Snowman and Slingshot & Satchel Announce DISTANT

Alto's Adventure's developer Snowman have announced another partnership (readers may remember they have Where Cards Fall in the works).  They've announced a new partnership with Slingshot & Satchel and released a trailer for their first game: DISTANT.

A wondrous voyage through pastel dreamscapes. www.builtbysnowman.com/distant

DISTANT takes you on a wondrous voyage through pastel dreamscapes, to prevent a calamity from consuming the world you once knew. Along the way, you’ll confront an inescapable past, and learn how much you're willing to sacrifice in your search for solace.

DISTANT will be coming to PC, Mac, Consoles, and Apple TV, though we'll have to wait a little longer for a release timeframe, and price.  In the meantime, you can check out the official Alto's Adventure Store and pick up some swag for the holidays.

Let's Play: Watch Dogs 2 - Ubistolen Mission

Here's another video of me playing Watch Dogs 2. In this one, you hack into the Ubisoft San Francisco office to steal an unreleased/unannounced game and release it to a gaming website (not TorontoGameDevs.com).

Make sure to subscribe on Youtube!

Hey there! Here's a play through of the 'Ubistolen' mission where you hack in Ubisoft San Franciso and steal a unreleased game. Is it really? We'll have to wait and see. This also gets you the Leaks and Leaks trophies/achievement. Apologies ahead of time for my brutal driving of the forklift.

Party Game 'Use Your Words' Coming Early Next Year

Another Toronto developed game was brought to my attention the other day on Twitter, Use Your Words.

Fun fact! Did you know that the game @brentalfloss and I are working on, @UseYourWords, is being made entirely in Toronto? @TorontoGameDevs

— Julian Spillane (@JulianSpillane) November 14, 2016

Use Your Words is a game that invites players to respond to a variety of mini-games and prompts with the funniest answers they can think of! Players play using their phones and tablets as controllers, making game-play seamless and quick to pick up. Players who get stumped can use one of the hidden "House Answers" to lay a trap for their fellow players once it's time for everyone to vote for their favorite.

Here it is, a sneak peek at the new and improved version of Use Your Words from Smiling Buddha Games! Music by Dmitry Lifshitz (license purchased via AudioJungle)

You can out the games Steam page right here, but it is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U, and Steam early next year.

Let's Play: Watch Dogs 2 - First Mission

Hey everyone! Since Ubisoft was kind enough to give me a code for Watch Dogs 2, I'll be posting some videos for is. The first one is below! Enjoy, and subscribe!

Ubisoft was kind enough to give me a code for Watch Dogs 2 on PS4. This is me playing the first mission on PS4Pro, minor spoilers for Watch Dogs 2 obviously. I'll be posting more, so make sure to subscribe and check out TorontoGameDevs.com for more!

Check Out The Watch Dogs 2 Launch Trailer

Watch Dogs 2 is collaboratively developed within the Ubisoft family, including Ubisoft Toronto. It's out November 15th for PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It'll be out on Steam on November 29th, and Ubisoft released a launch trailer:

After being wrongly profiled as a criminal risk by a citywide operating system, Marcus Holloway investigates to find rampant corporate corruption and manipulation of the public. Marcus and his group of hackers, DedSec, wage a war to take down the system and return power to the people.

Ubisoft Releases 'Watch Dogs 2 - Live Dedsec Hack' Video - Overview For Dedsec R3sistance campaign

Lots of marketing push for Watch Dogs 2, as we'll see the game released this month. Ubisoft have released a Watch Dogs 2 'Live Dedsec Hack" video, which is to give an overview of the Dedsec R3sistance Campaign.

On October 13th, 7:30pm ET, the hacker group known as DedSec launched a live hack operation on HAUM Electronic Inc.'s smart home demo, located in Toronto, Canada.

Ubisoft Canada selected Canadian fans to participate in the tour of this cutting-edge smart home as a promotional stunt for the upcoming release of Watch Dogs 2.

Unbeknownst to the visitors, this operation was broadcast live on Ubisoft Canada's Facebook & YouTube channels simultaneously and invited viewers to decide how DedSec would hack the smart home.

This was the climax of DedSec's campaign against HAUM in Canada. Check the rest of the campaign on DedSec's Canadian Hub: www.dedsec.haumcanada.com

On October 13th, 7:30pm ET, the hacker group known as DedSec launched a live hack operation on HAUM Electronic Inc.'s smart home demo, located in Toronto, Canada. Ubisoft Canada selected Canadian fans to participate in the tour of this cutting-edge smart home as a promotional stunt for the upcoming release of Watch Dogs 2.

Watch Dogs 2 is out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One on November 15th, and Steam on November 29th. You can check out some further details about Dedsec R3isistance below, and at their website.

About the Dedsec R3sistance Campaign

Last September, Ubisoft launched the Dedsec R3sistance Campaign, inviting Canadians to immerse themselves in the world of WATCH_DOGS 2 and explore its themes of privacy and ultra-connectivity. Fans were encouraged to visit the Dedsec Canada Hub to fight alongside a collective of hackers and participate in weekly missions and hacking challenges that culminated in the ultimate live hacking challenge in Toronto on October 13. During this final part of Dedsec Canada’s mission, a group of fans got a sneak peek of the Show HAUM in-person, while Canadians on the Dedsec Canada Hub were invited to hack it in real time, from the comfort of their own homes.

