Imangi Studios, Creator Of The Hit Temple Run Games, To Acquire Doodle Jump Developer Lima Sky For $1billion In Cash
New company positioned to capitalize on increasing popular “endless runner” games
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – APRIL 1, 2014 – Temple Run creator Imangi Studios today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Lima Sky, the developer of the Doodle Jump video games franchise, for a total of $1 billion in an all-cash deal. The agreement also provides for an additional $200 million earn-out cash based on the achievement of certain milestones.
Lima Sky is a leader in making video games for mobile phones, a growing technology sector. Their break-out hit game Doodle Jump has seen over 200 million downloads to date and the company recently launched a new title Doodle Jump Race. With more than 500 million downloads of Temple Run and Temple Run 2, Imangi’s series continues to dominate the mobile gaming space.
Imangi’s idea to buy Lima Sky was sparked from the simple, disruptive idea of creating a game that will have 1 trillion installs. Igor Pusenjak, CEO of Lima Sky, elaborated: “Imangi told us they wanted to combine the endless jumper with the endless runner to create the ultimate gaming hit, and we were sold. The combined game Doodle Temple Jumping Run will be out later this year.”
“We’ve always been big fans of Doodle Jump and when Doodle Jump Race came out we just knew we had to get Lima Sky under our wing no matter what,” said Keith Shepherd, co-founder of Imangi Studios. “We are excited to bring the talent and IP of Lima Sky into the Imangi family. There’s a natural synergy between our products and we look forward to exploring more opportunities as we continue to grow.”
Fans of Doodle Jump should not worry. After the acquisition Lima Sky will continue to operate independently. “I can assure everyone that nothing will change,” said Natalia Luckyanova, co-founder of Imangi Studios.. “We’ll only add the Imangi Studios logo to the start-up screen, make the game 3D, and replace Doodle the Doodler with Temple Run’s Guy Dangerous.”
The transaction is expected to close no later than April 1, 2015.
About Imangi Studios
Imangi Studios was founded by husband and wife team Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova in 2008 with the goal of creating small fun games for everyone to enjoy. What started as a dream job for the couple has evolved into a successful business, with Keith and Natalia now working with a team of other talented game creators. In 2011, the studio developed the mega-hit Temple Run, and followed with Temple Run 2 in 2012. The two games have been downloaded over a billion times. Based in North Carolina, Imangi Studios is a self-funded and fully independent studio.
Lima Sky, creators of the bestselling Doodle Jump, is an award-winning video game and app development studio. It was founded in July 2008 by Igor Pusenjak, a graduate and faculty at the MFA interactive design program at Parsons School of Design in New York, and Marko Pusenjak, a veteran mobile applications developer. As one of the world’s leading independent publishers, Lima Sky is dedicated to creating entertaining and innovative games across multiple platforms.
MIDNIGHT CITY HONORS 19th CENTURY VISIONARY BY BRINGING KRAUTSCAPE TO STEAM EARLY ACCESS
Push the Pedal to the Medal and Race through the Dreams of German Inventor Dr. Konrad von Krautkopf
Edison, NJ– April 1, 2014– Midnight City, indie label of Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of games for the mass market, is bringing the incredible story of renowned German inventor Dr. Konrad von Krautkopf and his revolutionary concept, Krautscape, to PC via Steam. Priced at $7.99 during this special access run, early adopters are entitled to all content updates through launch and a chance to help shape the good doctor’s vision as it lives on today.
Krautscape is a multiplayer focused racer that pulls players into an abstract universe that lingers like a thought just out of reach–distant yet close, clear but obscured. Through the misty distance hybrid bird-cars scream down a rainbow track, the lead car dictating the direction and pace of the race as the track builds before them – one section at a time. Welcome to a new dimension of existence and experience the Krautscape as Dr. von Krautkopf could only dream it. Racing tactics take on new meaning when vehicles can take to the skies, deadly drops become strategic ploys and all shortcuts are fair game. Intelligent racing is defined not by the lead racer, but by the first vehicle to cross the finish line. This early access launch supports up to four players via online, LAN or split-screen and includes three race modes: Snake, Ping Pong and Collector. Each mode takes advantage of the generative nature of the tracks while encouraging racers to spread their wings and live life on the edge. In Snake, players slither through the universe on a self-consuming track that disappears section by section after the last car. Ping Pong sends players bouncing from end of the track, reverse, and back again during increasingly difficult rounds. Lastly, racers must intentionally build their track close to cubes floating in the distance, then snatch them up by gliding through them and returning them to the checkpoint to become “the collector.”
