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Original Madden creator developing street basketball game Grudge Match
Robin Antonick, the original creator of the John Madden Football series, recently took to Kickstarter to fund his latest project, Grudge Match: Street Basketball. Grudge Match is an arcade-style basketball game in development for PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya by Antonick and co-founder Robert Lindsey's new startup, the Indie Sports Network (ISN). According to its website, the ISN's goal, to "be a disruptive force in the sports gaming industry," has a lot to do with its Indie Sports League, Market and Gym/Lab systems, which Grudge Match will use. The League is an online multiplayer modeled after Major League Baseball's farm system, indicating tiered "pro" levels and a leaderboard-style ranking system. ISN describes the Market as a place where players can buy and sell in-game creations "like eBay and iTunes for gamers." The Indie Sports Gym and Lab are the part of the ISN's operation that could cause the "disruption" that Antonick talks about in the project's Kickstarter pitch. The Lab features a coding and scripting system that allows players to create basketball stars, moves, and other in-game items to sell in the marketplace. Antonick envisions the creation system as a means of turning the players into developers as well, as Grudge Match seems to lean heavily on community-created content. The Kickstarter project is aiming to raise $500,000 by December 8, and the Indie Sports Network is currently planning to launch the game in late 2014 or early 2015. Antonick has been involved in an ongoing lawsuit with Electronic Arts over alleged unpaid royalties related to his work on the original John Madden Football game. A US District Court jury ruled in favor of Antonick in July, awarding him $11 million.
Ouya Discover store now hosts over 500 games
The Ouya microconsole now hosts more than 500 downloadable games in its Discover storefront, founder Julie Uhrman announced today. Ouya reached the milestone shortly after announcing that the console has attracted more than 25,000 registered developers. All Discover store games are free to try, and if you want to keep a library of your favorites, Ouya will soon introduce external USB storage support in a forthcoming update. Uhrman recently revealed that an Ouya hardware revision is due to launch next year.
Destructamundo is a game about interplanetary destruction from Robotube Games
Destructamundo is a new puzzle game from Robotube Games, a smaller label acquired by Gaijin Games that operates out of the studio's Santa Cruz offices. In Destructamundo, players must aid a race of scavenging aliens whose only means of survival is to travel to various star systems and detonate planets in order to harvest the resources left behind. Each level is comprised of planets with orbiting satellites moving in a clockwise direction. Destroying planets is achieved by clearing its satellites, initiated by triggering an explosion that in turn chains together and causes more explosions throughout the level. The goal is to clear a level by setting off the least number of explosions. Simple. Jason Cirillo, an artist with Gaijin Games, was on-hand to demo the game at Double Fine's Day of the Devs gathering in San Francisco today. Cirillo said the goal was to launch Destructamundo for "about $1 or $2," hopefully "in January" or some time "early next year." The version I sampled was running on Ouya, one of the supported platforms, but Cirillo also added that iOS was part of the plan. Cirillo, unfortunately, wouldn't go into specifics regarding any other potential platform.
Uhrman: It's 'inevitable' major publishers will develop for Ouya
It's "inevitable" that big publishers will make games for Ouya, the company's CEO Julie Uhrman said at GamesBeat 2013. "The publishers are always late to the newest business models," she said. "Is it likely an Activision or an [Electronic Arts] will come to Ouya? Absolutely." Uhrman doesn't expect Activision to bring Call of Duty to her tiny Android console – the big publishers will make games specific to Ouya, she said: "The reason I don't have a Call of Duty or a Madden or a FIFA on Ouya is because there's a perfectly good place to play those games today. When those publishers come to us, they're going to bring the perfect game [for] our platform .... It won't be the same thing." This week, Uhrman announced Ouya would begin shipping with a redesigned controller later in the year, and the hardware would get an update in 2014, fulfilling the company's promise to relaunch the console annually.
Ouya 2.0 launching next year, improved controller planned for current version
Ouya company founder Julie Uhrman revealed that the Android-powered microconsole will begin shipping with a redesigned controller later this year as work begins on a hardware revision due in 2014. The new controller will address many issues customers cited with the original model, offering textured thumbsticks, more responsive triggers, and face buttons that no longer become stuck in the peripheral's faceplate. The improved controller may be difficult to spot at retail, however, as Ouya packaging will not reflect whether the redesigned accessory is included. "The feel of the controller today is actually probably a lot better than in June," Uhrman told Polygon. "Our goal is to build a great controller. We wanted to build something that was ergonomic, that had great weight, that had a great feel, that offered developers a different way to develop games by including a touch pad in the design." Uhrman additionally states that an improved version of the Ouya console itself is set to launch next year, delivering on the company's promise to launch revised hardware annually. The new console will feature backward compatibility with existing marketplace games, though hardware specs and a release date were not announced.
