has been confirmed. Both are slated to hit at some point in "winter 2012," according to Andriasang.
Keep your expectations in check, though: Sega has said that the phone versions of the game are simpler and will feature "social game elements," on top of a basic character creation mechanism, and controls. These versions will be able to loosely communicate with the PC and Vita versions of the game, but the experiences won't had across these platforms won't be measuring up to each other.
Images via Andriasang.
The available intel on PSO2 still isn't fantastic, as it seems like Sega is keeping its marketing efforts for the game contained to other regions. However, we do know that PSO2 will continue to offer the franchises' specific blend of shooter-meets-brawler combat and offer instanced-based content. Oh, and Mags are totally coming back!
About a month ago, Double Fine asked video game fans to fund a $400,000 adventure game that'll see a release across PC and iOS. That campaign closed yesterday. In the end, it gathered over three million dollars from 87,142 backers. It also smashed records, and gave the independent studio some decent mainstream coverage in the process.
Basically, it worked. Fans will get their adventure game. On a Ustream feed that Double Fine led alongside the countdown until the end of the crowd-funded project, Tim Schafer said that this has been "an amazing experience," and acknowledged the outpour of love it has received from its fans.
Now the hard part starts. From what we understand, this is a from-scratch project; you won't see a game anytime soon, and we think it's doubtful that the mobile version will see the light of day until after the release of the game on PC. If you're a backer, on the other hand, you get access to behind-the-scenes commentary as the game is created. That'll ease the pain. Probably.
Double Fine has a lot of people to make happy with this one since this project will be made with fan money, but the pressure is on the backers, too. They'll be a part of the decision-making process as pre-production ramps up. Now, get to work!
Call this a curiosity. While we were catching up on GDC stuff, we stumbled across Roccat's answer to the tired "Is PC Gaming is dead" question. Its answer, as a peripheral maker, is naturally a big fat "No," but it has added an interesting caveat: PC gaming needs an iOS, Windows Phone 7, or Android companion app.
Allow us to introduce you to Roccat Power-Grid, an app that can sync with your Skype or Teamspeak channels, give you real-time readouts on CPU temperature and hard disc space, allow you to tune game audio on the fly, and lets you create custom macros for your favorite games complete with themed icons.
Roccat plans to give the app away for free, but will support it with fancy keyboards that ship with USB phone docks. Check one out:
Roccat believes millions are going to jump on its companion app, and while our guts have to disagree with that, we do see the appeal. Keyboards that ship with those programmable buttons on the side are often big, expensive, and look silly. Using a smartphone to do those tasks specifically certainly sounds preferable.
We'll keep our eyes on this. As PC gaming evolves, so does what we do with it. Bringing our phones into the fold seems like a pretty organic development in the scene. If it catches or not, however, remains to be seen.
The power of the Angry Birds [$.99 / Free / HD / HD Free] machine is enormous. In the latest teaser for Angry Birds Space, developer Rovio Mobile has enlisted the help of an actual NASA astronaut for its promotional effort. While hanging out on the International Space Station, this dude gives a mini-lecture on Angry Birds and physics. You've got to see this.
Angry Birds Space is due out March 22nd. At launch, it'll boast around 60 levels, new birds, and a hip and new space-themed physics model. Images of a few levels are now available over at Joystiq.
Dungeon Raid [$.99 / Lite], a match-3 that TouchArcade President-in-Chief Eli Hodapp freely argues is the greatest game ever created, has been updated on Android. You probably don't care about that considering this is an iOS-centric web site and all, but here's the twist: in a tiny celebration of the fact that DR has made the platform leap, the iPhone version's price has been reduced to $.99 from $2.99. Neat!
The RPG component is what hooks people as hard as Eli Hodapp. The integration of items, abilities, equipment upgrades, and character classes is seamless and super clever; they end bridging a gap you didn't even know existed in the well-worn genre. Our glowing review, which pours over all of the game's fine details, is available here if you'd like to learn more before taking the plunge.
Earlier this week, Certain Affinity announced the "impending arrival" of a "new" version of Age of Booty for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Being developed in a partnership with Chaotic Moon, Certain Affinity promises that the duo has taken what fans didn't like in the 2008 original and has piled on new stuff, including fresh interfaces and visual flair, based on consumer feedback. Twitter and Facebook are also being jacked in, alongside new levels and new "strategic opportunities."
Take note that this isn't a true continuation or a follow-up. This is Age of Booty with new stuff (see above image), and hopefully some key improvements. And, hey, even though it's not all-new, Age of Booty on iPad and iPhone sounds like a cool thing. We're hoping to give you some impressions in the near future.
We didn't think it'd take long for former Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling to find work after leaving Activision last month, but we didn't anticipate that he'd be employing himself. In an exclusive with Game Informer digital on Monday, Bowling revealed the formation of his own studio, Robotoki. He also announced that his new digs will be pumping out titles for console and PC, as well as phones and tablets.
You don't see this often. 
Cafeteria Nipponica is the latest Kairosoft game 
About a month ago, Double Fine asked video game fans 
Dungeon Raid [$.
