The organizers for this year's GC Developers Conference are announcing that Epic Games' Mike Capps will be at the event as a keynote speaker. Capps will in turn use the opportunity to discuss his company's upcoming title for the Xbox 360, Gears of War 2.

Games Convention 2008 preparation is starting to churn out steam. What we hear from official press waves is that the event organizers, Leipziger Messe, is ironing out the kinks to GC 2007's little mishaps with transportation and access. It looks like they're pressing for another good time in Leipzig this August, and if all pulls through, we may not be seeing GC - Games Convention departing Germany's trade show city anytime soon. More details at the full article.

Now that the Leipzig Games Convention has ended, organizers Leipziger Messe GmbH had a chance to look back on this year's standings for the Games Convention (GC) and Game Convention Developers Conference (GCDC). And in quick summary, the Leipzig trade show has made large strides forward in both number and event achievements.

Back in 2006, the Games Convention reeled in 183,000 exhibition attendees. This year, they've listed 185,000 visitors. Although less than the targeted 200,000 visitor count, more visitors were satisfied with this year's turnout than last year - that's 85% against 75%. In addition, that count included 12,300 trade visitors, a huge jump from 8,700 from a year ago.

The Leipzig convention also brought in more media attention after a recorded 3,300 press personnel from 46 countries attended, compared to 2006's 2,610 from 38 countries. About 20% of those visitors were female, while 52% of visitors were over 20 years old. It was reported a few days ago that the exhibitor list rose to 410 entities. The actual recorded count of exhibitors was very much higher: 509 exhibitors were found.

The recently concluded trade show also marked a first for GC Freestyle, a festival of interactive entertainment sorts, which included concerts, summer activities, and sports. A 3,000 count for overnight stays was noted, while surveys claimed that the event itself was well-received. GC family also grabbed a special place in the visitors' hearts, as 75% of those who did attend GC 2007 took a keen interest in A Hall of Its Own (Hall 5).

So after four long years of development, Ninja Theory can finally sit back and enjoy the heavenly stylings of Heavenly Sword. Doesn't look like they're going to be relaxing for long though, because they already have plans for Heavenly Sword 2.

 

Nina Kristensen, Chief Development Ninja of Ninja Theory, explains that they definitely do have ideas for a sequel (which she won't talk about, it's hush hush), but it's up to Sony as their publisher to decide whether it will be pursued:

We'd certainly like to do the sequel with Sony but nothing's been set in stone. We're looking to expand and do new things but certainly we want to continue the Heavenly Sword franchise.

Reviews for Heavenly Sword have all been pretty positive. PSW rated it with an 8 out of 10, IGN UK gave it a 7.0, while Play Magazine gave it 100/100. Those are pretty good signs that the Heavenly Sword franchise would be seeing more action in the future.

Watch out for the release of the first and (for now) only Heavenly Sword this September. Stay tuned for updates!

Too Human was originally developed for Sony's PlayStation back in 1999 as an action game that spans five discs, before a partnership with Nintendo made Silicon Knights work on it for the GameCube instead. 

After a few more years of disappearance, a series of events led SK to the hands of Microsoft to make the game on Xbox 360. Not until recently did the game resurface - the release date still an uncertainty - but we can be sure of one thing: head honcho Denis Dyack knows his console history.

Dyack talked about "one console future" during GCDC 2007 in Leipzig, saying consoles are heading towards commoditization and differences between these gaming machines will become less important. In an interview with GameSpy, he went deeper on his thoughts about improving technology and how the next generation can actually be void of console wars.

"I think that as technologies continue to advance, the advances are becoming so strong that they diminish the differences between each console with each generation," Dyack said. He compared the PlayStation to Nintendo 64, both introducing 3D graphics to households. For him, the difference is getting so small that we will come to a point where there won't be discrimination of any platforms.

Like we play DVDs on any DVD player, he sees the possibility of every game being playable on any platform. No exclusives. "Everyone's been saying for the longest time that 'it's all about the games.' If it's really all about the games, then the games will start to dominate, and the value of the hardware will become less and less important," he said.

All these may sound convenient, but he found a lot of bad from "commoditizing" in the gaming industry. "Commoditization is a very bad thing, because the ultimate result of it is slavery," he said.

It won't be surprising if many find his speculations farfetched, but Dyack is quite confident with his words. He was able to say, with confidence, that "predicting the future is hard." He continued, "But one of the things about technology and commoditization is that it's guaranteed to happen one hundred percent."

 

In today's videogame industry, the word "next-gen" is often tossed around, to the point that we sometimes forget just what it actually stands for, besides being a catch-all term  for a game having much better production values than another. Or maybe, to refer to a specific console being able to beat another console any day of the week. It's such that we actually see advertisements claiming this game or that game to be "next-gen", with "next-gen" visuals and "next-gen" gameplay. What next? "Next-gen" packaging?

Thankfully, there are some individuals that have not yet lost sight of what next-gen really means, to both a gamer AND a game developer. Stormfront Studios' own Don Daglow is one such individual, defending the Wii's right to be called a next-generation console during his GCDC speech in front of a room full of budding game developers.

So what is Don's definition of "next-gen"? Simple - he believes that for something to be "next-gen", it should be able to change the player's perception of what gaming really is - and what it isn't. His exact statement, verbatim:

Next-gen hardware is any platform that, upon its introduction, dramatically changes players' view of the potential for interactive entertainment. If it changes the player's view of what interactive entertainment is; if you think differently about it; if you have a new perspective after playing the game that you didn't have before, to me that's next-gen.

