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Campo Santo studio formed by former Telltale Games, Klei developers
A new San Francisco-based video game studio called Campo Santo has formed, and is composed of former Telltale Games and Klei developers. Namely, The Walking Dead designers and Idle Thumbs Podcast hosts Jake Rodkin and Sean Vanaman joined Mark of the Ninja lead designer Nels Anderson and artist Olly Moss on the team. Vanaman noted in the studio's announcement blog that Campo Santo's first game will be "both backed by and made in collaboration with" Portland design studio Panic, Inc.
VVVVVV heading to VVVVVVita
Terry Cavanagh's challenging platformer VVVVVV is heading to PlayStation Vita, Sony announced during its PlayStation Indie Arcade event at PAX Prime. VVVVVV first launched on PC in January 2010, then showed up on the 3DS eShop in December 2011. No release date was given for the Vita version of the gravity-flipping, chiptune-infested game.
Lucid's new racer is 2K Drive, coming to iOS in early September
Lucid Games, a UK developer formed in the wake of Bizarre Creations' closure in February 2011, announced its new game, 2K Drive. At least, it showed off an announcement trailer for the game, which has been out in the Netherlands for over two months. Published by 2K Games, 2K Drive is a iOS-exclusive racer that boasts licensed cars, real-world locations and "console quality graphics." Completing races will earn players stars and coins to upgrade their vehicles as well as purchase "boosts" and new cars entirely. Lucid Games have not revealed a price or in which regions the game will launch, but it noted via Twitter that it will not be free to play. The developer also tweeted that it is aiming to launch 2K Drive in "early September." Once glance at our calendars tells us that's pretty soon.
Tropico 5 annexing Xbox 360, PC, Mac, Linux in 2014
People of Tropico, rejoice! Or rather, since we're the ones in charge of your little island nation, despair! Kalypso Media has announced that Tropico 5 will debut on Xbox 360, PC, Mac and Linux sometime in 2014, which means that you'll soon be as overworked and underpaid as we've always (mostly inadvertently) made you in the past. Tropico 5 will span centuries of the nation's development, from colonial times all the way through the present, so you'll be stuck with our shoddy leadership forever, essentially. The game's new "Dynasty" features also allow us to appoint our in-game extended family to positions of power, for better or worse. Furthermore, our use of Tropico 5's new maritime fleet-based global trading system will almost certainly result in the loss of all of your livestock, as well as the vast majority of this proud nation's natural resources. But hey, we'll have plenty of imported limes! Delicious, expensive limes! Meanwhile, the game's new cooperative/competitive multiplayer mode allows up to four people to build cities on the same island map, after which they can either share resources, or declare war on each other. In related news, we're pleased to inform you that all of your ramshackle apartments have been demolished in order to make room for several more completely unnecessary airports.
Nnooo's Cubemen 2 to feature cross-platform play on Wii U
Cubemen 2 will head to Wii U's eShop in either late 2013 or early 2014, the game's publisher Nnooo announced via press release. Developed by 3 Sprockets, Cubemen 2 is a 3D strategy game in which players guide their Cubemen armies into battle against both human and computer opponents to defend and attack enemies. Though games like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate include 3DS and Wii U cross-platform multiplayer, Cubemen 2 will be the first game in which Wii U owners can play online against PC, Mac and Linux players. Since the game already launched on Steam in April, myriads of existing user-generated levels will be available to Wii U players as well. Nnooo hasn't set a price for the Wii U version, though the game is currently $7.99 on Steam. %Gallery-185113%
Dead Island: Epidemic is a free-to-play MOBA for PC
Deep Silver announced a new game in the Dead Island universe today, Dead Island: Epidemic. As a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game, Epidemic has three teams of players battling one another for survival while facing the hordes of undead that inhabit the series. Dead Island: Epidemic will come to PC at an as-yet-unannounced date, and will be free to play. Deep Silver said it will have more information on the game at Gamescom this month.