In the year 1880, renowned German inventor Dr. von Krautkopf envisioned a revolutionary new type of vehicle that not only propelled itself on the ground, but had the ability to glide. He dubbed these vehicles the Krautomobiles (or Krautos), designed with special retractable wings that both streamlined the body and allowed for maximum lift. He made extensive headway, but died suddenly late in 1881 of a tragic food poisoning incident. His closest friend and confidant, Carl Benz claimed rights to Krautkopf’s invention and attempted to capitalize on the genius. After several failed attempts at building his own Krauto from Dr. von Krautkopf’s notes, he finally gave up and began working on what would later be known as the “automobile.” Dr. von Krautkopf’s dream has laid in wait for over 130 years, waiting for the next generation of inventor to make his vision come true. Today, we bring the first ever digital gateway to the Krautscape and invite everyone to participate in his vision.
Developers are planning several content updates over the coming weeks as they collect, analyze and engage with the community. Krautscape is rated E for Everyone, and is planned to launch at the full price of $9.99 at the end of the Early Access period. As always, keep an eye on the Krautscape Steam page for updates and information
ABOUT MAJESCO ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY Majesco Entertainment Company is an innovative developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for consumers around the world. Building on more than 25 years of operating history, the company develops and publishes a wide range of video games on console, handheld and mobile platforms, as well as digital networks through its Midnight City label. Majesco also owns 50% of GMS Entertainment, the parent company of online gaming company Pariplay, which specializes in iGaming, iLottery and social gaming. Majesco is headquartered in Edison, NJ and the company’s shares are traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol: COOL. More info can be found online at majescoent.com or on Twitter at twitter.com/majesco.
ABOUT MIDNIGHT CITY Midnight City is Majesco’s independent digital label dedicated to supporting indie development teams with customized publishing services, including public relations, marketing, and community content. Operated by former IGN Editor-in-chief Casey Lynch and longtime industry veteran Doug Kennedy, Midnight City focuses its efforts on the ever growing independent game development market and independent game studios.
Hellraid: The Escape – New Mobile Action-Adventure Game Announced
The latest iOS game from Shortbreak Studios expands the dark fantasy universe of Hellraid, a PC and console title in development by Techland.
Shortbreak Studios is proud to announce Hellraid: The Escape, an action-adventure game for the iOS devices. This top quality mobile title is being developed in close cooperation with Techland, the creators of Dying Light, Dead Island and the Call of Juarez series. Techland is also the developer of Hellraid, the first-person co-op slasher game to be released on PC and consoles.
In Hellraid: The Escape, a sorcerer obsessed with the dark arts has trapped your soul in a magical prison guarded by demonic creatures. Why are you there? Who are you and why can’t you remember your name? Can you really be the one to stop the demon invasion of the human world? To find the answers, you must first escape from a dimension of agony hung somewhere beyond time.
Shortbreak Studios has created a visually stunning and straight-up fun experience in which players face a multitude of unique puzzles and encounter horrific demons. Game features include:
Challenging puzzles – each one is a fresh and unique experience
Fight demons with your cunning, not weapons
Mysterious story set in the dark fantasy universe of Hellraid
Graphics quality of PC and console games
Free exploration and intuitive controls
Game Center achievements and cloud saving
Support for TV display via HDMI and AirPlay
Universal app – once bought the game can be played on all your iDevices
Free updates, no in-app purchases or pay-to-win elements
Hellraid: The Escape will be released in the App Store on May 15th 2014 for $2,99 / €2,49.
