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GameSpy Technology Powers the Blockbuster Games of 2011

Posted on March 2, 2011 by gamespytech

Industry-Proven Cross-Platform Services Help Make Games Like Crysis 2, Bulletstorm, Homefront and Dungeon Defenders Possible

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – March 2, 2011 – During the 2011 Game Developers Conference, held in San Francisco, CA, GameSpy Technology, the leader in connected game services, will showcase several of the year’s biggest video game hits that make use of the company’s cross-platform services and tools for online games. Some of the biggest games of 2011 are “Powered By GameSpy,” including EA’s Crysis 2 and Bulletstorm, THQ’s Homefront and indie sensation Dungeon Defenders from Trendy Entertainment.

“It’s our mission to help developers bring rich online features – from flexible online commerce to deep stats tracking — to their games, whether they are working on blockbuster console titles or indie hits,” said Todd Northcutt, VP of GameSpy Technology. “The online experience for more than one thousand games has been powered by GameSpy Technology over the past decade; we’re excited to see how our online gaming services will be used by developers large and small to write the success stories of the next decade.”

Trendy Entertainment’s Dungeon Defenders is an amazing hybrid of action, adventure, role-playing and tower defense gameplay, taking advantage of multiple elements of GameSpy Technology’s cross-platform online services, including cross-platform multiplayer matchmaking and deep player data tracking. Trendy was among the first studios to take advantage of GameSpy Open, GameSpy’s newly announced initiative to make all of its services available to start-up and independent developers for free. The Open initiative is an important element of an ongoing effort by GameSpy Technology to broaden the field of game development to include up-and-coming startups and independent teams. Trendy Entertainment will demo Dungeon Defenders in GameSpy Technology’s booth during GDC (914 in Moscone Center South Hall), running a simultaneous co-op game on PlayStation 3, PC, iOS and Android-powered tablets.

EA is bringing gamers two huge multi-platform shooters in early 2011, Crysis 2, from Crytek, and Bulletstorm, from gaming powerhouse Epic Games and People Can Fly. Crysis 2 takes advantage of GameSpy Technology’s Direct2Game commerce service, allowing Crytek to make post-release game content quickly and easily available to their consumer base on the PC via an API driven storefront integrated into both the game and the title’s official Web site. Over-the-top action explosion Bulletstorm uses GameSpy’s deep Player Metrics and Rankings services to track vast amounts of game stats on the PlayStation 3, which is crucial for both immediate in-game feedback of a player’s hyperkinetic performance as well as point tracking leader boards in and out of the game. Bulletstorm was released February 22, 2011, while Crysis 2 arrives in late March.

THQ’s Homefront brings combat to America’s shores in this chilling first person, near-future invasion scenario. Like Bulletstorm, Homefront is helping their players monitor their performance in game with GameSpy’s deep stat-tracking services, including the game-to-web features that THQ has successfully integrated into their other hit franchises, WWE Smackdown vs. RAW and UFC Undisputed. This multiplatform title will be released on PC, PlayStation 3, and other platforms in early March.

To learn more about GameSpy’s services for online games and to sign up to begin using them immediately, head to poweredbygamespy.com

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About IGN Entertainment
IGN Entertainment, a unit of News Corporation, is the leading Internet media and services provider focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN’s properties reached more than 45 million unique users worldwide November 2010, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. IGN’s network of video game-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others) is one of the Web’s leading video game information destinations. IGN also owns the leading men’s lifestyle website AskMen.com and provides technology for online game play in video games. IGN is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia.

About GameSpy Technology
A division of IGN Entertainment, GameSpy Technology is the leading provider of online services to video game developers. Founded in 1997, GameSpy has provided its connected gaming technology to the best-selling, most innovative games in the industry. Its various services-social, cloud, commerce, data and mutliplayer-are designed to make games more fun by helping players share their experiences. GameSpy’s technology is accessible on every gaming platform and has been utilized by more than 1000 titles to date, including landmark games like Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption, Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii, and Crytek’s Crysis


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Categories: Commerce, Competition, Data, Open, Press / Tags: , , , , ,

GAMESPY TECHNOLOGY OPENS INDUSTRY PROVEN CROSS-PLATFORM SERVICES TO ALL

Posted on February 24, 2011 by gamespytech

From Indie Developers to Major Publishers, All Game Makers Now Have Immediate, Free Access to GameSpy Technology’s Multiplatform Online Game Services and APIs

San Francisco – Feb. 24, 2011 – Starting Friday, February 25, GameSpy Technology, the leader in connected game services, will be making online game development faster and free by giving everyone complete and open access to the company’s entire catalog of connected game services across all platforms, including PC, Mac, consoles as well as iOS and Android platforms. GameSpy Technology is allowing up-and-coming game developers to tap into the same technology powering over one thousand of the biggest games ever made, including Red Dead Redemption, Bulletstorm, Crysis 2 and cross-platform indie hit Dungeon Defenders.  This is the first time that truly cross platform AAA development services have ever been offered to developers for no initial cost.

