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GungHo strikes publishing deal with Skulls of the Shogun dev
Puzzle & Dragons creator GungHo Online Entertainment America has secured a deal to publish games from 17-BIT, developer of the multiplatform tactical strategy game Skulls of the Shogun and the upcoming Galak-Z: The Dimensional. GungHo notes that it established the relationship in order to "[deliver] classic game experiences with modern technologies and hardware." The company previously partnered with developer Grasshopper Manufacture to produce PS4-exclusive Let It Die. "17-BIT's dedication to re-energizing classic genres for next-gen gaming fits perfectly with GungHo's core values and notably expands the breadth of our game portfolio," said GungHo America CEO Jun Iwasaki. "We pursued this partnership because we have high expectations for the developer and are eagerly awaiting to collaborate on their next major release." Galak-Z is due to launch this fall for the PlayStation Vita, PS4, and PC platforms. [Image: 17-BIT]
Humble Bundle PC, Android 10: Skulls of the Shogun, Symphony
Humble Bundle PC and Android 10 offers seven games for your mobile and desktop pleasure, three for any price you choose and four for more than the average. The three games up for grabs are Symphony, Draw a Stickman: Epic and Galcon Legends (plus the Galcon Fusion DLC). For roughly $5 – that's the current average, at least – add on Skulls of the Shogun, Metal Slug 3, Fieldrunners 2 and Breach & Clear. All of these games bought separately would run you $99 – plus, the Humble Bundle comes with most of these games' soundtracks. Plus plus, your purchase supports the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Child's Play Charity. All of the games come with Steam access by spending $1 or more. This is the Mac, Linux and Android debut for Skulls of the Shogun, a game that we enjoyed immensely on Xbox 360. [Image: 17-BIT]
Skulls of the Shogun, Nidhogg, Escape Goat 2 and more jumping to PS4
At a Sony event today, PlayStation VP of Publisher and Developer Relations Adam Boyes revealed a whole slate of new titles coming to the PlayStation 4. Escape Goat 2, Ironclad Tactics, Nidhogg, Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition, Apotheon and Starwhal: Just the Tip, Chasm, Jamestown Plus, Source, Drifter and Spelunky are all making the jump from PC to the PS4. No specific timeline for each release was revealed, but the laundry list of titles gives us plenty to look forward to. Sony's "Third Party Production" team will help bring a select number of the new titles to the PlayStation 4. The group had previously worked to bring Towerfall to the platform. Check out trailers and details for each upcoming game after the break. [Image: Nidhogg from Messhof]
Best of the Rest: Jess' picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. Skulls of the Shogun I have a pre-existing penchant for human skulls as decoration, so maybe that's why Skulls of the Shogun still resonates so deeply with me, despite it launching way back at the beginning of the year – before GDC, before E3, before Gamescom, before the reveals and launches of two next-gen consoles, before the holiday madness. Through all of that, Skulls of the Shogun remains a purely joyful, fun strategy game, complete with morbid humor, accessible mechanics and a lovely Saturday-morning cartoon style. Developer 17-Bit has a precise hand, and the team's attention to detail and flow makes Skulls of the Shogun sing across platforms: Xbox 360, Windows 8, Windows Phone, Steam and iOS. Skulls of the Shogun started the year off in the right way for me, so it's fitting to give it another nod at the end of 2013. Cheers, skull-chewers.
Skulls of the Shogun assaults iOS starting today
After spending much of its life on the Xbox 360, Windows Phone and Windows PCs, indie hit Skulls of the Shogun is finally making its way to Apple devices. The game made a surprise debut today in the form of Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide Edition and is available as a universal app for both iPhone and iPad. The turn-based strategy title features a full single-player campaign as well as a whopping 36 multiplayer maps where up to four players can battle it out. The game is priced at US$4.99 and the developer is promising no in-app-purchases (hooray!), so you can be sure you're not going to be nickel-and-dimed as you play.
