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Dead Island: Riptide not washing up in Germany
Dead Island: Riptide, like the original Dead Island, won't be released in Germany, home base of publisher Deep Silver. Riptide creative producer Sebastian Reichert said at Gamescom he "wouldn't bet" on the game being available in Germany, but now he's stated it officially."We have no censored version of the game," Reichert told PCGamesN. "So we cannot release it in Germany. It feels f*cking awkward to have one of the most successful games in years and nobody in your country knows it."We double-checked with publisher Deep Silver to make sure there wasn't anything lost in translation and a company representative confirmed Riptide wouldn't be available in Germany. The Unterhaltungssoftware Selbskontrolle (USK) must follow government-enforced criteria that, along with other elements, note a game can't have extreme violence against human-like enemies.Under a microscope, the USK's determination of such things can get awfully fiddly. It was a surprise back in 2011 when Epic's Gears of War 3 passed the censors, while no other installment in the series had made the grade. It wasn't just a surprise to us, but to Epic itself.
Dead Island: Riptide's CGI trailer mixes romance with lots of zombies
Remember all the fuss over the Dead Island trailer? Well, Techland is giving its follow-up a similarly artistic treatment, albeit not quite as spectacular. This CGI video punctuates a loving final farewell with a surrounding megaton of undead. As with its predecessor's cinematic debut, we don't learn that much about Dead Island: Riptide from it. Still, it does make us appreciate how romantic a lighter can be, even outside of Elton John gigs.The zombie-stuffed follow-up is set to launch next year.
Call of Juarez Gunslinger heading back West on XBLA, PSN, and PC
Techland is traveling back to a time before boundaries, laws and the scathing reviews of Call of Juarez: The Cartel. The Old West is once again the backdrop for the developer's latest first-person shooter, Call of Juarez Gunslinger, which should hit Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC in early 2013.Juarez the last game veered off course and into a contemporary urban setting, Gunslinger makes a returning run past backwater saloons, crusty spittoons and the "untold stories" of a few notorious gunmen. Your own accomplishments, as described by an unreliable narrator throughout the game, intersect with "Wanted" poster boys Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Pat Garrett, amongst others.An early build of Call of Juarez Gunslinger gave us a good grasp of Techland's approach, which seems cognizant of what Bound in Blood (widely considered the best game in the series) got right. Shooting is stylish, frantic, and constantly rewarded by spurts of blood and points. These numerical rewards are funneled into a set of skill upgrades, which improve your gun-twirling prowess in diverse ways. Acquire the right abilities and you'll extend your bullet-time bravado, decrease your reloading times and make perfect headshots mid-air.Such incredible maneuvers must be hell on your back, though. You can't bend down and pick up a fallen enemy's gun until you purchase that skill.%Gallery-164498%
Dead Island Riptide allows character continuation, arrives 2013
Dead Island Riptide is a spin-off of the original zombie resort simulator. Publisher Deep Silver is very clear to point out it is not a sequel, so think more Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood or Halo 3: ODST. Riptide was announced this summer, but now we have some more details.The game will return the focus to close combat from the latter gunplay found in Dead Island, with a new weather system and upgrades to the engine of the first game. The weather system will now include flooding and lovely trips down zombie infested rivers on little boats. There are also forts that need to be reinforced and barricaded.Players will be able to import their character stats from the previous game, but the new game takes place in a new location. It's the same archipelago, but not the same island. The game will launch in 2013.%Gallery-164009%
Dead Island studio unveils new game in development, 'Project Hell'
Techland today announced 'Project Hell', the codename for a new game the studio is developing. The developer launched a new blog for the project, revealing the game's prototype was borne out of an internally-created weapon mod for Dead Island.Although there isn't much yet to go on, it looks like Project Hell, as the name suggests, won't stray far from Dead Island's bloodied roots. The team's opening post says that they prefer "breaking through hordes of undead minions" over stuff with "unicorns and fairies." The post also notes the game will use some of Dead Island's technology.The announcement follows the news earlier this month that Dead Island shipped 4 million copies worldwide. Techland is also working on the next installment in that series, Riptide, which is reportedly set to debut at PAX Prime this weekend.
Dead Island's lifeblood was co-op, 4 million units shipped
Dead Island's success was all due to that stunning trailer, right? Well, according to Guido Eickmeyer, development director and executive producer of games at publisher Deep Silver, the resort-vacation zombie simulator sold 4 million units because of its cooperative gameplay."This is why we got all the good reviews from users. This is why we got high user ratings, because it is the most exciting co-op experience that is on the market," Eickmeyer said.Despite investing less than $25 million dollars in the project – low for a major triple-A video game – Dead Island has been played for 56,907,547 hours in co-op, which is approximately 6,500 years total.After the success of the trailer, there were talks of forming the game around that, but there simply weren't the resources. Dead Island showed strong potential in its co-op, so the focus shifted to that and that game was a huge hit. Dead Island: Riptide is another "huge co-op experience" being revealed this week at Gamescom.