New side-scrolling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game arriving in October
A new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is coming in October, Activision announced via press release. The game is based on the Nickelodeon animated series, and is described as a "side-scrolling action-brawler" with "loads of combat and animated scenes." It is the product of a multi-year, three-game deal between Activision and Nickelodeon, first announced in February. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will launch on October 22 in North America, October 23 in Asia and Australia and October 25 in Europe and Latin America for 3DS, Wii and Xbox 360. %Gallery-194267%
Google set to host press event July 24th featuring Sundar Pichai
Google's always cooking something up, and the company has our undivided attention when the press gets invited over for a breakfast featuring Sundar Pichai, the man in charge of Chrome and Android. While the invite doesn't indicate anything specific, we're expecting to hear some sort of announcement next Wednesday, when the event takes place. We'd love to get some more details on the elusive Android 4.3 or perhaps a new Nexus 7 (heck, a new Nexus anything would be just fine with us), but we'll just have to wait and see what Sundar has in store.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade announced for Japan
A new arcade version of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is headed to Japanese arcades at some point in the future, according to Shoryuken's translation of a Team Ninja press release on 4gamer. The Dead or Alive series has been absent from arcades for the last 13 or so years, since the release of Dead or Alive 2 Millenium in 2000. The game will arrive in arcades via Sega's "ALL.Net P-ras MULTI Ver. 2" digital distribution platform, which pushes games to networked arcade cabinets installed in arcades and amusement centers around Japan. The new build will be based on Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, though beyond that not much else is known about the release, particularly when it may happen. The announcement also makes no mention of a western release, which is to be expected.
Apple unveils a new iOS 7 site
As you might expect, Apple has unveiled a brand-new official website for iOS 7, showing off the new operating system, its new (flat!) look and new features. You can see a hint of what the new look is like above, but of course the website goes into much more detail, and shows off all of the new status bar features, the new notification center, multitasking panels, the new photo app, the new weather app, iMessage layout and the new iTunes Radio feature in the music app, too. That's a lot of newness -- as Tim Cook said, this is definitely one of the biggest changes the iPhone has ever seen. iOS 7 is available to developers starting today, and then it will see a public release later on this year. What do you think of the new look? I think it's cleaner for sure, which is nice. But it may take a little getting used to.
Battlefield 4 launching on October 29, both it and Destiny coming to Xbox One
Battlefield 4 has announced via its Facebook page that the game will launch on October 29 of this year. In addition to versions on the PC, Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4, the team has also confirmed the game will be coming to Microsoft's newly announced Xbox One console. The Xbox One doesn't have a confirmed launch date just yet, so it's possible that version will arrive later. Additionally, EA's announced Battlefield 4's first expansion pack, called China Rising. The pack will contain four extra maps, along with extra vehicles and weapons. It will be available at launch, and come free with any pre-order of the game. And speaking of confirmed Xbox One titles, Bungie has also made it clear that Destiny is due out on Xbox One as well. Stay tuned for more confirmations on next-gen titles for Microsoft's new console.
Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN announced at Arc System Works festival
Arc System Works announced Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN at its 25th anniversary festival in Yokohama, Japan today. While there are no details yet on what platforms the arcade fighter will appear on, the developer uploaded an introductory trailer to its YouTube channel. The trailer features a battle between series mainstays Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske. Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN will, once again, be directed by Daisuke Ishiwatari, who also composed the song heard in the trailer. The video shows that the game will run on the Unreal engine and won't use sprites, a first for the developer. Additionally, while the character shown at the end seems to be Milla Rage, the character briefly reflected in her eyes appears to be Eddie/Zato-1. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures chomps North America this fall
Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures will launch this fall on PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360, with a special side-scrolling version coming to 3DS, Namco Bandai announced. The game takes inspiration from the TV show of the same name, which is slated to begin airing June 17 on Disney XD. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures features the iconic yellow character in a 3D adventure game in which he turns into a chameleon at some point, using his tongue to reel in ghosts. In the game's announcement trailer, Pac-Man also eats entire vending machines. Healthy choices, kids! %Gallery-188309%
Anomaly 2 coming May 15
11 Bit Studios has announced that Anomaly 2 now has an official release date. The game will be available for the Mac (along with Windows and Linux) on May 15. Anomaly is, of course, a popular iOS game these days, though the series started on the PC and it's returning there for the sequel. Previously, the game was available through a "secret pre-order," but there's a new bonus for a regular pre-order right now: If you get the game before it comes out for US$14.99, you can get a second copy to give to a friend for free. The new version of the "tower offense" series has more levels, more units and more power-ups to play with, as you guide your troops in and around alien towers on a multitude of levels. The game also adds multiplayer into the mix, where one player can control units, and a second player can lay down towers, each trying to collect the most resources before the game ends. Anomaly 2 looks like a lot of fun, and there's even a new trailer to prove it. We'll look forward to the game's release on May 15.
