Category: Video Game News

BGB also consults on video game design. Catch the latest details on the art and science of video game design, with a particular focus on Indie Games.

PRESS RELEASE: Blood Rage: Digital Edition is now available on Steam (PC and Mac)

Posted on by BGB Admin
PRESS RELEASE: Blood Rage: Digital Edition is now available on Steam (PC and Mac)

Launch Trailer: Conquer Midgard and seek victory through battle
to earn your place in Valhalla!

PARIS – May 27, 2020 – Asmodee Digital, a leader in video game entertainment inspired by board games, is proud to announce the release of Blood Rage: Digital Edition on Steam (PC and Mac, 19,99 € / $19.99).

Ragnarök is coming: view the Launch Trailer.

The faithful digital adaptation of the legendary Viking board game designed by Eric Lang, with art by Adrian Smith, is developed by Exozet. The hit board game, originally released by CMON, is the 31st all-time title according to BoardGameGeek, with an 8/10 rating. The core gameplay is focused on combat and terrain control. In Blood Rage, your goal is to achieve the greatest amount of glory before the end of the third and final age – and the arrival of Ragnarök.


In Blood Rage: Digital Edition, each player controls one of the seven ancient Viking clans: the Wolf, Bear, Serpent, Raven, Ram, Wild Boar, and Stag clan. Each one comes with its unique warriors, leader, and ship. Draft the best cards and use them to get the advantage in battle. Raid lands, fulfill quests, and upgrade your units to lead your clan to victory! The original miniatures from the board game have been digitized into 3D-animated units using high-res photogrammetry, leveraging more than 100 pictures for each of them.


You must choose your drafted cards carefully at the beginning of each Age. Prepare your winning strategy for the game but make sure to adapt as your opponents take actions or claim allegiance to specific gods. Each god is generous with unique features: Frigga provides resources and support, Tyr strengthens your clan in battle while Loki rewards losing battles or punishes the opposing winner. Deduce their plan and play tactically to counter them. Winning battles is not the only way to victory, as you sometimes gain more victory points by sacrificing your troops!

For your clan, there are many paths to Glory:

● Invade the mythical land of Midgard and its nine provinces, pillaging their villages and the province of Yggdrasil.
● Crush other clans in ferocious battles and encounter legendary creatures from Norse mythology.
● Fulfill quests in honor of the mighty gods.
● Die gloriously in battle or from Ragnarök as any Viking was born to do.

If you want to win in Blood Rage: Digital Edition, you should not shy away from a fight and a glorious death on the battlefield! The game is based around War and Glory: your goal is to achieve the greatest amount of glory before the end of the third and final age — and the arrival of Ragnarök.

Main features:

● Fight to gain entry to Valhalla: Pillage, fight, sacrifice… Experience a new type of strategy game where victory can only be achieved by commanding your warriors in the field of battle in the face of final doom.
● Welcome to Midgard: Dozens of 3d scanned miniatures and a dynamic board faithful to the original board game.
● Multi-layered strategy game: Blood Rage mixes draft, hidden cards, resource management and its sheer load of trickery. Plan your strategy but be ready to adapt to your opponents’ choices: winning battles is not always the best course of action.
● Up to five Players: Introducing the ‘5th player expansion’ allowing up to five players to play together. All the miniatures from the Ram, Wild Boar and Stag clans as well as the God Gifts cards from the ‘5th Player Expansion’ of the board game are available in this digital edition for free.
● Become the greatest Viking Leader: Play solo against AI, local multiplayer via hotseat or online multiplayer with ELO ranking and leaderboards.

The game is available on Steam (PC and Mac) starting today, May 27, for 19,99 €/ $19.99.

About Asmodee Digital
Asmodee Digital, a fully owned subsidiary of the Asmodee Group, is an international publisher and distributor of video games with operations located in Europe, North America, and China. Asmodee Digital manages the creation, design, development, publishing, and marketing of video games for Asmodee Group and third-party creators on PC (Steam), consoles (Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One) on mobile (App Store, Google Play, Amazon) and VR (Oculus, PS VR…). Asmodee Digital aims at bringing the best of video gaming with a board game DNA to life with best-selling products such as Gloomhaven, CATAN, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game, Pandemic, Splendor and much more. To learn more, please visit www.asmodee-digital.com.

About Exozet
Exozet, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Endava Inc., is one of Germany’s leading agencies for digital transformation. With lots of passion and innovative spirit, the Berlin-based company creates digital solutions for and with its clients. Exozet develops digital board games, for example for the award-winning Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne franchises. Its expertise is diverse and includes development for PC (Steam, WebGL), consoles (Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One) and mobile devices (Apple, Android, Amazon) as well as AR and VR applications (Oculus, HTC Vive, Microsoft Mixed Media). Furthermore, Exozet realizes user-centric products like websites, platforms and video solutions. Learn more at www.exozet.com.

