August 12, 2016 – Next week will be Gamescom 2016 in Köln, Germany, a landmark for Farming Simulator, where the game was met with huge success for the past 7 years, gathering hundreds of thousands of German players, constituting an important core of a passionate community. Gamescom 2016 is thus a perfect opportunity for Farming Simulator 17 to return to the spotlight and meet its German audience, who will, like every year, access and play a preview version of the new game, on a huge Farming Simulator booth (Hall 8 – B41) that promises this year to once again get the public hall rocking!
Players will also be able to try Farming Simulator 17 on the PlayStation booth, while journalists are welcome to attend an official presentation of the game by the developers on the Focus Home Interactive booth (Hall 3.2 – D16).
In the meantime, have a sneak peek at Farming Simulator 17, its new environment and some of its new features with its Gamescom Trailer! Among these new features, livestock farming gets even richer, with the introduction of a new animal type: pigs. The transportation system has also been significantly deepened, with a new railway system featuring drivable trains, giving players an alternative way of transporting a large variety and quantity of goods between different production and selling spots, located in the new environment: Goldcrest Valley.
These are just a few of the new features of Farming Simulator 17. Including also over 250 vehicles and tools from more than 75 brands, Farming Simulator 17 is the most complete farming simulation ever created. We will unveil more in the coming weeks, until the official PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC releases on the 25th of October, 2016.
VIENNA, Austria (Aug. 12, 2016) – This is not your standard press release. Instead, we would like to make this corporate statement regarding our company Nordic Games reincorporating to THQ Nordic.
Obligatory Flashback Part (in only 2 paragraphs):
It all started out in Sweden in 2008 as a mini-venture to self-publish such illustrious titles likeDance Party Club Hits, Kart Racer and Truck Racer (just to name a few) on PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii. The following year, we landed We Sing, a million-plus selling karaoke franchise for Nintendo Wii. In 2011, with our first of many acquisitions to come, Nordic Games began its transformation from small scale, two-platform games publisher to a multi-platform, multi-genre global player.
One could say the most defining moment for our company happened in 2013, grabbing headlines like; “Who the FUCK is Nordic Games?”, “Darksiders Gets Bought By…Nordic Games?”, and “Nordic Games explains who the f they are, plans for THQ assets”. Funny enough, back then, this was so true. Until that point, we had been a low profile publisher uttering expletives of our own along the way, and all of a sudden we found ourselves in the international gaming media spotlight. We knew then, with great certainty, that we’d just made the best deal in our company´s history.
Nordic Games By The Numbers:
Since our formation in 2008, we proudly look back on 8 years of continuous growth on all (!) aspects of our business, not just the bottom-line. During that time, 16 individual IPs and franchise acquisitions were concluded, resulting in a catalogue of more than 250 actively sold games, over 60 trademarks, hundreds of web domains and a few patents for hardware and software.
61 game development projects were initiated and have launched, and most importantly, we have created 82 jobs (if you include external development teams this number amounts to 325) and pride ourselves on our very, very, very low staff fluctuation, which basically amounts to zero.
Two development studios were setup – one located in Phoenix, Arizona (let’s hope Donald Trump reads this), the other one in Munich, Germany, and we have managed to grow our group wide team size from 2 in 2008 to 84 team members today.
Introducing THQ Nordic (the KISS part):
Whilst we take great pride in our Swedish roots and accomplished a great deal under the Nordic Games masthead, we decided it was time to incorporate the THQ name. Those key brands will continue to shape our business in a meaningful way going forward, and THQ Nordicrepresents a core approach of doing much more than “owning” a highly competitive portfolio of IPs. We cherish them, and align them with the very best development resources to expand upon them with the level of experience that communities and established fan bases expect and deserve. Side note – another upside to this whole rebrand thing is we don’t get asked about the Nordic Game parties at Gamescom anymore – it was the other guys who threw them.
With this rebrand we are entering the next phase in our company’s evolution.
As of now we have 23 game projects in development, 13 thereof have not yet been publicly announced, but are sure to be in the next months. Needless to say, the majority of these projects are based on former THQ owned IPs and franchises.
As far as the logo design is concerned, Lars Wingefors, founder and owner of THQ Nordic (formerly known as Nordic Games) would like to say this:
“As for the new logo design, we literally stumbled across it when browsing some art files, after we bought the THQ trademark and figured: why not? We hope the reception from our partners is less ambivalent but we’re OK either way. We invite you to our Gamescom booth to play our games and see the logo in large-scale format.”
