XSEED GAMES REVEALS FIRST TITLE IN E3 LINEUP — SAKUNA: OF RICE AND RUIN

Creators of Critically Acclaimed Indie Shoot-’em-up “Astebreed,” Edelweiss, to Bring Japanese Mythology-Inspired Action Platformer + Rice Cultivation Sim Hybrid to PlayStation®4 and Windows PC 

Torrance, Calif. – May 31, 2017 – XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., is pleased to reveal the first title in its E3 2017 lineup: Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. Developed by Edelweiss, the talented indie creators of the highly rated sci-fi shoot-’em-up Astebreed, and revealed last year in Japan at Comic Market 90, Sakuna offers a genre-defying mixture of side-scrolling action with the complexities of rice cultivation set against the mystical backdrop of Japanese mythology. Sakuna is now confirmed for release in North America on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC, and will be playable in English for the first time at the 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on June 13 – 15 in Los Angeles.

In Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, players take on the role of Sakuna, a proud yet lonely harvest goddess who is banished to a dangerous island with a group of outcast humans. Sakuna tames the island by defeating demons using farm tools as weapons while also making ample use of her “celestial scarf,” a magical item that allows her to grapple distant enemies and platforms. Along the way, she establishes a home in a mountain village, which serves as a base of operations for crafting weapons and cooking food. Additionally, as a harvest goddess, she grows rice by following a detailed process that encompasses everything from planting to harvesting. Through this process, across each of the four seasons, she’s able to improve the harvest and hone her battle skills alike.

The painstakingly researched storyline incorporates Japanese history and legend, with its heroine facing off against numerous types of demons, great and small, as she traverses detailed landscapes rich with the iconography of classic Japanese mythology. A love letter to Japanese culture, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is also an ode to the artistry of cultivating rice, and features an engrossing simulation of the craft behind the agriculture.

Developed by Edelweiss and published in North America by XSEED Games, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is in development for the PS4™ system and Windows PC and is scheduled for release in 2018. This title has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

For more information on XSEED Games products, please visit www.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook at www.facebook.com/XSEEDGames and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/XSEEDGames.

Gambitious Digital Entertainment Launches Vile Monarch’s Insult ‘Em Up Oh…Sir! The Hollywood Roast on Windows PC, Mac and Android

Amsterdam – May 31, 2017 – Gambitious Digital Entertainment has released Oh…Sir! The Hollywood Roast, independent developer Vile Monarch’s most audacious insult dueling game yet, for $3.99 on Windows PC and Mac, as well as $2.99 on Android (an iOS version is expected to release soon).

A star-studded spinoff of the original insult ‘em up, Oh…Sir!! The Insult Simulator, Oh…Sir! The Hollywood Roast brings its unique brand of blasphemy-based gameplay to Tinseltown with new characters and scenes, as well as twice the vocabulary of its prequel. Players can face off in single-player or online and local multiplayer to string together hilarious verbal put-downs and burns from a long list of nonsensical phrases.

Surpassing the expectations of critics worldwide (especially the developers’ own mothers), the original title was a viral success garnering over 30 million views across both YouTube and Twitch. In an obvious bid for awards, Oh…Sir! The Hollywood Roast is full of new and improved features designed to please as many demographics as possible. Battles are more dynamic than ever thanks to a revamped scoring system for scorns and a new charged comeback mechanic. The game also boasts an expanded career mode, deep character creation tools and controller integration.

In addition, the infamous Oh…Sir!! The Insult Simulator launched yesterday on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. It is expected to arrive on Xbox One in June.

For the latest updates please visit http://store.steampowered.com/app/575330 and follow us on Twitter, @GambitiousInc and @VileMonarch.

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About Vile Monarch
Vile Monarch is a hard rock game studio created by two twisted minds: Kacper Kwiatkowski and Grzegorz Mazur, who catapulted from 11 bit studios where they had worked together on This War of Mine. Soon after he was born, the Monarch started using his exceptionally skilful minions to start making engaging video games for various platforms, full of surprising, novel ideas. And what’s worse, he forced them to have fun while working! All of it to – you wouldn’t guess – conquer the world!  Vile Monarch lives in his castle in Warsaw, Poland. He likes rock music, beer and Mad Max: Fury Road.

