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July 13, 2011

Region Specific: Why develop games in Finland?

Finland’s most successful game developers discuss their reputation for polish and clarity, and hatred of pigs.

One indicator of the close relationships enjoyed by Finland’s various studios is that the exchange of business cards which usually takes place when we gather developers together for Region Specific discussions doesn’t occur. Everyone here knows each other and all are welcomed to RedLynx’s premises as old friends, not just guests.

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Region Specific: Finland's gaming scene

From origins in the vibrant ’90s demoscene has emerged one of Europe’s most creative dev centres.

Bring almost any game to mind and more often than not, you’ll be able to stick a pin into a mental map marking where it came from. Be it Lionhead’s resolutely British Fable series, for example, Activision’s all-American Call Of Duty titles or even the esoteric output of defunct French studio Delphine, games evoke a sense of origin. But despite its prolific output, most would be hard pressed to identify many games heralding from the Nordic country of Finland.

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Studio profile: RedLynx

Making addictive games isn’t a trial for this Helsinki developer.
  • Founded 2000
  • Location Helsinki.
  • Employees 45
  • Key staff Antti Ilvessuo (creative director), Tero Virtala (CEO).
  • URL www.redlynx.com
  • Selected softography Trials HD, Trials 2 SE, DrawRace, Monster Trucks Nitro, Reset Generation, Pathway to Glory.
  • Current projects MotoHeroz (WiiWare), 1000 Heroz (iOS), DrawRace 2 (iOS),

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Studio profile: Housemarque

From its roots in the Amiga demoscene, this developer is focused on the future.
  • Founded 1995
  • Location Helsinki.
  • Employees 30
  • Key staff Harri Tikkanen (co-founder and creative director), Ilari Kuittinen (co-founder and CEO).
  • URL www.housemarque.com
  • Selected softography Super Stardust HD, Dead Nation, Outland.
  • Current projects Unannounced iOS game.

Housemarque is no stranger to 
adaptation.

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Studio profile: Remedy Entertainment

A developer with the ambition and drive to consistently break new ground.
  • Founded 1995
  • Location Espoo.
  • Employees 50
  • Key staff Matias Myllyrinne (CEO), Markus Mäki (CTO),  Mika Reini (CFO), Sam Lake (creative director), Sami Vanhatalo, (lead technical artist).
  • URL www.remedygames.com
  • Selected softography Death Rally, Max Payne, Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne, Alan Wake.
  • Current project Building technology for an unannounced game.

While its presence on the ground flo

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Studio profile: Frozenbyte

The Peter Pan of Finland’s developers, Frozenbyte refuses to grow up.
  • Founded 2001
  • Location Helsinki.
  • Employees 35
  • URL www.frozenbyte.com
  • Selected softography Shadowgrounds, Trine, Shadowgrounds Survivor.
  • Current projects Jack Claw (a crowd-sourcing project for PC), Trine 2 (360, Mac, Linux, PC, PS3), Splot (iOS, Mac, Linux, PC).

With an average employee age somewhere on the south side o

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Studio profile: Futuremark

A leader in the benchmarking field expands into game development.
  • Founded 1997
  • Location Espoo.
  • Employees 30
  • Key staff Jukka Mäkinen (CEO), Jaakko Haapasalo (director of Futuremark Games Studio), Joonas Palmgren (lead designer), Jussi Markkanen (lead programmer), Jussi Jokijärvi (lead artist).
  • URL www.futuremark.com
  • Selected softography 3DMark, PCMark, Shattered Horizon, Hungribles.
  • Current projects Two unannounced games in progress, as well as continued support for 3DMark, PCMa

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Studio profile: Rovio Mobile

This growing company’s ambitions don’t stop at one monster-sized hit.
  • Founded 2003 as Relude, rebranded in 2005.
  • Location Espoo.
  • Employees 60
  • Key staff Mikael Hed (CEO), Niklas Hed (COO), Petri Järvilehto (SVP console development).
  • URL www.rovio.com
  • Selected softography Angry Birds, Angry Birds Halloween, Space Impact: Meteor Shield.
  • Current projects Nine other unannounced games in progress; cross-media expansion of Angry Birds.

Despite having released over 50

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Region Specific: Why develop games in Finland?

Finland’s most successful game developers discuss their reputation for polish and clarity, and hatred of pigs.

One indicator of the close relationships enjoyed by Finland’s various studios is that the exchange of business cards which usually takes place when we gather developers together for Region Specific discussions doesn’t occur. Everyone here knows each other and all are welcomed to RedLynx’s premises as old friends, not just guests.

read more


Region Specific: Finland's gaming scene

From origins in the vibrant ’90s demoscene has emerged one of Europe’s most creative dev centres.

