Japanese Anime & Manga Creator Mugi Tanaka Announces the Global Release of Her Self-Published Art Book “URBAN” 

August 14, 2017 – Recently profiled by Forbes.com, Japanese artist Mugi Tanaka is an emerging female creator whose cute, stylish, and surreal illustrations are making the leap into high profile anime adaptations. Now, Mugi Tanaka’s newest self-published art book, URBAN, is being made available for global purchase on Amazon.com via digital download and a limited edition of physical copies signed by the artist herself.

URBAN collects over 100 of Mugi Tanaka’s full color illustrations and charts her creative journey from office staff to the creator of the recently announced TV anime series CO;RYU  and URAHARA, the latter co-produced by Crunchyroll.

Featuring humorous bilingual English-Japanese descriptive text written by Mugi herself, Octas is helping Tanaka distribute URBAN simultaneously with its debut at the summer Comic Market convention in Japan; making it the first-ever globally available “simulpub” doujinshi (Japanese for self-published ‘zine).

An aspiring illustrator since childhood, Mugi Tanaka was working as a sales clerk for a small printing company when she was discovered at a Comic Market convention by employees from the store PARK. She was asked to create the mascot characters for the “Otaku x Fashion x Creation” themed PARK store in Tokyo’s famed Harajuku district. The characters spun off into a successful line of apparel and goods and were eventually adapted into an original web comic called PARK Harajuku: Crisis Team, featuring Mugi’s artwork. The URAHARA anime, based on Mugi’s characters for the PARK store, will debut globally in fall 2017.

URBAN is available for purchase on Amazon.com using the links below:

Limited Edition physical copy signed by MugiTanaka: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074R9R3W3

Digital Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074Q3L5SP

# # #

More from Mugi Tanaka can be found here:

Tumblr: http://oplant.tumblr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oplant

OCTAS, co-founded by Vince Shortino, connects Japanese artists to the World.

For more information, please contact Vince Shortino <vince @ octas.jp>

Teesside, UK – August 14^th, 2017 – One-man development team Wizard Fu, comprised of Nathanael Weiss, and publisher Double Eleven are delighted to announce that Songbringer will be releasing on Xbox One and PC on September 1^st and PlayStation™ 4 on September 5th.

Play as Roq, a space-faring planetary surveyor who wakes up shirtless on a strange planet. With the help of your robot companion Jib, it’s your job to save the universe from the ancient evil army you’ve accidentally awoken. Only by exploring the harsh world of Ekzerra, mastering the dungeons and defeating its fearsome bosses will you unlock the secrets of your own power and return the galaxy to peace.

Songbringer is an action RPG inspired by the original Zelda games with real time combat, a wide range of weapons and a ton of hidden secrets. World maps are generated from a six-letter world seed, which determines the layout of the overworld and dungeons.

Features

• Single-player action RPG
• Local co-operative two player mode
• Full gamepad support, including rumble
• Real time combat
• 7 kinds of weapons including the nanosword, boomerang-like top hat, bombs, blink orb, ghost sword projectile, lighter and kilobombs
• Hundreds of unique items and powerups
• Some items can be combined, for example: ghost sword + lightning cube = lightning sword
• Hidden items, secret entrances, secret pathways, bomb-able walls
• Original soundtrack
• Online leaderboards highlight the top players based on completion time, percentage of map uncovered and percentage of items found
• Roguelike-inspired permadeath option which gives a higher score on the leaderboard and allows for faster runs
• Approximately 6-12 hours of gameplay per adventure, depending on thoroughness
• Procedurally generated overworld and dungeons
• Each generated world contains: 1 overworld, 10 dungeons and 13 primary bosses

About Double Eleven
Double Eleven is a UK-based indie publisher and developer of interactive digital entertainment. Some of Double Eleven’s most popular titles include Prison Architect and Goat Simulator (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation™ 3, PlayStation™ 4) and the team have recently released Super Cloudbuilt on Steam, Xbox One and PlayStation™ 4.

About Wizard Fu Games
Wizard Fu Games is a one-man indie game development studio based in Oakland, California. Nathanael Weiss does the programming, design, art, music and business. Wizard Fu’s current game in development is Songbringer, a procedurally-generated action RPG. Plans are to release the game summer of 2017 on Steam, PS4 and Xbox One.