Ouya CEO open to cloud gaming, Discover store on third-party hardware
Ouya Inc. has offered support for cloud gaming service OnLive from the launch of its open-ended gaming device, the Ouya. Once OnLive filed for bankruptcy, however, Ouya began talking with other vendors about supporting its platform, CEO Julie Uhrman's recent interview with VentureBeat revealed. Uhrman stated that there is "absolutely a role for cloud gaming on Ouya," but did not offer specifics as to which service the company is considering partnering with other than "all the ones that you're thinking." More curiously, Uhrman said she's also open to the idea of Ouya's Discover store appearing on third-party hardware. The hypothetical deal would work only if the partner's product offered "the exact same specifications" as future Ouya devices in order to avoid fragmentation for developers.
Ouya will begin shipping with a redesigned controller, but you won't know until you open the box
Anyone who's picked up an Ouya, or demoed one in-store, knows that the controller, with its sticky buttons and flimsy removable plates, could do with a lot of help. Company founder Julie Uhrman's aware of the issue and, in an interview with Polygon, she revealed that a new version of the Ouya controller is already on the production line. Taking the abundant consumer feedback into account, the company's phased out the old model and made some key fixes, including more secure triggers, improved thumbstick grips and buttons that (hopefully) don't get stuck in the controller's base. Whether or not you'll actually find one at retail is a bit of a crapshoot, however, as Uhrman said the packaging won't highlight the change. Uhrman also touched upon news of the Ouya 2, the release of which falls in line with previous reports of an annual update cycle. Specs for that next console haven't been finalized yet and, further, the company won't really be focusing on it until sometime in 2014. But when it does arrive next year, you can expect to see it receive an slight cosmetic update from designer Yves Behar.
Ouya retail presence expands to all Target locations
The Ouya's brick and mortar retail presence will grow to include 1,800 Target locations, Ouya founder Julie Uhrman told Polygon. While the Ouya has existed within Target stores for some time, its availability has been limited to select locations, rather than every location, as will be the case now. The Android microconsole's retail packaging has been spruced up to take advantage of its new-found exposure, Uhrman said. Target will push the device in its winter circular, through video adverts in its electronics departments and with special displays starting in December, though the Ouya's expanded availability goes into effect this month. Demo units are planned for early next year – Uhrman called production of the kiosks "incredibly expensive," a fact compounded by the necessity to design a wired controller for the system. In related news, Ouya is also in the process of negotiating availability at Wal-mart. "I would expect something, us to announce something with them soon," Uhrman said.
Rose and Time returns to Ouya following funding program changes
Indie puzzler Rose and Time returned to Ouya after the game was pulled from the store in September by its developer, Sophie Houlden. The "time-travel stealth" game was initially removed from Ouya's store during the height of the controversy surrounding the console manufacturer's Free the Games Fund, a program designed to match funds donated by crowdfunders for timed-exclusive Ouya games on Kickstarter. In her latest blog, Houlden wrote that "at the time a lot of developers besides myself were upset at how the free the games fund was going and said so." Games like Gridiron Thunder, which received $171,009 on Kickstarter thanks to a handful of suspicious backers, and the Ouya-suspended Elementary, My Dear Holmes were the center of attention for the funding program's detractors. Ouya's response to the criticism at the time was to assert that the the Free the Games Fund would not be changed, prior to being overhauled a week later. Addressing that decision, among other decisive missteps during a recent talk at the XOXO Festival in Portland, Oregon, Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman said the company "did not think about all the different ways people could take advantage of that kind of program," She later added that the Ouya team "didn't have enough rules around the program and people took advantage of it out the gate. So having the best intentions isn't always best. But you have to be quick to hear the feedback no matter how painful it is and iterate and change as you go." As for Houlden's decision to bring Rose and Time back to the Ouya store, she wrote that "The Free the Games Fund was changed, none of the scam games received a single cent of the fund, the company admitted its mistakes, and was asking for yet more feedback to further improve things," concluding that she is "confident at this point that I can no longer justify keeping the game off the console."