Bring almost any game to mind and more often than not, you’ll be able to stick a pin into a mental map marking where it came from. Be it Lionhead’s resolutely British Fable series, for example, Activision’s all-American Call Of Duty titles or even the esoteric output of defunct French studio Delphine, games evoke a sense of origin. But despite its prolific output, most would be hard pressed to identify many games heralding from the Nordic country of Finland.

read more


Mass Effect lead joins Riot Games

Christina Norman, lead gameplay designer on Mass Effect 2 and 3, has taken up a lead designer role at League Of Legends developer Riot Games. "I am thankful for my experience working on the Mass Effect series at BioWare," she told Gamasutra. "I'm looking forward to working with Riot on innovative new approaches to game design and game development in the rapidly-changing videogame market." Preston Watamaniuk, lead designer on the first two Mass Effects, has taken up Norman's former role at BioWare.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35594/Former_Mass_Effect_2_3_Lead_Gameplay_Designer_Joins_Riot_Games.php
Gamasutra


Ancel wants UbiArt middleware to be free

Speaking to Develop, Michel Ancel said the UbiArt Framework used in his visually striking current project, Rayman Origins, will eventually be made available to the development community for free - but that the industry's reticence to share technology is holding it back. "UbiArt has been built to be shared," he said. "If the guys who invented the paintbrush only kept it for themselves then fine art would be ephemeral. I want [UbiArt] to be open source, I want it to go out and be shared and evolve. If you look at the best artists at Disney, they create incredible books and artwork and share their processes...that whole medium has evolved on the basis of sharing ideas. But in games we lock it all in a black box and keep it to ourselves. We need to be more open. I don’t believe that keeping the technology to yourself is interesting."
http://www.develop-online.net/news/38204/Ancel-wants-UbiArt-tech-to-be-free-for-all
Develop


Michigan caps games tax relief

Rick Snyder, governor of Michigan, has signed legislation which puts a $25 million cap on the state's previously unlimited tax incentives available to game developers, as well as TV and film companies. The relief, previously applicable to 42 per cent of expenditure, is now subject to negotiation. Brad Wardell, CEO of Livonia-based Stardock, recently told Gamasutra the process was already bogged down with red tape, saying: "The compliance requirements were just way beyond what we were willing to do based on the amount of money we would get."
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35831/Michigan_Puts_Cap_On_Game_Dev_Tax_Breaks.php
Gamasutra


July 12, 2011

Microsoft clarifies new Xbox Music service reports

Microsoft has moved to correct reports from earlier this week (link below) which claimed CEO Steve Ballmer announced plans to launch a new console-based service called Xbox Music this autumn. According to the platform holder, Ballmer was referring to Zune Music functionality on the Xbox 360, activated via Kinect voice command. “Reports that Microsoft is launching a new music service on Xbox this fall are inaccurate,” the company said in a statement. “A recent demonstration of upcoming Xbox features showcased what we will deliver later this fall on Xbox, including voice search with Bing on Xbox to locate and access entertainment content on the console. This includes Zune music which has a catalog of more than 11 million tracks.”
http://www.next-gen.biz/news/xbox-music-launch-autumn-report
Xbox Music to launch this autumn - report


EA ‘retiring’ multiple online games in the coming months

Electronic Arts is to shut online services for around a dozen games between August and October 2011. Impacted games (a full list can be found through the link below) include entries in the Army Of Two, Battlefield, Medal Of Honor, Need For Speed, Skate, Tiger Woods and Madden NFL series. “The decisions to retire older EA games are never easy,” the publisher said. “But as games get replaced with newer titles, the number of players still enjoying the older games dwindles below a point - fewer than 1% of all peak online players across all EA titles - where it’s feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these games up and running. We would rather our hard-working engineering and IT staff focus on keeping a positive experience for the other 99% of customers playing our more popular games.”
http://www.ea.com/1/service-updates
Electronic Arts


EA to acquire PopCap for $750 million

Final payout could hit $1.3 billion if performance milestones are met by the Plants Vs Zombies maker over the next two years.

Electronic Arts has announced that it is to acquire PopCap Games for $750 million, with the deal expected to close next month.

The publisher will pay approximately $650 million in cash and $100 million in shares of EA common stock to be issued to certain PopCap stockholders.

However, the buyout may ultimately cost EA $1.3 billion, as Plants Vs Zombies and Bejeweled maker PopCap can earn up to $550 million more if it meets earnings targets through December 2013.

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Trip Hawkins: Game industry in "feudal dark age"

EA and Digital Chocolate founder says developers won't “own the land that they are tilling" unless they focus on open platforms.

Trip Hawkins told attendees at GamesBeat 2011 today that platform holders such as Nintendo are presiding over a "feudal dark age" in the game industry’s history.

According to Gamasutra, the Electronic Arts and Digital Chocolate founder said platform holders "lure [developers] in with false promises of freedom", but that ultimately game makers won't “own the land that they are tilling" unless they focus on an open platform such as the web browser.

0

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Trip Hawkins: Game industry in "feudal dark age"

EA and Digital Chocolate founder says developers won't “own the land that they are tilling" unless they focus on open platforms.

Trip Hawkins told attendees at GamesBeat 2011 today that platform holders such as Nintendo are presiding over a "feudal dark age" in the game industry’s history.

