Gaming
Immerse yourself in a controversial case of murder in interactive mobile crime game Dead Man’s Phone: Unmasked
Step into the murky world of online sex work with Dead Man’s Phone: Unmasked, a new interactive crime series available exclusively on mobile through the brand-new storytelling platform Scriptic.
Created by interactive entertainment studio Electric Noir Studios, Dead Man’s Phone: Unmasked puts you in the shoes of a homicide detective charged with cracking the case of a body found on Hampstead Heath.
Clumps of bright red hair and an iconic golden mask suggest that the victim is famous AllMyFans influencer, Gemma Dream. After using the victim’s phone to solve the mystery of what happened to Gemma, including hunting through the victim’s social media, interviewing an old ex-boyfriend, and arresting sinister subscribers, you are no closer to solving the case.
Your story evolves as you utilise in-game tools, including a news app reporting each arrest you make, maps to track the live location of suspects, a social media app for launching viral campaigns, and video conferencing to conduct remote police interviews. Solve the crime your way with multiple-choice responses to suit your investigation style and remain in control of how the narrative unfolds.
Writer Martha Reed crafted the gripping narrative for Electric Noir Studios to raise awareness of the challenges faced by online sex workers in their daily lives, abuse that they face online, the stigma that they face from society, and the serious threats to their personal safety, including doxing and harassment. The story challenges the culture of victim-blaming by portraying women and sex workers as relatable, fallible, ordinary people, highlighting the right for women to live in safety regardless of their jobs or sexual preferences.
The Dead Man’s Phone series spotlights important social issues typically not highlighted through the medium of video games.
Martha Reed, who wrote the story of Dead Man’s Phone: Unmasked, said: “This season of Dead Man’s Phone seeks to provide a voice for marginalised women. Too often, the dangers that women face are swept under the rug and ignored. This game spotlights a vital issue and the mobile gaming medium allows us to reach as wide an audience as possible.
“Being involved in the game has been an amazing experience and a challenge having come from a theatre background, but we’ve all helped create an authentic and human story with a really valuable message at its heart. I am beyond proud of the work we’ve done here and thrilled that we have helped put a voice to some of the most vulnerable members of society.”
Former British homicide detective Sim Cryer worked as a consultant to make the experience as authentic as possible, alongside lending his acting talents to the final experience as a chief inspector to help you navigate the mystery.
Influencer and glamour model Victoria Barrett also consulted on the real world of OnlyFans, with Haruka Kuroda brought in as intimacy coordinator to advocate and liaise between the cast and the production team to ensure that consent, boundaries, and expectations were set and maintained throughout filming.
Nihal Tharoor, Founder & CEO of ElectricNoir, said: “After the success of the first season we wanted to make something that was true to our ethos of telling compelling stories while making sure that our voice is used for a social good. The mobile game platform has allowed us to reach a huge audience and really puts the player in the shoes of the detective. We want to use our platform to amplify marginalised voices.”
Following on from the success of the first season of Dead Man’s Phone: Redman, Electric Noir Studios is continuing its expansion with the goal of creating even more interactive stories, across multiple genres, on the Scriptic platform. After a BAFTA nomination in 2020, Electric Noir Studios has launched a second season of the critically acclaimed game with more on the horizon; each with a poignant story to tell.
The studio is also announcing that both seasons of Dead Man’s Phone will become available on Netflix later this year, under the Scriptic platform name.
Netflix announced their move into gaming last year, now offering a curated selection of high-quality mobile games on the Netflix app, with unlimited access for Netflix subscribers without ads or in-app purchases. Through Scriptic, Dead Man’s Phone: Redman and Unmasked will join this exclusive selection of titles and deliver immersive, interactive dramas to Netflix audiences worldwide.
The first episode of Dead Man’s Phone: Unmasked is available to play on the Scriptic app from today, on iOS and Android:
- Apple App Store
- Google Play Store
Find out more about Electric Noir Studios and the Scriptic app here:
- Website
Gaming
4Players and ODIN deliver cutting-edge voice chat for Gray Zone Warfare
The globally operating software company 4Players GmbH announces its partnership with MADFINGER Games, the developer behind the highly anticipated tactical first-person shooter Gray Zone Warfare. The collaboration aims to level up in-game communication by integrating 4Players’ next generation Voice Chat SDK, ODIN, into MADFINGER Games’ upcoming title.
MADFINGER Games’ goal is to create a complex and realistic gaming experience that allows players to embark on an adventure alone or in a team. To ensure excellent communication during tactical approaches, ODIN was the best choice for MADFINGER Games’ Technical Director Johanny Clerc-Renaud:
“Selecting ODIN as the voice chat in our upcoming title, Gray Zone Warfare, was a pivotal decision driven by both technical and business considerations. Technically, ODIN ticks a lot of our criteria with its support for spatial audio, a ready-to-deploy Unreal Engine 5 plugin and the ability to meet any player load thanks to their cloud hosting.
From a business perspective, the agility and openness of partnering with a company like 4Players meant we could work hand-in-hand to tailor the solution to our specific needs. This includes a seamless integration with Wwise, allowing us to modulate voice data for a more immersive and engaging player experience. Together, these factors made ODIN the undeniable choice for Gray Zone Warfare, enabling us to make our game even more memorable.”
By natively integrating ODIN Voice Chat into Unreal Engine 5, MADFINGER Games’ developers could focus on creating ultra-realistic game content instead of managing complex data sets. By leveraging ODIN’s scalable cloud hosting, MADFINGER Games can also ensure seamless service delivery to players worldwide, improving accessibility and the gaming experience.
