Gaming

Opera GX blasts off with Operius, the new arcade space shooter to play in the browser when your WiFi is gone

Published

3 years ago

October 21, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

No WiFi? No problem! Created in GameMaker Studio 2, Operius has won the Game Jam to become the Opera GX Browser’s first offline mode game and is playable starting now

We’ve all experienced the unexplainable horror of having to deal with some flakey internet connections. In those moments where the WiFi is gone, Operius will help take your mind off your frustration with its fast-paced arcade gameplay. Created in the game creation suite GameMaker Studio 2, Operius is playable in the Opera GX browser today. The game will appear whenever your network crashes. Those with a stable connection who really want to try Operius, can simply type opera://operius in Opera GX’s address bar.

Designed by Mors, Operius is set in a world where all of the world’s computers simultaneously lose their connection to the internet, with a strange UFO that is hovering in the sky appearing to be the cause of the outage. The only way to restore the planet’s internet is to navigate through the inner workings of the UFO and take it down from the inside, a task that involves shooting hordes of alien invaders and dodging obstacles to advance to the next level.

In July, Opera GX launched its “No Internet” Game Jam to find the game that would keep its audience of more than 10 million gamers entertained whenever they lose their connection. With more than 900 entries, all created in GameMaker Studio 2, the competition was ferocious. But one game, Operius, elevated itself above the rest and emerged triumphant after topping the public polls that saw eight hand-picked games garner over 100,000 votes from the Opera GX and GameMaker communities.

Operius features razor-sharp, retro-inspired vector graphics which pay homage to the great space-based arcade shooters of the eighties with a pulsating high-adrenaline soundtrack written by Catonator. Being offline doesn’t mean you can’t play together: Operius features an offline two player mode: all you need to do is share your keyboard with another person and enter the two player mode.

‘We believe gamers deserve a better game than jumping dinosaurs or surfers. That’s why we started the Opera GX game jam and found Operius. Operius is a highly addictive ultimate offline game to rule them all,” said Maciej Kocemba, Head of Opera GX.

“With Operius, I wanted to make a fun arcade-inspired shooter to take the players’ minds off being offline and perhaps even make them forget they were supposed to get back online in the first place,” said Mors.

‘In creating the shortlist, we were looking for a game that’s fun to play, looks and sounds fun and, most importantly, that you want to play over and over again,’ added Kocemba.

Alongside becoming the new offline game in Opera GX and saving many a gamer from what is otherwise an incredibly frustrating experience, Operius developer Mors, also receives a $10k cash prize. Two runners up Aliens Stole My WiFi and Nettie & Settie Save the Internet also each receive cash prizes of $7k and $3k respectively.

Luckily, users won’t have to rip out their router to play Operius, as it is available to play when you don’t have connection issues in GXC. GXC is Opera’s upcoming self-publishing platform and will allow indie game makers to publish their GameMaker Studio creations directly to the platform and for free – for other users to enjoy and give instant feedback. Operius, as well as Aliens Stole My WiFi and Nettie & Settie Save the Internet will be available in GXC.

Gaming

Galaxsys Launches Cosmic Game Themes

Published

8 hours ago

May 28, 2024

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Galaxsys continues to boldly go where no games studio company has before with the release of two Cosmic Game Themes.

Galaxsys, a games studio renowned for its high-energy games that cater to players seeking quick wins and unique experiences, is about to transport players to a Galaxy Far, Far, Away with the upcoming Starlight & Cosmo Saga games releases, each offering a distinct and captivating gameplay.

“Starlight” is a comet-themed experience that offers a unique twist to traditional crash games. Players place their bets, and as the failing star streaks across the screen, the odds of winning increase. The challenge is to cash out your winnings before the falling star disappears, offering players the thrill of quick wins and chasing the comet’s tail. Other unique features over other crash games include Starry Boost, which can pop up multiple times, and instantly increase the odds by a specific amount and Freezing Bonus, which fixes player’ winnings.

