ALBION ONLINE DISCUSSES CHALLENGES OF BALANCING PVP & GVG
Player Vs. Player And Guild Vs. Guild Combat Revealed

Berlin, November 21, 2013—  Sandbox Interactive has pulled the curtain back on the importance of player versus player and guild versus guild combat in their upcoming cross-platform Sandbox MMO, Albion Online.  With a player-driven economy and territorial-based PVP, balancing these two systems has proven to be challenge the Albion team is ready to face!  Players can find out more and sign up for the upcoming closed beta test at http://albiononline.com/

With a game focused primarily on Player versus Player (PvP) and Guild versus Guild (GvG) fighting, Sandbox Interactive has striven to make these aspects of the game as fair and exciting as possible!  In Albion Online guilds can claim or conquer areas for their own, which are then known as their territories: guilds can own as many territories as they can capture and hold onto, and these territories provide shelter and resources to their battle-weary warriors!

Though Albion Online has a massive, unlimited open PvP system, there’s special features and mechanics for GvG, as well as other systems put in place to make the battles both fair and exciting.  Players will need to fight bravely for their territory!  In order to make GvG fighting fair for all parties, there is a system which stops enemy players from being able to attack safe territories while guild members are offline. For most of the day, territories are protected by a magical barrier, through which only members of the guild (or friendly members of other guilds) are allowed.

“To accommodate players from many different time zones, guilds choose a certain number of times during the day at which their territory will then be ‘open’ to attack,” said David Salz, Technical Director for Albion Online, “Because building up a power base takes many investments, including time, it’s important that guilds don’t lose their territories simply because they’re sleeping.”

Guilds of all shapes and sizes must feel that they can make their mark (literally!) on the world of Albion, so to level the playing field, Albion Online restrict the size of the GvG battles to accommodate smaller guilds and reward them for their skill in battle rather than their sheer size!  Thus, when guilds fight over territory, these battles will be restricted to a maximum of 5 members on each team.  Both the attacking and defending guilds will be notified prior to the battle commencing, and will at this point have to choose their five best warriors to battle over the territory; this restriction not only allows smaller guilds to compete and to prevent “zerging.”

It’s so important to cater to guilds of all persuasions, Albion Online can’t solely be run by guilds purely focused on PvP. Albion Online has crafting, trading, PVE, — so if players want to do anything to avoid PvP, our mercenary system is for them!  If a territory is threatened, players can also put a bounty out their enemies.  Claiming territory should be a challenge, so guilds must actively and thoroughly plan a strategy for claiming a certain area – guilds are only able to attack a territory if it shares its borders with a territory they already own.  Keep your friends close.and your enemies closer!

Albion Online is the first true cross-platform MMO, running on different devices including Windows, iOS and Android at the same time and in the same world!

Albion Online will go into beta in early 2014 and players can get all the latest updates by following the game on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/albiononline and Twitter: @albiononline, or on Google+  https://plus.google.com/u/0/102755040714140552319/posts and on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9gij-VpDFWaaqn1zLM4TEQ

For more information, please visit www.albion-online.com

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About Sandbox Interactive
We are Sandbox Interactive, an independent company founded in January 2012 and based in Berlin, Germany. We believe that the creation of your own world and interaction with other players are paramount to entertainment — and both creating and interacting are best experienced in sandbox games. That’s why we are extremely passionate about sandbox MMORPGs. Currently, we are a team of 12 full time employees and 9 freelancers, all working hard on our project Albion Online. Most of us are coders and artists. We believe that delivering a great product is most important. That’s why we focus on our game rather than on marketing or a huge B2B network. And even more important, everyone in our team is still a gamer themselves and loves games. We hope that you will be able to feel this love in our game.

FIGHTER WITHIN^TM AVAILABLE ON XBOX ONE AT LAUNCH 

London, UK — November 21, 2013 — Today, Ubisoft^® announced that Fighter Within™, the first motion-fighting game designed specifically for the next generation of hardware, is now available for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Powered by Kinect for Xbox One, Fighter Within provides the excitement of a fun, immersive and straightforward combat experience. Fighter Within makes the most out of the improved local multiplayer capabilities of Kinect, tracking the two players’ moves as they challenge their friends and family in one-versus-one opposition.

The new Kinect allows for greater variety of gameplay and endless fun. Players engage their fighting skills by throwing punches, kicks, counters and combos. All in all, Fighter Within recognizes more than 40 moves, each of the 12 unique fighters has his signature moves and each of the 10 arenas has its specificities. Players can let their inner fighters decide the best strategy to defeat their opponent based on their preferred style of fighting.

Finally, thanks to the power of Xbox One, Fighter Within boasts impressive next generation quality graphics and unequaled responsiveness. Facial impacts and sweat are reproduced in real time to propel players into the heart of the fight.

