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Big Fish Games snags $83 million for expansion
In what is touted as the the largest investment of venture capital for a U.S. online gaming company, Big Fish Games has recently secured $83.3 million in funding from VC firms Balderton Capital, General Catalyst Partners and Salmon River Capital. This is all in addition to the $8.7 million they received in 2005, making this developer one of the most heavily-funded out there.You may remember in November of last year when Big Fish acquired MMO developer Thinglefin which was founded by Jeremy Friesen and Ryan O'Rourke, formerly of Monolith and Sony Online Entertainment. These industry vets have previously worked on The Matrix Online and Asheron's Call. This new MMO from Thinglefin is described as a free-to-play, browser-based MMO, and is currently still in development.
MillionHeir is a poor man's Layton
The concerns we voiced about Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir after playing it at E3 have not been assuaged by the latest videos for the game. While we were hoping for a puzzle-based adventure in the vein of Level 5's brilliant Professor Layton and the Curious Village, MillionHeir won't be that title. By relying mainly on one type of puzzle -- the "Where's Waldo?" variety where the player has to find objects in an elaborately painted scene -- the game already looks like it will lack serious depth. We don't really hold it against developer Big Fish Games; this was obviously made with younger gamers in mind, and not for us. Shame.The bright side of all this: now we want to play Layton again. Locate and go through the post break below for a MillionHeir developer walkthrough and more footage.%Gallery-26089%
E308: MillionHeir inherits new media
The dual announcement of Kirby Super Star Ultra and Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir was a pleasant surprise, and after Kirby had a hot injection of goodies, the mysterious heirs decided they wanted a piece of the action too. Hey when in Rome -- or in this case, E3.The trailer is suitable atmospheric, ensuring you won't feel left out of the ... mystery. It demonstrates a number of standard jigsaw and tile puzzles, along with a bit of pixel clue hunting. For a Mystery Case Files experience with less movement but more detail, check out the new round of screens in the gallery below. After perusing the updated Nintendo release list, it seems MillionHeir is still right on target for the original September 8th launch. Hooray and success for all -- we know that the DS handles adventure games extremely well.%Gallery-26089%
MillionHeir breaks out the puns
French site Wiiz has several screenshots of Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Big Fish Games' new detective adventure game and leading candidate for most groan-worthy pun-based title of 2008.As we know next to nothing about the game (typically for a Nintendo-published title, little has been revealed, despite its release date of September 8th being really close), these allowed us to indulge in some detective work of our own. Grabbing our deerstalker and magnifying glass, we discovered that the game's shameless punnery extends to the characters (see: Cole Minor, a gem prospector), and that the DS's microphone will come into use. Whether you're for or against implementing the mic in games, it doesn't look as though developers are ready to give up on it yet.Check past the break for more shots.
DS library plumps up before E3: Kirby and MillionHeir
Nintendo is proudly boasting that it won't be waiting until E3 to reveal some of their biggest upcoming games. The new DS announcements for today are Kirby Super Star Ultra and Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, both with new screens in the galleries below!As a remake of the original SNES favorite, KSSU will use the touch screen to breathe new life into the existing mini-game compilation. Yeah, if the DS does anything well, it's mini-games. It'll be a totally revamped experience, with new Revenge of the King and Meta Knight Ultra modes in the works, including local wireless play. Kirby has done everything right so far on the DS, so we should expect greatness from the little pink blob on September 29th.<insert witty segue here>Yes, yes -- another mystery adventure game is on the way in the form of MillionHeir. Get over that delightful play on words, and check out some of the previous games in the Mystery Case Files range. The DS entry will be a "painted scene" point-and-click adventure, where a cluey detective needs to find the rightful heir to a fortune. It seems like the standard pixel-hunt for inventory items and evidence -- but a multiplayer mode is also included, which is a pretty nifty addition for an adventure game. MillionHeir hits the stores on September 8th.%Gallery-8402%%Gallery-26089%[Via press release]
Nintendo announces new Wario Land for Wii, Kirby for DS
With E3 just around the corner, we've begun to brace ourselves for the deluge of new game announcements that always accompany the annual event, the latest of which has come from Nintendo. This morning the company announced a trio of new titles set to be shown during next month's conference, including Wario Land: Shake It! for the Wii, as well as Kirby Super Star Ultra and Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, both for the company's touchable portable.As previously announced for both Japan and Europe, Nintendo describes Wario Land: Shake It! as a "classic side-scroller," and notes that the game will have players controlling Mario's portly nemesis with the Wii remote turned sideways on September 25. Kirby Super Star Ultra, on the other hand, will re-imagine the SNES classic platformer starring everyone's favorite perpetually-hungry cream puff when it debuts four days later on September 29. Finally, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir brings Big Fish Games' line of casual PC puzzlers to the DS earlier in the month on September 8. The games join the previously announced Mario Super Sluggers, giving us an early look at what Nintendo will have on tap at the LA Convention Center in a few short weeks.
Big Fish Games reels in MMO developer Thinglefin
Big Fish Games have tossed their line in to the gaming industry, and pulled up Thinglefin, a team composed of people that worked on The Matrix Online and Asheron's Call. Awful puns aside, it would seem that Thinglefin's proposed in-browser MMO, covered by Worlds in Motion earlier in the year, is a good acquisition for Big Fish Games as it fits with their more casual lineup of games.The article from Worlds In Motion gave a few more details about Thinglefin's new game, including comments on the company's blog from founder Toby Ragaini (who was also the lead designer for The Matrix Online and Asheron's Call). He said that it will be free to play, will run in a browser without the need to download or install anything from them, and that there will be some premium features that people can choose to pay for.[Via Gamasutra]
