IGDA Women in Games events at GDC sponsored by GamingAngels

The Game Developers Conference is running through March 13 and with the news, there are also some great Women in Games events that you should attend if you are in the area. IGDA Women in Games will hold their annual roundtable meeting on Thursday, March 11 from 1:30-2:30 pm in Room 230, East Mezzanine. The roundtable will be moderated by our friend, Tina Tyndal and will be talking about initiatives for 2010 including GameMentorOnline. There are also two panels at GDC that are presented by IGDA Women in Games. Details are: Starting Something New – Women in Games, scheduled for Thursday, March 11, 3 pm to 4 pm in Room 130, North Hall. This session is moderated by Sonja Kangas, Head of Game Lab, Paf and IGDA Women in Games advisor, and features speakers Tiina Zilliacus, CEO of IronStar Helsinki; Celia Pearce, Director of Experimental Game Lab at Georgia Tech;

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Microsoft announces details on XNA Game Studio 4.0

GDC has started and the press releases are starting to roll in. Candice is covering the event for us, but we’ll be here trying to keep our readers updated. Microsoft announced XNA Game Studio 4 details which involve a set of tools that let developers create games for Windows Phone 7 Series. Developers can also reduce their workload by being able to use some of the code in XNA Game Studio 3.1 to adapt a Windows Phone 7 Series game for Xbox 360, Windows or Zune. Don’t expect Windows Phone games to have simple or much reduced features. Microsoft is creating a Windows Phone Marketplace where publishers will have the ability to create Xbox Live Games for the Games hub. These games will have Xbox Live features such as Achievements and leaderboards. They can even include your avatar. Hopefully developers will get tons of hands on time at the Game

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NBC and Universal Offer the First-Ever MMO Based on Battlestar Galactica

If you’re still sad that Battlestar Galactica lives on only in reruns and your DVD collection, Universal’s got a way for you to live it all over again – an MMO based on the series. The online game leads Bigpoint’s GDC 2010 showings, and will be launching what I assume is a 30-day free trial this fall on syfy.com. The game was developed using Unity technology, meaning that you get a full MMO experience without downloading a client – it’s all done from your browser, even full 3D rendering! You choose whether to fight as a Cylon or a human, and gameplay features space combat, exploration, and missions. The missions will define the game’s overall storyline, enabling the player to delve into mysteries of the Battlestar universe. Assets from the television production will also be used, to make the title as authentic as possible.

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“Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light” to be Released via Digital Download in 2010

Crystal Dynamics decided that today would be as good a day as any to announce Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, which will be released via digital download in 2010. This comes after a few days of speculation from people who heard rumors of a new Tomb Raider title. Except this…well, it isn’t technically a Tomb Raider, is it? Sure, it’s got our lady Lara, but the series’ titular phrase isn’t anywhere to be found in this name. The game will be demoed strictly “behind closed doors” at this year’s Game Developers Conference, which starts in five days. The main questions I’ve been asking myself about this are, “Is it going to be a tiny because it’s a digital release?” and “Is it a reboot?” Crystal Dynamics was kind enough to give me some insight on the second question. Well, that, and a little more information, as well. Seems

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Paradox’s GDC Lineup Features Five Titles

Paradox Interactive today announced their their official game lineup for this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Paradox will feature a playable version of their debut console title, Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West, and also their new additions to the PC game family. The following titles will be available for playable demo opportunities throughout the show: Mount & Blade: Warband Mount & Blade: Warband, the multiplayer sequel to the original Mount & Blade, will enable up to 64 players to fight for glory on a single map in team deathmatch style battles. Mount & Blade: Warband will be available in the US and via digital distribution on March 30th, 2010. Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West The exciting team-based multiplayer action of the Old West will soon hit consoles in the highly anticipated third-person shooter set for release late Q1 2010 from developer Fatshark.

