Play Ball! Metalhead Software to Release Super Mega Baseball 2 in 2017

Award-winning baseball game gets sequel with revamped graphics and online multiplayer

Victoria, British Columbia – September 28, 2016 – Make the jump from All Star to MVP next season as independent developer Metalhead Software today announces Super Mega Baseball 2, sequel to the award-winning Super Mega Baseball. Launching in 2017 on Xbox One, Steam, and the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Super Mega Baseball 2 builds upon the original with a more realistic presentation, a bevy of new customizable features and the launch of online multiplayer.

Major new features include:

• Revamped Graphics: Complete with enhanced character models, new and updated stadiums, and a modernized interface, Super Mega Baseball 2 has a fully rebuilt look that carries forward the personality and spirit of the original.
• Player & League Customization: Build the ultimate fantasy baseball league with full customization of your league, teams and players. Choose the number of teams in your league and customize each team’s logos and uniforms. Then dig deeper by customizing individual player stats and appearance.
• Online Co-op & PvP Play: Play cooperatively or head-to-head with online multiplayer. Or take it offline and play couch co-op or solo. In cooperative modes, teammates alternate batting/running each time at-bat and alternate pitching/fielding each inning, challenging ballplayers to stay on their toes in every play.
• Refined Gameplay: Just like its predecessor, Super Mega Baseball 2 features solid controls, but this time around features more refined gameplay and a more realistic scale.

“With the launch of Super Mega Baseball we received an overwhelming and positive response from the community, confirmation of sustained interest in this style of streamlined gameplay in sports games, and some excellent feedback.” said Metalhead co-founder Scott Drader. “That feedback was consistent with our roadmap for the product and that has made decisions on where to improve the game rather easy – we’re improving upon the original largely with the set of features most requested by the community.”

Super Mega Baseball’s initial iteration earned an 85 Metacritic score and “Sports Game of the Year” honors. The game and its sequel feature a unique “Ego” system, which offers fine-grained control of difficulty on a per-user basis, which has been widely praised for its ability to level the playing field in cooperative and competitive modes. This system pushes seasoned gamers to their limits while simultaneously providing a gentle introduction for beginners.

Check out the swinging action in this teaser video: youtu.be/LZhu2Y5Gfio

For more information, including access to the Super Mega Baseball 2 press kit, please visit the game’s website, or the Facebook and Twitter pages.

About Metalhead Software

Metalhead Software is an independent game studio afloat off the Canadian West Coast. Formed in 2009, Metalhead Software focuses on making console games. Its debut title, Super Mega Baseball, was praised by both critics and fans.

Saladin leads Arabia in Civilization VI

2K and Firaxis Games today revealed that Saladin will lead Arabia in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, launching on Oct 21^st for Windows PC.

Born in 1174, Saladin was the first sultan of Egypt and Syria, and led the Muslims during the Crusades.

Saladin initially began as a multilingual and knowledgeable scholar before beginning a military career under his uncle Asad al-Din Shirkuh. In Egypt, Saladin was but an obscure figure under ruler Nur al-Din, later ascending as a military expert and becoming Vizier of Cairo.

In 1171 Saladin became ruler of Egypt and conquered Damascus after the death of Nur al-Din. With newfound wealth, he went on to conquer Aleppo and Mosul in 1183 and 1186, and in 1187 he conquered the city of Jerusalem. This prompted the third crusade led by King Richard the Lionheart. After years of conflict, the Treaty of Ramla was signed in 1192, allowing Christian pilgrimages to the holy city, despite staying in control of the Muslims.

Saladin died of a fever in 1193 in Damascus, giving away his wealth to the people, and left behind a legacy as a powerful and honorable ruler respected by both his own people and adversaries alike.

For more information, please see 2K’s official Civilization blog:http://steamcommunity.com/games/289070/announcements/detail/892100986175904838

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/1IOKW3woob4

For the latest news on Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, visit the official site, follow @CivGameon Twitter, and become a fan of Civilization on Facebook.