With features such as real-time 3D spatial audio – including audio occlusion and ambient effects – for the global voice chat as well as full-volume radio communication, ODIN sets a new standard for multiplayer engagement and promotes immersive and crystal-clear interactions between players. This level of immersive communication not only enhances gameplay, but also strengthens the social fabric in the gaming community.
“ODIN represents the future of in-game communication. We combine cutting-edge technology with decades of expertise in the gaming industry to create a product that is fun and designed to improve gamers’ communication,” says Phillip Schuster, CEO at 4Players GmbH. “We are excited to be working with MADFINGER Games to further optimize the immersion of Gray Zone Warfare. The partnership highlights our shared goal of driving social interaction and creating a unique gaming experience.”With the release of Gray Zone Warfare for Early Access on 30th April 2024, players will experience unparalleled realistic gaming communication with ODIN.
Gaming
Phoenix Games acquires PopReach Games along with its impressive games portfolio and over 100 employees
Phoenix Games, a global gaming enterprise specializing in the acquisition and enhancement of game studios, is thrilled to announce the acquisition of PopReach Games, a live operations studio based in Bengaluru, India, from Ionik for a total aggregate purchase price of up to US$9.8 million, financed from cash reserves. Together with the studio, Phoenix takes over a broad portfolio of free-to-play games that boasts more than 420 million lifetime downloads.
This transaction substantially diversifies the Phoenix portfolio by including globally recognized IPs and beloved free-to-play titles on different platforms, such as Smurf’s Village, Smurf’s Magic Match, Gardens of Time, Kitchen Scramble games, Kingdoms of Camelot, and War of Nations as well as the Brain Training app Peak..
The acquisition of PopReach Games India strengthens Phoenix Games’ global presence and adds a dedicated workforce of more than 100 employees from the Indian studio.
“The acquisition of PopReach Games signifies a remarkable enhancement of our portfolio, introducing not just a team of 100 passionate professionals but also a suite of globally acclaimed IPs and games that continue to captivate millions,” states Klaas Kersting, CEO of Phoenix Games. “We look forward to elevating these games to new heights with our proprietary Uplift platform and exciting new game experiences that we can craft around them.
Echoing this sentiment, Jairaj NS, General Manager at PopReach Games India, shares, “I am excited about joining forces with the stellar team at Phoenix Games. This marks the beginning of an exciting journey we can’t wait to embark on with Phoenix as our new home. This is great news for all the stakeholders, especially for the millions of our loyal players across the globe. I am happy we have found a new ideal home for our globally acclaimed games. This partnership enables us to continue pouring our hearts and souls into creating unforgettable experiences for our players worldwide and create value for stakeholders.”
Ted Hastings, CEO of Ionik, adds: “It’s truly remarkable that we’ve discovered the perfect home for our former games division, PopReach Games India, with Phoenix Games, ensuring a promising and successful path ahead. This strategic move enables us to turn our full attention to our core responsibilities”.
Based in Karlsruhe, Germany, Phoenix Games boasts an impressive lineup of studios, including Upright Games, Sixteen Tons Entertainment, Well Played Games, Smileygamer, and the recent addition of Canadian developer Sad Panda Studios in November 2023.
Utilizing its proprietary Uplift platform, Phoenix Games enhances the financial performance and reach of the titles of acquired game studios, providing their expertise in user acquisition, ad monetization, and live operations to ensure an economic upswing.
Gaming
Midjiwan Supports Reforestation Efforts With New Elyrion Tribe Skin In The Battle Of Polytopia
Midjiwan, the award-winning independent studio behind The Battle of Polytopia, is celebrating Elyrion (∑∫ỹriȱŋ) Tribe Week with a brand-new Midnight (₼idŋighţ) skin and donations to support reforestation.
Tapping into the Elyrion Tribe’s nature magic abilities, every purchase of an Elyrion item in the game will plant one real-world tree from April 22-28 2024. Midjiwan has teamed up with The Canopy Project, an organisation that works with global partners to reforest areas in urgent need of rehabilitation, combining The Battle Of Polytopia’s themes with a desire to make real change in the world. Previous years of Elyrion Tribe Week have resulted in the planting of over 12,000 trees.
The Elyrion Tribe is a mysterious group of elves, dedicated to defending their woodland home with their unique magic and connection with nature. Players using the Elyrion tribe have the ability to enchant animals into Polytaurs and summon powerful Fire Dragons.
Christian Lövstedt, General Manager at Midjiwan, commented:
“This is a hugely exciting partnership, allowing players to support the planet and contribute to reforestation whilst also accessing brilliant new content to use in The Battle Of Polytopia.”
Alongside donating to The Canopy Project, The Battle Of Polytopia also boasts a brand-new skin for the Elyrion Tribe! The Midnight skin allows players to create graves, build crypts, and summon demons in dark forests, all in service of the mysterious Shard of D’Naeh.
The Midnight skin re-skins the entire Elyrion Tribe as the Midnight Cult. Everything the Elyrion Tribe is all about – nature, enchantment, and sanctuary – is turned on its head, corrupted into a dark, twisted dystopia of itself.
Midjiwan has already invested €250,000 in solar power projects in rural areas around Africa, and other charitable projects. The studio continues to seek opportunities to combine its in-game creativity with real-world benefits. The Battle of Polytopia is available on Nintendo Switch, the App Store, Google Play, PC, and Tesla cars.
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