More information, the first trailer and screenshots can be found on the official website escape.hellraid.com.
About Shortbreak Studios
Shortbreak®, a part of Techland, unites experienced developers to create and publish mobile games. Raised at arcades and with handheld consoles, they’ve never forgotten the charm of bite-sized, accessible fun. Having published such mobile games as Sugar High, Beat the Melody, Heal them All and The Collider, Shortbreak® enters a new realm of AAA mobile games with Hellraid: The Escape, while remaining true to their love for pocket gaming and hefty coffee supplies.
About Techland
Techland® is a leading Polish developer, publisher and distributor of PC and console games founded in 1991. Its proprietary Chrome Engine 6 is among the world’s most advanced game engines with full support for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. With a staff of over 260 specialists in three development offices in Wroclaw, Warsaw, Poland, and Vancouver, Canada, Techland® is committed to delivering top-quality titles, such as the Dead Island and Call of Juarez series, for worldwide markets. Currently the company is working on several high-profile titles including Hellraid and Dying Light for PCs and consoles.
Tiny Space Adventure is an enjoyable puzzler experience for the mobile device. From its visuals and audio to the gameplay itself, the whole package can be surmised as being simplistic yet charming. An ever-increasingly difficult series of puzzle stages will have you growing challenged, frustrated and eventually glad you stuck it out and moved on to the next (even more difficult challenge). Unfortunately the game’s controls are a little awkward on smaller screens, but this is rectified by playing on an iPad.
Story
After being crash-landed on an alien planet, a lone astronaut needs to traverse the land and find his way home. On his way he will come across hostile aliens, dangerous traps and a world where just about everything is trying to kill him. The story is told through voiceless (and textless) almost comic-like cinematic sequences. While it is bare-bones at best, the game’s nature doesn’t really rely too heavily on a story and the game would be just as enjoyable even if it was a series of levels without anything tying them together.
Gameplay
Tiny Space Adventure is a relatively simple point and click adventure/puzzle game. Your goal in each stage is to move your stranded astronaut through the perils and off to safety. You do this by pointing tapping where you want him to move, and then tapping to interact with any switches, boulders or other objects in the world. The puzzles are actually quite difficult, with even the beginning stages posing a very real challenge. Also, like most other mobile games, there is also a 3-star system to completing the stages; each stage has 3 aliens to click on which will add to your overall score at the end of the level.
The problem with the game’s point and click style is that the small screen of the iPhone and iPod makes for cumbersome and uneven gameplay. This is especially problematic as a lot of the puzzles are timing based or require you to move to a very specific location, so accidentally moving too far in one direction can (and often does) end up disastrously. The end result of this is a game where the deaths oftentimes feel unfair and cheap. Although it should be noted that this is a problem with the smaller-screened iDevices, and playing the game on iPad eliminates this problem completely.
Visuals & Audio
Simplistic is the best way to describe Tiny Space Adventure. The whole game is presented in a very cartoony 2d environment with lots of simple shapes. This art style really works to give Tiny Space Adventure a unique feel among games of its genre. Everything looks well defined and there is little to no blurring or blending of the individual elements.
The music is just as simplistic, featuring very up-beat, sci-fi tuned that are punctuated with small sound effects (most of which usually signify that you are about to die). Every sound effect is unique but still sticks to the game’s whole motif. The background music is present but there isn’t much too it to warrant paying attention to. All in all, while the game’s audio isn’t bad you don’t lose out on too much if you play the game on silent.
Overall
Tiny Space Adventure is the epitome of simplistic design, and it works to its advantage. The visuals and audio are all basic and lack real detail, but are well defined enough that they stand out among others in the genre. Despite its incredibly clumsy controls, Tiny Space Adventure offers a unique and challenging experience. be warned though, if you are the type that gets frustrated easily then you might want to give this one a miss, however if you can handle the challenge and are playing on a larger-screened device then you will definitely find something to like here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Independent developers Magiko Gaming created this unique, old-school 16-bit title using the unique 2D engine that the indie devs created themselves. The game focuses on the game’s heroes and their goal of trying to rebuild their spaceship. Every level is randomly-generated so that you’ll never encounter the same area twice. Players need to be careful as they traverse this dangerous and hostile environment, one filled with traps, but also treasures. Weapons are also unique and all have their own stats and special abilities. Character customization is also a heavy aspect of the game that is sure to appeal to most gamers. You can completely alter your character’s appearance, or also alter them with bonus items like wigs and hats.
