Publisher Microids and development studio Tower Five are thrilled to unveil an unprecedented trailer for the video game inspired by Bernard Werber’s masterpiece, Empire of the Ants.

Immerse yourself in an ecosystem on the scale of an ant, right in the heart of Fontainebleau forest. Assume the role of 103,683e, a determined ant on a mission to protect its colony.

With Empire of the Ants, every decision is critical, every move is strategic, and every conquest reflects your skill in exploring a world where the smallest beings wield immense power! Strategy, exploration, battles, and even alliances with the local wildlife will be necessary to emerge victorious from the myriad challenges that await players.

Developed by the renowned studio Tower Five using Unreal Engine 5, Empire of the Ants offers players a real-time strategic experience inspired by Bernard Werber’s iconic saga. Prepare to embark on a thrilling adventure, where you must lead a colony of ants to prosperity through tactical and strategic battles in a world of epic proportions. Strategy, exploration, battles, and alliances with the local wildlife will all be essential for overcoming the many challenges that await players.

Empire of the Ants will release on November 7th, 2024, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

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Publisher Microids and development studio Tower Five have unveiled a new trailer for Empire of the Ants, an upcoming photorealistic real-time strategy game based on Bernard Werber’s work of the same name at this year’s GDC (Game Developers Conference) in San Francisco.

Slated to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC later this year, Empire of the Ants immerses players in a magnificently microscopic forest ecosystem as 103,683rd, an ant sworn to protect their colony no matter the cost.

In Empire of the Ants, use every move to your advantage on the path to world domination. Strategy, exploration, conflict, and alliances with local wildlife species will be essential for your colony’s survival.

Bernard Werber’s novel has captivated millions of readers with its fascinating universe and its reflections on human nature. Microids and Tower Five are proud to offer players the opportunity to discover this universe from a new perspective through this video game adaptation.

Developed by French studio Tower Five with Unreal Engine 5, Empire of the Ants will offer a real-time strategic experience closely inspired by the book series. Players will crawl across a microscopic world of epic proportions to help a colony prosper through their tactical genius.  Good things come in small packages.

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Smurfs are missing and the village is in a panic as a corruption threatens the forest the Smurfs call home.

Papa Smurf enlists the help of his most trusty Smurfs to brave the lands and find the missing Smurfs.

It soon becomes apparent that Gargamel is up to his old tricks. He has gotten his sorcery hands on a formula extracted from an evil plant, known as the Vileaf.

Vileaf is also deadly to the Smurf’s sarsaparilla fields that is the Smurfs food source.

It turns ordinary, usually safe fauna in to traps – thus imprisoning Smurfs which he aims to collect up for his nefarious intentions.

Luckily the Smurfs have developed the Smurfizer, a backpack wearing spray gun that reverses the effects of Vileaf.

As one of four playable Smurfs (depending on the current narrative) you’ll venture out and rescue the missing Smurfs all the while healing the forest and killing off Viletraps.

The game is simple enough, yet has some serious difficulty spikes as you explore the wider Smurf lands, ‘build’ plant bridges, reach great heights and go underground.

There’s enough action, adventure and gameplay to be had for gamers of any age.

Developers, OSome Studios have done a fantastic job of recreating The Smurf’s as we know and love them and older fans, like me, will recognise the iconic Smurfs as they make cameo appearances or are playable.

An abundance of in-game collectables, The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf is a game for the kids this holiday season. Lengthy play coupled with a unique Smurf story that’s going to be a winner for kids and kids at heart.

The post The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf (Xbox Series X) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Microids and Forever Entertainment have just announced their agreement for the distribution of two famous Sega licenses Panzer Dragoon and The House of the Dead.

Microids will offer retail versions and collector’s editions for these titles worldwide.

“Microids is incredibly grateful to work on these mythical IPs and we’re glad Forever Entertainment entrusts our teams to deliver the best possible products. This new partnership consolidates our growth strategy revolving around video game distribution worldwide” declares Stéphane Longeard, CEO of Microids.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Microids and we are confident their expertise will be incredibly beneficial for the titles,” adds Zbigniew Dębicki, CEO of Forever Entertainment. “Players from all around the world have been waiting for the come back of Panzer Dragoon and The House of The Dead. It’s hand in hand with Microids that we’ll make this wish come true and we are super excited about inviting players back to these universes very soon!”

Release date for both titles is still to be confirmed.

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Paul Cuisset and Microids are delighted to announce the development of Flashback 2 has started on PC and consoles.

Developed by a team under the supervision of Paul Cuisset, Flashback 2 will be an action platformer starring once again Conrad B. Hart.

Released almost 3 decades ago, Flashback was ahead of its time offering an innovative gameplay with breathtaking character animations. Unrivaled pioneer in 1992, the game also reached a legendary status thanks to its rich and engaging story.

