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Flash games site Kongregate has stopped accepting submissions
If you played Flash-based games in the 2000s, you probably remember Kongregate, a website that hosted over 100,000 browser games. Unfortunately, the site will soon take a step towards being more of an archive than an active part of the internet, as Kongregate has announced that it’ll stop accepting new game uploads. Additionally, Forbes confirmed that the site is also laying off an unknown number of employees after a number of employees tweeted that they only found out by a direct deposit to their bank accounts.
Kartridge is a curated game store, now with more Indie Megabooth
With the surprise launch of the Epic Games Store last week, followed by scores of news articles and tweets proclaiming war between Steam and Epic, it might be shocking to hear that there are other digital video game marketplaces on the internet. Kartridge, for instance, is a game store from Kongregate that offers a curated selection of independent titles -- rather than a holding cell for every project under the sun, as Steam has become for many players. Today, Kartridge announced a partnership with the Indie Megabooth to spotlight prominent games from the group's six-year history as a traveling showcase. Titles on Kartridge from IMB alumni will be clearly marked and featured on the store's main page, and the list will be updated quarterly with fresh games.
'Eve: War of Ascension' reimagines the venerable space MMO for mobile
Complex space sim Eve Online will be 15 years old this year, surviving in a less MMO-friendly market with various spin-offs like Dust 514 and Valkyrie, as well as a free-to-play version. Developer CCP teased a new mobile Eve title last October, and now EVE: War of Ascension is set to launch on iOS and Android sometime later this year.
Peter Molyneux's new game is about pioneering
Web and smartphone game publisher Kongregate and Peter Molyneux's 22 Cans are teaming up to launch a new mobile game. The Trail is an Oregon Trail-style adventure title where players strap on a backpack and pioneer their way across an undiscovered wilderness. As they progress, they can collect items that can be used to craft weapons and tools that'll help them hunt down sources of food. That can then be traded with other explorers to build a fortune that'll enable you to settle down in a Deadwood-style community. It's available for Android and iOS devices, although it's yet to hit the latter's app store just yet for free, with in-app purchases.
Kongregate CEO to step down
Jim Greer is stepping down as Kongregate's CEO, he announced in a forum post on the indie game portal's website. His sister Emily Greer will become the site's CEO, and Jim will stay with the site "half time" while also launching a non-profit political action group, according to Gamasutra. The change will go into effect on February 28. Kongregate is host to thousands of games, both downloadable and browser-based, and also has its own in-house game development team. The gaming portal was acquired by GameStop in July 2010. GameStop established a $10 million mobile game fund for Kongregate earlier this month. [Image: Kongregate]
GameStop establishes $10 million mobile game fund
GameStop's mobile platform, Kongregate, now has a $10 million fund to help independent developers in the free-to-play mobile arena. The fund will be managed by former Zynga general manager Panayoti "Pany" Haritatos, who will lead Kongregate's in-house game development along with the Kongregate mobile games unit.The Kongregate Mobile Developers program plans to offer assistance in three areas: a cash advance to cover final costs of games in development, monetization consulting to help performance and promotion on Kongregate.Interested developers can head to developers.kongregate.com/mobile. GameStop's been trying a couple different initiatives to boost Kongregate's profile, including the addition of downloadable and freemium games late last year.
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters delayed to Jan. 31 on Kongregate, Feb. 28 on Steam
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, the latest game from American McGee and Spicy Horse, is now scheduled to launch on January 31, one week after the original release date of January 25. This is for the Kongregate launch; the Steam launch will take a little while longer, expected to hit some time around February 28.Spicy Horse originally intended Akaneiro to launch on Steam today, January 24, but only if it was approved in Greenlight's January round, which it was. Akaneiro has nine days left of its Kickstarter campaign and needs $95,000 to reach its goal and polish off the game."For Steam, integration and testing are taking longer than anticipated," McGee writes in a Kickstarter update. "We could be ready for launch by 7th of February, but because Chinese New Year starts on the 9th, we're forced to delay until the end of the month, meaning launch on or around the 28th of February. We're being extra cautious about launch timing to ensure a balanced and bug-free experience."
