Jun 14

SidKinG Studio’s upcoming game ‘SARKWO’ aims to improve problem-solving skills

Posted in: Animation

Puzzle solving games have aced the popularity mark with each passing year. The reason behind it is the simplicity of the content and its engaging nature of the concept. The genre has ballooned in a big way on mobile and it has become one of the most popular genres on the platform. Viral puzzle games like 2048 have set a benchmark and it evolved into genuinely enjoyable experiences like Monument Valley and Telltale Games titles.

When we asked SidKinG Studio founder Kishor Berde on the reason behind the popularity of puzzle games he replied, “People love to feel that they are smart and puzzle games are proven to do that  … So they play puzzles more…Larger audience encourages more creators”.

Adding to the puzzle solving game genre SidKinG Studio is gearing up with the upcoming launch of the game SARKWO. It is an artsy puzzle game with traditional swipe controls mixed up with different puzzle mechanics.

“The game doesn’t have any particular theme. Each level has its unique design and style inspired by different things around us – like birds, flowers, fashions, monuments and more,” he added.

The gameplay is simple where the player has to swipe to slide coloured marbles and take them to their goal. “All marbles slide together and that’s the first challenge you face in the game. The game has different puzzles mechanics like rotators, portals, sequential portals, colour blockers, colour switchers.” Berde added.

Berde believes that puzzle solving games helps the players to enhance the skill to solve real-life problems as he said “How do we solve problems? By finding solutions. We do the same thing in puzzle games. We can say puzzle games can help to improve problem-solving skills and may help someone to solve bigger problems in life.”

The game will be available first on iOS platform later it might explore other platforms as well. Berde being a indie game developer follows a unique workflow to design a game he says “I have a habit of making prototypes whenever an idea hits my mind. I make a quick prototype and ask my mom and brother to play it. If they enjoy it I save it in my games to make a list. I have enough prototypes to make games for the next three to four years. SARKWO has been in games to make list for a long time. I started reworking on it in  March. It will be available on the App Store at the end of June or start of July.”

The profit of the game development business depends on the type of game one creates. “If you make an amazing game then App Store features it. That helps to reach to a larger audience and can bring more profit. I am more into making games that App Store can feature.“

The game is currently at the beta phase and Berde is taking reviews from the one who has tested the game. He said “I have tested this game with friends and few unknown people. Everyone loved it. Common feedback I got from testers is ‘I kept playing it for a long time’. It feels good to hear something like that.”

He highlighted a fact that it is easy to access vendors or to outsource work within the industry nowadays as one can find creative professionals on social media. “Harry makes music for my games. He is from the UK. I met him in a Facebook indie game developers group, the internet has made networking easy.”

The studio aims to release three games this year and with the upcoming game SARKWO he wants to target the ones who love to play relaxing puzzle game with little brain exercise. Since the game is easy to play therefore anyone can play the game without instructions.  And with the game audience can expect some unique content which will keep them busy for hours.

He encourages indie game developers and their games and to inspire them he said “avoid making clones, even if it is your first game. Try to create something new…your own. People always love to try new things than another clone of the previous hit.”

Sticking to the innovative lane, the studio has designed the upcoming puzzle game SARKWO which seems to have the potential to join the queue of viral puzzle game genre.

 

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Jun 14

Masami Kurumada collaborates on mobile masterpiece with YOOZOO games and Tencent

Posted in: Animation

Game developer and publisher YOOZOO Games worked on Saint Seiya: Awakening alongside developer Tencent and renowned Japanese manga artist and writer Masami Kurumada. Mostly known for his work on fighting manga; featuring Bishonen and magical boy, Masami Kurumada is the founder of the manga studio Kurumada Productions.

Saint Seiya: Awakening looks to recreate the classic Japanese comic featuring mystical warriors known as ‘Saints’ — empowered by a curious energy force called ‘Cosmo’. Combining beautiful high definition 3D graphics with some very cool combat effects and boasting a fantastic line-up of top Japanese character voice-artists from Jun Fukuyama (voice of Lelouch in Code Geass) to Yuki Kaji (Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan), Saint Seiya: Awakening is set to offer mobile gamers a unique audio-visual experience.

The game design and art style remain incredibly faithful to Kurumada’s original work; with characters and their respective skills all based on the original animation. The authenticity doesn’t end there as players can actually play through the original story of Saint Seiya, reliving their favourite moments. While elsewhere there are both PvP and PvE modes to keep even the most demanding fans happy. With a roster of hundreds of fighters to choose from, players will have the freedom to create a unique team with a tailored strategy.

Within the carefully-scripted RPG structure, there is also a diverse and well-balanced card game, offering a compelling mechanic for strategic decisions and the different skill combinations used during combat.

