March 14, 2019 – Developer Blind Squirrel Games announced today that it has secured $5 million in funding from an external source to complete the development and publishing of their highly anticipated game, “Drifters”. For the last year and a half, the studio has invested its own capital, time and resources in the development of the F2P 5v5 hero action shooter, centered around a ragtag team of intergalactic raiders, fighting and looting the galaxy. The additional funding will not only help to complete the remaining development of the game, it provides the necessary funding to self-publish the game directly to consumers.
“We are super thrilled to have the opportunity to finish and launch the game on our own,” said Brad Hendricks, CEO of Blind Squirrel Games. “In addition, self-publishing will allow us to become the masters of our own destiny and give us the ability to make the game the way we intended. We have already shared a peek of the game with the community, and the reception has been amazing so far”.
“Drifters” is a F2P 5v5 hero action shooter that revolves around a ragtag team of intergalactic raiders living outside the boundaries of normal society, looting abandoned warships, space stations, and a variety of other exotic and dangerous locales for valuable relics and supplies. With a diverse set of heroes and play styles, “Drifters” will offer customizable abilities and skill trees for each character. Gameplay will blow players away with a unique grapple traversal mechanism, arcade style gameplay and the high intensity of a typical shooter. With plenty of irreverent humor, “Drifters” will deliver a unique experience that combines humor, the flare of traditional arcade games and the personality and choice of a hero shooter.
Upon launch, the game will include a set of unique characters with diverse abilities, several multiplayer maps and a variety of game modes, including a unique mode called plunder.
Subscribe for the Latest Drifters News & Updates at: Driftersgame.com
Auckland, New Zealand – March 14, 2019 – Grinding Gear Games announced today the first convention dedicated to their award-winning RPG, Path of Exile. ExileCon will be a two-day (November 16-17, 2019) celebration of all things Path of Exile, including multiple earth-shaking announcements and previews, competitions, talks given by Grinding Gear Games developers and hands on demos of unreleased new content. The event culminates with the spectacular closing ExileCon Party.
ExileCon will take place over two full days at the beautiful Aotea Centre in Auckland. Regular, VIP and “Ultra VIP” Tickets (featuring a homecooked BBQ dinner with Grinding Gear founders Chris Wilson, Jonathan Rodgers and Erik Olofsson) are available now alongside full details at www.pathofexile.com/exilecon.
Path of Exile continues to be one of the largest online Action RPGs with continual, massive audience growth. Launches on the Xbox One (and soon, PlayStation 4) as well as in China have more than doubled the Path of Exile player community since August 2017, with over 3.5 million players having played the game’s 2017 expansion, Path of Exile: The Fall of Oriath. In 2018, Path of Exile saw an increase in total play-hours of over 26% and the Betrayal expansion set a new record of 188,970 players online simultaneously.
Path of Exile was released in October 2013 to critical acclaim including winning GameSpot’s PC Game of the Year award. Since its launch, Path of Exile has become a global community of over 20 million players including localized versions in English, German, French, Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Russian, Thai and Brazilian Portuguese. Path of Exile was listed as one of the top ten most-played games on Steam in 2018.
Burlingame, Calif. – March 14, 2019 – KOEI TECMO America revealed today the latest entry in their best-selling Attack on Titan game franchise: Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle. The new gaming experience follows Attack on Titan’s Season 3 adventure through the actions of specific characters; capturing all of the conflict of the popular anime series like never before.
Taking place throughout Attack on Titan Season 3’s timeline, Final Battle’s Story mode plays through selected characters’ points of view with major heroes active in Season 3 – now playable for the first time – boosting the total number of playable characters to over 40. In addition to the content covering all three seasons of the popular anime series, developers will also include original episodes to create a more fulfilling Attack on Titan experience.
Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle will feature two new gameplay experiences: A frenetic anti-personnel combat feature using anti-personnel omni directional mobility gear and an all-new wall reclamation mode focused on recovering outside territories. Here, players will have an ability to choose a leader of their squad, pick out the members they want to include – even members who were never together in the original work, and set out to reclaim the lands from the Titans. Thunder Spears will also be equipped for battle for the first time, allowing the take down of the Armored Titan when a normal blade just won’t cut it.
Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle is being developed by OMEGA Force, and will be available July 5, 2019 for the PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System, Nintendo Switch™, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, and digitally on Windows PC via Steam®. The title will be made available for digital purchase as an Upgrade Pack to fans who already own Attack on Titan 2, and it will also be available for purchase as special digital or physical bundle; combining the experience of Attack on Titan 2 alongside the new Season 3 content in one unique package.
March 14, 2019 – Saber Interactive and Focus Home Interactive have just released an official developer diary video for World War Z, the highly anticipated co-op shooter inspired by Paramount Pictures’ blockbuster film. This behind-the-scenes dive into the game explores how the movie’s iconic images of zombies swarming en masse over anything in their path inspired the team to capture that terror in a thrilling action experience. We took this inspiration and created totally new characters and storylines true to the universe, building something familiar with a brand new twist.
Powered by Saber’s dynamic Swarm Engine™, World War Z unleashes hundreds of fast-moving, bloodthirsty zombies – able to move as one collective horde as well as break off as individuals units – at a time on players. Choose from six distinct classes and an arsenal of deadly weapons, explosives, turrets and traps. Outlive the dead through intense four-player co-op campaign missions around the world, and battle both zombies and real human opponents in competitive, team-based Players vs. Players vs. Zombies (PvPvZ) multiplayer.
World War Z is expected to launch on April 16, 2019, for the PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Windows PC via the Epic Games Store. The game is available to pre-order on all platforms digitally and at retail in North America at https://wwzgame.com/buy. All pre-orders come with the free Lobo Weapon Pack, featuring three golden weapon skins and the dual-bladed Lobo spade.
March 13, 2019 – From the first heart-racing Chestburster scene to the last horrifying Xenomorph attack, ALIEN has terrified audiences around the world for decades, building a loyal fanbase with its unforgettable moments of jump-scare suspense, acid-bleeding Aliens, and strong female heroines. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this groundbreaking sci-fi horror film, Twentieth Century Fox Film partnered with global creative community Tongal to offer die-hard fans an opportunity to develop and produce wholly original shorts set in the world of ALIEN.
After reviewing over 550 pitches from filmmakers, six final stories were chosen. The filmmakers were given unprecedented access to the franchise, including storytelling elements, creatures, and characters, to bring a new, terrifying experience to life for audiences. Each of the six shorts brings forth an exciting new narrative for fans while paying homage to the original film.
Rollout of the six shorts will begin this week, with exclusive fan screenings of the first four at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle on Friday, March 15th, followed by C2E2 in Chicago on Saturday, March 23rd. The final two shorts, both helmed by female filmmakers, will screen exclusively for fans at WonderCon on Saturday, March 30th, followed by a moderated panel with the directors. The shorts will be released weekly on IGN, starting on March 29th. Then, beginning May 3rd, they will be available on the official @AlienAnthology social channels and AlienUniverse.com, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
ALIEN: 40th Anniversary Shorts Synopses:
ALIEN: Alone – Hope, an abandoned crew member aboard the derelict chemical hauler Otranto, has spent a year trying to keep her ship and herself alive as both slowly fall apart. After discovering hidden cargo, she risks it all to power up the broken ship in search of human life. Written and Directed by Noah Miller
ALIEN: Containment – Four survivors find themselves stranded aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details around the outbreak that led to their ship’s destruction, they find themselves unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected. Written and Directed by Chris Reading
ALIEN: Harvest – The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along. Directed by Benjamin Howdeshell
ALIEN: Night Shift – When a missing space trucker is discovered hungover and disoriented, his co-worker suggests a nightcap as a remedy. Near closing time, they are reluctantly allowed inside the colony supply depot where the trucker’s condition worsens, leaving a young supply worker alone to take matters into her own hands. Written and Directed by Aidan Breznick
ALIEN: Ore – As a hard-working miner of a planet mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under mysterious circumstances, Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or defying management orders and facing her fears to fight for the safety of her family. Written and Directed by the Spear Sisters
ALIEN: Specimen – It’s the night shift in a colony greenhouse, and Julie, a botanist, does her best to contain suspicious soil samples that have triggered her sensitive lab dog. Despite her best efforts the lab unexpectedly goes into full shutdown and she is trapped inside. Little does she know, an alien specimen has escaped the mysterious cargo, and a game of cat and mouse ensues as the creature searches for a host. Directed by Kelsey Taylor
In addition to the shorts series, Fox has launched several other exciting initiatives around the 40thAnniversary of the premiere of the original ALIEN film. The USC School of Cinematic Arts is currently hosting a special exhibit of elements from all six films in the ALIEN franchise, including concept art by Academy Award winner H.R. Giger, plus costumes, props, memorabilia, and fan art. Everything ALIEN will culminate in a 24-hour, worldwide celebration on ALIEN DAY, Friday, April 26th. Join the conversation and follow @AlienAnthology on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, and dive deeper into the terrifying world of ALIEN on AlienUniverse.com.
