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Skulls of the Shogun gives asynchronous, cross-platform play a turn
Skulls of the Shogun will feature Skulls Anywhere mode, which offers cross-platform play and asynchronous multiplayer across all of its launch platforms: XBLA, Windows Phone, Windows 8 PC and Windows 8 tablet, a la Microsoft Surface. Players with the required devices will be able to take turns independently of one another, for up to four players, and the single-player campaign will be accessible across all Windows platforms through cloud saves."The turn-based nature of the game makes for perfect asynchronous play across every platform we're shipping on," 17-BIT's Jake Kazdal says. "You can start playing a game at home on your Xbox, then head out and play a few turns from the same game on your phone. You might be playing against someone on a PC or a tablet - everyone's connected via Xbox Live. And regardless of platform, everyone's having the same great experience, because it's the exact same game across all those devices."Skulls of the Shogun will still feature online, real-time multiplayer, called Skulls Online, and the standard local multiplayer matches.
Skulls of the Shogun dev becomes '17-BIT'
"It's 16-bit, plus a bit more," says CEO Jake Kazdal, who can now add "ghostbuster" to his job title. Formerly "Haunted Temple Studios," the developer behind stylized strategy-fest Skulls of the Shogun has officially changed its name to "17-BIT." The old-school alteration is meant to reflect the studio's "classic gameplay ideals," and comes after a successful trial run on the PAX East show floor."The new name sums up our goal perfectly -- taking your best memories of the 16-bit era, and making new experiences that look as good and play as well as you remember," Kazdal says.You'll get to see the studio's snazzy -- make that SNES-y -- badge tattooed on the Skulls of the Shogun, which launches on Xbox Live Arcade, Windows Phone and Windows 8 just as Microsoft pushes out its new OS (currently speculated to happen in October). The 17-BIT art itself came about with the aid of Cory Schmitz, who is quickly becoming the Nolan North of nifty logos.
