Wild West Online From 612 Games Raises Funding to Launch in 2017

Action Online Multiplayer Game to Bypass Kickstarter and Steam Early Access On Its Way to Full Release 

Los Angeles – May 17, 2017 – 612 Games announces today that the recently revealed online multiplayer game Wild West Online will launch this year on PC. Thanks to an overwhelming response to the game’s reveal, which included thousands of emails and over 200,000 site visits, Wild West Online received additional funding from the game’s initial investors in order to fully launch in 2017.

Thanks to this further backing the development team will no longer need to raise additional support via a Kickstarter campaign and has also decided to bypass Steam Early Access to focus on a full launch. Those interested in learning more about the game and participating in Alpha and Closed Beta this summer can visit http://www.playwwo.com/.

In addition Wild West Online will now release with its previous stretch goals in place at launch, including female characters, rich role-playing and social activities such as card games, and localization. After launch 612 Games will release additional content and gameplay features as part of several expansions in order to continue delivering the ultimate Wild West experience on PC.

“The community’s response to Wild West Online is something we never imagined and thanks to it we’re able to fully develop a robust Western experience for PC,” said Stephan Bugaj, Chief Creative Officer of 612 Games. “We’ve been fortunate enough to have our initial investors step up and provide additional funding to make the game we wanted, without having to raise money via crowdfunding. Westerns are lacking on PC so we can’t wait to release the game to the public.”

Wild West Online is an open-world action-based, online multiplayer game in which players are free to explore and interact within a thrilling Wild West setting. Based on their decisions and actions, players can become a lawman, an outlaw or a pioneer exploring the Western Frontier. The game features a bevy of content, including world exploration, resource gathering, PvP combat, PvE game missions, treasure hunts and much more.

For more information regarding Wild West Online please visit http://www.playwwo.com/.

About 612 Games

612 Games is a new publisher created in partnership between DJ2 Entertainment, a full service transmedia production company that develops and produces content for all media platforms, and other game industry veterans. The team is made up of industry vets who’ve worked on titles such as the Crysis series, Ryse, Armored Warfare, Telltale’s Walking Dead, Telltale’s Game of Thrones, Neverwinter Nights, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Star Trek Online.

Dorna Sports takes racing to the living room as MotoGP™ eSport Championship gets underway

Always at the forefront of digital trends, Dorna Sports kicks off the MotoGP™ eSport Championship in 2017 to further engage its gaming fan base – as well as enticing fans to race in the comfort of their homes.

17 May 2017, Milan – Dorna Sports approaches this project as a brand new Championship within its  portfolio of racing series, managing all aspects of the competition. The official MotoGP™ ’17 console video game – produced by long standing licensee Milestone – will provide the backbone of the MotoGP™ eSport Championship, allowing gamers to take part in online challenges throughout the 2017 season with the aim of qualifying for the season finale, to be held in November at the circuit in Valencia – coinciding with the last round of the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship. The eSport final event will be broadcast live by Dorna’s TV partners.

Exclusive to SONY  PlayStation® 4, the MotoGP™ eSport Championship will provide a direct link to real life racing with seven online events in a time trial format. The 16 fastest players will be invited to test their skills in a first live event in Valencia, just ahead of the MotoGP™ season closer, with a BMW M240i up for grabs as the top prize.

This first foray into the eSports scene will lay the groundwork for a more extensive calendar for next year’s eSport Championship, which is backed by several founding members – most of whom are already involved in the MotoGP™ World Championship as sponsors or partners.

Pau Serracanta, Dorna Sports’ Commercial Area Managing Director said: “Moving into the eSports scene is taking MotoGP into a new era. It’s a unique way to engage our established gaming audience and also a clear sign to the wider gaming community that MotoGP™ is not only one of the top motorsports properties in real life, but also one of the most exciting digital experiences a console game can deliver. We will be putting together an exciting package mixing virtual and real life encounters blending the two worlds to deliver the utmost authenticity. From top tier partners to TV broadcasters and MotoGP™ teams, the stakeholders will be working in unison to have a successful start in eSports, on a scale befitting MotoGP’s highest standards.”