After life on Windows, Skulls of the Shogun arrives on iOS
Post-mortal strategy game Skulls of the Shogun is out now on the App Store, almost a year after it debuted on Windows Phone. Developer 17-Bit also released the game for Windows 8, Windows, Xbox 360, and later Steam, but today's arrival brings the game to iPhones and iPads for the first time, priced at $5. 17-Bit's Jake Kazdal told Pocket Gamer the iOS games is based on the Steam version the studio released in the summer. That means the tweaks and additions to that port are in the iOS version, including the extra episode and Tanuki monk unit. As for multiplayer, the iOS port supports real-time "pass-and-play" on one device, as well as asynchronous turn-based battles online. Like other versions the multiplayer is cross-platform compatible, albeit only with Steam. We were big fans of 17-Bit's take on a samurai's afterlife, awarding Skulls of the Shogun the full five stars in our review. As Jess put it, "Skulls of the Shogun is joyful, cheeky, and like most memorable experiences, it's best with friends."
PSA: Skulls of the Shogun out on Steam today
Skulls of the Shogun is now available on Steam for $14.99. Developed by 17-Bit, the game features turn-based, strategic battles that take place in a Japanese warrior's afterlife. Skulls of the Shogun also offers local, online and asynchronous multiplayer modes, matching nicely with the Steam version's six extra maps. %Gallery-173382%
Skulls of the Shogun slices into Steam next week
Skulls of the Shogun marches onto Steam on Monday, July 29, launching at $15 regularly or $12 with an early access discount. 7 Bit's skeletal strategy game rattled onto Xbox Live Arcade, Windows Phone, Surface, and Windows 8 earlier this year, and starting next week, Windows XP-7 users can get in on the post-mortal action too. The Steam version offers some fresh goodies too, including six maps and an epilogue featuring a new playable hero. Skulls of the Shogun took just over two years to arrive after its first reveal, but our review deemed it well worth the wait, awarding it the full five stars for its "precise" design and being "extremely well-balanced," and not least of which for featuring "more mustache jokes than any game in recent memory."
Skulls of the Shogun dev on Microsoft Studios: 'Institutionally incompetent'
In 2008, Skulls of the Shogun collaborator Borut Pfeifer and developer 17-bit Studios cut a deal with Microsoft to launch their game simultaneously across XBLA, Surface tablets and Windows 8. Pfeifer had some reservations about working with Microsoft, but at the time, he thought getting onto a console could mean instant success. As the years dragged on, the bureaucracy of working with Microsoft complicated development and hit the team financially – Microsoft didn't pay them on time, and they had to take out a loan, Pfeifer told Rock, Paper, Shotgun. "To be fair, we knew we were kind of making a deal with the devil," Pfeifer said. "Probably one of our biggest mistakes was thinking in 2008 terms, where it's like, 'If you want to be on console you've got to be a console first,' and that's just not true any more." As a publisher, Preifer said that Microsoft Studios never tried to interfere with Skulls of the Shogun creatively, but that branch had deep-rooted problems. "They came across as though they were institutionally incompetent," Pfeifer said. "I think they're not really set up to be a decent publisher. I do feel slightly bad saying that, because there were people there who worked hard on our behalf, but at the same time there are systemic problems with the way that division is set up and run." Microsoft doesn't hate indie developers, Pfeifer said. "There are people there, like Chris Charla, the portfolio manager of XBLA – though that's probably changing, because XBLA is going away – who are great champions, but as a whole, it's not that Microsoft loves or even hates indies. It's just that they're an indifferent machine to it all." An expanded edition of Skulls of the Shogun launches on Steam in July, and the beta is available now with pre-orders. On XBLA, we found Skulls of the Shogun to be an absolutely enjoyable experience – so much so that we gave it a perfect score. After the Xbox One reveal, we asked a handful of independent developers what they thought Microsoft said to them with the presentation: "It was sort of weird," was the overall summary. Before even that, we asked a larger handful of indies what they thought of Microsoft in the current generation, and received a mixed response.
