History Meets Science Fiction in The Great Martian War for Android & iOS 

TORONTO – Feb. 4, 2014 – It’s June 1913, and relations between Germany and the rest of Europe are tense. On June 28th, a massive shockwave rocks Europe—emanating from a single blast point in the heart of the German Empire. This looks like the beginning of the war everyone has been anticipating; however, it is the terrifying start of something much different. The Great Martian War for iOS [URL] and Android [URL] spectacularly re-imagines the years 1913-17, with humankind fighting a catastrophic war against a savage race of extraterrestrial invaders.

The Great Martian War is a cinematic and immersive endless runner based on the scripted drama of the same name that aired on HISTORY late last year in the UK and Canada. Playing as Gus Lafonde, a skillful scout and brave soldier determined to survive the Martian invasion, the player navigates vast battlefields—evading land mines, artillery strikes, tanks and terrifying Martian war machines. Along the way, Gus must collect rations and Victisite (the living metal that powers the alien machines) to unlock power-ups and complete his mission.

The Great Martian War (iOS/Android) is free to play and can be downloaded from the App Store [URL], Google Play [URL], and Amazon’s Appstore for Android [URL].

Features:

• Virtually endless gameplay: Randomly-generated levels allow for non-stop fun
• Visceral combat: Immersive 3D visuals and sound effects place you in the middle of the Martian War
• Massive scale: Escape through vast environments and exciting set pieces as you progress through 18 player levels
• Period-specific battle gear: Beat the odds with World War I-themed power-ups
• Achieve the impossible: In-game achievements challenge you to finish your mission and collect rewards
• Dynamic content: The Martian War universe is always expanding with ongoing content updates and new features! 

The Great Martian War app was created for Shaw Media by Emmy® Award-winning Toronto-based interactive agency Secret Location. To appeal to users on a long-term basis, the agency will release content updates that will improve the game via user metrics. The Great Martian War is compatible with iOS, Android and Kindle Fire. For more information, please visit http://greatmartianwar.com/

Trailer

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBB6Wtw1XTQ

About the Film

Commissioned by HISTORY (a Shaw Media network) as a co-production between eOne Entertainment in Canada and Impossible Pictures in the U.K., The Great Martian War is a scripted drama in the tradition of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds. When an unprecedented attack by monstrous Alien war-machines devastates Western Europe, a rag-tag alliance of world governments unite to protect Earth. With powerful and detailed First World War parallels, The Great Martian War is a unique allegorical tale exploring the horrors of war. This landmark project artfully blends state-of-the-art CG elements with actual period footage to produce a convincing Martian War film archive that forms the foundation of the film.

About the Developer

Secret Location is an interactive agency that launches products and solves problems through storytelling. Launched in 2008, the company is already a Digital Emmy®, Gemini, AToMiC, Creativity International, FWA and Marketing Awards winner. Secret Location was also shortlisted for a 2011 Cannes Lion and is a three-time Webby Awards honoree. Secret Location works in three convergent specialties: brand, entertainment and technological development. It is at the intersection of these three verticals that Secret Location has found its niche, creating innovative solutions that connect with audiences and generate awesome results for clients. Secret Location is based in Toronto, Canada, and is led by Executive Producer James Milward. To find out more about Secret Location, visit http://www.thesecretlocation.com

THE MIGHTY QUEST FOR EPIC LOOT OPEN BETA ARRIVES ON FEBRUARY 25^th

London, UK – 27^th January 2014 – Today, Ubisoft® announced that The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot will enter Open Beta on February 25th. Opulencia will hereby be open to all players, who are welcome to join in on the battle to raid and loot their neighbors’ castles, while attempting to preserve their own fortune.

The quarreling between our three heroes has come to an end and the tallies are in from the final Open House event -the character most played and beloved by the community (drumroll please) is the ever faithful Sir Painhammer, Knight of Opulencia. The Mage and The Archer are crying foul play on this decree and are ordering a recount, and demanding that we open the gates to Opulencia permanently.

