PIXEL TOYS’ VR ARCADE SHOOTER DROP DEAD NOW AVAILABLE ON OCULUS RIFT WITH OCULUS TOUCH SUPPORT

Dedicated story campaign and competitive and cooperative multiplayer combine in this fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping zombie action game

LONDON – March 23, 2017 – Independent video game developer and publisher Pixel Toys has released the virtual reality arcade zombie shooter Drop Dead on Oculus Rift. The game is available today through the Oculus Store for $19.99.

Featuring full support for the responsive controls of Oculus Touch, Drop Dead’s 40 single-player story missions throw players into a time-traveling adventure that blends fast, immersive action with the campy thrills and humor of sci-fi horror classics. An explosive arsenal of weapons and high-tech gadgets gives quick-trigger gunslingers the power to blast off the limbs of the undead for strategic dismemberment while racking up huge combos with each bullseye.

Drop Dead on Oculus Rift also features a cooperative horde mode and score attack competitive multiplayer for up to four players online with full support for their own customized Oculus Avatars.

In addition, Drop Dead is receiving a free update on Gear VR Powered by Oculus today that contains new original content released with the Oculus Rift edition of the game, including new story missions, gameplay, boss encounters and weapons.

About Pixel Toys

Created in 2012, Pixel Toys is a global developer and publisher whose founders offer over 30 years of combined experience leading the development of premium video game projects on a variety of consoles, personal computers and handheld devices. Together with an exceptional senior team, the studio’s vision is to produce truly groundbreaking mobile entertainment.

For more information, please visit www.pixeltoys.com, and follow the company on Facebook and @PixelToysLtd on Twitter

WONDER BOY: THE DRAGON’S TRAP – INTRODUCING WONDER BOY… AND WONDER GIRL

PARIS – March, 23 2017 – DotEmu, developer and publisher specializing in modern releases of beloved retro games, and Lizardcube, are thrilled to unveil today a brand-new character for Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap.

Over the past few months we’ve showcased the various half-animal, playable characters, along with the popular Retro Feature and now it’s time to reveal the Human hero: Along with Wonder Boy in his classic form, you can now play as the totally awesome, totally radical Wonder Girl.

Bringing the game to a new, larger audience the remake of the classic includes many improvements – one of which is a female character who is just as strong, just as fierce as the titular male hero.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap will be available on April 18 for the PS4, Xbox One & Nintendo Switch.

Learn more about Wonder Girl on the new dev blog post (http://www.thedragonstrap.com/blog/post/201703_WonderBoyWonderGirl/) or hit up the website at www.thedragonstrap.com.

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About DotEmu:

DotEmu is a French video game company specializing in modern releases of beloved retro games. Our mission is simple: give every gamer access to yesteryear’s classic video games on today’s platforms, including PC, mobile, console and more. DotEmu is proud to have worked with some of the gaming industry’s most prestigious companies, including Square Enix (Final Fantasy series), SNK (Metal Slug and Fatal Fury series) and Ubisoft (Heroes of Might and Magic III HD). Our passionate team has worked on dozens of high-profile projects, including Ys Chronicles I & II (mobile), R-Type I & II (mobile), Another World (mobile, PC), Double Dragon Trilogy (mobile, PC), Titan Quest (iOS), Pang Adventures (mobile, PC, console), and more. Founded in 2007, DotEmu leverages its considerable technological know-how to maintain the original spirit of classic games while giving them a second life as rediscovered gems for a new generation of gamers.

About Lizardcube:

Lizardcube is a an up-and-coming Parisian games studio founded by game industry veteran Omar Cornut (Media Molecule: Tearaway and Dreams; Q-Games: Pixeljunk Shooter series;  Mekensleep: Soul Bubbles) and traditional comic/animation artist Ben Fiquet (Soul Bubbles, Powa, Les Chevaliers de la Chouette, Dreamworks, and Zodiac Kids).

GET SPLATTING ONLINE THIS WEEKEND WITH THE SPLATOON 2 GLOBAL TESTFIRE DEMO, FREE TO DOWNLOAD NOW FROM NINTENDO eSHOP ON NINTENDO SWITCH

Join fellow Inklings around the world during a two-day event from 25^th March – 26^th March

23^rd March 2017 – Following the 3^rd March release of Nintendo Switch – Nintendo’s most successful hardware launch in Australia and New Zealand ever – all Australian and New Zealand Nintendo Switch owners* can get their first taste of Splatoon 2 multiplayer action this weekend, and can prepare by downloading the free Splatoon 2 Global Testfire from Nintendo eShop, available now.

At certain times of day from 25-26^th March, players will get to enjoy 4-on-4 online Turf Wars against fellow Inklings across two maps – The Reef and Mussleforge Fitness – as well as test out new weapons such as the Splat Dualies, and remixed versions of the iconic Splat Roller and Splat Charger.