“Smart developers are looking at their games as a whole across multiple platforms,” said Todd Northcutt, Vice President, GameSpy Technology. “We want to empower everyone creating games to make great online experiences and to build a bigger, better communities regardless of platform, team size or budget. In an industry first, we are making cross-platform services free, with the hope that we can help more folks make better games.”

On Friday, GameSpy Technology’s APIs will be available via an easy online self-service process, allowing any developer to access the APIs and start adding online functionality to their game right away. The cross-platform SDKs include open APIs for rich player data tracking to gauge game performance and audience engagement, user-generated cloud storage content tools to enable actively-engaged communities to collaborate and extend the gameplay experience, social network integration, in-game or web-based commerce and competitive matchmaking services. GameSpy Technology’s services have been tested and proven at multiple levels of scale, from small indie games all the way up to multi-million selling online console titles.

All GameSpy services are integrated seamlessly into the gameplay experience, allowing developers to maintain full control over the relationship with their customers. GameSpy empowers developers, giving them the tools and data to control their own destiny.  PoweredByGameSpy.com will act as a single source for everything necessary to create world-class online experiences, including APIs and SDKs, community support, documentation and in-depth “dashboards” that show how a game is performing across a variety of metrics.

Trendy Entertainment’s Dungeon Defenders takes advantage of multiple elements of GameSpy Technology’s cross-platform online services, including multiplayer matchmaking and deep player data tracking, allowing cooperative games to be played by players on a PlayStation 3, PC, iOS and Android devices. Trendy was among the first studios to take advantage of GameSpy Open, GameSpy’s newly announced initiative to make all of its services available to start-up and independent developers for free.

The initiative is an important element of an ongoing effort by GameSpy Technology to broaden the field of game development to include up-and-coming startups and independent teams. GameSpy’s latest programs have included the recent “Indie Open House” program, which has seen IGN entertainment open up free San Francisco office space and resources for use by a selection of development teams.

Join the open game development revolution this Friday at poweredbygamespy.com

###

About IGN Entertainment
IGN Entertainment, a unit of News Corporation, is the leading Internet media and services provider focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN’s properties reached more than 37.8 million unique users worldwide June 2010, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. IGN’s network of video game-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others) is one of the Web’s leading video game information destinations.  IGN also owns the leading men’s lifestyle website AskMen.com and provides technology for online game play in video games.  IGN is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia.

About GameSpy Technology
A division of IGN Entertainment, GameSpy Technology is the leading provider of online services to video game developers. Founded in 1997, GameSpy has provided its connected gaming technology to the best-selling, most innovative games in the industry. Its various services-social, cloud, commerce, data and mutliplayer-are designed to make games more fun by helping players share their experiences. GameSpy’s technology is accessible on every gaming platform and has been utilized by more than 1000 titles to date, including landmark games like Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption, Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii, and Crytek’s Crysis franchise.

From Indie Developers to Major Publishers, All Game Makers Now Have Immediate, Free Access to GameSpy Technology’s Multiplatform Online Game Services and APIs

<strong>San Francisco – Feb. 24, 2011</strong> – Starting Friday, February 25, GameSpy Technology, the leader in connected game services, will be making online game development faster and free by giving everyone complete and open access to the company’s entire catalog of connected game services across all platforms, including PC, Mac, consoles as well as iOS and Android platforms. GameSpy Technology is allowing up-and-coming game developers to tap into the same technology powering over one thousand of the biggest games ever made, including <em>Red Dead Redemption</em>, <em>Bulletstorm</em>, <em>Crysis 2</em> and cross-platform indie hit <em><a href=”http://www.poweredbygamespy.com/2011/02/18/dungeon-defenders-cross-platform-ftw/” target=”_blank”>Dungeon Defenders</a></em>.  This is the first time that truly cross platform AAA development services have ever been offered to developers for no initial cost.

“Smart developers are looking at their games as a whole across multiple platforms,” said Todd Northcutt, Vice President, GameSpy Technology. “We want to empower everyone creating games to make great online experiences and to build a bigger, better communities regardless of platform, team size or budget. In an industry first, we are making cross-platform services free, with the hope that we can help more folks make better games.”

