Top 10 Big-Screen Games for Lumia 1320 and 1520

The Nokia Lumia 1320 and Nokia Lumia 1520 both have one thing in common; they both pack six-inch displays – ideal for pinning more tiles to your Start screen and adding an extra dimension to gaming, as these ten top titles prove.

GTA: San Andreas – Php 305.00

We all know Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, right? It’s one of the best-selling games ever, and now taking control of the streets, and the local gangs, is easier on the jumbo-screen Nokia Lumia 1320 or Lumia 1520.

Don’t just take our word for it, read this five-star user review:

“Simply awesome on the Lumia 1520… frankly any game you play on the 1520 is just amazing. The size and full-HD screen quality is out of this world.”

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Wordament – Free

Wordament is a great game, regardless of which device you’re using. However, a bigger screen makes it even easier to pluck out those words from the game board.

Confronted by a four-by-four grid of tiles, each one containing a letter (or sometimes more), you must trace your finger across them to spell out words – as many as you can – in the two-minute timeframe.

Played completely online you compete against thousands of other players simultaneously, who are also locked into the same game board.

An addictive game where you’ll often find yourself muttering, “One more try…”

Halo: Spartan Assault – Php 305.00

Part of the Halo franchise, Halo: Spartan Assault throws you into a universe full of combat and survival.

Rather than the typical first-person-shooter view you’re familiar with in other Halo games, Spartan Assault delivers a new top-down view approach, which is ideal for mobile gaming.

On a bigger screen explosions look more destructive, lasers look extra intense, and you’re less likely to miss an alien sneaking up on you.

Angry Birds Go! – Free

When it comes to avian-related games, there’s little better than Angry Birds.

However, rather than the usual bird-catapult-pig-face interaction, Angry Birds Go! is a downhill racing game.

Starting with a standard soapbox car, you can add modifications as you progress through the races to eventually build a super car – even one that flies!

Each Angry Birds character has a special ability that, when used wisely during a race, will help you in your conquest for first place.

Playing on a bigger screen allows for a greater chance of noticing overtaking opponents, giving you plenty of opportunity to nudge them out of the way before you steam to victory.

Asphalt 8: Airborne – Free

What’s better than speeding around a virtual racecourse, performing stunts and surviving crashes? Doing it all on a bigger screen!

Asphalt 8: Airborne puts you in the driving seat of 47 high-performance cars. It uses a clever physics engine that gives an experience of what it might be like to be behind the wheel of one of these cars. From the comfort of your couch, of course.

Dungeon Hunter 4 – Free

Immerse yourself into a world of role-play, dungeons and demons, all of which looks simply glorious on a big-screen Lumia.

Choose from four character classes, each with a unique combat style, then fight shoulder to shoulder with other players from around the world. Play in co-op mode, or come face-to-face with opponents as you show off your battle skills in PvP mode.

As with many RPGs, you kill, you loot, you win to save the kingdom – hopefully. Onwards!

Doors – Free

An unusual game but one that, once you start playing, you won’t put down.

The premise is this: you’re stuck in a room, the only exit is out through the closed door in front of you. In order to open that door you must first complete a task by solving hidden mysteries.

Some levels may require you to turn the phone upside down, enter the right keypad combination, or correctly match eight pairs of animal cards without getting one wrong. As you’d expect, the difficulty level increases as you progress.

The more screen space you’ve got, the more details you’ll notice to complete the tasks ahead.

Battle Monkeys – Free

Imagine a world that’s not ruled by humans, but monkeys (we reckon that’ll make a good film…). Can’t picture it? No problemo, that’s why Battle Monkeys was built.

To become the most powerful primate you must fight with other apes to show your strength and dominance.

With 3D graphics and multiplayer action, this is a joy to play on a large-screen Lumia.

Tetris Blitz – Free

A classic game that’s stood the test of time. The latest iteration, Tetris Blitz, is just as much fun as the game of old, but comes loaded with added extras.

Like before, position the falling bricks to stack nicely against other blocks. When a line is complete, it’s bye-bye row! What’s new is the ability to collect power-ups, such as lasers, magnets and time shifting properties to clean up the board faster.

Watching the vibrant blocks, explode when you complete a level, replete with celebratory fireworks look wonderful on a large six-inch screen.

Strata – Php 130.00

 

This is a uniquely elegant puzzle game that requires you to overlay colored ribbons onto a colored canvas. Unusual-sounding? Yes. Calming and cathartic? Absolutely.

As you interact with the screen and position the ribbon into place, softly played piano keys deliver a meditative sense It’s brilliantly done and works really well on a large screen.

If you’ve got a Nokia Lumia 1320 or Nokia Lumia 1520, take advantage of their super-sized screens and give all of these games a try – you won’t regret it.

Nokia Lumia 1320 and Nokia Lumia 1520 are now available in the Philippines for (SRP) Php17,900 and Php34,990 respectively.

source: philstar.com

Buffett's Dividend Secret

CHIBA, Japan — The latest version of blockbuster videogame Grand Theft Auto may have stoked a worldwide buying frenzy, but the ultra-violent offering is likely to be a minnow in Japan’s vast gaming market.
Shoot-em-up offerings from abroad often struggle to gain traction in the multi-billon-dollar Japanese videogame sector where fantasy-style games reign supreme and sell in the millions — though many in the West have not heard of them.

They include the hugely popular Monster Hunter franchise, which has sold 23 million copies and counting since its debut a decade ago.

“But most of them were sold in Japan even though we did make an English version,” said a spokeswoman for game creator Capcom.

Language translation problems and cultural differences were among the reasons cited for the struggles of foreign game operators in Japan, a rift that was apparent as gamers flocked to the Tokyo Game Show this week.

Over 600 games titles were on offer at the four-day extravaganza that wraps up Sunday.

Though Japan once dominated the worldwide market with the likes of Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, the country appears to be looking increasingly inward.

“The main trends of the videogame market in Japan are divided into two categories: major worldwide successes like Pokemon, Final Fantasy or Biohazard, and games that are specifically designed for core Japanese gamers,” said the Asia Trend Map institute, pointing to the “overwhelming dominance of games made in Japan”.

A blockbuster offering based on the popular comic book “Shonen Jump” reflects a common theme in which many Japanese games are centred around a character well known in multiple media platforms, from so-called manga cartoons and movies to music and television series.

Namco Bandai’s AKB 1/149 Renai Sosenkyo, a popular dating simulation game, is the kind of title known to most at home but with little name familiarity abroad — AKB48 is the name of a well-known girl band.

