Funcom Announce They Will Publish Stunlock Studios "Bloodline Champions"

Funcom have announced that they have signed a publishing agreement with Stunlock Studios AB. Funcom will publish, operate, and provide customer support for Stunlock Studios AB's upcoming PC game, Bloodline Champions. Bloodline Champions is a arena based player vs player game that is currently near the end of its beta testing. Funcom have also announced that they now have a minority stake in Stunlock Studios AB.

Bloodline Champions Trailer


Press Release

Durham, USA – May 13th, 2010 – Funcom has signed a publishing agreement with Stunlock Studios AB, a start-up company based in Skövde, Sweden. Funcom will publish, operate and provide customer support for the multi-player arena game ‘Bloodline Champions,’ which is currently in the later stages of beta testing. ‘Bloodline Champions,’ is an arena-based player vs. player game featuring unique and action-packed gameplay for up to ten people.

“‘Bloodline Champions,’ is a game that we are very excited about. We have been play testing the game extensively at Funcom and we enjoy its fast-paced, player vs. player action-focused gameplay,” says Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas. “We believe that the way ‘Bloodline Champions,’ executes this gameplay will appeal to a significant gamer segment. The game represents a complement to our large-scale MMO games and it will expand the product offering to our ever-growing online gaming community. The game fits well with the current trend of quick access online multi-player experiences.”

"Everyone at Stunlock Studios is very happy and excited to start this co-operation with Funcom", says Tau Petersson, CEO of Stunlock Studios. "We met with several potential partners for our game, Bloodline Champions, but when we met Funcom we felt that they really understood our game and its needs. We believe that Funcom and Stunlock together can make Bloodline Champions the best game it can be"

Funcom will also purchase a minority stake in Stunlock Studios AB. The company has exclusive ownership of ‘Bloodline Champions’. The remaining shares of the company are owned by the founders and employees of Stunlock Studios AB, and by Gothia Science Park Invest AB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gothia Innovation AB (please see http://www.gsp.se).

‘Bloodline Champions,’ is expected to launch in late 2010. Gamers interested in participating in the ongoing beta can register at http://www.bloodlinechampions.com.

This Weeks UK WiiWare, DSiWare, And Virtual Console Releases

Nintendo have revealed the titles coming out today in the UK. in all there are 7 new games coming out today, 1 on the virtual console, 1 on WiiWare, and 5 on DSiWare. I have included screenshots where i could. If you head to the link at the bottom of the page, Nintendo have a video of all the games coming out today.

Virtual Console

Ghoul Patrol – Super Nintendo


WiiWare

BIT.TRIP RUNNER

DSiWare

AiRace


Brain Drain


Chronos Twins


Fire Panic

Sudoku Challenge!


From Nintendo UK

Sony Announce Helghast Assault And Helghast Scout Troops Are Coming To Lost Planet 2

Sony have announced that coming exclusively from June, players will be able to download for free from the PSN Helghast Assault and Helghast Scout troops for Lost Planet 2. The Trailer Sony have released showing the Helghast fighting in Lost Planet 2 appears to show the the Helghast Assault character fights with a heavy weapon, whilst the Scout Troop has the invisibility Cloak from Killzone 2 and a sniper.



Screenshots


From EU Playstation Blog

Konami Announce Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night For The iPhone And iPod Touch

Konami announce Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night is coming soon for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This new Castlevania game brings the platformer to the Puzzle-RPG genre. The Screenshots Konami have released for the game reveal that the Puzzle aspect of the game when your up against enemies is similar to Puzzle Fighter and Columns. Konami have also said that you need to solve puzzles to get weapons and spells for your character.

Screenshots


Press Release

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – May 13, 2010 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night. Tailored specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch, the latest iteration of the classic platformer game will now allow fans of the franchise to revisit the Transylvanian castle with new addicting puzzle-RPG action on-the-go.