FULL TRACK LIST UNVEILED ALONGSIDE NEW TRAILER FOR WE SING, THE ULTIMATE SINGING GAME EXPERIENCE FOR PLAYSTATION 4 AND XBOX ONE

Sing Along to Chart-topping Hits Comprised of Original Artist Recordings with Up to 10 Simultaneous Players Using the Official ‘We Sing Mic’ Companion App for iOS and Android

LONDON — September 28, 2016 — Interactive music collaboration We Sing Productions, a joint enterprise between THQ Nordic, Wired Productions and Le Cortex, today revealed the full list of all-star tracks alongside fresh screenshots and a euphonious new trailer to usher in the revival of the top-selling, award-winning music game series, We Sing. The ultimate singing game experience is headed to the PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft later this year.

Offering original artist recordings for 30 of the hottest and most iconic hits accompanied by their official music videos, We Sing aims to be the defining music singing game experience this holiday season. Including 26 international number one hits spanning five decades, each track was hand-picked by the We Sing Productions team with the goal of appealing to players around the world, including exclusives only available in We Sing.

Players can sing along, belt one out, or serenade with the following tracks:

·         Fifth Harmony ft. Kid Ink – Worth It
·         Pharrell Williams – Happy
·         Demi Lovato – Let It Go
·         Bruno Mars – Locked Out of Heaven
·         Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MØ – Lean On
·         Avicii – Wake Me Up
·         Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – Thrift Shop
·         OneRepublic – Counting Stars
·         Shawn Mendes                – Stitches
·         Sia – Chandelier
·         Queen – Another One Bites the Dust
·         a-ha – Take On Me
·         Rita Ora – Poison
·         Charlie Puth ft. Megan Trainor – Marvin Gaye
·         John Newman – Love Me Again
·         Coldplay – Viva La Vida
·         DNCE – Cake by the Ocean
·         Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved
·         Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth – See You Again
·         Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
·         Lukas Graham – 7 Years
·         The Bangles – Eternal Flame
·         Fall Out Boy – This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race
·         Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
·         ABBA – Dancing Queen
·         Avril Lavigne – Complicated
·         Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time
·         Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
·         Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris – Yeah!
·         David Bowie – Let’s Dance

In addition to using up to four of the game’s official We Sing microphones – which provide a truly authentic studio experience – players can turn their iOS or Android smartphones into fully-fledged microphones using the free We Sing Mic companion app, which allows for an unprecedented 10 simultaneous players to #OwnTheStage on one console! Simply install the app and connect to an internet-enabled PS4™ system or Xbox One within the same network to get the party started. A fresh batch of new screenshots of We Sing Mic were released today amid today’s harmonious collection of new assets.

In We Sing, players can sing together or go solo, climbing to the top of the online leaderboards to become the star they were born to be. Players can rock out to the game’s tracks in 12 game modes, create playlists for nonstop play, sing along with the original artists or to each song’s instrumental tracks for an authentic karaoke experience, turn their console into a music channel in Jukebox mode, and much more.

We Sing builds on the success of the original series for Nintendo Wii, which set the bar for being the only music game to support group singing with up to four microphones.  This next generation version of We Sing will offer a host of cutting edge technology and gameplay experiences for the music singing category, including unique support for up to 10 players on one system. All three companies comprising We Sing Productions collaborated on the original series, bringing together over 150 combined years of experience and expertise in creating titles featuring high-profile intellectual properties from the music industry.

We Sing Productions will reveal more in the coming weeks on We Sing.

About THQ Nordic
Founded in 2008,  THQ Nordic is a global video game publisher and developer. Based in Vienna, Austria and Karlstad, Sweden with subsidiaries in Germany and the USA,  THQ Nordic brands include  Darksiders, MX vs. ATV, Red Faction  and  Titan Quest. THQ Nordic is meant to represent a core approach of doing much more than “owning” a highly competitive portfolio of IP. It revolves around cherishing them, and aligning them with the very best development resources to expand upon them with the level of experience that communities and established fan bases expect and deserve.

The company’s internal development studios are Grimlore Games based in Munich, Germany and Rainbow Studios based in Phoenix, Arizona.

About Wired Productions Ltd
Wired Productions are an established independent games publisher based in Watford, Hertfordshire, UK.  Wired have produced over 35 titles, and are the team responsible for the 1.5 million unit selling  We Sing franchise as well as producing and co-developing  The Voice branded console products.  In 2013/14, Wired Productions moved back into digital console publishing with Let’s Fish! Hooked On for the PlayStation Vita, Tiny Troopers Joint Ops on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita (including cross buy) and Last Inua on PC & Mac, and Super Dungeon Bros on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

For more information visit www.wiredproductions.com or follow at:  www.facebook.com/WiredPro and on Twitter https://twitter.com/WiredP.

