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Portal co-creator unveils OUYA-exclusive game Soul Fjord (video)
It's no secret that Portal co-creator Kim Swift has been developing an OUYA-exclusive game, but details regarding it had been kept under wraps until today. Dubbed Soul Fjord, the Airtight Games-developed title fuses Norse mythology with '70s Funk and Soul, and charges its main character Magnus Jones with climbing the World Tree to demand an invitation to Ragnarok, "the party that will end the world." Gameplay hasn't been shown quite yet, but the experience is described as a dungeon-crawler with rhythm-based combat that'll see players battle their way through randomly generated areas. Do the hustle past the break to catch the game's first trailer and a developer video diary.
OUYA shipping to Kickstarter backers on March 28th
OUYA announced this afternoon that its Android-powered game console is shipping to Kickstarter backers starting on March 28th. The company took to its Kickstarter page to announce the news, which says, "Parts are in the factory and assembly lines are buzzing." When the console starts arriving to folks who supported the Kickstarter campaign -- wherein the company raised just over $8.5 million dollars -- there'll be a lengthy list of launch games (around 500 last we heard) and more on the way. Alongside news of the console's launch date for backers comes word that Portal creator Kim Swift is developing a "brand new, exclusive title" for the console, and Papo & Yo dev studio Minority Media is also stepping up with a new game. Both Tripwire Interactive and nWay are also bringing games to the OUYA, with the former working on two games and the latter working on one (action-RPG ChronoBlade). If that weren't enough, Journey developer Kellee Santiago was announced as the newest high profile OUYA employee, wherein she'll "lead developer relations." Santiago has a short history of high impact in the game industry, having helped create thatgamecompany (developers of Flow, Flower, and Journey) as well as leading an excellent TED Talk. She also appeared in this Engadget Show. Beyond working to entice devs to OUYA, Santiago said on Twitter that she'll still be making games. "I will still be making stuff, too, keepin' it real, don't worry," she wrote. And that's to say nothing of the console's future; company CEO Julie Uhrman told us at DICE 2013 that the OUYA will see annual hardware refreshes, akin to mobile phones. We've yet to get our hands on the device, but we've heard good things from developers who got their early units back in December. Should you wish to hear even more about the OUYA ahead of its late March launch, Uhrman is joining Engadget on-stage for our first ever Expand event in a few weeks -- snag your tickets right here!
Crimson Skies may fly high again
In the April issue of OXM the Rumor Mole speculates about a sequel to semi-breakout hit Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge. The rumor fueling evidence on a sequel comes straight from developer Airtight Games' website. Their website lists numerous ex-Crimson Skies employees under their company bios section and also shows off prototype images/videos that include objects eerily familiar to the Crimson Skies world. Need more proof? Under Airtight's current projects section they say that they are "working with one of the industry's leading publishers on a major unannounced title". Suspicious we say. Suspicious.True or not, there is definitely a possibility that a Crimson Skies sequel in the works. But even if the game is in development we aren't expecting to see this game releasing anytime soon. So, anyone up for a little high flying sequel?[Via GameFaqs, Thanks SeNiLe911]
Not-so-secret projects probed
FiringSquad has done its best to out 18 high-profile "black ops" projects currently in development. While the site's sleuthing skills might not be up to par with Mr. Holmes', the report does a good job of rounding up under-the-radar titles that are begging for some attention.We'd like to direct the spotlight on two studios in particular: Tim Schafer's DoubleFine and Bungie expats Wideload, which are responsible for Psychonauts and Stubbs the Zombie, respectively (both titles landed in our top 10 'gems' of last generation). The two developers are hard at work on new projects; and with DoubleFine striking a publishing deal with Vivendi, its next game is sure to stir up more buzz (when it's time) than Majesco managed to generate for Psychonauts. Also, we can't wait to see what Warren Spector and Junction Point have under lock and key. Keep those ears (and eyes) glued to the street!