“The title isn’t suited to foreign markets,” said Namco Bandai spokesman Toshiaki Honda.

Even Japanese giant Sony is releasing its PlayStation 4 abroad before its hits store shelves in Japan — a first — with executives saying that titles expected to be hits at home won’t be ready in time.

Eiji Araki, senior official of mobile social game maker Gree, added: “We’ve learned that characters and visuals favoured in the United States are different from those in Japan.”

For some, the unique character of Japan’s gaming market encapsulates the country’s so-called Galapagos Syndrome in which firms concentrate almost solely on the domestic market.

The take up in Japan on Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones trailed huge sales abroad as many mobile carriers focused on homegrown flip-phone offerings.

While iPhone is now selling well in Japan, a ride on the Tokyo subway underscores another unique aspect of the nation’s gaming market — a love of handheld gaming devices.

Commuters on the city’s vast transportation network are frequently seen thumbing away on portable devices to pass the time while, at home, consoles outpace the rising popularity abroad of playing games on personal computers

For one official at Japan’s Computer Entertainment Rating Organisation, the love of fantasy and role-playing games in low-crime Japan stands in stark contrast to Grand Theft Auto’s brutal depictions of urban violence.

“Japanese consumers prefer family-use games to those with violent, anti-social or extreme expressions of sexuality,” she said.

A report by Internet firm GMO Cloud characterises the difference as “self-escapism versus self-expression”.

True or not, Grand Theft Auto is undoubtedly violent, especially when compared to Nintendo’s award-winning “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” in which players take on the role of a mayor running a rural community.

By contrast, past versions of Grand Theft Auto have included simulated sex with prostitutes and drunken driving, along with profanity-packed dialogue. Carjacking, gambling and killing are the staples of a game in which players take on the role of a psychopathic killer in fictional Los Angeles.

When Grand Theft Auto IV was released five years ago it blew away videogame and Hollywood records by taking an unprecedented $500 million in the week after its release, and it shows few signs of slowing with the game’s fifth incarnation released days ago.

Despite its foreign pedigree, Hisakazu Hirabayashi, of Tokyo-based consultancy firm InteractKK, said he still expects the newest Grand Theft Auto to have relative success among Japanese consumers, at least “for a Western game”.

source: interaksyon.com

Multimedia speakers for music, movies, and games

The Minx M5 is a powerful 2.1 audio system that reproduces computer audio with clarity with the combined benefits of Cambridge Audio’s proprietary technologies and in-house design expertise mean the speaker system’s two satellite drivers are capable of producing an amazingly rich and detailed sound on a far larger scale than their size would suggest.

Meanwhile, the compact active subwoofer delivers incredible deep and punchy bass, with the integrated digital amplifier providing effortless room-filling power and an adjustable bass control that allows the Minx M5 to be perfectly tuned to suit its location.

This powerful 2.1 setup also features a USB audio input and a high-quality DAC, which process digital audio in a much purer way than a computer’s soundcard can, to get the best possible results from all your digital files, streaming services, Internet radio, movies, games, and video sites,

Included with the Minx M5 system is a desktop control hub, which houses power and volume adjustment in addition to an aux input for connection of any portable audio device. An integrated headphone socket is provided for added privacy and enhanced quality personal listening. It comes complete with integrated stands and all cables needed.


Technical features:

2.1 active desktop speaker system
2 x satellite speakers
1 x subwoofer with integrated amplifier and connection ports
Desktop control hub with volume control, power control, USB audio input, aux input and headphone output

Specifications:

Drive units: Satellites: 1 x 50mm (2”) driver per satellite
Subwoofer: 1 x 135mm (5.25”) woofer
Connectivity: USB audio-in / 3.5mm aux input / 3.5mm headphone output
Power output: Satellites: 2 x 15W / Subwoofer: 30W
Input voltage: 110–120V or 220-240V versions (depending on market)
Standby power consumption: <0.5W
Frequency response: 45Hz – 20kHz
Dimensions (H x W x D): Satellites:72.5 x 72.5 x 73.8mm (2.9 x 2.9 x 2.91 inches)
Subwoofer: 200 x 200 x 204.5mm (7.9 x 7.9 x 8.1 inches)
Weight: Satellites: 435g (0.96lbs) each
Subwoofer: 4.4kg (9.7lbs)

source: interaksyon.com

Microsoft Xbox head named Zynga CEO

SAN FRANCISCO — Games publisher Zynga Inc has replaced chief executive Mark Pincus with Don Mattrick, the Microsoft Corp executive who headed the critical Xbox business, Zynga announced on Monday.

The news, reported first by AllThingsD, sent Zynga shares up more than 11 percent earlier in the day. The shares rose a further 3 percent to $3.17 when Zynga confirmed the appointment after the bell.

Pincus, 47, who controls a 61 percent voting stake in the gaming company he founded in 2007, will remain as the company’s chairman and chief product officer after personally helping to recruit Mattrick from Microsoft.

“Don is unique in the game business,” Pincus said in a statement. “He can execute in multiple domains – hardware, software and network, and he’s been the person responsible for game franchises like ‘Need for Speed,’ ‘FIFA’ and ‘The Sims.’”

Zynga’s business model, which relied heavily on selling virtual goods to gamers on Facebook Inc’s platform, began to disintegrate a year ago as users tired of Facebook games and shifted to playing on mobile devices.

The company’s shares have hovered at just 25 percent of its $10 initial offering price in December 2011 as Pincus has struggled to turn around the company named after his pet bulldog.

Mattrick’s new role leading a game maker that publishes social media-based titles and smartphone games will be a marked departure from the world of big-budget, packaged console games embodied by the Xbox and Electronic Arts Inc, the game publishing firm where he had worked for 15 years.

In a statement, Mattrick emphasized that Pincus willingly recruited him and described their working relationship as that of “partners.”

“I joined Zynga because I believe that Mark’s pioneering vision and mission to connect the world through games is just getting started,” Mattrick said. “Zynga is a great business that has yet to realize its full potential. I’m proud to partner with Mark to deliver high-quality, fun, social games wherever people want to play.”

Although Wall Street embraced Mattrick’s appointment, many analysts said questions remained about Zynga’s ability to produce hit games that could prop up its shrinking revenues.

“Bringing in someone who has worked at a larger company to assist in management duties I think is a relief right now,” said Richard Greenfield, an analyst at BTIG Research.

“But Pincus is still the chief product officer. So the question is, what’s actually changed day to day in terms of making hit games?”

