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Indie game champion Day of the Devs is now an independent non-profit
Indie game cheerleader Day of the Devs is now an independent non-profit organization. The team says this will open up more funding avenues and help it be more transparent about its fundraising efforts.
Annapurna Interactive is cramming 12 of its best games onto a $200 Switch cartridge
The limited release opens for pre-orders on October 25 at 12 PM ET.
'Simpler Times' is the coziest game I've played in a long time
Simpler Times provides a supremely peaceful environment and invites players to get lost in it. Tje game comes from Transylvania studio stoneskip and is due to be published by iam8bit in 2024.
Watch Summer Game Fest's Day of the Devs livestream here at 5PM ET
You can watch the Day of the Devs Summer Game Fest showcase here at 5PM ET.
Interactive musical series 'We are OFK' hits PlayStation, Switch and PC on August 18th
Two episodes will debut on that day, with three more to follow on a weekly basis.
DICE Awards organizer's new festival will honor video game art
The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences is launching a video game art festival with help from iam8bit.
Summer Game Fest's second edition gets underway in June
A Day of the Devs showcase of indie and AAA games is on the schedule.
Annapurna Interactive is releasing a PS4 box set with eight games
It includes the first physical PS4 versions of 'Telling Lies' and 'Gorogoa.'
Summer Game Fest promises four months of big news and events
Sony, Microsoft and major publishers are on board for the psuedo-E3 replacement.
The $375 'Inside' special edition features a RealDoll 'creation'
Iam8bit, purveyors of gaming soundtracks on vinyl and other cool tchotchkes, is teaming up with RealDoll and developer Playdead for its next project. Details for the Inside special edition are scarce, but it'll include a PlayStation 4 disc with the game, and Steam codes for Inside and Limbo. Oh, and it'll cost $375. From the pre-order page: "Iam8bit x Playdead x RealDoll are collaborating on a mysterious collector's edition for Inside. We will NOT tell you what it is. Maybe it's what you're thinking... maybe not. We can confirm that there are several items included, one of which is a PlayStation 4 game disc. The rest is up for speculation."
Indie hit 'What Remains of Edith Finch' gets limited physical release
Limited-run physical indie game releases may be an endangered species thanks to the ESRB and console makers, but that's not stopping at least one hit title from getting the hard copy treatment. The team at iam8bit has started pre-orders for both a limited disc version of Giant Sparrow's What Remains of Edith Finch for PS4 and a vinyl edition of Fargo composer Jeff Russo's accompanying soundtrack. The game ships in late December for $30, and it includes reversible cover art in addition to a region-free copy of the title itself.
Why your favorite indie game may not get a boxed edition
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is not a government entity. In fact, it was created in the 1990s specifically to keep Congress out of the video game industry, at a time when lawmakers were loudly condemning the infusion of digital violence in popular culture. The ESRB was modeled after the film industry's MPAA, doling out ratings for video games in North America. Back in the Clinton era, there were no federal laws requiring publishers to display ratings on their games, and there still aren't today. The ESRB oversees the entirety of the video game ratings system, from AAA to independent developers and specialty shops like iam8bit, Special Reserve and Limited Run Games (which release physical editions of digital indie titles). This year, the ESRB announced a change to its rating policy that rocked the very foundation of Limited Run Games' business model.
Capcom to re-release $100 'Street Fighter II' SNES cartridges
As if grabbing the SNES Classic Edition weren't challenging enough, retro gamers have another limited re-release to look out for: brand-new Street Fighter II cartridges. Capcom and iam8bit have teamed up to produce a run of 5,500 units, available in either "Opaque Ryu Headband Red" (4,500 cartridges) or "Glow-in-the-Dark Blanka Green" (1,000 cartridges). The boxes are all identical and will be sealed, so which one you might actually get is random.
The 'Ocarina of Time' soundtrack is coming to vinyl
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, music had a pretty big role. For instance, all it took to summon a rainstorm or change the time of day was playing a few notes on an the titular musical instrument. And now you can get in line to buy those iconic tracks and more on 180 gram vinyl. Hero of Time is scheduled to release second quarter of next year and will set you back $40 plus shipping. Rather than just pressing the MIDI score from the Nintendo 64 game to wax, however, a 64-piece orchestra performed the tunes. I see what you did there, iam8bit.
GDC will host its own video game art gallery next year
E3 has the Into the Pixel art gallery for video game concept art, and now the annual Game Developers Conference is trying its hand at one. Called "Art Boss," it's a collaboration with the folks at iam8bit and will feature not just concept art (a la Into the Pixel), but production art, in-game stuff like textures and even promo materials. Another way this differs from Into the Pixel is that each artist will have a headshot and a bio alongside their submitted work -- the E3 gallery typically just lists the artist's name, game a piece came from and the studio responsible. Further on the artist-forward note, there isn't an entry fee for submitting a piece, either.
Ocean adventure 'Abzû' gets a glow-in-the-dark vinyl soundtrack
After the recent announcement that soothing underwater adventure Abzû will be heading to Xbox One, fans will soon be able to own its soundtrack too. Composed by Austin Wintory, the man who wrote the music for Journey and The Banner Saga, Abzû's entrancing score will be available to order as a double LP, exclusively through iam8bit.
'The Last Guardian' soundtrack is getting a vinyl release
Pumped for The Last Guardian? Yeah, we are too. The long-awaited follow-up to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus stars a young boy and a giant feathered creature called Trico as they explore a world filled with broken, temple-like structures. The emotional puzzle-platformer has an equally distinctive soundtrack -- the work of composer Takeshi Furukawa -- and Sony has dropped a few extra pieces of news about audio in The Last Guardian.
Limited edition 'Rez Infinite' includes the vinyl album it deserves
Much like the game itself, Rez Infinite is being released in a very unorthodox manner. Alongside a digital launch and physical copies, iam8bit is publishing a special edition with a vinyl soundtrack, special T-shirts, and collectible pins all included.
Intense music game 'Thumper' is a PlayStation VR launch title
Chalk up one more game available day and date alongside PlayStation VR. Drool has revealed that Thumper, its PSVR "rhythm hell" music title, will launch in sync with the headset on October 13th at a reasonable $20 price. As the developers put it, this isn't just a 2D game with virtual reality slapped on top. While regular TV gaming is an option, Thumper is built to create an "overwhelming sense of speed" when you're wearing PSVR. In short: if you take breaks, it may be less about VR queasiness and more about needing a respite from the game's relentless pace.
The trippy, haunting 'Oxenfree' soundtrack is on vinyl
Oxenfree's soundtrack is an electronica daydream that fades into a bumping nightmare; it's the aural interpretation of the sun setting over an abandoned, beachside military base packed with deadly secrets. In other words, it's perfectly suited to the game's haunting storyline and award-winning visual style. Thanks to iam8bit, the Oxenfree soundtrack is now available in vinyl form, including art from comic illustrator Austin James (Wet Brain) and a holographic portal on the front cover.