About CMON
CMON Limited is an international publisher and designer of board games, tabletop games and card games. Beginning from small hobbyist roots, CMON Limited has grown into a multinational group that publishes multiple award-winning games, including Zombicide™, Death May Die™, Arcadia Quest™, Rising Sun™, Blood Rage™, The World of Smog™, Marvel United™ and many more. Known in the hobby industry for working with the top game designers, artists, and sculptors in the world, CMON Limited has built an impressive portfolio of both original, best-selling IPs, as well as licensed material. In addition to having worldwide retail distribution, CMON is also the #1 fundraising company of any type on Kickstarter, having raised over $62 million on the platform since the debut of Zombicide in 2012. Learn more at https://www.cmon.com/.

PRESS RELEASE: Asmodee Digital Brings The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game to Consoles and PC on August 8th, 2019

Posted on by BGB Admin
PRESS RELEASE: Asmodee Digital Brings The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game to Consoles and PC on August 8th, 2019

Exclusive Trailer Showcased During Microsoft’s Inside Xbox Pre-E3 Event

PARIS – June 10, 2019 – Asmodee Digital, a leader in digital board game entertainment, is pleased to announce The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game will be released on consoles on August 8th, 2019.

The first adventure card game set in the quintessential fantasy world of J.R.R.Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game offers solo and cooperative adventures based on card battles. The game combines a strong immersive narrative experience with in-depth strategic challenges that will put players’ tactics to the test.

  • Adventure card gaming: Players can experience the only solo card card game that puts them in the shoes of an adventurer in Middle-earth. They will craft their own stories in the rich world of Tolkien by engaging in solo card-based battles or in collaborative campaigns with a friend in co-op mode.

  • A new story in Middle-earth: Gamers can craft and discover new stories in the world depicted in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. They can build a fellowship of heroes from some of the most iconic characters and wage battle in the most famous locations of the Third Age of Middle-earth.

  • A unique way of delivering new content: Players can obtain boosters that provide both new cards and new solo quests to play them in, forging their adventures in Middle-earth.

  • Unique game mechanics: Players build a deck of 3 heroes and challenge themselves along with friends to complete quests & defeat the forces of Sauron. They can use will points to solve quests and progress in their story. Growing their Fate Pool will allow them to trigger contextual abilities during battle, while Sauron is also growing a Threat Pool to throw up roadblocks at their strategies.

Thanks to the feedback provided by players during its Early Access phase, The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game features a finely tuned UI, tutorial, as well as refined gameplay mechanics. Staying true to the J.R.R. Tolkien universe and inspired by the physical card game, Asmodee Digital will welcome players to live the most immersive, yet challenging, adventures in Middle-earth.

Facts & figures

  • More than 150 cards to play with.
  • 20 planned heroes to combine in your fellowship.
  • 3 campaigns for +35 hours of gameplay.
  • Additional campaigns to be released post-launch.
  • 2 Free Encounters available and additional Encounters to be released post-launch.
  • The premiere trailer was featured during Microsoft’s pre-E3 Inside Xbox event, and can be viewed here.

The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game will be available on August 8th on the Xbox One family of devices, PC (Steam), Sony PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch™.

The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game will be featured in the growing library of great games with Xbox Game Pass, along with other acclaimed Asmodee Digital titles, Pandemic and Munchkin.

For more information about the game, feel free to visit:

https://www.fantasyflightinteractive.com/en/games/lord-rings-living-card-game/

PRESS RELEASE: ASMODEE DIGITAL LAUNCHES INVADERS FROM AFAR DLC – FIRST EXPANSION FOR SCYTHE

Posted on by BGB Admin
PRESS RELEASE: ASMODEE DIGITAL LAUNCHES INVADERS FROM AFAR DLC – FIRST EXPANSION FOR SCYTHE

ASMODEE DIGITAL LAUNCHES INVADERS FROM AFAR DLC, THE FIRST EXPANSION FOR ITS HIGHLY-PRAISED STRATEGY GAME SCYTHE: DIGITAL EDITION ON PC

New Challenges, Factions and More Added to the Digital Edition of the Popular Board Game

PARIS – May 29, 2019 – Asmodee Digital, a leader in digital board game entertainment, today launched Invaders From Afar, the first expansion for its popular strategy game, Scythe: Digital Edition. Featuring a treasure trove of new content, Invaders From Afar includes challenges, factions and player mats, adding a whole new layer of strategy to the PC title based on the hugely popular 2016 board game.