Pomona, CA – Since announcing their partnership with Sega® at CES 2018, the gaming community and media outlets have been waiting in anticipation for the launch of the gaming industry’s most sought-after controllers. Retro-Bit® is proud to announce their line of six officially-licensed controllers will be available world-wide this spring 2019. The line-up includes controllers in various colors of Sega Genesis®, Mega Drive and Sega Saturn® with original and USB®-ports.
Many gamers and media outlets have had the opportunity to demo and review these controllers where both enthusiastic and well-received responses were recognized by experts in the gaming community.
With Retro-Bit®’s global audience, the line-up carries the Sega Genesis® controllers which has original and USB® ports with all original-grade quality as their original Sega® counterparts, and are available in black and clear blue; while the Sega Saturn® for Original and USB® are brought to you in black and slate grey. Similar to North America, Retro-Bit®’s European controller lineup includes both Original Port and USB® versions of the Sega® Mega Drive and Sega Saturn® controllers with the same color options.
Some of the notable differences gamers can identify with the controller line is the quality grade cord, now extended to 10-feet (3 meters) and made for ultimate mobility while in play. During development of the controllers, additional detail was placed in the performance of the D-Pad which is often a scrutinized component to retro gaming fans. However, the Retro-Bit®controllers have been well-received among media for this feature.
One update Retro-Bit® included to enhance gameplay is a repositioned mode button in the controller with USB® port to make it more ergonomic and cater to the gamer’s alternative gaming options.
However, Retro-Bit® did not stray too far from the classics. The alp shoulder buttons are a nostalgic nod to the original Sega® controllers, and Retro-Bit® saw the sentiment as an opportunity to preserve the best practice. “We are extremely happy to have collaborated with Sega to bring the world of gaming these timeless classics back with a special touch of Retro-Bit. We made very precise revisions to absolutely perfect them in order to bring the best quality of controllers for the gaming community. Just in the same quality that Sega always has. I believe we’ve achieved just that”, said Richard Igros, Marketing Manager atInnex Inc., Retro-Bit’s exclusive distributor.
For any details on each Retro-Bit® controller and where to purchase, visit the Retro-Bit® website at retro-bit.com.
March 13, 2019 – Today we released the first slate of content for Wild Appalachia, a free update that brings a series of new quests, features, events, crafting systems and more to Fallout 76. Players can dive in now to start a brand-new quest that will teach them to brew up tasty beverages that will help (and potentially hinder) their ability to take on the horrors of Appalachia. We’ll also be releasing regular patches alongside Wild Appalachia to continue making updates and balance changes as well as introducing other new features such as player reporting and challenge tracking.
March 13, 2019 — Larry Laffer has been navigating the dating world of the 21st century for several months now, and he’s ready to settle down — onto consoles that is! Today, Assemble Entertainment has announced that the charming and humorous point-and-click adventure, Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry, will be making its way to PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch early this Summer!
The most notorious self-proclaimed ladies’ man in gaming history, Larry Laffer, will soon sway his way to consoles with an updated UI and controls optimized for the respective systems. Players can expect the beloved tongue-in-cheek humor that has been the trademark of the Leisure Suit Larry series, with a new twist — Larry must test his tried-and-true moves on modern women, using apps to expand his “reach” in the dating world while showing off his best moves during his dates! Could Larry become the next great Influencer? Tasked with solving puzzles in the hilariously raunchy world set before him, Larry is sure to bring fans — old and new — an adventure they won’t soon forget.
More about Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry:
Hey ladies, I’m back in business! My latest adventure, Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry, takes me – whatever the route or twist of fate – from the end of the ’80s directly to the 21st Century and wow, how the world has changed! While my view of the world and women from back in the 1980s collides with modern reality, I’m all set to date my way across the modern world!
