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Infinity Blade 2 downloaded 5.7 million times during free promo
During the App Store's weeklong free-game promo, 5.7 million people downloaded Infinity Blade 2. Five point seven million people. Sit on that number for a moment. In its first day alone, Infinity Blade 2 racked up 1.7 million downloads, and sales of its predecessor, Infinity Blade, rose 2.5 percent from the previous week, All Things D reports. Sales of Infinity Blade: Awakening, the series e-book, rose 70 percent. Neither supplemental app was on sale during the week, with Infinity Blade priced at $6, and Awakening at $3. Infinity Blade 2 has now sold close to 50 million copies since launching on December 1, 2011, for $7. It was free as part of the App Store's fifth anniversary celebration last week, which also set free Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery: EP, Where's My Water and Badland. The next game in the Infinity Blade series, Infinity Blade: Dungeons, was canceled this year when developer Impossible Studios shut down.
Infinity Blade II benefits from Apple's anniversary promotion
To help celebrate five years of the App Store, Apple recently launched an iTunes promotion wherein a number of popular iOS apps were made available as free downloads. One such app was Infinity Blade II, an extremely popular and critically acclaimed gaming title which normally sells for US$6.99. If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that people love "free." To that extent, AllThingsD reports that Infinity Blade II saw an absolutely huge influx of new users thanks to Apple's App Store promotion. The action-RPG sword-fighting game added 5.7 million new players in seven days. Laura Mustard, publicist for the game's developer, Chair Entertainment, said 1.7 million downloads occurred on Monday, the first day of the promotion. Those new downloads, three times what the iOS-exclusive IB2 gets in a normal week, amount to a short-term spike that could pay off big in the long term. So just how will Chair Entertainment benefit from giving away its app for free to 5.7 million users? Well, if you've ever taken a gander at the list of top grossing iOS apps, you undoubtedly noticed that many of them are actually free to download. As it turns out, there's a lot of money to be had via the freemium model whereby users can download an application for free, but fork over cash for additional features and / or functionality. What's more, opening the door to so many new customers also caused a spike in the original Infinity Blade, which, according to Chair Entertainment publicist Laura Mustard, saw 2.5 times as many downloads as it did in the preceding week.
App store freebies: birds, blades and badlands
Some of the most popular and celebrated iOS games are currently as free as a bird - a tiny-winged bird, that is. Yes, Andreas Illiger's adorable Tiny Wings is one of several big-name apps going free at the moment, and while nothing's been announced as yet, our spider sense tell us this has something to do with the App Store's fifth anniversary, which Apple is celebrating on Wednesday, July 10. Freebies spotted so far include Epic's Infinity Blade 2, the delicious Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery: EP, Disney's charming Where's My Water, and the beautiful Badland. We'll keep an eye out for others, but for now we're going to stare at you with one eyebrow raised and wonder why you're still reading this instead of loading up the App Store.
Infinity Blade 2 on sale for $0.99
Infinity Blade 2 is kicking off the summer by slashing, and cutting, and chopping its price down to $1... sorry, it's cut another penny off to make it $0.99. The sequel in the infinitely successful iOS franchise is regularly priced at $6.99, and has gone on sale for $2.99, but this is the first time it's dropped to that App Store sweet spot of a buck.%Gallery-161653%
Infinity Blade 2 updated, Spider goes free for iPad, and a Super Strategy Sale
It's Friday, and if you're looking for something good on iOS to play this weekend, boy howdy, you are in luck. First up, Infinity Blade 2 has been updated recently, adding in a few new expansion packs to play with. And, perhaps more importantly, the game's been updated to work with the iPhone 5's wider screen, as well as to run beautifully on the iPad mini. Odds are that you already own this one, but if not, it's available for $2.99 on the App Store. Second, perhaps in celebration of the new iPad, the critically acclaimed Spider: Secret of Bryce Manor HD has gone completely free. This is a really great game that's a little older, but especially if you play it in full HD on the iPad, offers up a lot of really great exploration and casual puzzle gameplay. The non-HD, iPhone version is also free for a limited time, so grab both while you can. Finally, as if that wasn't enough already, there's also a "Super Strategy Sale" being put together for a few top turn-based strategy games. Rebuild, Call of Cthulu: The Wasted Land, Hunters: Episode One and Episode Two, and Tactical Soldier: Undead Rising are all on sale, most of them available for just 99 cents. There's no shortage of great games to play this weekend, so pick up that new iPad mini and start swiping and tapping.