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Jun 14

Review: ‘Men in Black: International’ is a VFX triumph

Posted in: Animation

Without delving into the foundational premise, MIB International opens with the assumption that viewers are already well-acquainted with the previous instalments and picks up from the well-kept secret of aliens being harboured by our beloved tellurian forces whilst making sure humans are never made aware of their existence.

MIB 4 International

That’s when Tessa Thomson’s character with all her smarts, passion and drive to “know the truth of the universe”, who has been doggedly pursuing the MIB headquarters, trespasses their offices and ends up being recruited. The alien we are introduced to right, in the beginning, is perhaps one of the most adorable works of CGI in the film; A Tarantian alien.

Tessa’s deputed to the London branch where she is teamed up with Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) who is shown cavalier in his approach to missions yet somehow manages to shine bright in the eyes of the chieftain.

Agent M’s (Molly) bookish diligence is fused with agent H’s all-Australian care-free persona, and they’re zipping off to Paris, Morroco and Naples in a bid to protect the super-weapon designed to stave off the impending doom. Tremendous VFX, right from the way celebrity aliens waddle along with their extraordinary tentacles and whoosh past you to the way train converts into an advanced locomotive, whizzing from country to country in a breeze, the deployment of VFX imagery is absolutely photorealistic and faultless.

Green wonky aliens with pot-bellies, arms-dealing seductress alien lady who owns a fortress, to the tiny sidekick extraterrestrial critter named Pawny are perfect CGI creatures created with dexterity and skill.

A VFX-spectacle you can’t neuralyse for a long time plays host to a number of aliens species that come in all shapes and sizes. Action Sequences are also equally stunning with the way in which MIB agents try to protect Jababian friend Vungus from the onslaught of Dyads with their high-end weaponry.

Although the soul of the movie, considering the themes (buddy-cop, madcap humour, wisecracks and virtue) the previous instalment is known for, seems absent. The winning duo (MCU) is given scant content to work with. Chasing the McGuffin through the movie, the character arcs are oddly structured. But their backstories are woven in tune with their motives. They rather predictably resolve most of their conflicts, barring the initial convoluted plot point where the diplomatic efforts are made to keep the Jababians at bay. That plot-point is lost in the middle of the predictable “MIB is compromised, there’s a mole amongst the team”

As a multiplex monsoon popcorn movie, it is worth a watch but might not stay on your mind for very long. Although visually-stunning, Men in Black 4 fails to make a dent in your imagination as far as the plot is concerned.

We will keep you updated on the VFX aspect of the movie.

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Jun 14

Uplandme raises seven figures for a new property trading game

Posted in: Animation

Uplandme, has closed a financing round, which was led by Finlab EOS VC Fund and with the participation of several angel investors. FinLab EOS VC Fund is a venture capital fund backed by both Block (dot) one, the publisher of the blockchain protocol EOSIO, and FinLab AG, one of Europe’s largest company builders and investors focused on financial services technologies.

“We invested into Uplandme because we like the genuine idea of a virtual property market powered by the EOS Blockchain and the very experienced and passionate team behind it. Blockchain and specifically EOSIO allow the creation of completely new game mechanics that were not possible before,” FinLab EOS VC Fund managing director of Stefan Schuetze .

The funds will be used to support the initial development and launch of Upland, a digital property trading game that blurs the boundaries between real and virtual worlds.

“We are excited to work with Uplandme as we believe they present a very unique and differentiated concept and that gaming and digital collectable companies, such as Uplandme are a great application of Blockchain technologies, in particular EOSIO,” commented EOS VC COO Paul Grotowski.

Players buy, sell, and trade properties based on real-world addresses. An in-game currency called UPX will power the economy of Upland. Players will be able to complete property collections, use location-based features and trade their properties on a marketplace.

 

“We have chosen the EOSIO blockchain software because it offers the best foundation to create a strong casual gaming experience where players engage quickly and can continuously enjoy the game without the hassle and need to understand today’s complicated world of Blockchain. We are excited to work with Finlab and EOS VC to leverage their EOSIO background and financial expertise which are very important for us as we build out Upland,” said Uplandme co-founder Dirk Lueth.

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Jun 14

Netflix premieres footage from first animated Oscar contender ‘Klaus’

Posted in: Animation

Netflix has unveiled a footage from its first original animated feature, Klaus, at the Annecy Animation Festival on Wednesday.

Directed by Sergio Pablos (Despicable Me), Klaus is a wacky Santa origin story that boasts innovative 2D. This is Netflix’s first animated Oscar contender which will qualify theatrically this holiday season.

Klaus, follows a young, lazy Scandinavian postman named Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) who gets exiled by his father to a contentious village in the cold north to launch the postal service, where he meets a mysterious, white-bearded toymaker named Klaus (J.K. Simmons).