On Friday, GameSpy Technology’s APIs will be available via an easy online self-service process, allowing any developer to access the APIs and start adding online functionality to their game right away. The cross-platform SDKs include open APIs for rich player data tracking to gauge game performance and audience engagement, user-generated cloud storage content tools to enable actively-engaged communities to collaborate and extend the gameplay experience, social network integration, in-game or web-based commerce and competitive matchmaking services. GameSpy Technology’s services have been tested and proven at multiple levels of scale, from small indie games all the way up to multi-million selling online console titles.

All GameSpy services are integrated seamlessly into the gameplay experience, allowing developers to maintain full control over the relationship with their customers. GameSpy empowers developers, giving them the tools and data to control their own destiny.  PoweredByGameSpy.com will act as a single source for everything necessary to create world-class online experiences, including APIs and SDKs, community support, documentation and in-depth “dashboards” that show how a game is performing across a variety of metrics.

Trendy Entertainment’s Dungeon Defenders takes advantage of multiple elements of GameSpy Technology’s cross-platform online services, including multiplayer matchmaking and deep player data tracking, allowing cooperative games to be played by players on a PlayStation 3, PC, iOS and Android devices. Trendy was among the first studios to take advantage of GameSpy Open, GameSpy’s newly announced initiative to make all of its services available to start-up and independent developers for free.

The initiative is an important element of an ongoing effort by GameSpy Technology to broaden the field of game development to include up-and-coming startups and independent teams. GameSpy’s latest programs have included the recent “<a href=”http://www.ign.com/indieopenhouse/” target=”_blank”>Indie Open House</a>” program, which has seen IGN entertainment open up free San Francisco office space and resources for use by a selection of development teams.

Join the open game development revolution this Friday at http://www.poweredbygamespy.com

<strong>###</strong>

<strong>About IGN Entertainment</strong>
IGN Entertainment, a unit of News Corporation, is the leading Internet media and services provider focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN’s properties reached more than 37.8 million unique users worldwide June 2010, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. IGN’s network of video game-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others) is one of the Web’s leading video game information destinations.  IGN also owns the leading men’s lifestyle website AskMen.com and provides technology for online game play in video games.  IGN is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia.

<strong>About GameSpy Technology</strong>
A division of IGN Entertainment, GameSpy Technology is the leading provider of online services to video game developers. Founded in 1997, GameSpy has provided its connected gaming technology to the best-selling, most innovative games in the industry. Its various services-social, cloud, commerce, data and mutliplayer-are designed to make games more fun by helping players share their experiences. GameSpy’s technology is accessible on every gaming platform and has been utilized by more than 1000 titles to date, including landmark games like Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption, Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii, and Crytek’s Crysis franchise.


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Categories: Indie, Open, Press / Tags: , , , ,

Doors Open for the First Five Indie Open House Game Dev Teams

Posted on January 12, 2011 by gamespytech

GameSpy Technology Welcomes the Project’s First Five Indie Developers with Office Space, Technology and Support

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Jan. 12, 2011 – GameSpy Technology, a division of IGN Entertainment, Inc., this week opened its doors to the first five game development teams selected for Indie Open House, a company-wide initiative designed to help independent game developers realize their creative vision and make their mark on the $20 billion game industry. The program leverages GameSpy Technology and IGN Entertainment’s resources to provide free office space, technology, peer support and consultation to help the selected teams design, craft and execute on their project plans. The first five program participants are Cryptic Sea, Team Ethereal, Evanatiks, Runt, Inc. and Interabang Entertainment. The five development teams began to move in to IGN Entertainment’s offices in San Francisco this week and will remain in residency for six months. Further information on the program can be found at the official website: http://www.ign.com/indieopenhouse/.

“Our view at GameSpy is that the future of video games and interactive entertainment is being shaped by independent developers working to create new and unique experiences,” said Todd Northcutt, VP of GameSpy Technology. “We see this program as a great way for all involved to do one thing – make great games while helping further evolve video games as a whole.”

The first class of the Indie Open House program represents a diverse mix of developers and a variety of game designs:

  • Team Ethereal is composed of Carnegie Mellon students from the school’s Entertainment Technology Center creating a medieval combat game.
  • Evanatiks is a team currently based in Pasadena, CA, working on a game that combines elements of strategy, role playing and trading card game genres.
  • Runt, Inc., founded in San Francisco, is crafting an action platformer with a steam punk aesthetic and fluid freestyle Parkour mechanics.
  • Interabang Studios, from San Diego, CA, is working on a title that combines action, adventure, beat-em-ups and … mullets.
  • Cryptic Sea, from Santa Cruz, is working on The Balls, a cooperative platformer for up to 100 players who control furry alien balls bent on world domination.

