Search for:
square_enix

Square Enix Helping Indie Developers

SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE HAS HELPED TO RAISE OVER $1,000,000 USD FOR INDIE DEVELOPERS THUS FAR

LONDON, July 13: Square Enix Collective™, the indie-support and publishing initiative from Square Enix®, is celebrating a major milestone today as the total money raised via crowdfunding by teams assisted by Collective has now surpassed the $1,000,000 USD mark.

With the exception of last month’s successful Fear Effect Sedna™ campaign, all of the projects supported were based on original IP, from small teams around the world.

Since 2014, Square Enix Collective has assisted about 100 developers build awareness and collect feedback via the Collective website, and some of those projects have been successfully crowdfunded as a result.

2016 brings the first games to be published by Square Enix Collective, with upcoming E3 hits The Turing Test™ (August 2016) and Black The Fall™ (Late 2016) joining the platform’s first release, Goetia, which enjoys a 98% positive rating on Steam and a Metacritic rating of 82 at the time of writing.

With the idea of publishing up to ten games per year, Square Enix Collective enables developers to retain all rights to any original IP, as well as creative control and the majority of net revenue.

Later this year, similar to Fear Effect, Square Enix Collective plans to open up further selected Eidos® IP for developers to pitch for as a means of helping them generate greater awareness.

Meanwhile, every project that is supported through crowdfunding by Square Enix Collective undergoes a Team Assessment to check on the development team’s experience, capabilities, and planning.

“The data clearly shows that new teams with their own projects are finding it increasingly challenging to build awareness for their games, and even harder to raise meaningful amounts via crowdfunding,” said Phil Elliott, creator and project lead on Square Enix Collective.

“We’re delighted to have been able to use our Team Assessments to help build greater trust between blossoming talent and forward-thinking gamers, as well as open up our channels to spread the word and help drive interest.”

Square Enix Collective was first announced in 2013 and fully launched in 2014. Since then, it has posted almost 100 pitches on the Collective website, helped teams raise over $1,000,000 USD via Kickstarter, and signed a number of teams to investment and/or publishing deals.

Steamhammer VR

Steamhammer VR

GamestormVR launched a Kickstarter campaign for SteamHammerVR, a beautifully designed, steampunk-themed, story-based, smash ’em up Virtual Reality gaming experience that has been Greenlit on Steam Greenlight. The team currently plans to launch a demo of the game this month, July 2016.

Open embedded media in the browser
“When we saw VR for the first time in January this year we just knew we had to get involved, we wanted to be part of this amazing revolution in the gaming industry,” says Mark Bellinger, Managing Director of GamestormVR,” We didn’t just want to make a game, we wanted to make a truly audacious game. To do that, we know we need to involve the gaming community and transform their wishes into the world of SteamHammerVR.”

SteamHammerVR takes you to the steampunk world of Victorian London, 1892. The dastardly Professor Rattwurm is attempting to enslave the fine English folk with his army of clockwork rodents. Using this new-fangled steam power and the technical expertise of Doctor Obadiah Springhorn you are armed with the latest gizmo for bashing robot rats – The Steam Hammer exo-suit!

Players can choose Steam Hammer weapons for both hands. Options available include the Steam Hammer, Steam Cannon, Magnet Beam, Rotor Hammer, Rotor Saw, and Tesla Ray. The game features quite the engaging storyline and characters that immerse you in 19th century Steampunk Victorian London. Explore many areas, including the streets, to the sewers, from the Tower of London to the banks of the River Thames while completing your missions.

See More!
GamestormVR has turned to the Kickstarter community to raise money for this game because they want to create one of the most epic VR experiences of 2016. The team wants to involve the gaming community in SteamHammerVR’s development, and they are even giving players the chance to be immortalized in the game! If this crowdfunding campaign goes well, GamestormVR would like to build a version of SteamHammerVR for both PlaystationVR and the Oculus Rift.
“It is a dream becoming reality seeing your ideas on paper brought to life in VR, truly magical,” says ‘Magic’ Martin Rowe, the project’s Artistic Director, “The funding raised will not only be used to enhance and expand the world of SteamHammerVR but will also allow us to attend as many gaming conventions as possible between now and the official launch in December 2016. We want to bring SteamHammerVR to as many people as we can.”
In exchange for pledging to the project, backers can gain access to a variety of rewards including a credit in the end titles for £5, a Founders Edition of the full SteamHammerVR game for £15, and more. Backers can also pledge £25 for an official Limited Edition ‘SteamHammerVR London Tour 1892’ T-Shirt or £100 to have an image of your face expertly placed somewhere in the gameplay and an acting credit.
For more information, please visit the Kickstarter page here.
Since being awarded the Smarta100 in 2010 as one of the most resourceful, inspiring small businesses in the UK, Showstorm has grown to be a uniquely talented team of creative and technical professionals driven by a passion to create, pioneer and deliver first class memorable entertainment experiences.
If you can imagine it then we can very likely create it, but our real forte is in dreaming up and delivering products that nobody has imagined yet.

Already industry leaders in the creation of professional Entertainers Software, in 2016 we are pioneering with our vision for the next evolution of stunning content, specialising in (AR) Augmented Reality and (VR) Virtual Reality technologies.

Gaming News and the Ultimate Universe