Hasta La Motion!

Indian Studios- Holy Cow Productions’ Mystic Pillars and Nodding Head Games’ Raji: An Ancient Epic are among the 40 shortlisted games who have showcased their games at the Spring Edition of the Steam Game Festival .

These two games have been shortlisted earlier to showcase at the GDC Indie Megabooth but due to the pandemic outbreak of Covid 19 led the cancellation of the event which has stunned the studios. Upon selected for GDC 2020, in conversation with  Animation Xpress Holy Cow Productions director of game development Goutham Dindukurthi told us “Our game Mystic Pillars has been selected to showcase at the official Indie Megabooth at GDC 2020! This is an incredible opportunity for us and we look forward to showcasing Mystic Pillars outside of India, for the first time ever. We are extremely honoured and thankful to the Indie Megabooth.”

But sooner after the cancellation of GDC 2020  it has shattered many dreams of indie game developers including them as he told to Polygon that “The entire reason we were launching our game around this time was to also help get the word out. Now that we no longer will get that, we are thinking of the next steps — but one thing for sure is that it will impact the success of our game.” He further emphasised that being a small indie from India, publishing the game on there own was already a challenging task for them. On the other hand, the studio expected to spend at least $6,000 for flights and other expenses, excluding tickets (those were covered by the Indie Megabooth folks). But beyond the financial cost incurred from the postponement — refunds for travel expenses are not guaranteed, but Dindukurthi is ‘hopeful’.

Finally, when Steam announced on its official storefront, that the list includes demos and other highlighted games from the Indie Megabooth, The MIX, Day of the Devs and WINGS the Indian indie game developers had a sigh of relief as both the games were selected for it.

As Dindukurthi said “we were set to attend the GDC 2020 and showcase Mystic Pillars as part of the Indie Megabooth. Fortunately, the Indie Megabooth and Steam have given us an opportunity at the Steam Game Festival Spring Edition which ended yesterday. Mystic Pillars demo was featured at the festival and was available for free for people to try it out until yesterday.”

Since he was hopeful post cancellation of the event he said ‘it has been an experience’ for him as the game has gone through a rollercoaster ride from selection at GDC 2020 Indie Megabooth to cancellation of GDC 2020 and finally showcase at Steam Spring Festival. Today he is ‘Happy that it was showcased on steam,’ he added.   Further, he has expressed about the experience of being featured at the Steam Game Festival Spring Edition that, “It has been great experience, nice to know that a lot of people get to try out our demo.”

If not GDC 2020, through Steam Game Festival Spring Edition both the games from the Indian gaming studio have received the global recognition which the studios have been longing for.

The post Two Indian studios showcased their games at Steam Game Festival post cancellation of GDC 2020 appeared first on AnimationXpress.

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing more and more people to stay indoors, gaming and binge-watching movies are two of the only ways to kill the boredom for most people. In that sense, this is a good time to try out games that will help to kill time and will divert your mind to a virtual world far away coronavirus outbreak fear. Here are some of the mobile games where you will enjoy spending time every bit:

Call of Duty Mobile: Call of Duty: Mobile is a free-to-play first-person shooter game  features many playable characters, maps, and gamemodes from previous games in the series.The game includes different control to cater to player’s preferences. The game comprises of Battle Royale Mode, Multiplayer Mode along with ranked matches. The game also have a  ‘zombies’  mode  follows the classic Call of Duty zombies ‘survival’ formula where the player fights off endless waves of zombies, aiming to survive as long as possible. A ‘raid’ mode was also included where the player must defeat a set amount of waves of zombies before encountering one of two final bosses. The aim of the game was to take familiar aspects from the franchise’s previous games and allow users to access them from their mobile devices. It features two in-game currencies, as well as a battle pass.

Brain Out: For those who like puzzles, Brain Out offers a lot of them – all quite challenging. The game requires the user to think outside the box to solve problems that may seem simple but usually involve some catch. Occasionally it’s possible to get stuck on one of the puzzles, but there is also a help system as the last resort.

Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space: Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space is a free-to-play role-playing video game it involves time travel elements, where players explore different points in time. The game features 55 chapter main scenario that continues to grow, with the gameplay involving the player time travelling through three main time periods; the past, present, and future.The game primarily plays as a side-scrolling JRPG, at times opening up for full 3D movement.The player directly maneuvers a character between locations and interacts with non-playable characters to progress through the game.

Dota Underlords: Dota Underlords is an auto battler game based on a popular Dota 2 community created game mode called Dota Auto Chess, a chess-inspired competitive strategy game, where players place characters known as ‘heroes’ on an 8×8 grid-shaped battlefield. After a preparation phase, a team’s heroes then automatically fight the opposing team without any further direct input from the player. A match features up to eight players online who take turns playing against each other in a one-on-one format, with the winner being the final player standing after eliminating all of the opposing heroes. In addition to the online matchmaking, a single-player match against bots is also featured, as well as a “freestyle” practice mode that puts no limits on hero combinations.

Parkour Race: Infinite running games are nothing new, but Parkour Race introduces an interesting parkour element to gameplay and also competition. Users just need to move their characters left or right on the screen. However, according to the gameplay scenario, they can perform jumps, slide under obstacles and even run through walls – all to try to get ahead of the other characters.