“Cosmo Saga” is a unique puzzle game and an alternative take on the popular Candy Crash game. It’s a one-of-a-kind and unique experience where players create combinations by skillfully maneuvering elements across the gaming board. It is an interactive stellar board game that challenges the player to make combinations of the same elements by changing their positions on the game board to win with the highest possible odds. Once a successful combination is made, the elements blast and random odds appear. After the elements blast into the opened cell of every disappeared element, a new randomly generated element falls from the above, which can make a new winning combination and blast again.

Vigen Safaryan, the Chief Product Officer of Galaxsys, who has spearheaded the development of Starlight and Cosmo Saga, said, “We are always looking to warp-drive our games at the speed of light, to provide fun, engaging, relevant, and cosmic play. Starlight, a Crash Game, and Cosmo Saga, a unique puzzle game, include all our key player engagement features, and unique game mechanics such as the Bonus Games, Auto Bet, and Freezing Bonus enjoyed by casino players looking for galactic game experiences.”

The post Galaxsys Launches Cosmic Game Themes appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Gaming

Move and earn leader STEPN drops new app and gaming token

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

move-and-earn-leader-stepn-drops-new-app-and-gaming-token

Reading Time: 2 minutes

FSL, the global gaming and development studio behind web3 lifestyle app STEPN, NFT marketplace MOOAR, and social-strategy game Gas Hero, has officially announced the launch of STEPN GO. The new product is a social lifestyle app that rewards your daily movement and social interactions. Today marks an exciting milestone with the release of the STEPN GO Whitepaper and Tokenomic model. The game introduces a new token, GO GAME TOKEN (GGT), which users can earn by walking, jogging, and running with digital NFT Sneakers. There will also be a PvP game feature that allows users to earn GMT, the FSL Ecosystem token.

The original STEPN app was launched in 2021 and remains the world’s leading ‘Move and Earn’ application, pioneering the genre of gamified web3 fitness applications. With over 5.6 million registered users and over 1 million Sneaker NFTs owned by players, STEPN achieved monumental success, acquiring a global community. STEPN has partnered with prolific brands over the years including ASICS, Steve Aoki, and most recently adidas. STEPN was also the first blockchain gaming app to integrate Apple Pay, creating a seamless onboarding experience for web2 native users.

Yawn Rong, Co-Founder of FSL commented, “The STEPN community has been requesting social features within the app since the early days of STEPN. Therefore, we’re so excited to reveal these new features, which will propel STEPN GO into mainstream adoption. In addition to the Haus Mechanism and Interactive Map, we will also implement PvP elements within the app. Community is at the heart of everything we do at FSL, and we are ecstatic to announce this monumental milestone today, reinforcing our commitment to empowering and engaging our users.”

Building on the success of STEPN, FSL has designed unique social features within STEPN GO. The first key social element is the ‘Haus System’, which is a lending system that allows users to share their Sneaker NFTs with friends and family members who are new to the app, and split their earnings. This system will enable easy onboarding for new users to enjoy the app and kickstart their fitness journey. Another unique feature will be the ‘Interactive Map’, which will allow users to see other players’ avatars and even add them as friends within the platform. This Interactive Map will also allow users to drop messages that can be found by other players out doing STEPN GO runs.

Jerry Huang, Co-Founder of FSL added, “With STEPN GO, anyone can onboard their friends and family to web3 without needing to create a wallet or even buy NFTs. Exercise will be more fun and rewarding. We will combine fitness with many enjoyable experiences, including having your own customizable avatars with unique outfits!”

The Alpha Version of STEPN GO is set to launch by Q3 2024 with a Sneaker NFT Alpha Prize Draw lasting one month. A total of 3,000 Sneaker NFTs will be distributed within the app. To enter, users will be required to lock GMT. Access to the Alpha Prize Draw will be limited to FSL ID users, ensuring the most loyal FSL community members are rewarded. An additional 2,000 Sneakers will also be given away via the STEPN X account and STEPN GO Discord. Make sure to follow STEPN on X for your chance to win a Sneaker and gain early access.