EARTHWORM JIM ANTHOLOGY DOUBLE VINYL ALBUM RELEASE!

Remastered Original Soundtrack, Remixes and Never Before Published Music from Earthworm Jim 1 & 2!

August 14, 2017 – Composed by Guinness World Record holder and creator of Video Games Live; Tommy Tallarico, the multi award winning Earthworm Jim Anthology album is now available for pre-order for its October 20, 2017 worldwide vinyl release. The music from the games Earthworm Jim 1 & 2 won 5 major industry awards for Best Music in 1994 & 1995. It helped to redefine what gaming platforms at the time were capable of achieving. German record label and vinyl distributor Black Screen Records will be releasing the beautiful 4 sided 180g double vinyl to fans around the world which will include previously unreleased tracks, remixes and a completely remastered vinyl experience like none other.

The vinyl is NOW AVAILABLE exclusively for pre-order direct from Black Sun Records:

PRE-ORDER HERE!

The double vinyl album will also be available for pre-order throughout major online and retail outlets starting September 15, 2017 (while supplies last).

The Limited Collector’s Edition comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve with new and original artwork by Earthworm Jim artist Katherine Garner (aka Lemm/Rocket Worm). The packaging includes liner notes by Tommy Tallarico and two amazing full-colored “heart boxer shorts” and “cow pattern” inner sleeves on heavyweight off-set paper. The complete artwork will be refined with a matte finish and a special glossy spot varnish to highlight the incredible illustrations. The LP album will be pressed on “Groooovy!” limited Earthworm Jim flesh colored and opaque Snott colored vinyl. This Limited Collector’s Edition also comes with a unique download code that enables the customer to download the full digital soundtrack as well!

“Woah Nellie!” Get your super suit and blaster ready to celebrate and enjoy one of the most memorable and fun video game soundtracks of all time… on glorious vinyl!

#  #  #

About Tommy Tallarico:
As one of the most successful video game composers in history, he has helped revolutionize the gaming world, creating unique audio landscapes that enhance the video gaming experience. As a well-recognized on-air television personality, live performer, show producer, creative director, sound designer and composer, Tommy brings his in-depth knowledge, years of experience, and love of cutting edge multimedia and pop culture to the masses. Tommy has worked in the gaming industry for over 28 years as a designer, product manager, producer, writer, games tester and heads of both music and video departments. He produced, co-created, wrote and co-hosted 3 internationally award-winning syndicated and network television shows as well as creating, producing and hosting the continuing worldwide touring sensation Video Games Live. He has won over 50 industry awards and has worked on more than 300 game titles totaling over 10 billion dollars in revenue. He currently holds 5 Guinness World Records including the person who has worked on the most commercially released video games and the largest symphony show ever seen live (over 752,000 people in China). In 2012 during the Game Developers Conference he received a Lifetime Achievement Award and is also in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. for his contributions to the game industry. In 2013 he was asked to speak at the TED Conference where he gave his very well received “Video Games – Art in Disguise” speech. His top titles include Earthworm Jim, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Disney’s Aladdin, Spider-Man and Metroid Prime as well as top selling popular game franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, Guitar Hero, Madden Football, Mortal Kombat, Time Crisis, Unreal, Lineage, James Bond, Blitz Football, The 7th Guest, Knockout Kings, Test Drive, Scooby Doo, WWE & Twisted Metal. His score for Advent Rising has been noted as “one of the greatest musical scores of all time” by websites such as Yahoo, Gamespot and others. Tommy is a cousin of rock star legend Steven Tyler (nee Tallarico).

About Black Screen Records:
Black Screen Records is a German record label based in Cologne, Germany that focuses on high quality vinyl releases of video game soundtracks. Since the launch in early 2015 their team – consisting of passionate gamers, vinyl collectors and music industry professionals – has been working with Inon Zur, Jessica Curry, Jesper Kyd, Michael Bross and Jon Everist among others and has released the soundtracks to the critically acclaimed games Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty & Stranger’s Wrath, Another World (Out of This World), Syberia 3, Dear Esther & So Let Us Melt, Velocity 2X, Downwell, Risk of Rain and VA-11 HALL-A on vinyl. For more info visit: www.blackscreenrecords.com

Wizard World Announces Additions Of Montgomery, Ala., Springfield, Mo., To 2017 Comic Con Schedule

New Cities Bring Number Of Shows To 16 for 2017; More May be Added This Year

LOS ANGELES, August 14, 2017 – Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) today announced that it will add Montgomery, Ala., and Springfield, Mo., to its Comic Con calendar in the remainder of 2017. The Montgomery event will be held Oct. 20-22 at Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, while Springfield is set for Nov. 10-12 at University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center.