A first in the Castlevania series, Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night will employ a unique style of puzzle-RPG, allowing players to take on the role of Alucard, the son of Dracula. Players will also have the option to play as or against characters directly from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Developed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch, Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night drops players inside the walls of Dracula’s castle challenging them to solve puzzles in order to provide weapons and spells to aide players in their quest.

Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night will be available soon on the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

For more information, including all-new screenshots please visit: www.konami.com/touch. About Konami Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami's titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, DanceDanceRevolution and Castlevania, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. KONAMI CORPORATION is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami can be found at www.konami.com http://www.konami.com.

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KONAMI is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION.
Apple, iPhone, iPod and Multi-Touch are trademarks of Apple

EA And Klei Entertainment Announce Marianne Krawczyk Is Writing The Story For Shank

EA And Klei Entertainment have announced that Marianne Krawczyk, a BAFTA Award Winning writer, is writing the story for their upcoming Shank game. Marianne has taken the characters and world created by Klei Entertainment and flashed them out, creating a story that matches Shanks Gameplay.

Screenshots


Press Release

Guildford, UK – May 13, 2010 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ ERTS) and Klei Entertainment today announced that acclaimed writer Marianne Krawczyk will be writing the story for the striking 2D action brawler Shank™. Krawczyk is best known for her BAFTA award-winning work on the God of War® franchise and was named by Gamasutra as one of the top 20 game writers in the industry. Krawczyk is lending her expertise in crafting rich, well-developed characters for Shank’s twisted tale of revenge.

“I'm very excited to be a part of Shank,” said Marianne Krawczyk. “I fell in love with the artwork, characters and world that Klei Entertainment created and together we are creating a story that will allow gamers to explore a world where values like integrity and loyalty take on their own twisted meanings.”

“When Shank was first conceived, we envisioned a fully realized world with provocative characters living out a mature, cinematic story,” said Jamie Cheng, CEO of Klei Entertainment. “Marianne has been able to flesh out our characters, and create a gritty, personal and unique story of full frontal revenge.”

Shank invites players to let loose with multiple weapons and rack up the kills with an exciting and free flowing combo system. Rip through the ranks of a legion of gang members to compete against friends on Shank’s online leaderboards. Featuring a captivating art style inspired by golden age comics and graphic novels, Shank’s blend of classic intense 2D action with a mature and gripping storyline makes it one of the most anticipated downloadable titles this year.
Shank will be available this summer for Xbox LIVE Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC. For more information on Shank, please visit,http://shankgame.com

ABOUT KLEI ENTERTAINMENT
In 2005, Vancouver-based Klei Entertainment started from a basement to become a dynamic workplace with award-winning game developers. Klei CEO, Jamie Cheng, first developed AI for Warhammer 40,000K: Dawn of War (PC) and The Outfit (Xbox 360) while working at Relic Entertainment. After selling his THQ stock and borrowing some money, he built a small developer-friendly studio from the ground up. Klei's creative lead, Jeffrey Agala, was a long-standing director for the hit television cartoon series Atomic Betty. The team’s goal: Creating new, authentic experiences with memorable characters and great story telling.

Since 2005, Klei has released a number of titles for a variety of platforms: Eets (PC), Eets: Chowdown (Xbox 360), N+ (Xbox 360), and coming this summer, Shank (PC, PS3, Xbox 360). Shank was nominated for Excellence in Visual Art at the 2010 Independent Games Festival.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA MobileTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. Xbox and Xbox Live are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

EA Announce Tim Kitzrow Returns For NBA Jam And A NBA Jam One-Liners Competition

EA Have announced that Tim Kitzrow returns to the NBA Jam series, providing his iconic one liners like "Boom-Shaka-Laka" and "He’s on Fire". to celebrate this, EA is going to run a competition that gives people a chance to create a one liner that Tim will say in NBA Jam.