The post Move and earn leader STEPN drops new app and gaming token appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Gaming

FANDOM EXPLORES THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF GAMING & SELF-EXPRESSION IN 2024 INSIDE GAMING REPORT

Published

1 week ago

May 21, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

fandom-explores-the-growing-importance-of-gaming-&-self-expression-in-2024-inside-gaming-report

Study Provides New Insights Into How Brands Can Authentically Engage With Gamers to Help Them Express Their Best Selves Off-Screen.

KEY FINDINGS

Gaming has exploded over the past decade, becoming one of the most dynamic and expansive industries across the globe. Fandom, the world’s largest fan platform, dives into the heart of the gaming community to uncover the evolving motivations behind why people game in its 4th annual Inside Gaming report. The 2024 Inside Gaming report – a proprietary study coupled with Fandom’s first-party data from its 350 million monthly unique visitors, 45 million pages of content and 250k fan-powered wikis – captures a notable shift: gaming is increasingly seen as a means for personal expression, exploring one’s identity and providing empowerment and confidence in one’s real life.

Dominant Gaming Motivations

While stress relief remains the top reason people turn to games, a striking 46% of gamers list creation, imagination, and self-expression as their main motivations for gaming, up 10% from last year.

Influence on Gaming Habits

People who are gaming for self-expression, creation & imagination are 30% more likely to increase their gaming time, feeling more drawn to the gaming world than ever before.

Games Driving Self-Expression

60% of gamers claim that self-expression through gameplay is more important to them than ever before. Titles like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox lead in enabling personal expression through extensive customization options, open-world exploration, and other game updates

Exploring Gamer Identity

The report also highlights a significant gap between players’ in-game identities versus their real-life personas, with 80% of respondents feeling their gaming identity differs from their real-life identity.
However, half of respondents claim they’d prefer to be more like their in-game personality IRL and 72% would feel more favorably towards brands that help them achieve this.
This is especially true of 18-34 year olds, multicultural (specifically African American & Hispanic) audiences as well as women and non-binary audiences.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKETERS

Emphasize Self-Expression:

Self-expression is a key driver for gaming engagement. In fact, 32% of gamers want their physical appearance to be more like their in-game appearance.
Brands that align with this motivation can enhance their connection with gamers. For example, this represents an opportunity for fashion & beauty brands to explore dedicated product extensions for gamers looking to explore this self-expression.

Create Brand Safe Spaces:

64% believe that gaming communities are vital safe spaces where they can truly be themselves, presenting opportunities for brands to foster and cater to these communities.

Align with Gamers’ IRL Aspirations

Many gamers wish to integrate their gaming and real-life personas. Brands that help facilitate this integration can achieve deeper consumer relationships.
The study found that 48% of gamers want their IRL skills to be as strong as their gaming skills, opening up an opportunity for brands to explore how they can create ways to provide gamers with products that enhance IRL skills and provide a sense of accomplishment & achievement they get while playing.

“From character customization to cosplay and content creation, video games have empowered gamers to explore, express and enhance their identity – nearly two thirds of gamers claim it’s easier to be themselves with a controller in their hands,” said Stephanie Fried, CMO of Fandom. “With the growing significance of gaming as a means for self-expression and personal evolution, it’s crucial for brands to connect to these motivators to help players bring their gaming personas to life in the real world.”

For an interview with a Fandom executive to discuss the study in more detail, please contact Rachelle Savoia at [email protected].

Methodology:

Fandom surveyed 5,000 entertainment and gaming fans globally to understand the ever changing entertainment landscape. The insights from the study were joined with proprietary insights from Fandom’s first-party platform data of over 350MM users, 45MM content pages across 250K wikis.