“It’s been said that ‘iron sharpens iron’, and that’s exactly why we are here,” said Tobias Batton, the president and CEO of Runt, Inc. “We are excited to participate in the Indie Open house for the valuable feedback we will receive as we develop our game. It’s our goal to provide a compelling product to our fans, and Indie Open House is going to increase that potential exponentially.”

These up-and-coming developers were chosen after carefully vetting the goals and needs of their projects in a selection process led by key members of the IGN.com editorial and executive teams, as well as by Eddy Boxerman, winner of the first D2D Vision Award at the 2009 Independent Games Festival and founder of Hemisphere Games, creator of the best-selling downloadable iOS title, Osmos. All five teams will be hosted by GameSpy Technology for six months in the San Francisco offices of IGN Entertainment, where they will have free office space, internet connectivity and support from the GameSpy Technology staff.

“This opportunity provided by IGN has given our team a real fighting chance in pursuing what we hold as a dream job,” Said Dan Driscoll, lead designer on Team Ethereal. “So many indie projects start off with great concepts but fall victim to the realities of the business, not least of which is getting recognition. With free access to such important support and technologies, we now have a shot at the real thing.”

Beyond the benefits of the IGN facilities, each of the participating teams has been granted no-cost licenses for GameSpy Technology’s online gaming development services as part of the on-going GameSpy Open initiative. Indie Open House is strictly a support and residency program, meaning IGN maintains no interest in owning any content or binding participating teams to prohibitive contracts. Instead, the goal of the Indie Open House project is to lend valuable resources and support during challenging financial times and to encourage innovation within the game development community. The first games from the Indie Open House teams will be showcased at the GameSpy Technology booth on the expo floor of the Game Developers Conference 2011 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center from March 2 to March 4, 2011.

The Indie Open House program will continue to consider new applicants for the next round of the program. The second group of teams will be selected and announced in the latter half of 2011. To learn more about the Indie Open House project, please visit http://www.ign.com/indieopenhouse/.

###

About IGN Entertainment
IGN Entertainment, a unit of News Corporation, is the leading Internet media and services provider focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN’s properties reached more than 37.8 million unique users worldwide June 2010, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. IGN’s network of video game-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others) is one of the Web’s leading video game information destinations. IGN also owns the leading men’s lifestyle website AskMen.com and provides technology for online game play in video games. IGN is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia.

About GameSpy Technology
A division of IGN Entertainment, GameSpy Technology is the leading provider of online services to video game developers. Founded in 1997, GameSpy has provided its connected gaming technology to the best-selling, most innovative games in the industry. Its various services-social, cloud, commerce, data and mutliplayer-are designed to make games more fun by helping players share their experiences. GameSpy’s technology is accessible on every gaming platform and has been utilized by more than 900 titles to date, including landmark games like Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption, Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii, and THQ’s WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw franchise.


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Categories: Community, Indie, Press / Tags: ,

GameSpy Nominated for 2010 Front Line Award

Posted on November 7, 2010 by TNorthcutt

Each year the editors of Game Developer magazine select the year’s top game making tools and then put selection of the very best up for a vote by the games industry.  GameSpy Technology is proud to be among the finalists for 2010.

From the immersive and expansive online interaction in Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption to in-game mod sharing in Firaxis’ Civilization V to multiplatform tower defense in Trendy’s Dungeon Defenders, we’ve worked with over 150 developers in 2010 to bring innovative online features to games large and small and would be honored to have your vote.

Please visit the Front Line Awards page to cast your vote and join us in congratulating all of the nominees for the 2010 Awards.


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Categories: Other, Press

GameSpy Open To Tear Down The Walls Surrounding Games

Posted on March 9, 2010 by gamespytech

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — March 8, 2010 — During the 2010 Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week, GameSpy Technology, the video game industry’s leading provider of multi-platform online services, announced GameSpy Open, an initiative to open APIs for data and development services, making it easier for its partners on all platforms to add compelling online features to games, measure game performance and audience engagement, and collaborate with their communities. By opening up data and services, GameSpy hopes to tear down the walls around online game development, enable new business models and make it much easier for publishers and developers to harness the power of online and social innovations.

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Categories: Open, Press
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