About Le Cortex
Le Cortex is an independent development studio based in Paris, France. Founded by the creative duo Frédéric Sommer and Johan Spielmann, Le Cortex have been instrumental in over 20 music and singing games, ranging from the hugely successful We Sing franchise, to The Voice branded games.  Alongside music games, Le Cortex created their own unique IP, Ninja Pony, culminating in the release of a Neo-Geo version. Driven by strong beliefs in gameplay design and known for the ingenuity of work, Le Cortex have managed to build a trusted relationship with publishers and gamers throughout the world.
For more information visit: www.lecortex.com .

We Sing uses the Unreal® Engine. Unreal® is a trademark or registered trademark of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. and “Unreal® Engine, Copyright 1998 – 2016, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved.

We Sing uses the KaraEngine™. The KaraEngine is a trademark of Lecortex S.à r.l./Wired Productions Ltd.

LIVE WITH YOUR FAVOURITE DISNEY CHARACTERS IN DISNEY MAGICAL WORLD 2 COMING TO NINTENDO 3DS FAMILY SYSTEMS ON 15^TH OCTOBER IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Explore six Disney-themed worlds from classics like Disney’s Frozen and befriend over 100 Disney characters
28^th September, 2016 – Enter the magical town of Castleton and live among your favourite Disney characters when Disney Magical World 2 arrives in Australia and New Zealand for Nintendo 3DS family systems on 15^th October. Adventure with Elsa and Olaf, go under the sea with The Little Mermaid and help a cast of over 100 cherished Disney characters, whilst living in the beautiful town of Castleton.

In Disney Magical World 2, players can create their own avatars – or import their Mii character – and move in to Castleton, where they’ll live with Disney neighbours such as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck. Castleton is home to several shops, a castle area, and access to four brand new connected Disney-themed worlds from classics Frozen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lilo & Stitch and The Little Mermaid. Once players are familiar with their surroundings, they are free to explore the six Disney worlds and assist the residents of Castleton around town.

Players can enjoy many activities in Castleton and its connected Disney worlds, including crafting items, surfing, or simply taking some time to decorate their new house. Players can also name and run their very own café, where they’ll decide which food to sell, which decorations and Disney-themed furniture to use, what outfits staff should wear, and change the music played for customers. Once up and running, there is even the chance to throw parties that can be attended by various Disney characters. As players progress through the game, further items and decorations can be unlocked. Prospective residents of Castleton can get a closer look at these items and decorations in action in the brand new A Wonderful Life video premiering today.

From the castle area of Castleton, there are six worlds for players to delve into, including Hawaii from Lilo & Stitch, 100 Acre Wood from Winnie the Pooh, and Arendelle from Frozen. Across the six worlds there are over 100 episodes for players to tackle, and using their magical wand players can cast powerful spells to defeat enemies and help their Disney friends.  Those wanting a break from the action can join Winnie the Pooh with some farming on Rabbit’s plot, where an array of seeds can be planted and harvested for materials, and rare plants and vegetables can be obtained through cross-pollination.

New to Disney Magical World 2 are Magical Dreams, special parade-like events that are rewarded to players for completing Dream Puzzles. Dream Puzzle pieces can be collected by talking to characters in Castleton, or by exchanging the Twinkle Stones players will collect as they progress on their adventure.

Disney Magical World 2 lets players bring their worlds to life with multiplayer modes and online features. Players can visit each other via Local Play, and will even appear in other player’s towns that they’ve met via StreetPass. By participating in these modes players can earn medals, which can be exchanged for rare items in-game. Castleton also hosts various seasonal events where additional medals can be earned.

Players with Disney Magical World save data on their Nintendo 3DS family system will receive a golden balloon and a voucher to use at McDuck’s when they play Disney Magical World 2 on the same system.

Prepare for an enchanting journey across multiple worlds with your favourite Disney characters when Disney Magical World 2 arrives for Nintendo 3DS family systems on 15^th October.

Additional Links:
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

JAGEX PLACED AT THE HEART OF A NEW PUBLICLY-LISTED GAMES COMPANY AS ZHONGJI HOLDING IS LAUNCHED IN CHINA.