Techland files trademark for 'Dead Stop'
Techland, the developer responsible for bringing Dead Island into the world, has filed to register a trademark for something called "Dead Stop," which we're almost nearly entirely positive has something to do with video games and dead stuff.The application itself registers the trademark under a lot of the same goods and services classifications as the Dead Island trademark, with one important difference. While the Dead Island trademark covers use for video games and a myriad of merchandising options, "Dead Stop" is also listed under the code "IC 041. US 100 101 107," which specifically applies to online applications on mobile phones and portables, as well as websites "featuring entertainment information in the fields of electronic game programs, electronic game products, and electronic game programs and products."Until there's an official announcement of some kind, what "Dead Stop" actually is remains to be seen. Who knows, maybe it's a zombie telegraph simulator? "WE PROMISE WE ARE NOT DEAD, STOP. PLEASE RESPOND ASAP WITH BRAIN WEIGHTS AND MEASUREMENTS, STOP."
Dead Island Riptide puts some spring back in zombies' steps
Dead Island Riptide is a standalone new installment in Deep Silver's zombie vacation simulator franchise. Riptide will be for retail for consoles and PCs, developed by Techland, and is set for an "extensive reveal" this summer.
Mad Riders is a game with races
Techland proves its trailer-making chops once again with this announcement of a teaser trailer for the actual trailer of Mad Riders, touting features like: races (you like games with races, don't you?) trees 74.6FPS VERY HDMarvel at the motion-captured vehicle wheels! Enjoy the quick in-joke at Techland's own expense! Remember that Mad Riders exists, long after you've seen this.
Techland's Mad Riders touches down on PSN May 29, XBLA/PC on May 30
If you've somehow managed to get your fill of Trials Evolution's dusty peaks and valleys already, Techland's latest, Mad Riders, may be perfect for you. And hey, the game is set to launch on May 30 according to the latest trailer. That's pretty soon!Like Trials before it, Mad Riders is a digital-only title, but unlike Trials, it's not limited to a single console (Mad Riders is headed to PSN, XBLA, and PC). It'll be available one day earlier for PSN users on May 29, and May 30 on XBLA and PC, but it'll cost the same on all three: a cool $10. Techland describes that as "an awesome game for the price of a pizza," though we'd warn the studio against devaluing its games as such. What kind of pizza are you gonna get for $10? Terrible pizza, that's what!
Dead Island 'Ryder White' DLC drops a video bomb on your loved ones
One thing we know Dead Island is extraordinarily good at is its trailers. The latest undead reel, seen above, explains the coming military-based, accented Ryder White DLC, hitting North America's XBLA and PSN January 31 for $9.99 (800 MS Points), and Europe on February 1 for £7.99.
Dead Island's 'Ryder White' headlines new DLC
Upcoming Dead Island DLC will let you experience the island paradise from the perspective of one of the bad guys. No, not a zombie -- the next DLC, coming January 31, focuses on human antagonist Ryder White. We're sure zombies will still be around. You'll learn why he became such an unpleasant character in "several hours" of new story mode content, and you'll also find two new blueprints for new weapon mods. The North American release hits on January 31 for 800 MSP/$9.99. The European release is set for February 1 for £7.99.%Gallery-144809%
Report: Ubisoft, Atari, many other publishers requesting payment from German pirates
Someone in Germany -- perhaps even some people -- illegally pirated a copy of Prison Break: The Conspiracy. Hard to believe as it may be, it appears to be the case according to TorrentFreak, who delved into German public records looking for game publishers who have employed German law to track down (and demand money from) people who allegedly pirated various games. In Germany, Koch Media publishes the Prison Break game, and has been demanding settlements of "several hundred Euros" from offending IP addresses. The records indicate that several major publishers, either directly or through subsidiaries/secondary parties, have been sending out letters to German citizens requesting varying levels of payment in return for not being sued. Where things get murky, however, is how the publishers are seeking out the accused pirates, using not always reliable "IP address-only evidence" -- easily circumvented with proxy domains and such. You know, hacker stuff. TorrentFreak's report indicates that a variety of publishers and distributors are involved, including (but not limited to): Atari, Koch Media (representing Techland's Dead Island and Prison Break, and Eidos/Square Enix's Deus Ex: Human Revolution as well as Dungeon Siege 3 and various Final Fantasy titles), Daedalic Entertainment (representing LucasArts), Codemasters, BitComposer, Ubisoft, Kalypso Media, dtp entertainment, and Aerosoft. It is currently unclear how many settlement notices have been sent out by each company, or if any will continue doing so after these actions have been brought to light. Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt Red was recently pursuing similar cases in Germany until it announced the end of the practice last week.
Dead Island adds 'Bloodbath Arena' DLC on Nov. 22
While "Bloodbath Arena" remains an effective caption for the gruesome state of Dead Island, it's also a specific add-on coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 22. The DLC was delayed for a short stint after developer Techland decided to spend more time polishing the main game -- a process which was still ongoing with the release of last week's major console patch. Bloodbath Arena is free to customers who pre-ordered the Special Edition game, and costs $10 or 800 MS Points for everyone else. It offers four new arenas for single-player or co-op play, and challenges participants to execute and outlive multiple waves of zombies. So, it's a survival mode in which you face off against a constantly replenished force of snarling enemies. You could call it "Mob Mode" or something like "Enough Enemies to Warrant a Collective Noun Mode."
Dead Island console patch rolling out, raising level cap
Dead Island's harsh treatment of necrotic former vacationers isn't without limit -- which is why you'll be happy to learn that the game's level cap is being raised to 60 with a new patch rolling out to consoles today. In addition to stability and interface adjustments, developer Techland promises the patch will add several features to the tropical death-trap: weapon crates now contain "improved rewards," kicking now expends stamina (realism!) and Purna can now lug around 50 percent more ammo (realism?). Enemy levels can also be adjusted for different co-op players independently, in case you get stuck with that idiot who always goes back for the dog. You'll find the full list of adjustments after the break. Boy, it must be nice to have access to a break once in a while. The fierce hostility aimed at pale, shambling and barely communicative humanoids on an island resort is exactly why we never feel comfortable taking a holiday.
Techland trademarks 'Dead World,' declines to comment on Dead Island sequel
Dead Island developer Techland filed for a trademark on something called "Dead World" recently, prompting speculation that plans for a sequel to the open-world zombie RPG were beginning to unfurl. Techland declined to comment on the matter, though the trademark is legit. Dead Island shambled up the charts when it was released in September, thanks to plenty of zombie buzz and that popular trailer (never mind the less-than-glowing critical response). A title like "Dead World" hints that the game will take on a slightly larger scale than just an island resort, but we'll have to wait and see until the company decides to make any official announcements.
Techland doing digital ATV racer for Ubisoft, codenamed 'Project Haste'
Among Ubisoft's many, simultaneous digital game announcements is news of a new ATV racing game by Nail'd developer Techland. Currently codenamed "Project Haste," Ubisoft said that the racer will feature "fast-paced racing, aerial tricks, extensive vehicle customization options and a competitive multiplayer experience." Sounds a lot like Nail'd, actually! We'll find out exactly how closely it hews to its insane ATV forebears in "calendar year 2012," when this is scheduled for release. And if you can't wait that long, you'll be able to read Joystiq's upcoming preview.%Gallery-137720%
Dead Island 'Bloodbath Arena' DLC attacks in mid-November
Dead Island's first bite of DLC, delayed so that developer Techland could focus on more pressing issues following launch, will arrive in mid-November. Game Informer received the latest release window, reiterating that the DLC will be free to those who pre-ordered Dead Island at GameStop and $10 for all other meatbags. The "Bloodbath Arena" DLC, a wave-based survival mode, adds four new areas and some weapons, and allows players to transfer XP into the core game.%Gallery-129666%
Dead Island 'Bloodbath Arena' DLC launch held up by work on main game
We don't take kindly to publishers making us into liars here at Joystiq, so you can imagine how we feel about Dead Island dev Techland announcing a delay in the release of its upcoming Bloodbath Arena DLC after originally pinning a "late September" window on it. Spittin' mad, you might say. As it turns out, rather than Bloodbath Arena ... erm ... flowing to the game by the end of this month (that's today) as originally planned, it's been moved to an undetermined date. Techland tries weaseling out of responsibility for its blatant disrespect of our Serious Journalistic Integrity™ by blaming, "Further polishing of the main game," as the reason for said delay. "We know that fans are eagerly waiting for it and apologise for any inconvenience," the post additionally notes, taunting us further. Apparently a "release update" will come next week, but after all we've been through this morning, who can we even trust anymore?!
Dead Island film optioned by Lionsgate, based on the trailer
Though reports from February of a planned film adaptation of Techland's then yet-to-be-released zombie title Dead Island were struck down by the studio, legitimate plans for the movie were revealed earlier today. Lionsgate announced in a press release that it's currently in the early development stage of a Dead Island feature, with producers Sean Daniel (Tombstone, Dazed and Confused) and Stefan Sonnenfeld attached. The press release mentions the game's first, Cannes-winning trailer will serve as the film's "primary creative inspiration," adding that the movie will adopt the commercial's "focus on human emotion, family ties and non-linear storytelling." Also, it's a horror movie from Lionsgate, so we're betting you'll get to see the insides of hastily removed human body parts.
