STOCKHOLM – December 5th, 2016 – A new and rich storyline has been added to the already deep well of events and occurrences in Stellaris, the hit grand strategy space epic from Paradox Development Studios. A signal in distant space is calling out to your empire. What does this entity want, and how does it know who you are?
Horizon Signal is written by Alexis Kennedy, a British writer best known for his work at Failbetter Games, which he co-founded. His writing for Sunless Sea and Fallen London has been widely acclaimed, and now he is scribing new stories for Stellaris.
This story update is free for all Stellaris owners and highlights one of the great strengths of the game – its ability to tell stories that entertain and entrance without distracting you from the core strategic gameplay. Horizon Signal is released alongside Update 1.4, appropriately named “Kennedy”. A full list of patch notes can be found of the Paradox Forum.
Horizon Signal is available now and will be automatically added as a DLC for all Stellaris Players.
Haarlem, The Netherlands – December 1, 2016 – Developer Greywolf Entertainment and publisher Iceberg Interactive announces today that their pausable, real time 4x space strategy game Dawn of Andromeda (PC), is now available in Steam Early Access. Both the developer and publisher invites fans of the 4x space RTS genre to lend a helping hand with their views and feedback in the coming months leading up to launch. During Early Access the development team will work on implementing new features, including the Eras feature, with unique scenarios and background stories. Moreover, the game will be tuned and improved with a strong focus on game configuration options, combat diplomacy and racial improvements.
Explore the Andromeda galaxy and see all it has to offer in the brand new Early Access trailer for Dawn of Andromeda available on Iceberg’s YouTube Channel.
Mike Domingues, lead developer at Greywolf Entertainment says, “We are delighted to finally have arrived at a point where we feel we are ready to show Dawn of Andromeda to the world. The journey isn’t over yet, and we are eagerly waiting for feedback from a wider audience to make sure we release the best game possible.”
Dawn of Andromeda is now available in Steam’s Early Access program at $24.99 with a 10% discount during the week of launch through Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/427570
Features:
Explore, expand, exploit and exterminate in this real-time space strategy game, featuring real-time combat in a dynamic and ever-evolving galaxy
New factions and characters can join the fray mid-game; artefacts, ruins, anomalies and a huge variety of fascinating elements are scattered throughout the galaxy and can yield new research opportunities. Various characters such as outlaws, merchants, travelers and others roam the galaxy
Asymmetric gameplay. Not all races discover space travel at the same time, some may have yet to discover it, some may have already built a mighty empire, and some races may be naturally stronger than others. However if you’d rather prefer a traditional 4X experience and start an entirely symmetric game, it’s up to you
Pre-designed, customizable and randomly generated races, each with their own unique backgrounds and traits
Accessible gameplay, featuring a highly-intuitive User Interface
Eras; unique scenarios, each with a pre-designed galaxy and background stories which you can play as one of the existing factions, each with their own victory conditions, traits, challenges and ongoing conflicts and relationships (Not Available at the start of Early Access)
Research incredible technology, from weapons so powerful they can destroy an entire planet, to Dyson Spheres
Explore ruins, anomalies and much more. You may even find artefacts you can study, projects you can start and come across interesting events and quests you can take on
In-depth diplomacy system. Make allies and enemies, but beware, each action you take can change how the rest of the galaxy will view you. Destroying an entire planet, or just praising or denouncing another race, can have a deep impact on the balance of the entire galaxy
Reduce micromanagement by appointing governors to your colonies and council members to your empire, all of whom can be leveled up. Each come with their own unique traits, happiness and experience
Multiple, customizable victory conditions, which can even be set to vary for each faction, changing how each faction operates and making for unpredictable friends and foes
[LONDON – December 2, 2016] The multi-award-winning The Flame in the Flood will make its PlayStation®4 debut early next year, as The Molasses Flood and Curve Digital announce a very special Complete Edition. The Flame in the Flood: Complete Edition is available exclusively for PlayStation®4 and contains a brand new Directors’ Commentary – which offers incredible insight into the design and development – a wonderful dynamic theme, two new system avatars, plus a host of gameplay enhancements, designed to offer the most complete The Flame in the Flood experience possible.
