Wade and Make-a-Wish revisit Robot Entertainment after Echo Prime release
A little while ago Robot Entertainment took part in a Make-a-Wish request for Wade Sharp, a boy who struggles with brittle bone disease (Osteogenesis Imperfecta) which makes it very difficult to engage in physical activities. His condition means that video games are a very important part of Wade’s life. In June earlier this year the bots welcomed Wade to the studio to help make his wish come true. Wade’s wish was to see how games were made and to become a character in a video game. Read more
Robot Entertainment announces “Echo Prime” – Sci-fi action RPG
Great news for all Robot Fans. The bots have today announced their newest mobile game heading to iOS devices from today. Say hello to Echo Prime the sci-fi action RPG with real time combat! In Echo Prime players take up the role of the “Enforcer” who battles various sci-fi aliens, pirates and mercenaries as they travel across the universe to uncover secrets and discover the mysterious “Echoes”. To help explain things better Robot have graced us with an excellent trailer showcasing the gameplay. Read more
Hero Academy arrives on Android!
It may have been a long time coming but Robot Entertainment have today soft launched Hero Academy on Android devices! This is obviously fantastic news for those with Android devices who have eagerly been awaiting to play the game on the move with their mobile devices.
Playing Hero Academy on Android is exactly the same as playing on your PC or Mac, you can login with your same account details and you can play your games any time anywhere! The game is available for download via the Google Play store on the link below: Read more
Dave Pottinger on Cavamania post-mortem
Dave Pottinger, founder and CEO of BonusXP has posted his Cavemania post-mortem blog on Gamasutra. Post-mortems are always very interesting reading and Cavemania’s is no exception. In the post we learn about how Cavemania started off as an RPG game as opposed to the “match 3” game we see in the finished product. The blog also talks about various highs and lows during the development and describes the studios design methodology.
Starting from the beginning just how did BonusXP end up with a match-3 Age of Empires esque strategy game? The project first started off and an RPG which was worked on by one full-time programmer. Read more
Cavemania Review
BonusXP have just released their latest mobile game on iOS and Android – Cavemania! The game is published by Yodo1, the same partner Robot Entertainment used to publish Hero Academy in China. Cavemania is a “Match 3” game, this means the core concept is similar to games like Bejeweled where you much like colours to score points. In Cavemania you match resources like food, wood, gold and stone. A nod to Age of Empires! However, Cavemania is about a whole lot more than just matching like tiles, taking that Age of Empires likeness further there is a whole lot of strategy involved that really sets this game apart. Read more
Age of Empires Online no longer available from August 22nd after GFWL closure
Many gamers will have heard that for a while Microsoft has been aiming to replace their currency for Xbox Live and Games for Windows Live from Microsoft Points to real local currency. Ie. Dollars, Euros and Pounds Sterling, or what ever your local currency is. In doing this the Xbox Live and Games for Windows Live services will need to make the switch over. This is scheduled to be be kicking off on August 22nd.
However, the bad news is that Games for Windows Live will not be making the transition to local currency and as such, Microsoft is infact closing the GFWL service all together. Infact as of just August 22nd the Games for Windows Live Store will be closed to new purchases of any kind. This means that no additional copies of Age of Empires Online or any DLC will be available via this store from August 22nd. It would seem that any DLC purchased through Steam would also not be available based on a now removed article on the AOE-O support website as reported by Age of Empires Online Heaven. Although the Steam issue is still awaiting official confirmation. Read more
BonusXP and Yodo1 announce “Cavemania”!
Those of you who were fans of the excellent mobile game Monster Crew you will be very excited to hear about BonusXP’s newest mobile game that has just been announced – Cavemania! BonusXP are partnering with Chinese publisher Yodo1, the same publisher who Robot Entertainment selected to take Hero Academy to Chinese territories. So what are the genius minds at BonusXP upto this time around you might ask. Well the good news the game features a strong blend of strategy as we have come to expect from our Ex-Ensemble founded studios. Cavemania is a match-3 strategy game where casual match 3 gameplay meets resource-management strategy. Read more
Word Chums arrives on Android!
Great news for all of you with Android devices – Word Chums has finally landed! Thats right! The brilliant minds at PeopleFun have brought their very popular iOS word game to Android. Word Chums is not your usual word game, its jam-packed with features which makes it far more interesting than your run-of-the-mill word game. For starters it is aesthetically pleasing with bright colours in typical Ensemble style design methodology which really helps it stand out from the crowd and makes it a pleasure to play. Not only that but challenges, items for your chums and team multiplayer are key features. Word Chums really does take the genre to the next level. Read more
Tony Goodman live on Reddit “Ask me anything” right now!
Tony Goodman is now speaking live on his Reddit “Ask me anything”. Come and join in and pose your questions to the man who started it all!
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j64tv/im_tony_goodmanfounder_of_ensemble_studios_age_of/
Tony Goodman to take part in Reddit – Ask Me Anything!
Great news of all Ensemble, Robot and PeopleFun fans – the man behind it all is due to host an Ask Me Anything (AMA) next Saturday! This will be your chance to pose your questions to the man at the top! From Age of Empires to Word Chums, anything goes in the AMA!
It’ll all be kicking off next Saturday 27th July at 1PM CST. Or 8pm UK time! PeopleFun and Remember ES will be posting links to the Reddit URL just before the start time. There is no better time than now to be following @PeopleFun and @Remember_ES on Twitter!
Be sure to think hard about your burning questions and Remember ES will see you there!
