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Epic removes 'overpowered' Infinity Blade from 'Fortnite'
Fortnite fans got a taste of the game's mythic items this week with the Infinity Blade (as in Epic's games of the same name). Only one such sword was available in a match, and the player who wielded it received a health and shield boost, HP regeneration, faster movement, immense damage-dealing potential and the ability to smash through buildings in no time at all. Or at least they used to have all that power, because Epic admitted it "messed up" with the overpowered weapon and has already shuttled the Infinity Blade into Fortnite's vault.
'Infinity Blade' will live on inside 'Fortnite'
For any studio, stopping development on a game is never fun. Just ask Epic Games, which just announced that it will no longer dedicate any more resources to its Infinity Blade trilogy because it couldn't support the series to "a level that meets [its] standards." However, when you're also behind one of the biggest games of 2018 (hint: Fortnite), it often provides opportunities for some of those older ideas to live on. That's exactly what's happened in the battle royale title's latest update, which welcomes the Infinity Blade as its new weapon.
Epic pulls its 'Infinity Blade' mobile games from the App Store
Ever since being introduced as Project Sword alongside iOS 4.1 back in 2010, the Infinity Blade games have shown the kind of graphics and action that are possible on Apple's mobile devices -- until now. At the same time owner Epic Games is launching its own game store and pricking Apple over App Store policies that impact its Fortnite juggernaut, the company has decided to pull all three games without warning. In a post the company said "it has become increasingly difficult for our team to support the Infinity Blade series at a level that meets our standards."
'Infinity Blade III' hits the App Store ahead of iOS 7 release
After almost a two-year wait, a new Infinity Blade game has hit the App Store. Chair Entertainment's Infinity Blade III ($6.99/£4.99), the third and final chapter in the Apple-exclusive trilogy, has been designed to get the most from the iPhone 5s' new 64-bit architecture. Available as a universal app (supported by devices running iOS 6.0 and up), the game features new rendering effects, including depth of field, blur and full-screen vignettes, utilizing the same tap-to-move controls from the previous two instalments. If the cancelation of Infinity Blade Dungeons left a dragon-shaped hole in your life, today's release might just fill it until the next season of Game of Thrones.
Infinity Blade III to launch on September 18
The game chosen to show off the processing power of the new iPhone 5s today was none other than one of the most anticipated sequels on iOS yet: Infinity Blade III. Donald Mustard, co-founder of Chair, which is owned by Epic Games, took to the stage to show off the third and final installment of the popular series. Fans are in for a special treat as Infinity Blade III will feature eight separate worlds, each as big as the entire original game. For the first time ever, fans will also be able to play as two characters: Siris or Isa. The game will also feature a "massively social" co-op mode. Infinity Blade III will launch on Wednesday, September 18 and cost US$6.99. And though the game has been optimized to run best on the iPhone 5s, it will support other iOS devices including the iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPad 4, iPad 3, iPad 2, iPad mini and fourth- and fifth-generation iPod touch. Headline amended to clarify that the app is launching on 9/18 while the new iPhones arrive 9/20.
Infinity Blade: Dungeons officially canceled
The Epic Games Podcast talked with ChAIR Founder and Creative Director, Donald Mustard, this week. The week's news is a mix of celebration and sadness. The celebration is that you can download Infinity Blade II from the App Store for free this week. The bad news is that planned next game, Infinity Blade Dungeons is cancelled. Dungeons was under development at Maryland-based Impossible Games, which unfortunately has gone the way of all things. Mustard assures us that the Infinity Blade world is still growing and that they have plans for more games, books, and possibly other products. "The Infinity Blade games are all about sword fighting," according to Don Mustard. "It's about finding ways to break your enemy," for all skill levels. Parring is key with a mix of dodging and blocking. Gems, which can be found, won, or bought modify and enhance your weapons. It's a very popular game with a 5-star rating, recommended for age 9 and above. [via Polygon]
Infinity Blade goes free for limited time
Epic games has announced that Infinity Blade is free this week only. The iTunes description for the popular action RPG game has been updated to announce: APPLE'S APP OF THE WEEK! Love is in the air, and so are swords, axes, hammers and scythes! Celebrate Valentine's by enjoying the Must-Have iOS Blockbuster for FREE! However the announcement is a bit premature as (as of the time of this writing) Apple still lists the App of the Week as Galaxy on Fire 2 HD. That's sure to change though as Apple's Apps of the Week usually don't propagate into the store until later on Thursdays. Still, users can download Infinity Blade for free right now. When Infinity Blade was released in 2010 it quickly became the de facto poster boy for high-level gaming on iOS. Based on the Unreal 3 Engine, it has an average rating of five out five stars over 228,000 reviews.