All fans need to do to enter is to go to http://www.facebook.com/NBAJAM and submit their one liners. submissions are open until 19th May, where the top 64 finalists are chosen. those 64 one liners will be revealed on the 24th May, and on the 25th May fans can vote on the 64. the top 4 one liners from this vote will be announced on 23rd June. these 4 will are going to be said by Tim Kitzrow and put into the new NBA Jam.



Press Release

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS) announced today that EA SPORTS™ is giving its fans an opportunity to create their own one-liners for the upcoming EA SPORTS NBA JAM videogame*. Fans can submit and vote for their favorite lines to be read by the original voice of NBA JAM, Tim Kitzrow, who reprises his role as the legendary announcer.

Fans can submit their one-liners at http://www.facebook.com/NBAJAM, and 64 finalists, as chosen by the EA SPORTS NBA JAM team, will go head-to-head in a single elimination bracket with fan votes determining the winners. The four finalists will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have their one-liners included in the game and heard by millions of people around the world.

Contest Schedule:
May 13th – Contest Submissions Open at http://www.facebook.com/NBAJAM
May 19th – Contest Submissions Close
May 24th – 64 Finalists Announced
May 25th – Fan voting begins
June 23rd – Winners Announced

“NBA JAM is one of the most popular and culturally influential arcade basketball games ever made, and is widely known for its one-liners like Boom-Shaka-Laka and He’s on Fire,” says Kitzrow, the original voice of NBA JAM. “I am really excited to be a part of the remake and for fans to create the expressions that could become culturally iconic in the years to come.”

EA SPORTS NBA JAM revives the classic franchise with vintage NBA JAM gameplay, and all-new features that deliver a fresh new take on the game. Featuring the sights and sounds that fans of the franchise will instantly recognize, EA SPORTS NBA JAM mixes the old school with the new, to deliver a one-of-a-kind sports presentation on the Wii™.

EA SPORTS NBA JAM is currently in development at EA Canada in Vancouver, BC and will be available Fall 2010 for the Nintendo Wii videogame system. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

For more information and breaking news on EA SPORTS NBA JAM, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NBAJAM

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball,NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, while EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer for the Wii is the most critically acclaimed product available for interactive fitness.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums, fantasy leagues and game communities, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
Void where prohibited.
Eligibility restrictions apply.
Contest starts May 13, 2010 and ends June 23, 2010.
Complete Contest rules can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/NBAJAM

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO and EA SPORTS Active are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. The NBA and individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual properties of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. © 2010 NBA Properties, Inc. John Madden, NFL, NBA, FIFA, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Codemasters Have Released A New Dev Diary For F1 2010 Focusing On Weather

Codemasters have released the third developer diary for F1 2010. this diary focuses on weather in the game. the footage shown in the video, as well as the screenshots below, show 2009 F1 Cars, the final game will be 2010 complete. The Video describes the way weather is used in the game, from the visual aspects of heat and wet, to the way the track changes and how the computer AI Reacts. The Dev team also discuss that during the games Campaign mode, circuits know for unpredictable weather will have it in the game, much the same way desert tracks like Abu Dhabi are likely to be just hot.



Screenshots


Press Release

Friday 14th May/... The dynamic weather system is the focus for the latest F1 2010 developer diary, released today by Codemasters© and available to view at www.formula1-game.com.

Weather can have a dramatic affect on the outcome of a FORMULA ONE™ race, affecting both the level of control of the cars and race strategy. To deliver the most authentic FORMULA ONE experience possible, these effects are fully simulated in F1 2010, the official game of the 2010 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™.

In the video, the wide ranging effects of weather and their impact in the game are revealed. FORMULA ONE test driver Anthony Davidson explains that although you have some information about the weather at your disposal, how you use that information is crucial: “The teams know by the radar where the weather is coming from and how long it’s going to last. You’ll be aware of what the weather’s doing roughly, and then you can make your call, just like you would in real life.”