Pokkén Tournament Championship Series Coming Summer 2017

Charming Fantasy Sci-Fi RTS Hypernova: Escape From Hadea Launches today on Steam Greenlight and Indiegogo

Discover The Beautiful Flora And Fauna Of Haya In This Single-Player RTS Slated For Launch on PC and Mac

Ljubljana, Slovenia — May 16, 2017 – ActaLogic today announced the start of the Steam Greenlight campaign for its upcoming single-player real-time strategy game, Hypernova: Escape from Hadea. Players assume the role of the Scynthians who must colonise and mine Hadea’s moon, Haya, in a bid to escape the death of their star. The developer simultaneously kicks off an Indiegogo campaign in order to fund the last development stages and pre-release activities like localisation and promotion.

Combining classic resource management and civilization building with intuitive tower-defense gameplay, Hypernova: Escape From Hadea is a charming sci-fi and fantasy RTS with quirky characters, beautiful planetary design and a healthy dollop of humour. Launching on Steam Greenlight and Indiegogo today, it’s first steps towards saving the Scynthians from certain oblivion.

Check out the Hypernova: Escape from Hadea trailer here: https://youtu.be/0pdw1MmIx6k

“Hypernova looks incredible with clean, colorful graphics and seamless, responsive gameplay”, said Simon Sukljan, CEO of ActaLogic. “We’re excited to finally unveil it to the public and start receiving feedback on our vision so we can incorporate that into the game.”

In Hypernova, an alien planetary system is in danger as its huge star – Naidira – is becoming increasingly unstable. Realising that it’s only a matter of time before an apocalyptic hypernova explosion destroys their entire planet, the Scynthians devise a plan to escape their planet and rebuild their civilization elsewhere in the galaxy. However, the technology to build an interstellar teleportation device that could allow them to escape is powered by materials which have been depleted as a result of their population’s expansion on Hadea.

The only place where they can gather more of these elements is on Hadea’s moon, Haya, an inhospitable world with a corrosive atmosphere, inhabited by violent creatures. In a desperate, last-ditch effort to save their race, the Scynthians send an expedition to Haya to find a way to power the escape technology and save their culture. Hypernova: Escape from Hadea is a fantasy game with single-player RTS gameplay launching on Steam for PC and Mac with an expected ESRB rating of 10+.

Official Website: http://www.HypernovaGame.com

Like Hypernova on Facebook: http://facebook.com/HypernovaGame

Follow Hypernova on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ActaLogic

About ActaLogic

ActaLogic™ is a game development studio located in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. Dedicated to new technology, art, animation, and design, we focus on titles for PC, Mac, Linux and Consoles (XBOX, PlayStation) in the genres of simulation, strategy and adventures. ActaLogic™ provides software solutions for the video game, military and civil industries, although the core business of the company is the development of high quality video and computer games.

Paradox Interactive Opens New Studio for Mobile Game Development

New mobile-focused team to reside in Malmö

STOCKHOLM — May 17, 2017 — Paradox Interactive, a global developer and publisher of games on all platforms, today announced the opening of a new studio which will focus on mobile game development. The new studio will operate in Malmö, a city in southern Sweden, and will consist of a small team of experienced developers focused on bringing mobile gamers the kind of deep, challenging experiences the world has come to expect from Paradox.

Paradox’s new studio will join the city’s rapidly growing development community, working alongside such peers as Massive Entertainment and Tarsier Studios.

“Paradox is committed to exploring new territory in mobile game development, and I’m eager to lead that charge,” said Kim Nordström, SVP of Innovation and Mobile at Paradox Interactive. “Our plan is to bring the iconic Paradox style to mobile players across a broad catalog of titles. To achieve that, it’s important that we bring aboard the right people – people capable of delivering the kind of hardcore strategic titles we’re known for on PC. Games like Prison Architect: Mobile are just the beginning!”

“We chose Malmö because it has such a vibrant development community, and we know there’s plenty of talent to be found here,” said Susana Meza Graham, COO at Paradox Interactive. “In the coming months we are looking to add several new members to the team, both in Malmö and the mobile publishing team in Stockholm.”