Along the rise and fall of empires in Eastern Europa, Invaders From Afar introduces players to two distinct new factions, Clan Albion and Togawa Shogunate, who have deployed their emissaries to scout the land and plan their best strategy for conquest. Both formidable factions possess unique mechs and abilities, bringing fresh challenges, and an entirely updated way for new and seasoned players to experience Scythe: Digital Edition. While Clan Albion craves control of new territories, the Togawa Shogunate are determined to slow their enemy’s progress by placing traps behind them.

In addition to the two new factions, Invaders From Afar deepens the competition by allowing 2 additional players to join the Scythe: Digital Edition universe, for a total of up to 7 players. The expansion also adds two new player mats – Militant and Innovative – offering players new strategies to master, further determining what they can bolster, upgrade, produce, deploy, move, build, trade and enlist.

Scythe: Digital Edition transports players to an alternate reality set in Eastern Europa in the 1920s, following the first World War. During this time of unrest, the capitalistic city-state known as “The Factory,” which fueled the war with heavy armory, has closed its doors, drawing attention from nearby countries. Representing falling leaders, players are tasked with restoring honor and leading their faction to power in Europa. A fan-favorite, Scythe: Digital Edition was nominated as a runner-up by Golden Geek Awards in the “2018 Best Board Game App” category.

The Invaders From Afar DLC is available for purchase on Steam for PC for $9.99. To download Scythe: Digital Edition and the DLC, visit:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/718560/Scythe_Digital_Edition

More information about Asmodee Digital on: Web, Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About Asmodee Digital

Asmodee Digital, a fully owned subsidiary of the Asmodee Group, is an international publisher and distributor of digital board games with operations located in Europe, North America, and China. Asmodee Digital manages the creation, design, development, publishing, and marketing of board and card games on leading digital platforms – spanning mobile, PC, Mac, virtuality reality and consoles – for Asmodee studios as well as for third-party publishers. The current Asmodee Digital catalog includes best-selling digital games such as Catan VR, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Agricola, Mille Bornes, Pandemic, Small World 2, Mr. Jack London, Colt Express, Mysterium, Potion Explosion, Onirim, Jaipur, Spot It! Duel, Abalone, Ticket to Ride First Journey, Catan Stories, Talisman, Fighting Fantasy Legends, Smash Up and digital versions of many other well-known board games. http://www.asmodee-digital.com/en/

About Knights of Unity

Reliable, high quality Unity development. Knights of Unity was founded in 2015 by three senior Unity developers in Wrocław, Poland. Since the very beginning, our mission has been to bring a reliable Unity development service to companies around the whole globe.

Investment in Game-Based Learning Sharply Up in 2018: Metaari

Posted on by BGB Admin
Investment in Game-Based Learning Sharply Up in 2018: Metaari

LOS ANGELES – Jan. 7, 2019 — Investment in game-based learning companies was sharply up in 2018, according to leading serious games analyst firm Metaari. A total of $2.25 billion went to 133 companies. In contrast, less than half that amount, or $948.2 million, was invested in 150 game-based learning companies in 2017.

While the number of deals declined slightly in 2018, funding levels were much higher and investment more than doubled. Almost 100 companies reported raising substantial funds; 17 PreK-12 academic-facing companies obtained funding in 2018; 21 corporate-focused companies producing game-based training were funded. The most attractive category for investors was educational games or educational technology products for use in K-12.
China is the education technology center of the universe, at least for now, according to Sam Adkins, Metaari.

In 2018, 51 Chinese game-based learning companies garnered a combined total of $539.3 million. Nearly 50% of all ed tech investments made in 2018 went to Chinese companies. “This is the first time in the history of the industry that China overtook the US. A stunning $7.22 billion was invested in 207 Chinese learning technology companies in 2018,” Adkins said. In July, Metaari predicted a 37.1% CAGR growth rate for game-based learning products over the next five years. That growth would mean revenues for games-based learning will more than quadruple to well over $17 billion by 2023.

Metaari produces annual reports on the global game-based learning market. The reports, available from Serious Play Events, include an analysis of the catalysts driving the market as well as both a demand and supply-side analysis, providing publishers with the ability to choose high-yielding opportunities. 


Metaari’s Global 2018-2023 Game-Based Learning Market is available for sale from Serious Play Conference here: www.seriousplayconf.com/reports

Metaari also produces reports on the Mixed Reality Learning Market and the Market for Mobile Educational Games.

