THE ESCAPE FROM TARKOV ALPHA TESTING HAS BEGUN!

The Russian-based Battlestate Games Studio has announced the start of its technical Alpha testing of Escape from Tarkov, its hardcore online game. First players, those who have claimed their eligibility for participation by pre-ordering the game from the official website – http://www.escapefromtarkov.com – have already been admitted into the game.

Check out all of Escape from Tarkov‘s video, key art, logos, and screenshot assets, in our press kit HERE.

Further admittance of eligible players will be conducted in waves, every new wave being formed with one or two day intervals in chronological order: first players who pre-ordered the game, will also be the first to try it. The avant-garde of the Escape from Tarkov heroes will be welcomed by two already familiar raid locations “Factory” and “Customs”, and they’ll come across 15 types of weapons and a wide variety of equipment and supplies.

The main purpose of the technical Alpha testing is for the developers to fine-tune the basic mechanics over high loads, exploring the locations for possible issues, hunting for bugs that are likely to occur in the early stages of testing both in offline and online modes. Along with collecting player feedback, the developers will be optimizing the Escape from Tarkov Alpha version game performance, fixing the discovered issues and adding new content. At this point, the online game mode already includes the majority of essential features, including inventory management, trade, medical treatment, weapon modding and ballistics. Also, players will be able to check out the daylight and weather changes with impressive weather effects.

Escape from Tarkov is a hardcore story-driven MMO featuring elements of FPS and RPG. The events take place in the Russian city of Tarkov, which has been sealed of by roadblocks and sunk into the chaos of local warfare between private military companies. Escape from Tarkov‘s Hazardous Environment Combat Simulator employs a number of custom system modules to create incredibly immersive gameplay and make players feel the reality of what is happening in the game. 

To get more information on Escape from Tarkov or to Pre-order and unlock early access visit the game’s official page: www.escapefromtarkov.com. Also ‘Like’ the game on Facebook and follow the game’s development on Twitter @bstategames for all the latest developer updates and news.

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ABOUT BATTLESTATE GAMES

Based in St. Petersburg, Russia, Battlestate Games was founded in 2012 by industry game development veterans surrounded by self-taught developers who are experienced in FPS and hardcore games. The team is currently in production of Escape from Tarkov, a hardcore title set in the Russia 2028 universe, and Hired Operations: the Contract War, a mid-core FPS). 

New Mantis Burn Racing Update Challenges Players to Race for Gold

Large update anchored by Weekly Challenges

Birmingham, United Kingdom – 8^th August 2016 – Established UK based indie developer VooFoo Studios has unleashed another big update to Mantis Burn Racing currently onSteam Early Access and coming soon to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Right in time for the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics, players are urged to race for glory with the addition of new Weekly Challenges.  Players are invited to race to the top of the Global leader boards in unique challenges each week for the ultimate in bragging rights. An online leader board will display the best times throughout the week. At the conclusion of the event, players will be recognised for achieving server-best times with the best awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze status on the game’s front end menu the following week.

The update also brings a new static camera option to Mantis Burn Racing, controller vibration and support for new languages. Add in bug fixes and polish just for good measure, and there’s never been a better time to try out the Early Access for VooFoo’s first self-published game.

VooFoo has received fantastic and very useful feedback from the player community so far and are actively involved with the player-base as they continue to encourage suggestions to help drive the game’s on-going development in Early Access and beyond.

Mantis Burn Racing will be playable in the Business Area at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, from 17-19 August, 2016. Appointments to speak with the team are available for members of the press and media. Please contact Yunus or Tom, below, to schedule an appointment.

Mantis Burning Racing is available on Steam Early Access priced at £9.99 and instantly opens Early Access to players. The game will launch on PS4 and Xbox One as a digital download later in 2016.