Released on PC and Xbox One earlier this year, The Flame in the Flood is a real voyage of the unknown through a visually beautifully, yet impossibly harsh wilderness. Taking place in post-societal America, players must traverse through procedurally-generated landscape, foraging for supplies, crafting survival tools and evading predators. It’s a hostile environment, with every fresh discovery providing players with reward or taking them a step closer to death.
The game was created by The Molasses Flood, a team of AAA refugees, with veterans members hailing from the likes of Irrational, Harmonix and Bungie. The team has contributed to massive critical and commercial successes, such as the BiosShock games, Rock Band, Guitar Hero and the Halo series.
“We’ve been huge fans of the game since its Early Access days, so we’re absolutely thrilled to be partnering with The Molasses Flood,” said Jason Perkins, managing director, Curve Digital. “It’s a game which is as deadly as it is beautiful and we’re excited to be bringing it to an even wider audience.”
“We’ve been chatting with the guys at Curve for ages about this,” adds Forrest Dowling, president and lead designer, Molasses Flood, “so it feels good to get this out in the open. We’ve always wanted the game to go as far and as wide as possible, so working with them to get the Complete Edition onto PlayStation was a bit of a no-brainer. The additional content and gameplay enhancements very much make this the definitive version – we can’t wait to get it out there.”
The Flame in the Flood: Complete Edition will be available on PlayStation 4 in January 2017. More details will be announced in due course.
Additionally, it will be playable exclusively at PSX this weekend at booth B1014 and B1015
Oslo, Norway – December 1st, 2016 – Conan is coming! Two months from now, on January 31st 2017, Funcom’s open-world survival game ‘Conan Exiles’ will launch into Early Access on PC followed by Game Preview access on Xbox One in Spring 2017. Last week Funcom released a brand new game trailer showing the strides made by the development team in the past few months (watch it here). This Friday, December 2nd, Funcom takes it one step further by unveiling live gameplay for the first time ever in the inaugural Official Community Stream on Twitch.
Watch the live stream on Funcom’s Twitch channel on Friday December 2nd at 19:00 CET / 1pm EST / 11am PST
“We are all greatly encouraged by the fantastic reception we saw for last week’s trailer and we cannot wait to finally show the game live,” says Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “With Early Access only two months away this feels like a natural time to start showing the game to the community following its development, and hopefully we can also get some valuable feedback we can address before Early Access starts.”
‘Conan Exiles’ is an open-world survival game set in the brutal lands of Conan the Barbarian, the world’s greatest fantasy hero. The game can be played on private and public servers, either in multiplayer or local single-player. In the world of ‘Conan Exiles’, survival is more than tracking down food and water. Journey through a vast, seamless world filled with the ruins of ancient civilizations and uncover its dark history and buried secrets as you seek to conquer and dominate the exiled lands yourself. Start with nothing but your bare hands and forge the legacy of your clan, from simple tools and weapons to gigantic fortresses and entire cities. Enslave the bandits of the exiled lands to do your bidding by breaking them on the grueling Wheel of Pain. Sacrifice the beating hearts of your enemies on the blood-soiled altars of your deity to seize true power and glory. Summon the colossal avatar of your god and see them lay waste to your enemies and their homes.
You can learn more about ‘Conan Exiles’ on www.conanexiles.com. Follow the game on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates. You can also visit blog.conanexiles.com for the latest news and developer updates. For more information about Funcom, please visit www.funcom.com
Los Angeles, CA – November 30, 2016 –Kingdoms and Castles reached its goal on Fig in just two hours (www.Fig.co/castles). Kingdoms and Castles began its funding campaign on Fig.co/castles to raise $15,000 for the development, publishing and release of the game on PC and Mac in Spring 2017.