Dungeons and Dragons Makes An Appearance Inside Casinos

Posted on by Leo Smith
Dungeons and Dragons Makes An Appearance Inside Casinos

GUEST POST

Dungeons and Dragons has been an inspirational tabletop game for decades. The worldwide popularity of this fantasy game from E. Gary Gygax and David Arneson has allowed the game to branch out to other genres including popular video games, board games and arcade machines. Now, Dungeons and Dragons has inspired a whole new type of game: slot machines.

Konami Holdings Corporation, the company that makes amazing games for consoles has now released two slot machines themed to Dungeons and Dragons entitled, ‘Conquest and Treasures’ and ‘Enchanted Riches’. While many Hasbro board games have been used as the inspiration for slot machines in the past, this is the first time that a tabletop role-playing game has been used as a theme for slot machines.

Dungeons Dragons Casino
image credit: agbrief.com

“The players we see this day and age are out looking for entertainment, and there’s a lot of entertainment value in the new Dungeons & Dragons slot machines,” said Randy Reedy, Vice President of slot operations for Casino Valley View. “They really enjoy the experience. Just watching them, they get excited about additional bonuses within the free spin feature, which takes them to the progressive functionality. It’s very fun and interactive.”

Creating a slot machine that uses TV show icons such as characters from Star Trek, comic book heroes, and video game titles as themes has been an ongoing trend with both brick-and-mortar casinos and online gaming providers. Even cutesy themes are being used to attract players that have a taste for all things fluffy and pink, which is evident with titles such as Spin Genie’s uber popular, ‘Fluffy Favourites’. Konami hopes that their ‘Conquest and Treasures’ and ‘Enchanted Riches’ will not only engage fans of the tabletop game who are old enough to play in casinos but also patrons who appreciate groundbreaking graphics and animation.

Both slot machines will have a “4-level progressive” and “Xtra Reward” features, which are functions popularized by Konami. For people new to their games, Konami’s Xtra Reward and 4-level progressive are features that can be unlocked within the game. The 4-level progressive is like a video game’s optional quest where players can win big prizes, while Xtra Reward is a payout line that allows players to bet bigger and receive better prizes.

About the author:

Leo Smith has been an avid gamer since he was a child. A huge fan of Dungeons and Dragons, he also enjoys The Sims and Command and Conquer, among other titles.

Header image credit: ggrasia.com

Press Release: Puzzle Adventures: Millions of fans look forward to the app version of Ravensburger‘s online puzzle hit

Posted on by E.R. Burgess
Press Release: Puzzle Adventures: Millions of fans look forward to the app version of Ravensburger‘s online puzzle hit

Munich/Ravensburg, April 28th, 2016: Ravensburger’s most successful social game is now available as an app. Fans of Puzzle Adventures can now also enjoy their favorite game on their smartphone or tablet.

Just a few weeks after its launch on Facebook in 2011, the game from Ravensburger was already a huge hit, with hundreds of thousands of players racing against the clock to put the small puzzle pieces together. And the fan base has grown steadily: to date, more than eight million people have played this addictive game.

“Puzzle Adventures is a unique success story for us”, Thomas Bleyer, director of Ravensburger Digital, declared. “With no other title have we reached so many players around the world. That is what is so fascinating about puzzles: Anyone can immediately start playing without any explanation; there are virtually no language barriers. That is surely one of the reasons why our game is so successful internationally. Our players come from more than 200 countries around the globe.”

Many fans were asking for a mobile version of the game. That is why Puzzle Adventures is now available as a free app for iOS and Android devices.

Puzzle Adventures is the result of combining fast-paced, exciting and competitive gameplay with more than 100 years of puzzle expertise at Ravensburger, Europe’s largest producer of jigsaw puzzles. The digital adaptation offers hectic action: Who can finish first and who can put the most difficult puzzles together?

Now, anytime and anywhere, you can play individual puzzles that only take a few minutes to solve. Playing against the clock ensures it is thrilling, while different levels of difficulty and a clever reward system motivate the player to keep puzzling.

You also meet ‘Jiggy’ and ‘Valentina’: these cute puzzle pieces with big round eyes provide useful tips and guide you through the different puzzle worlds with over 40 wonderful themes: colourful country life, fantasy worlds, animal kingdom, a world of dreams… There are over 700 different designs and more themes are being added all the time, making Puzzle Adventures a truly fascinating adventure for all puzzle fans.

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1005048909

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ravensburgerdigital.puzzleadventures

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DBVHEFS

More information from the publisher: www.ravensburger-digital.com | www.ravensburger-games.com