About Gambitious, Inc.
Launched in 2012, Gambitious, Inc. is the first global crowd-financing platform exclusively for games. With a mission to create and foster a sustainable ecosystem for independent game creation and publishing, Gambitious utilizes its evolving set of creative crowd financing tools and techniques to get more great game titles funded, produced and successfully released. The company’s publishing label, Gambitious Digital Entertainment, was created in 2014 to offer professional, developer-friendly production, marketing and distribution services in order to ensure a timely return to investors and developers on projects. Gambitious has successfully established partnerships and released its titles on Steam, the PlayStation®Store, Xbox Games Store, GOG.com, Humble and the Mac App Store, as well as a number of emerging global digital distributors. For more information, visit the official Gambitious website, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

DUNGEON DEFENDERS II WILL OFFICIALLY LAUNCH ON PLAYSTATION®4, XBOX ONE AND WINDOWS PC ON JUNE 20

Trendy Entertainment’s co-op action-tower defense RPG will be free-to-play across all platforms and playable for the first time on Xbox One

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – May 31, 2017 – Independent game developer Trendy Entertainment has announced that the action-tower defense RPG Dungeon Defenders II will officially launch on June 20 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system through the PlayStation®Store, Windows PC via Steam, and Xbox One through the Xbox Games Store, where it will debut for the very first time.

“We’re very excited to finally be able to bring the Dungeon Defenders franchise back to the Xbox platform,” said Marco Busse, Chief Executive Officer at Trendy Entertainment. “Dungeon Defenders II expands on the combination of shared action and tactics that made the original game so enjoyable, and that experience has only continued to evolve as we’ve grown it alongside our incredible community through early access.”

Inspired by some of the best aspects of tower defense games and RPGs, Dungeon Defenders II features classic elements like loot, pets, a variety of heroes to level up and more. Building your defenses is important to surviving against progressively tougher waves of enemies, but executing a strategy together with the other players on your team while fighting actively on the move is just as critical.

Dungeon Defenders II supports single-player and up to four-player online cooperative game modes, as well as local splitscreen co-op on consoles. The game will be free-to-play across all platforms, supported by in-game purchases like new heroes, costumes, tower skins, pets, inventory space and more.

Dungeon Defenders II is currently available as a Steam Early Access title for Windows PC and is in early access on the PlayStation®4 system. For more information as its official release approaches, visit www.DungeonDefenders.com, and follow the development team on Facebook, Twitter and Twitch.

About Trendy Entertainment

Trendy Entertainment is an independent video game development studio based in Gainesville, Fla. Created by veterans of the video game industry, Trendy Entertainment is focused on developing fun and innovative video games across multiple platforms. www.trendyent.com

Tiny Shark Interactive Announces Exzore: The Rising

Dynamic, open world RPG features realistic character interactions and consequences

Uxbridge, England and Hyderabad, India–May 31, 2017–Tiny Shark Interactive today announced their upcoming open world RPG, Exzore: The Rising, for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Set in the medieval world of Eogaan, the game follows Damien Clive, former commander of the Exzore army unit, as he is emerges from the ashes of his betrayal to seek retribution and regain his honor. Exzore: The Rising features the use of “mechanical gadgets” which give special abilities to the hero and can be used in combat and exploration. The game also features a unique Affinity system, which affects the player’s experience and how the story unfolds as the character interacts with the game world and the various factions, as well as an extensive combat system that allows players to mix and match Exzore abilities in a wide variety of combos.

“We wanted to create a real role-playing experience in which players’ choices have an effect on the gameplay experience,” says Vishal Ranga, Creative Lead of Tiny Shark Interactive. “The NPCs and your enemies will get smarter and stronger as you play, so players will really need to consider their actions. Additionally, experimenting and coming up with creative ways to use the special abilities of the Exzore gadgets really make the game your own.”