The two-man team behind Kingdoms and Castles, Pete Angstadt and Michael Peddicord, have worked on acclaimed indie games including Abzu, Journey and Cannon Brawl, as well as EA’s Spore and Boom Blox, and founded of a new studio called Lion Shield. Kingdoms and Castles is partially inspired by Angstadt’s time at Maxis and games like SimCity,Stronghold, and Banished. In it, players build a simulated city while crafting a strategy to protect their peasants from a continually changing and dangerous world.
Stretch goals will be announced and include features like adding Twitch Integrated Gameplay, VR Support, etc. For more information, please visit www.Fig.co/castles.
Fremont, Calif. – November 29, 2016 – AOC, a worldwide leader in monitor display technology, today announces an innovative new Full HD 27” PLS Monitor featuring a Qi Wireless Charging Base (P2779VC), the company’s first monitor that wirelessly charges your device. Simply place your Qi compatible device on top of the base to automatically begin effortlessly charging your device. No cords, no clutter. Not only does the P2779VC provide an easy solution to charging your smart device, the monitor also features wide-viewing angles with PLS panel and high-definition connections. The AOC 27” PLS Monitor featuring a Qi Wireless Charging Base will be available in the U.S. this December at Amazon, Best Buy, and NewEgg for $249.99 MSRP.
Qi Wireless Charging technology comes from the Chinese meaning “natural energy”. The technology is an interface standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium for inductive electrical power transfer that wirelessly charges a compatible device’s battery using induction transfer. The monitor’s Qi Wireless Charging Base removes the hassle of cables and allows you to keep your device in view while charging and using the display, without having to worry about finding an outlet nearby. Compatible devices include Samsung Galaxy S5-6/Edge, Google Nexus 4-7, Motorola Droid Maxx, and Nokia Lumia 920-1520, among others.
Additionally, the display’s Plane to Line Switching (PLS) panel gives 178/178 degree viewing angle while maintaining consistent image quality and colors from all viewing positions. This PLS panel has true 8-bit color depth that results in incredible color accuracy and features a matte anti-glare coating that won’t leave fingerprints or smudges. PLS is perfect for graphic designing, video editing and photo retouching. You can also view your spreadsheets or weekend movies from virtually any angle without compromising color uniformity.
The P2779VC features Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution that allows for high-definition image quality in terms of clarity and vivid colors. When you have Full HD resolution with dynamic contrast ratio, the result is crisp detailed images with incredible contrast, giving you bright vivid colors that comes to life every time. The impressive 20,000,000:1 contrast ratio reveals darker image areas in greater depth and detail. The P2779VC also boasts a 5ms response time to eliminate drag. Finally, the P2779VC comes with a plethora of connectivity features including VGA and two HDMI, which gives you high-definition video and audio, perfect for watching those videos or highly-detailed images at home.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Viewable Screen Size
27″
Panel Type
PLS Panel
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Brightness
300 cd/m2 (typ)
Contrast Ratio (dcr)
20,000,000:1 (dynamic)
Response Time
5ms (gtg)
Max Resolution
1920 x 1080 @60Hz
Color Depth
16.7 Million colors
Pixel Pitch (mm) (H x V)
0.311 (H) mm x 0.311 (v) mm
View Angle (degrees) (H x V)
178 / 178
Display Area (mm) (H x V)
597.88 mm x 336.31 mm
Cabinet Color
Black with Gold Base
Adjustability
Tilt: -3.5°±1.5°~+21.5±1.5°
Inputs
VGA, 2x HDMI
Power Consumption
Power On: <23.5W (Max), Standby: <0.5W
Power Source
Universal 110~240VAC, 50/60Hz
User Control
Source/Auto/Exit, Clear Vision Volume, Menu/Enter, Power
Regulations
cTUVus, CE, FCC, RoHS, EPEAT, Energy Star®, Windows 8/10 compatible
OSD Languages
16 Languages including English, French and Spanish
Other Features
Qi Wireless charging base, User Friendly Graphical OSD Menu, Kensington Security Slot, Includes AOC’s e-Saver software, i-Menu software
SAN FRANCISCO, November 29, 2016 –– Twitter today announced it is collaborating with Disney and People to live stream exclusively a special Rogue One: A Star Wars Story event. The live stream, hosted by People, will feature the debut of never-before-seen content from Rogue One followed by a Q&A with the director and cast members from the film.