Skulls of the Shogun heads to Steam next month, beta available now
A "bigger" and "beefier" version of 17-BIT's tactical strategy game, Skulls of the Shogun, will hit Steam next month, boasting six new maps, a multiplayer progression system, and a new four-chapter epilogue. Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition features all of the content found in the Xbox Live Arcade and Windows 8 versions of the game, including real-time multiplayer, hotseat support, and asynchronous multiplayer modes. The Steam version's exclusive chapter introduces a new playable protagonist, along with a new unit type equipped with teleportation spells. Buyers who pre-purchase Bone-a-Fide Edition will receive instant access to a beta version, which includes the first single-player campaign chapter and all 36 multiplayer maps.
Permanent bite taken out of Skulls of the Shogun price
Skulls of the Shogun, which we rather liked, now has a lower price on Xbox Live Arcade, Windows 8 and Surface. The Xbox Live Arcade version has dropped to $10, while the Windows 8 and Surface versions can be had for $7 apiece. The Windows Phone version, however, is still five bucks.The savings should help pay for the inevitable dental work associated with eating skulls.
Skulls of the Shogun review: See you in Hell
Full disclosure: I've never died before. I have no idea what the afterlife looks like, where it's located, who runs its admissions process or if it even exists. I just don't. However, if an afterlife does exist, I'd be totally fine if it resembled the fantastical environment in Skulls of the Shogun.The entire game takes place in a Japanese warrior's afterlife, with bright Asian line art, a cast of mystical characters and a betrayed general out for revenge. Somewhere along the development process, Skulls of the Shogun could have transformed into a gritty, deep commentary on the futility of life and honor, but thankfully its cheerful, Saturday-morning art style saves it from tumbling too far down that dark rabbit hole. In the end – and I do mean the end – Skulls of the Shogun is joyful, cheeky, and like most memorable experiences, it's best with friends.So the next time you see your best buddy, clap a hand on his shoulder, look deep into his eyes and say, "We're going to the afterlife." And don't forget to smile.%Gallery-171897%
Skulls of the Shogun cuts down Windows pricing at launch
Skulls of the Shogun will launch at a special introductory price on January 30. Both the Windows 8 and Windows Surface versions will launch at a reduced $10 (normally $15), while the Windows Phone version will be available for $5, down from its normal $7.The timing on the promotional launch place is vague at the moment - the press release past the break says the discounts will last for a "limited time." A day in dog years? Less than 12 parsecs? The length of the Japanese feudal period, roughly seven centuries?(Don't worry, we'll let you know when it's over.)
Skulls of the Shogun slices off a release date of Jan. 30
Skulls of the Shogun is launching simultaneously on XBLA, Windows 8 on PC, Windows Surface and Windows Phone on January 30. With a launch platform lineup like that, we're not even going to complain that it didn't come out alongside Windows 8 as 17-Bit teased last year.Skulls of the Shogun will run 1200 MS Points ($15) for XBLA, Windows 8 and Surface, and $7 for Windows Phone via the Windows Phone Marketplace. The game has up to four-player local or online multiplayer, and for the first time on Microsoft platforms, it supports asynchronous, cross-platform gameplay. What's more, it will be localized in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese and Russian. A little extra time goes a long way, apparently.For a look at Skulls of the Shogun from the developer's point of view, check out its Joystiq Indie Pitch.
Feeding on undead armies in Skulls of the Shogun
Here's your high-concept, catch-all elevator pitch for Skulls of the Shogun: samurai zombies meets turn-based strategy, and a dash of Words With Friends thrown in for flavor. 17-BIT's charming top-down strategy title captures the action-flavored flow of the Advance Wars series, though it ditches the grid-based world in favor of more natural radial movement. The whole package comes together around an ambitious multi-platform release that features asynchronous multiplayer match-ups and a meaty, multi-hour campaign.Don't let the "multi-platform" thing fool you. Skulls is 100 percent a Microsoft exclusive. You'll simply be able to play it on anything that runs Windows or some approximation of it. Xbox Live Arcade, yes, but also Surface tablets, Windows Phone devices, and Windows 8 PCs via the new operating system's app store.As you might have read in our earlier previews or our recent Joystiq Indie Pitch, the 10-15 hour campaign casts players in the role of a recently deceased samurai lord from feudal Japan. Horrified at being forced to wait in line for half a millennium before being admitted into the afterlife, our General Akamoto takes matters into his own hands. He enlists an army of zombie Ronin to fight by his side and sets out to carve his way into the great beyond.%Gallery-171897%
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Skulls of the Shogun
Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We like that. This week, Skulls of the Shogun lead designer Jake Kazdal discusses developing a game for four platforms at once, and what happened to that "launch alongside Windows 8" promise. What's your game called and what's it about?Skulls of the Shogun is an arcade-strategy game coming to XBLA, Windows Phone, Windows 8 and Windows RT (Surface) very soon. It's an original title, developed by a small team of highly experienced AAA developers over the past 3.5 years. It's a mash-up of tactical turn-based strategy, with a feel that is very arcade-like and action-packed. No grids, very few menus and quick, snappy rounds give it a very unique and charming aesthetic, easy for action gamers to adapt to, but with all the depth a good strategy game lover needs.Why did you choose to go exclusively Microsoft? Is there any chance of Skulls of the Shogun launching through Steam or anywhere else?Microsoft's XBLA group is full of old friends and co-workers from my past in this industry, they're close by so we can zip over there for lunch and meetings, and they have my favorite game console, along with a phone and a tablet and a new operating system.For a micro-studio like us to be able to launch on four platforms simultaneously was a huge incentive. We own the IP and would like to do more with it in the future (not only gaming) but Microsoft is the publisher for these versions and that has kept our hands quite full for now.%Gallery-171897%
Skulls of the Shogun playable at PAX Prime, trailer visible right here
Skulls of the Shogun is coming to just about everything Windows 8; Windows 8 PCs, Windows 8 phones, Windows 8 tablets. Oh, and Xbox. The turn-based strategy game supports cross-platform play across all those Windows, a nifty feature PAX Prime attendees can sample for themselves this weekend.Skulls of the Shogun comes crashing through all those Windows on October 26.**when Windows 8 launches
Microsoft Surface launching alongside Windows 8 this October
Microsoft's Surface is launching on (or near) October 26, according to a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing. "The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices," the report reads.The Surface launches in two flavors: Surface for Windows RT and Surface for Windows 8 Pro, the latter carrying beefier specs. It's unclear if both will launch simultaneously, and no pricing has been set on the two varieties of Surface. At least one game will be available at launch – Skulls of the Shogun – with others expected alongside it.
Seattle Indies Expo kicks off on Sunday, Sunday, Sunday
The Seattle Indies Expo is hosting a plethora of playable indie games at the Digipen Institute of Technology Redmond campus, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Sunday. Sunday Sunday Sunday, to be exact.SIX will have Skulls of the Shogun, Mark of the Ninja, Perspective, Super Amazing Wagon Adventure, The Bridge and a slew of other under-the-radar games to play, as the Powerthirst announcer in the above video demonstrates. Admission to SIX is free, but getting your hands on some of these games before any of your friends is priceless.
Skulls of the Shogun launching alongside Windows 8 this October [Update: Delayed]
Skulls of the Shogun isn't just an Xbox Live Arcade game, y'all. It's also a Windows 8 game, a Windows Phone 7 game, and a Surface game. So when Microsoft announced the launch date for Windows 8 yesterday, we couldn't help but wonder if that meant Skulls of the Shogun would launch alongside it. "The plan is to sim-ship on Win 8 (desktop, and both versions of Surface), Windows Phone 7 and XBLA in the same week," 17-bit's Jake Kazdal told us. So, uh, sounds like it!He added one caveat. "We're certainly shooting for day one release with Win 8, and it looks very likely, but nothing is set in stone yet," he said. Windows 8 launches on October 26, meaning you'll likely have your hands on those shogun skulls ahead of Halloween. And considering the dev studio's former name is Haunted Temple, that seems rather fitting, no?Update: Skulls of the Shogun missed its Windows 8 launch, but is now scheduled to hit on January 30 for XBLA, Windows 8, Windows Surface and Windows Phone.