Xbox turn around

Mattrick joined Microsoft in 2007 after spending 15 years at EA, where he worked under Bing Gordon, a well-known gaming industry executive who went on to join venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Pincus and Gordon, who sits on Zynga’s board, led the effort beginning this spring to recruit Mattrick, who had expressed an interest in leaving Microsoft to lead a company, according to people familiar with the situation.

Pincus, who joins Groupon’s Andrew Mason among high-profile tech entrepreneurs who have relinquished their jobs as chief executives, publicly backed Mattrick’s appointment.

“I’ve always said to Bing and our Board that, if I could find someone who could do a better job as our CEO, I’d do all I could to recruit and bring that person in,” Pincus said. “I’m confident that Don is that leader.”

At Microsoft, Mattrick helped turn the Xbox business into a profitable venture after years of losses, eventually propelling it into the No.1 selling console in the United States.

Mattrick’s departure comes just as Microsoft gears up to launch the third version of its console, called the Xbox One. Unveiled in May and scheduled to hit stores later this year, the machine has already stirred controversy.

Gamers attacked the high price, Microsoft’s plan to require an Internet connection at least once a day and attempts to limit the sharing of used games. Last month, Microsoft reversed its position on the Internet connection and said it would allow game sharing.

Mattrick has been rumored to be departing for months. After EA’s CEO stepped down in March, industry sources speculated he was in the running to lead the top games publisher, where he previously held numerous leadership roles.

source: interaksyon.com

Nvidia delays new game device after finding problem

SAN FRANCISCO — Nvidia Corp is delaying sales of its new handheld game gadget, a setback in the chipmaker’s bid to use its appeal with personal computer gamers to challenge console makers like Sony Corp and Microsoft Corp.

On Wednesday, a day before the scheduled launch, Nvidia said it had discovered a “mechanical issue” in the Shield multimedia device, which lets users play Android and PC games using either the built-in screen or on their TVs.

It will be shipped in July.




Nvidia’s graphics chips are well-known to enthusiasts in their 20s who deck out desktop computers with high-end components to get the best out of first-person shooters and other games.

The Santa Clara, California company hopes some of those customers will also be drawn to Shield, which uses Nvidia’s Tegra 4 mobile chip, has a pop-up retina display, and runs the same games as those on Android tablets and smartphones.

The portable device also shows movies, plays music, stores e-books, and can be used to surf the Web.

As PC sales suffer from the growing popularity of tablets, Nvidia has staked its future on using its PC graphics expertise to make high-performance processors for mobile devices.

Last week Nvidia cut the price of the Shield to $299 from $349.

source: interaksyon.com

Rumors of Playstation 4 fly as Sony announces phaseout of PS2

TOKYO — Japanese electronics giant Sony said it has stopped producing its PlayStation 2 consoles in Japan, fuelling online rumors a PlayStation 4 is in the pipeline.

Since launching in 2000 the PlayStation 2 (PS2), which has a DVD player, has sold more than 150 million units worldwide, making it the best selling console of all time and was so popular it outsold the its replacement for the first three years.

Shipments have been “completed” for the hardware of PS2, the Japanese website of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said with no further comment. The firm did not say what its plans were for production in other parts of the world.

Software for the console is expected to continue being produced.

The announcement sent gamers posting messages online, with some surprised the PS2 was still being made.

The news has sparked rumours that embattled Sony, which has been hit by falling sales owing to the popularity of games on smartphones, is planning a PlayStation 4, more than six years since launching the PS3.

source: interaksyon.com

Wii U Launch Day Resource Round-Up

A new era of video game consoles kicked off at midnight with the launch of the Nintendo’s dual-screen wielding platform, the Wii U. Whether you’ve already run to the store and picked one up, or still aren’t sure whether you see a new Nintendo console in your future, you probably have a lot of questions about it: “What exactly can this thing do?” “What games should I buy?” “Do I really need to download that day-one patch?”

First of all, the answers to those three answers are: ”Right now, it plays video games.” ”Generally, speaking stick to console exclusives like Super Mario Bros U. and ZombiiU.” Lastly; “Technically no, but without the patch you won’t be able to play online, buy games via Nintendo’s E-Shop, or play Wii games, among other things.” Those answers, however, barely scratch the surface of everything you should know about the platform, so we’ve compiled a list of resources so you can all of the answers you need.

1. A Nintendo history lesson, as a prologue to the Wii U (Wired)
2. What can Wii U do before you download that massive day-one patch? (Polygon)
3. A complete list of every Wii U game available today and in the near future (GamesRadar)
4. How To: Transfer your Wii game saves to your Wii U (IGN)
5. An inside look at the guts of the Wii U gamepad (Twitch.TV)
6. Nintendo’s terms of service for MiiVerse are hilarious (Kotaku)
7. Jeff Ryan, author of Nintendo’s corporate biography, picks apart the Wii U (Kill Screen)

Now that many of your questions have been answered, (we hope) it’s time to tackle the big question: Should you buy a Wii U? Reviews of the console have been a mixed bag. Positive or negative, every review so far comes with a serious caveat; that Nintendo’s inability to ship a fully-functional console isn’t indicative of a company that will make good on their promises of significantly improved third-party support and comprehensive online features. While Joystiq’s JC Fletcher liked what he saw, but concedes that the console “doesn’t feel exactly like the ‘next generation.’” One of the few scored reviews from a gaming site, Polygon gave the box a 6.5 out of 10.

Interestingly enough, hardware-centric tech sites like Gizmodo and TechCrunch have generally been a little more lenient than their gaming counterparts, though they’ve taken issue with their own set of problems. Both The Verge and Engadget, for example, are concerned with the quality of the gamepad’s construction.

For all the negativity, however, there was also plenty of optimism about the console’s core features. Apparently the act of “cutting the cord” and playing Wii U games solely on the portable gamepad screen works so well, that some reviewers may prefer playing games that way. Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo, calling the console “a bold new player” is excited that Nintendo has finally made a machine that has the same features as the competition, while showing the potential to become something more.

In the end, the thing that will determine whether or not you buy a Wii U, at least this year, will be your love Nintendo and their games. As with the Wii, the best thing Nintendo has to offer right now is the promise of their own unique games. Though that may change as more features and new games become available, as of today the Wii U is a Nintendo product for Nintendo people.


source: geekosystem.com

HandyGames now available for free on Nokia Asha Touch

MANILA, Philippines - Enjoying your fun and affordable Nokia Asha Touch smartphone? Wait till you hear about the 35 new titles released by HandyGames and Nokia to ensure an even better mobile gaming experience for you.

