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The story of Infinity Blade 2's story
Infinity Blade had a story -- about a nigh-invulnerable God King who serially murders the dumbest family ever. In a video posted to GameSpot, Chair staff and writer Brandon Sanderson introduces the more intricate story of Infinity Blade 2. In Infinity Blade 2, the God King is dead, and Cyrus, the one that killed him, searches for the "Worker of Secrets" that forged the Infinity Blade. It's a quest that, yes, will involve a lot of dueling -- but even in the brief footage accompanying the interview, we see evidence of more story focus. We see what appears to be a cutscene.
'Infinity Blade FX' brings the iOS hit to arcades
For those looking to while away entire generations at their local Dave & Busters, Epic Games and Adrenaline Amusements are teaming up to put a big-screen version of Infinity Blade in the arcade/fried food chain, in either single-screen or two-player, two-screen configurations. Infinity Blade FX uses the same cabinet as the arcade Fruit Ninja and Flight Control machines, all of which feature big-ass 46" touchscreens. It'll be in all 57 Dave & Busters locations by October 28, with other arcade and amusement park locations to be added later ... as those places buy machines, we suppose.
Infinity Blade 2 coming to iOS December 1
After pulling down $20 million in revenue on Infinity Blade (no seriously) it should come as no surprise that Epic just announced Infinity Blade 2 during Apple's iPhone 4S announcement keynote. Better yet: It's coming December 1. While Epic's Mike Capps insisted it's "only going to run like this on the iPhone 4S," it doesn't sound like the game will be exclusive to the new device. Also of note: Need, want, please, now.%Gallery-135728%
Bleszinski: Shadow Complex 2 is 'largely designed' and 'sitting there'
Remember when we told you that Shadow Complex 2 was probably going to come out, even though Epic focused on a new iOS title, Infinity Blade, after releasing Shadow Complex? Turns out we were right. Again. Epic's Cliff Bleszinski confirmed to Gamasutra that Shadow Complex 2 is "largely designed" and is just "sitting there." Bleszinski said Epic and Chair Entertainment, the developer behind Infinity Blade and Shadow Complex, are looking for a partner to help finish the sequel. Even though it left Shadow Complex 2 behind, Bleszinski said developing Infinity Blade for iOS was the right move: "We needed a flagship product for iOS, plain and simple," he said. "And we could have ported Shadow Complex, but it would have been a lot of work and it might not have been the right fit. And then Donald Mustard suggested Punch Out!! with swords with RPG layers and we were like, 'Yes!'" Update: We got a comment from Chair, which reads: In a recent interview, Cliff reiterated the same thing ChAIR's Donald Mustard has said in the past and Epic President Mike Capps commented on a few weeks ago. Following the release of Shadow Complex, ChAIR did some really great design work on Shadow Complex 2. ChAIR then shifted gears to develop Infinity Blade upon noticing a huge opportunity with the emerging iOS market. In regards to the "looking for partners" comment, its likely Cliff was referring to a potential publishing partner. Given the tremendous popularity of Shadow Complex, there's a ton of interest in a sequel and plenty more we'd like to do in that universe. We're confident we'll revisit when the right opportunity presents itself.
Why Epic Games hasn't made Shadow Complex 2 (but 'never say never')
When Shadow Complex was released in 2009, it received critical praise and became a commercial hit. After Epic Games announced that Chair's next game would instead be an iOS title named Infinity Blade, many were curious as to what had happened to the obligatory, post-success sequel. "The reviews were great, it was a record seller for a single-player game on the platform, but at the same time we've got this mobile gaming push that's coming in strong," Epic Games president Mike Capps explained this morning during his GDC Europe keynote. "And the big thing for me was that we were looking what the iPhone could do, and the games that were on iPhone, and we thought there was a huge gap, so we put our engine team on the problem, and that's where we came up with Infinity Blade," Capps said. "We were thinking about the sequel [to Shadow Complex], we were ready and 'Maybe we should start working on this,' and instead stopped everything and went and made Infinity Blade." Capps expanded on the possibility of a Shadow Complex sequel when I followed up with him after his presentation. "Never say never," he offered. Of course, when Chair head Donald Mustard answered the same question earlier this year, he said that such a sequel is "a question of when, not if."