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And the 2010 GDC Ambassador Award Goes To…

The Penny Arcade guys! Writer Jerry Holkins, artist Mike Krahulik and business guru Robert Khoo have been given the award for creating a gamer-friendly empire that epitomized the positive aspects of “gamer culture.” They’ve used their powers only for good, creating a charity (Child’s Play) and the Penny Arcade Expo, which brings gamers together to celebrate the culture of gaming. They may have gotten a slow start in 1998, but now Penny Arcade is almost a household name (well, in gamer households, anyway). “The Penny Arcade crew might be some of the most flippant, adorable game fans out there,” said Meggan Scavio, Event Director for GDC. “So obviously, we’re delighted to recognize their efforts in providing a genuine voice and event for gamers, and working with both fans and developers in the Child’s Play Charity to raise millions of dollars for a great cause.” The award will be presented during

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GDC 2010 Pioneer Award Goes to Gabe Newell

Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Corporation, is the winner of this year’s Pioneer Award, which will be presented at the Game Developers Conference Awards ceremony in San Francisco in March 2010. This is the tenth annual awards celebration, but only the second presentation of the Pioneer Award, which is given to individuals credited with a major breakthrough in technology or game design that will clearly lead the way for future developers and designers. This year’s panel included gaming greats such as Ben Cousins (EA DICE), Harvey Smith (Arkane), Raph Koster (Metaplace), John Vechey (PopCap), Ray Muzyka (BioWare), and Clint Hocking (Ubisoft). Newell was selected for the award for his work in co-creating the PC download service Steam, as well as helping to make some of the best games of the past decade (think everything included in The Orange Box) possible. Over 3,000 of the industry’s top developers will be present

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12th Annual Independent Games Finalists Announced

The Independent Games Festival (IGF) has announced the Main Competition finalists for the twelfth annual presentation of its awards, celebrating the most innovative creations to come out of the independent game development community this year. There are nearly $50,000 in prizes for various categories, including the $20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize, to be awarded on stage at the Independent Games Festival Awards on March 11, 2010 during the 2010 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. There were 301 competition entries this year, an almost 35% increase over last year’s record 226 entries. And many of the entries are striking new titles from leading indie developers. This year’s finalists are led by multiple nominations for several notable games, including three nominations for innovative light-centric puzzle platformer Closure, and two nominations each — including a Grand Prize nomination — for Pocketwatch Games’ stylish co-op heist game Monaco, Hello Games’ polished stunt motorbike

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Level Up Game Demo Winners Announced

At Austin GDC, Intel announced the winners of their Level Up Game Demo Challenge. Sitting on the judges’ panel were Will Wright, Sid Meier and Brad Wardell. Awards were handed out to the top three games in each category, as well as an honourary Judge’s Award. Best Game on Intel® Graphics First place: I Know Your Deeds by Yakov Second place: Spin Tires by Pavel Zagrebelnyy Third place: Inferus by Kevin Gadd, Ian Maclean, and Troupe Gammage IV Best Game-on-the-Go First place: Inferus by Kevin Gadd, Ian Maclean, and Troupe Gammage IV Second place: GermiNation by Bradley Wesson Third place: Rise of Pirates by Stefans Keiss Best Threaded Game First place: Spin Tires by Pavel Aleksandrovich Zagrebelnyy Second place: I Know Your Deeds by Yakov Third place: The Ray Trace Game by Klyuchnikov Eugene Judge’s Choice Award: Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War by Albert Zhiltsov You can

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OnLive starts beta program

OnLive has been quiet since GDC 09, but the team has been working hard as OnLive boss Steve Perlman has confirmed on on his blog that the service is now in closed beta. “And, I’m very excited to say that we are now opening the OnLive Beta to outside gamers who signed up on our website. It’s not too late to sign up if you haven’t already. We are very much looking forward to hearing from gamers all about their experience with the OnLive Service.” You can still sign up for the beta here to experience what the OnLive service will be like.

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