Publishing a sequel to Flashback is a real honor for Stéphane Longeard, CEO of Microids: “We are super excited to offer the fans a sequel to this masterpiece of the French video game history. At Microids, we thrive for delivering projects highlighting the craft of talented individuals.

Paul Cuisset is a French hall of famer known internationally. We are proud to work hand in hand with him and his team on this project.”.

“Developing a sequel to Flashback is an idea I’ve had for a very long time. I can’t wait for players to discover the new adventures of Conrad B. Hart, a character created almost 30 years ago. With Microids, we are really aiming to please the fans of the original title while being appealing to any players with a weak spot for futuristic games“ adds Paul Cuisset.

Flashback 2 will launch in 2022 on consoles and PC. Stay tuned for more information.

The post Flashback 2 is Back! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

French publisher Microids and IMPS, the Smurfs world license holder, are pleased to announce a major publishing deal regarding the development of four new Smurfs video game adaptations.

These games will explore different genres and will gradually launch over the next five years.

“We’re thrilled over this ambitious deal with IMPS, as it extends even more our lasting and very promising partnership.” says Stéphane Longeard, Microids’ CEO. “Working on such a rich franchise that speaks to all generations allows us to create a wide variety of different games: there will be something to suit all tastes! Besides, thanks to this partnership and the Smurf’s incredible international notoriety, Microids continues to significantly reinforce and diversify its catalog of renowned IPs.”

“It’s a great pleasure to collaborate with Microids, we fully trust them in coming up with iconic, creative, gorgeous games with our little Smurfs.” adds Véronique Culliford, Peyo’s daughter and IMPS’ founding president. “I’m sure both kids and adults alike will be delighted.  Additionally, with the new Smurfs TV series that will be broadcast worldwide in 2021, the notoriety of the Smurfs will grow even more! I am really proud to consolidate our bond with another company from the Media Participations group.”

In addition to these four upcoming games, the Smurfs will also be a part of Microids’ 2021 line-up, as the new Smurfs game that was announced last May will launch at the end of the year.

Entitled The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf and developed by Osome Studio, the game will launch simultaneously on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One consoles, and Nintendo Switch.

In this new 3D adventure-platformer, the Smurfs will once again have to thwart evil Gargamel’s schemes to save their village… and the whole forest!

STG will have more info for Smurf fans real soon.

The post MICROIDS, IMPS & THE SMURFS SIGN PUBLISHING DEAL FOR SMURFS VIDEO GAME appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The French publisher Microids and the company IMPS are announcing today the signing of a publishing deal for a video game based on The Smurfs.

This new 3D action-adventure game inspired by Peyo’s comic books and developed by OSome Studio will feature a brand-new story. Alone or with friends, gamers will be able to dive in this exclusive adventure alongside the most iconic characters of this IP. To be as faithful as possible to the original material, players can expect tons of humor, thrills, friendship, suspense and of course, a lot of action.

Created 60 years ago, The Smurfs has marked multiple generations thanks to its fascinating universe combining diverse personalities thrown in amazing situations. Adapted in comics, animated series and even movies, the Smurfs IP is renown way past the European borders reaching an outstanding 95% awareness level worldwide.

“We are delighted for concluding this new partnership with IMPS! Thanks to this trans-generational license and the talent of OSome Studio, a long time Microids partner studio which worked on several family games, we are confident in bringing together all gamers in the wonderful world of the Smurfs. The worldwide success met by the Smurfs will also allow us to increase our brand awareness overseas and position Microids as a major player internationally” says Elliot Grassiano, Vice-president of Microids.

“I am very happy about this beautiful partnership, video games have always been my passion, because they combine playfulness and often learning” shares Véronique Culliford, president and founder of IMPS and daughter of Peyo.

More details on The Smurfs game are expected soon.

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The post Ready for Some Smurf’in Action? appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The French publisher Microids and Oddworld Inhabitants are delighted to announce a co-publishing deal for three classic Oddworld titles, all coming to Nintendo Switch in 2020. 

The first game is Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD and it will release digitally on January 23, 2020. It will retail both with a standard and a limited edition, in the first quarter 2020. The limited edition will include some nice exclusive collectibles.

“We are very happy about this new collaboration with Oddworld Inhabitants regarding the publishing of these three classic titles! We are going to help as much as we can to ensure these masterpieces get the spotlight they deserve. These three games will fit quite nicely in our catalog where retro gaming has a prominent place. These games captivated an entire generation of gamers and some Microids employees, formerly working with the GT Interactive team, got to work on the original launch of the first Oddworld games more than 20 years ago,” said Stéphane Longeard – CEO of Microids.