River City Ransom sequel announced, crowdfunding to begin this summer
Indie development house Combit Studios has announced that it will be partnering with River City Ransom EX developer Million to create "an official, worldwide follow-up to River City Ransom." The game will be available for Windows in August of 2014, according to Combit's official blog.Further information will be released at a later date, leading up to an eventual crowd-funding drive scheduled for sometime this summer. In the meantime, an official placeholder website will gladly add your email address to its mailing list.Combit Studios' project appears to be completely unrelated to that other official sequel to River City Ransom that was announced back in 2011. Developed by Miracle Kidz and originally slated to launch on WiiWare sometime last year, River City Ransom 2 was shelved in favor of original projects.
Want to work at Engadget? We're hiring news writers and review editors!
We know you're out there, dear future Engadget writer, but we need you here with us -- where we can touch you, teach you and pay you to write about all those gadgets you love so much. Professional writing experience is necessary, and preference will be given to those with experience in the technology space. If you're familiar with what we do, you'll know that we also require an ability to write about gadgets with wit, concision, accuracy and authority. And being obsessed with Engadget is good, too. Here's what we're after: Late-night freelance news writers: This position will require availability between 5PM ET and 3AM ET. Applicants can be located anywhere in the world (time zone converter here), but these hours will not change. To clarify, this is an Engadget US position, but location matters not. Primary tasks will include writing multiple news stories per day and assisting our staff in managing news. NYC-based freelance reviews editor: This position will require daily availability at our headquarters in Manhattan. The ideal candidate will work alongside our NYC-based reviews team, and will be expected to deliver in-depth, insightful and thorough reviews of smartphones, software, laptops, tablets and the occasional arcade dock. Experience writing consumer technology reviews is a must. Want to apply? Read on!
America's Army: Proving Grounds due this year, beta testers being enlisted
The next version of America's Army will arrive this year, the US Army announced on its Facebook page. The developer is taking beta tester applicants for the next Army game, which its official forums users were given a head start on two weeks ago.America's Army first launched in July 2002 as a free PC first-person shooter and Army recruitment tool. The most recent update to the series, America's Army 3, came out in June 2009.[Thanks, David!]
Hearthstone Cinematic
Blizzard has just released the cinematic for HearthStone, embedded above. It's fun and goofy, which is the impression I have of the game itself! The voice-over goes through some of Warcraft's most notable heroes: Thrall, Jaina, Illidan, Garrosh, and settles on some beer-swilling dwarves telling you to forget about blood and honor and just sit back and enjoy yourself. Kind of sounds like a Saturday night in Ironforge, doesn't it? I'm already looking forward to this game more than I would have thought. I'm a sucker for cartoonish fun, which this game looks to have in spades. I've always enjoyed card games like Magic: The Gathering but I hate physically collecting cards, and I've moved so much in the last ten years that I lose them anyway. Digital card games are growing in popularity, and Hearthstone seems like a solid addition to the genre.
Frozen Synapse developer announces Frozen Endzone
Mode 7 Games, developers of Frozen Synapse, recently unveiled a trailer for its next strategy game, Frozen Endzone. In it, players will use simultaneous turn-based commands to get their team to the end-zone in a futuristic American football-style match.The PC, Mac and Linux game is slated for a 2014 release with an open beta planned for this year. Frozen Endzone is currently seeking community approval on Steam's Greenlight service. %Gallery-183015%
Journey art director opens new studio, first game to include music from Austin Wintory
Matt Nava, former art director for Journey and Flower, announced that he will be opening a new game development studio, Giant Squid. Nava teamed up wth Los Angeles television and film company Ink Factory to found the studio, and will serve as creative director.Nava is joined by Nicholas Clark, who assisted in developing Journey, Flow and Flower and will act as an advisor to the developer. Grammy-nominated Journey composer Austin Wintory has signed on to score the music for the first Giant Squid game, according to the developer's official site. It's unclear if Wintory will join the team on a permanent basis.