In a “point & click” adventure I’d call typical for the genre, we mutually experience how I fall head-over-heels in love with Faith, the assistant to the boss at Prune, a powerful global tech company. Since even dating is done digitally nowadays, the first thing I have to do is to work on my score at Timber, the totally hip, can’t-get-anywhere-without-it dating app where I date women, satisfy their needs, and accordingly pick up points for my Timber profile. And whenever I get a chance in-between, briefly check out a few new beach pix at Instacrap – the 21st century is gnarly!
Key features include:
What a World!: Explore a lovingly designed, non-linear game world set in modern times with over 30 hand-drawn venues
The Digital Age: Use “Timber”, the in-game app, along with an innovative dating mechanism to date women, improve your score at Timber, and ultimately clear the way to get to dating Faith, the women of your dreams
Dating Can be Puzzling: Solve true-blue puzzles and interact with over 30 hand-drawn characters in eccentric, radiant environments
Developed by CrazyBunch and published by Assemble Entertainment, Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry is a classic point-and-click adventure game that has seen tremendous success following its launch on PC in November 2018, boasting a ‘Very Positive’ rating on Steam. Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry will be available worldwide for $39.99 as a digital download title, while retail versions will be available in select European countries.
Lonon, March 13, 2019 — In the world of GT, the virtual 2019 season is set to be just as thrilling as its real-world counterpart. This is in particular thanks to Thrustmaster’s announcement that it will soon be adding two new wheel rims to its racing ecosystem in response to overwhelming demand from their community. “Your Race, Your Style, Your Setup” that’s the philosophy behind Thrustmaster’s ecosystem, which is constantly expanding, month after month, to meet the many requests from members of its racing community and fans all around the world! Thrustmaster, the iconic e-racing brand, has decided to provide even more incredible options for fans when building their dream setup, no matter what style of racing they’re into.
Today, Thrustmaster is thrilled to be putting the final touches on the bridge that it’s been building between the real and virtual worlds. This latest exciting development comes in the form of two new realistic, GT-inspired wheel rims set to be unveiled behind the scenes at the Circuit Paul Ricard: the legendary motorsport race track in Le Castellet, France. On March 13 and 14, 2019, the leading GT racing teams will be on hand to refine their strategies and make the final tweaks before the new Blancpain GT Series season gets underway. Alongside the real tests on the circuit, six Thrustmaster virtual racing setups will be available in pit number 4, allowing users to try out the new wheel rims in the breathtaking game Assetto Corsa Competizione.
The TM Competition Wheel Add-On Sparco® P310 Mod wheel rim has been designed as an official replica of the world-famous Sparco® P310 steering wheel, with a focus on immersion and realism achieved thanks to its unique ergonomically-designed shape, suede grips and various high-quality materials. Designed with performance in mind, it’s the perfect solution for gamers searching for a lifelike sport-style driving experience! This wheel rim has finally been made available as a standalone version, at the request of the Thrustmaster’s racing community and is exquisitely balanced for GT racing It features nine action buttons, two 100% metal paddle shifters, a D-pad with push button, and carbon-style button supports. The wheel has everything racers need to break their own personal records, under the best possible conditions.
The TM Open Wheel Add-On, also sold without a wheel base, has been developed in the style of the wheels on real GT, LMP and LMS cars found on today’s racing circuits. Compact in size (11 inches/28 cm in diameter) this wheel ensures versatile driving ergonomics, and helps users improve their performance. This wheel rim, the lightest ever designed in Thrustmaster’s ecosystem, will allow gamers to experience Force Feedback effects that are as close as possible to real-world racing conditions. The icing on the cake is that both add-on wheel rims are of course compatible with all Thrustmaster T-Series racing wheel bases (sold separately).
Unlike the real-world racing teams and drivers who will be present at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Thrustmaster is no longer in a testing period: this official announcement regarding these two new wheel rims coincides with the launch of pre-orders for both — so get ready, because the fun is about to begin!