Eogaan is split into four factions, each with its own community and rules. As you play, your interactions between the different factions will affect the game’s story and how it progresses. Favor any faction of your choice to get special missions, rewards, benefits, and abilities. Each faction has its own motivations and agendas. The Affinity parameter will be altered as a consequence of player’s choices in game. Every mission will alter affinity, increasing toward one and decreasing toward another. Affinities are important because they directly affect the character and mission progression, and play an important role in gameplay experience. Choose your faction and actions wisely, as they may alter how the story ends.

Key features of the game include:

• Play as an Exzore – As Master Exzore, you have the ability to equip up to six unique mechanical gadgets at a time – to help in combat and exploration. Each of these gadgets are different from one another and offer unique special abilities.
• Faction Affinity System – Favor any faction of your choice to get special missions, rewards, benefits, and abilities. Each faction has its own motivations and agendas. Choose your faction carefully as it may alter the game progression and ending.
• Companion – Icarus, your pet Golden Eagle is your most trusted ally in the field. Use his abilities to perform various scouting activities, right from spotting targets or treasures to aiding in combat.
• Unique Combat system – Indulge in well-crafted combat system containing smart and challenging foes. Mix and match multiple Exzore abilities in combination with your weapons to create powerful combos.
• Dynamic World – Feel the game world react to various natural factors like time, seasons, weather (rain, snowfall, wind), day-night cycle etc. Player interaction and exploration alter the game world, making it more alive.
• Smart Characters and Enemies – Every character in game has his/her own mind and will develop through the game. Everyone, right from common town folk to your greatest enemies will get smarter and stronger as you level up too.
• Non-linear Quests – Every quest in game is designed to be completed in many different ways. Every choice has its own unique outcomes and consequences.
• Progression – Start off with just two Exzore gadgets and a basic equipment, but as the game progresses, you unlock several other Exzore gadgets with uniqe abilities, craft your own weapons and armours using the Modular Crafting System and Develop your character by spending your experience points on stats and Skill Trees.

Exzore: The Rising is expected to launch in late 2018. For more information on the game, visit www.exzoretherising.com

About Tiny Shark Interactive

Founded in 2016 by a team of experienced game developers, Tiny Shark is passionate about only creating games of exceptional quality for PC and consoles. We aim to deliver highly immersive games with stunning visuals and innovative game features. www.tinysharkinteractive.com

Mafia III “Stones Unturned” DLC Now Available

SPLYCE TRIUMPHS AT THE CWL GLOBAL PRO LEAGUE STAGE 1 PLAYOFFS 

All Eyes Now Focus on CWL Anaheim on June 16-18 and CWL Stage 2, Beginning June 30 

May 31, 2017 – This weekend, the culmination of weeks of thrilling Call of Duty World League competition concluded with Splyce, the lone European representative, capturing top honours for the first time on North American soil at the CWL Global Pro League Stage 1 Playoffs. Over three days, eight of the top teams from CWL Global Pro League Stage 1 battled to determine the winner in a double elimination tournament.

After all top seeds from each group fell to the Loser Bracket following Day One of competition, it was ultimately Splyce and Luminosity battling for the lion’s share of the Global Pro League Stage 1 $700,000 prize pool.

“Splyce came into the weekend as the sole representative of any teams outside of North America and they showed up in a massive way, striking early and refusing to slow down,” MLG Call of Duty play-by-play caster Chris Puckett said of the Grand Finals winner. “In the Grand Finals, it was a superstar show from all four Splyce pros – including team newcomer Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris, who captured MVP honours.”