Based in Giebelstadt, Germany, HandyGames is a developer and publisher of mobile games and has been producing award-winning games on various platforms since 2000.

Through its partnership with Nokia, HandyGames hopes to continue expanding to keep everybody entertained in the future.

To whet your appetite, here are some of the 35 new titles you can now discover and download for free from the Nokia Store:





• Aporkalypse. According to an old prophecy, the four Pigs of Doom should proclaim the end of the world in a distant future. But something went terribly wrong and the gates of heaven and hell have already opened. Now it is up to the greedy Hunger Pig, the heavily armed War Pig, the contaminous Pest Pig and the ghostly Death Pig to stop this madness.

• Arcadius. Stardate: 3024. The Earth has been attacked by hostile individuals and has been entirely destroyed; few survivors managed to board freight ships to safety. You are a spaceship fighter pilot. Avoid the security drones and pick up energy sources to upgrade your weapons. Prepare to fight for your life or to the death against the galactic invaders.

• Cyberlords – Arcology. It’s the year 2173. The power of government is in decline and the world is controlled by gigantic mega-corporations. People may have no political power, but they still have control over their own bodies. Powerful NanoGear implants grant superhuman abilities and transform bodies into deadly weapons.

• Guns’n’Glory. What would the Wild West have been without its charismatic villains? Boring. So take a walk in the cowboy boots of Billy the Kid, Jesse James or Butch Cassidy to become a real, low-down bad guy. Form your own gang by recruiting cool cowboys, crazy Mexicans and brave Indians.

• IQ Knights. Enter a chivalric fortress and face the challenging tasks that await you within each area of the castle. Solve all puzzles within these halls to convince the nobles that you have what it takes to be their new king! Arm yourself with your ancestors’ dice and use logic to win the day.

• My Model Train. You always wanted to become a train driver, but never had the space or the money for your own model railway in your hobby room? Then download My Model Train, the first highly detailed mobile train-simulation, to your handset. It’s your task to solve logistic problems as fast as possible by operating switches, signals and reversal-tracks.

• Panzer Panic. War has broken out on your notepad and your leadership ability is needed to beat the enemy in ferocious tank battles. Make use of the environment and move various obstacles to protect yourself from opposing ink fire or to block your enemy’s path. Destroy all opposing panzers by accurately shooting your ink bullets while making sure that you don’t run out of ink fuel.

• Romans and Barbarians. Render Rome a service and build up your own realm as a mighty emperor. Set up a powerful army and become a great general because of the threatening menace at the horizon: Wild barbarians are moving toward Rome to destroy your city and to steal your precious Sucus. Be well prepared for their warriors, shamans and hungry wolves.

• Tattoo Tycoon. Look behind the scenes of the tattoo culture and build your own tattoo empire. Set up a perfectly furnished studio and prove your skills at handling your employees and tattoo machine.

• The Egyptians. After an immense earthquake the land lacks a ruler and discontent leads to bloody battles among the tribes. An ancient god awakens and sends the lord of the scarabs, Khepera, back to earth. It’s time for an alliance of the tribes to fight together against the forces of evil and to free the land. It’s up to you to lead them and to accomplish a victory by using constructions, inventions and tactical warfare.

• Townsmen 4. The dark age has cast a spell over you. You find yourself in a small monastery, surrounded by pagan settlements and hostile monastic orders. Besides brewing and baking bread, it’s your daily task to convert as many souls as possible. You deal with sacred writings, say masses and recruit enough monks, who will help you lead the monastery to wealth and prestige.

• Voodomino. Learn black magic and play for your life. Voodomino spices up the traditional game of Dominoes with dark rituals and deadly curses. Play against your friends and lure them into sneaky traps. With luck on your side you can influence your future. Each tile has its own motif, from poisonous snakes to powerful Voodoo dolls. Can you acquire all the magic tiles?

So if you own a Nokia Asha Full Touch device such as the Nokia Asha 305, Nokia Asha 306, Nokia Asha 309 and Nokia Asha 311, visit the Nokia Store (http://store.nokia.com/) and download these exciting games.

source: philstar.com

Black Ops 2: Gamers claim they got early copies

Gamers have told Newsbeat they've managed to get copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 more than a week before its release.

The title is not due out until 13 November but on Friday three gamers showed Newsbeat copies of the game which they claimed were genuine.

They also said they knew a lot of people who already had it.

It's also been reported that it's become available to illegally download via torrent sites.

Gameplay videos have appeared on YouTube in recent weeks.

Cadz, 22, and Abdul, 25, said their physical copies of the game were genuine and claimed to have a receipt.


The pair said they got six copies from a friend and that "shops break release dates sometimes".

Newsbeat tried to contact Activision but they didn't want to comment on pirate copies or early releases.


Last month, Microsoft banned gamers caught with pirated versions of Halo 4 on the Xbox Live.

You've been commenting on this topic on Newsbeat's Facebook page. Here's a selection of your posts:

Ross Overton said: "Had Halo 4 about three weeks before it came out.

"These gaming companies should keep things more locked up then maybe people would not take advantage of getting it early and cheaper."

Sammy Tranter said: "I got a legit copy on Saturday from a PS3 retailer. Hooked on it already.

"Getting it early certainly does not mean getting it cheaper, as a few of you have speculated."

Joe Marshall said: "It's a joke, everyone should get it all on the same day, make the playing field even.

"I could have bought it early from a source but chose to wait as there was no point... I only play online too, which you can't do if you have it early."

source: bbc.co.uk

Candy Crush Saga, Facebook Favorite, Heads to the iPhone

King.com has been producing nothing but hits on Facebook since it launched its first game on the platform in April. So much so that it’s now the #2 creator of social games on the social network, second to only Zynga.

Now it is releasing one of its most popular games to date, Candy Crush Saga, on iOS. It’s available for iPad, iPad mini, iPhone and iPod touch in November.

The Bejeweled-like game currently has an astounding 5 million daily active players on Facebook, making it the 4th most popular game and largest casual social game on the social network. The mobile version of Candy Crush Saga will offer a similar gameplay experience to the Facebook version and will keep track of player’s leaderboards, progress, and virtual goods purchased across both platforms.

“One game after another is a hit, because we take games that are hit before [Facebook],” Riccardo Zacconi, CEO and co-founder of King.com told Mashable.

The company first releases all of its games on King.com in the form of a single level timed game you play along with your friends, trying to achieve the highest score in the allotted time.