This first partnership between Magiko Gaming and NAMCO BANDAI Europe Games brings about an exciting platformer title to the PC. Check out their Steam page here, and for more information you can head to their official site here. We’ve also received their latest trailer so make sure to check it out below.
Plenty of manga volumes have lined the shelves of Western stores, but you’d be hard pressed to find a book that explained where it all began. A pair of seasoned French journalists, Matthieu Pinon and Laurent Lefebvre have launched a Kickstarter campaign that aims to chronicle 60 years of manga history in one, hefty tome.
Beginning with Osamu Tesuka’s Astro Boy, Stories of Modern Manga will hold 60 double page-spreads of each year, including important events in Japan, the manga industy and the mangaka artists themselves. Iconic manga like One Piece will most probably be featured, judging by preview images.
More curiously, the Kickstarter promises exclusive documents, photos of studios and interviews obtained during a trip to Japan.
The team need $18,000 in 30 days in order to start the project which will result in 1,000 copies of the book being printed. Check out the Kickstarter page, the official blog and Facebook page for more info.
No this isn’t an April Fool’s prank. Warner Bros. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Deluxe Edition is available now as a downloadable exclusive for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 from tomorrow. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate was a handheld sequel to Batman: Arkham Origins. The deluxe edition features a revamped control system and visuals to provide a more rounded experience for console players.
Set a few months after Arkham Origins, Batman is called into Gotham’s infamous Blackgate Prison after the prisoners have rioted and taken over the facility. Batman will have to team up with the mysterious Catwoman to stop the Joker and the rest of his enemies from executing the staff of Blackgate. Arkham Origins Blackgate Deluxe Edition is available now on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC for $26.95 so check it out today. This is the first of many Batman-themed releases this year (because the man under the cape and cowl has turned 75 this week) so for all the Batman news as it becomes available, be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
Back at last year’s NYCC, Titan Comics announced Sally of the Wasteland from Victor Gischler (Kiss Me Satan!, The Punisher: Frank Castle, Wolverine) and rising star artist Tazio Bettin. Sally of the Wasteland is a grindhouse inspired action book set in a post apocalyptic world. Well now we’ve got some updates for you! Even after the fall of mankind you’ve still gotta laugh, and Sally does, often using her beloved shotgun, Bertha, as the punchline! Inspired more by lust than common sense, and by a teenage desire to protect Tommy, the object of her desires, Sally leaves her bar job and joins the deranged crew of the Mississippi Duchess on a mission into the remains of New Orleans. For a bit of a better look at the story, check out the cool (if cheesy) trailer below:
I’ve watched that video more than a couple of times and the narration gets me every time, but is also makes me super keen to pick up Sally of the Wasteland. If you aren’t sold on it just yet, then check out the book’s cover, and 1:10 variant cover below. Now only that but we have a few internal pages for you to check out. Sally of the Wasteland will be available on July 30th online and through comic book retailers everywhere so be sure to pick it up. As always, make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Titan Comics news as it becomes available.
Grab the popcorn, pull up a chair and get ready to rock as it is time for this week’s Disney Infinity Toy Box Challenge! The folks over at Disney are always working hard to bring the Disney Infinityfans a seemingly never-ending supply of brand new content in the form of new Toy Box Maps. There are five free maps for players this week, and if that wasn’t enough we also have the Toy Box Countdown, showcasing the last week’s winning entries, as well as some information about upcoming challenges and how you can be a part of it. So what are we waiting for!
TOY BOX COUNTDOWN
Today is April Fools, and that means that this week’s Toy Box Countdown is all about pranks! From cruel ways to laugh at your friends to devious obstacle courses, this week’s Toy Box Countdown has it all. check out
Touch The Light – Touch the light. Simple enough, right? Hint: Have patience and be observant in the spring room. Spring room? You’ll see!
