Meteor Entertainment Announces Big News on HAWKEN’s Transmedia Approach

Sydney – 26 July, 2012: Meteor Entertainment announced details about upcoming aspects to their transmedia approach for HAWKEN at the Archaia panel at San Diego Comic Con. HAWKEN is a free to play first person mech shooter coming to PC on 12.12.12.

New art created by Francisco Ruiz Velasco (lead concept artist on Pacific Rim, Inhumans, conceptual artist on Hellboy 2, The Hobbit, and Pacific Rim) was unveiled for the original graphic novel, art attached. Then the audience was wowed with the Jeremiah O’Flaherty web short, released prior; it can be viewed at www.playhawken.com. Khang Le, Creative Director at Adhesive Games, and Dan Jevons, of DJ2, elaborated on the Warner Premiere digital series for HAWKEN set for release in 2013. This news was immediately followed with the announcement of the HAWKEN feature film. Scott Waugh, of Act of Valor fame, has signed on to direct. Bandito Brothers, co-founded by Waugh, will produce the film.

Meteor Entertainment is successfully implementing a transmedia approach for HAWKEN. The goal is to make a killer game with a back-story that can be told across multiple mediums. Each segment of the transmedia approach: the game, web shorts, digital series, original graphic novel, and feature film all tell a story about HAWKEN in a specific time. Each piece is so well told that it could stand-alone but they all work perfectly together. This can only be done thanks to some very talented folks who have brought together the vision of HAWKEN.

Engines ready! Star Conflict has begun a new era of space battles for undiscovered treasures, mighty technologies, and intergalactic glory.

Gaijin Entertainment is happy to announce the long-awaited launch of the open beta testing for Star Conflict, a brand new space MMO action game for PC.

Along with Yekaterinburg-based developer Star Gem Inc we are ready to let everyone wishing to conquer the infinite vastness of space join this new dynamic multiplayer online project of Star Conflict. Open beta testing starts today, July 24, 2012.

You can register for the participation in the open beta and download the game client right now on our official website http://star-conflict.com/

The action in Star Conflict takes place in remote future, in times when mankind seems to have discovered all the secrets of the Universe, and the boundaries of knowledge are left far behind by the progress. But on the very edge of the Galaxy, in Sector 1337, a random expedition suddenly discovers a place of the dead, deserted worlds – the ruins of the great civilization of Precursors, which was destroyed by an unknown deadly anomaly. The thirst to know the mysteries of the ancient civilization only flares up the never-ending conflict between the factions that are constantly fighting for the power in the Universe. And now everyone – from warriors to peaceful astrologers – is striving to find the ancient artefacts and learn the mysteries of the Wise. This is where Star Conflict begins, the space battle of three factions, the outcome of which will show who will rule the Universe.

Many surprises are awaiting not only the experienced space conquerors – participants of the closed beta-test – but also the brand new pilots. We are happy to announce that the new faction will be available at launch of the open beta – the Federation of the Free Planets, and this means twice the possibilities, ships, and available modules.

Apart from the interface changes – a brand new hangar and updated graphical user interface – the new tips screens are now available for all the major game elements. This will allow even the most inexperienced pilots to start conquering the universe with confidence. Also, the new original gameplay elements add to the excitement, for example contracts are now available for each faction. It’s a great way to earn reputation with the faction you love as well as upgrade your loyal battle vessels.

On top of that, new sectors have been unlocked that you can scour after the battle in search for useful artefacts. Those wishing to join forces with friends in their conquests can do so by creating a combat squad and taking advantage of the team-play to bring victory to their brothers in arms. By picking their favorite battleship anyone can find their niche in the fight – a rogue scout, a team fighter, and a “one-man army”.

To give the open beta testers additional interesting and useful information on the game’s content, we updated the official GAME section on the website. There, you can clarify the configuration of your spaceship, learn the history every location in the game, check out the specific features of warriors from different factions.

Bear in mind that the Star Conflict open beta launches today, on July 24, 2012. This signifies the ever-important space saying: Who’s good, who’s bad – it matters not, it matters only who has the Dreadnought!