The Global Testfire takes place at the following times:

Saturday, 25^th March

• 6:00am – 6:59am AEDT
• 2:00pm – 2:59pm AEDT
• 10:00pm – 10:59pm AEDT

Sunday, 26^th March

• 6:00am – 6:59am AEDT
• 2:00pm – 2:59pm AEDT
• 10:00pm – 10:59pm AEDT

Splatoon 2 is the sequel to Nintendo’s hit family-friendly fun game about splatting ink and claiming turf, as the Inklings return in a colourful and chaotic 4-vs-4 action shooter, suitable for players of all ages and skill levels.

Players can experience multiplayer thrills at home on their TV when the Nintendo Switch console is in its dock. Splatoon enthusiasts can brush up on their skills on the go by removing the console from its dock and playing in either handheld or tabletop mode. Both Joy-Con controllers and the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller support gyro control, allowing for better aiming and enhanced control. New weapons and maps add tactical depth and provide new strategic options, making Splatoon 2 fresher than ever.

Nintendo Switch website: http://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendo-switch/

Nintendo Australia website: http://www.nintendo.com.au
Nintendo Australia Twitter: https://twitter.com/NintendoAUNZ
Nintendo Australia Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NintendoAUNZ
Nintendo AU on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/nintendoau

Chrono Secures $1 Million Funding Led by AIM Group to Scale Team, Platform Reach

Chrono’s Consumer-Facing Platform Intersects at Harnessing Influencer Purchase-Driving Power and Explosion of Digital Games Content

Huntsville, Alabama – March 22, 2017 – Chrono Inc. has raised a $1 million funding round led by AIM Group, along with BLH Partners and private investors. Chrono.gg is a unique digital distribution platform focused on engaging consumers via today’s top influencers in the interactive entertainment arena. The company will use the funding to further build its team, launch new services and scale its operation.

“We were immediately impressed with Justin and the Chrono.gg team from the very first interaction,” said Clay Corman, managing partner of AIM Group. “Their experience and knowledge of the gaming industry was evident, and the team is on the forefront of influencer marketing within the gaming space.”

Corman continued, “It makes so much sense to connect influencers with the games they love. Both the influencers and the publishers/developers win while giving gamers access to incredible deals and we are excited to be partnered with Chrono.gg and look forward to helping the company grow.”

Chrono was founded by three passionate partners with a unique perspective on consumer habits to buying the latest video games. By targeting a selection of exceptional interactive games content on a limited and focused basis, the company is able to offer consumers incredible value in a direct, straightforward manner. The platform has partnered with high-profile gaming personalities to drive interest and sales, allowing for a win-win by each group: independent games creators achieve increased exposure, and influencers receive a portion of the sales they drive via their content.

“The shift of consumer purchasing decisions from traditional avenues means there’s new areas for growth,” said Chrono’s founder and CEO Justin Sacks. “Chrono’s expansion is a natural extension of our objective: to innovate in previously undetermined marketspaces. We’re now able to expand our offerings to more well-known brands and continue to drive incredible value for publishers, influencers, and our customers.”

The platform has been active for one year, turning profit immediately upon launch in its first three days. The round of funding will allow for a concentrated push toward increased awareness, and senior level business and engineering staff to quickly ramp up as the site expands its reach and operations.

With 360+ game development partners, hundreds of influencer partners (and rapidly expanding) beyond an already impressive reach of 50mm+  and moving tens of thousands of copies weekly, Chrono’s unique insights have created opportunity where there wasn’t previously a market and the company is perfectly positioned for growth where consumer satisfaction meets innovation.

For more information, please visit chrono.gg.

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About AIM Group

With over 275 active members AIM Group is the largest angel network in the Southeast and one of the largest networks in the county. AIM Group has completed over 40 transactions in early stage companies since 2012. AIM Group looks to fund and support promising early stage technology companies in a wide variety of industries that ranges from software to healthcare (and everything in between). While AIM Group is relatively industry agnostic, the primary focus is on finding talented entrepreneurs who have the skill set to bring game changing ideas to market.

About Chrono  

Founded in 2015, Chrono.gg is a unique digital distribution platform founded by three passionate gamers with a unique understanding of the interactive entertainment industry. Its vision lies at the cross-section of where influential content meets outstanding value.  For more information, please visit www.chrono.gg.

GOG Galaxy – biggest update yet marks the end of beta
GOG Galaxy Update 1.2 introduces Universal Cloud Saves, enables full customization of the Client to your needs, saves system resources with hibernate mode and more.

Warsaw, March 22 – GOG Galaxy, the gamer-friendly Client is coming out of beta with a major new update. Designed for convenient purchasing, playing and updating games, as well as an online play between gaming platforms, GOG Galaxy is also built with optionality in mind, and a belief that you should own the games you buy.

The highlight of GOG Galaxy Update 1.2 are Universal Cloud Saves. The new feature makes it possible to add cloud saving functionality not only to new games, but also to titles that never offered cloud saving before. Thanks to this, excellent titles like Planescape: Torment, Dragon Age Origins, Heroes of Might & Magic® III, Vampire®: the Masquerade Bloodlines will gain benefits of saves syncing and cloud backup for the first time ever. Additionally, because GOG.com is all about giving freedom of choice to users, cloud saves are not locked behind the gaming platform – at any moment users can download backup of their saves data and use it as they see fit.