Sulley’s Maze –It’s Prank Day at MU! Sulley has made a maze with a lot of pranks. Save 5 trapped students then prank Sulley back!
Prank 626 –Brave the twisted teleporters and find the 4 spray paint cans so that Stitch can finish his “artwork”.
Quest For Archie – Randall and the gang have pignapped Archie. Help Fear Tech rescue their mascot through the maze of awesomeness!
Gravity Falls –Something weird is happening in Gravity Falls… well, more weird than usual. Mysterious monsters have pranked the town.
Let’s take a bit of a closer look at these maps, as well as some tips and tricks for making your Toy Box the best it can be, with this week’s installment of Disney Infinity: Toy Box TV.
This week’s Toy Box Submission Challenge has been a long time coming. Time to reach into your wardrobe, call your fairy godmother and make sure your tiara is on straight for this week’s Princess Challenge! Will you make the ultimate kingdom, or recreate your favourite Disney Princess film? No matter what your take on the theme is, make sure you get your creations to Disney.
As always, you can create and share your Toy Box creations though, using these instructions:
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U
Bring up the Pause Menu and select “Online/Multiplayer.”
Then select “Toy Box Share” > “Disney’s Toy Boxes” > “Submit to Disney.”
Follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to give your Toy Box an original name and description. Choose carefully – they will be shown to everybody if your Toy Box is featured.
iPad
Bring up the Pause Menu and select “Toy Box Share.”
Then select “Disney’s Toy Boxes” > “Submit to Disney.”
Follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to give your Toy Box an original name and description. Choose carefully – they will be shown to everybody if your Toy Box is featured
That’s it for the latest issue of Disney Infinity Toy Box Challenge and the end of another week of Disney Infinity updates for you guys. Make sure you get creating and come up with the best Toy Box to fit this week’s theme to be in with a chance to have your masterpiece showcased around the world. Let us know your thoughts on this week’s winners in the comments below and remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Disney Infinity news as it becomes available
Overview Exploring a dungeon and getting nailed by a trap that you didn’t see is a bane of any adventurer and can often eat away at a player’s limited supply of healing items. However what if you were the one actually placing these traps down and using them on your enemies? Well a certain game series called Deception focused entirely around this concept, but it has spent over ten years in the dark with only a spin-off hitting stores in the last decade. Now, fourteen years after the last game was released, has the wait for Deception IV: Blood Ties paid off?
Story In a bit of a twist to your standard fantasy tale, in Deception IV: Blood Ties players take control not of a hero trying to thwart off attackers or keep themselves safe, but of a villain. The main character in this game is Laegrinna, the daughter of the devil, and she is assisted by three daemons who used to work with her father but now are helping her complete their goal.
You see, when the devil was imprisoned thousands of years ago, twelve warriors were able to seal him away using Holy Verses. After so much time has passed, these verses have been separated into twelve different pieces and spread to their descendants. Through spreading rumors about a witch occupying an old castle, Laegrinna is able to lure potential heroes to their doom hoping to track down the holders of the verses and try to resurrect her father.
There isn’t a whole lot of set-up for the story in Deception IV: Blood Ties, as players are tossed into the story and given the brief introduction then and there. As they make their way through the story mode they will be introduced to a number of characters that are trying to put a stop to Laegrinna’s plans, a number of which actually appear even eviler than the devil himself.
It is also humorous to note that almost every opponent that Laegrinna has to face off against, from bosses to lost civilians, often have a humorous backstory of some sort that fits their brief intro and death dialogue.
Gameplay Now the Decepton series has never been a game about fighting head-on, instead it is all about laying traps for your opponents. This remains the case in Deception IV where players are able to choose three different traps of the floor, ceiling, and wall variety to bring with them into every stage and each of these traps have a different category that matches a daemon assisting Laegrinna.
