Nighthawk Interactive to Co-publish The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild’s Action-Puzzle Game Tumblestone™ on Playstation®4 and Wii U at Retail, Coming Aug. 30

EDISON, New Jersey – June 29, 2016 – Nighthawk Interactive and independent developer The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild (QAG) have partnered to co-publish QAG’s original action-puzzle game Tumblestone™ at retail later this summer on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Nintendo’s Wii U™ system. Delivering a deep and cerebral take on the matching puzzle genre, Tumblestone has already won several accolades leading up to its release, including selection in The PAX 10 at 2015’s PAX Prime, Destructoid’s top 10 games from PAX East, and the 2015 Intel® Level Up award for Best Puzzle Game.

Brought to life with beautiful hand-painted artwork, Tumblestone offers several deep and exciting game modes for single-player and competitive multiplayer with a dozen unique characters and environments from which to choose. A story campaign delivers over 40 hours of puzzling action, featuring more than 10 gameplay modifiers, challenging puzzles and boss battles. Go up against friends in local and online multiplayer for up to four players, or take on the world with ranked matchmaking and online leaderboards. There are also multiple arcade modes, including the fast-paced Heartbeat mode, clever Infinipuzzle mode and more relaxing Marathon mode.

Tumblestone is expected to launch at retail stores in North America and Europe on Aug. 30 for $24.99 on the PlayStation®4 system and Wii U. This title is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB.

About Nighthawk Interactive

Built by a team of industry veterans, Nighthawk Interactive aims to combine their proven experience with the ever-changing needs of modern game development. With a strong focus on publishing, co-publishing, retail distribution and business development support, Nighthawk is about helping developers make the great games we love to play. For more information about Nighthawk, visit www.NighthawkInteractive.com, and follow us on Twitter at (@NH_Interactive).

About The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild

The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild was created in 2011 by Ty Taylor. Ty, along with artist Mario Castaneda, released QAG’s first game, The Bridge, in 2013. The Bridge, a black-and-white M. C. Escher inspired puzzler, has been featured in numerous game competitions and festivals around the world. During The Bridge‘s development, it was one of the PAX 10 selected games, in addition to receiving the Best Gameplay and Best Art awards at the Indie Game Challenge and being featured in the Independent Games Festival, IndieCade, Dream.Build.Play, A MAZE., and various other international game competitions. After QAG released The Bridge on Steam and Xbox Live Arcade, the game received tremendous critical reception, and it has sold over 500,000 copies to date. Now Ty and Mario, with the new additions of Alex Schearer and Justin Nafziger, are working on a new project: Tumblestone, a fast-paced multiplayer game with maddeningly addictive gameplay coming in 2016.

Hewson Consultants present Hyper Sentinel – a retro inspired arcade shoot ‘em up

Signup now on www.hypersentinel.com for early-bird Kickstarter alerts

Andrew Hewson, founder of Hewson Consultants Ltd, one of the pioneering names of the UK games industry, is delighted to present Hyper Sentinel – a retro inspired shoot ‘em up delivering classic arcade action for iOS devices and PC.

Created by indie developer Jonathan Port, Hyper Sentinel will launch with a playable demo on Kickstarter this Friday 1^st July, with the initial goal to bring the game to PC and iOS. Stretch goals include additional platforms, such as Android and console release, and exciting new features including ship & level editors and retro platform specific colour palettes. Available to play now on iOS (iPhone, iPad and AppleTV), the demo includes an innovative developer feedback system called 2Cents, which allows players to communicate with the developer directly from the game.

Featuring 12 action-packed levels, exciting power ups and epic boss battles, Hyper Sentinel is a super-slick, ultra-fast arcade shooter running at 60fps with explosive pixel-art visuals.

Andrew Hewson, Founder and Chairman of Hewson Consultants Ltd said, “When we met Jonathan Port for the first time, we thought – hugely talented coder, fantastic game, it’s just like the old days! It was immediately clear that Hyper Sentinel was a perfect fit for Hewson Consultants to publish for the world to enjoy”

Rob Hewson, CEO & Creative Director of Hewson Consultants Ltd continued, “Our ambition is to become ‘the’ retro games label, and Hyper Sentinel is the perfect launch pad. The partnership with Four5Six Pixel allows Jonathan to focus on creating the best game possible while we amplify its opportunity in the marketplace with the support of our fantastic retro gaming community.”

Jonathan Port, Founder of Four5Six Pixel commented, “I spent my childhood playing games published by Andrew Hewson and it’s fantastic to think that Hyper Sentinel will now stand alongside fondly remembered classics. I’m very proud of my game, and I can’t wait for people to get their hands on it”.

Other features of Hyper Sentinel include:
·         60 medals to complete
·         Online leaderboards
·         3 difficulty modes
·         Combo-chain score system
·         Heart-pumping SID-style chiptune soundtrack by FRACTURES

Press packs and demo requests: www.hewsonconsultants.com/hyper

About Hewson Consultants Ltd
In the 80s and 90s Hewson Consultants Ltd and, its successor, 21^st Century Entertainment Ltd forged reputations for releasing some of the most innovative and highly polished titles of their era by discovering and fostering development legends like Andrew Braybrook (Uridium, Paradroid), Steve Turner (Avalon, Quazatron), Raffaele Cecco (Exolon, Cybernoid), John Phillips (Nebulus), Dominic Robinson (Zynaps) and the founders of EA DICE who created Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions.