For assets and more information on Mantis Burn Racing, visit www.VooFooStudios.com

Follow VooFoo Studios on: Facebook.com/VooFoo and Twitter @VooFoo

About VooFoo Studios Ltd
VooFoo Studios Ltd is an independent UK based video games development studio, founded in 2007 by a small team of experienced industry professionals. Utilising its own proprietary cutting edge technology, VooFoo’s first game, the critically acclaimed Hustle Kings, was released for PlayStation 3 in 2009, reaching the top of the PSN charts and earning VooFoo nominations for two highly coveted Develop Awards. Building on this early success VooFoo have gone on to develop Hustle Kings on PlayStation Vita, Backgammon Blitz and the acclaimed ‘Pure’ series of games – Pure Chess, Pure Pool and Pure Hold’em – all of which have further established our reputation for developing visually stunning, commercially successful games. VooFoo’s first self-published game, Mantis Burn Racing, is now available on Steam Early Access and will release on PS4 and Xbox One later in 2016.

VR First invites industry to join forces for the future of VR

Hundreds of universities look to introduce VR courses against a challenging backdrop

Los Angeles (California) / Frankfurt am Main (Germany) August 8, 2016 – The results of a survey with the participation of 201 universities announced by VR First shows that a remarkable number of academic institutions around the world are interested in creating programs for VR development, but are currently underequipped to deliver on their ambitions.

The interest in VR is growing very fast. Since the launch of VR First earlier this year, over 400 universities have expressed an interest in VR and 201 of them have officially applied for a VR First lab.

The research also showed that 88% of the 201 universities surveyed are either planning or already offer a VR course, while on average there are less than two headsets available to each of these universities.

Ferhan Özkan, Senior Business Development Manager at Crytek, who shared the VR First survey results at a VRLA keynote session, said: “According to our predictions, the VR industry is likely to require many more skilled development graduates than it will be producing in the next years. At the same time our data clearly shows that universities are under-equipped to implement educational goals and satisfy the VR industry’s demand. With the VR First initiative we’re addressing this problem, and we invite leading lights in the industry to contribute to this collective approach towards the empowerment of students and developers.”

Since January this year, 14 universities from the USA, New Zealand, Canada, and Europe have joined the VR First program. The scheme aims to support grassroots VR development by establishing VR Labs on university campuses, each one offering students easy access to development solutions like Crytek’s CRYENGINE and state-of-the art VR hardware from technology partners.

About VR First
VR First is an initiative designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities to anyone interested in exploring the power and potential of virtual reality development. The program encourages educational institutions around the world to establish dedicated VR labs on their campuses by partnering with VR hardware manufacturers and software companies. VR First participants have full access to Crytek’s CRYENGINE software alongside the latest technology required for VR development. The overarching goal of VR First is to nurture new talent in VR development and to establish a knowledge sharing platform.

For more information visit vrfirst.cryengine.com.

About Crytek
Crytek is an independent videogame developer, publisher, and technology provider dedicated to pushing the boundaries of gaming with its cutting-edge 3D game development platform CRYENGINE. With headquarters in Frankfurt am Main (Germany) and studios in Kiev (Ukraine), Budapest (Hungary), Sofia (Bulgaria), Seoul (South Korea), Shanghai (China), and Istanbul (Turkey), Crytek has created multiple award-winning titles, including the original Far Cry, the Crysis series, Ryse: Son of Rome, Warface, and The Climb. Crytek delivers fun and innovative gaming experiences for PC, consoles, and VR and continues to grow its reach in the games-as-a-service market. Every Crytek game is created with CRYENGINE, which can be used by anyone to create games on a Pay What You Want business model.
For more information visit www.crytek.com and www.cryengine.com .

MIGHT & MAGIC^® HEROES^® VII TRIAL BY FIRE STAND-ALONE EXPANSION AND COMPLETE EDITION NOW AVAILABLE

Take Control of the Fortress Faction in Two New Campaigns

Ubisoft^® has released Trial by Fire, the new stand-alone expansion for the turn-based strategy game Might & Magic Heroes VII. The Complete Edition of the game is also available now for Windows PC.

Trial by Fire features two original campaigns that take place five years after the events of Might & Magic Heroes VII. When Ivan, the recently crowned Emperor, is informed that Dwarven warbands are once again threatening his territory, he is ready to go to war to protect his people. But he also knows a new global conflict could bring the end of the Empire. Hoping to prevent such a tragic escalation, Vilma, leader of the Sudgerd Dwarves, comes to Ivan’s court as an ambassador. Her tale will shed light on some of the darkest chapters of the Dwarves’ history – and reveal the key to saving both of their peoples.