Kongregate adds downloadable, free games to browser-based roster
Kongregate now hosts downloadable, free games, as well as its standard fare of browser-based titles. The first three downloadable games on Kongregate are Super Monday Night Combat, Bomb Buddies and Smashmuck Champions, all available right now.Kongregate will drop more downloadable games in the "coming weeks," and they are all integrated into existing social services. Players must sign into Kongregate to launch the games, and each one now available earns players 10 points."Our players are looking for increasingly sophisticated games," says Jim Greer, Kongregate CEO and co-founder. "Adding downloadable titles brings a new level of gaming to hardcore players looking for high-definition graphics with more options and content to select from."What previously set Kongregate apart from digital distributors is its focus on in-browser entertainment. Now it's inching closer to Steam territory, but still has its own flair in offering only free games for download. It's kind of like a tomcat slowly slinking into another's alleyway, and now we just wait for the hissing to begin.
Kongregate breaks free of the browser, serves up downloadable games
Kongregate has stepped out of its web browser boundaries by offering free-to-play downloadable desktop games alongside its existing catalog of browser-based titles. Only Super Monday Night Combat, Smashmuck Champions and Bomb Buddies are available for desktop play, but the outfit is set to beef up its selection in the following weeks. It's not likely that this development will cause Steam to nervously eye its rearview mirror for a competitor on its coattails, but it's interesting to see GameStop's F2P game venture ever so slightly dip its toes into Valve's territory. However, Gabe Newell's platform may yet have some fiercer competition in the brick-and-mortar retailer's Impulse storefront. Ready to stock up on the gratis Windows games? Hit the bordering source link to get started.
The Engadget Interview: GameStop CEO Paul Raines talks tablets, OUYA and the MVNO that never was
Looking to unload your unwanted gaming gear? You're probably on your way to GameStop. As the largest dedicated video game retailer in the world, it's hard to imagine a games enthusiast who hasn't browsed its wares a time or two. Over the last few years, however, the firm has been expanding outside of retail sales -- dipping its fingers into digital distribution, streaming and even phones and tablets. The brick-and-mortar store even seemed to be flirting with building a mobile network. With all these changes underfoot and a new console cycle just around the corner, it seemed like a good time to catch up with GameStop CEO Paul Raines to get some perspective.
Kongregate and Ubisoft want you to build a music game in honor of Child of Eden
Kongregate and Ubisoft just launched a new contest to promote Child of Eden, called "Project Eden: Experience the Music" -- but it's an even deeper "experience" than the title suggests, as you'll actually "experience" the development of a music game in order to enter. From now through June 21, Kongregate is accepting submissions of user-designed music games for entry into this contest. The top 25 games chosen by the voting community will then be judged by Child of Eden creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi ... and also Ricardo Torres from GameSpot. The winner gets $10,000 and, of course, the opportunity to spread their synaesthesia-inducing masterwork to everyone who checks out Kongregate.
Kongregate makes triumphant return to Android Market after a few tweaks
After Google's uncharacteristic (and swift) action against Flash game clearinghouse Kongregate when its Android app went live a few days ago, it wasn't clear what was going to have to happen to get it back in the Market -- but they're giving it a shot today by making a few key tweaks and republishing. Most notably, version 1.1 no longer dumps Flash games that you download to SD storage; instead, the phone's browser cache is used just as for any other website you visit, which would seem to be a definitive step toward giving the app less of an "app store" feel -- precisely the thing that Google's concerned about. We'll have to wait and see whether this puppy stays deployed... but for now, you can grab it from the Market.