Wednesday, 28^th September – 10am UK – Jagex, the owner of the iconic RuneScape online gaming franchise, today revealed its pivotal role in the creation of a new Chinese publicly-listed games company, Zhongji Holding, trading code (SH.600634).

The announcement was made following Zhongji Holding’s successful placement on the Chinese Stock Market and its subsequent 51% purchase of Hongtou, which acquired Jagex as a first step in the process. Zhongji Holding will acquire the remaining 49% of Hongtou within next 12 months.

Zhongji Holding is part of Shanghai Zhongji Enterprise Group, a highly respected and well-established Chinese organisation, and its ownership of Jagex represents the first foray into the gaming sector by the group. Shanghai Zhongji Enterprise Group holds two Chinese public companies, Zhongji Holding and Shandong Hongda Mining (SH.600532).

The initial trading and operational performance of Zhongji Holding will stem from Jagex’s established business and its proven RuneScape franchise. Further to record profits in 2015, which saw Jagex hit new revenue highs of $88.4m, with $36.1m profit after tax, further uplift is expected in 2016. In addition, Jagex will expand with the opening of a new London office to sit alongside its Cambridge HQ.

Zhongji Holding is committing significant resources to its investment in the global games sector and further acquisition activity is anticipated as the Company increases its presence in the space.

Rod Cousens will continue as Chairman, CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of Jagex. Lisa Pan, the controlling shareholder of Pan Capital. International, who led the acquisition, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Jagex and named director of Zhongji Enterprise Group, with responsibility for international and M&A business.

“The process of building up Jagex to bring about an initial acquisition and then taking it forward on a path that sees it taking centre stage in a new public gaming-focused company listed in China, can only be viewed as remarkable. It is only now that the plans are starting to take shape for all to see.” said Rod Cousens, Chairman and CEO, Jagex.

“Zhongji Holding has great ambition in the gaming space and Jagex is at the forefront of its charge. China is the biggest gaming market in the world and Zhongji Holding’s motivation in the sector will prove a compelling proposition for other gaming businesses seeking access to the region. While an integral part of Zhongji Holding’s plans, Jagex’s operations remain unchanged and its business as usual for our games, players and our employees.”

RuneScape, the world’s most popular free-to-play MMORPG, continues to enjoy high growth and Jagex is actively expanding the franchise across multiple titles, devices and via multiple business models and more geographies than ever before.

Celebrating its 15^th anniversary this year, RuneScape, is a major success story in gaming.RuneScape has welcomed almost 250 million players to its world and its monthly players number in the multi-millions. This year, RuneScape has introduced NXT, an all-new visual engine and game client, and unveiled The Eastern Lands, an entirely new continent in the game this summer. RuneScape is watched by audiences of millions on social channels and is one of the top ten most-watched games on Twitch†.

RuneScape’s retro incarnation, Old School RuneScape, is also experiencing accelerated user growth through its impact in the eSports sector. The game’s Deadman Tournament series continues to deliver a high-profile eSport audience.

Further franchise extensions include the critically acclaimed Chronicle: RuneScape Legends and RuneScape: Idle Adventures, currently in Early Access and created in partnership with the developers of cult hit Adventure Capitalist. Jagex employs over 320 people at its headquarters in Cambridge, UK.

About Jagex
Established in 2001, Jagex Games Studio today stands as one of the UK’s largest game developer and publishers and is the home of the flagship online adventure game, RuneScape. Celebrating its 15th Year anniversary in 2016, RuneScape has welcomed over 245 million players to its world and more than two million of them play every month, while millions more watch avidly through social channels. In addition to RuneScape, Jagex is developing new RuneScape-branded games as it enters additional genres, including Chronicle: RuneScape Legends, an adventure strategy card game, and RuneScape: Idle Adventures created in partnership with Hyper Hippo, the developers of cult hit Adventure Capitalist. Jagex employs over 320 people at its Cambridge headquarters. Career information can be found at www.jagex.com .

Forward Looking Statements
This information may include predictions, estimates or other information that might be considered forward-looking. While these forward-looking statements represent our current judgment on what the future holds, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect our opinions only as of the date of this information. Please keep in mind that we are not obligating ourselves to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events.

†Most Watched Video-Game Livestreams on Twitch – leading gaming content on Twitch worldwide by numbers of hours viewed (May 2016 on 1,610 channels). Source: Gamoloco.