“Microids champions the Oddworld brand and our goal to create entertainment properties that balance beauty, empathy, creativity, innovation, and craftsmanship. They understand the classic games and indie space. This partnership is a great fit for us, and we are excited to have them onboard as we bring three classic Oddworld games to the Nintendo Switch in 2020,” said Sherry McKenna, co-founder of Oddworld Inhabitants.  

Oddworld Inhabitants is an independent video game developer and publisher, co-founded by special effects and computer animation veterans Sherry McKenna and Lorne Lanning. The award-winning team of storytellers and artists at Oddworld are known for creating indelible entertainment properties that speak to millions of fans worldwide. The team will release four games in 2020 including the highly anticipated Oddworld: Soulstorm, which is scheduled for a 2020 release on Epic Game Store and consoles.

The post Microids takes us back to Oddworld appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Switch games generally seem to fall into two categories: genuinely incredible gaming experiences and great portable gaming experiences. Gear Club Unlimited is one of those games.

As a portable experience the game is astounding. Anyone that’s played Eden Games’ Test Drive Unlimited games know that they are capable of stuffing a very large and detailed areas into a game.

Playing the game on your TV, and the experience is not so impressive, especially up against the likes of Gran Turismo Sport and Forza Motorsport 7. But let’s not kid ourselves here, Nintendo’s Switch is all about portability. And with that in mind, with Gear Club Unlimited, you’ve got a rather fabulous racing game that you can take wherever you go.

The game is basically a retooled version of Eden’s freemium mobile game, Gear Club. All the nags have been removed, leaving you with all the fun without having to dip your hands in your pockets to pay for microtransactions. Also, using the Switch’s thumbsticks are a lot easier than a smartphone’s touchscreen.

The campaign mode in Gear Club Unlimited presents players with huge number of progressively unlocked tournaments across different environments. Completing in races earns you stars, exp and cash. Stars unlock races, exp raises your level unlocking workshop items and, of course, cash enables you to purchased cars, upgrades and other items.

Players work their way through a career that unlocks races across different regions of the map. You can be racing along a waterfront, through quaint villages and even sliding through the mud of a rally course.

The cars handle superbly well, with the game featuring actual cars from the likes of Ford, Lotus, BMW and GM. The game does a good job with its learning curve and getting you used to steering the cars. At first you can negotiate the circuits with barely a touch of the brakes. As cars are upgraded and better cars being made available for purchase, the extra speed, faster opponents and tighter tracks increase the skill required to win.

A neat inclusion that certainly helps at the beginning of your career is the ability to rewind a race if you mess up. The feature is used to great effect by Codemasters in their racing games, as well as in the Forza series. There’s nothing worse than losing a race at the last minute because of a silly mistake.

Cars are modified and upgraded in the performance shop. New workshops can be added and upgraded to provide enhancements to bodywork, mechanics, tyres and other cosmetic improvements. The rally workshop enables players to kit their cars out in order to meet the additional demands of off-road racing.

The single player races in the campaign are complemented by Leagues events. These daily races allow players to be ranked winning or losing league points. Gain enough points and players move up to a new league and harder opponents.

Local multiplayer allows up to four players to race on a single screen. The action is a bit small on the Switch’s screen, and the visuals look a bit bland on a big TV screen. The option’s there if you want it.

If I had to fault Gear Club Unlimited, it would be that it still feels a bit like a free-to-play game. I also suffered with the controls a bit, but I have always found the Switch controls a little too small for my hands.

With great car handling, great visuals on the small Switch screen and an in-depth car modification system, the game offers hours of gameplay. Gear Club Unlimited is a game I’d recommend to any Switch owner and an absolutely essential purchase if you like racing games.

The post Gear Club Unlimited (Nintendo Switch) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Microids is proud to announce the development of Syberia 3, the upcoming game of Benoit Sokal, on the highly-anticipated Nintendo Switch. The release date of Syberia 3 on Nintendo Switch will be announced soon.

“We can’t wait to see Syberia fans discover Kate Walker’s new adventure on Nintendo Switch.” said Elliot Grassiano, Vice President of Microïds. “Nintendo, with the Switch, brings one more time a whole new innovative vision to the game industry and we are proud to be part of it.”

Impersonating Kate Walker, players will benefit from a brand new way to freely explore striking landscapes and circumvent their mysteries and puzzles in ways they have not experienced before.

The story begins when Kate is found left for dead on a shore by the Youkol tribe, a nomadic people caring for their snow ostriches during migration. Trapped, prisoners in the city of Valsembor, they will have to find together a way to continue their journey in a chase against their enemies and unexpected challenges. While at the same time, Kate’s past is catching up with her…

The release date of Syberia 3 on Nintendo Switch will be announced soon. It will be fully dubbed in French, English, Russian, Polish and German with subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Czech, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, simplified and traditional Chinese. The original soundtrack is composed by Inon Zur (Fallout 4, Dragon Age, Prince of Persia), who has already scored Syberia 2.

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