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Daily iPhone App: Letter Rush puts a new spin on spelling games
Word games are probably my least favorite genre on the App Store at this point -- I think they're overused, and many companies these days are just kicking out half-baked spelling games in the hopes of reaching a large casual audience. But Letter Rush, put together by a former Zynga studio, is different enough that it's worth mentioning: It's a word game that will probably make you better at word games. Most word games give you a set of tiles and ask you to spell words with them, and Letter Rush does that as well. But this game also gives you the words to spell, as they move across the top of the screen towards the left. That makes it a much different game than usual -- it's more about learning to spot words than actually spell them. And it could even teach you to be better at word games, to look for ways to spell certain words that might not be readily apparent at first. The goal is to spell all the words on screen before they hit the left side, but you do have a few extra powerups helping you out. Occasionally, words will have blanks in them, and in that case, you can use any letter in that spot (though that sometimes backfires, as it appears the word still needs to be legit, so there may be only one letter that fits in that space). And sometimes you'll get a bomb letter tile, which, when used, will clear the entire board for you. The game is essentially endless, but when words reach the far side of the screen, it's game over. Letter Rush is an interesting take on the oft-visited word game genre, and it's different enough that it's worth a look even if you're bored of spelling games on the iPhone. Letter Rush is available as a free download right now.
Ex-Zynga Boston team starts new iOS studio
Zynga closed its Boston studio late last year, and some of its former developers have created a new company called Proletariat Inc. The group is set to release its first iPhone game next week, called Letter Rush. The folks at Proletariat, Inc. aren't new to the startup game. They were originally called Conduit Labs, which Zynga acquired in 2010. We can only assume that their return to independence helped the group kick out a new title so quickly. Letter Rush is described as "an innovative arcade-spin on the classic word-find mechanic." We'll look for it on the App Store in a few days. It'll be interesting to see what this group has been up to after going through the Zynga machine. Show full PR text Ex-Zynga Boston Team Starts New Studio Team Behind Adventure World Due to Release First Title Cambridge, MA---February 26, 2013---Proletariat Inc., the new game development studio formed by the original founding group behind Zynga Boston, have officially announced today that they are open for business, and have revealed plans for an upcoming iOS title release. After Zynga unexpectedly closed their Cambridge office in October 2012, five senior members of the Zynga Boston team, creators of 2011's acclaimed Indiana Jones Adventure World, decided to found Proletariat Inc. This was not new territory for most of them, since they were originally part of Conduit Labs, the startup game shop founded in 2007 to develop music-oriented games for the Web, and subsequently acquired by Zynga in 2010. Working with the social publishing giant led to a collaboration between Lucasfilm and Zynga Boston, with the incorporation of the licensed Indiana Jones character into the game play, and the branded re-naming of the game. Indiana Jones Adventure World went on to receive recognition as a highly popular, challenging puzzle adventure game on Facebook, and is widely considered to be one of Zynga's more ambitious development efforts. Proletariat expects to expand on that tradition by creating superior quality game products with a high level of entertainment value, made by a top-tier production team. The founding team is made up of game industry veterans who have worked on everything from Guitar Hero to Lord of the Rings Online. "We have all known each other and worked with one another for so long that we've developed an organic way of making games together," says CEO Seth Sivak. "We all want to make successful games, both creatively and as a business. This team has been on both sides and knows how to find that balance." Sivak adds, "Building games is all about navigating the chaotic process of discovering 'The Fun' and then performing a disciplined march to a polished, final product. That process is important to us." The goal, as stated by Sivak is "to keep teams small and let highly skilled groups of creative people innovate." The team is nearly ready to launch their first game for iOS, Letter Rush. Letter Rush, the first game released by Proletariat Inc., will be available for iPhone and iPad next week. The game provides an innovative arcade-spin on the classic word-find mechanic. Players can play by themselves or together over local multiplayer to complete goals and compete with their friends on leaderboards. Proletariat is already hard at work on their next game, going after a larger challenge in the core tablet market.