Adding more than 30 hours of gameplay, the expansion allows players to take control of the new Fortress Faction. As they embody legendary Dwarven heroes in a unique mountain environment, players get to see iconic new creatures such as the Red Dragons, Fire Giants and Valkyries. Players will also enjoy extra content, such as six additional skirmish maps and dozens of new artifacts, abilities and achievements. Trial by Fire is a compelling follow-up that allows both newcomers and longtime fans to enjoy the authentic Might & Magic Heroes experience.

The Complete Edition of Might & Magic Heroes VII is also available for purchase now. It includes the base game and the Trial by Fire expansion. Players will also be able to enjoy The Lost Tales of Axeoth, a two-campaign content piece that brings to life scripts originally written for Heroes of Might & Magic IV. In addition, a global update makes gameplay improvements available to all Might & Magic Heroes VII players.

For more information about Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire, please visit the Might & Magic Heroes Official Website: mightandmagic.com/heroes7

ANARCHY COMES TO ROCKET LEAGUE^® WITH FREE NEW “RUMBLE” MODE

Random, Hilarious Power-ups To Be Unleashed This September

SAN DIEGO, CA – August 7, 2016 – Independent video game developer and publisher, Psyonix, is thrilled to announce that it is bringing an all-new, chaotic game mode dubbed Rocket League^® Rumble to Rocket League^® players around the world, starting next month.

Revealed on stage for the first time at today’s finale of the Rocket League Championship Series in Hollywood, California, Rocket League^® Rumble is a FREE new game mode that lets you play in an epic battle royale stacked with randomized power-ups. Whether you’re equipped with the Haymaker (which punches the ball), the Swapper (that changes your place with an opponent’s), or the Tornado (which you’ll just have to see to believe), each one of the 11 new power-ups brings an extra dimension to the classic Rocket League^® formula.

View the trailer HERE: Youtu.be/7iz-dQifR7Q

Like the “Hoops” and “Mutator” modes before it, Rocket League^® Rumble will appear in online playlists when it debuts in September, and will also be available in both Private and Exhibition matches. The complete power-up list includes:

• The Boot (Kick’s an opponent’s car)
• Disruptor (Forces the opponent to drive uncontrollably)
• Freezer (Freezes the ball in-place)
• Grappling Hook (Pulls you towards the ball)
• Haymaker (Punches the ball)
• Magnetizer (Attracts the ball to your car)
• Plunger (Grabs the ball via plunger and cord)
• Power Hitter (Hit everything harder)
• Spike (Attach the ball to your car when you bump into it)
• Swapper (Change positions on the field with your opponent)
• Tornado (Sweep up the ball and cars into a giant funnel cloud)

Rocket League^® Rumble is just the beginning of a much bigger update planned for September. Expect more details in the coming weeks.

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ABOUT ROCKET LEAGUE^®

Winner or nominee of more than 150 “Game of the Year” awards, Rocket League^® is one of the most critically-acclaimed sports games of a generation. Boasting a community of more than 19 million players, Rocket League^® is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem that offers easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition. Available digitally on Xbox One, PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC via Steam, Rocket League^® includes more than 100 billion possible customization combinations, a fully-featured offline season mode, multiple game types, casual and competitive online matches, and special “Mutators” that let you change the rules entirely.

To learn more about Rocket League^®, please visit www.RocketLeagueGame.com, “Like” it on Facebook, and follow it on Twitter @RocketLeague for all the latest developer updates and news.

ABOUT PSYONIX

Based in San Diego, CA, Psyonix is a critically-acclaimed independent video game developer and leading experts in Unreal Engine technology. For more than a decade, the studio has been a driving force behind some of the most successful games in the industry, including Gears of War, Mass Effect 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Bulletstorm, Unreal Tournament III, Unreal Tournament 2004, and the award-winning Sports-Action hit, Rocket League^®.

For more information, visit www.psyonix.com.