Kongregate Arcade back in Android Marketplace, with some minor changes
Exactly one week after Kongregate's promising mobile app, Kongregate Arcade, made its tumultuous debut on the Android Marketplace (from which it was pulled from the very same day!) the browser-based gaming platform is ready for round two with Google, and has resubmitted the app. "We were just shocked," CEO Jim Greer told Joystiq after his app had been removed, an unusual move for the traditionally hands-off Google. In preparing the app for resubmission, Greer and company made some subtle, but potentially crucial, changes to the app. First: Though the original app played games in a standard WebKit browser, Kongregate Arcade obfuscated that experience by hiding the browser's address bar. Now, the address bar is visible when the app first loads, and then it jumps to full-screen, "which is a standard feature of Flash," Greer reminds us (and Google, we imagine). Second: Kongregate Arcade will now use the standard browser cache to store its "offline" files instead of "explicitly downloading and managing games on the SD card." Greer hopes that these changes help Kongregate Arcade "meet Google's requirement that we're not creating a competing App Store while still creating a great gaming experience." The new app is live in the Android Marketplace now, so we'll just have to wait and see if Google has any concerns this time around. If you want to sideload the original Arcade app, it's still available from Kongregate's site, though Greer tells us, "We'll work with Google to determine if we should stop supporting that version." You can find a video demo of the app (and its new changes) after the break. If you're an Android user, snag it and let us know what you think.
Waste your Friday playing Fotonica
C'mon, it's Friday. You know everybody else in the office is taking it easy. Check out Debbie, you think she's working on next week's ad budget? Nope. She's looking at pictures of her sister's birthday party on Facebook and wondering how she stays so skinny. Look at Rick in HR over there, you just know he's catching up on the scores from last night's [insert prominent sporting events here]. Why don't you head over to Kongregate and check out Fotonica, Santa Ragione's extremely cool new first-person running game you play with just one button. As you'll see in a trailer after the break, the game features a gorgeous wireframe aesthetic, so maybe you can convince your boss that you're making 3D ... work ... models, or something. Heck, he probably won't look up from The View long enough to notice.
Kongregate app pulled from Android Marketplace, CEO hopes it's just a misunderstanding
We've heard of apps getting 187'd from the iTunes App Store ad nauseum, but Google's Android Marketplace? That's pretty novel. In what is probably the most high profile bait-and-switch since the mobile platform's launch, Kongregate found its eponymous software pulled on the very same day it came out. As CEO Jim Greer tells Joystiq, the app was pulled due to the "claim you can't use their app store to distribute another app store." Which is all well and good until you realize that what Kongregate the app does is simply serve as a portal for Kongregrate the mobile site -- Greer says it's the same experience as visiting m.kongregate.com to play its free Flash games -- with the option for offline mode. "It's all essentially cached content delivered in a browser," he said, "which to me is just bizarre that that would be considered an 'app store,'" he said. The Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement says, "you may not use the Market to distribute or make available any Product whose primary purpose is to facilitate the distribution of Products outside of the Market," with Product defined broadly as "Software, content and digital materials created for Devices in accordance with the Android SDK and distributed via the Market." When we talked to Google, the company pointed out the same clause and said, "Applications in violation of our policies (like Kongregate) are removed from Android Market." Greer adds that a number of people in Google had seen it previously and liked the app (not the ones who ultimately pulled it), and he hopes this is all some grand misunderstanding. We'll see, but in the meantime, the app is still available for side loading care of Kongregate's website. Nothing like a backup plan, eh?
Kongregate CEO Jim Greer on getting pulled from the Android Market
Kongregate CEO Jim Greer called Google's swift removal of his company's Kongregate Arcade app from the Android Marketplace "surprising." Released on the morning of January 19, the app was pulled by that evening. "We were very surprised, especially since we had shown it to several people at Google in mobile," Greer told Joystiq, noting that "the particular person who's sort of the lead on rejecting it" had not seen it prior to release. "The reason for the removal," Greer recounted, "and we didn't find out until after it was already gone, was that they claim you can't use their app store to distribute another app store -- which is a reasonable restriction. But to us, what's really bizarre, to call [Kongregate Arcade] an 'app store' seems like a pretty extreme stretch." The Arcade app is essentially a portal to Kongregate's Flash site, with access to more than 300 games formatted for mobile display and wrapped in a native layer of social features. "Literally, you can go to m.kongregate.com and play any of the games," Greer insisted. "And the experience will be -- once you've got the game on your phone -- just the same," minus the "rich presentation layer" added by the app.