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS III DLC PACK, DESCENT COMES TO PLAYSTATION 4 ON JULY 12

The Third Action-Packed Call of Duty: Black Ops III DLC Offering Includes Four Diverse Multiplayer Maps and the Next Chilling Instalment in Treyarch’s Zombies Saga

SYDNEY, Australia – June 29, 2016 – Look out below Call of Duty® fans!  Descent, the third DLC pack for the best-selling console video game on next generation platforms*, Call of Duty®: Black Ops III, arrives first on PlayStation 4 on July 12, with other next-gen platforms to follow**.  Call of Duty®: Black Ops III Descent, from Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. [Nasdaq: ATVI], drops players into four new unique, multiplayer maps and an all-new Zombies experience that continues the fan-favourite Origins storyline in an alternate- U.S.S.R. universe.

“One of things I love most about Treyarch is that team just keeps going for it,” said Mark Lamia, Studio Head, Treyarch.  “Descent doesn’t take its foot off the gas, serving up a flat-out scorching Zombies experience, as well as multiplayer map designs and gameplay opportunities that we think our fans are going to love.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops III Descent features four new multiplayer maps that takes the momentum-based, chained movement system across the globe to unique settings that include a cryogenic prison, a Viking village frozen in time, a giant robot combat arena and a modern day reconstruction of an ancient Roman villa:

• Empire: Treyarch adapts its Black Ops III movement system to the Call of Duty®: Black Ops II fan favourite map Raid.  The re-imagining of this classic, medium-sized map features an authentic Roman villa that has been “recreated by a modern-day eccentric billionaire,” where a classic map structure mixes with the new gameplay mechanics of Black Ops III.
• Cryogen: Located far off the coast in the Dead Sea, an isolated compound holds some of the world’s most dangerous criminals in frozen isolation.  Sentry towers keep watch over the small map’s circular design as frenetic combat is funnelled around the prison’s cryogenic tubes, where opportunities for wall running attacks abound.
• Berserk: Ancient sentinels from a lost civilisation guard the entrance to Berserk, a Viking village frozen in time.  Players will fight through blizzards, and control the centre bridge as they navigate this medium-sized map’s wooden buildings, deadly rocky outcroppings, and tight chokepoints.
• Rumble: Gamers battle amongst larger-than-life mechanised warriors in Rumble, a stadium where giant robots battle to the roar of the crowd.  This medium-sized map funnels high-speed combat to the central arena, where players battle their way through fallen mechs and pyrotechnics.

Descent also thrusts players to an alternate universe of Nikolai’s motherland, the 1940s Soviet Union, in the next highly-anticipated chapter of the Origins Zombies saga, Gorod Krovi.  Players face-off against a swarm of mechanized zombie infantry and dodge hell-fire from aerial dragon assaults, all in the middle of a raging battle within the remnants of Stalingrad.  Gorod Krovi delivers the most exciting Zombies experience yet, filled with horrifying new enemies, exciting new gameplay mechanics and an epic set of Zombie annihilating weapons.

Descent is now available for pre-order on PlayStation 4 at a discounted rate via the Call of Duty: Black Ops III DLC Season Pass***, which features four DLC Map Packs planned for the year, as part of the discounted bundle offered at a recommended retail price of AUD$64.95.  Individual pre-purchase of the DLC Map Packs, including Descent, is at a recommended retail price of AUD$19.95. Starting today, pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops III Descent for PlayStation 4 to receive an exclusive Gorod Krovi dynamic theme.  Call of Duty: Black Ops III is rated R18+ for High Impact Violence and Online Interactivity by the Australian Classification Board.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III Descent launches on July 12 for PlayStation 4 games and entertainment system from Sony, with other next-gen platform availability to follow*.

*Based on North American physical game sales as of April 1, 2016.

**Descent DLC content not available on PS3 or Xbox 360.

***Season Pass content not available on PS3 or Xbox 360.  Downloadable content in the Season Pass may be sold separately.  If you purchase the DLC Season Pass offering, do not also purchase these standalone DLC Map Packs, as you will be charged for them.  DLC Season Pass and DLC Map Packs may not be available on all platforms or in all territories.  Pricing and release dates may vary by platform.  Call of Duty: Black Ops III game required; sold separately.

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.

Overwatch Competitive Play Mode is Now Live on PC!

Overwatch players, get ready to sharpen your skills, perfect your strategies, and test your mettle in the ultimate competitive arena. Welcome to our newest game mode: Competitive Play!

Competitive Play is available right now on PC, and will be arriving from next week on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Once you reach account level 25, the mode will become available via the “Play” button in the main menu. Simply select “Competitive Play” from the submenu, and you’re ready to enter a match. You can join on your own or in a group, and Overwatch’s matchmaking system will automatically find the best game possible for your skill level. Before you can kick off your competitive career, every new player must first complete 10 placement matches in order to obtain their initial skill rating. This rating will be a number between 1 and 100, with higher values indicating a greater skill level. Skill ratings will be visible at the beginning of every match. As you compete, your rating will increase or decrease with each win or loss based on a number of factors, including your own performance and the skill of the other players in the match.

The names of these seasons, along with their schedule, will mirror the real-world seasons in the northern hemisphere—and the Summer 2016 season is already underway! At some point during each season, we’ll also activate a leaderboard that will highlight the best players in the Overwatch community—so those who manage to fight their way into the top 500 players on each respective platform will receive an in-game notification, certifying their competitive credentials for as long as they can hold the position within that season.

As players compete, they’ll earn some new cosmetic rewards for their collection. When players win matches, they’ll earn Competitive Points which can be exchanged for Golden Weapons to equip on their favourite heroes. Plus, at the end of each season, everyone who completed the required 10 placement matches will receive a special seasonal spray and player icon to celebrate their achievement.

To learn more about Competitive Play—including details on changes to maps, scoring, and game rules—head to the official Overwatch blog post here or check out Jeff Kaplan’s latest Developer Update Video.