About USER PROFILED

Ubisoft Canada and VICE Canada partnered to create USER PROFILED, a two-part documentary series exploring themes from WATCH_DOGS 2, such as growing concerns around online user profiling, its implications for user privacy and the increasing threat it poses to Canadians’ civil liberties. Both episodes of USER PROFILED are available here.

 

Toronto Developers Highlight the 7th Annual Canadian Video Game Award Nominations

The nominations for the 7th Annual Canadian VideoGame Awards have been announced, and there are quite a few Toronto developers being nominated for various awards. I tooked at the local games being developed, which you can check out below.

Nominations (Local Developers Only)

Game of the Year:

• Severed
• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Console Game:

• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Mobile/Handheld Game:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)
• Loud on Planet X (Pop Sandbox Inc)

Best PC Game

• Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander (Massive Damage)

Best Virtual Reality Game:

• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (Steel Crate Games)
• Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Animation:

• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Art Direction:

• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Audio:

• Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Educational Game:

• Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Game Innovation:

• Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Indie Game:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Musical Score:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Narrative:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best New Character:

• Sasha - Severed (Drinkbox Studios)

Best Technology:

• Modbox (Alientrap)

Fans’ Choice Award: Best Canadian-Made Game:

• Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

You can check out the full nominations at the official site.

Cuphead Delayed Again - Coming Mid-2017

Sad news coming out of Studio MDHR today. The must anticipated game Cuphead, which has been at E3 a few times now, has officially been delayed until mid-2017. Writing on their official blog:

"Hey everyone, we wanted to finish our game 80 years after 1936 but it will now be 81.

Throughout this year we discussed reducing the scope to make a 2016 release, but we made the difficult decision to delay the launch in order to ship with our vision intact. We are happy to announce that Cuphead will be coming to Xbox One, Windows 10 and Steam in Mid-2017.

We are constantly humbled by your continued support. Love you all and can’t wait to get this to you. Without further ado, we will get back to work!"

Cuphead joins 'Below' as the other Xbox One Exclusive from Toronto that has been hit with a delay this year.

For Honor Will No Longer Have Split-Screen

In a video recapping the For Honor alpha, and then later reported by IGN, Ubisoft has decided to drop split-screen from its medieval brawler For Honor. It can be heard at the 4:20 mark from producer Stephane Cardin in the video below.

We sat down with Producer Stephane Cardin to go over what we learned from the For Honor Closed Alpha. Didn't get a chance to play the Alpha? Sign up now for a chance to play the Beta: http://ubi.li/gt6rf For Honor is available Valentine's Day, February 14, 2017 on Xbox One, PlayStation®4 system, and Windows PC.

"It was a feature that we loved, but, when we looked at what needs to be done to support online co-op, for us it was critical to make a decision now so we can polish all the features at the AAA level and make sure that we have the most amazing experience."

If you didn't get a chance to play in the Alpha, you can sign up for the Beta right here.  For Honor is available February 14, 2017 on Xbox One, PlayStation®4 system, and Windows PC.

Original Video - Week In Review - Watch Dogs 2, Alto's Adventure, And More

Hey everyone! I'm back again with another week in review! Check it out below and remember to subscribe!

Hey there! I'm back with another week in review. Didn't have time to edit this week, but can check out everything at http://www.torontogamedevs.com/ Watch Dogs 2: http://www.torontogamedevs.com/blog/watch-dogs-2-open-world-gameplay Kapsul Infinite: http://www.torontogamedevs.com/blog/arcade-physics-based-flyer-kapsul-infinite-now-on-steam Foxhole: http://www.torontogamedevs.com/blog/clapfoot-games-now-working-on-mmo-foxhole Alto's Adventure: http://www.torontogamedevs.com/blog/altos-adventure-course-arrives-in-stickman-golf-3

Watch Dogs 2 Open World Gameplay

We're heading into the holiday season, and so Ubisoft is in full force with its Watch Dogs 2 hype. You can check out some Open World gameplay with multiplayer elements.

"Watch the first-ever open world, free-roam gameplay walkthrough for Watch Dogs 2. In this new demonstration, a small slice of the expansive San Francisco Bay Area is explored, as Marcus wanders through such world-famous landmarks as Coit Tower and Fisherman’s Wharf. Enhanced hacking and driving mechanics, use of drones, deeper customization options and world activities are on display in this extensive look into the gameplay experience. Marcus also encounters various online multiplayer scenarios, where he gets caught in Bounty situations - both as the hunter and the hunted - and joins a friend for co-op missions."

Watch the first-ever open world, free-roam gameplay walkthrough for Watch Dogs 2. In this new demonstration, a small slice of the expansive San Francisco Bay Area is explored, as Marcus wanders through such world-famous landmarks as Coit Tower and Fisherman's Wharf.

Watch Dogs 2 comes out November 15th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Original Video - Week In Review - Valley, N++, Alone With You Releases

Hey everyone! It's another Week In Review! Our videos which basically summarizes what happened this week for Toronto developed games. Remember to subscribe on Youtube!

Another week in review! This week N++ , Alone With You, Valley released, and we know have a release date for Severed on Wii U.