Brawl Stars: Brawl Stars is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game where players battle against other players, and in some cases, AI opponents, in multiple game modes. Players can choose between several brawlers that they have unlocked, each with their unique offensive or defensive kit. As brawlers attack and do damage to enemy brawlers, they build up their special ability, called a ‘Super’. Each brawler has their own ‘Super’ ability, which can, for example, spawn a damage-dealing turret or a complete heal. Each brawler also has two unlockable (passive) abilities called ‘Star Powers’, which can be found in ‘Brawl Boxes’ (the game’s version of a loot box), or inside the in-game shop once the brawler reaches their maximum power level. Additional brawlers can be obtained through Brawl Boxes as well.

Mario Kart Tour :The popular running franchise with Nintendo’s plumber is also present on smartphones with addictive gameplay. Mario Kart Tour puts players to race on tracks in both the Mushroom Kingdom and the real world like London and Paris. Its control method is also simplified with the automatic acceleration of the kart which helps players to only focus on the turns and the use of items.

The Battle of Polytopia: The Battle of Polytopia is a 4X turn-based world-building strategy game player takes on the role of the ruler of a Tribe, starting with one advantage over the other tribes, and attempts to build an empire in competition with the other tribes, which can either be controlled by the computer itself, or by a turn-based, “pass and play” system. Auto-generated maps make each game a new experience, with unlimited replay value.

Pac-Man 256: Pac-Man 256 is an endless running video game The game is part of the Pac-Man series and is inspired by the original Pac-Man game’s infamous Level 256 glitch. Pac-Man 256 puts players in control of Pac-Man as he continues across an endless maze, collecting dots and power-ups while avoiding enemy ghosts. The game ends if Pac-Man comes into contact with a ghost or falls behind and is consumed by a chasing glitch at the bottom of the maze. Eating 256 dots in a row awards the player a blast that clears all on-screen enemies.

Johnny Trigger: Johnny Trigger is a secret agent who shoots first and then says, “This is Johnny Trigger”. The game puts players to control Johnny in phases crowded with mob villains as he eliminates everyone with slow-motion action scenes. The role of the player is to control the timing of shots to make sure that Johnny will not miss any shots and end up a hit.

The post Dive into these gripping mobile games #WhenAtHome appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Disney has announced that its latest Pixar animated movie, Onward, will be getting an early release for digital download and will hit Disney+ in the U.S. on 3 April. The film premiered in theaters on 6 March and earned rave reviews from audiences.

Last weekend already saw one of the worst box office returns in the past two decades, with the entire industry bringing in just over $55 million dollars. Onward led that pack, grossing $10.5 million in the US, but it was a fraction of the nearly $50 million that it had made the first weekend it was available when theaters were more widely open and customers were still flocking to them instead of staying inside.

“While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” said director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae in a statement.

The film is set in a fantasy suburb where magic has been long forgotten. IT revolves around Ian, a teenage elf and his rowdy brother Barley. They get an opportunity to magically conjure up their late fathr using a wizard’s staff and father’s gift for Ian’s 16th birthday. The movie launches them on a quest that will test their relationship as they search for a way to complete their familial mission.

With the voice talents of Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Onward features Pixar’s trademark combination of humor, adventure, and heart in a story about whether magic still exists in the world.

I hope this message finds you healthy and safe.

All of us at Greyscalegorilla are currently giving you a virtual hug. We hope you, your family, and your business stay healthy through this time at home.

Since day one, it has been our mission to help 3D artists like yourself do your best work by providing training and tools that allow you to quickly achieve your goals.

We know it can be hard to stay productive right now. Still, many have discovered that learning something new can help raise spirits, keep your mind busy, and add much-needed new skills to your workflow.

It’s always a good time to learn something new in our industry, but now it might be precisely the right time to focus on learning new skills for your career. You might want to use this quiet time to channel the student in us all.

With this in mind, we decided to temporarily extend our student discount for Greyscalegorilla Plus to everyone.

Use the code “LEARN3D” during checkout and get $150 off your first year of Greyscalegorilla Plus.

Learning something new is food for our brains and keeps us progressing forward. It’s with this in mind that I want to encourage everyone to sharpen your skills while you have the time to do so.

We hope that this time is a productive one for you and your career. We know it is scary out there, but we hope to help you stay positive and productive through these times.

Stay Safe,

Nick + Greyscalegorilla

P.S. Wash those hands and disinfect your nasty keyboard and Wacom pen while you are at it too, eh?

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The Coronavirus outbreak has created a major disruption in the world, including all segments of media and entertainment besides cancellation of major events. And it seems like Disney+ fans in India have to wait a little longer!

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the launch of Disney+ in India has been stalled. Slated to debut in India on 29 March via Hotstar, the launch has been paused temporarily and the new date has not been revealed yet. 

The Walt Disney Company APAC president, Star and Disney India chairman Uday Shankar said in an official statement, “We recently announced that Disney+ would launch in India through the Hotstar service in conjunction with the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket season. Given the delay of the season, we have made the decision to briefly pause the roll-out of Disney+, and will announce a new revised premiere date for the service soon.”

After a successful first few months of its domestic launch, Disney+ is now gearing up for its international expansion. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger earlier mentioned in an earnings call after Q1 result, that it would be launching the service in India through Hotstar on 29 March at the beginning of the IPL.   

He wanted Disney+ to leverage the success of Hotstar in India by bundling the two services. During IPL 2019 , Hotstar registered more than 300 million users. Now with the postponement of IPL 2020, the fate of Disney+ has sure been uncertain in India for sometime now.

The post Disney+ India launch pushed due to IPL postponement for Covid-19 outbreak appeared first on AnimationXpress.