Growing Up Geek: Julie Uhrman
Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have the founder of OUYA, Julie Uhrman! Growing up, I was your typical tomboy. My twin sister and I were incredibly competitive and wanted to do everything the boys did. That meant joining the city's YMCA and playing basketball with 60 boys from kindergarten through the third grade. When we got older, our mother would drop us off in Westwood Village at the Westwood Arcade (now, sadly, closed) to play Galaga, Centipede and Dragon's Lair. Going to the arcade, I now realize, was a big part of my life. I can remember three times I took dates there, well into my 20s, as something fun we could do together. Guess who always won?
Time-traveling lumberjack-em-up Fist of Awesome is out now
Fist of Awesome is now available on iOS, Android, and Ouya, allowing you to punch bears on a variety of platforms. The eccentric beat-em-up is priced $4 on the App Store and Google Play. A GameStick version is also due, while extended versions featuring local multiplayer are bearing down on PC and Mac this winter. The games comes courtesy of Nicoll Hunt, an ex-Realtime Worlds dev who also previously worked on iOS hit Hard Lines. Hunt's Kickstarter for Fist of Awesome was a big success last year, earning over double its £5,000 goal. Then again, a retro beat-em-up starring a time-traveling lumberjack who uppercuts bear-jaws to save the world was always a winner.
Ouya external USB storage beta incoming, sign up now
Ouya is preparing to unlock USB storage capabilities through a limited closed beta run, which will be rolled out in phases starting next week. Those who wish to participate in the closed beta may sign up through this page right now. Outside of USB storage, this update – which Ouya is calling "Ogopogo" – also adds videos to game pages, so developers can upload footage to better sell their experiences to prospective buyers. Then there are the requisite bug fixes that come with any update, including a fix for the HDMI wakeup issue that has been bothering some Ouya owners out there. Earlier this week, Ouya trumpeted a new milestone: 25,000 registered developers creating or have created Ouya games. Close to 500 games and apps exist on Ouya, which launched in July for $100. We spent a lot of time with the console, so if you'd like to know more our review is a great place to start.
This week on gdgt: Kindle Fire HDX, Momentum On-Ear, and Android gaming consoles
Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.
Ouya hits 'major milestone,' signs 25,000 developers
Ouya has hit a "major milestone" of 25,000 registered developers, and is "rapidly" nearing 500 games and apps on its digital storefront, an Ouya spokesperson has announced. It was not announced how many of the 25,000 developers are actively creating content, or if the number takes into account developers who have since parted ways from Ouya. Commemorating the occasion, Ouya also released a video from this year's IndieCade, showcasing developer support for the console. You can watch it above. The Ouya launched four months ago to mixed feelings, and recently struggled with its controversial Free The Games program, which it overhauled last month.
OUYA's next update adds external storage (in beta), video support for game pages
That little Android gaming box, the OUYA, might've only cost you $100, but that doesn't mean it's not getting treated to some post-launch updating like all your other game consoles. The next update brings the long-promised external storage functionality, albeit in closed beta form (sign up right here). That expands the console's puny 8GB of internal storage to, well, whatever you'd like. With games mostly coming in well below even 100MB though, you're probably not getting too close to the limit just yet (we aren't, anyway). Beyond the storage beta, OUYA game pages are now able to embed video as well as screenshots. That means users have yet one more way to find out what a game plays like before jumping in -- something we'd suggest as many users as possible take advantage of before spending too much time playing less-than-delightful Android ports. The update, dubbed "Ogopogo," launches today; head below the break for the full list of additions, changes, and fixes.