In the back room of the Golden Koi, the restaurant is far from Mrs Chu’s mind. With her close friend dead, murdered at her own wedding, it’s revenge that needs serving. With one of the gunmen known to Wei, an explosive mission unfolds across the streets of Hong Kong. In this latest trailer, producer Dan Sochan walks us through some of Sleeping Dogs’ best-in-class combat.

Developed by United Front Games in collaboration with Square Enix London Studios, Sleeping Dogs is a gritty and visceral open world cop drama set in the vibrant city of Hong Kong. Taking the role of undercover cop Wei Shen, players are tasked with taking down one of the world’s most fearsome criminal organisations from the inside. Offering players an island packed with action, every street corner, market stall, harbour dock or city skyscraper can become an opportunity for intense shoot-outs, adrenaline-fuelled street races and intense, brutal martial arts combat. Featuring one of the most intuitive and imaginative combat systems, Sleeping Dogs empowers players to perform an extensive set of martial arts moves, singlehandedly taking on numerous opponents. Players perform bone-crunching kicks and combos, vicious counters and a cinematic set of environmental takedowns making use of countless real-world items from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors.

Sleeping Dogs will be available from 16^th  August 2012 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PCs. For more information about the game, visit http://www.sleepingdogs.net and join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SleepingDogsGame for regular updates.

KONAMI looks to establish European studio to develop PES as best-selling football series moves forward

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced it is looking for exciting talent to work for a new, dedicated PES Production studio which will be based in the UK.

KONAMI has reaffirmed its commitment to its Pro Evolution Soccer series with a large-scale commitment that will see a dedicated European wing of the Tokyo-based PES Productions team established within Europe. The new satellite office will strive to adopt and recreate local football culture that will ensure the long-running series is kept fresh and exciting. Work is already underway to recruit key talent for the new studio, and KONAMI will be inviting interested parties to apply for posts at this year’s Games Developer Conference Europe (GDC Europe), which will be held in Cologne between August 13^th-14^th.

The new studio will be based in London, and will focus on PES projects for high-end consoles and PCs. “These are hugely exciting times for the PES series,” commented Shinji Hirano, the President of Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “We are looking for a number of creative people who can help us elevate PES to whole new levels. As part of KONAMI’s commitment to ensuring PES captures the majesty of European football, we are looking for people to help capture the very essence of the beautiful game and bring it to life. We look forward to meeting interested parties at GDC Europe.”

KONAMI will be accepting CVs and applications via Booth #165, at GDC Europe which is held in Cologne over August 13^th-14^th

KONAMI looks to establish European studio to develop PES as best-selling football series moves forward

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced it is looking for exciting talent to work for a new, dedicated PES Production studio which will be based in the UK.

KONAMI has reaffirmed its commitment to its Pro Evolution Soccer series with a large-scale commitment that will see a dedicated European wing of the Tokyo-based PES Productions team established within Europe. The new satellite office will strive to adopt and recreate local football culture that will ensure the long-running series is kept fresh and exciting. Work is already underway to recruit key talent for the new studio, and KONAMI will be inviting interested parties to apply for posts at this year’s Games Developer Conference Europe (GDC Europe), which will be held in Cologne between August 13^th-14^th.

The new studio will be based in London, and will focus on PES projects for high-end consoles and PCs. “These are hugely exciting times for the PES series,” commented Shinji Hirano, the President of Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “We are looking for a number of creative people who can help us elevate PES to whole new levels. As part of KONAMI’s commitment to ensuring PES captures the majesty of European football, we are looking for people to help capture the very essence of the beautiful game and bring it to life. We look forward to meeting interested parties at GDC Europe.”

KONAMI will be accepting CVs and applications via Booth #165, at GDC Europe which is held in Cologne over August 13^th-14^th

“Nike+ Kinect Training”*

On Nov. 1, get fitter, faster and stronger with “Nike+ Kinect Training,” a personalised training experience built from the ground up with athletic expertise and inspiration from Nike coupled with powerful and precise technology from Kinect for Xbox 360. Through the magic of Kinect, “Nike+ Kinect Training” can see how the body moves, assess physical strength and athleticism, identify areas for improvement and create a workout plan tailored to each person. “Nike+ Kinect Training” will be available in Australia on November 1 and will cost AU$69.95 RRP+.