“Players can be going along outside the points, and maybe they make a gamble. The clouds come in, the skies darken. Maybe you pre-empt that the rain’s going to come now and you change your tyres early. Player choice is going to be critical at those stages,” added Senior Producer Paul Jeal.

In career mode, F1 2010’s weather system is fully dynamic, mirroring real life conditions which change at any time, whether between sessions or during a session itself. The weather authentically reflects the conditions at each of the 19 GRAND PRIX™ locations, meaning rain is unlikely at Abu Dhabi but conditions can be unpredictable at Spa and Silverstone. Presenting a further challenge, players can set the weather conditions and experience the dramatic affect they have on racing in GRAND PRIX, Time Trial and Multiplayer modes.

More than just a visual affect, the dynamic weather system in F1 2010 is an integral part of the game’s Active Track technology. This system means that the track is fully aware of how much grip, water, rubber, dust or marbles there is for every 30cm² of track surface, allowing players to see and take advantage of realistic drying lines during wet races as cars displace water from the racing line in real time.

Players will have to adapt their race strategy on the fly to accommodate for the changing conditions and will be able to gamble on a particular strategy that could lead to them gaining or losing places. Being on the wrong tyres at the wrong time could well ruin the chances of a positive race result.

To ensure F1 2010 will deliver the most authentic recreation of weather conditions ever seen in a racing game, former FORMULA ONE driver Anthony Davidson has been embedded into the team to give a driver’s perspective on the affects that changing conditions have upon the car and race strategy.

FORMULA ONE fans can view the new developer diary at www.formula1-game.com, the home for all the latest screens, news and videos straight from the studio. F1 2010 is coming this September for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC Games For Windows®.

ABOUT F1 2010
F1 2010 is the official game of the 2010 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP and will include all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from this thrilling season. F1 2010 will challenge players to take on the best drivers on the planet in a range of game modes, from quick-fire races to full GRAND PRIX weekends and a career mode that can span either three, five or seven years.

In production at Codemasters Studios Birmingham, F1 2010 is being developed on the EGO™ Game Technology Platform, an evolution of the engine that powered the critically acclaimed, million-plus selling Colin McRae™: DiRT 2 and Race Driver: GRID™. The award-winning, under-the hood tech has been tuned to recreate the unique aerodynamics and handling of 200MPH+ FORMULA ONE cars for players to feel the thrill of competing at the pinnacle of motorsport.

ABOUT CODEMASTERS
Codemasters is a leading developer and publisher of best-selling interactive entertainment products for a global audience across multiple gaming platforms and channels. Established in 1986, the company’s dominant brands include the BAFTA award winning Race Driver GRID, Colin McRae DiRT, Overlord, Operation Flashpoint; the company also retains the exclusive worldwide FORMULA 1 video game rights. Codemasters is headquartered in Warwickshire UK, with North American operations based in Universal City, Calif. The company also maintains operations in Japan, Germany, France, Spain, Benelux and Malaysia. Codemasters receives over two million visitors to its web site every month, discover why atwww.codemasters.com

© 2009 The Codemasters Software Company Limited ("Codemasters"). All rights reserved. "Codemasters”® and the Codemasters logo are registered trademarks owned by Codemasters. An official product of the FIA Formula One World Championship.

The F1 FORMULA 1 logo, F1 logo, F1 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP logo, FORMULA 1, FORMULA ONE, F1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One group company.
Licensed by Formula One Administration Limited. All rights reserved.

All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are being used under license. Unauthorised copying, adaptation, rental, lending, re-sale, arcade use, charging for use, broadcast, cable transmission, public performance, distribution or extraction of this product or any trademark or copyright work that forms part of this product is prohibited. PSP, Wii and DS games developed by Sumo Digital Limited for Codemasters. PS3, Xbox 360 and PC games developed by Codemasters. Published by Codemasters.

“PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox LIVE are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Trademarks are property of their respective owners. NINTENDO DS, Wii AND THE Wii LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO.