Telltale Games Announces Multi-Title Video Game Development Deal with Universal Partnerships & Licensing
Back to the Future and Jurassic Park to Come to Multiple Gaming Platforms this Winter
June 09, 2010 12:03 PM Eastern Daylight TimeSAN RAFAEL, Calif.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–Telltale Games, the leading independent digital publisher and developer of episodic interactive entertainment, today announced a multi-year, two-title video game development deal with Universal Partnerships & Licensing. Telltale Games has secured the rights to create video games based on two of Universal Pictures’ most popular intellectual properties, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park. The first game released under the agreement will be a Telltale Games “season” based on the successful Back to the Future series of films.
“Telltale Games has succeeded in establishing a unique combination of digital and physical distribution models, and their reputation for quality production is well earned”
Ivy the Kiwi? follows the storybook adventures of lonely baby bird Ivy as she traverses beautiful 2-D landscapes and challenging obstacles in search of her mother and identity. In a nod to classic adventure tales and heroines before her, Ivy the Kiwi begins her journey against great odds and with a grand entrance—a great fall from the sky. From the forest floor amidst a bed of leaves, her journey begins. It becomes quickly apparent that Ivy is alone. Frightened and unable to fly, she sets off through a dreamy forest on foot—or is it claw? Many creatures peek from behind leaves and rocks to investigate the mysterious little creature, but none with the same fiery red coloring as she. As she wanders, Ivy stumbles upon a single red feather and the first clue to her mother’s whereabouts.
But the journey to self-discovery is never easy, and Ivy’s is no exception. Her path is littered with danger and menacing obstacles. At any moment it seemed a pit of large spikes could appear, or vicious rat –or three!– come rushing forward. Even raindrops prove themselves horrific, capable of washing away a small bird in a moment. But every story’s hero finds a way, and Ivy soon finds an ally in the unlikeliest of places—the strange vines that erupt forth to guide, protect and propel her on her way. She even finds that when pulled like a slingshot, she can soar through the air in a flurry of color and torpedo-like power. With a few new tricks under her tiny wing, Ivy finds herself well on her way to discovering where home is and just who, or what, she may be…
The information below comes from a Square Enix press release…
KINGDOM HEARTS Re:coded
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd./h.a.n.d. Inc.
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platforms: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action RPG
ESRB: RP (Rating Pending)
Ship Date: TBD
Sora’s journey in KINGDOM HEARTS II has drawn to a close, and now a new tale is set to begin.
Jiminy Cricket is looking over the journal he used to document his first adventure with Sora when he discovers a mysterious message. He didn’t write it – so how on earth did it get there? King Mickey is determined to find out, so he and his friends decide to digitize the journal and delve into its deepest secrets. Inside this “datascape” dwells a second Sora who is about to embark on a grand adventure of his very own.
Update: First details here.
According to Square Enix, a new Kingdom Hearts game is on its way to the DS. Oddly enough, the news comes from a low-key E3 lineup detail on the company’s official European Twitter account.
It has been rumored for a few days that a remake of Kingdom Hearts: Coded – a set of Japanese mobile downloads – is in development, and that does appear to be the case. The title will be called KINGDOM HEARTS Re:coded and an announcement is expected at E3. Re:coded will be the second Kingdom Hearts title for DS.
“We note that Nintendo is widely expected to deliver a Wii refresh in 2011, well before Sony and Microsoft come to market with new platforms, although this is unlikely to represent the launch of a new generation. Instead, we expect Microsoft and Sony to leverage their growing online content and services platforms, along with new motion sensing controllers, and to a lesser extent 3D and Internet-enabled televisions, as three pillars for growth over the coming 2-3 years.” – Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian
“3DS could emerge as an E3 winner. Our conversations with industry contacts suggest the Nintendo 3DS is an impressive device, and is garnering support among third party developers.” – Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian
“We also expect Nintendo to announce enhancements to the online capabilities of the Wii and DS. While another price reduction on the Wii is unlikely at E3 this year, we believe it remains a possibility before the end of the year depending on unit sell-through trends.” – Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian
The most important piece of information out of these comments is the 3DS third-party support. It’s critical for the system to be supported by developers other than Nintendo right out of the gate. Hopefully we’ll hear about a bunch of third-party announcements next week.
Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar (DS)
Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals (DS)
Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS)
Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove (DS)
Burlingame, Calif., June 9, 2010 – Natsume Inc., a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, announced today their lineup for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which begins Tuesday, June 15, and runs through Thursday, June 17. The company will be holding one-on-one meetings at the show in the South Hall, booth #823, with select media representatives.
“We can’t wait to show off some of the key titles in our 2010 lineup at this year’s E3,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO at Natsume. “We have eagerly-anticipated new entries in the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series, a fun-filled new rhythm adventure game, and the triumphant return of the Lufia series!”