The new cities, both inaugural Wizard World events, are in addition to scheduled conventions in Chicago (August 24-27), Nashville, Tenn. (Sept. 8-10), Madison, Wis. (Sept. 22-24), Oklahoma City (Oct. 27-29) and Austin, Texas (Nov. 17-19), bringing the current total number of 2017 Wizard World Comic Cons to 16. Additional shows for 2017 will be announced very soon.

“We are excited to be bringing our pop culture celebrations to these two growing cities,” said John D. Maatta, Wizard World President and C.E.O. “We have big things in store for 2018, and the addition of Montgomery and Springfield is a reaffirmation of our commitment to producing high entertainment value for fans across the country.”

Celebrities scheduled to attend the Montgomery show include Nichelle Nichols (“Star Trek”), Jon Heder ( Napoleon Dynamite, The Benchwarmers), Emily Swallow (“Supernatural,” “The Mentalist), Holly Marie Combs (“Charmed,” “Picket Fences”), Nicholas Brendon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Briana Buckmaster (“Supernatural,” “White Ninja”).

Springfield guests to date include Nichols, Heder, Combs, Craig Parker (“Spartacus,” Lord of the Rings) and Andrew Gower (“Outlander,” “Being Human”).

Additional celebrities and creators, as well as entertainment and programming schedules, will be announced soon.

Wizard World Comic Con dates, locations and venues for the remainder of 2017 are as follows (*denotes newly-added event):

• August 24-27, Chicago, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
• September 8-10, Nashville, Tenn., Music City Center
• September 22-24, Madison, Wis., Alliant Energy Center
• *October 20-22, Montgomery, Ala., Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center
• October 27-29, Oklahoma City, Cox Convention Center
• *November 10-12, Springfield, Mo., University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center
• November 17-19, Austin, Texas, Austin Convention Center

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Kids 10 and under are admitted free with paid adult.

Wizard World Comic Con is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday evening at each show.

About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)

Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com ) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming and entertainment takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.

The 2017 Wizard World convention schedule is available at: http://www.wizardworld.com/comiccon.

#          #          #

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses 2017 Is coming to the Sydney Opera House – 29^th October

Zelda Symphony Heads Down Under for the First Time in Four Years

Jason Michael Paul Entertainment, Inc. has announced The Legend Of Zelda: Symphony Of The Goddess will be coming to Sydney in October 2017. This symphonic celebration of the much loved Nintendo video game will play at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House on the 29^th October – adding to the shows in Perth on August 24^th and Melbourne on the 3^rd September.

The concert will feature an all new movement from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, an updated overture, and the return of a classic that might just make some wishes come true!

“We’re really going all-out this year to celebrate the newly released The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” said Jason Michael Paul, President of Jason Michael Paul Entertainment, Inc., the company producing the concert tour. “Besides all the new stuff, we’re also bringing back the Ballad of the Wind Fish from the original program, which has been a big request from fans for a while.”

Celebrating 30 years of stirring virtual adventure and memorable soundtracks with live orchestral renditions with oversight and approval from the game’s developers and composers, The Symphony of the Goddesses is now in its fourth season.

Led by conductor Jessica Gethin, the two-hour concert comes to life with a full orchestra and choir, and a reimagined score that draws from requested Zelda games, including The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, while still paying homage to such classics as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The concert’s five-movement symphony regales ears with original music from Nintendo composers, including Koji Kondo, and recalling moments of Link

conquering dungeons and running through forests. Throughout the evening, a video collage syncs up with the adventurous tunes to spotlight exciting moments from the venerable franchise.

Fans can view a complete tour schedule with new show dates and ticketing information, as well as sign up for a regularly updated digital newsletter at http://zelda-symphony.com. Additional updates are available on Twitter.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE ON SALE FROM 28^TH AUGUST VIA www.sydneyoperahouse.com

NEW LYCANROC FORM OFFICIALLY REVEALED!