For additional details about “Nike+ Kinect Training”, visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/marketplace/product/nike-kinect-training.

“Kinect Sesame Street TV” and “Kinect Nat Geo TV”*

Your kids’ favourite TV programs will come to life Sept. 20 with the launch of “Kinect Sesame Street TV” and “Kinect Nat Geo TV.” With these all new 2-way TV experiences from Kinect for Xbox 360, your child can now jump inside his or her favourite television shows and engage, interact and learn like never before.

“Kinect Sesame Street TV” and “Kinect Nat Geo TV” will be available at retail for AU$39.95+ for eight 30-minute episodes. It will also be available via Xbox LIVE for 2400 MS points (eight episodes), or 400 MS points per individual episode**.

SYDNEY, Australia – 25th July, 2012 –  As part of their continuous support, Bohemia Interactive has released a new patch for its award-winning tactical military shooter, Arma 2. Patch 1.62 brings a lot of fixes to multiplayer, which – aside for the large scale military battles – will also make zombie hunts much less prone to crashes and should improve server stability. The other highlights of version 1.62 are:

• Multiplayer optimizations,security and server improvements
• Overall stability was improved  with numerous tweaks and fixes
• Added new video options  (Post-Process Anti-Aliasing, Alpha To Coverage)
• Additional AI improvements and numerous bug fixes
• Resolved issues with several  training missions
• Added a lot of new script commands for content makers

For the full list of fixes, be sure to check out 1.62’s README file, which is provided together with the .exe file.

The new update is available for immediate download at Arma 2’s official homepage – http://www.arma2.com

For all the latest info, be sure to visit www.bistudio.com

Weather Becomes the Third Player with Innovative ColdTech™ System

Melbourne, VIC. July 25, 2012 – THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced that its award-winning upcoming strategy game Company of Heroes® 2 will feature innovative weather condition simulating technology never seen before in the Strategy game genre.

Any historian will attest to the huge role the brutal Soviet winter played in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II and this is now realistically simulated in-game thanks to Relic Entertainment’s new Essence™ Engine 3.0 and its ColdTech system.

ColdTech includes an ‘extreme cold’ mechanic which accurately encapsulates the Soviet winter which reached extremes of -40 degrees F in 1941. At those temperatures human skin will freeze in a matter of minutes, something that is portrayed in the game. On winter maps, Infantry units exposed to the bitter cold will gradually freeze to death unless the player keeps them warm by building fires and garrisoning them in buildings. Dynamic blizzards will increase the effects of extreme cold making it even more hazardous to leave infantry in the open.

The new ColdTech system also allows the Essence Engine to dynamically paint on and remove snow, meaning that not only does it accumulate on buildings and vehicles, but it can also be melted or removed from objects by the player. Snow also has realistic depth which actually impacts troop movement and will retain persistent infantry and vehicle tracks throughout the match unless covered by fresh snow fall.

On top of the innovations in snow technology the engine allows ice to become a weapon in a smart commander’s arsenal. Not only does it have a unique texture, affecting vehicle and troop movement, but it can collapse or be destroyed from underneath troops and vehicles, plunging them into the hypothermic Russian waters. Over time destroyed ice will re-form due to the winter conditions in the game.

All of these new innovations feature alongside Company of Heroes 2’s other technological advancements like the TrueSight™ dynamic line-of-sight mechanic to make this a worthy successor to Company of Heroes.

Quinn Duffy, Game Director at Relic Entertainment commented, “Company of Heroes 2 is all about authenticity and no game based on the Eastern Front would be complete without extreme weather conditions. Thanks to the enhanced technology offered by the new Essence Engine we are able to accurately portray the bitter Soviet winter which crippled the German army.”

The original Company of Heroes was released in 2006 to critical acclaim and is currently the highest rated strategy title on Gamerankings.com (with more than five reviews) with an average of 93.82% based on 56 reviews. The game features similar acclaim on Metacritic.com with a Metascore of 93% based on 55 reviews.

Company of Heroes 2 is scheduled to be available for PC in early 2013. For more information check www.companyofheroes.com .