Infinity Blade temporarily on sale
Epic Games' "hugely successful" iOS game Infinity Blade is currently half off for ... um, apparently no real reason. A representative for developer ChAIR told us, "This is a temporary sale we're running for an undetermined amount of time." The game, regularly priced at $5.99, is currently available for $2.99. The universal iOS app has been a hero in the sales department, surpassing $10 million in sales six months after launch. Infinity Blade is currently being turned into a freemium title for Japan, expected to launch this fall.
Infinity Blade sales surpass $10 million
ChAIR Entertainment's Infinity Blade for iOS is a conquering hero of sales, surpassing $10 million in sales during the first six months of release. "Infinity Blade's success proves that triple-A gaming experiences can be hugely successful on iOS and that there is a valuable, pent up demand for premium content like this," said Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder of Epic Games. ChAIR parent-company Epic also took the opportunity to note that the Unreal Development Kit (UDK), the free edition of Unreal Engine 3, has reached 800,000 unique installations.
Chair: More Shadow Complex is 'a question of when'
It has been nearly two years since Chair Entertainment wowed us with its action-platformer Shadow Complex, but we still frequently think about how badly we want to return to its technology-filled catacombs. Apparently, we're not the only ones -- in a recent [some of you might have noticed -- as we just did -- the original article actually went up during PAX East. Sorry we missed it the first time around!] interview with Eurogamer, Chair creative director Donald Mustard said, "More Shadow Complex isn't a question of if, it's a question of when," later adding, "Shadow Complex is our baby and we love it dearly and, y'know, we're working on some cool stuff [in general]." Mustard wouldn't go into more detail about the project, but it doesn't sound like the studio's interested in bringing the original title to smartphones. He said, "Shadow Complex is designed for a controller. I'm not a fan of trying to shoehorn console controls onto touch screens. They don't feel right. You just lose so much precision." Sure, but do you really need much precision when you're wielding a gun that sprays entire hallways with a deluge of foam? We think not.
Infinity Blade more successful than Shadow Complex, Rein says
Though Epic Games doesn't divulge direct sales figures, vice president Mark Rein did give me something to work with: Infinity Blade has been more successful than Shadow Complex. "Hugely successful," in fact. Right now, if you check the leaderboard data (best overall score) for Shadow Complex, you will see the names of 545,023 players. While Rein's comment doesn't necessarily confirm that Infinity Blade has been downloaded more times than Shadow Complex, the former game's lower asking price – $5.99 versus Shadow Complex's $15 – would make it "more successful" either in terms of downloads or revenue. If it's revenue, our napkin math indicates the iOS-exclusive title being downloaded by at least 1,362,557.5 people, two-and-a-half times the total number of entries on Shadow Complex's leaderboard. If we're talking number of downloads, Infinity Blade should have at least bested Shadow Complex's 545K units.
What's in a Name: Chair Entertainment
Donald Mustard is the creative director and co-founder of Chair Entertainment, the Salt Lake City-based team responsible for 2009's Xbox Live Arcade hit Shadow Complex and last year's iOS hit Infinity Blade. He discussed the origin of his studio's during a panel at GDC: "The idea of 'Chair' comes from Plato's theory of forms. You guys all remember your Philosophy 101 class from university? Plato theorizes that everything exists in a perfect state, in some metaphysical state, and everything else is just an emulation of that metaphysical perfection. And he uses the example of a chair. "All of you are now sitting on a chair but if you look around through GDC, you'll see lots of different chairs that look different but all follow the same function. [Plato] postulates that all those chairs are all trying to become the perfect chair that is kind of out there, somewhere. "And we thought that was actually an applicable concept to game design. Because when we sit around and talk about games, or think about them in our head first, we think, 'Oh man it would be so awesome if this game was like this, or like this, or like that.' And then in our head, it's this perfect thing. And then we have to go through the process of actually making that game and it's never -- at least in my experience -- it's never as perfect as what we first envisioned in our heads. "So 'Chair' to us means the pursuit of perfection. It's trying to actually get to that ideal image that was first in our head when we thought about it." Infinity Blade is available -- and still being updated -- on the iTunes App Store as a universal app, compatible with both iPhone and iPad, for $5.99. Like this feature? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name Archives.
Infinity Blade update adds 'The Deathless Kings'
Infinity Blade has updated to version 1.2, adding "The Deathless Kings" content pack for free, something that Joystiq reported on just yesterday. Check out our look at the app, as well as an in-depth review, then head over to iTunes to get the update or try it out for the first time while it's on sale for US$2.99. Thanks to Michael S. for the tip!