Live coverage will start on Friday, December 2nd at 10am PT, streaming from a surprise location. The live stream will be available worldwide to Twitter’s logged-in and logged-out audience on Twitter and connected devices and can be found at RogueOne.twitter.com, in Twitter Moments and through @StarWars and @people.
The experience will give Star Wars fans a sneak peek of the highly anticipated film ahead of its December 16 release date, and will include behind-the-scenes commentary during a live discussion with Director Gareth Edwards, Lucasfilm President and Producer Kathleen Kennedy, and cast members including Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk and Riz Ahmed. The Q&A will be hosted by People’s Deputy Editor, JD Heyman. Fans can submit questions on Twitter for the cast to answer during the event by Tweeting with #AskRogueOne. Fans can also Tweet with the following hashtags and a Star Wars Twitter emoji will automatically appear: #RogueOne, #DeathStar, #StarWars and #StarWarsRogueOne.
“People come to Twitter to see what’s happening in the entertainment world, and the conversation about movies, especially Star Wars, is constant on Twitter,” said Anthony Noto, COO at Twitter. “Our collaboration with Disney and People will give fans fresh and exciting live Star Wars content that they can view and Tweet about all on the same platform.”
“Disney and Lucasfilm are always seeking out innovative ways to tell great stories and engage with fans around the world,” said Ricky Strauss, President, Marketing, The Walt Disney Studios. “We’re thrilled to join forces with Twitter and People to create this can’t-miss Rogue One event that gives Star Wars fans a behind-the-scenes peek at one of the most talked-about movies of the year.”
“People is thrilled to participate in the celebration of the latest release in the iconic Star Wars franchise,” says Jess Cagle, Editor in Chief, People. “We have been covering Star Wars since the very first film hit theaters in 1977; our audience can’t get enough of it.”
People is also releasing a special newsstand edition on Nov. 30 called Star Wars: The Secrets of Rogue One, featuring a VR bonus including goggles, in addition to the original People Special — Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is premiering Nov. 30 on the People/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN).
Burbank, Calif. – Nov. 29, 2016 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO® Group today announced that LEGO® Worlds, a galaxy of imaginative worlds made entirely of digital LEGO bricks where players can explore, discover and create together, will commercially launch on February 21, 2017 for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and STEAM. Developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, LEGO Worlds has been in STEAM Early Access since last year allowing players to provide feedback for continual improvements leading up to its official launch.
“In LEGO Worlds, players will go on an exciting journey to become a Master Builder, in an open-world made completely of LEGO-built environments,” said Jonathan Smith, Head of Production, TT Games. “Whether customizing characters, exploring in vehicles, building structures, or discovering an expansive range of items, characters and creatures throughout the worlds, there’s the freedom to create anything imaginable.”
“LEGO Worlds expands our LEGO videogame franchise with a new experience that embodies all the fun of physical LEGO brick building,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “TT Games has created an expansive, digital universe that combines unlimited creativity with the LEGO humor that fans love.”
“LEGO Worlds brings the very essence of LEGO play – building – to the digital world, more than ever before,” said Niels Jørgensen, Vice President, Digital Games for The LEGO Group. “We are excited to bring our physical and digital play models closer together and know it will resonate with our core audience – and engage new ones. We believe LEGO Worlds has the potential to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through its experience of open-ended creative play.”