The key dates and pricing for Thrustmaster’s latest add-ons are as follows:
TM Open Wheel Add-On:
Pre-orders start: April 4, 2019
Commercial availability: April 18, 2019
Suggested retail price: £119.99
TM Competition Wheel Add-On Sparco® P310 Mod:
Pre-orders start: April 4, 2019
Commercial availability: June 20, 2019
Suggested retail price: £189.99
Check out Thrustmaster on social media right now to discover and enjoy this event from an insider’s perspective — and for a chance to be one of the lucky few to win one of these two new wheel rims on the occasion of their world premiere:
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – March 12, 2019 – Leading interactive entertainment media publisher and developer BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. and Twitch®, the leading service and community for multiplayer entertainment, today announced the return of the TEKKEN™ World Tour for 2019. Twitch will once again be featured as the exclusive streaming destination to watch this competitive gaming league and the managing partner for TEKKEN™ 7 league operations, circuit events, and content on a global scale. Entering its third tournament season, the TEKKEN World Tour promises more action, new locations, returning favorites, and innovative tournament categories enabling more players to earn TEKKEN World Tour Ranking Points, plus a $185,500+ USD prize pool, with a $100,000 baseline purse for the TEKKEN World Tour Finals.
TEKKEN World Tour 2019 kicks off on April 20th, at MIXUP in Lyon, France then continues throughout the year with additional North American based stops in Georgia, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Washington, California, and Toronto, Canada. International tour stops will include Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia, Dubai, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Italy, Argentina, Peru, South Africa, and more. The TEKKEN World Tour Finals will make its return to Asia in 2019 when the world’s best TEKKEN 7 players converge upon Bangkok, Thailand to determine who is the true “King of the Iron Fist Tournament” – more information will be shared at a later date. Prospective competitors can register to compete through each regional event’s registration page to begin their fight to the top of TEKKEN World Tour’s leaderboard.
“Now entering its third season, TEKKEN World Tour for 2019 is going to be bigger, reach more players with its innovative Dojo tournaments, and generate more excitement than ever!” said Eric Hartness, Vice President of Marketing at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “Every year, the TEKKEN World Tour has set the stage for some of the most dramatic stories to come out of the esports world and we look forward to entertaining the millions of fighting game fans around the globe with another great season of high-level competitive TEKKEN 7 play!”
“Fighting games represent the roots of esports, the early days of fans gathering in arcades and living rooms and making competitive gaming a shared community viewing experience,” said Richard Thiher, Product Manager at Twitch. “As the premier destination for esports, we are proud to carry on that tradition by bringing fans together from all around the world to watch, chat, and experience the best plays TEKKEN 7 has to offer.”
Tournament Categories
Master+: TEKKEN World Tour’s max value tournament category will be held exclusively at the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) in Las Vegas from August 2-4, 2019 at the Mandalay Bay Resort. The Master+ tournament will award Ranking Points to players placing 1st through 49th place.
Master: Offering high-level points for top-tier competitive players throughout the world, these tournaments are the pillars from which TEKKEN World Tour will be built for 2019. Master tournament events are expected to draw international competition and will award Ranking Points to players placing 1st through 25th place.
Challenger: These regional tournaments focus on offering Ranking Point earning opportunities to locations not served by Master tournaments. Challenger tournaments award Ranking Points to players placing 1st through 13th place.
Dojo: Brand new for TEKKEN World Tour 2019 are Dojo tournaments. In an effort to promote competitive participation to TEKKEN 7 players at a more local and grassroots level, TEKKEN World Tour is establishing this new opt-in tournament category. Dojo tournaments will enable tournament organizers from around the world to apply for their tournaments to be awarded TEKKEN World Tour Ranking Points. The Ranking Points available at Dojo tournaments will scale based on tournament size. This opt-in system creates opportunities for players to compete for Ranking Points outside of Master and Challenger class events. All Dojo tournament applicants must use the TEKKEN World Tour opt-in system on smash.gg and register their tournament for consideration. Depending on the bracket size, Dojo tournaments can award Ranking Points to players placing 1st through 9th place.
Ranking Points Distribution
Points earned at TEKKEN World Tour tournaments are awarded according to a player’s tournament placements. Each placement at a TEKKEN World Tour tournament, from Master+ to Dojo, is worth a different number of Ranking Points. Players’ point aggregation will be taken from their best three results from Master+ or Master events, best three results from Challenger events, and best four results from Dojo events. At the end of the year, the top 19 players awarded the most TEKKEN World Tour Ranking Points will be invited to compete at the TEKKEN World Tour Finals. Travel and lodging considerations for invited players will be covered by TEKKEN World Tour. The TEKKEN World Tour leaderboard will be viewable on www.tekkenworldtour.com and via the TEKKEN World Tour’s league page on smash.gg.
