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XGen Studios bringing the adorable Machinarium to WiiWare
After being passed over by Microsoft, because they're like stupid or something, the WiiWare platform will soon get its hands on Amanita Design's infinitely charming adventure title Machinarium. The game will be ported to the console by XGen Studios, whose previous WiiWare titles include the fairly successful port of Defend Your Castle. No release date or pricing information accompanied the port's announcement. While we worry the game might be truncated in some manner to make it under the WiiWare platform's 50MB cap, we're thrilled to see it spread its delightful influence. We'd like it on every platform possible, please. We don't think we'll be happy until we're playing this bad boy on our R-Zone.
Machinarium marked down to $5 for 'Pirate Amnesty' sale
We're normally pretty down on video game software piracy, especially when the games being plundered are totally DRM-free indie darlings. However, thanks to Machinarium's outrageously high piracy rate -- Amanita Design's Jakub Dvorsky estimates only 5 to 15 percent of players actually paid for the game -- the developer is holding a "Pirate Amnesty" sale for the point-and-click adventure game, temporarily marking its price down from $20 to $5. So, because a ton of people obtained the game through illicit channels, we can grab it legitimately for 75 percent cheaper than usual? We're happy for the bargain, but that's setting an awfully bizarre precedent, guys.
Machinarium dev moves on to Sony after Microsoft passes on publishing its critical darling
A report late last week on XBLAFans.com claimed that Czech game studio Amanita Design had been "refused" a publishing deal to bring the critically-acclaimed Machinarium to Xbox Live Arcade, because the game was not an Xbox exclusive. While the quotes in the article were incendiary, they echoed information Joystiq received from developer Golgoth Studio earlier this year, when it too was denied a publishing deal from Microsoft for Toki HD. (Microsoft decided Toki HD didn't fit with its current portfolio.) The key is that neither game has been refused space on the platform -- Microsoft has simply decided not to publish the games itself. Microsoft requires all XBLA titles be attached with a publishing partner, meaning neither Amanita Design and Golgoth Studio can self-publish the games on the XBLA platform. Sony and Nintendo do not have the same policy for the PlayStation Network and WiiWare, respectively. Joystiq contacted Amanita Design founder Jakub Dvorský for to clarify the situation. "They told us, 'It's not Microsoft-exclusive, we don't want it.' They didn't cite the Mac and Linux versions [as reasons for the refusal] but it's quite clear that's the reason," Dvorský told Joystiq via email. As it did with Toki HD, Microsoft recommended Amanita Design pursue other publishers, an idea the team doesn't appear intent on exploring. "It means if we want to release the game on XBLA we must throw, probably, most of the profit out of the window -- to the publisher. Just because we created Mac and Linux versions." Microsoft's official stance -- and policy, according to Dvorský -- is the company does not publish games that are not exclusive to its platforms. During the year-long process of waiting for a response from Microsoft, Amanita Design never expressed interest in submitting Machinarium to Sony's PlayStation Network. Now that Microsoft has decided against publishing the game, Amanita is exploring Sony's platform. "We submitted the game to Sony after Microsoft refused it," Dvorský said.
Retail version of Machinarium comes with some extra goodies
If you haven't already been point-and-clicking away at Amanita Design's gorgeous adventure game Machinarium over the past few months since its digital release, you're gonna have even less of a chance to avoid it when it hits retail (in a box!) on March 5. Lace Mamba Global announced the re-release this morning, noting that the retail version comes packed with some extra bonuses -- a 54-page "concept art document" (seen below), a poster, a printed walkthrough and the game's soundtrack (standalone disc). If you needed any more reason to grab the $20 title, we have to imagine this bag full of goodies certainly can't hurt. %Gallery-83953%
Point-and-click your way to the ever-charming Machinarium
We know you're likely still occupied with the past week's pair of major blockbusters, but it'd be a shame if the release of a certain Small Wonder went unheralded by this blog. Enter: Machinarium, an impossibly charming, jaw-droppingly gorgeous adventure title for Windows, Mac and Linux which, after wooing us last month at PAX, is now available to purchase for a cool $20. Not sure how you feel about hand-drawn adventure games featuring the misadventures of an adorable, mute robot? We suggest checking out the free demo of the game hosted on the game's official site. If you're still not enticed, we suggest getting a chest x-ray, because it sounds like there's a small chance that your heart is missing. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Machinarium has become too gorgeous
You see, Amanita Design? You see what happens? You have a game like Machinarium that looks amazing and you have to keep pushing it, keep making it more beautiful and now ... now, it's so attractive that we're frightened of it. We're like cavemen encountering a time-traveling Swivel Sweeper, desperately swinging at it with our clubs, trying to snuff out the dark magic inside it. We've been driven utterly mad with desire, and it's all your fault: You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn't stop to think if you should. No, but seriously, watch the trailer after the break that SideQuesting brought to our attention. It looks crazy good, right?
