GAIJIN ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES NAVAL BATTLES FOR WAR THUNDER

Naval Battles Launches in Closed Beta Later This Year with “Knights of the sea”

(MOSCOW, RUSSIAN FEDERATION) – August 11, 2016 – Gaijin Entertainment today announced the forthcoming start of closed beta for Naval Battles, the highly sought after combat mode in War Thunder, its award-winning MMO WWII online game with first exclusive hands-on at this year’s Gamescom. The inclusion of Naval Battles will provide fans with the ability to battle from the land, sea and air.

The participants of naval battle’s upcoming closed beta will be called the “Knights of the Sea”. Made up of torpedo, artillery and missile boats, coast guard vessels and submarine chasers, they are the so-called “small” naval contingent that served in all oceanic theatres of World War 2.

“The high level of realism is one of the key design features of War Thunder. Vehicles are as close to their real life counterparts as possible. Classic large ship battles during the war were contests of patience and planning, where engagements could last from several hours to several days. In War Thunder, where all kinds of vehicles fight in one battle and players can control aircraft, tanks and ships, it is not possible to change the size of the ships or make time run faster, as everything needs to remain consistent.

Our internal testing showed that battles with large battleships were too long and slow or required design changes that made ships entirely unrealistic. For this reason, we are leading with fast attack-based craft, which are rarely reproduced in games. Ships, that are more suitable for the formula of our game. These fast, agile and dangerous “Knights of the Sea” are worthy contenders for aircraft and tanks on the ground” – says creative director Kirill Yudintsev, Gaijin Entertainment.

All nations in War Thunder will get naval forces. Invited players and those who purchase one of two Starter packs with unique ships, will be able to join the closed testing as soon as the testing phase begins later this year.

The first Starter Pack includes a Soviet Project 1124 Armored River Boat. The T-34 turret and two 12.7mm machine guns allow the gunboat to efficiently eliminate enemy ships and low-flying aircraft; but the main destructive power of the Project 1124 lies in her M-13-M1 unguided rocket launcher, the legendary Katyusha.
The second starter pack includes the famous American PT-109, a motor torpedo boat on which the future US President John F. Kennedy served and performed acts of wartime heroism. During one of the operations the boat was subjected to a surprise ram attack from the Japanese destroyer, Amagiri. Despite a serious back injury, Lieutenant Kennedy acted wisely and decisively, saving all ten surviving crew members. In War Thunder, this boat is a fast and maneuverable ship destroyer. Her four torpedoes, each weighing almost 1,200 kg, come in handy for destroying large naval targets. Both ships will be available at the start of closed beta testing.

The first to take part in the naval battles of War Thunder will be the visitors of Gamescom 2016. In the game booth in Hall 6, Gaijin Entertainment has organized a special closed area, where guests can try their hand as captains of attack boats. For those unable to visit the exhibition, there will be a special video broadcast from the official Twitch booth and new devblog updates each day, where developers of the game will talk about the new regime, present ships of different nations and run giveaways of closed beta access codes for the viewers.

Naval Starter Packs: https://store.gaijin.net/catalog.php?search=special_offer_wt&tag=1

Devblog link: http://devblog.warthunder.com

NEW POKÉMON—WISHIWASHI, PYUKUMUKU, MORELULL AND MORE ALOLAN POKÉMON VARIANTS—REVEALED FOR POKÉMON SUN AND POKÉMON MOON!

New details about Alola region ruffians Team Skull also announced

Stunning hand-animated adventure The Little Acre heading to PC and consoles later this year – from Pewter Games and Executive Producer Charles Cecil

Curve Digital handling publishing duties as Dublin studio unveils Revolutionary partnership for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 point and click adventure

Thursday, August 11^th 2016: Dublin-based games studio Pewter Games has today unveiled Charles Cecil as the Executive Producer on its forthcoming adventure ‘The Little Acre’. In addition, the company has signed a publishing agreement with Curve Digital, who will be publishing the game on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year.

Merging the charm of classical Don Bluth animation (All Dogs go to Heaven) with the magical wonder of a Myazaki world, The Little Acre is a stunning graphic adventure set in 1950s Ireland, which follows the story of Aidan and his young daughter, Lily. Investigating the sinister disappearance of his father, Aidan finds himself transported to a strange new world populated by bizarre creatures. Things are not helped when young Lily decides that she is going to ‘help’ and encounters her own perils along the way.

Featuring extensive hand-drawn animation and full voice acting, The Little Acre is a memorable, lovingly crafted adventure game.

This may be Pewter Games’ first title – but the team is supplemented by Broken Sword visionary Charles Cecil, who has come on board as Executive Producer. His role has been to help shape the later stages of development, his vast experience within the genre offering a unique perspective.  It is the first time he has accepted an Executive Producer role.

“Mine and Chris’s gaming background is strangely disparate,” says Ben Clavin, Pewter Games. “Whilst between us we’ve played all the essentials, there’s only one series that we have both played – and that’s Broken Sword. Charles is one of the biggest names in adventure gaming, so having him agree to join the team is a huge endorsement of the work we’ve been doing.”

“There were already a few nods to Broken Sword within The Little Acre,” adds Chris Conlan, Pewter Games, “so to be working with Charles officially is a dream. His insight so far has been invaluable, and his experience in the genre is second to none. We’re absolutely over the moon he is on board!”

“When I first saw The Little Acre, I was blown away by the game’s beauty and attention to detail,” says Charles Cecil. “I was delighted to discover how much of an influence Broken Sword had had on The Little Acre and was enormously flattered when Chris and Ben asked me to act as Executive Producer. “It’s a game I would have been extremely proud to have written myself and I am very excited to be building a relationship, and friendship, with a very talented young development team.”