For the latest information on Fighter Within, please visit: fighter-within.com

DANCINGANCHOVY Entertainment and DeNA Team Up to Release Team Monster for iPhone, iPad & iPod touch

SAN FRANCISCO – November 21, 2013 – DANCINGANCHOVY Entertainment, a Korean mobile game developer, in partnership with DeNA announced today the launch of Team Monster for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Named one of the top ten most anticipated mobile games by leading mobile gaming site TouchArcade last year, the innovative action role-playing game (RPG) is sure to delight players around the world. The simple, but strategic real-time strategy monster battle game features a mysterious island inhabited by adorably viscous monsters where the player collects, raises and trains a team of creatures, while following storylines that feature a colorful cast of characters. The player develops their island camp, upgrades their home, and unlocks new buildings as they level up in the game.

“With Team Monster, we set out to create a mobile experience with the depth and quality that RPG fans expect from a handheld console game, but free to play and with great social mechanics,” said Deelee, chief executive officer of DANCINGANCHOVY Entertainment. “I’m thrilled to invite mobile game players to download and play Team Monster. Our development team hopes that consumers enjoy playing Team Monster as much as we had creating it.”

The Team Monster App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.AppStore.com/TeamMonster

Game assets including logos and screenshots can be downloaded at: http://moba.ge/TeamMonster

A Team Monster trailer is available for you to watch and embed on your site via this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osghKwSCqQY

Team Monster is also coming to Android mobile devices soon. Players can preregister and receive an email alert when the game is available. They will also receive a free in-game Cathawk, a rare flying monster by preregistering on the Team Monster website: www.teammonstergame.com

About DANCINGANCHOVY Entertainment

DANCINGANCHOVY Entertainment Inc. is a popular mobile game developer in Korea with strong representation in the global market. With a team of experienced and talented developers, the studio is focused on creating casual game experiences for consumers. Their portfolio includes games such as Team Monster for KAKAOTalk.

About DeNA

DeNA (pronounced “D-N-A”) is a global leader of developing and operating mobile services including free-to-play games, the Mobage social games platform, e-commerce and other online offerings. Founded in 1999, DeNA is headquartered in Tokyo with offices and game development studios across the globe. DeNA Co., Ltd. is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (2432). For more information, visit: dena.com

HARMONIX LENDS EXPERTISE TO REALTA ENTERTAINMENT’S BANDFUSE: ROCK LEGENDS

Realta Entertainment Group today detailed its collaboration with music game pioneers Harmonix Music Systems on the recently launched BandFuse: Rock Legends, the music video game where legendary rockers transform players into real-world guitarists, bassists and vocalists. Harmonix, developers of the pop culture phenomena franchises Guitar Hero and Rock Band, provided the Realta development team with input ranging from intuitive interface designs, to guidance for setting skill levels for novice players.

“We’re happy to see the folks at Realta pushing forward and innovating in the music game space, especially in ways that inspire and motivate fans to pick up real instruments,” said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder of Harmonix Music Systems.

Harmonix contributed its Rock Band vocal interface design to the BandFuse: Rock Legends gameplay. The interface, when tied to the Realta analytics engine, scores vocals for instant feedback in single and multiplayer mode. The team also shared the iconic Rock Band instrument logos for use in the in-game user interface.

“The team at Harmonix offered feedback on our original game design, providing expertise on key techniques and game development based on their experience in making groundbreaking music games,” said Stephen Gomes, CEO of Realta Entertainment. “They advised us on ways to make the experience more fun and accessible to a broad audience, which ultimately contributed to this being a great pick-up-and-play experience.”

Seamlessly connecting real guitars, basses and microphones to game consoles, BandFuse: Rock Legends empowers players to jam to a fully unlocked library of hit songs from rock to metal and punk to funk, featuring 55 massive genre-jumping songs. BandFuse: Rock Legends features in-game guitar and bass guitar instruction by a platinum cast of musicians including master guitar instructor Slash, Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society), Mike Ness (Social Distortion), Bootsy Collins (Parliament/Funkadelic, Rubber Band), George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob), Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook (Five Finger Death Punch), and Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom).

Now available in North America for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 systems, BandFuse: Rock Legends is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. The game will release in Japan on December 19, 2013, and a European release date will be announced soon. To learn more about BandFuse: Rock Legends, please visit www.bandfuse.com, ‘Like’ it on Facebook, watch it on Twitch and follow @BandFuse on Twitter.

YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z IMAGES SURFACE DETAILING NEW BREEDS OF WICKED ZOMBIES AND MERCILESS KILLING TACTICS

Team NINJA today released new gameplay information for YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z showing off an all new area, elemental-based combat and the introduction of new zombie types that Yaiba will have to dismember in his quest for vengeance. New artwork and in-game screenshots have been released highlighting this newly revealed content.