When a game is successful in that form, King them turn it into a saga franchise and releases it on Facebook, and later mobile.





Candy Crush Saga is following in the footsteps of King’s Bubble Witch Saga that the company launched on Facebook earlier this year and on mobile in August.

Zacconi says that players that started playing Bubble Witch on Facebook often play on mobile, but return to the Facebook game as well.

“This is increasing gameplay by 50% on top incrementally,” he says.

There’s no denying Bubble Witch Saga’s popularity. The game is currently the 10th most popular iPad app in the United States, and the 4th most popular iPad game in the App Store.

Gaming on Facebook as a whole is growing, and growing fast. The social network recently revealed that 251 million people played games on Facebook in September 2012, up from 226 million in September of 2011. Right now gaming on the social network is anyone’s game, and it looks like King is up to the challenge.

“We have a very simple strategy: to launch good games and the best games everywhere,” says Zacconi. “For me this is the most important launch this year.”

Candy Crush Saga will be available for iOS in November and later for Android.

source: mashable.com

Videogame players, the next Olympians?

COLOGNE, Germany — It’s not exactly an Olympic sport – not yet, anyway – but as the London Games drew to a close this past Sunday, thousands of professional videogame players geared up for an event that for some can be as lucrative as winning a gold medal.

Videogamers have gathered in Cologne, Germany this week for the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) competition, a professional videogame tournament that runs through August 19.

Professional electronic gaming, or eSports, is relatively new and has been gaining popularity around the world in recent years. Germany and South Korea are two hot markets, and the United States is quickly catching up.

Pro gamers can earn anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 or more in winnings and make even more in product endorsements, teaching and other sponsorships. Videogame makers say participating in an event can boost a game’s popularity.

The IEM event in Germany is expected to attract over 250,000 fans, about 10 percent more than last year, to watch the best videogamers in the world compete in games such as “StarCraft II” and “League of Legends”. An additional 20 million people from more than 180 countries will tune in to streams on the Web provided by ESLTV, TwitchTV and CBS Interactive (CBSi) Games.

More than 20,000 fans packed the Anaheim Convention Center in California in June to watch gamers compete for over $200,000 in the Major League Gaming Spring Championship. An additional 35 million online viewers streamed matches for games like “Mortal Kombat”, “Soul Calibur V” and “The King of Fighters XIII”.

“The Internet streaming phenomena is probably the biggest reason eSports is having a huge rise right now,” said Sean “Day(9)” Plott, a leading “StarCraft II” eSportscaster – pro gaming’s play-by-play sportscaster. “Streaming has allowed this huge international representation to view matches live or recorded at any time of day.”

Multiple leagues now exist with names such as IGN Pro League (IPL), North American Star League (NASL), Dreamhack, Electronic Sports League (ESL), Global StarCraft II League (GSL) and EVO Championship Series (EVO). And some multiplayer tournaments are set up to mimic any professional sports league.

Indeed, one game gaining traction among fans is “League of Legends”, in which teams of five compete in multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA). Teams vie for $5 million in prizes in a format that replicates a real sports season and playoffs.

“Just like the NBA (National Basketball Association), we expect the competition to intensify in the playoffs – the Regional Finals and the Season Two World Championship,” said Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO of Riot Games, which created “League of Legends”.

Beers and ‘barcraft’

Games from Riot and other makers such as Blizzard Entertainment have found success as spectator sports because they have features allowing fans to watch the competitions live in arenas, online at home or in places like sports bars. In fact, Blizzard’s “StarCraft II” has become so popular at local watering holes that some gamers have dubbed it “BarCraft”.

“We’ve seen a fair amount of anecdotal evidence that people who discover ‘StarCraft II’ through eSports eventually purchase and play the game,” said Mike Morhaime, co-founder and CEO of Blizzard. “One primary reason we support eSports is to build community and create long-term interest.”

Social media also have had a big role in the gaming leagues’ growth by allowing pro players to connect with their fans and even play against them.

And even though men dominate the players’ groups, women such as Florence “flo” Yao, Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn, and Madeleine “MaddeLisk” Leander are rapidly working their way to the top.

Kelly “Mrs. Violence” Kelley, a professional “Call of Duty: Black Ops” player who works with CBSi Games, believes these young women will encourage more female gamers to go pro and compete in the male-dominated eSports arena.

Sponsors have taken notice. Big brands including Dr. Pepper, Sony Ericsson and Bic Razors pay anywhere from $500,000 a year in multimillion-dollar, multi-year deals to connect with the growing audience at league events.

Energy drink Red Bull has organized its own competitions, such as the Red Bull Battlegrounds Invitational in Austin, Texas where 16 of the world’s top “StarCraft II” players competed for $41,000 in front of 5,000 paying fans.

“I think in the future we’re going to see more of these types of events with sponsors getting directly involved and connecting with not only the professional players, but also this growing fan base,” eSportscaster Michael “Husky” Lamond said.

source: interaksyon.com

Amazon gets into online social games

SAN FRANCISCO — Online retail colossus Amazon has launched its first online social game in a challenge to Zynga.

The “Living Classics” title was tailored for play at leading social network Facebook, where Zynga rose to stardom.

“Why is Amazon making social games?, you ask. Good question!” the Seattle-based company’s newly announced Game Studios team said in a blog post.

“We know that many Amazon customers enjoy playing games, including free-to-play social games,” the message continued.

“We believe we can deliver a great, accessible gaming experience that gamers and our customers can play any time.”

Amazon’s inaugural game paid tribute to the Seattle-based company’s roots as a seller of digital books.

“Living Classics” challenges players to reunite a family of animated foxes ranging about settings from literary works such as Alice in Wonderland, King Arthur, and The Wizard of Oz.

“Players help to reunite the foxes by exploring beautifully illustrated scenes and spotting moving objects,” the blog said.

Facebook friends are encouraged to collaborate to succeed and share in rewards. The game was available for play at facebook.com/LivingClassics.

“Amazon has the kind of fire power that allows it to dominate a market quickly,” Douglas McIntyre of investment website 247Wallst.com said of the news.

“Zynga has reason to be worried about Amazon Game Studios, but so does an entire industry that is still in its infancy,” he continued.