For more information on how to join the Paradox mobile team, please visit http://career.paradoxplaza.com/departments/mobile

Paradox Interactive is a leading global publisher of strategy games for PC. The world-renowned strategy catalog stretches back to 1999, and the company holds a particularly strong presence in the United States and Europe.

The publisher’s steadily-growing portfolio includes firmly established PC franchises such as the critically acclaimed Europa Universalis, Cities: Skylines, Crusader Kings, Magicka and the Hearts of Iron series created by Paradox Development Studio and a network of partner studios.

The award-winning Elite Dangerous comes to PlayStation 4 next month

Sydney, Australia –  17 May, 2017 – Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV) announced the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer space epic Elite Dangerous will launch for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system on June 27, 2017.

Elite Dangerous: Legendary Edition will also be available at physical retail stores for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on the same day, featuring Elite Dangerous, the Elite Dangerous: Horizons season pass and a bonus 1,000 Frontier Points to spend on in-game cosmetic items.

Elite Dangerous re-creates the entirety of the Milky Way at its full galactic proportions, with an evolving player-driven narrative and connected multiplayer experience. Starting with only a small starship and a few credits, players do whatever it takes to earn the skill, knowledge, wealth and power to survive in a futuristic cutthroat galaxy and to stand among the ranks of the iconic Elite.

Sonic Forces™ Introduces New, Third Gameplay Style

Sydney, Australia — May 17, 2017 — SEGA® revealed the third gameplay style in Sonic Forces is a powerful gadget touting customizable character. For the first time in the Sonic series, players can create their own original Hero Character, and customise how the character plays and how it looks. This newly revealed playstyle in Sonic Forces is in addition to the previously revealed fast-paced action of Modern Sonic and the thrilling platforming of Classic Sonic. 

In this just announced gameplay style, players will be equipping their custom Hero Character with one of a variety of powerful unique gadgets called Wispons. Wispons are an evolution of the Color Powers from Sonic Colours and double as both offensive abilities and as a way to platform through levels quickly. Along with the Wispon, the Hero Character will have a grappling hook they can utilise to quickly traverse across zones. Players can also customise the Hero Character’s looks by choosing and swapping between hundreds of accessories and outfit options to change the character’s appearance as they play through the game.

There are seven base animal types that players can select from, each with varying special abilities:

• Wolf – Automatically draws in rings when near them
• Rabbit – Has longer invincible time after receiving damage
• Cat – Keeps one ring after being hit
• Dog – Restarts with five rings after the player dies
• Bear – Blows away enemies with a homing attack
• Bird – Flies high with double jump abilities
• Hedgehog – Collects rings when getting damaged

No matter what Hero the player chooses to create, it will be featured throughout the entire game. In a first for the Sonic franchise, a character the player creates will be a key part of the story, appearing not only in cut scenes, but by being a crucial element in helping Sonic reclaim the world from Eggman’s domination.

Sonic Forces will be available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, & PC in 2017. Join the Uprising to take back the world from Dr. Eggman.

To stay current on Sonic the Hedgehog news, follow Sonic on Twitter and Instagram, like him on Facebook, and subscribe to the Twitch channel and the YouTube channel.

EB EXPO PRESENTS REGURGITATOR, ART VS. SCIENCE AND 7BIT HERO – 1 NIGHT ONLY!

The team behind EB Expo 2017 on the Gold Coast are thrilled to announce the entertainment weekend will kick off its Gold Coast return with a special live music event Unit20. Regurgitator will be joined by Art vs. Science and 7Bit Hero to celebrate 20 years since Regurgitator’s ground-breaking second studio album Unit. The concert will rock Gold Coast Convention Centre on Friday 6 October.

For the first time ever, rock and gaming fans will get to witness a special collaboration of three bands with an iconic place in Australia’s pop culture and music scenes. Show-goers will be blown away by state-of-the art 3D visual effects and an amazing sensory experience.