Proletariat Inc. rises up from Zynga Boston shutdown
Proletariat Inc. is a new Beantown-based studio formed out of the closure of Zynga Boston. The team of five is currently finishing up an arcade-style word-find game, Letter Rush for iOS, which should be out by next week."We have all known each other and worked with one another for so long that we've developed an organic way of making games together," said CEO Seth Sivak. Prior to Zynga Boston, members of the team had worked at Harmonix, Turbine and Insomniac. "We all want to make successful games, both creatively and as a business. This team has been on both sides and knows how to find that balance."The team of five had worked on Indiana Jones Adventure World for Zynga, but were originally part of Conduit Labs, which was acquired by Zynga in 2010. The social media giant is currently picking itself up from the storm drain following a multi-year bender.
Zynga CEO Mark Pincus: Boston closing, Austin reducing, 5% of full-time staff laid off
Zynga is laying off 5 percent of its full-time workforce, closing its Boston studio and significantly reducing staff at its Austin studio, CEO and founder Mark Pincus writes in a letter to employees. Zynga is proposing closures of its Japan and UK studios, retiring 13 older games and "significantly reducing" its investment in The Ville."In addition to these studios, we are also making a small number of partner team reductions," Pincus writes. "In all, we will unfortunately be parting ways with approximately 5 percent of our full time workforce. We don't take these decisions lightly as we recognize the impact to our colleagues and friends who have been on this journey with us. We appreciate their amazing contributions and will miss them."As part of a larger restructuing, Zynga is cutting "spending on data hosting, advertising and outside services, primarily contractors." Pincus says these measures will "improve profitability" and allow the company to "reinvest in great games."Pincus will host a webcast tomorrow, following its earnings report. There is no word of the Zynga Chicago studio losing staff, as was rumored earlier today. Read Pincus' full letter below.
Rumor: Zynga shedding staff in Boston, Austin, Chicago [Update: Letter from CEO]
Twitter is on fire with messages that Zynga offices in Boston, Austin and Chicago are closing down. We have contacted Zynga and its employees for clarification.An employee at Zynga Austin tells Joystiq, "So what I know as of now that The Ville and Bingo teams were cut. I don't know anything about Chicago at the moment." Zynga Austin is responsible for The Ville, Zynga Bingo and Slots, meaning this cut leaves just the Slots team. There are about 70 people left at Zynga Austin, the employee says.Zynga Boston General Manager Fareed Mosavat is tweeting out job offers in the city, writing, "The outpouring of support for us has been incredible. Love this Boston scene."Zynga Boston is behind Facebook game Adventure World, and comprises employees from Zynga's acquisition of Conduit Labs in 2010. In March 2011 it acquired Floodgate Entertainment, and by September 2011 Zynga Boston had 35 employees, some recruited from MMO developer Turbine.Update: Zynga CEO Mark Pincus sent out a letter to employees that confirms the closure of its Boston studio and a significant reduction at its Austin studio, resulting in a loss of 5 percent of its full-time employees, among other changes. Read the letter here.
Boston Festival of Indie Games starts on Sept. 22
A new show centered around the indie scene is set to kick off in Boston on September 22. The Boston Festival of Indie Games is taking submissions right now, gathering aspiring developers looking to show off their wares on the MIT campus this fall.Organized by MIT Game Lab and Boston Indies at the MIT Campus, the Boston Festival of Indie Games is open to the public and, aside from giving indie developers a soapbox to stand on, will present a digital art exhibit, film screenings, a 12-hour game jam session, guest speaker presentations and a special area to showcase games made within the MIT Game Lab. Some of the names to already sign on and judge submissions are Harmonix Senior Designer Tim Stellmach, Fire Hose Games Creative Director Eitan Glinert, Zynga Boston Creative Director Paul Neurath, and Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab US Executive Director Philip Tan.Awards will be given during the show based on public voting once cleared by the panel above. Those interested in submitting their digital game for showcase will have to pay a $10 fee if they are a student, or a $15 fee if they are a professional, by no later than August 10. If you're making something that doesn't fall into the digital category, you can submit it free of charge. Good luck!
Zynga acquires Floodgate Entertainment
Furthering Zynga's presence on the East Coast is Floodgate Entertainment, the latest acquisition for the social games giant. Floodgate will be assimilated into Zynga Boston, with the formerly independent developer's founder, Paul Neurath, overseeing as creative director. Zynga has been giving its checkbook a workout over the past few months, purchasing Drop7 dev Area/Code (now Zynga New York), as well as snatching up Lou Castle, who was CEO for InstantAction before it went the way of the Dodo. Zynga's current worth is estimated to be in the billions.