Infinity Blade in finite time: How ChAIR made its iOS hit in five months
Released late last year, Infinity Blade ushered in a new era of graphical fidelity in mobile phone games and delivered on Epic's promise to turn its "Epic Citadel" tech demo into an actual game. The Salt Lake City-based team at Chair Entertainment – led by brothers Donald and Geremy Mustard – delivered another hit for Epic on another digitally distributed platform, opening doors for more Unreal Engine licensees all the way. At last year's GDC the brothers Mustard delivered a panel on their XBLA hit Shadow Complex and this year it's Infinity Blade, titled "Infinity Blade: How We Made a Hit, What We Learned, and Why You Can Do it Too!" "We got a call from Epic saying there's this opportunity," Donald Mustard told a packed GDC auditorium. Epic told him, "Mobile games are really taking off and we've secretly had part of the engine team getting the Unreal Engine to work on mobile devices over the past year and it's ready to go [...] and we really want to get a game out this year that really shows it off. Do you guys want to participate in that?" Mustard replied, "Absolutely." But there was a catch.%Gallery-118057%
Another Infinity Blade update coming soon
Joystiq reports that Infinity Blade, the hit iOS game running on the Unreal 3 engine, is due for an update "very, very soon" according to Chair co-founder Donald Mustard. Following its release last December, Infinity Blade received a minor update just two weeks later featuring a new enemy and a handful of new items. From what Mustard has said, this upcoming update sounds a bit more ambitious; he said the update "will add a ton of new content to the game and expand on some of the themes and story that you've already started to see." Chair is intently focused on providing support for Infinity Blade, and Mustard says, "We've decided we're going to give our content away for free." That's very refreshing news, and something I hoped for in our initial Infinity Blade review: more content than the somewhat limited initial scope of the game, at little to no added cost for those who purchased it. Between Chair's commitment to providing updated content for Infinity Blade, the fact that there isn't a separate and more expensive "HD" version for the iPad, and the game being downright fun to play and gorgeous to look at, US$5.99 for Infinity Blade is looking like a very good deal the more time goes by.
Infinity Blade update coming 'very, very soon,' Chair still has 'lots of content' to build
During the Q&A portion of today's Infinity Blade-focused GDC panel, Chair co-founder Donald Mustard was unsurprisingly asked about plans for future updates for the dev's iOS hit. "We have an update coming very, very soon," Mustard said, acknowledging that he wanted to get that question out of the way, "and it will add a ton of new content to the game and expand on some of the themes and story that you've already started to see." The game's first free update was released less than two weeks after the game's debut. The next question from the audience? Yup, asking what Chair is working on next. "We're working on something ... cool," Mustard teased. "Actually, right now we're very busy supporting Infinity Blade. That's actually one of the things that's a cool opportunity with these iOS games, is you have an opportunity to put out your game, and then to continue to support it easily." "It's so easy to make these content updates, and at least we've decided we're going to give our content away for free," he added. "So when you initially buy the game for $5.99 you know we're going to continue to give you content, so we still have lots of content we're building to support Infinity Blade." Of course, considering Infinity Blade -- the entire game! -- took the team just five months to make, and it was released nearly three months ago, we're guessing there's more going on at Chair's Salt Lake headquaters than just free update development, but we're heartened to hear it nevertheless.
Infinity Blade, Plants vs. Zombies among International Mobile Gaming Awards winners
The seventh annual International Mobile Gaming Awards ceremony has concluded at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, and two US-developed titles came away with special honors. Infinity Blade from Epic Games garnered an award for Excellence in Design (we'd have also given it Supreme Overall Awesomeness) while PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies was picked as Best Casual Game. European winners included Perfect Cell by France's Mobigame (People's Choice Award); FDG's Beyond Ynth (Excellence in Gameplay, Grand Prix Award) and Snowboard Hero by Fishlabs (Excellence in Gameplay, Operators' Choice) from Germany; the UK-made Papa Sangre by Somethin' Else (Most innovative Game); and AR invaders by Israel-based dev Soulbit (Best Real World Game). Mobile games will get their next chance to shine at GDC 2011, during both the IGF Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards on March 2.