Please visit us in Cologne and stop by our booth to take a look at our current projects and also some of our upcoming games. If you’re not interested at all, you can still pop by to charge your mobile phones, hunt Pokémons, or just hang out and chat with us.
THQ Nordic at Gamescom 2016:
Entertainment area: Hall 8, C20
Business area: Hall 4.1, D21
TL;DR:
Nordic Games + THQ = THQ Nordic from now on, due to numerous reasons explained in a bit more detail in the text.
Burlingame, CA. – Aug. 11, 2016 – Natsume Inc., a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, has announced part of the roster for their upcoming RPG brawler for the Nintendo 3DS, River City: Tokyo Rumble. Some of the characters players will be able to take control of are series favorites such as Misuzu, Shinji, Riki, and, of course, Kunio himself.
“We’re excited to be able to deliver such a diverse cast of characters for River City fans,” said Hiro Maekawa, President & CEO of Natsume. “We know that a lot of River City fans have been waiting to play as some of their series favorites in English for a long time now, so we can’t wait to hear what series fans and newcomers alike think of the game and its eclectic cast of characters.”
Here’s a partial list of the River City: Tokyo Rumble characters:
KUNIO – Kunio seeks to take back Tokyo from the massive Lion Alliance gang. Kunio is a thug with a heart of gold who looks out for his pals and fights for justice.
RIKI – A misunderstanding with Kunio roped Riki into the fray. Riki fights for justice, but when he gets really mad, he snaps and goes berserk.
MISAKO – Misako frowns on delinquents, but makes an exception for Kunio.
SHINJI – Shinji went to school with Riki and is older, so he expects to be respected. He demands respect from his lowerclassmen, with fists if necessary!
MISUZU – Physically huge, Misuzu intimidates people and has a tough personality to match. Treat this delicate flower like a lady, or she’ll introduce you to her fists!
RANDY – Returning from River City Ransom, twins Randy and Andy make up the Double Dragons!
SABU – Gunning for revenge against Kunio, who previously humiliated the Sanwa Gang. Fans of Renegade should remember this bad guy!
TEX – Usually easygoing, until something gets him riled. Then he turns nasty! Watch out for his spin attack!
TIGER CLAW – The younger of the Double Tigers wrestling brothers!
Budapest, Hungary – August 11, 2016 – Things are getting gruesome in Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr. NeocoreGames’ latest trailer released today is all about the endless blood and gore players will encounter in the upcoming tactically fun Action RPG.
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr is the first Action RPG that puts players in the middle of the never-ending war of the violent 41st millennium. In order to evoke the authentic atmosphere of the unforgiving universe, the game features a brutal combat system where players can vaporize, explode and dismember their enemies by doing spectacular finishing moves and using the destructible environment against them.
(MOSCOW, RUSSIAN FEDERATION) – August 11, 2016 – Gaijin Entertainment today announced the forthcoming start of closed beta for Naval Battles, the highly sought after combat mode in War Thunder, its award-winning MMO WWII online game with first exclusive hands-on at this year’s Gamescom. The inclusion of Naval Battles will provide fans with the ability to battle from the land, sea and air.
The participants of naval battles upcoming closed beta will be called the “Knights of the Sea”. Made up of torpedo, artillery and missile boats, coast guard vessels and submarine chasers, they are the so-called “small” naval contingent that served in all oceanic theatres of World War 2.
“The high level of realism is one of the key design features of War Thunder. Vehicles are as close to their real life counterparts as possible. Classic large ship battles during the war were contests of patience and planning, where engagements could last from several hours to several days. In War Thunder, where all kinds of vehicles fight in one battle and players can control aircraft, tanks and ships, it is not possible to change the size of the ships or make time run faster, as everything needs to remain consistent.
Our internal testing showed that battles with large battleships were too long and slow or required design changes that made ships entirely unrealistic. For this reason, we are leading with fast attack-based craft, which are rarely reproduced in games. Ships, that are more suitable for the formula of our game. These fast, agile and dangerous “Knights of the Sea” are worthy contenders for aircraft and tanks on the ground” – says creative director Kirill Yudintsev, Gaijin Entertainment.
All nations in War Thunder will get naval forces. Invited players and those who purchase one of two Starter packs with unique ships, will be able to join the closed testing as soon as the testing phase begins later this year.