Amazon has the capital and the online clout to “disrupt” the social games industry from small startups to established titans such as Electronic Arts, according to McIntyre.

source: japantoday.com

Not Just Fun and Games: Steam Officially Launching App Suite Next Month

In news certain to infuriate millions, Valve is doing yet another thing that is not Half-Life 3. Even more galling — it’s not even a game. Done being offended yet? Good. Because the next big thing from the company is a move to expand their Steam game-streaming service to a full suite of software — from creatively bent titles like their recently launched Source Filmmaker to productivity programs. No word on exactly what those might be yet, but for multi-tasking inclined gamers, being able to scratch out a memo on a Notepad style app without leaving Steam would be pretty nifty.

Is this a naked attempt to have Steam gamers using the service full time for more minor concerns like writing letters, paying bills, and editing home movies? Sure. Could it work? That will be interesting to see. The things Steam does well — like easy installations and playing nice across platforms — would be welcome. But if it’s going to be just another cloud-based productivity suite, aren’t there already kind of a lot of those? We’ll see what happens when the service launches with an inaugural round of apps on September 5. After all, gamers do a lot more than just gaming on their computers, as Valve spokesman Mark Richardson pointed out in a statement.




“The 40 million gamers frequenting Steam are interested in more than playing games. They have told us they would like to have more of their software on Steam, so this expansion is in response to those customer requests.”





It looks like Valve will be following its current business plan for the Steam service for the time being — develop a few titles on its own, but mostly stand back and distribute quality content from smaller dev teams. Independent developers can submit through Steam’s Greenlight system, so community members will be able to weigh in on what software they want to see made.

Is this something you would use? Wouldn’t it be kind of cool to try out a Humble Bundle full of weird new multimedia editing software?

source: geekosystem.com

BlackBerry Games!

London 2012: Now you can enjoy more of the ongoing Olympic Games with new BlackBerry Apps. In a bid to join the celebration, and allow its loyal users to fully enjoy what’s happening in the London Games, BlackBerry released a pocket guide to the Games! In the summer of 2012, London and the UK will come alive with events, celebrations and activities during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

First up is the Official London 2012 Join In app is a mobile guide to help you plan, enjoy and share your Games experience.

This app is free and can be found on BlackBerry App World.

Others now available are:

Endomondo Sports Tracker

By Endomondo

Use your mobile as a free personal coach and training partner! Using the built-in GPS, it tracks your running, cycling, hiking, kayaking, skiing - you name it. As a bonus, you get audio feedback while working out!

With the accompanying free website, you get further analyses, a wide range of social sharing functions (Facebook and Twitter) and the ability to compete against your friends and followers.

This app is free and can be found on BlackBerry App World.

FanFeedr Personal sports news by FanFeedr

By Handster Inc.

Do you have five minutes before you need to leave the house? 10 minutes before you go to bed? Some free time at the office? FanFeedr gives you a real-time feed of sports info that matters to you!

FanFeedr allows you to get the latest news, analysis, scores, Tweets, and more by your favorite sports teams and athletes!

This app is free and can be found on Blackberry App world.

Wild Olympics

- Athletics

By Colombia Games S.A,S

Use your concentration and make your gazella jump correctly over all hurdles to win the race!

You have only one chance, it is your opportunity to win the Wild Olympics! This app is free and can be found on BlackBerry App World.

Virtual Table Tennis 3D

By Clapfoot Inc.

Fast paced table tennis action comes to your BlackBerry PlayBook!

Perform smashing serves and side-spin shots to take out your opponents in this exciting sports simulation!

source: mb.com.ph

Ubisoft taking ‘Assassin’s Creed’ to big screen

Videogame firm Ubisoft is moving into the film business with an adaptation of its blockbuster title “Assassin’s Creed” — sidestepping the Hollywood movie machine by producing the film itself.

With rising star Michael Fassbender of “Prometheus” and “X:Men: First Class” fame signed on to play the title role, the film will be the first produced by Ubisoft Motion Pictures, a division set up by the Paris-based firm so it can retain creative control over adaptations of its game franchises.

“Ubisoft has decided to never sell its licences because it wants to have creative control,” Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet told AFP.

“There are strong licences and investments in important games that require us to diversify sources of franchise value and synergies.”

The firm provided no details about a possible director or release date for the “Assassin’s Creed” film, but it can rely on a rabid fan base, with more than 30 million units of the game’s franchise sold since its 2007 launch.

The series moves from one generation to another as players follow the ancestry of a fictional assassin to solve a perilous modern-day mystery.

Previous instalments have been set during the Crusades and in Renaissance Italy and “Assassin’s Creed III” — set during the American Revolution — is due for release on October 30.

A hallmark of the franchise has been “historical fiction” that blends rich details from past centuries with fantasy characters locked in a battle between assassins and Templars hunting for a mysterious orb of great power.

Baronnet said that despite Ubisoft’s experience in producing a cinematic computer-generated experience, it has decided that a traditional live action film would be the best option for “Assassin’s Creed”.

“Humans convey more emotion on the big screen. And it shouldn’t be forgotten that actors bring viewers into the cinemas,” he said.

Plans are in the works for other productions involving Ubisoft’s game franchises, Baronnet said, with its motion pictures division separated into film and television arms.

First up will be a television adaptation of its wacky “Raving Rabbids” franchise for French public television and US children’s channel Nickelodeon, due for broadcast next year.

Plans are also in the works for adaptations of Ubisoft’s stealth franchise “Splinter Cell” and tactical shooter game “Ghost Recon”.

For all of its films, Ubisoft will maintain full creative control over scripts, directors, casting and budgets, Baronnet said.

“We prefer making the film a 100 percent by ourselves instead of having a studio that could betray the spirit of the license, because this would have a negative effect on the image of the game,” he said.

Ubisoft’s move is a smart one, said analyst Laurent Michaud of European tech consultancy Idate, especially as videogames become more and more cinematic.

“The videogame is a content creator. Instead of giving up this wealth to third parties, it makes more sense to learn to exploit it yourself,” he said.

“Who is in a better position to exploit the value of a licence than the one who created it?”

source: interaksyon.com

Angry Birds maker hits No. 1 with new brand

HELSINKI - The first non-Angry Birds game in more than two years from Rovio Entertainment hit No. 1 on download charts on Thursday, showing the Finnish startup behind the world-famous gaming franchise was more than a one-hit wonder.

Rovio, the maker of Angry Birds games - in which players use a slingshot to attack pigs who steal the birds' eggs - has been valued by analysts at $6 billion to $9 billion, roughly on par with struggling cross-town phone maker Nokia.

Rovio's new puzzle game, Amazing Alex, became the No. 1 paid app on the key United States app store shortly after the launch. Amazing Alex is a physics-based game that features challenges that curious boy Alex has to solve.

"Launching new franchises has turned out to be tough for even the most successful app vendors, but Amazing Alex reached the Number One position in the iPhone Paid App chart in eight hours," said analyst Tero Kuittinen from Finnish mobile firm Alekstra.

"This is the fastest time to hit the Number One position in America - without help from being a sequel, a movie tie-in or an extension of an existing brand."

Rovio, founded in 2003, became a global phenomenon after it launched Angry Birds for Apple Inc's iPhone in late 2009 and has since focused on turning out sequels of the original hit.

This has helped it to remain at the top of gaming charts, with more than a billion downloads, and it had 200 million monthly users at the end of 2011, compared with U.S.-based Zynga Inc's 240 million.

Rovio's sales jumped 10-fold to $100 million last year as gamers flocked to download its titles and the firm has said it was considering going public.

Last year, Rovio raised $42 million from venture capital firms, including Accel Partners, which previously backed Facebook and Baidu, and Skype founder Niklas Zennstroem's venture capital firm, Atomico Ventures.

Nokia shares closed at 1.548 euros on Thursday, valuing the company at 5.8 billion euros ($7.07 billion). — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Next Angry Birds May Be From The Pigs’ Point of View [REPORT]

The next version of Angry Birds may put the pigs in the driver’s seat, having them fight to protect the eggs they stole from the birds.

According to Pocket-lint, Rovio has plans to release the game before Christmas this year. Much like Angry Birds, the pigs will have different strengths and skill sets that can be used to defeat the birds. Also like the original, the game will also have a catapult and wooden and stone structures.

While Pocket-lint claims to have seen screenshots of the game in action, it does not have any of those shots available to be published. Based on those photos, the site believes that the mission of the game would be to protect eggs from oncoming birds in a traditional game setup; however, how gameplay would work is still not clear.

Angry Birds recently joined forces with the Philadelphia Eagles for an eagles-themed version of the game as well as social media marketing pushes and Angry Birds themed Jumbotron replays.

The birds also recently updated Angry Birds Seasons, bringing the adventure to Piglantis where the birds can go underwater as well as in the air.

What do you think about potentially putting the pigs in charge of a version of Angry Birds? Would you play it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

[via Pocket-lint]

source: mashable.com

Zynga plans to build a gamers’ social network

SAN FRANCISCO — Zynga Inc unveiled a social network for gamers dubbed “Zynga with Friends” on Tuesday, hoping to wean itself from a longstanding, symbiotic relationship with Facebook Inc that has shaped two of Silicon Valley’s closely watched Internet companies.

The game publisher, which has been under pressure to reverse a steep slide in stock price in recent months, said its new network will pair gamers with opponents and make features like player profiles, an activity stream and chat available for all users, regardless of whether they play Zynga games on mobile devices or on desktop computers.

Zynga with Friends is “one network, one unified experience, and one social lobby that will for the first time connect all of our players, no matter where they’re playing,” Manuel Bronstein, a senior Zynga executive, told reporters at a press event in the company’s headquarters in San Francisco.

“The new social features and services are designed for the sole purpose of bringing more people to play together,” Bronstein said.

Zynga will also provide programming tools to help third-party developers publish online and mobile games based on its own software, executives said, in order to foster a Zynga “ecosystem” that will expand its slate of titles beyond mainstays such as “Farmville” and “Zynga Poker.”

Still, Zynga shares closed nearly 5 percent lower on Tuesday as investors saw little in the announcement – which included the planned social network, as well as a bevy of new game titles – to drive strong long-term growth.

The company announced “FarmVille 2,” a sequel to its megahit resource management title, as well as “Matching with Friends,” an addition to a suite of smartphone games that includes the popular “Words with Friends.”

“One of the worries is that the whole idea of social gaming seems to be waning somewhat,” said Paul Verna, a gaming analyst at eMarketer. “There doesn’t seem to be a lot of growth left, and the idea of unveiling another Ville game or FarmVille 2 – I don’t get the sense that’s very exciting to the financial investors.”

Cozy partnership

Zynga’s moves, while long expected, have stirred speculation around the future of its cozy partnership with Facebook, a company that owed 15 percent of its first quarter revenue to fees from Zynga. The two companies also confirmed recently that Facebook has begun showing ads from its inventory inside Zynga games, which are played by some 290 million people.

Meanwhile, Facebook’s reach of close to 1 billion users has helped distribute Zynga’s games and propel the publisher to a dominant position in the social gaming industry, but analysts have warned that Zynga needs to seek greater independence to sustain growth, especially as Facebook’s expansion inevitably slows.

Colin Sebastian, an analyst at R. W. Baird, said the Zynga with Friends network “is a natural step in the right direction as they leverage their technology infrastructure and user base. On one hand it might help them become less dependent on Facebook, but from a practical perspective they will continue to remain dependent on Facebook for quite some time.”

Asked to comment, Facebook issued a statement that betrayed no concern about Zynga’s announcement. “It’s exciting to see Zynga continue to build with Facebook across web and mobile platforms.”

Responding to questions from reporters on Tuesday, Zynga executives took pains to stress that the expansion of its own social network did not threaten its existing relationship with Facebook.

“We’ve had a longstanding agreement with Facebook that we would do these kinds of things,” said Reed Shaffner, Zynga’s director of product. “In no way are we trying to use that to say you have to play on this platform.”

“The idea is that we’ll help you find the best gaming friends anywhere you play,” he added.

Executives said the platform could potentially have as many as 290 million users with some 2.8 billion daily social interactions once it is rolled out, although a launch date was not specified.

Targeting mobile

Zynga acknowledged on Tuesday that it is also trying to boost mobile usage, targeting a small but faster-growing wireless device gaming market that is quickly becoming a crucial battleground for so-called casual or social gaming.

To bolster its mobile offerings, Zynga purchased New York-based game developer OMGPOP for $183 million in March.

The company said Tuesday it will also team up with Atari SA to develop games, but did not elaborate.

Zynga executives said they will provide developers a set of “application programming interfaces” – APIs – to make it easier for them to craft games using Zynga’s software.

“We’re opening our doors today and opening Zynga Partners for Mobile. We are inviting developers from all over the world to come and join our network,” said David Ko, chief mobile officer.

Zynga wants to create an ecosystem with “best-in-class mobile developers and best-in-class mobile games,” Ko said.

The company also announced new titles including ChefVille, a kitchen management game, and The Ville, a game resembling “The Sims” that allows users to build homes and dress their avatars to interact and pursue romantic relationships with other users.