Here are the final rankings for the CWL Stage 1 Playoffs:

• 1^st – Splyce
• 2^nd – Luminosity
• 3^rd – FaZe Clan
• 4^th – OpTic Gaming
• 5^th/6^th – eUnited
• 5^th/6^th – Enigma6
• 7^th/8^th – Evil Geniuses
• 7^th/8^th – Team EnVyUs

The top 12 teams from Stage 1 will qualify for CWL Global Pro League Stage 2, which begins June 30. Beginning June 15 and continuing through the CWL Anaheim Open (June 16 – 18), the last-place team from each group of Stage 1 will try to re-earn their spot in the CWL Global Pro League Stage 2 series via a Relegation Tournament against the top teams, based on CWL Pro Points for teams not already in the Global Pro League. One team each from APAC and Europe will join two North American teams to compete for the opportunity to play against the bottom Stage 1 teams. The top four teams from Relegation will be placed in CWL Global Pro League Stage 2. All Stage 2 teams also secure a spot in the 2017 CWL Championships, taking place in Orlando, FL., August 9 – 13.

For teams that are not participating in Stage 2, the Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ) will give them the opportunity to compete for placement at the 2017 CWL Championships. Each region will have its own LCQ event, taking place as follows:

• EU: Runs July 1-3 at the Gfinity Arena in London. The top 16 teams from Europe based on CWL Pro Points will battle it out, and the top six teams from the event will go to the CWL Championships. Roster lock deadline is June 26^th. EU players can register here.
• APAC: Runs July 7-9 in Melbourne, Australia. The top 16 teams from the Asia/Pacific region based on CWL Pro Points will compete, and the top two teams will head to the CWL Championships. Roster lock deadline is June 26^th. APAC players can register here.
• NA: Set for July 25 at the MLG Arena in Columbus, Ohio, where the top 16 North American teams based on CWL Pro Points will compete for a chance to be one of the eight teams sent to the CWL Championships from this qualifier. Roster lock deadline is July 10^th. NA players can register here.

Be sure to check out https://www.callofduty.com/esports and follow @CODWorldLeague on Twitter , Instagram and Twitch for the latest CWL updates.

Call of Duty World League Presented by PlayStation®4 is proud to partner with Major League Gaming Corp. as the North American tournament operator and broadcast partner for the upcoming season.  Through MLG’s proven live streaming capabilities and technology, MLG.tv will help to deliver the CWL Pro League across mlg.tv/callofduty.

For the latest intel on the Call of Duty World League Presented by PlayStation®4 and for live broadcasts check out: http://www.callofduty.com/cwl, tv.majorleaguegaming.com/channel/cwl, www.youtube.com/majorleaguegaming.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company.  More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website,www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future including statements about the features and event timing of the CWL Global Pro League Stage 2, Relegation Tournament, 2017 CWL Championships and Last Chance Qualifiers, are forward-looking statements, that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

BIRTHDAYS THE BEGINNING NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND FOR PS4, & FREE DLCS!

NIS America is proud to announce that Birthdays the Beginning is now available for the PlayStation®4  in Australia and New Zealand! The game is also available digitally on Steam® (Windows).

Two decorative DLC items, “Crashed UFO” and “Boxasaurus Rex”, will be available for free on PSN from May 17.  See below for more details! Eight additional DLC bundles and two individual DLC will be arriving soon to give all players a chance to make their world even more unique!

The game will contain in-game text in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. The Steam® version will also contain in-game text in Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. 

https://youtu.be/l7eqzvLm3Fg 

About the game:

From the legendary creator Mr. Yasuhiro Wada (TOYBOX Inc.), comes Birthdays the Beginning: a new sandbox game in which players create cube-shaped worlds that give rise to diverse and unique lifeforms. With careful experimentation, players can shape the geography and alter the temperature of each world to create the conditions for life and witness the birth of an entire ecosystem!

About the DLCs:
Crashed UFO – Give your world some intergalactic charm with this UFO crash site decoration! What other secrets does the universe hold…?

Boxasaurus Rex – Decorate your world with the most dangerous dinosaur in all of prehistory! Made out of 100% recyclable materials! The Boxasaurus Rex decorative DLC item will available free from 17 May until 24 May. After 24 May, it will no longer be available for download.