Infinity Blade 2 adds free 'Skycages' update, limited-time price cut
Infinity Blade 2 received its final free content update today in the form of "Skycages." The expansion adds new areas, enemies and the "Solar Transport Energy Blades"... which look awfully similar to another franchise's elegant weapons.To celebrate the latest update, the regularly priced $6.99 universal app is temporarily cut down to $2.99. Now, go slice up some new fools, who more than likely deserve it.%Gallery-161653%
Unleash 'The Power of Liking' in Infinity Blade 2's 'Vault of Tears' this Thursday (tissues not included)
It's not a new box set from The Cure, nor from Joy Division, nor from Him. It's not a Tears for Fears reference, nor is it access to Prince's 1980s clothing selections! Nope, Infinity Blade 2's "Vault of Tears" is actually a massive (free) content update headed to Epic's latest iOS entry this Thursday.Several new enemies are being added, as well as "more than 50 new items" and rewards. Most bizarrely, the ability to "earn extra turns and invite their friends, family, and other non-Infinity Blade players to do in-game damage with the power of liking and re-tweeting battle calls." You read that right, folks: "the power of liking and re-tweeting battle calls." In the biz, we call that a "paradigm shift." Also, awful.%Gallery-155820%
Infinity Blade 2 update drops next week, introduces ClashMobs
Having received an iPad 3 update recently, Infinity Blade 2 has a new, more substantial upgrade coming on Thursday. It will tweak the gem interface and let you meld together three gems, creating a single, more powerful jewel. There's also a new game mode, called ClashMob.ClashMob is a global social game mode where hundreds or thousands of players can come together to take on enemies with massive health pools for the chance to unlock in-game goodies. By recruiting friends into your "Mob," you'll increase your odds at getting some sweet gear, cash, or whatever that particular challenge awards you. You'll be able to enlist folks in your Mob by importing your friends from Facebook and Game Center.
Infinity Blade 2 updated for iPad 3, new content teased for next month
Playing Infinity Blade 2 on that boring old iPad 2 like some kind of commoner? Get with the times, friend -- it's all about that new iPad now. Epic and Chair have updated the app to take advantage of the "increased memory and processing power, yielding even higher performance and more sophisticated rendering features." In other words, Infinity Blade 2 looks purtier.Next month brings another Infinity Blade 2 update, adding new enemies, weapons and items, plus a new feature called ClashMob, in which players "work together to complete objectives and earn rewards." Chair promises to reveal more information in the coming month.
Kindle, Evernote, Vimeo and more get optimized for the iPad's Retina display
As we saw the iPhone 4's release, a massive bump in screen resolution means that plenty of apps need to be updated to fully take advantage of all those extra pixels, and today has seen a few big name ones get optimized for the new iPad's Retina display. The biggest of those is Amazon's Kindle app, which now promises sharper fonts than ever, along with a few other changes including the ability to switch between books stored on your device and in the cloud. Also getting a Retina-friendly update is Evernote, which offers improved text editing in addition to the display tweak, plus the otherwise unchanged Vimeo, and Weather Pro, which now boasts high-resolution maps. Of course, those are just among the first of many -- we're guessing you won't have to wait too long for most of your favorites to be similarly updated.Update: Twitter for iOS and Infinity Blade II (pic after the break) are also among the apps getting high res iPad makeovers just in time, let us know in the comments below about any others that appear.
