tq jefferson
Latest
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.
Marvel Universe Online will be free-to-play, penned by Bendis
Move over, Batman: After a few false starts, Marvel's finally poised to become the next big MMO superhero thing. Thursday evening, I attended Gazillion Entertainment and Marvel's live San Francisco reveal of Marvel Universe Online's head writer, the jovial Brian Michael Bendis. Joining Brian for a lively Q&A panel were Gazillion President and COO David Brevik, VP and Studio Head for Secret Identity (fka Gargantuan) Jeff Lind, and VP of Games at Marvel TQ Jefferson. Brian's involvement in the game's story wasn't the only announcement the panelists had in store for attendees -- they almost casually confessed that players will slip into the spandex of iconic Marvel characters and that the game will be free-to-play, making it perhaps the first Western triple-A title to be designed for such a model from the ground up. Because I knew you'd be disappointed if I didn't, I dutifully asked an amused Jeff Lind about PvP, housing, crafting, voice acting, character customization, travel powers, advancement, and all those other goodies, but as you can probably guess, the devs aren't in a position to talk about sweeping systems just yet -- they want to "retain the ability to change [their] minds." So manage thy expectations accordingly! Fortunately, both Jeff and Brian were willing to chat about story, tie-ins, and MUO's niche in an increasingly crowded superhero MMO field, so hit the break for their thoughts and my round-up of the hot topics from the panel.
New Spider-Man game swinging to WonderCon
As promised, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions dev Beenox will be handling the next entry in the Spidey franchise. Moreover, the as-yet-unnamed title will make an appearance at this year's WonderCon, according to the event's website. A listing for the Activision/Spider-Man panel, to be held Saturday, April 2, details a presentation that will involve both "post-launch reactions" to Shattered Dimensions and "exclusive details, screenshots and videos of the next Spider-Man game." For all you hardcore Peter Parker fans in the crowd, Spider-Man 2099 co-creator Peter David and voiceover artist Josh Keaton will both join Beenox devs on the panel, along with Marvel veep of game production TQ Jefferson. Given the relative awkwardness of Keaton's placement on the panel, we're guessing he'll once again be voicing Spidey in the forthcoming game. Though details are guaranteed to show up at the panel, we'd also keep an eye on gaming magazines to unceremoniously announce it by name with a cursory text mention on the cover. Hey, you never know!
Marvel appoints T.Q. Jefferson to VP of production for games
Marvel has promoted T.Q. Jefferson to the position of VP of production for games, where he will oversee all development of titles based on the company's properties. From concept to launch, Jefferson will "play a strategic role in the development and product planning for Marvel's slate of games," working closely with Marvel's partners -- including Activision, Capcom, Gazillion, SEGA, THQ and Zen Studios. Jefferson, who has 14 years of experience in gaming at places including Activision, Pixar and Disney, is currently working on Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which is slated to launch next month -- as well as the two film tie-ins Sega is handling: Captain America: Super Soldier and Thor: God of Thunder. He will also oversee Gazillion's upcoming Marvel MMO, Super Hero Squad Online. Hit the jump for the full press release.
Please hammer, hurt 'em: Thor officially in Marvel vs. Capcom 3
T.Q. Jefferson, director of Marvel Games, might not have had the element of surprise on his side when revealing the inclusion of the Mighty Thor in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but the confirmation was more than welcome when he made the announcement at the MvC 3 panel at Comic-Con. "Bringing him into this game is huge," Jefferson said. "The fact that we've got the movie coming out and another Thor game coming out from Sega, there's an appetite for Thor out there among the fanbase." For the especially curious among you, Jefferson revealed that the version of the Asgardian god used in this game will be Thor as drawn by Olivier Coipel in the latest comic series. Update: Now with video! %Gallery-98120%