Certainly a sobering piece of mind from one of today's game developers, right? And with the examples Don Daglow put forward - specifically Sim City, Guitar Hero, Geometry Wars and World of Warcraft - it's certainly not hard to see his point, console wars put aside. It's about creating a new game experience for the player, not simply improving graphics or visuals or controls. 

Updates as we get them.

While major companies are making their presence felt at the upcoming Games Convention in Leipzig, another GCDC highlight is the influx of promising young studios. With that in mind, we're announcing that SouthPeak has released info on its expected product line up for the upcoming event.

Highlights in the list include a new Wii game, titled Brave, and Monster Madness Ex, the Ps3 port of the Xbox 360 and PC's Monster Madness game. Here's a plot summary for each of SouthPeak's to-be-disclosed titles:

Brave (Wii, DS, PSP)

• An action adventure based on the culture, history and mythology of Native America. Brave will have players take control of a young boy on a mission save his tribe from impending disasters. SouthPeak's very first game for the Wii is scheduled for a Q2 2008 release.
  

Monster Madness Ex (PlayStation 3)

• The PlayStation 3's take on this title is expected to carry over several improvement and gameplay tweaks, including new downloadable content. Currently scheduled for a Q1 2008 release.
  

Ninjatown (DS)

• A quirky strategy title using ninja characters licensed from Shawnimals, Ninjatown will bring an entire family of cute ninjas to Nintendo’s handheld system. Scheduled for a Q1 2008 release.
  

Iridium Runners (PlayStation 2)

• A racing game set in the year 2050, Iridium Runners will have players competing against each other for Special powers and weapons to survive as the next Iridium Champion. Scheduled for a Q4 2007 release.
  

SouthPeak Games is expected to be located at stand J50 of the event grounds, which can be found in Hall 1 of the business centre.

If you're among the legions of World of Warcraft fans that's been hoping to get a shot at trying out The Wrath of the Lich King, we have some very good news. Blizzard has just sent out a press wire announcing that this much-anticipated expansion will be a playable over at the upcoming Games Convention at Leipzig, Germany.

Visitors fortunate enough to play will be introduced into the frigid territory of Northrend's Howling Fjord region. And from here, players will also get a taste of Utgarde Keep, a dungeon requiring a 5-man level 70 party to accomplish. Fans who've played through Warcraft III may remember Howling Fjord as the same area where Arthas' expedition landed in their pursuit of Mal'Ganis the dread lord.

Another game that's also expected to be playable is Blizzard's much-awaited StarCraft II RTS. To be available in the game's demo will be the Terran and Protoss races, with both single and in multiplayer battles to be playable over six different maps. This year's GCDC opens for the trade on Wednesday, August 22, and will be open to the public from Thursday (August 23) to Sunday (August 26).

The industry-focused leg of the Games Convention at GCDC 2007 will take place">Leipzig is expected to break its previous record of 650 attendees, after Leipziger Messe GmbH announced through press wire that the registered attendee tally for the 2007 event has hit 850 attendees. The Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC) will take place on August 20-22, just before the consumer and retailer exhibition.

 

Hailing from 35 countries all over the globe - 60 percent from the North American and UK regions - participants have the opportunity to witness the delivery of more than 80 event keynotes from over 120 speakers. And representatives from their respective industry segments - namely handheld, mobile, console, PC, Mac, and online markets - will expound on visions, themes and issues relevant to the industry's times.

Although much of the planned discussions will be focused on the industry side, there will also be discussions on how society and political bodies can properly recognize the gaming industry, and the significance of associations representing the game industry to the outside world.

And in another note, Leipziger Messe has particularly named Tim Schafer of Double Fine Production (Grim Fandango, Psychonauts) to deliver his keynote speech entitled "Games and Creativity," adapted for the new age of game development. If memory serves us right, Schafer and his studio has been secretly at work on a game project under Vivendi's revived Sierra Entertainment label.

It was claimed to be titled "Brutal Legend", but that has been under question for some time since it was retracted. But if former Leipzig revelations are were groundbreaking, then you may count that fellow blogger Schafer will spill more details on his ambitious "labor of love."

The 2007 Games Convention Developers Conference opening remarks will be delivered by none other than the Chairman of the European Games Development Forum (EGDF), Fred Hasson. More GC and GCDC news coming your way, before the Leipzig-filled week begins next Monday.

 

Capcom has announced that Devil May Cry 4 (PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) will be rendered playable at the upcoming Games Convention in Leipzig. While the game is also in development for the PC platform, fans of the franchise will only be able to demo it on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, or so goes the official press release.

This will signal Devil May Cry's debut outside of the Sony PlayStation platform, to be celebrated along with its official premiere on the Xbox 360 at the upcoming GCDC and GC exhibition at the Leipzig Business Center, Germany. For PC gamers, Devil May Cry 4 should be the second title of the DMC series to touch PCs worldwide.

Fans who could make it to probably the biggest event in the European gaming scene can head over to the stand labelled C02 at Hall 2 of the convention center. From there, lucky guests will be able to take control of Nero and his Devil Bringer arm, all the while familiarizing with the game's mechanics, looks, and feel. Michael Pattison, senior marketing director of CE Europe commented:

Devil May Cry is one of Capcom’s key brands and Leipzig Games Convention provides an excellent opportunity for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 gamers to get hands on experience of the latest addition in the series that defines stylish action.

Buy: [Devil May Cry 4 (PS3)]
Buy: [Devil May Cry 4 (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Devil May Cry 4 (PC)]