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4 CommentsAmerican McGee on scary games, The Wizard of Oz and what the next Alice could hold
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Apr 02, 2013 04.02.13
For American McGee, fairytales, mythology and fantasy classics are an endless source of inspiration, "instantly recognizable" elements that allow players to connect to his games on a more intimate level. "They are wherever you go in the world," McGee told Polygon at the 2013 Game Developers Conference. "Red Riding Hood for instance is a story has been told for tens of thousands of years. It goes back to oral tradition before there was writing: its mankind siting around the campfire, being afraid of the dark, and that fear still resonates today even in the modern world. For us, it's a nice shorthand for inviting the player into something where they already have [a pre-existing] relationship." The fear and chills inspired by our cultural lore is different than what we experience when...
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16 CommentsAmerican McGee argues next console generation will struggle against mobile gaming
By Emily Gera on Mar 25, 2013 03.25.13
The next generation of consoles will have trouble competing with the continuing success of mobile and online games development, veteran designer American McGee told Forbes. Sharing his thoughts on the recent reveal of Sony's PlayStation 4, McGee states he was unimpressed with the new console despite the company's attempts to move in a more developer-friendly direction. He describes this influx of new console systems as simply "another distribution channel with not much to differentiate from other outlets (aside from sheer horsepower.)" "I was hoping for innovation in control input," he says, adding that he "didn't see anything meaningful, so 'meh.' "It's nice that they're moving towards what looks like more developer-friendly hardware and indie friendly distribution. Remains to be...
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4 CommentsAkaneiro: Demon Hunters meets funding goal
By Tracey Lien on Feb 03, 2013 02.03.13
Spicy Horse's Akaneiro: Demon Hunters reached its Kickstarter funding goal this weekend, raising $204,680 of its $200,000 goal. The success of the campaign means the studio can now devote its time to porting the action role-playing game to Android and iOS tablets and Linux, as well as implement co-op multiplayer, an equipment crafting system and improved community support. Additional features that the development team will implement include: lockbox items and additional consumables, expanded weapon and armor varieties, additional Spirit Helper Pet varieties, leaderboards and a rank-based achievement system with rewards. The game fell short of its $233,000 stretch goal, which would have given the game an Ouya version, new expansions and even more armor and weapons. Akaneiro is out...
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0 CommentsAkaneiro: Demon Hunters open beta extends to Jan. 22
By Tracey Lien on Jan 18, 2013 01.18.13
Spicy Horse's Akaneiro: Demon Hunters is having its open beta extended to Jan. 22, the developer announced today. The open beta was originally meant to end this week and the game was to be taken down while the development team worked on final tweaks ahead of its official launch, but Spicy Horse has extended the beta in order to give players a chance to check out the game and decide whether they wish to back it on Kickstarter. When Polygon spoke to Spicy Horse's American McGee earlier this week, he said that Akaneiro is already complete and the Kickstarter campaign exists to help fund iOS and Android versions of the game, as well as additional features that didn't make the current version. Akaneiro was recently greenlit on Steam and those who are interested can support the game's K...
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5 CommentsAkaneiro: Demon Hunters — a world of expectations
By Tracey Lien on Jan 16, 2013 01.16.13
Perhaps it's because he used to work at id Software, the studio best known for being the father of the first-person shooter. Perhaps it's because he's been credited on the likes of Doom 2, Quake and Quake 2 — some of the best-selling and most-loved shooters. Or maybe it's because his contribution to Electronic Art's games was seen as so important his name was put on the front of every box. It wasn't EA's Alice or EA's Grimm — it was American McGee's Alice. American McGee's Grimm. People expected him to stay at EA, where he no doubt enjoyed the security of working for one of the world's largest publishers. People expect, even twelve years after his departure from EA, that he's rolling in enough funds to start, finish and expand on as many games as he wishes. People are often wrong. ...
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4 CommentsValve greenlights 10 indie games, including Akaneiro: Demon Hunters
By Dave Tach on Jan 15, 2013 01.15.13
Ten indie games are headed to Steam via Project Greenlight, among them American McGee's recently-Kickstartered Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, according to a press release from Valve released today. The fourth round of games from Project Greenlight includes: Akaneiro: Demon Hunters Asylum DLC Quest Eador. Masters of the Broken World La-Mulana Leisure Suit Larry MaK The Age of Decadence Unepic War For The Overworld The games above, which are in "varying stages of completion," will be released "independently in the months ahead," according to the press release. Joining them will be two non-game software titles: articy:draft, a game design tool and GroBoto, a modeling app. Announced last July, Steam Greenlight allows users to vote on games they'd like to see on Valve's digital...
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0 CommentsAkaneiro: Demon Hunters enters into open beta, Linux version on the horizon
By Emily Gera on Jan 10, 2013 01.10.13
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, the Red Riding Hood-based title from American McGee's Spicy Horse Games studio, enters into open beta today while the developer adds new tiers to its Kickstarter campaign to unlock a version for Linux. Users can sign up to the open beta on the game's official website. It will run until Jan. 16 and consist of numerous stress tests. In addition, those who participate in the beta will have a chance to experience the game's advanced character training, weapon improvement and the in-development Shivering Pines area. Akaneiro's Kickstarter has reached $53,589 of its $200,000 funding goal with 23 days left in its campaign. A Linux version is now added to the game's stretch goals, alongside a new penguin pet in the game's reward tiers.
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2 CommentsAkaneiro abandons free-to-play model, switches to traditional paid model
By Tracey Lien on Jan 03, 2013 01.03.13
Spicy Horse's browser-based multiplayer online game, Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, is switching to a paid model from its original free-to-play model, according to an admin post on the Spicy Horse forums. The change of plan was revealed by a forum admin back in November, who said that the game was "switching to a paid model". A later post revealed that the game, which is currently in closed beta, will not follow a subscription payment model, there will be a one-off purchase price for the initial release with the possibility of in-game purchases that won't restrict regular play and DLC expansion packs will be released on a regular basis. The Spicy Horse representative wrote: "The price point will be very low. This is an independent release from a smaller development team — we won't be...
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3 CommentsAkaneiro: Demon Hunters closed beta begins today
By Dave Tach on Nov 02, 2012 11.02.12
The closed beta begins today for Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, developer Spicy Horse Games' action role-playing game, according a press release from the developer. The game sets players in a world inspired by Edo-era Japan, where they fight monsters inspired by Japanese myths and legends. Today's beta begins with 1,000 players, and Spicy Horse plans to add more in waves of 5,000 in subsequent phases, with an open beta to follow. Prospective demon hunters can sign up for the beta on the game's website and check out the soundtrack, which Spicy Horse, developers also of American McGee’s Grimm, recently made available on SoundCloud.