Gridiron Thunder delayed to October 30 after dropping Ouya deal
Gridiron Thunder, the Kickstarted game that dropped out of Ouya's Free the Games Fund after weeks of controversy, has been delayed to October 30. It was originally scheduled to launch on September 30, but on September 29, developer MogoTXT updated the Kickstarter: "Because we recently chose not to participate in the Free The Games Fund, we are no longer bound by the exclusivity requirement of the program and can make Gridiron Thunder available on all Android and iOS phones and tablets, in addition to the Ouya. In order to make Gridiron Thunder fully cross-platform, we have decided to postpone the launch of the game until October 30." Gridiron Thunder raised $171,009 on Kickstarter and would have received matching funds from Ouya, had it remained in Free the Games Fund. The game raised suspicion during its campaign when backers noticed odd, large funding spikes. The average pledge per person ended at $934.48, much higher than the standard average pledge of $50.59 per person, or even that of a comparable project, $275.05 per person. When Ouya overhauled Free the Games Fund on September 18, MogoTXT announced it had voluntarily dropped out of the program, since it had raised enough money to launch on its own. "Gridiron Thunder is coming along very well and looking great," MogoTXT writes in its most recent update. "Thanks for your patience and get ready for a great game!"
Crowdfund Bookie September 2013: The best of times, the worst of times
The Crowdfund Bookie crunches data from select successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns that ended during the week and produces pretty charts for you to look at. The month of September embodied the best and, arguably, the worst crowdfunding has to offer video games. On the positive side of things, September saw the birth of Project Phoenix, the month's highest-funded game ($1,014,600). The RPG-meets-RTS features an all-star crew, including Lead Composer Nobuo Uematsu, Art Director Kiyoshi Arai and Director/Producer Hiroaki Yura, each with ties to the Final Fantasy series as well as Diablo 3 and Valkyria Chronicles. September will also be remembered as the month that Ouya's Free the Games Fund left its mark on crowdfunding. One game in the program, Gridiron Thunder, was accused of unfairly bolstering its own campaign by self-funding it past the $100,000 mark in order to earn rewards offered by Ouya. The hardware company's program fell under great scrutiny before being overhauled, at which point developer MogoTXT removed Gridiron Thunder from Free the Games Fund eligibility. As an example of the discrepancy in funding, Evelend Games' action platformer Indiegogo project AdventurOS had over ten times as many funders as Gridiron Thunder (1,899 versus 183), yet the Ouya football game earned over eight times as much money as AdventurOS ($171,009 versus $21,323). Additionally, removing Gridiron Thunder from the action genre for the month takes the category's average pledge per backer rate down from $44.19 to $34.31. As seen in our latest quarterly report, it only takes a few projects like Gridiron Thunder to shape the community's perception of entire crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo and Kickstarter. While September saw the same number of successful projects (29), the $2,211,975 raised by 40,701 funders were down by $764,575 and 23,218 people from the previous month, and were the lowest amounts seen in the last four months. It's unclear whether potential community distrust thanks to controversial projects like Gridiron Thunder or the release of big retail games, such as the recent launch of Grand Theft Auto 5 will have a bigger impact on crowdfunding in the coming months. Head past the break to see the month's breakdown by genre as well as a list of September's top five projects.
OUYA makes broader push into European market
OUYA, one of Kickstarter's more high-profile success stories, is looking to make more of an impact overseas. The company announced plans today for its massively funded Android mini-console to be available across a wider swath of European markets. According to a report on Gamasutra, deals with select distributors are already in place and consumers in both Western and Eastern Europe should see stock appear at retail outlets by the end of October. It's not yet known exactly which Eastern European countries will be privy to this retail expansion, but chances are, if you're living on the Western end, you're more than adequately covered.
Ouya entering more European retail markets this month
Kickstarted microconsole Ouya is set to expand its retail presence in Europe this month, following up on its UK launch earlier this year. The standalone £99 unit will hit stores in Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Benelux, Scandanavia, Norway and Denmark starting in late October. Distributors Flashpoint and Digital Brothers will handle distribution duties in Western Europe, while Action and P.A. will keep shelves stocked in Eastern Europe. To date, the Ouya hosts 457 games in its online storefront, all of which are available as free trial downloads. Company representatives aim to bulk up the console's catalog with the recently overhauled Free the Games Fund, which matches money earned for Kickstarter-funded Ouya projects.
Indie space adventure Starbound takes us to the 'beta' quadrant
Starbound, the 2D space exploration game from Chucklefish that features randomized worlds, is gearing up to offer a beta test to players soon. In the latest edition of the Starbound newsletter (via Destructoid), Chucklefish says the beta will launch before the year, with the game on track for launch sometime next year. Chucklefish has secured over $1 million already in pre-orders for Starbound, with each of those individuals eligible to dive into the beta once it's made available. Starbound, which is set to explore Windows PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya, will feature numerous races to interact with, planets to explore and pets to befriend.