The retro look of the film has a definite Disney vibe, full of classic squash-and-stretch and illustrative design. But it’s enhanced by stunning lighting and texturing, courtesy of new tracking software from Pablo’s studio in Madrid, which takes 2D into the 21st century with some digital flourishes.

Pablos mentioed, “We knew we had a story that would be better served by traditional animation, but we did not want to rely on nostalgia alone. I strongly believe that traditional animation still has a rightful place in the feature animation scene, but in making this movie, we knew that bringing traditional animation back would not be enough; we had to bring it forward. We methodically looked at all the steps in the traditional animation pipeline.”

Veteran animator and Netflix character animation head  James Baxter (How to Train Your Dragon, The Lion King), has been assisting Pablos and his team: “This breaks the mold of hand-drawn as a more graphic and illustrative experiment. It creates a sculptured, modern look. But there’s no model building or virtual lighting that you would see in CG. It’s still done by hand by visual development artists that have been trained to use the software as light shapes on characters, which then get tracked through the shots,” he added.

Of his Santa origin story, Pablos added, “The message we’re trying to present has to do with the contagious and transformative power of good will. The story is presented as a comedy, but there’s a deep heart behind it.  I would hope that after seeing what traditional animation can still offer, other creatives and producers might choose that route for their animated projects.”

Netflix certainly has high hopes for stirring up the animated Oscar race while modernising 2D: “It’s really charming and an openly emotional holiday film and really delivers on that. But, in terms of the animation technique, we jumped over to CG and left 2D behind, so we’re trying to innovate in that form to create incredible looks and create our capabilities in that space. As far as the Oscar potential, we’re taking it one step at a time,” Netflix VP of original animation  Melissa Cobb noted.

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Jun 14

DreamWorks Animation announces new Netflix series ‘Fast and Furious’ and ‘Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts’

Posted in: Animation

DreamWorks Animation is certainly on a rampage. Having only announced Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous series last week, it has now unveiled two more animation shows that will be coming to Netflix soon.

During the DreamWorks Animation TV Studio Focus presentation at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the studio announced Fast and Furious: Spy Racers, a series based on Universal’s Fast and Furious franchise, to launch later this year, as well as an original series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, slated for 2020 premier.

Besides, the fans were also treated to an exclusive first look teasers of both shows by executive producers Radford Schrist and Bill Wolkoff.

Fast and Furious: Spy Races probed the adventures of a teenager Tony Torretto, who follows into the footsteps of his cousin when he and his close allies are recruited by the government to thwart a certain racing league that’s run by a nefarious crime organisation.

Fast and Furious star Vin Disel and Chris Morgan will serve as a executive producers.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts sees a young girl Kipo embarking on an adventure in a post-apocalyptic world after spending years recluse in a borrow. She is later joined by a group of fellow survivors as the ragtag group go through a wild goose chase.

The series is executive produced and created by Sechrist and executive produced and developed for TV by Wolkoff.

The presentation also featured studio updates on the hit Netflix original Shi-Ra and the Princess of Power as well as Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, which is also competing at the Annecy in the television category.

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Jun 14

Nintendo Treehouse: Live focuses on indie games, with two launches

Posted in: Animation

Thursday’s Nintendo Treehouse: Live programming focused on some of the great indie games and content coming to the Nintendo Switch system. And viewers didn’t have to wait long to play two games featured during the show – the new rhythmic action-adventure game Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda and Overcooked! 2: Night of the Hangry Horde DLC are both available to purchase and download now from Nintendo eShop.

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda, the latest title from Brace Yourself Games, combines the move-to-the-beat gameplay of the acclaimed Crypt of the NecroDancer game with the iconic characters, items and locations from the Legend of Zelda series.

In the Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda game, each move the player makes – whether it’s moving, attacking, defending, using items or more – must be timed to the beat of the music, which features remixes of familiar tunes from the Legend of Zelda series. Players can choose to embark on their journey as Link or Zelda, each with different powers and abilities, before they adventure through a randomly generated overworld map where classic areas like the desert or the forest will differ, meaning no two playthroughs will be the same.

Make a wrong move and the character will be defeated, losing all their rupees, keys and limited-use items. Don’t fret, however,  Zelda can visit the Oracle to purchase items to use after continuing their adventure with in-game currency. Players who want to play Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda their way can also choose between various modes including Permadeath Mode, where any wrong move could mean starting over from the beginning of the game. This is each player’s journey to undertake, so there’s no right way to endure it.

Overcooked! 2: Night of the Hangry Horde from Team17 Digital and Ghost Town Games sees players face the most terrifying threat to the Onion Kingdom yet, the unbread, and this time they’ve brought friends! This brand new DLC introduces an entirely new horde mode in which players must use all their cooking know-how to repel waves of ravenous undead ingredients.