Kongregate Arcade removed from Android Market
Launched earlier today, the Kongregate Arcade app for Android-based phones has been removed from the Android Market for reasons unknown. Joystiq received word from a GameStop and Kongregate representative that it had been pulled, along with the following statement: As reported earlier today, the Kongregate Arcade app was launched on the Android Market and was enthusiastically received by the gaming community, receiving 4.5 out of 5 stars. Tens of thousands of users successfully downloaded the new app but, due to unknown reasons, Google has pulled it from the Market. Gamers wishing to experience Kongregate Arcade will be happy to learn it is now available for download at http://kongregate.com/android.Additionally, Kongregate has updated its Twitter feed with word that it is "working with Google to restore access in the Market." We've contacted Google for comment and will update as soon as we hear back. Update: Google has informed Joystiq that the app was in violation of the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement because the app itself was distributing other apps. However, there is nothing prohibiting Flash developers from making apps available on the market wrapped in an individual apk.
Kongregate Arcade hits Android, GameStop shoving free Flash games straight onto your smartphone
GameStop may think that people still like boxes, but that's not stopping the company from diving into the digital distribution realm. It bought up Flash game purveyor Kongregate last summer and now that anty acquisition just dropped a big egg on Android with the launch of Kongregate Arcade. It's basically a separate mobile app store from the Android Market, but with a few important differences. Biggest is that these games, numbering over 300, are all free and are all Flash-based. This is said to "solve the game discovery problem" by popping out of the Market but certainly won't do much to solve revenue problems for devs working on premium mobile games. Of course to get all the games you'll still need to find this app, but it's there. Right now. We checked.
Kongregate Arcade brings 300+ games to Android, wants to 'solve the game discovery problem'
It's no secret that the Android Marketplace doesn't share the iPhone App Store's surfeit of high-quality games but, as the platform continues to grow, we expect to see more land grabs. Today, one of browser-based gaming's cool kids is coming to the Android platform with 300+ Flash-based games in one download. Kongregate Arcade brings much of the web-based Kongregate service to the Android platform, including game ratings, achievements, comments, and even "mobile-only badges on top titles," all tied to your Kongregate account. "In creating the Kongregate Arcade, we wanted to solve the game discovery problem that all Android owners have shared," said Jim Greer, CEO of Kongregate. To that end, the Arcade launched with over 300 games, with new titles promised weekly "with selection based on compatibility with the mobile platform and the ability to play on a touch screen device." Kongregate's also looking to create Android-exclusive games "which should further jumpstart Android as a viable gaming platform." In order to get in on the action, you'll need an Android device running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or higher, with Flash 10.1 installed. You'll also need an internet connection though "select games can also be downloaded for offline play." Share your Kongregate usernames in the comments, so we can beat your Dolphin Olympics 2 score.
GameStop cards can buy Kreds on Kongregate, retail sales fueling digital profits
If you were a little puzzled about why retail chain GameStop invested in the Flash gaming site Kongregate earlier this year, here's (at least part of) your answer. The company has announced that GameStop gift cards will now be able to purchase Kongregate's "Kreds" virtual currency, which can then be used to buy unlocks and items in Kongregate games, or even "tip" developers who upload games to the site. Each dollar on a GameStop card equals 10 Kreds, and since those gift cards can be found not only in GameStop stores, but at grocery stores, bookstores and other places of commerce, that's a lot more Kreds Kongregate kan kapture. Whoops, sorry, we got a little karried away there. The company is also offering a promotion for the deal, with up to 30 percent bonus Kreds given for any GameStop card used on the site through December 8. You have to give it to GameStop -- it's coming up with some really interesting ideas in its efforts to stay floating above the onrushing tide of digital distribution.