According to Gamasutra, the Electronic Arts and Digital Chocolate founder said platform holders "lure [developers] in with false promises of freedom", but that ultimately game makers won't “own the land that they are tilling" unless they focus on an open platform such as the web browser.

0

read more


Ubisoft acquires free-to-play developer Owlient

French publisher Ubisoft has announced its acquisition of free-to-play developer Owlient. The studio was founded in 2005 and its horse breeding game Howrse attracts more the two million monthly active users. "We are thrilled to welcome the talented team at Owlient to Ubisoft," says Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. "Over the last five years they have developed an architecture dedicated to delivering and monetizing games as a service, as well as the skills of attracting and retaining online communities.” Guillemot also points out that the company intends to accelerate its free-to-play strategy following last year's launches of Settlers Online, CSI Crime City and Heroes Kingdoms, as well as the recent beta launch of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online. The acquisition is the latest step in Ubisoft's drive to expand its online expertise and infrastructure, which has seen it buy up Massive Entertainment, Nadeo and middleware company Quazal in previous years.
http://www.ubi.com/UK/default.aspx
Ubisoft


Swedish graduates form ThreeGates

Graduates from Gotland University, Sweden, have formed indie studio ThreeGates, aiming to ship their first title this year. The studio will focus on competitive and co-op multiplayer PC games. “ThreeGates is the result of an incredibly talented group of people that has come together in Sweden with the sole purpose of making great games,” said founder and CEO Don Geyer. “We see online Co-Op, as something that the market is really wanting right now, so we’re working hard to fill that void and give gamers a game that they will want to play.”
http://www.develop-online.net/news/38212/Graduates-form-Swedish-indie-studio-ThreeGates?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+developmag%2Fifbh+%28Develop%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Develop


Microsoft admits Windows Phone 7 is struggling

CEO Steve Ballmer says company's mobile business has "gone from very small to very small."

Speaking at Microsoft's annual Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in LA CEO Steve Ballmer admitted that Windows Phone 7 has struggled to make an impression on smartphone consumers.

Though reticent to discuss actual figures, Ballmer claimed that Microsoft has sold millions of phones since the launch of the operating system.

0

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Burnout Crash! set for August release

Electronic Arts has revealed that Burnout Crash!, Criterion Games' new top-down XBLA and PSN title, will be released next month. "Burnout Crash! is a crazy mix of pinball and game shows," said Criterion Games creative director Richard Franke. "We've evolved the core gameplay which everyone loved about Crash Mode, and expanded the whole experience using music, style and Autolog to create what we feel is the most mindless fun you can have on any gaming platform." See the game in action below.
http://www.ea.com/uk/news/burnout-crash-is-coming-august-2011?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=socialflow
Electronic Arts


Burnout Crash! set for August release

Electronic Arts has revealed that Burnout Crash!, Criterion Games' new top-down XBLA and PSN title, will be released next month. "Burnout Crash! is a crazy mix of pinball and game shows," said Criterion Games creative director Richard Franke. "We've evolved the core gameplay which everyone loved about Crash Mode, and expanded the whole experience using music, style and Autolog to create what we feel is the most mindless fun you can have on any gaming platform." See the game in action below.
http://www.ea.com/uk/news/burnout-crash-is-coming-august-2011?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=socialflow
Electronic Arts


Octodad developers form Young Horses, announce sequel

Several of the members from the DePaul University team that created Octodad, a game about an octopus trying to convince his human family that he is a regular human dad, have formed new independent development studio Young Horses and revealed that Octodad 2 is in the works. The team promises a “much more polished, full-featured and longer game” and a Kickstarter donation page has been opened in order to fund the project, offering backers t-shirts, early beta access and even a framed oil painting of the titular cephalopod. After just one day on the site, the project has already raised $7,299 of its required $20,000. "To wake up this morning and be 34% funded was simply amazing," reads a post on the Octodad blog. "It has been a single day since we launched this campaign and the unwavering support we’ve received from everyone has just been absolutely fantastic. We really want to thank everyone for helping us reach our slippery tentacles a bit closer to our dream of making games for a living."
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1432651738/octodad-2
Octodad 2 Kickstarter


Octodad developers form Young Horses, announce sequel

Several of the members from the DePaul University team that created Octodad, a game about an octopus trying to convince his human family that he is a regular human dad, have formed new independent development studio Young Horses and revealed that Octodad 2 is in the works. The team promises a “much more polished, full-featured and longer game” and a Kickstarter donation page has been opened in order to fund the project, offering backers t-shirts, early beta access and even a framed oil painting of the titular cephalopod. After just one day on the site, the project has already raised $7,299 of its required $20,000. "To wake up this morning and be 34% funded was simply amazing," reads a post on the Octodad blog. "It has been a single day since we launched this campaign and the unwavering support we’ve received from everyone has just been absolutely fantastic. We really want to thank everyone for helping us reach our slippery tentacles a bit closer to our dream of making games for a living."
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1432651738/octodad-2
Octodad 2 Kickstarter


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