The Little Acre will be available later this year for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Features

• Traditional hand-drawn animation
• Two playable characters
• Beautiful original score
• Fully voice acted
• Unique transitions to an isometric perspective

NEXON Korea Launches ‘Clash of Five Colors’ Event for Mabinogi Duel

Fans of Nexon Korea’s widely-popular strategic mobile trading card game (TCG) Mabinogi Duel, based on acclaimed MMO Mabinogi, can celebrate as Nexon Korea unveils its latest in-game event, ‘Clash of Five Colors’ – starting today. Players now have the opportunity to rise up as champions in Mabinogi Duel through player vs. player (PvP) battles with duelists from all over the world in the ‘Clash of Five Colors’ event arena. They will receive limited edition prizes while the event lasts through Aug. 22.

Players that join us for the ‘Clash of Five Colors’ event will be able to:

• Challenge Duelist from around the world in the epic ‘Clash of Five Colors’ event arena: Test your skills against other players in a three-round challenge where players are limited to only using 12 cards of the same color during the battle (Aug. 9 – Aug. 22);
• Earn special rewards: Rewards include ‘Medal Event Cards’, ‘Season Mutant Boosters’, ‘Arena Tickets’, and gems;
• Play new Achievement Challenges/ Question Missions: Complete the new quest missions during the event period to receive two awesome ‘Hero Skins’, El Brack and Shaley Jaemera, a ‘Medal Event Card’, gold and increased chances to earn ‘Special Cards’ from ‘Super Boosters’;
• Additional updated features include: An updated Arena schedule, increased rewards for ‘Newbie Arenas’, enhanced Personal Shop systems, and a modified User Interface and gameplay.

Mabinogi Duel is currently available to download on iTunes and Google Play for free:Download.

If you haven’t checked out Mabinogi Duel, please feel free to install the game and we can update your account with a nice supply of in-game currency. In addition, members of Nexon are available for an interview about the title. We’d love for you to share the news and new assets for Mabinogi Duel. We also have new screenshots to commemorate this new event.

For New Assets: http://bit.ly/ClashofFiveColorsAssets
Official Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/mabinogiduel
Official website: http://devcat.nexon.com/duel/us

SPACE STRATEGY GAME, STARS IN SHADOW, SETS EARLY ACCESS LAUNCH FOR SEPTEMBER

Distinctive Comic Style Sci-Fi 4x Strategy PC Title to be Shown at Gamescom 2016 Before Next Month’s Early Access Release

Haarlem, The Netherlands – August 11, 2016 – Iceberg Interactive, the publisher well-known for its love of sci-fi games and 4x strategy titles, today announces that their brand new PC space strategy game, Stars in Shadow (PC) will be launching on September 15, 2016 via Steam Early Access and other digital platforms. The game marks the first title for the Canadian development studio, Ashdar Games, and long-time fans of the popular 4x genre will not be disappointed.

Stars in Shadow is a turn-based 4x strategy game set deep in space featuring seven playable factions, comprised of six different alien races. Offered in a highly distinctive comic-book art style, Stars in Shadow draws players into its galactic universe with an immersive backstory. By competing with alien factions, exploring nearby star systems, developing colonies and empires, and much more, the galaxy can be unified through either diplomacy or by force – the choice will be left entirely up to the player.

Features

• Unique hand-drawn comic book art style
• Turn based 4X space strategy featuring turn based fleet combat. The tactical system allows starships to do battle using a wide range of different weapons and abilities
• Seven playable factions comprising six alien races. Choice of faction will determine tech and research opportunities initially available. Forming alliances, conquering neighboring species, or discovering ancient artifacts may open up additional avenues of research
• A vast range of different planet types, each with their own lore. The most prized worlds are those that hold artifacts from civilizations that vanished long ago. Map sizes up to 85 star systems. Each star can have up to 10 planets
• Manage a growing empire. Balance the competing priorities of research, growth, and ship building and decide the fate of those alien species that come under your control
• Galactic Politics: Of the playable alien species, three are “young races”, reaching out into the galaxy for the first time. The remaining three are “old races”, survivors of a terrible war fought in the distant past, they still hold to their ancient grudges. Races will impact which world will be most suitable as well as alliances and trades offerings
• Advanced settings such as Random events and NPC factions, including pirates and marauders

Iceberg Interactive will be conducting hands-on demo appointments for Stars in Shadow during Gamescom in Cologne, Germany next week. Key members of both the Iceberg team and the development team, Ashdar Games, are available for interviews throughout the week as well.

*To schedule an appointment and/or interviews, please contact the Iceberg PR team at [email protected].

For more information on Stars in Shadow, please visit the official website at http://stars-in-shadow.com/ and the official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/sis4x/.

About Ashdar Games
Ashdar Games is a small development studio based in British Columbia. Stars in Shadow will be its first title. The project is a collaboration between two avid strategy gamers, Sven Olsen and James (Jim) Francis, both of whom are excited to have a chance to create a game in the genre that they love.  Sven’s background is in academic computer graphics, while Jim is best known for his webcomic, Outsider.

About Iceberg Interactive 
Iceberg Interactive is an independent video game publisher founded in 2009 by an international group of games industry veterans and is located in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Staffed with avid gamers, Iceberg works closely with an international assembly of game developers, both midsize and indie. Garnering attention with acclaimed releases over recent years, including Endless Space, Endless Legend, StarDrive and Starpoint Gemini 2, the company has an exceptional current line-up, including Oriental Empires, Dawn of Andromeda, Lord of Rigel, Killing Floor 2, Starpoint Gemini Warlords and Starship Corporation – with further promising games in the pipeline.