Key Features:

A World All Your Own – Create any world you can imagine! From staggering mountains and sprawling forests to a deep sea dotted with islands, there’s no limit to your creations.

Life from the Beginning – Discover the history of everything as you foster life of all shapes and sizes – from single-celled organisms to complex multicellular life, including plants, mammals, dinosaurs, and more!

Cultivate Your Imagination – Imagine, Experiment, Create! Shape your planet and decide how plant and animal life evolves. No two planets will ever be truly alike.

READY YOUR CREW AND PREPARE FOR WARP in STAR TREK^TM: BRIDGE CREW, available now

Step Aboard a Federation Starship in a New Virtual Reality Game from Ubisoft^® to Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before 

Sydney, Australia — May 31, 2017 — Today, Ubisoft^® announced that Star Trek™: Bridge Crew, the virtual reality game where players explore space as a member of Starfleet, is now available for Oculus Rift, PlayStation^®VR and HTC Vive. Developed by Red Storm Entertainment, a Ubisoft studio, under license by CBS Consumer Products, Star Trek: Bridge Crew is playable cross-platform.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew immerses fans into the Star Trek universe as they assume the role of a Starfleet officer and complete missions that will determine the fate of their ship and crew. Playable cooperatively online with a crew, or solo as Captain, Star Trek: Bridge Crew puts players and their friends directly onto the bridge of a new starship, the U.S.S. Aegis, as they are dispatched to explore an uncharted sector of space.

In addition to an engaging story campaign, Star Trek: Bridge Crew features an Ongoing Voyages mode featuring randomized missions for countless hours of solo and co-op adventures on board the U.S.S Aegis or the legendary U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, authentically recreated from Star Trek: The Original Series.

Created exclusively for VR, Star Trek: Bridge Crew utilizes the powerful sense of social presence possible through virtual reality. Through hand tracking and full-body avatars, including real-time lip-sync, players can live out their Star Trek fantasies as they operate the Starfleet ship as Captain, Engineer, Helm or Tactical. Each role is crucial to the success of the varied missions players face, and only by working together can the crew complete their objectives.

Additionally, Star Trek: Bridge Crew will include IBM Watson interactive speech and cognitive capabilities during an experimental beta period this summer. With IBM Watson, players will be able to use their voice and natural-language commands to interact with their virtual Starfleet crew members.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew marks the most recent project in virtual reality for Ubisoft, which believes in the strong potential of VR to redefine social gaming with a unique sense of reality. Ubisoft recently released Werewolves Within™ and Eagle Flight^®, and announced a VR partnership with the film company SpectreVision.

For more information about Star Trek: Bridge Crew, please visit startrekbridgecrew.com.

About CBS Consumer Products

CBS Consumer Products manages worldwide licensing and merchandising for a diverse slate of television brands and series from CBS, CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution, as well as from the company’s extensive library of titles, Showtime and CBS Films. Additionally, the group oversees online sales of programming merchandise.  For more information, visit www.cbsconsumerproducts.com.

About IBM Watson: Pioneering a New Era of Computing

Watson represents a new era in computing called cognitive computing, where systems understand the world in a way more similar to humans: through senses, learning, and experience. Watson continuously learns from previous interactions, gaining in value and knowledge over time. With the help of Watson, organizations are harnessing the power of cognitive computing to transform industries, help professionals do their jobs better, and solve important challenges.

As part of IBM’s strategy to accelerate the growth of cognitive computing, Watson is open to the world, allowing a growing community of developers, students, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts to easily tap into the most advanced and diverse cognitive computing platform available today. Watson solutions are being built, used and deployed in more than 45 countries and across 20 different industries.

For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/Watson and ibm.com/press/watson. Join the conversation at #ibmwatson.

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2016–17 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,460 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

TM & © 2017 CBS Studios Inc. © 2017 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. Game software © 2017 Ubisoft Entertainment. Eagle Flight and Werewolves Within © 2016 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. The Eagle Flight logo, the Werewolves Within logo, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries.