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Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake hits funding goal, gets Android support

With its Kickstarter deadline passing today, SleepNinja Games' Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake surpassed its $15,000 funding goal, tallying up $26,091 in support.

The environmental puzzler will appear on Android right next to its originally-intended PC/Mac and iOS versions, as the funding initiative achieved its $20,000 stretch goal. Funding for the project fell $4,000 short of its "maximum polish" stretch goal. SleepNinja has an August 13 release date planned for the game, according to its latest update.

Tamagotchi breathes new 'L.i.f.e.' into Android today

Tamagotchi breathes new 'Life' into Android today
No, it's not your personal Tamagotchi – that poor critter is still a ghost haunting the silicon chip inside your keychain, locked away in a box somewhere in the attic of your childhood home. Today, a new Android app called Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. is available as a free ad-supported download, emulating all of the same functionality found in that digital creature craze of the 90s.

Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. is only available on Android (running 2.3 and up) thus far, but developer Sync Beatz promises it's coming to Apple devices too, according to a report on Techland. Aside from taking care of a Tamagotchi, the app also has plenty of unlockables: wallpapers, new Tamagotchi, different cosmetic options for your shell and different backgrounds. There's also a mode in which you can directly interact with your Tamagotchi and play a game of rock, paper, scissors using touch-screen controls.

Infinity Blade free until Feb. 21

INfiity blad afree
The original Infinity Blade is a free download on the App Store until February 21. Regularly priced at $5.99, the game is compatible with iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

"Infinity Blade remains one of the most popular games in the App Store and this is a great opportunity to invite new gamers into the Infinity Blade universe," said ChAIR creative director Donald Mustard.

If you're feeling in a particularly V-day kind of mood, feel free to equip the pictured "Valentine's Day Holiday Helm." The Infinity Blade franchise has been good to ChAIR and parent-company Epic, it was announced last year the series generated revenues in excess of $30 million.

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Indie dungeon game Delver's Drop goes Kickstarter


The early version of Delver's Drop shown during PAX impressed: the dungeon RPG by Pixelscopic had clever "3D" effects and a combination of roguelike and action game style. Pixelscopic is now asking for a bit of help finishing the game (which was just a prototype at the time), with a $75,000 Kickstarter drive.

The $15 tier simply reserves a copy on PC and Mac, due in October; iOS and Android versions are expected "around February." Higher reward tiers include early beta access, art books, exclusive playable characters, and other goodies. There are a lot of tiers – think of each one as a floor in a dungeon, that you reach by buying your way through the others.

Tetris goes freemium on iOS and Android

Tetris goes freemium on iOS and Android
Tetris is timeless, but EA has still found a way to update the classic game for the 21st century: microtransactions. Tetris Blitz for iOS and Android is built around a two-minute Tetris round, in which players attempt to earn as many points as possible.

To help earn those points, you'll be able to buy power-ups, with new ones released weekly. New "Drag and Place" controls add another control option to the existing swipe-based scheme. And to further highlight that this is a 2013 game, players will also be able to compete on Facebook. It'll be released this spring on iOS, Google Play, and the Amazon Appstore.

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Pokemon TV app lets you watch Pokemon on iOS, Android


Let's face it, we've all had the same thought at one time or another: Pokémon just isn't ubiquitous enough. Try as we might, even with countless handheld video games, external apps, console spin-offs, toys, nightmares and more, Pokémon just hasn't quite invaded every single facet of our lives. The Pokémon Company aims to change that with the new Pokémon TV app for iOS and Android.

As the name implies, the app allows you to watch full episodes of the Pokémon TV show anywhere you want, as well as "special features, trailers, and Pokémon movie events." New episodes will be released weekly and, best of all (most insidious of all?), the app is free.

