Village Gamer

Toronto – Incubator Games, a group of young industry professionals, is proud to announce the launch of their new website along with 18 new screenshots for their first game, Tribes of Mexica, which was an entry in Microsoft’s 2009 Dream Build Play contest.

Tribes of Mexica is an action-puzzle title deeply steeped in Aztec mythology. The game’s core mechanics center on rotating concentric rings to match coloured units, powering up spells, and timing attacks and defensive maneuvers. An adventure element ties the battles together, allowing the player to explore exotic locales in ancient Mesoamerica while building up a magical arsenal. Currently in development for the Xbox 360, Incubator Games has plans to port Tribes of Mexica over to the PC/Mac/Linux platforms, and is investigating other platforms as well.

Samsung Electronics, a leader in consumer electronics and information technology, and Handmark®, a world-leading creator and distributor of mobile applications and services, today announced the launch of a new Global Venture Fund to invest in companies and/or individuals with innovative, market-changing game ideas for next generation Samsung mobile phones. Companies and/or individuals selected will receive up to $250,000 each to fund the development of winning ideas.

The fund will be managed by Handmark out of its Kansas City and London offices in partnership with Samsung Electronics. The companies are searching for games that best showcase Samsung mobile phones and the advanced features they offer. Both current and new content ideas are encouraged, taking timing and cost into consideration.

“We know there’s a wealth of great ideas out there waiting to be discovered,” said Chris Barnett, senior vice president of Global Sales and Strategic Partnerships for Handmark. “This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone, including big brands, mobile developers or any individual with a unique, creative idea to make it a reality.”

“Samsung recognizes the importance of content and applications for today’s mobile phone users,” said Ho Soo Lee, executive vice president for Samsung Electronics’ Media Solution Center. “We are pleased to broaden our partnership with Handmark to help lead the Global Venture Fund, using their expertise to support us capturing great ideas and raise the standard of mobile innovation.”

In addition to funding those selected, Handmark will also provide assistance with development, testing and certification, as well as distribution of the application through the Samsung Application Store. Deadline for applications is November 20, 2009 at 5 PM CT.

Game peripheral company SteelSeries has announced a new distributorship deal with Best Buy Canada. A solid supporter of competitive gaming events in Canada including our own Digital Storm LAN, SteelSeries also purchased Canadian game keyboard maker ZBoard in 2008.

“Partnering with a distributing retailer like Best Buy Canada really attests for the consumer demand and strong brand recognition that we’ve built over the past few years,” said Brian Stech, SteelSeries President of the America’s. “We’re excited for our roster of products, from our award-winning 7G keyboard to our most talked about World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse, to be made available to Canadian gamers.”

SteelSeries gaming peripherals and accessories are designed in close cooperation with some of the world’s top-ranked professional gamers in order to provide gear with meaningful benefits to gamers of all skill level. Best Buy will begin selling the full line-up of SteelSeries products today including the newest peripherals:

* SteelSeries Xai Laser Mouse – The unique SteelSeries sensor innovations are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the levels of personalization and precision on the SteelSeries Xai. Its 10.8 megapixels/second sensor offers a huge improvement over the current generation of gaming mice by processing 12,000 frames/second at 5,001 CPI at movement speeds of 150 inches/second providing the user with High Definition tracking for unparalleled precision.

* SteelSeries Kinzu Optical Mouse – This compact ambidextrous mouse operates with 9375 Frames per Second at movement speeds of 50 Inches Per Second and supports customizable polling rate (between 125-1000Hz) with as little as one millisecond delay between the mouse and the computer. SteelSeries Kinzu is compact, lightweight, and is in a league of its own when it comes to reliability and stability.

* SteelSeries 9HD Mousepad – The SteelSeries 9HD is a hard plastic composition specifically engineered for professional gamers who demand extremely consistent precision, accuracy and stability.

* SteelSeries Siberia v2 Headset – Based on the award-winning SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headset, the v2 features major enhancements in sound quality, comfort and its microphone. Experience a rich and detailed soundscape from immersive atmospheric background music to precise 3D positional sounds of footsteps, gunfire and more. The v2 remains lightweight and its trademark headband suspension construction makes it extremely comfortable for use over long periods of time.

* World of Warcraft MMO Mouse – Co-designed specifically for World of Warcraft® by Blizzard Entertainment and SteelSeries, the World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse is fully scalable to meet the requirements of even the most discerning World of Warcraft gamer. With 15 customizable buttons, macro creation, and up to 10 profiles for saving this is the first MMO mouse that really delivers.