Central Industry

PlayXpert and iGames Announce Partnership

_zigzag_ — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:01:41 -0400

PlayXpert In-Game Overlay Platform To Be Provided To iGames Member LAN Centers Around The World

SANDPOINT, ID - MARCH 9, 2009 - PlayXpert, provider of next-generation in-game community management tools for all PC and MMO gamers, and leading LAN center organization iGames (www.igames.org) today announced a partnership aiming to provide the PlayXpert overlay platform to iGames members with specialty widgets engineered to enhance game play at LAN centers.

"From the beginning, we built PlayXpert for the online player. Working with iGames and its member LAN centers takes advantage of the key features we’ve built into the product from day one," said Charles Manning, CEO of PlayXpert. "Players can securely log into their PlayXpert account from home or from any participating LAN center and their settings and configurations will follow them. This means that players can bring their important communication tools, community connections, and key content access tools with them where ever they play by simply logging into PlayXpert."

Early Bird Registration for 2009 LOGIN Conference Takes Flight

_zigzag_ — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:14:48 -0500

Registration Opens for the Online Game Industry's Leading Conference Held Annually in Seattle

SEATTLE, Washington, March 3, 2009 - The much-anticipated 2009 LOGIN Conference has officially opened its doors for registration. For the early bird rate of $595, online game industry professionals can join hundreds of their fellow colleagues to network, share ideas, and learn from valuable speakers and sessions from May 11th through May 14th at the upscale Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

To register for the 2009 LOGIN Conference, please visit this link to get started: http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=705657.

Bonfire Studios Emerges From Ensemble

_zigzag_ — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:24:30 -0500

DALLAS, Texas - February 19, 2009 - The second company to emerge from
the former Ensemble Studios was announced today. Bonfire Studios is a
35 person studio currently working on an original IP to be announced in
the coming months. The Bonfire team is made up entirely of former
Ensemble employees fresh off of the highly anticipated Halo Wars.

"Ensemble had an incredible group of highly talented people and the
companies coming out of it are really made up of the best of the best.
Ensemble was one of the few studios with two A-teams," said David
Rippy, president and CEO of Bonfire Studios. "We are already working on
an original IP that we’ll start talking about in the next few months."

The company is built on over a decade of experience gained making
award-winning real-time strategy games that have defined the genre.
Bonfire’s management team has a reputation for being a strong partner
for publishers seeking high-quality production and original titles.

About Bonfire Studios
Bonfire Studios is an independent development studio based in Dallas,
Texas. Founded in 2009 by former management team members from Ensemble
Studios, Bonfire’s employees have produced some of the industry’s
best-selling and most critically acclaimed titles for the PC and Xbox
360™, including the Age of Empires series, Age of Mythology and Halo
Wars. For more information, please visit: www.bonfire-studios.com

MyAlganon Community goes Beta

_zigzag_ — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:38:12 -0500

In anticipation of its massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) Alganon, Quest Online releases MyAlganon.com

Chandler, AZ - (PRWEB) February 16, 2009 - Online Gamers want enhanced community features. While it seems everyone has joined wide-scale communities such as MySpace and Facebook, most agree that those communities don't cater well enough to any specific niche. Populated with add-ins and advertisements, the experience is less than exceptional. How does one curtail the noise and create a gaming community that appeals specifically to the online gamer? It seems that one company has developed a solution.

Quest Online, LLC has created its own MMOG Community System that will directly integrate with its upcoming MMOG, Alganon. "Enhancing the online community experience has been one of our goals from the start," explains Quest Online's President David Allen. "After a significant amount of research, we knew we needed to come up with a place that was media-rich and engaging for today's avid gamer. We established a commitment to meet the needs of our target market. As a result, we have created the MyAlganon system to serve as the gateway for the upcoming release of Alganon, due later this year."

Command Your Troops in the Men Of War Demo

_zigzag_ — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:43:21 -0500

Single-Player Demo Gives First Taste of the Campaign in the Upcoming World War II Real-time Strategy Game

MOSCOW, Russia - February 18, 2009 - 1C Company, 505 Games and Aspyr Media are pleased to announce that a single-player demo for the World War II strategy title Men of War is now available for download from www.menofwargame.com. It gives a first taste of the epic campaign coming to gamers when the title is released on PC.

The demo features the entire opening stage of the Russian campaign, which sees a small unit from the Red Army taking on the might of the Germans. This initial mission helps players to come to grips with the controls before culminating in a tightly fought battle between a Russian tank and a convoy of German vehicles.

Terminal Reality Announces a Breakthrough in Videogame Development - The Infernal Engine®

_zigzag_ — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:19:28 -0500

The world of videogame development has taken a turn for the better with Terminal Reality's highly featured, all-in-one Infernal Engine

FEBRUARY 17, 2009 - LEWISVILLE, TX - Terminal Reality officially announced today their revolutionary next-generation development platform, the Infernal Engine. This new technology powers the much-anticipated Ghostbusters: The Video Game, a continuation of the Ghostbusters story. Terminal Reality will also license the Infernal Engine to third parties and is currently scheduling private meetings at the DICE Conference this February 17 - 20 in Red Rock, NV.