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NBA 2K13 gets into the All-Star spirit with a week of sales

NBA 2K13 digital content sale week
The 2013 NBA All-Star game kicks off on February 15, and to celebrate 2K Sports is hosting a weeklong sale on NBA 2K13 content, from February 12 - 19. Included in the sale is the game itself, for 50 percent off – $30 in the US for Xbox 360 and PS3, and $10 for PSP. The iOS and Android version is $3, down from $8.

The "All Star Presented by Sprite" content pack is half-off, for 200 MSP on Xbox 360 or $2.50 on PS3, and snag 10,000 virtual currency for 120 MSP or $1.50. All sale content offered for Sony devices is available in North America only.

Play ball! Er – start dribbling! Oh, shut up.

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Journey, Walking Dead, Far Cry 3 lead BAFTA 2013 nominations

Journey scooped eight nominations in the British Academy of Film and Television's Games Awards this year. As if it hadn't won enough of the like, thatgamecompany's PS3 odyssey is a contender for BAFTA's Best Game award, competing with Dishonored, FIFA 13, Mass Effect 3, Far Cry 3, and The Walking Dead for the prize.

It's the two latter games that also lead the way in terms of nominations; Far Cry 3 received six nods, while The Walking Dead picked up seven, including two in the Performer category for Melissa Hutchinson and Dave Fennoy's respective portrayals of Clementine and Lee.

Dear Esther
is also clearly popular at BAFTA HQ. The melancholic game, developed by indie studio thechineseroom, can boast a very impressive five nominations including ones in the British Game and Debut Game categories.

The full list of nominees is after the break. BAFTA's Games Awards take place on March 5.

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Nicalis picks up Kickstarter-funded 'The '90s Arcade Racer'

Nicalis picks up Kickstarterfunded 'The '90s Arcade Racer'
The '90s Arcade Racer is a game by Pelikan13 meant to recreate the feeling of classic Sega racing games like Daytona USA and Scud Race. With six days left on its Kickstarter drive, it's exceeded its modest £10,000 goal.

It's also picked up a publisher: Nicalis, best known for Cave Story. Nicalis will help bring the racing game to iOS, Android and Wii U, in addition to the planned PC, Mac and Linux releases.

The project appears to have struck a chord with Nicalis producer Tyrone Rodriguez, who explains that he was a devout Sega racing game fan, as well as a designer on The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift for PS2 and PSP. He also has "over 100 hours of real-world track time (open-wheel, street and race cars)." We hope that enthusiasm for racing shines through.

Real Racing 3 melts rubber Feb. 28, will be free-to-play


Real Racing 3 will arrive on iOS, Android and Kindle (via Amazon's App Store) on February 28, developer Firemonkeys has announced. The newest installment in the popular, visually impressive series will be free-to-play. The title promises "46 licensed vehicles covering 3 classes, a 22 car grid, real world tracks, 8 varied event types and 900+ events."

As you might expect, not all of that content will be free right away. Though players will be able to unlock all content for free over time, they can also skip the rigmarole by simply purchasing cars and tracks with real cash, according to CNET.

Dreamfall Chapters stretch goals to be Mac, Linux releases, possibly Ouya, Steam Box

Dreamfall Chapters stretch goals to be Mac, Linux releases, possibly Ouya, Steam Box
The Kickstarter campaign for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey is getting initial stretch goals for Mac and Linux versions in addition to PC, and potentially ones for Steam Box and Ouya too. Speaking in yesterday's Reddit AMA, series creator Ragnar Tørnquist confirmed Mac and Linux are to be the first additional platforms unlocked by achieving stretch goals, with iOS and Android stretch goals "definitely" in line beyond that. Tørnquist said he'd also love to bring the adventure game to Steam Box and Ouya, but only listed them as possibilities, while next-gen consoles would come after all of the other platforms, and even then wouldn't be a "focus area" for his team.

When pushed about other stretch goals, Tørnquist indicated they'd be based around additional content like side stories and returning characters. He also hinted at "a pretty huge stretch goal" by cough-dropping the acronym 'TLJH.' Tørnquist mentioned TLJH earlier in the AMA when asked about the different challenges in making a 3D game as opposed to a 2D one, saying cryptically, "2D is easier, in a lot of ways. I'd like to go back to 2D again. We have had discussions. There are ideas. TLJH."

Stretch goals are likely to play a big part for Dreamfall Chapters, given that the fundraiser sits at just over $600,000 of its $850,000 target at the time of writing, with 26 days left to go. An update on the Kickstarter page says developer Red Thread Games will divulge more on the stretch goals once it's in "battling range" of the $850K finish line, so expect them to be revealed shortly.

Portabliss: Interlocked (iOS)

This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go.

Portabliss Interlocked iOS
Interlocked isn't so much a puzzle game as it is a tranquility generator. It seats you on a plush antique couch with an invitingly thick fabric. In the corner, pleasant and unassuming melodies dance from the tinny speaker of an old radio. In your lap, an ornate wooden block full of interlocking parts sits, waiting to have its secrets laid bare.

No other extravagantly phrased scenario better encapsulates my direct feelings while playing Interlocked on my iPad. It's an unassuming puzzle experience where you manipulate an object and attempt to disassemble it in as few moves as possible. It's a methodical, yet serene puzzler, one that makes excellent use of the 3D space to pose some serious challenges when attempting to break down these blocks.

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After Burner Climax takes off on iOS today


Earlier this week, Sega informed us that an iOS port of After Burner Climax would be released soon. That "mach speed" release has happened today, with the air combat game available on the App Store for $2.99. The port was done by Fishing Cactus.

The game supports AirPlay and HDMI out, so if you have the proper equipment, you can take this mobile port to the big screen! Or you could just play one of the other versions designed for consoles. It's kind of awesome to have the choice there.

Borderlands Legends update opens a loot chest full of new mechanics and features


Borderlands Legends has received quite the hefty update and is now compatible with iPhone 5 and iPad Mini. The most significant changes are enhanced controls and path-finding for the Vault Hunters, gun loot drops, new enemy types, miniboss encounters, plus Game Center support.

2K Games has also added a Sniper mode for Mordecai, where players can pinpoint a specific enemy in the game for him to let loose a high-damage shot at. In addition, players will find "enhanced visual effects," rare Eridian weaponry to obsess over and new night maps to shoot their way through.

In celebration of the update, Borderlands Legends is on sale for $.99 on both iPhone and iPad for a limited time – sorry, no universal app here.

Brett Ratner buddies up with Zynga on Farmville animated series

If you think the the absence of Brett Ratner is the only thing holding Farmville back from becoming a truly exciting cross-platform brand, then you're probably Brett Ratner. The brash bad boy director of Rush Hour fame is adapting Zynga's game for television. Ratner will serve as executive producer on the half-hour animated series, aided by Canadian television production firm Six Eleven Media.

"FarmVille is one of the most exciting brands out there today and its cross-platform opportunities are endless," Ratner said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal. "I am thrilled to be expanding the brand with existing fans and also engaging a whole new audience."

Zynga is no stranger to cross-promotion, having already struck up a deal with Hasbro to produce a line of board games based on its properties last year, one of which was – you guessed it – Farmville. Zynga also just reported a $209.4 million loss for 2012, subsequently shutting down three of its games, including CityVille 2.

Activision Blizzard sees 'best performance in history' during 2012

Activision Blizzard and its many, many franchises brought in $4.85 billion dollars in net revenue over the course of calendar 2012, with $1.76 billion of that hitting its coffers during the three month period ending on December 31, 2012. Digital sales represented 32 percent of that total annual new revenue, raking in $1.54 billion.

As far as actual profit is concerned, Activision Blizzard reports net post-tax income of $1.14 billion for the year and $354 million for Q4; a 5.8 and 257 percent year-over-year increase, respectively.

"Activision Blizzard delivered the best performance in its history," CEO Bobby Kotick said in the financial statement. "In the short-term, we expect to continue delivering strong profitability, but below our record setting 2012 performance, due to a challenged global economy, the ongoing console transition and a difficult year-over-year comparison because of Blizzard's record-shattering Diablo 3 success in 2012."

In addition to said Diablo 3 success, Activision Blizzard also lists Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops 2 and Skylanders among the many reasons that it had such a successful year, with Skylanders as a series having crested $1 billion in lifetime sales.

Looking forward, Activision Blizzard anticipates total net revenues for calendar 2013 to ring up at $4.08 billion, with $1.16 billion of that being generated during the year's first quarter.

Ubisoft sales crest $1 billion during Q3

Ubisoft's performance figures for the three month period ending December 31, 2012 have been released, and while we don't have specific net/operating/sticky/whatever income figures on account of the company's Frenchness, we do have an overall indication of how it performed in Q3. Which is to say, pretty good.

Sales for the period totaled €802 million ($1.07 billion), which is a 23 percent increase over the €652 million reported for the same quarter last year. Ubisoft's nine month year-to-date figures are also outperforming last year's: €1.08 billion ($1.45 billion) versus €900 million by this time last year, an increase of 21 percent.

Ubisoft attributes a large amount of this income with Assassin's Creed 3's 12 million shipped units and Far Cry 3's critical success, in addition to a 143 percent year-over-year increase in digital sales, totaling €55.2 million ($74.3 million).

Bastion sales reach 1.7 million

Speaking at DICE today, Supergiant Games founder Amir Rao mentioned that Bastion has sold 1.7 million copies across all available platforms.

Rao's presentation at the annual executive conference explained how Supergiant Games went about porting Bastion from XBLA to PC and mobile. The company's porting team was ... well, it was eight people that composed the entire company. Staggering the releases of Bastion allowed them to keep the quality high and test ideas as the game expanded to other systems.

"We didn't lose an opportunity by not sim [simultaneously] shipping," said Rao. He pointed to his employment experience at EA, and simultaneously shipping Red Alert 3 for PC and Xbox, as an example of split focus.

Bastion's slow multiplatform creep has been successful, with over 90 percent of sales occurring after its original launch month. Rao didn't mention any more upcoming ports of Bastion, but says it's the number one request they receive at Supergiant.

Zynga posts $209.4 million loss for 2012

Though 2012 was a rough year Zynga – with the company seeing studio closures, layoffs and departures – the casual game developer and publisher fared better financially than it did in 2011. Zynga ended 2011 in the red to the tune of $404.3 million, while the company has posted a net loss of just $209.4 million in 2012. Year-end revenues stacked up at $1.28 billion; a 12 percent increase over 2011.

The difference between Zynga's overall Q4 revenue in 2012 and 2011 is negligible: $311.1 million as compared with $311.2 million, respectively. Online game revenues were down by three percent year-over-year, while advertising revenue was up by 35 percent, cresting $36 million. Year-over-year net losses are dramatically different, however, with Q4 2012's loss of $48.5 million an 88 percent decrease from the $435 million loss posted in Q4 of 2011.

Looking forward, Zynga anticipates a net loss for Q1 2013, somewhere in the ballpark of $12 million to $32 million.

Zen Studios launching Star Wars Pinball this month


Whether you're playing Pinball FX 2 on Xbox Live Arcade or Windows 8, Zen Pinball 2 on PlayStation Network or Mac, or Zen Pinball on iOS or Zen Pinball HD on Google Play, you'll be able to supplement your virtual table collection with a trio of new Star Wars-themed tables later this month. These three tables will be available standalone on iOS and Google Play, or in the aforementioned games as DLC.

The first three tables offered are themed around Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett and the animated Clone Wars series, each with their own unique missions and layout – and in the case of Episode V, even has footage taken directly from the film that will display in the dot matrix window prior to every mission.

A total of 10 different Star Wars Pinball tables are planned. Zen Studios has yet to finalize pricing, but we'll be sure to pass along that info as soon as it's announced.

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