This latest batch of YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z assets find Yaiba deep in the bowels of a sewage plant, confronted by waves of zombies that attack with bile, electricity and fire. Ever the cunning the ninja, Yaiba adapts to his new zombie adversaries by ripping out the Blister Sister’s bile filled guts to harvest her toxic bagpipe, allowing him to spew the deadly bile himself, at his dastardly discretion. Even though the Zombie Bride’s shocking attack can short circuit Yaiba’s cyborg arm, she isn’t safe from Yaiba’s carnage as he turns her spine into an electrical whip, zapping flame zombies to create a powerful magnetic storm. From there, the real fun ensues. Yaiba’s flail is a weapon of wicked design, and it seeks the taste of zombie flesh. Armies of the undead can feel the flail’s cold kiss in one attack, but it rarely runs solo with combos of cyborg rocket punches or a bit of sword play not far behind.

There are mysteries abound in this new area. A hideous beast snarls from behind a sewer grate. A recording from the past is discovered that only Yaiba can view with his cyborg eye. The extremely toxic atmosphere makes Yaiba question if the sewage plant is the source of the zombie outbreak. That’s not the only question Yaiba is left with… As he comes across zombies slain with the blade of a Ninja Sword, is he finally on the tail of his arch nemesis, Ryu Hayabusa?

In YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z, players will battle fierce zombies as Yaiba, a cyborg ninja who will do anything to get revenge and stay alive. Cleaved in two, he is brought back to life with cyber-technology. Brandishing his ninja sword and the mecha weapons in his cyborg arm, he slaughters zombies with brutal, over-the-top abandon. Step into a stylized living comic book where stunning graphics depict a world gone mad. Hordes of undead can only be stopped by Yaiba’s willingness to use any means necessary to get the job done. Will he kill by turning his cyborg arm into a razor chainsaw for slicing up undead—or just rip off an opponent’s arms to use as zombie nunchucks? Both possibilities fill Yaiba’s heart with twisted laughter in this upcoming collaboration between famed developers Team NINJA and comcept’s Keiji Inafune.

YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z will be available for the PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Steam® (PC) March 4, 2014. This title has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

More information about YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z can be found at www.YaibaNGZ.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YaibaNinjaGaidenZ and Twitter https://twitter.com/YaibaNGZ.

For more news about Team NINJA, visit http://teamninja-studio.com, and don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/teamninjastudio and follow us on Twitter @TeamNINJAStudio

STARPOINT GEMINI 2 RECEIVES EARLY ACCESS UPDATE AND NEW GAMEPLAY TRAILER

Community-Driven Upgrades Showcased in Robust Update   

Haarlem, The Netherlands – November 21, 2013 – Veteran strategy publisher Iceberg Interactive announced today that its space sim/RPG Starpoint Gemini 2 (PC), currently in Steam’s Early Access, will enjoy another big content update driven by its avid community base. Developer Little Green Men has released a new gameplay trailer today, illustrating several of these new features.

Watch the brand new gameplay trailer HERE: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuTMvb4FQGc

Ever since Starpoint Gemini 2’s Early Access launched 10 weeks ago, the game’s active community has helped development. Little Green Man Games is actively implementing and adding new ideas thanks to the extensive feedback, resulting in new exciting gameplay for the vast and expanding Gemini universe.

As planned, today’s update comes with a minor price increase, and gamers purchasing Starpoint Gemini 2 will still receive a free copy of the complete version of Starpoint Gemini 1, making the whole package an excellent deal.

Update Changes Include:

• Expanded in-game options
• Toggle on-screen notifications (community request)
• Unlocked several video options
• Added on-screen notifications like Level-up, Experience gained, Credits gained, Reputation changed (community request)
• Added reputation panel so players can have an overview of their standing with the 50+ game factions
• Added the ability to purchase new ships and store them directly from the Shipyard into the Garage
• Added Bounty board to the Starchart where players can look over the different ”heroes” they can hunt down for a reward
• Added pre-rendered intro movie for the campaign

To see the full list of all changes and updates to date, please click HERE (steamcommunity.com/app/236150/announcements).

Please keep track of all latest news about Starpoint Gemini 2 via www.iceberg-games.com, www.starpointgemini.com or www.facebook.com/StarpointGemini2.

ABOUT LITTLE GREEN MEN GAMES
LGM Games is a team of highly motivated and talented programmers, writers, 3D and 2D artists, and animators sharing the same passion for video games. LGM Games made their first appearance in the gaming industry in 2011 with their debut title Starpoint Gemini, a space-flavored RPG sim.

ABOUT ICEBERG INTERACTIVE

Iceberg Interactive is an independent video game publisher founded in 2009 by an international group of games industry veterans and is located in Haarlem, The Netherlands. While keeping its roots in the European retail games market, Iceberg has rapidly increased its focus towards the global digital games market, by building strong direct relationships with dozens of Game Portals. Staffed with avid gamers, Iceberg works closely with an international assembly of game developers, both midsize and indie. With a distinct focus on the strategy, action, simulation and adventure game genres, the company has garnered attention with acclaimed releases including Killing Floor, Wings of Prey, APB Reloaded and Endless Space among its 70+ game arsenal – with more promising games in the pipeline.

Play it cool!