Additionally, The Runaway, the fourth character to join the quest, will make her official debut in-game with the start of the Open Beta. Boasting vicious mid-range attacks and a badass musical axe, she’s a formidable foe for creatures and bosses alike.

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is free for everyone ready to embark on this medieval adventure.  Players can get a head start on building their wealth and terrorizing others by downloading the game now on The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot website or can join on February 25th when the game becomes available to all.

Welcome to Opulencia, a world where being greedy is NOT frowned upon!

For the latest news on Ubisoft collectible merchandise, please visit and like the page www.facebook.com/ubicollectibles.

King’s Facebook Hit Farm Heroes Saga Now Available on Mobile Platforms

Beat the holiday blues with a trip down to the farm!

LONDON & NEW YORK, 2 JANUARY 2014: King, the world’s leading casual games company and creator of global hit game Candy Crush Saga, today announced that Farm Heroes Saga, its hugely popular and loveable match-three Facebook title, is now available to download for free on iOS and Android platforms.

Perfect to pick-up and play anytime, anywhere, Farm Heroes Saga is a super cute and social game which challenges players to switch and match various selections of lovable ‘Cropsie’ characters in rows of three or more, within specified move limits. With 100 levels available at launch, players can look forward to endless strawberry switching and carrot crunching chaos.

Farm Heroes Saga incorporates similar gameplay mechanics to King’s award-winning Candy Crush Saga, while also featuring a number of new and distinct ways of playing a match-3 puzzle. Additional gameplay elements include rechargeable boosters and regular challenging ‘Boss’ battles where players take on the evil ‘Rancid the Raccoon’ who is attempting to spoil the peaceful nature of the farm.

Having first launched on Facebook in March 2013, Farm Heroes Saga is now a top three Facebook game (AppData Dec 2013) with an extensive and active community. Its popularity stems from its colourful design, wide range of loveable characters and distinct and original gameplay features.

Farm Heroes Saga on mobile will seamlessly synchronise with Facebook so players can progress, unlock new levels and access leaderboards wherever and whenever they like, without losing any of their progress.

“Ever since we first launched the original installment of Farm Heroes Saga on Facebook, the mobile version has been one of our community’s most requested titles,” says Tommy Palm, Games Guru at King. “We hope that its snackable nature and rewarding progression system will prove to be as much of a hit with mobile players as it has been with our Facebook fans. We look forward to welcoming new players down to the farm!”

Farm Heroes Saga is available to download for free now on iOS (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch) and on Google Play for Android.

-ENDS-

About King:

King is the world’s leading casual games company, with more than 1 billion gameplays per day globally. King offers more than 175 exclusive games in 14 languages through mobile, Facebook and the website www.king.com. The company has offices in Barcelona, Bucharest, London, Malta, Malmo, San Francisco and Stockholm. For more information, visit http://about.king.com. 

© 2013 King.com Ltd. King, the King crown logo, Farm Heroes Saga and Candy Crush Saga and related marks are trade marks of King.com Ltd and/or related entities

Pilot programme to feature three projects from indie developers, Ruffian Games, Kitfox Games and Tuque Games

Square Enix today launches the pilot phase of its new community platform, Square Enix Collective™.

Collective™ will showcase independently developed game concepts direct to the gaming community, allowing the community to decide which concepts should become a reality. The platform is initially launching with a pilot phase which starts today and will run for 28 days, showcasing three projects from Ruffian Games (based in Dundee, working on Game of Glens), Kitfox Games (based in Montreal, working on Moon Hunters) and Tuque Games (also based in Montreal, working on World War Machine).

“There are lots of really talented small teams around the world with great game ideas. For those teams, getting visibility, momentum, funding and distribution can be very tricky and that’s where we hope Collective can help,” said Phil Elliott, project lead on Collective.

