Developer Supercell of Clash of Clans fame has announced today that they have sold a 51% stake in their company to Japanese business firm SoftBank, for a deal worth a grand total of $1.5 billion. So if you thought games like Clash of Clans and Hay Day were successful before this, then I'll just let that number sink in for a minute. Most recently, SoftBank acquired an additional stake in GungHo Online Entertainment, the studio responsible for the smash hit Puzzle and Dragons, thereby increasing their share to an influential 58%.CEO of Supercell Ilkka Paananen wrote a lengthy blog post explaining the company's reasoning behind the essential buyout, and that their recent investment opportunities will all be adding towards their ultimate goal of being the first true successful global developer of mobile free-to-play games. Paananen states in the blog, "SoftBank provides us with a massive selection of strategic resources that will help us deliver our games to hundreds of millions of new consumers all over the globe.""Paananen was also quick to assure the legions of Clash of Clans fans in his blog post that, despite the massive new business deal, Supercell will continue to operate by their own merits, in the same way that they always have before. In fact, Paananen says that in some ways, Supercell will now be even more independent than they were in the past, so anyone worried about their favorite mobile developer making such a monumental business move should have nothing to fear for the future of the company's games.
The kart-racing spin-off game Angry Birds Go! has been on our radar for quite some time now, even though we've still had no idea what the game would actually look like, or what Rovio's take on karting gameplay would really entail. Well this morning all of our burning questions have finally been answered, as Rovio unveiled the very first look at Angry Birds Go! in action: and it looks absolutely incredible.For starters, gone are the cute and adorable 2D cartoon graphics that have become so synonymous with a main entry Angry Birds game today: replaced with full-fledged 3D visuals, which give off the look and gleam of karting classics like Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing. The birds themselves have never looked so good in 3D, and everything from the customizable karts themselves, the cheery environments, and the wacky arsenal of power-ups and weapons have made this one race straight to the top of our "Most Wanted" list.But don't just take my word for it! You can take a gander at all of the Angry Birds karting goodness right above in the debut gameplay trailer. The free-to-play Angry Birds Go! will be released onto the App Store on December 11, and a quick logo at the end of the trailer lets us know that the TelePods first seen in Angry Birds Star Wars II will be making a return here in some capacity as well.
We're still trying to keep our excitement contained at a manageable level ever since the word got out last month that Square Enix would be bringing the first 8 Dragon Quest games to mobile iOS and Android devices in Japan, not to mention a mobile release of Dragon Quest 10 via Ubitus' GameCloud service.But now that we've seen a clip of the ported Dragon Quest 8 in action and running on a smartphone, complete with our first glimpse of the game's touchscreen controls, the anticipation for a global release has now all but gone through the roof.In the brief 2-minute demo video uploaded by Famitsu and reported on by Polygon, we see a player holding a single finger down on the screen to manipulate a virtual on-screen joystick of sorts, which allows their character to move around in the game world with ease. The turn-based battle system seems even more fluid, with simple taps on the subsequent menus that pop up being all it takes to bring your many foes to their demise.So there you have it: a full-fledged Dragon Quest game running on a mobile device with touchscreen controls. Not too shabby, don't you think? And hopefully the next time we report on the game, it'll be to tell you about a Western release!
Gaming Heads, the popular manufacturer of quality video game-related action figures and toys, has announced a new licensing partnership with PopCap today: resulting in the creation of a few new exclusive statues based on characters from PopCap's beloved Plants vs. Zombies franchise.The limited edition PvZ statues will be in depiction of two of the flower defense game's most iconic characters: the Peashooter plant, and of course, a brain-hungry Zombie. Gaming Heads has also announced that as a further exclusive to each model, fans will be able to purchase more limited versions that include a road cone hat to dress up your Zombie with, and an extra pea bullet to fit in your Peashooter's mouth."You can catch a glimpse of the 9" Peashooter and 13" Zombie right within this page, and they certainly seem to be some of the most realistic-looking PvZ memorabilia that I've seen in a while, in really capturing the look and feel of the characters from the game perfectly.
Marvel has announced a brand new mobile runner game at their Comic Con 2013 Games Panel over the weekend, which lets players take control of their favorite Marvel superheroes and run through a number of iconic locations from the comic books, as they race to save the world from the imminent threat of evil.Marvel Run Jump Smash! has already been a smashing #1 hit for some time now in Korea, and now that the fast-paced and cartoony arcade game is nearing a global release at some point this fall, there's no telling how quickly it will take the rest of the world by storm. In the game, players will switch back and forth between controlling a number of fan-favorite Marvel superheroes, from Iron Man and The Hulk, to Captain America, Black Widow, and even Nick Fury!As the title suggests, you'll be doing a lot more than just running in Marvel Run Jump Smash! since each superhero's abilities will be taken into consideration for their own level segments. For instance, you'll be able to fly around as Iron Man, smash everything into smithereens as The Hulk, and even engage in some volatile gunplay as Black Widow. And of course, that's without even mentioning what can happen once you unleash each character's respective super ability on top of that!Marvel Run Jump Smash! is currently slated for a release this fall on all mobile platforms, but if you can't wait until then to traverse the city limits as your favorite super pals, then you can always check out the verb-packed gameplay trailer of the upcoming mobile romp right here in this article! Super villains beware!
Does anyone even read the introductory paragraphs to these sales posts anymore? I mean, I've got to tell you: I keep writing these things week in and week out, and I'm never really sure if everyone just glosses over them each and every time so they can feast their eyes on all of the tantalizing free games and sales that are currently out there for the taking!And you know what? I guess I really couldn't blame you, because who needs a couple of introductory paragraphs when some of your next favorite and discounted games are only a short mouse scroll away! And this week certainly has a lot of alluring sales to take in, from massive catalogue sales for big-name developers like Electronic Arts and Capcom, to some fantastic indie bundles that pack on the great games like they just don't care!"Well hopefully at least you'll catch a glimpse of this final intro paragraph, because if I happened to miss any great sales or deals that are floating around out there at the moment, I would certainly want you to keep us all in the loop by writing about them down in the replies!
Good news for Hero Academy fans today! As of only an hour or so ago, the popular strategy game of heroes and warriors from Robot Entertainment has quietly snuck its way onto the Google Play Marketplace for Android devices. This is certainly a heroic achievement for the bite-sized turn-based game that's been dominating the iOS charts for longer than any of us can remember, and so I wouldn't be surprised in the least if the Android charts soon fall victim to the game's swords and sorcery as well.Now it should also be noted that this Android release of Hero Academy is still being considered as a "soft-launch" of sorts, and so it may take a few hours for some to see the game properly show up in the Google Play Marketplace. Robot Entertainment has also released a list of all the current Android devices that will be compatible with the game, which they have posted for your convenience right over here."You can check out Hero Academy right now on your Android device by clicking this Google Play Marketplace link, or by using the "Play Now" option at the top of this page. And may the academy of heroes be with you!
In what Electronic Arts calls "the most requested feature" of The Sims FreePlay, a new "Teen" update has just gone live for the popular life simulation game that introduces teenagers into your virtual families.The Sims FreePlay new "Teen" update will allow players to grow their Sims children into teenagers for the very first time, and let them partake in a number of real world teenage scenarios. The game's little green alien character Osiris will use his supernatural abilities to morph your preteen characters into full-fledged teenagers, which is exactly how I entered my own teen years in real life as well."From going on a date in the park and sharing their first kiss, to attending Sim Town High and getting straight A's, to starting their own band and becoming a famous Teen Idol, you'll be able to teach your teenage Sims and help them grow into unique and aspiring individuals that you can surely be proud of in your golden Sim grandparent days.