Even so, analysts said Zynga, facing mounting scrutiny from investors, may need to look beyond its familiar repertoire to attract new gamers and keep existing ones hooked.

“One area where they may have disappointed people is, they are not showing any games in development that target a more core gamer, or so-called mid-core gamer,” said Sebastian, the Baird analyst. “That’s something where we’ve seen a lot of growth for Facebook, and that’s potentially a missed opportunity for Zynga.”

source: interaksyon.com

Diablo III debuts to massive reception from gamers worldwide

MANILA, Philippines — On Tuesday, millions around the world were finally able to get their hands dirty with Blizzard’s new PC gaming title, Diablo III, touted as one of the most hotly anticipated gaming titles in recent memory.

After 12 long years of waiting, eager gamers in the Philippines joined other gamers in the world as the clock struck twelve in the US (3pm in Manila) to take on demons and other monsters in Sanctuary, the gaming world Diablo III is set in.

The game continues the Diablo storyline which started in 1997, with players taking on the role of five heroic classes, most of which are new to the game franchise: the witch doctor, the wizard, the monk, the demon hunter, and the barbarian.

Pierre Albert San Diego, a long-time fan of the Diablo franchise, was one of those who eagerly awaited the opening of the game servers that would allow users to play the online-only game.

“I was thinking of scheduling a fight with my girlfriend this weekend so I can have the time to play Diablo 3,” San Diego jokingly quipped, joining the barrage of Internet jokes and memes about how men in their late teens and early twenties would be devoting all their time in the next several weeks just holing up in their rooms and enjoying the role-playing game.

Already, pre-orders and retail purchases for Diablo III are setting all-time records for Blizzard, with more than 2 million users pre-ordering the game even before its official release.

In the Philippines, Blizzard partner-distributor IP E-Game Ventures Inc. (E-Games) said they have received overwhelming demand from Filipino gamers for the new title.

“In terms of pre-orders, we have received about 5,000 orders already until up to two days ago,” E-Games executive said at the local launch of the game on Tuesday.

Last year, E-Games won the bid to distribute Blizzard titles — including World of Warcraft and the recently released Starcraft II — in the Philippines, after executives participated at the company’s annual Blizzcon in the US.

Fans remain loyal

Judging by the response to the game’s debut on Tuesday, it can be said that although Blizzard waited more than a decade for the next installment of the Diablo franchise, gaming fans remain interested and loyal to the game.

Early comments on Twitter indicated that game servers in some areas have been overwhelmed by the deluge of users logging in to the system, with some experiencing downtime for short periods of time.

The term “Diablo 3″ even became one of the top trending topics on the social networking sites in the Philippines as well as worldwide.

“I have been a fan since the first game way back in 1997,” recalled San Diego, whose uncle and youngest brothers are also rabid fans of the game franchise. ” I remember playing it on my Pentium 166.”

For the most part, the game’s relatively low system requirements has become a major driving force in enticing gamers — old and new alike — to play the game. According to Blizzard, the minimum requirements are: Windows XP/Vista/7, Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz, 1GB RAM (XP) or 1.5GB (Vista/7) and a broadband Internet connection.

Issues of latency and lag times, assured E-Games executives, wouldn’t be much of a problem with the Asian server of the game.

“In terms of latency, the Asian server is no different from playing with Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG), so it’s going to be seamless,” said Allen Amparo, product manager for Blizzard titles at E-Games.

E-Games, however, said prepaid options for buying in-game items and playing time are still being worked out with Blizzard.

The company said Blizzard will play a “substantial” role in the firm’s profitability moving forward, especially as new titles from Blizzard becomes available.

source: interaksyon.com

Hosting 2020 Olympics would aid healing process - Tokyo bid chief

MOSCOW — The International Olympic Committee could give a huge boost to the healing process in Japan after the trauma of last year’s tsunami—if they award Tokyo the 2020 Games, bid leader Tsunekazu Takeda said on Saturday.

Takeda was leading the presentation to the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), as Tokyo and their four rivals for the hosting of the Games vie to make the short-list which is decided in Quebec, Canada, next month.

The vote for the winning bidder itself will be held in Buenos Aires next year.

Tokyo—which previously hosted the Games in 1964 and lost out to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 edition—is competing against dark horses Istanbul, Baku, Madrid and Doha.

Takeda, a former Olympic show jumper, said that he and his team were desperate to bring the Games back to Tokyo and help in the recovery of the country’s morale following the catastrophic tsunami.

Tokyo is seen as the early favorite, not only because technically it is seen as an outstanding bid, but also because it is the choice of the sentimental voter.

“The many comments we received during our discussions with Olympic Family members provided us with invaluable feedback about their expectations for future Games,” said Takeda, who is also president of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC).

“We believe that Tokyo 2020 offers a responsible and sustainable plan for compact, centralised Games with a showcase stadium to be built on the site of the historic 1964 Olympic Stadium.

“We are highly motivated to leverage the power of sport, with the firm commitment of the Tokyo and national governments, to help heal, unite and inspire Japan at a time of national rebuilding.”

Istanbul has been rebuffed five times previously but is seen as a genuine contender this time round, not only because the city is seen as a bridge between Asia and Europe but also thanks to its vibrant economy and huge young population.

Hasan Arat, the bid’s vice president, said that a Games in Istanbul would bring to a climax a period of unifying several different strands of society.

“Our commitment to you (the NOCs) goes beyond a robust Games plan,” said the 52-year-old former professional basketball player.

“We promise a spectacular Games, taking the Olympic Movement to new shores.

“This is a period of convergence for Istanbul; convergence of our economy with our vision for sport; convergence of our government support with our youthful population; convergence of our commitment to you with our ability to meet every promise.”

Doha’s bid team were led by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the heir to the throne.

He said he hoped they had laid to rest any debate over it being too hot for the athletes to compete—a criticism of the 2022 World Cup being awarded to Qatar, with the players due to perform in piping hot temperatures in July.

“Athletes are at the heart of this vision. They must have the right conditions to perform,” he said.

“That is why the QOC has been engaging with the International Federations on the timing of a possible Doha 2020 Games.

“This has resulted in our proposal to host the Olympic Games from the 2nd to the 18th of October and the Paralympic Games from the 4th to the 15th of November.

“We have chosen those dates to deal directly with the issue of temperature. To ensure excellent conditions for athletes, spectators, and media, similar to those of previous Olympic Host cities.

“We are grateful to the Federations for the support they have given to these proposals. You could say, we have finally taken the heat out of Doha’s so called ‘hot issue’.”

source: japantoday.com