 

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Jun 14

The Silent Conductors | Short Film

Posted in: Animation
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Jun 14

Rama Works U80

Posted in: Animation
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Jun 12

Ubisoft’s announcements from E3 2019

Posted in: Animation

Here is an overview of Ubisoft’s all the latest announcements, trailers, and screenshots from E3 2019.

Ubisoft unveils Gods & Monsters

Ubisoft has unveiled Gods & Monsters, a brand-new action-adventure game from the team behind Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Gods & Monsters is an open world fantasy adventure and engages players in a fantastical world as they use godlike abilities to defeat famed mythological beasts and save the Greek gods in a heroic journey.

Gods & Monsters will launch worldwide on 25 February 2020 on the PlayStation4 computer entertainment system Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, Windows PC, the Nintendo Switch system and new generation gaming platform, Stadia.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint BETA will run from 5 to 8 September

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, the latest instalment in the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon franchise, will hold a beta phase from 5 to 8 September. It will be available on the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC. The sign up is open for players on the official website. Players who pre-order any edition of the game will gain access to the beta.

Ubisoft announces free-to-play sports game roller champions

Ubisoft has unveiled Roller Champions, a free-to-play team-based sports game where players skate, pass, dodge and score in a fan-packed arena. Players can download and play the Roller Champions E3 demo until 14 June on Uplay for Windows PC. Roller Champions will release in early 2020.

Ubisoft announces subscription service UPLAY+

Ubisoft has announced that Uplay+, a new subscription service, will launch on 3 September 2019, for Windows PC. Players will have unlimited access to download more than 100 games, including new releases, the latest released games, back catalogue, premium editions and additional content packs.

Players who sign up for Uplay+ between 10 June and 15 August will be able to access a free trial of Uplay+ from 3 to 30 September. Uplay+ will also be available on and the new generation gaming platform, Stadia, in 2020.

Just dance celebrates its 10th anniversary with Just Dance 2020

Just Dance 2020 will launch on all console platforms on 5 November 2019, and on the Stadia gaming platform at its release. The #1 Music Video Game Franchise of All Time, will celebrate a decade of bringing people together with exciting new content including 40 new songs, the return of Co-op Mode and Digital Iconic Stickers.


New story creator mode of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey revealed

Ubisoft has revealed the new Story Creator Mode, a quest-creation tool for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. It is free for all owners of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and will be available during an open beta from today. Story Creator Mode allows players to build their own stories and play quests created by other players.

Story Creator Mode is based on the story-designer tools and branching dialogue systems used in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. It is designed to empower players with more choices than before by allowing them to write their own stories accompanied by gameplay.

Ubisoft unveils Rainbow Six Quarantine

During the E3 press conference, Ubisoft revealed Tom Clancy Rainbow Six Quarantine, the latest instalment in the best-selling Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six franchise.

This brand-new three-player, tactical co-op shooter will be available early 2020 and is set several years in the future of the Rainbow Six Universe. The Rainbow operators will face off against a highly lethal new breed of mutated alien parasite infecting human hosts and their surroundings.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 to have a free weekend from 13 to 16 June

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will have a free weekend running from 13 to 16 June, allowing newcomers to get a preview of the action.  Ubisoft also announced updated details for the Year one roadmap in Tom Clancy’s The Division 2.

The first year of free post-launch content will include brand new episodes packed with story-driven missions that will ultimately lead agents back to where it all started.  Players can look forward to the three new episodes over the next year, each one of them bringing new areas, modes, rewards, specializations, exotic gear and weapons.

Ubisoft announces Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad

During the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad, a new free-to-play action mobile RPG. Players can pre-register at the official site to unlock an exclusive in-game character, Colonel Cole D. Walker from Ghost Recon Breakpoint.


Developed by Ubisoft  Owlient, Tom Clancy’s Elite  Squad is a military mobile RPG based on the lore of Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, The Division and Rainbow Six. For the first time, players will be able to assemble a team of legendary characters from the Tom Clancy universe, including Caveira, Sam Fisher, El Sueño, Montagne, Nomad and more.

Cartoon  network’s adventure time heroes enter Brawlhalla

Ubisoft has announced that Epic Crossovers for Finn the Human, Jake the Dog and Princess Bubblegum from Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time are available now in Brawlhalla.

Developed by Blue Mammoth, Brawlhalla is an epic free-to-play platform fighting game that brings players to the fight for glory in the halls of Valhalla. Choosing from over 40 unique characters, players can jump into single-player and co-op modes as well as online and local competitions.


Shadows of the Hitokiri now playable For Honor

Ubisoft has announced that For Honor’s Year 3 Season 2 event, Shadows of the Hitokiri, is available to play from now until 27 June. The event is themed around the recently introduced Hitoriki, ghostly warriors who have lost all faith in humanity, and features a new limited-time game mode: Soul Rush, new customisation options, special event loot, and more.

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