Daily Update for February 8, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Infinity Blade: Dungeons on hold as Epic shuts down studio
Announced alongside the third-generation iPad in March of last year, Epic Games' action-RPG spin-off of the Infinity Blade franchise still isn't out -- and, from the sound of things, we wouldn't count on it shipping anytime soon, if ever. As Joystiq reports, Epic is shuttering Impossible Studios, the developer of Infinity Blade: Dungeons, and putting the game "on hold." In a blog post on the official Epic Games site, company founder Tim Sweeney commented: "It was a bold initiative and the Impossible folks made a gallant effort, but ultimately it wasn't working out for Epic." Interestingly, Sweeney also divulged that in addition to providing Impossible Studios staff with three months of severance pay, Epic will relinquish the studio name and logo in case the ousted employees wish to use it to form a new company. Epic hasn't ruled out a future release of Infinity Blade: Dungeons, but Sweeney did say that Epic is trying to "figure out the future of the project." [Via Joystiq]
Daily Update for October 18, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Infinity Blade spinoff delayed until next year
The original Infinity Blade was one of the first iOS titles that proved downloadable mobile games could have the same polish and flair as a full retail release. Unfortunately, gamers waiting patiently for the next installment, titled Infinity Blade: Dungeons, will have to wait until 2013 to sharpen their swords once again. The game was first shown off during Apple's iPad event in March of this year, where it helped showcase the tablet's new Retina display. Since then, we haven't seen an awful lot from developer Epic Games regarding the title. With both previous Infinity Blade titles seeing December release dates, it was thought that Dungeons may pop up before the year ticked over. However, speaking with AllThingsD, Epic Games spokesman Wes Phillips revealed that the anticipated spinoff adventure won't hit the App Store in time for the holidays, and that we shouldn't expect a release before 2013. No more specific date was offered, leaving a possible 12-month launch window, though we imagine that detail will be hammered out before too long.
Marvel Avengers Initiative brings Infinity Blade hack-and-slash to the world of the Avengers
Marvel (and its games division) has unveiled a brand new game for iOS called Marvel Avengers Initiative. This game has been teased for a little while now, and TUAW was lucky enough to see an in-progress version a few weeks ago. In just a few words, you can call this one "Avengers Blade." It's an Infinity Blade-style action RPG, set in the world of the super-popular Avengers superhero team. The game will consist of a series of episodes, the first of which will be available at launch. Wideload Software (originally started by Halo's Alex Seropian, but more recently acquired by Disney -- which explains why it's working on a Marvel game) has put together the first episode featuring Hulk. Given that the title is so closely based on Infinity Blade, you can imagine how it works. You move from point to point around a game world, collecting currency where you can find it, and fighting big foes by swiping and tapping the screen when prompted. Wideload has even brought Infinity Blade's XP and equipment system over, giving Hulk various stat and costume upgrades that not only make reference to classic comic appearances, but also can give bonuses to XP or certain attributes. Marvel's TQ Jefferson tells TUAW that in the company's video games division, he and his team have come up with three main principles to include on big releases. First, they want each game they release to have fun, engaging gameplay, which is really a no-brainer in the crowded market these days. There also has to be a story, and Avengers Initiative begins with the story of Hulk, fighting a battle across the Avenger's floating fortress of a home base. Finally, Marvel games should have "true-to-character experiences," and that's really what Marvel is going for here. Yes, admits Wideload's Patrick Moran, the gameplay in Avengers Initiative