Caelea is the daemon of elaborate torture and all elaborate traps are highlighted blue to match her theme, and the same can be said for the other two daemons, with Veruza being the sadistic torture daemon and Lilia being the daemon of humiliating torture. These daemons have various requests, seen as little side-challenges, that can be completed during a stage for a boost in a certain categories experience that allows for more traps to be unlocked.
Now speaking about the traps, players must defeat their enemies using the traps at their disposal by laying out complex traps in a room using a grid-based structure to plan everything out. There are a ridiculous amount of traps at your disposal, with many of the traps being rather ridiculous themselves, allowing for almost every kind of combination imaginable.
It is worth noting that while you lay out your traps and change their positions, the game is paused which is necessary considering the only to hit enemies with your traps is to lure them into position and activate the traps yourself. Now this might sound easy at first, it is far more complex than that appears since many of the enemies that try to kill Laegrinna have special abilities themselves. There are enemies that can be completely immune to certain types of weapons or are capable of long range attacking meaning they won’t be as easy to lure into your traps.
While learning what enemies are immune to what is fairly simple, it still will constantly keep the player on their toes as they come up with various trap combinations to unleash on their enemies. Players also can equip two skills to Laegrinna at any time, allowing her to dodge attacks, heal herself, gain the ability to use an extra trap, and many other things. It is worth noting that there is an “Auto-Dodge” skill that can be used to avoid all incoming danger, but this not only takes away from the tension of dealing with numerous deadly opponents at any given time but also cuts the amount of money, used to unlock more traps, skills, and costumes, earned in any mission in half.
Outside of the traps you already have at your disposal, there are four areas in the game that players will be transferred to as they progress in the game’s story mode. Each of these areas are split up into various rooms and each one contains extra environmental traps that can be worked into your own trap configurations to create a sequence of events so diabolic or sinister that you might almost feel bad about the things you are doing to these people. Almost.
Outside of the game’s story mode there are additional modes as well, such as free battle which allows players to choose what enemies they want to face off against in what arena, allowing players to master their traps, a necessity considering how some traps are very finicky with the way they work. Some traps can only hit enemies standing or have a very small hit radius, meaning a small delay or deviation in an enemy’s flight path can mean a trap could miss and ruin an intricately designed work of destructive art.
There are also various challenge missions that give the player set goals to accomplish within a time limit which adds some replayability but feels constrictive considering how open everything else in the game feels. Finally there is a creation mode that allows players to create their own objectives and select various enemies to face off against and place their creation online, allowing others to play it and along those same lines players can download other user created missions.
Visuals & Audio Now it is worth noting that Deception IV: Blood Ties is not an extravagant looking game by any means, but it does have it where it counts. The traps at the player’s disposal are varied greatly and they all look great while each area is teeming with little secrets to find and throw your attackers into. That being said, while the appearances of the enemies attacking you is varied well enough you will quickly begin to run into enemies that look similar to one another, though something can certainly be said about the neat armor breaking feature.
The story in Deception IV: Blood Ties is told in a bit of a visual novel style set-up with Laegrinna and the daemons having their own character portraits and special NPCs having detailed portraits as well. These character portraits are nice looking but don’t have much in the way of variety, especially Laegrinna, meaning that a lot of the dialogue sequences consist of the same portraits every time.
Now it is worth noting that Tecmo Koei chose not to provide an English voice track for Deception IV: Blood Ties which means that the entire game is spoken in Japanese with English subtitles, but that works great for a game such as this where the Japanese voice actors do their jobs just fine and trying to create a suitable English dub for a game with such an odd premise probably would have sounded awful. It also helps that the voice acting for the three daemons, which do most of the talking in the game, fits their personalities perfectly.
Overall Deception IV: Blood Ties is the type of game you don’t see much anymore and that is a real shame because it is so different than most of what is out on the market today. The story and premise that places players into the game is satisfying and the game itself is nicely polished with a wide arrange of traps to use and tons of things to unlock, though it can be frustrating at times when things go wrong. Deception IV: Blood Ties makes a successful return after such a long time in the shadows and definitely deserves some time in the spotlight.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