More than 20 years after they first formed in Brisbane, Regurgitator are still going strong. After releasing their debut album Tu-Plang in 1996, their mega-popular follow-up Unit was released in 1997 which quickly went triple platinum and won five ARIA awards including Album of the Year.

Unit is but a pixel in time. A spec in the Australian music cultural cosmos. In itself a chimerical reaction to a love of music past. Forged in a self-created Dirty Room studio in the Fortitude Valley over a few weeks in August 1997 after returning from an extensive US tour with Helmet & The Melvins… then set adrift in the molecular world by Warner Music on NOV 3 1997. First conveyed into the live stratosphere at a ski club in the northern climes of Darwin on a balmy Halloween eve… this self-effacing monster of a retrotech platter stirred the self-styled opening jeer of I like your old stuff better than your new stuff, tumbling all that chose to follow into the rapidly embraced new stuff of beeps, blips and all out pop-rockin’ fun. Unit resolutely found its link in the musical DNA of the day and 20 years down the track this yellow dot still glows with all the intensity it rose that day to greet us with. The UNIT20 collaboration with EB Games strives for a unique multi-dimensional ocular moment, the only live revisitation we will emit across this double decade point in time… and even more the gratification to be joined in this celebration by musical compatriots Art vs Science along with 7 Bit Hero to help transmit the light and sound. Pong on indeed!

The trio guarantee to erase the roof and open the sky, as will electronic dance band Art vs. Science. The Sydney-based group won the ARIA award for Best Independent Release for their debut album The Experiment in 2011.

Art vs Science have come a long way since 2009. Their debut EP, featuring major hits ‘Parlez Vous Francais?’ (#2 in triple j’s 2008 Hottest 100) and ‘Magic Fountain’ (#9 the following year), cemented the Sydney three-piece as one of Australia’s favourite bands. In 2011, Art vs Science won an ARIA Award for Best Independent Album and were championed as festival headliners, welcomed back time and time again for their feel-good and dynamic live show.

Taking time off after their debut record, they honed their sound for 2014 EP Create / Destroy and the result was a self-assured release paying tribute to their dance rock roots, but with a new level of depth and vitality. When the trio reunited in 2015 for their sophomore release Off The Edge of The Earth and Into Forever, Forever it was with the same desire for renewal and transformation. Art vs Science have spent the past two years touring, and working on new music.

Hyper bit-pop band 7Bit Hero, who also develop video games for mobile platforms, will also get fingers dancing with their eclectic set which combines music with interactive visuals. During their show, your smartphone will be your joystick that allows you to control a character in the multi-player game projected behind the band.

“We could not be more excited to have the opportunity to bring Unit20 to the Gold Coast for an exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime show,” said Event Manager Trent Weekes

“This is truly a historic musical event that will kick off a huge weekend of entertainment at the EB Expo. There will be no better place to be the second weekend of October.”

Tickets for sitting or standing areas start from only $49.95 and will be available via Ticketek.com.au, ebexpo.com.au or at all EB Games and ZiNG Pop Culture stores from Friday May 19. Concert doors will open at 7.30pm.

BIGBEN AND KYLOTONN STUDIO ANNOUNCE WRC 7, THE OFFICIAL VIDEO GAME OF THE 2017 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Sydney (Australia), May 17^th, 2017 – Bigben and Kylotonn are pleased to announce the upcoming release of WRC 7, the official video game of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The game will be available this spring on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC.

With over one million copies sold in the last 2 years, the WRC license will benefit from the experience of the French studio Kylotonn, which will use all of its expertise to develop a more precise, extreme and realistic game. This year, the level of immersion in the FIA World Rally Championship will be even higher.

WRC 7 will put even more emphasis on the dynamic new-for-2017 World Rally Cars, including Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon’s Hyundai i20 (already 2 victories in 5 events in 2017 for Hyundai Motorsport) highlighted in the trailer called “The Beauty and the Beast”. 

This year the World Rally Championship rules have changed, and the cars in which the drivers compete are more powerful and more aggressive. Their new characteristics, enhanced by astonishing aerodynamics and improved handling, will make the rallies even more spectacular. This surge of power experienced while steering and driving with the controller will never have felt so real.

