MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
And so we come to the end of our series rounding for Game Connection’s Selected Projects finalists, focusing on the third and final category: social and casual games.
In case you missed Part 1: Console & PC Hardcore and Part 2: Tablet Handheld, we’ve been offering you a closer look at the studios shortlisted for Selected Projects, a competition run by Game Connection.
All of these games will be demonstrated at Game Connection America from Monday, March 17th to Wednesday, March 19th at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, San Francisco – just down the road from GDC 2013.
The aim of the competition is to give innovative indies the chance to showcase their game to potential publishers and investors, helping them stand out from the horde of other titles in their market. And few sectors are more competitive than social, casual and online games.
INFINITE SCUBA (CASCADE GAME FOUNDRY)
Country: USA
Website: www.infinitescuba.com
Platforms: PC, Others
What they looking for: Publishing, Distribution, Investment, Marketing & PR
Budget needed for completion: $0
Estimated development time before completion: Zero months
One of the few shortlisted games that has already been released, Infinite Scuba aims at creating a realistic diving experience in which players explore the ocean to learn more about the wildlife that lives there. The game has also been designed to be educational, teaching gamers about marine biology, dive science and history, and in-game actions are all environmentally friendly. As they progress, players can collect branded scuba gear and share photos with their friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvNvJPwBt6g
HORDEMASTER (GAMESTER)
Country: Turkey
Website: www.gamester.com.tr
Platforms: Web Browser, Tablets, Smartphones
What they looking for: Publishing
Budget needed for completion: $150,000
Estimated development time before completion: Three to six months
This browser-based Flash multiplayer game blends elements from the RPG, strategy and third-person genres together. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, gamers are tasked with building a base from which they can conquer the world. Half of the game plays like a Tower Defence title as players attempt to design a base that other users will find hard to penetrate, while the other half is styled as a shooter in which players raid other users’ bases.
MYGPTEAM TURBO (INTERACTIVE PROJECT)
Country: Italy
Website: www.interactiveproject.com
Platforms: Smartphones, Tablets, Social Networks
What they looking for: Publishing, Distribution, Investment, Marketing & PR
Budget needed for completion: $50,000
Estimated development time before completion: One month
MyGPTeam Turbo is positioned as Football Manager for racing fans. Powered by Unity, it allows players to manage and train their own racing team, upgrading their cars before each race and issuing instructions to the driver via casual mini-games. Gamers can compete with their friends’ scores across any platform, or take on their Facebook friends and random players in one-on-one races. Already available on selected platforms, Interactive Project hopes to polish the game and market it to the wider audience of racing fans.
BRAIN STORM (GENIA)
Country: Canada
Website: www.genia.com
Platforms: Web browser
What they looking for: Publishing, Distribution, Investment, Marketing & PR
Budget needed for completion: $2,000,000
Estimated development time before completion: Six to eight months
Brain Storm is a – bear with us – quiz-centric, browser-based MMO real-time strategy game. Players gather and manage resources for their city, with one of the resources being knowledge, which generates energy for the world. Gathering knowledge triggers quizzes, with a series of question lines that players can specialise in. They can also explore the world around them to uncover more resources, reach out to other players to establish alliances or challenge them to gain their knowledge.
FOOD TRUCK HERO (LARGE ANIMAL GAMES)
Country: USA
Website: www.largeanimal.com
Platforms: Tablets, Smartphones
What they looking for: Publishing, Investment
Budget needed for completion: $500,000
Estimated development time before completion: Five months
Large Animal says Food Truck Hero has been designed to recreate the user retention and monetisation of mid-core games, but the appeal of more casual titles. The game puts players in change of a food truck that they can customise and use to deliver food to customers throughout Snacktown. As they meet their goals, they collect money and ingredients that can be used to unlock new trucks and food types, eventually building their empire to encompass a fleet of food trucks.