The community will choose which projects they want to see go through to a crowdfunding process via a partnership with world-leading crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Projects which successfully raise funds may also find support from Square Enix through the development process, and assistance in distributing the final project across leading digital channels once completed.

“It’s up to the teams how much or little help they want from Square Enix and it’s our opportunity to help some fantastic games become a reality and uncover the development stars of the future,” continued Elliott.

The three teams taking part in the pilot phase of Collective will showcase three very different game concepts; Ruffian Games was established in 2008 and has shipped a number of titles in the past, including Crackdown 2 with Microsoft. Kitfox Games is a new developer, with its first game Shattered Planet set for release this March, while Tuque Games – also a new developer – is hoping to launch its first title via Collective.

“We see Collective as an opportunity to get Moon Hunters more coverage than we can get on our lonesome,” commented Tanya X Short, designer at Kitfox Games, “and really connect with potential fans that otherwise wouldn’t hear us.”

“Quite simply I think that Square Collective has the potential to make players happy. The initiative gives players a voice to let Square Enix know which games they want to see get made and the power to influence the raw, early-stage development process. That’s new, powerful and bold,” said Jeff Hattem, founder of Tuque Games.  “I’m both excited and terrified to see how players will react and what they have in store for game devs like us.”

“Ruffian Games is really excited to be involved with Collective from launch, we think it’s a great idea that lowers the boundaries for smaller and more independent developers to get new ideas in front of an experienced audience,” said James Cope, producer at Ruffian Games. “The benefits of being able to grow a following ahead of a crowd funded campaign are clear but Collective gives an extra level of confidence and the options open to us for distribution in the future are incredibly helpful.”

The platform has been created by web development agency Contra. More details on how the platform works are available on the Collective website.

About Square Enix Ltd

Square Enix Ltd., a part of the Square Enix Europe business unit, develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix Group. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive™, Crystal Dynamics® and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix Group boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 100 million units worldwide, DRAGON QUEST® which has sold over 62 million units worldwide and TOMB RAIDER® which has sold over 35 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found at http://www.square-enix.com/eu/en/.

Stronghold Crusader 2 to Release in Summer 2014, Cover Art Revealed 

London, UK – 27^th January 2014 – Firefly Studios is pleased to announce that its upcoming medieval strategy sim will see release on PC this summer. With an exact release date to follow closer to launch, the development team is currently hard at work, with the aim of releasing Stronghold Crusader 2 only when it is ready.

In a new post on the game’s official website the independent developer provides a short update on development:

“Releasing in the summer is a little later than we had initially hoped, but once again our intention is to release a game that lives up to the Crusader name. Whenever we meet someone who played and enjoyed the original they always have a story to tell about the time they finally beat that hard as nails Crusader Trail mission or when they took on seven AI opponents at once! When people have such fond memories you can’t rush a sequel out the door, which is why we have chosen to take our time when it comes to feature implementation and play testing. We’re at a point now where we can dip into skirmish mode or a multiplayer game during lunch and have fun, which is a fantastic feeling for the team.

With the game in its current state we can spend extra time tuning and tweaking the various new units and siege equipment that will soon be storming other players online. It will also mean we have enough time to reduce the number of bugs and crashes right down before launch and refine the core gameplay loops that make it fun. We know players are eager to get their hands on the game, but Crusader 2 must be fun, stable and complete at launch.”

Also released today is the game’s final cover art, which reveals Crusader 1 protagonist Richard the Lionheart will once again be returning to the desert. The full news post can be found at www.strongholdcrusader2.com.
About Firefly Studios

Firefly Studios is an independent PC game developer specialising in real-time strategy and MMO titles. Formed in 1999 by Simon Bradbury and Eric Ouellette, the company has brought to market a number of high profile and commercially successful strategy games, including the Stronghold series with lifetime sales of over six million. Firefly has offices in the UK and US. For more information please visit their website at www.fireflyworlds.com or follow @fireflyworlds on Twitter.