Infinity Blade update coming tomorrow, detailed today
Chair and Epic Games announced this morning that the first free content update for iOS game Infinity Blade will arrive tomorrow. Alongside the previously revealed Marrow Fiend -- "rumored to devour its victims, taking their bones for its blade and shield" -- comes a smattering of swords and shields (five each), a shiny new set of armor, and five new helms (the Xmas-themed Holiday Helm, among others). The level cap will also be adjusted to 45 from 40, and players will be able to purchase gold from within the game. And if you're anything like us, you'll want to be rocking to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra while fighting the Marrow Fiend with the Holiday Helm equipped -- the ability to pump your own music into the game comes as part of the update. Chair further promises "New areas to conquer! New enemies to fight! Multiplayer! New swords, shields, helmets, and magic rings! And more!" for some point next year, so don't go forgetting about Infinity Blade just yet.%Gallery-110570%
Infinity Blade update coming next week
At the end of my review of Infinity Blade from Epic Games, I said that I liked the game, but I wished there was more of it. It looks like I'm getting my wish much earlier than I'd anticipated, because new content for Infinity Blade is coming next week. Chair Entertainment, the subsidiary of Epic Games who developed Infinity Blade, told Joystiq that development of additional content began immediately after the main game was finished, and these "booster packs" of content will all be offered for free. Next week's content will include five new weapons, five new shields, five new helmets and a new set of armor, raising the maximum possible level to 45 (welcome news for nerds players like me who have already mastered all of Infinity Blade's existing items). A new enemy, the Marrow Fiend (pictured above) will also appear in next week's update. Another "booster pack" for the game is due in January; more substantial updates are also forthcoming, including new areas, additions to the storyline and new enemies that, according to Chair, make the game's current fiends seem like weaklings by comparison. It's very nice to see that Infinity Blade's creators aren't resting on their (US$1.6 million in five days) laurels and are committed to delivering additional content to make the game even better than it already is. The bar has definitely been raised for gaming on iOS, and as a heavily entrenched iOS gamer myself, I couldn't be happier.
Infinity Blade conceived as a Kinect game
If you've played iOS slasher Infinity Blade as much as us, you've probably spent some of your finger-callous massaging sessions thinking, "Why couldn't I be hacking up the God King in the completely callous-free world of Kinect?" Believe it or not, developer Chair Entertainment is way ahead of you ... and even ahead of itself, in a sense, according to co-founder Donald Mustard. "We always have some cool ideas on deck, and kind of the inception of Infinity Blade began as a discussion around: 'If we were going to make a Kinect title, what would we make? What would a Chair Kinect game look like?'," Mustard revealed. "That discussion happened, you know, a year and a half ago. We had this really cool design, and it's not that dissimilar from the game you're playing today; it's just been refined and adapted to the iOS screen, which honestly I think is where the design works the best." Mustard made clear that Infinity Blade isn't a Kinect game rejiggered for iOS so much as an idea sparked by Microsoft's device that found its home on iOS platforms. That said, Chair isn't closing any doors to Infinity Blade on Xbox 360. "Yeah," co-founder Geremy Mustard added, "if the Kinect really takes off over the holiday season, who knows?"
Ender's Game tabled by Chair
Chair Entertainment co-founder Donald Mustard has confirmed to Joystiq that the studio's Ender's Game project has been put on indefinite hold. Announced in early 2008, the downloadable game was to take place in the story's "Battle Room," a place where the protagonist partakes in simulation combat. "We have and had an amazing design for the Ender's Game game," Mustard assured, but "one of [parent company] Epic's primary objectives is to create original and unique franchises. I don't know that Ender's Game fits into that strategic objective anymore." "So, probably not," Mustard said of the project's completion. "Not from us." Still, Chair maintains a good relationship with Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card, who wrote a novel set in the developer's Shadow Complex universe. "If anyone decides they want to make it," Mustard added, "I have some ideas I'd love to talk to them about."
First Infinity Blade update next week, multiplayer coming soon
The problem with releasing Infinity Blade, arguably the best looking iOS game ever? As Chair Entertainment has discovered, it's keeping up with the stream of new content that iOS players have come to expect. "We're all very thrilled with how cool it looks, but the same amount of time it takes to make a high-res character for Gears is the same amount of time it takes to make one for Infinity Blade or to make these environments," Chair's Donald Mustard told Joystiq. "It takes time to make this stuff look awesome, and we want it to look awesome." Make no mistake, Chair has a long-term plan for its slash-em-up, but it's a plan the 12-member development team has to be judicious about executing. Though players may have to wait for a bit for some of the big updates (like the multiplayer mode), Chair is taking advantage of the game's early popularity and pushing the first add-on through the App Store door next week.