“Losing your save files can be really frustrating. And a big part of gaming legacy, including many of the greatest games, was missing cloud saves – until now.” explains Piotr Karwowski, Managing Director at GOG.com. “Thanks to the Universal Cloud Saves feature of GOG Galaxy, not only new games, but also the all-time classics and titles which development has been finished years ago, will be upgraded with saves syncing and cloud backup.”

GOG Galaxy Update 1.2 also introduces an option to customize the Client to users’ needs by selecting features they want to use, for a personalised experience and no feature-creep. In addition, the brand new hibernate mode cuts on Client CPU usage when playing a game, and saves resources and battery life when idling in the background. Update 1.2 also packs many of community’s most-desired requests, including bandwidth limiting and scheduling, FPS counter, screenshot capturing, in-game overlay, achievement rarity, desktop and in-game notifications system, new chat and more.

GOG Galaxy Update 1.2 is available today to users who opted to test upcoming updates, and will be rolling out to everyone in April. To download GOG Galaxy or see what’s new and improved visit GOG.com/Galaxy.

THE FATE OF A CONTINENT IS IN YOUR HANDS IN FIRE EMBLEM ECHOES: SHADOWS OF VALENTIA, COMING TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND ON 20^TH MAY FOR NINTENDO 3DS FAMILY SYSTEMS

A Limited Edition including an artbook, metal pixel pin badges and the Sound Selection CD to release on the same date

22^nd March, 2017 – When civil war threatens to bring destruction to the realm, long-lost childhood friends with secret pasts must gather forces, reunite, and bring peace to the continent when Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia launches on Nintendo 3DS family systems on 20^th May. Remade, remastered, and releasing outside of Japan for the first time, this reimagining of Fire Emblem Gaiden provides Australian and New Zealand players with a brand new Fire Emblem adventure with a revered past.

This game is the latest in the long-running and growing strategy RPG series, and comes hot on the heels of the recently released free-to-start title Fire Emblem Heroes on smart devices. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will see players take control of the two separate armies of Alm and Celica as their differing quests attempt to achieve the unified goal of bringing peace to the land of Valentia. Battles in the Fire Emblem series see players take their small force of recruited soldiers against increasingly powerful armies in turn-based battles that require careful tactical planning, as mistakes or failed attacks will see units become exposed and vulnerable to enemy attack.

Should a unit be cut down in the midst of battle in Fire Emblem’s traditional Classic Mode, they’ll either become too injured to ever return to the battlefield, or will be fatally wounded. In Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, players can use Mila’s Turnwheel to rewind the player’s last few turns, giving them a chance to reverse tactical errors and reconsider their next strategic move. Should players not wish defeat to be permanent, they can play through the game in Casual Mode, which allows fallen allies to be revived after each battle, letting players progress through the story more comfortably.

Players will also be able to enjoy expanded story content to propel them further into the intertwining adventures of Alm and Celica, including new recruitable heroes, new villains to defeat, and a new prologue that explores the previously hidden history of Alm and Celica. For the first time in the Fire Emblem series, all character dialogue for main story scenes is fully voiced in English, while beautifully animated cutscenes from movie animators Studio Khara will allow budding tacticians to soak in the story as never before.

In another first for the Fire Emblem series Alm and Celica can freely explore caves and dungeons in three dimensions, allowing them to see enemies before battle: players can gain a vital advantage by attacking enemies in these areas, causing them to begin the conflict with reduced health. Inside each dungeon is a Mila’s Statue, which can be used to promote characters and change their class, while some contain Sacred Springs, which can grant heroes with permanent stat increases.

When it launches on 20^th May, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will be available as a solus game and special Limited Edition, featuring the packaged game with reversible titlesheet, an artbook, metal pixel pin badges of Alm, Celica, and Marth and the Sound Selection CD. The Limited Edition will launch exclusively via EB Games Australia and New Zealand for SRP AU$99.95. Also launching on the 20^th of May are the Alm and Celica amiibo figures. When used, these amiibo* will each activate their own exclusive dungeon, allowing heroes to earn items and level up their armies further by defeating bosses.

By selecting Mila’s Turnwheel from the menu on the overworld map, players will also be able to activate their Alm and Celica amiibo to use in battle. During combat, players can sacrifice a portion of Alm or Celica’s health in order to summon a computer-controlled Illusory Hero, which will act as a temporary ally for a single turn. As Alm and Celica get stronger, their stats can be saved to their respective amiibo, allowing their Phantom Helper to grow in strength alongside them.

In addition, amiibo of Marth, Roy, Ike, Robin, Lucina, and even the upcoming Corrin amiibo can be used to summon an Illusory Hero of that character, allowing players to seek assistance from spectral visages. All other currently available amiibo are also compatible, and will summon an additional monster to the battleground to assist players on the battlefield, proving some much needed help in case of a strategic emergency.

The fate of a continent is in your hands when Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia releases across Australia and New Zealand on 20^th May for Nintendo 3DS family systems. A Limited Edition containing the game with reversible titlesheet, an artbook, metal pixel pin badges of Alm, Celica, and Marth and the Sound Selection CD will be available on the same date. The Alm and Celica amiibo will also launch on 20^th May.