TimeGate posts

Developer Timegate Studios is already planning to release the first person shooter sequel Section 8: Prejudice later in 2011 but according to Digital Spy the team already has plans to work on a third game in its sci-fi franchise. The article quotes Timegate CEO Adel Chaveleh as saying, " ... we're already working on the next one, and we're going to make it better and better."

Details on the third Section 8 game are scare but Chaveleh does say, " ... we don't know whether it's going to be a true sequel again or whether we are going to go off and do a new type of game in the Section 8 universe."

[Via Blue's News]

Earlier this year it was announced that developer Timegate Studios was working on a sequel to its 2009 released sci-fi shooter Section 8. The sequel, Section 8 Prejudice, will be self-published by Timegate for digital distribution sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

Today we can finally reveal that Section 8 Prejudice will have a price point of just $14.99 when its released via download. That's for a game that contains more content than the original game which was priced at $50 for the PC version when it was first released. Section 8 Prejudice will have a full story-based five hour single player campaign along with the Conquest multiplayer mode with a full selection of maps, the new Swarm multiplayer co-op mode, bot support for both multiplayer modes, dedicated server support and a web portal where players can display their stats and in-game achievements. While the game will be using Games For Windows Live for things like achievements, the PC version of Section 8 Prejudice will be made available for purchase on other download services like Steam, Direct2Drive and Timegate's own online store (for console owners the game will also be released for the PS3's Playstation Network for $14.99 and for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft points).

Keep reading after the jump for more info on the game including hands-on impressions of the game's Swarm mode.

Timegate Studios' first games were in the RTS genre. The Kohan series of games, published by Strategy First in the early 2000s, were highly acclaimed titles at a time where the RTS genre was especially crowded with other games. In a new chat at Gamesindustry.biz (free registration required) Timegate's CEO Adel Chaveleh offers some hope for a Kohan revivial.

The interview, which is primarily about Timegate's decision to self-publish its future game titles, brings up the Kohan series at the end with Chaveleh stating, "We're not walking away from Kohan by any means. It'll see daylight again." The interviewer seems to push for an idea of a Facebook-based Kohan title but Chaveleh states, " ... we're not going to go chase and make a Facebook Kohan game just to say we did it - it's gotta make sense, and it's gotta be something new and unique." In the meantime all of the previously released PC games in the series are available for purchase and download exclusively at Timegate's web site.

Developer Timegate Studios gave gamers its original sci-fi first person shooter Section 8 back in the fall of 2009, The multiplayer-oriented title got solid reviews but was perhaps overlooked by some gamers at the time. A few weeks ago, Timegate made the surprise announcement for Section 8: Prejudice, the second game in the series that's currently set for release in early 2011.

While Timegate is still keeping aspects of this new game to themselves we did get it's design director Brett Norton to give up some more info on the title including its plans for a full single player campaign, improvements to the multiplayer features and more.

More and more we are Microsoft's Games For Windows Live being abandoned by developers who first used the service for things like matchmaking, automatic updates and achievements for previous games. Bethesda Softworks used it for Fallout 3 but Fallout New Vegas will use Steamworks. It's the same situation for the sequel to Kane and Lynch and the next expansion pack for Dawn of War II.

2009's PC port of Timegate Studios' sci-fi shooter Section 8 also used Games For Windows Live for the previously mentioned features. But will the recently announced and upcoming sequel, Section 8: Prejudice, stick with it or switch to something else? Fidget put that question to Timegate's Brett Norton who answered with, "Unfortunately, we can't go into our platform or distribution methods just yet." It certainly would be a surprise if the developer stuck with Games For Windows Live at this point as more and more PC games are moving to the Steamworks platform.

Before they started developing first person shooter titles like the F.E.A.R expansion packs and more recently Section 8, developer Timegate Studios was best known as a maker of RTS game titles. This week the developer launched their own online store and are offering their first titles, the games in their acclaimed Kohan fantasy RTS series, available for purchase and download.

As far as we can tell, these games are not available on any other PC game download site (legally anyway) so Timegate is the only place to get these titles that were originally published by Strategy First. The first two games in the series, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns and its stand along expansion Kohan: Ahriman's Gift (both released in 2001), are now available for $9.99 each. The games' 2004 sequel, Kohan II: Kings of War, is also available for $11.99. You can also get all three games in a new bundle package, Kohan Warchest, for $19.99.

[Via Blue's News]

Small publisher Southpeak Games has revealed its latest financial numbers for its latest fiscal quarter that ended on December 31, 2009. Revenues for the quarter came in at $10.1 million, which is lower than the company's numbers of $17.3 million from the same period a year ago. Southpeak had a net loss of $2.6 million for the quarter, which is less than the $1.2 million in net income it received from the same period a year ago.

Part of the reason for the lower numbers was a $3.1 million loss due to a court fight in the UK with CDV. Southpeak is also dealing with another lawsuit filed by TimeGate Studios, who claims that Southpeak has withheld royalties from sales of their recent sci-fi shooter Section 8.

These developer walkthrough videos take viewers through Section 8's many gameplay facets and lets new players know how compete in the game. Think of them as an alternative to opening up a boring old game manual. There's even a video that explains how to play the Section 8 Xbox 360 demo. Section 8 is available for purchase now in stores and digital download outlets. If you want to know more about what the game is all about, check out Big Download's All You need to know: Section 8 feature.

Download HD Section 8 Developer Walkthrough Video: Overview (776 MB)
Download HD Section 8 Developer Walkthrough Video: Armor (179 MB)
Download HD Section 8 Developer Walkthrough Video: DCM's (288 MB)
Download HD Section 8 Developer Walkthrough Video: Deployables (51 MB)
Download HD Section 8 Developer Walkthrough Video: Xbox 360 (415 MB)
Check out all Section 8 downloads

In Section 8, players take the role of an interplanetary soldier sent in to fierce combat zones. The game features dynamic, player driven, gameplay elements along with custom loadouts to ensure that every player has a unique experience. Section 8 will be available for the PC tomorrow from both retails stores and digital distribution outlets like Steam and Direct2Drive.

"Section 8 is a large-scale, sci-fi first person shooter where fast-paced action meets military strategy in the far reaches of the galaxy. Join the epic battle between the 8th Armored Infantry and the Arm of Orion by taking part in fierce squad-based combat across majestic alien worlds."

Download HD Section 8 Launch Trailer (169 MB)
Check out all Section 8 downloads

With a title like Section 8, derived from a US military term where a soldier is discharged due to mental illness, one could reasonably expect that the game will be all about mindless shooting. The good news is that although the game will include a great deal of shooting using massive scifi weaponry, there's also a story connecting the power armored soldiers together. As a member of Section 8, players take the role of an elite soldier sent in to quell an uprising, only to discover that the threat is much larger than anticipated. The game is scheduled to release in September.

Download HD Section 8 Behind-the-Scenes 'Story' Video (178 MB)
Check out all Section 8 downloads