Infinity Blade franchise pulls in $30 million in 2011
Angry Birds isn't the only iOS brand that did well over the holiday season: Chair Entertainment reports that Infinity Blade also raked in the money this past holiday season (and the year previous). The franchise as a whole has picked up a whopping $30 million so far. That includes both the original Infinity Blade game and the great Infinity Blade 2, but it also includes a digital novel based in the game's setting, an original soundtrack release, and even Infinity Blade FX, which is an arcade version of the touchscreen game at places like Dave and Buster's. That's a solid franchise, and a solid chunk of money the company has picked up so far. More important than the total, however, is what all of this money means: That you can build a successful and solid high-definition franchise on iOS. Lots of traditional and mainstream companies (like Chair, and Epic, which owns them) have been looking at iOS as a platform, and many of them have dismissed it as a smaller environment for more casual or low-profile games. That may be true (Infinity Blade could be called more casual than, say, Chair's own Shadow Complex on the Xbox 360), but Chair's also proven here that iOS gamers do want (and are willing to pay for) more in-depth, well-produced titles also. There's no question that we'll see more next-gen studios dipping their production toes in iOS in the future as well, going after exactly this kind of money. Show full PR text EPIC GAMES AND CHAIR ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE EARNINGS FROM INFINITY BLADE FRANCHISE EXCEED $30 MILLION Accolades, Strong Sales of Infinity Blade II Further Propel Blockbuster Game Franchise CARY, N.C. and SALT LAKE CITY (January 5, 2012) – Epic Games, Inc. and its award-winning Salt Lake City-based development studio, ChAIR Entertainment, today announced that earnings from ChAIR's blockbuster Infinity Blade video game franchise have eclipsed $30 million in just one year since the introduction of the original game. One of the most popular gaming franchises to be launched on the App Store, the award-winning series has also created significant licensing interest in the underlying Unreal Engine 3 technology from developers worldwide. Further fueling franchise momentum is the recent release of Infinity Blade II, which has seen net earnings in excess of $5 million in just one month since release on Dec. 1, 2011, a mark which took the original title three months to achieve. Infinity Blade II is on pace to exceed the record success of the original Infinity Blade game, which has grossed more than $23 million to date. Additional franchise extensions include Infinity Blade: Awakening, a digital novella from best-selling author Brandon Sanderson, Infinity Blade: Original Soundtrack, which features original music from the games, and Infinity Blade FX, a big screen, coin-op version of Infinity Blade now featured in arcades nationwide. Infinity Blade II was one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2011 and received dozens of accolades, including several perfect scores and Editors Choice awards. IGN scored the game a "Perfect 10" and named it their 2011 Mobile Game of the Year. USA Today awarded Infinity Blade II another perfect score, calling it "A Masterful Mobile Epic." Infinity Blade II was crowned Game of the Year by Slide to Play and Touch Gen, and named Mobile Game of the Year by GameSpot and G4TV, among others. Infinity Blade II was also named among E! Online's 'Top 10 Games of 2011,' one of the 'Best Apps of 2011' by Entertainment Weekly, and was cited by Mashable in its '5 Major Trends that Changed Digital Entertainment in 2011' feature. "The success of the Infinity Blade franchise is testament to our talented team who is devoted to making games we want to play, all while using Unreal Engine technology to redefine what is expected from games on iOS devices," Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps said. "We have so much more in store for players, and will continue to make great content for Apple's evolving platforms." Infinity Blade II is available for download from the App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore) for $6.99 and is a universal app. The game is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad 2, iPod touch 3 (16GB+) and iPod touch 4. To learn more about the Infinity Blade games and novella, follow @InfinityBlade on Twitter, 'Like' "Infinity Blade" on Facebook at www.facebook.com/InfinityBladeGame or visit the official website at www.InfinityBladeGame.com.
Infinity Blade franchise surpasses $30 million in revenue
Epic Games announced today that its Infinity Blade franchise has earned over $30 million since the original game launched in December 2010. Infinity Blade 2, available for $7 on the iOS App Store, has generated over $5 million for the developer since its December 1, 2011, launch. "The success of the Infinity Blade franchise is testament to our talented team who is devoted to making games we want to play, all while using Unreal Engine technology to redefine what is expected from games on iOS devices," Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps said in the company's announcement. "We have so much more in store for players, and will continue to make great content for Apple's evolving platforms." The original Infinity Blade took three months to reach the $5 million mark in sales, reaching the $10 million milestone this past June, having grossed over $23 million to date. Assisting Epic's franchise math beyond the core iOS titles are digital novella Infinity Blade: Awakening, Infinity Blade: Original Soundtrack and Infinity Blade FX. Update: Financial details tweaked after further clarification.
Infinity Blade 2 tips from Chair Entertainment
There are a ton of great games to buy and play from the App Store today if you happen to have found an iOS device under your tree this past weekend. Infinity Blade 2 is one of the best you'll find, with high-end graphics, tight gameplay, and a whole bunch of fun features that really build on the last popular game in the series. Whether you're a Blade newbie or a veteran, Chair Entertainment has released some tips for the game that will really help you roll through the generations. Some of them are very straightforward (no kidding -- you need to parry in the same direction for it to work?) but some of the tips are things you might not have picked up otherwise. I didn't know that parrying with Heavy weapons gives a block charge back, or that a parry in general will open up more combo moves than just a standard dodge or block against an attack. It's also worth looking through the rest of the official Infinity Blade blog. There are some cool developer interviews, some other solid gameplay tips, and more Infinity Blade news to read. This is definitely one of the best games on the platform, and having tips like this will really help you explore all that it has to offer. [via App Advice]
App review: Infinity Blade 2 (iOS)
The 3D duel-fest is back, and attempting to answer some of the questions left over from its first installment (and a few major updates). Infinity Blade has had a huge effect on promoting the iPad and iPhone as valid gaming options, with high quality visuals and intuitive touchscreen controls. Well, Epic hasn't tampered with the formula too much, but has tried to instill some considered expansions and pour even more eye-honey all over it. Will it stretch gamers beyond the original? We've now spent a fair bit of time slashing away at those pesky immortals and their underlings -- see what we thought of this little big adventure after the break. %Gallery-141444%
2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: iOS
You'll forgive us, but we're banking on the concept of Aunt Eileen stuffing your stocking with iTunes gift cards rather than, say, a Zune Marketplace one. Perhaps that depends on if you've been naughty or nice? We're not quite sure how this holiday stuff works, but we're trying our best here. Anyway, below the break we've compiled another year's worth of great games on both iPhone and iPad platforms that we hope you'll love as well. Even if you don't get those gift cards, these games should still be affordable -- even after buying all those presents. Good luck with the relatives!