is very similar to Infinity Blade, but the team worked to make all of the moves in this first episode feel very true to Hulk as a character. Moran says that "only a small percentage of our players have ever played" titles like Infinity Blade, which doesn't really seem possible, given the popularity of Chair Entertainment's series. But even if so, Jefferson and Moran both say that the Avengers franchise is hugely popular right now, and they're convinced that Avengers fans of all kinds will be interested in this kind of gameplay experience on the App Store. Avengers Initiative will be out on September 6 (along with the other usual app releases across the world) for the premium price of $6.99. Wideload wants to make sure users know that future episodes of content will be released for free, so there's plenty more game to come. While chatting about the new game, I also was sure to ask Jefferson about a possible iOS version of the very popular Facebook title Avengers Assemble, and he agreed with me that such a thing "would be a very good idea." That's not exactly a confirmation that the company is working on bringing its great game over to iOS, but stay tuned -- we may hear about something else like that soon. For the time being, we'll have to see if Wideload's gamble on this Infinity Blade-style gameplay pays off with users in the way they hope.
NVIDIA, Epic Games bringing Unreal Engine 3 to Windows 8 and Windows RT (video)
NVIDIA and Epic Games have successfully ported the full PC version of Unreal Engine 3 to both Windows 8 and, more importantly, Windows RT. Demonstrating the achievement on a Tegra 3-powered ASUS Vivo Tab RT, it played a buttery-smooth version of Epic Citadel, suggesting that developers of both PC and Xbox games should have no problem in bringing them over to the new operating system. It also casually mentioned that both Gears of War and Mass Effect were built on the engine, heavily implying that we could see titles of that caliber coming to Microsoft's low-power OS once it makes it debut on October 26th, but we'll let you decide for yourself after the break.
Infinity Blade creators parody themselves with VOTE!!
Here's a surprise on the App Store this week -- Infinity Blade creators Chair Entertainment have suddenly released a politically-themed parody of their own game, called VOTE!!!. The app should be out on the North American App Store later on this evening -- it's essentially a battle from Infinity Blade, with the usual hacking, slashing, parrying, and dodging, but with two cartoony versions of the US Presidential candidates battling it out with "debates" instead of attacks. It looks goofy as all get-out, but it's also free, so who knows? Chair probably thought it was a funny idea, and someone on staff had enough drive to go ahead and make it real, so there you go. Presumably, it does use the same engine, so yes, you are seeing Obama wield a lightsaber above in full Unreal 3 graphics. If you want to Infinity Blade fight against Romney or Obama, Vote!!! is arriving later on this evening.
Epic Games: Infinity Blade on iOS more profitable by the pound than any other game we've made
Traditional console makers have often sworn up and down that mobile doesn't make money for game development. That might still be true for some developers, but you'll get a very different answer if you ask Epic Games. Co-founders Tim Sweeney and Mark Rein have collectively described the currently iOS-only, Chair-developed Infinity Blade as the "most profitable game we've ever made" when considering the amount of money and time invested relative to the money coming back. Yes, that includes even the Gears of War series, which most consider Epic's primary cash cow. Sweeney, like his long-time competitor Johh Carmack at id Software, is also taken aback by the power stuffed inside the latest generation of mobile devices -- a 2012 iPad is nearer the performance of a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, he tells Gamasutra, and the pace is only picking up. Even more insights await in the interview with Sweeney; click below if you want a hint of what one of gaming's pioneers has to say about where your tablets, phones and (yes) PCs are going.