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen Launches 3rd October on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

The end of days is near, and dragons have returned to Gransys. Become the chosen Arisen and decide the fate of the world in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, the critically acclaimed Action-RPG now updated for current generation consoles with improved high resolution visuals. A brand new trailer and screenshots are available to download at the press site.

Based in an epic fantasy setting, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen combines exhilarating and deep combat with the freedom to explore and interact in this rich and detailed world. Choose between nine different classes and embark on your own adventure along with three AI companions, known as Pawns. These allies fight independently, develop alongside your character, and can be shared or borrowed online in exchange for treasure, tips and more.

This version contains the original Dragon’s Dogma along with all additional content from its expansion Dark Arisen, including the Bitterblack Isle area, filled with challenging new enemies and quests, and additional high level weapons and armour sets.

Wargaming and VRTech to Collaborate on Creating Entertaining VR Content

Two companies forge strategic partnership to provide location-based VR gaming experiences

The two companies will work in tandem to enrich Wargaming’s portfolio with new gaming experiences

August 11, 2017 — Wargaming is excited to announce a deal with VRTech, a Moscow-based company, which focuses on VR technology. The collaboration is set to combine VRTech’s solutions and Wargaming’s expertise in game design and visual effects. The companies aim at delivering new common initiatives that will introduce engaging VR experiences to the European market.

“The potential of taking location-based VR to a new level is an opportunity we had to capitalize on,” said Aleksandr Zezulin, R&D Operations Director at Wargaming. “With this partnership, we are planning to change the public perception of VR from a one-time experience to a source of fun, re-playable entertainment. This type of new business for Wargaming is a scalable, successful set-up that will help us produce high-quality entertainment.

“We’re excited to announce our strategic partnership with Wargaming,” said Yuri Krylov, CEO of VRTech. “This unique collaboration has all the chances of changing the VR market, and we welcome location and IP owners in EU to join our partnership on this exciting journey.”

VRTech is known for location-based VR solutions, including CinemaVR and PolygonVR. Launched in December 2016, the VR booths already operate in over 20 locations in cinemas and malls in Russia’s largest cities.

The first European showcase of CinemaVR and PolygonVR technology will happen during gamescom 2017, in Hall 2.2, Booth D-022, B2B area. For more information, please follow the link below:

• http://gamescom.vrtech.global

###

About Wargaming

Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher and one of the leaders in the free-to-play MMO market. Founded as a privately held company in 1998, Wargaming has shipped more than 15 titles. Currently, Wargaming is focused on its team-based MMO war series dedicated to the mid-20th century warfare that will include the armored World of Tanks, the flight combat World of Warplanes, and the naval World of Warships. The three intertwined titles will form a common gaming universe integrated within the portal www.wargaming.net.

As part of its multiplatform line-up, the company has introduced World of Tanks on Xbox and World of Tanks Blitz on mobile and tablet. Launched in 2014 and 2015, World of Tanks on Xbox introduced epic tank-on-tank battles to console gamers and offers the first cross-platform gaming experience between Xbox 360 and Xbox One. In 2015, Wargaming announced World of Tanks for Sony’s PlayStation®4, continuing its console campaign. The mobile MMO game World of Tanks Blitz has opened up Wargaming’s trademark team-based military IP to smartphone and tablet users worldwide.

Official website:

• http://www.wargaming.com

About VRTech
Founded in 2016, VRTech Group unites innovative companies that build projects in the fast-growing virtual reality market from industrial to entertainment solutions. The Group’s focus is to bring the most advanced technologies and immersive VR experience to consumers, brands, and business. VRTech Group’s key projects are: CinemaVR, Europe’s largest VR hall network offering its visitors highly immersive experience based on movie releases along with its own newest IPs, and PolygonVR, a universal platform combining VR games, Reality TV and eSports. The solution’s key features are multiplayer architecture, full-body immersion, tools for broadcasting and streaming, second screen support, multi-location support and cloud-based content management and distribution system. PolygonVR’s areas of application include eSports, entertainment, industrial training, education, and engineering.

To learn more, please visit:

• http://gamescom.vrtech.global