It's not just you: Epic aware of Infinity Blade 2 issues on iPod Touch, iPad 1
Hey, did you know that Infinity Blade 2 launched on the iOS App Store yesterday? If you didn't, hey, we hear it's pretty good, but if you did and you bought it, you may already be aware of some "issues" the game encounters when played on an iPad 1 or various iPad Touch devices, such as unbearably choppy framerates and outright crashing. Its publisher, Epic Games, is also aware of said issues, and wants you to know that it's working extra hard to get things fixed "ASAP." VP and co-founder Mark Rein took to the company's forums after initially tweeting out news of the hitches, where he explained that some users on the aforementioned devices are running out of system memory. Apparently the issues weren't discovered in testing because the device must have a "large number of apps installed," which test units weren't equipped with. Regardless, Rein said the company should have a fix coming quickly, so, uh, maybe play some more Infinity Blade 1 for a few days?
Chair on Infinity Blade 2 development crunch: It sucked
Chair co-founder Donald Mustard recently talked to Gamasutra about the trying circumstances under which Infinity Blade 2 was developed. The whole kit-and-caboodle was created in a six-month crunch; Mustard explained, "We don't look at that like that's a good thing at all. We only did it because we definitely, passionately wanted to get the game done, and we wanted a little more in there." Mustard added, exhausted, "I think in retrospect, having done it twice, that our development cycles are a little too short." He tiredly explained his team had to "death march kill ourselves" for the last two or three months, which is detrimental to the studio's longevity. "And so we definitely won't do that again," Mustard added, with great fatigue. "It's not worth the cost." We totally agree. Now, we're thinking Shadow Complex 2 by early April. Let's get cracking, okay?
Daily iPhone App: Infinity Blade 2
Yes, it's out. Go get it right now. Oh, you're still here? Well then I guess I'll tell you that Infinity Blade is even bigger and better than before. There are now multiple classes and play styles, including dual wield and two-handed in addition to the standard sword-and-board hack and slash gameplay. You can now forge your own weapons and upgrade them with gems, explore a much bigger and more exciting world, and see a little bit of story along the way. Combat itself has been tweaked and fixed up, so parries are much smoother to pull off, which is good, because there are new enemies and attacks, too. In other words, Infinity Blade demonstrated how to make a brilliant iOS game, and Infinity Blade 2 is the idea expanded and writ large. There's even more to come, as Chair has promised more updates. Since first title eventually got free content, level cap raises and a multiplayer update, it's a good bet this game will get the same post-release attention. In short, Infinity Blade 2 is as triple-A as iOS games get. Consider that top-shelf console games sell around US$59.99, and it's quite nice that iOS gamers can get ours at just $6.99. Chair and Epic are still setting the bar for major studio gaming on the iPhone, and this time they knocked it up there pretty darn high.
Infinity Blade 2 launches tonight, into world of Deathless tyrants and legion of Titans (video)
In the realm of brutal hand-to-hand combat, Infinity Blade 2 promises to be without peer. The game will launch tonight on the App Store, and while its said to run just fine on the original iPad, iPhone 3GS / 4, it packs special optimizations for the A5 chip found in every iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, which allows the enhanced lighting and shading effects to fully shine. A follow-up to the original Infinity Blade, battle-hardened warriors will discover 40 new locations, along with added weapons, spells and fighting styles. Priced at $9.99, the 941MB download is expected to hit around 11PM Eastern time. A full preview video follows the break, and for those unfamiliar with Infinity Blade, the original game will soon be available for a limited-time promotional price of $2.99. Game on, everyone.
Portabliss: Infinity Blade 2 (iOS)
A closer look at Portabliss: Infinity Blade 2 on iOS.