The first Starter Pack includes a Soviet Project 1124 Armored River Boat. The T-34 turret and two 12.7mm machine guns allow the gunboat to efficiently eliminate enemy ships and low-flying aircraft; but the main destructive power of the Project 1124 lies in her M-13-M1 unguided rocket launcher, the legendary Katyusha.
The second starter pack includes the famous American PT-109, a motor torpedo boat on which the future US President John F. Kennedy served and performed acts of wartime heroism. During one of the operations the boat was subjected to a surprise ram attack from the Japanese destroyer, Amagiri. Despite a serious back injury, Lieutenant Kennedy acted wisely and decisively, saving all ten surviving crew members. In War Thunder, this boat is a fast and maneuverable ship destroyer. Her four torpedoes, each weighing almost 1,200 kg, come in handy for destroying large naval targets. Both ships will be available on the start of closed beta testing.
The first to take part in the naval battles of War Thunder will be the visitors of Gamescom 2016. In the game booth in Hall 6, Gaijin Entertainment has organized a special closed area, where guests can try their hand as captains of attack boats. For those unable to visit the exhibition, there will be a special video broadcast from the official Twitch booth and new developer blog updates each day, where developers of the game discuss the new regime, present ships of different nations and run giveaways of closed beta access codes for the viewers.
Haarlem, The Netherlands – August 11, 2016 – Iceberg Interactive, the publisher well-known for its love of sci-fi games and 4x strategy titles, today announces that their brand new PC space strategy game, Stars in Shadow (PC) will be launching on September 15, 2016 via Steam Early Access and other digital platforms. The game marks the first title for the Canadian development studio, Ashdar Games, and long-time fans of the popular 4x genre will not be disappointed.
Stars in Shadow is a turn-based 4x strategy game set deep in space featuring seven playable factions, comprised of six different alien races. Offered in a highly distinctive comic-book art style, Stars in Shadowdraws players into its galactic universe with an immersive backstory. By competing with alien factions, exploring nearby star systems, developing colonies and empires, and much more, the galaxy can be unified through either diplomacy or by force – the choice will be left entirely up to the player.
Features
Unique hand-drawn comic book art style
Turn based 4X space strategy featuring turn based fleet combat. The tactical system allows starships to do battle using a wide range of different weapons and abilities
Seven playable factions comprising six alien races. Choice of faction will determine tech and research opportunities initially available. Forming alliances, conquering neighboring species, or discovering ancient artifacts may open up additional avenues of research
A vast range of different planet types, each with their own lore. The most prized worlds are those that hold artifacts from civilizations that vanished long ago. Map sizes up to 85 star systems. Each star can have up to 10 planets
Manage a growing empire. Balance the competing priorities of research, growth, and ship building and decide the fate of those alien species that come under your control
Galactic Politics: Of the playable alien species, three are “young races”, reaching out into the galaxy for the first time. The remaining three are “old races”, survivors of a terrible war fought in the distant past, they still hold to their ancient grudges. Races will impact which world will be most suitable as well as alliances and trades offerings
Advanced settings such as Random events and NPC factions, including pirates and marauders
Iceberg Interactive will be conducting hands-on demo appointments for Stars in Shadow during Gamescom in Cologne, Germany next week. Key members of both the Iceberg team and the development team, Ashdar Games, are available for interviews throughout the week as well.
August 11, 2016 — WG Labs is honored to announce that Master of Orion is set for global launch and cosmic domination on August 25, 2016. The legendary game of interstellar conquest is reborn and ready for both new gamers and hard-core players of the original series. After a successful Early Access period, where player feedback was integral in shaping the game, WG Labs releases this anticipated 4X title (eXplore, eXpand, eXterminate, eXploit), prompting all to answer the call and “Conquer the Stars”.
“The journey for Master of Orion’s reboot has been an amazing one, and now we’ve approached our destination,” said Jacob Beucler, Publishing Product Director, Master of Orion. “Along for the ride was the Master of Orion community, sharing their thoughts and guiding us toward an amazing Master of Orion experience for the new age!”
As an additional bonus, all who purchase Master of Orion will receive a free copy of the 1997 RTS classic, Total Annihilation. To get this classic title, created by Chris Taylor and Ron Gilbert, just link the game to a new (or existing) Wargaming account: click “Options” in the Master of Orion Main Menu and follow the prompts from the “Wargaming.net Account” button. With just a few clicks, the epic RTS classic is ready to play.
The Master of Orion series made its debut in the mid-1990s, defining the 4X video game genre and setting the standard for all future strategy games. Now, WG Labs’ Master of Orion will deliver the best elements of the original series while bringing a new level of gameplay experience for the modern gamer. Battle the ten classic races of aliens from the original series, voiced by legendary talents from sci-fi and video games such as Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Alan Tudyk (Firefly). Engage in real-time tactical battles fully realized with AAA graphics. Explore numerous paths to victory as you work your way across the galaxy to conquer Orion.
As of August 25, the Master of Orion standard edition will be available for $29.99, delivering all of the tactics and strategy of the original series. The Master of Orion Collector’s Edition is also available for $49.99, featuring a detailed digital art book, a full orchestral soundtrack by the original Master of Orion composer, retro pixel ships skins, and an exclusive new race for Collector’s Edition holders: the Terran Khanate.
Both versions of Master of Orion are available for immediate purchase here:
BURBANK, Calif. (August 10, 2016) — This fall, Star Wars fans around the world, will experience a galaxy far, far away—up close and in eye-popping 3D—through the highly anticipated “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” 3D Collector’s Edition, rolling out beginning Oct. 31 and arriving in the United States and Canada on Nov 15.
For the first time—and just in time for the holidays—viewers can bring home Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 3D, encased in stunning, collectible packaging. The exclusive four-disc 3D Collector’s Edition contains the original theatrical release on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™,Digital HD and DVD, along with originally released bonus features and brand-new bonus material, including additional deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes conversations with cast and crew and revealing, never-before released audio commentary by director J.J. Abrams*.
*Collector’s Edition configuration may vary by territory
Upon its debut last December, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” received rave reviews from both critics and audiences, and shattered box office records with over $936 million domestic and $2 billion worldwide. The film has since been nominated for five Academy Awards® and took home the BAFTA Award for Special Visual Effects. “The Force Awakens” re-ignited the Star Wars franchise and fans eagerly await the next installment, arriving in theaters Dec. 2017, as well as the first in a series of standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” premiering on Dec. 16, 2016.
Bonus features include*:
3D COLLECTOR’S EDITION BONUS FEATURES:
Audio Commentary with J.J. Abrams – Enter the mind of visionary director J.J. Abrams as he reveals the creative and complex choices made while developing the first film in the new Star Wars trilogy.
Foley: A Sonic Tale – Foley artists, consisting of old pros and new talent, unite to bring the world of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” alive through the matching of sound to action.
Sounds of the Resistance – Hear how the epic sound design of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” moves the Star Wars legacy forward.
Deleted Scenes – View never-before-shared scenes that didn’t make the film’s final cut.
Dressing the Galaxy – Costume Designer Michael Kaplan reveals how the costumes of the original Star Wars movies were re-envisioned for a new generation.
The Scavenger and the Stormtrooper: A Conversation with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega – The two new stars share the thrill of working together on the adventure of a lifetime and becoming part of the Star Wars legacy.
Inside the Armory – Take a fascinating tour through the design and creation of the weaponry in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Classic Bonus Features– These offerings from the April release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” include the complete story behind the making of the film, an unforgettable cast table read, insights from legendary composer John Williams and deleted scenes, as well as features that dig deeper into the creation of new characters such as BB-8, the design of the climactic lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren, the film’s remarkable digital artistry and the Star Wars: Force for Change global aid initiative.
* Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer. New bonus content is available in the 3D Collector’s Edition package only.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” 3D Collector’s Edition global release dates include:
Australia
Nov. 9
Holland
Oct. 31
Sweden
Oct. 31
Brazil
Nov. 16
Italy
Nov. 2
US and Canada
Nov. 15
Germany
Nov. 24
Spain
Nov. 2
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” saw the eagerly anticipated reteaming of original Star Wars stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, along with Anthony Daniels, the only actor to have been in all seven Star Wars films, and Peter Mayhew. The returning cast was joined by newcomer Daisy Ridley, who beat out fierce competition to take the principal role of Rey; BAFTA Rising Star Award winner John Boyega (“Attack the Block,” “Imperial Dreams”) as reluctant stormtrooper Finn; Emmy® nominee Adam Driver (“Lincoln,” “Girls”) as the villainous Kylo Ren, and Golden Globe® winner Oscar Isaac (“Inside Llewyn Davis,” “The Bourne Legacy”) as Resistance pilot Poe Dameron.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”wasdirected by J.J. Abrams and written by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt. Lucasfilm president and eight-time Academy Award® nominee Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams, along with his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, are the film’s producers.
Having established a musical legacy with his iconic scores for the previous six films in the Star Wars saga, acclaimed composer John Williams returned to score “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,”ultimately garnering his 50th Oscar® nomination for it.
DISC SPECIFICATIONS:
FEATURE RUN TIME: Approximately 136 min.
RATING: PG-13 in U.S.; PG in CE; G in CF
ASPECT RATIO: Blu-ray Feature Film = 2.40:1
DVD Feature Film = 2.40:1
AUDIO: Blu-ray = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio,
French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks
DVD = English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital,
Godalming, United Kingdom (August 10th, 2016) – Independent developer Pixel Hero Games today announced that their action adventure game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, ‘Eisenhorn: XENOS’, is now available on Steam for PC and the App Store for iOS for iPhone and iPad. ‘Eisenhorn: XENOS’ closely follows the narrative of the first book in Dan Abnett’s beloved Eisenhorn trilogy, “Xenos”, giving players the chance to experience the iconic Warhammer universe through the eyes of Ordo Xenos inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn.
“There aren’t a lot of Warhammer games that let you experience the action up close,” said Pixel Hero Games Studio Head Nader Alikhani, “so it has been our personal challenge to really bring the universe to life from a unique personal perspective – that of the conflicted inquisitor Eisenhorn. There’s a good reason fans are so enamored by Dan Abnett’s work, and we’ve put a lot of effort towards making our rendition of this character and the world he inhabits into something that fans will really recognize and appreciate.”
‘Eisenhorn: XENOS’ follows the journey of Gregor Eisenhorn (voiced by British actor Mark Strong), an inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos – Alien hunters of the empire, on his quest to hunt down an ancient tome of evil origin. Using agility, psychic powers and a selection of the Imperium’s most iconic weaponry, players will explore a beautifully realized, fully 3D version of Eisenhorn’s universe. It is up to the player whether or not Eisenhorn and his group of comrades complete their mission to save the Imperium from the threat it faces.
The Standard PC version is priced at $19.99, £14.99, €19.99, and is currently discounted to $14.59, £10.94, €14.59 until August 16th. A ‘Deluxe Edition’, which includes a copy of ‘Eisenhorn: XENOS’ the game, the full game soundtrack, a digital artbook, a special Eisenhorn prequel comic, and a digital copy of the original novel ‘Xenos’ by Dan Abnett will be available for $49.99, £34.99, €49.99, which is currently discounted to $36.49, £25.54, €36.49. The iOS version is priced at $9.99, £7.99, $9.99.
Lesquin, FRANCE, August 10th, 2016 – Bigben today announced its partnership with Thrustmaster®, designer and manufacturer of hardware and gaming accessories, for the development of WRC 6, set to be released this October for PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and PC/Steam.
Thrustmaster, a well-known specialist of gaming accessories dedicated to racing games, offersa wide range of driving set-ups acclaimed by gamers for a complete immersion. This collaboration will allow WRC 6 to include entire compatibility with the wheels and pedals made by Thrustmaster.
“Being able to share with Thrustmaster on WRC 6 development is a great opportunity for us,” says Alain Jarniou, Game Director at Kylotonn Racing Games. “We could not wish for a better associate than Thrustmaster to assure our community that compatibility issues encountered with WRC 5 will not happen again. Thrustmaster’s range of gaming wheels now will be completely integrated and optimized for this next opus of the franchise,” concludes Jarniou.
“Joining Kylotonn’s team allows us to offer the best of WRC 6 to our gamers, who will be able to enjoy every special stage and practice in the best conditions to try to win them all. This partnership turned out to be very effective and concrete,” says Gille Raulet, Head of Development at Thrustmaster. “Both crews are sharing the same goal: to provide the most realistic driving experiences for gamers. We seek to develop specific products for each type of race and to include these in the whole set-up, and that is why we are always pleased to give a hand when it comes to optimizing compatibility. That is what we already did with the new WRC Gaming House.”
Bigben and Thrustmaster started their rally tour with the brand new WRC Gaming House at Neste Rally Finland at the end of July, meeting the public and offering them exclusive hands-on sessions of WRC 6. Equipped with a cutting edge Thrustmaster set-up, the WRC Gaming House will be present on several more rallies during the FIA World Rally Championship season, and at most of the gaming events to come.