Epic's most profitable game is Infinity Blade for iOS
And here's why we're going to continue seeing AAA games makers getting involved in Apple's iOS platform: Epic Games reports that Infinity Blade, which has earned over $30 million in the past 18 months, is by far the company's most profitable title, "in terms of man-years invested versus revenue." Epic has some much bigger titles than the iOS (and Android) hack-and-slash game, including the uber popular console hit series Gears of War. But those games take much longer to produce, so in terms of time invested versus money gained, Infinity Blade is a much more profitable title. Now, that doesn't mean that every AAA studio out there can immediately switch from making console hits to freemium iOS titles -- not only is Infinity Blade a high quality game, but it benefits from Epic's reputation and ownership of the Unreal Engine, as well as unprecedented promotional support from Apple. But it's clear that there's a huge market in iOS, especially for AAA game developers with the experience and knowhow to make great games.
Infinity Blade: Dungeons gameplay revealed
Our friends at Joystiq have procured the first gameplay footage of Epic's followup to the popular Infinity Blade series, called Infinity Blade: Dungeons, and you can get a look at it below. As you can see, it's set in the same world as the first two games, but features a completely different take on gameplay, using gestures to fight baddies from a top-down view rather than a fixed camera. There are also some interesting crafting mechanics, like rubbing out imperfections on a blade you're making, or tapping dents in metal to clear them off. Infinity Blade: Dungeons was announced at the iPad 3 Apple event, and is supposed to be out later on this year.
Apple reveals next-generation apps for the new iPad: Infinity Blade: Dungeons, SketchBook, SkyGamblers (video)
While Apple's ensured all of its home-baked apps are making the most of the new iPad's retina display and new A5X chipset, it also had a handful of third-party app developers ready to show what the new hardware's capable. First up was Namco, who revealed the iOS-exclusive SkyGamblers, an Ace Combat-styled jet combat simulator. There looks to be a whole load of detail crammed into both the plane models and background -- something all those extra pixels can certainly help with and something we'll want to take a closer look at when it lands later this month. Taking a different approach, Autodesk's SketchBook app took the opportunity to show off the level of detail its sketches were now capable of, alongside a new engine for the ink. Now, we're not exactly sure what that entails, but we're sure it's going to make our works of art really zing. The app can even export images larger than 100 megapixels and will be out in April. Finally, Infinity Blade developers Epic Games took to the stage to unveil Dungeons -- the next iteration of the swiping and slashing gladiatorial battler. It appears the battle system has been recast once again and HDR lighting ensures the game will arrive dripping in optical honey. We'll be taking up swords to get a hands-on with these very soon. Update: We've just added the trailer to the next chunk of the Infinity Blade saga. It's right after the break. For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!
Infinity Blade 2 tips from Chair Entertainment
There are a ton of great games to buy and play from the App Store today if you happen to have found an iOS device under your tree this past weekend. Infinity Blade 2 is one of the best you'll find, with high-end graphics, tight gameplay, and a whole bunch of fun features that really build on the last popular game in the series. Whether you're a Blade newbie or a veteran, Chair Entertainment has released some tips for the game that will really help you roll through the generations. Some of them are very straightforward (no kidding -- you need to parry in the same direction for it to work?) but some of the tips are things you might not have picked up otherwise. I didn't know that parrying with Heavy weapons gives a block charge back, or that a parry in general will open up more combo moves than just a standard dodge or block against an attack. It's also worth looking through the rest of the official Infinity Blade blog. There are some cool developer interviews, some other solid gameplay tips, and more Infinity Blade news to read. This is definitely one of the best games on the platform, and having tips like this will really help you explore all that it has to offer. [via App Advice]
App review: Infinity Blade 2 (iOS)
The 3D duel-fest is back, and attempting to answer some of the questions left over from its first installment (and a few major updates). Infinity Blade has had a huge effect on promoting the iPad and iPhone as valid gaming options, with high quality visuals and intuitive touchscreen controls. Well, Epic hasn't tampered with the formula too much, but has tried to instill some considered expansions and pour even more eye-honey all over it. Will it stretch gamers beyond the original? We've now spent a fair bit of time slashing away at those pesky immortals and their underlings -- see what we thought of this little big adventure after the break. %Gallery-141444%