The Infernal Engine is a high-quality cross-platform engine - The Infernal Engine offers excellent cross platform support and is compatible with all of the leading gaming systems as well as the PC. Thanks to the extensive experience of the team at Terminal Reality, the Infernal Engine takes full advantage of next generation hardware while scaling easily to all systems. Veteran monster-killer The Stranger (from Terminal Reality’s 1999 hit title NOCTURNE) appears here in his new incarnation, updated to take full advantage of Infernal Engine’s latest tech advances. The Stranger will be featured in upcoming Infernal Engine technology demos.

IMGDC Announces Schedule and Two Keynote Speakers

_zigzag_ — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:27:09 -0500

Indie passion, on a virtual level

Las Vegas, NV - February 17, 2009 - Last Straw Productions announced today the schedule and first keynote speakers for the upcoming IMGDC 3.0 conference, established in Las Vegas at the Alexis Park Resort from April 17th to the 19th. Keynote speakers are Richard Bartle and Jessica Mulligan who together bring to this year's conference over 50 years of MMO development and leadership experience.

Richard Bartle co-wrote the first virtual world, MUD, in 1978 and has been at the forefront of the game industry from its very inception. His book, Designing Virtual Worlds, is the standard text on the subject, and he is an influential writer on all aspects of virtual world design and development. Jessica Mulligan is currently an independent consultant, previously overseeing the direction and development of Turbine's award-winning MMO, Asheron's Call. Her book, "Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide", is considered to be the best source for MMOG business development.

Celetania - The Run For Universe Domination Has Just Began!

_zigzag_ — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:07:17 -0500

The long awaited DVD retail version of 4X MMOG Celetania has been available in many German shops since Monday, 9th February. The DVD box contains 31 days of game time as well as a poster and an extremely useful hotkey table.

Starting now you will also be able to download the Celetania client without any fees from www.celetania.com! This download version comes with 14 days of free game time. Additionally to Windows XP and Vista, Celetania will also run natively on Linux!

The 4X in Celetania stands for „eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate“, and defines your main tasks, which you will be confronted with as a player. While improving your empire strategically and economically, you will also be involved in large space battles. The “persistent” word means that the world of Celetania never sleeps and is simulated continuously. Your empire will be able to take care of the tasks you have decided on even while you are not at your computer.

More information about the playable races, the complete background story as well as the monthly subscription fee can be found under www.celetania.com!

If you have visited us before, you should do so again because we have added the missing information about the buildings of the warlike S.E.C.C.T.S. To read more about these and see a short preview video of the buildings please click here.

Artix Entertainment Introduces Main Storyline To 3.4 Million AdventureQuest Worlds Players

_zigzag_ — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:14:33 -0500

LAND O’ LAKES, FL - FEBRUARY 13, 2009 - Artix Entertainment today introduced the main storyline for its browser-based MMORPG AdventureQuest Worlds which currently has 3.4 million gamer accounts. The browser-based MMO game is signing over 150,000 new accounts every week.

The main storyline revolves around an epic battle between Good and Evil where the good King Alteon will face the Doom Knight Sepulchure in a one-on-one duel to decide the fate of the world. Millions of AdventureQuest Worlds players - and those new to the game - will find more details on www.aq.com.

In addition to the main storyline being introduced, players can acquire in-game items celebrating Friday the 13th and Valentine’s Day, and enjoy new pets, maps, and storyline quests. Artix also introduced a refreshed user interface with new features that make it easier for gamers to play the game.

Trilogy Studios Forms Strategic Relationship With UltiZen Games To Expand Development Operations

_zigzag_ — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:48:48 -0500

Virtual World and Casual MMO Game Developer's Continued Success Fuels Studio's Expansion at Home and Abroad

Sherman Oaks, CA (February 11, 2009) - Trilogy Studios, leading high-end developer of virtual worlds and casual MMO (massively multiplayer online) game properties announced today it has partnered with Shanghai-based, UltiZen Games to expand the company's online game development capabilities. In addition, Trilogy has expanded its operations domestically, making more than a dozen new hires and leasing more office space at its Sherman Oaks headquarters.

"At a time when news of corporate downsizing is running rampant, we are very proud to report our company's growth and continued expansion," said Michael Pole, chief executive officer of Trilogy Studios. "Our new relationship with UltiZen coupled with the extension of our domestic operations, will allow Trilogy to further our goal of elevating the virtual world and casual MMO game platforms. We're offering consumers more entertainment value and businesses the opportunity to expand their brands in innovative and engaging new ways."