Aggressive, loud and nimble, the WRC 7 cars represent a new challenge for players, who will face off against each other to gain crucial tenths of a second on the Tarmac, dirt and snow of the 13 rallies in the WRC. Players will have the chance to play as their favourite WRC drivers and cars from the 2017 season, including Sébastien Ogier (Ford Fiesta WRC), Kris Meeke (Citroën C3 WRC) or Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota Yaris WRC).

The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC is a 380hp version of the road car, able to reach 60mph in less than 4 seconds. For Hyundai Motorsport, the three-door Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC represents the team’s third new car since its debut in the Championship back in 2014. 

WRC 7 will be available in spring of 2017 on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC.

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS III ZOMBIES CHRONICLES AVAILABLE NOW, FIRST ON PLAYSTATION®4

Players Can Now Experience Eight Classic, Fully-Remastered Maps from Call of Duty: World at War, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II, All In One Package “8 Days of the Undead” Fan Celebration Kicks-Off Today, Featuring Free In-Game Giveaways, and Much More. 

May 17, 2017 – Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles, the unprecedented collection from Activision that includes eight of the most beloved Zombies maps from previous Treyarch-developed Call of Duty games, is available now together in one package on the PlayStation® Network for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. The fully remastered maps, featuring thrilling Zombies origins stories, have been enhanced with stunning visuals, enhanced audio and new gameplay for current console generations.

The eight maps in Zombies Chronicles are:

• From Call of Duty: World at War: Nacht der Untoten (Abandoned Bunker), Verruckt (Wittenau Sanitorium) and Shi No Numa (Jungle Swamp)
• From Call of Duty: Black Ops: Kino Der Toten (Theater of the Dead), Ascension (Soviet Cosmodrome), Shangri-la (Exotic Jungle Shrine) and Moon (Lunar Base)
• From Call of Duty: Black Ops II: Origins (WWI France) 

Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles takes players through the beginnings of the original Zombies saga remastered in true HD. It features the classic characters that fans have come to know and love, as well as the deep storylines that have made Zombies so popular. The collection adds vibrant current-generation visuals, enhanced lighting, revamped character models and environments, and updated AI and audio systems. Zombies Chronicles also lets players use custom weapons, including current weaponry featured in Black Ops III that wasn’t featured in the original maps. 

To celebrate launch day, Activision and Treyarch are kicking-off the “8 Days of the Undead.” Players of Black Ops III on all platforms and players of Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles on PS4 are invited to earn double XP rewards, engage in community challenges, and to receive a host of free exclusive content, including Zombies calling cards, a new weapon camo, new GobbleGums and a PS4 theme.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles* is a digital offering available now at a suggested retail price of $AUD44.95, and comes with the following bonus content with purchase:

• 20 Vials of Liquid Divinium
• 2 All-New Whimsical GobbleGums
• Exclusive Zombies Pack-A-Punch Weapon Camo

*Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles is a content expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops III which is sold separately and is required to play this downloadable content pack. Internet Connection Required. For more information, please visit https://support.activision.com/zombieschronicles.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles is published by Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. [NASDAQ: ATVI], and developed by Treyarch. The game is rated R18+ for Mature Audiences (Blood, Intense Violence and Strong Language).

For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com. Fans can also follow @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About Treyarch

Treyarch is an award-winning video game studio, driven by the desire to create epic gameplay experiences that are enjoyed by as many video game fans as possible. It is an approach that has helped to make the studio behind the Call of Duty®: Black Ops series of games, an industry-leading developer. Call of Duty: Black Ops set an entertainment launch opening record upon its release in 2010 and continues to be one of the best-selling games of all time, according to NPD and GfK Chart-Track; Call of Duty: Black Ops II set world-wide launch day records; and the studio’s most recent Call of Duty: Black Ops III had the biggest entertainment opening weekend of 2015, and was the #1 console game globally for the calendar year. Additionally, Treyarch is the birthplace of Call of Duty’s Zombies. Treyarch is wholly owned by Activision Publishing, Inc.

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 (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.