In LEGO Worlds, players uncover hidden treasures in environments that range from fun to the fantastical, where worlds come to life with a dizzying variety of vehicles and creatures – from cowboys riding giraffes to vampires scaring Yetis, to steamrollers, racing cars and colossal digging machines. Gamers can embark on a quest to become a Master Builder by helping other LEGO characters along the way – find a sword for a king, protect a farmer from a zombie invasion, or build a home for a caveman. Environments and creations are brought to life in any way fans can imagine, either by building brick by brick, placing down enormous prebuilt LEGO structures, or by using wondrous tools that let you paint and shape the landscape. LEGO Worlds’ online multiplayer functionality allows players to explore each other’s worlds together, create together, and engage in cooperative and competitive play experiences that players can build themselves.
A separate LEGO Agents DLC pack, featuring new characters, vehicles, weapons and more from the Agents range of play materials, will be available exclusively on PlayStation 4 for a limited time.
HILLSIDE, NJ – November 23, 2016 – WizKids is pleased to announce the release of Rock Paper Wizard, a fast-paced, high-energy card game that combines strategy, luck and a wee bit of hand coordination! Rock Paper Wizard gathers some of the most iconic spells from Wizards of the Coast’s popular Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game for a spell casting challenge. The game is now available in North American retailers for $19.99.
In Rock Paper Wizard, 3 to 6 players take on the roles of wizards who must try to outwit their opponents in an epic race for loot!
Each player chooses their wizard’s spell and casts some magic by repeating one of the hand gestures found on the cards in front of them. Everyone says “Rock, Paper, Wizard” aloud, and upon saying “Wizard”, forms a hand gesture and points it towards a target. Each card describes the spell’s effect, which can push opponents towards the exit, advance themselves towards the hoard, or manipulate the coins that the wizards must collect to win.
The first wizard to collect 25 pieces of gold wins the game, but you’ll want to start right over and let the magic begin all over again!
Pick up Rock Paper Wizard at your friendly local game store today!
Oslo, Norway – November 22nd, 2016 – Know o Prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of!
Very soon gamers on both PC and Xbox One will get to journey to that very age in Funcom’s upcoming open-world survival game ‘Conan Exiles’. Starting January 31st 2017, players on PC will get to unleash their inner barbarian in Early Access. Soon after, Xbox One players too can jump into the fray as ‘Conan Exiles’ hits the Xbox One Game Preview program in the spring same year. Inspired by the great Robert E. Howard stories, ‘Conan Exiles’ will have players fighting to survive, build, and dominate their enemies in a vast and treacherous open-world in both single- and multiplayer.
To celebrate today’s announcement, Funcom is releasing a brand new trailer showing how the game looks in action. This is the first ‘Conan Exiles’ video released in almost six months and shows the results of the hard work the developers have put into both graphics and gameplay since June.
“The open-world survival genre is ripe for Conan’s conquest,” says Game Director Joel Bylos. “If there ever was a world that can truly test your strength and skill, it is the brutal and savage world of Conan the Barbarian. ‘Conan Exiles’is not just an empty sandbox, it is a world rich in history where you must discover the secrets of ancient civilizations as you struggle to build your own.”
‘CONAN EXILES’ is an open-world survival game set in the brutal lands of Conan the Barbarian, the world’s greatest fantasy hero. The game can be played on private and public servers, either in multiplayer or local single-player. In the world of ‘Conan Exiles’, survival is more than tracking down food and water. Journey through a vast, seamless world filled with the ruins of ancient civilizations and uncover its dark history and buried secrets as you seek to conquer and dominate the exiled lands yourself. Start with nothing but your bare hands and forge the legacy of your clan, from simple tools and weapons to gigantic fortresses and entire cities. Enslave the bandits of the exiled lands to do your bidding by breaking them on the grueling Wheel of Pain. Sacrifice the beating hearts of your enemies on the blood-soiled altars of your deity to seize true power and glory. Summon the colossal avatar of your god and see them lay waste to your enemies and their homes.
You can learn more about ‘CONAN EXILES’ on www.conanexiles.com Follow the game on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates. You can also visit blog.conanexiles.com for the latest news and developer updates. For more information about Funcom, please visit www.funcom.com
