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Gaming: Mercedes wants self-driving video games; Five Nights at Freddy's VR; more
A major car company is looking to spice up the already exciting world of self-driving vehicles; a popular indie game is dropping on virtual reality platforms; and the Power Rangers are now available to play on the main, best-selling consoles. Head on down for more details.
With the advent of self-driving cars just over the horizon, Mercedes-Benz has launched a contest, calling for video games that can be played in said autonomous vehicles.
Called the "In-Car Gaming Challenge," the contest is open to both student/recent graduate developers and start-up businesses. Teams of 1-5 people are encouraged to submit gaming and/or app ideas for self-driving passenger cars and buses that will allow for "total immersion."
"Gaming will take in-car entertainment to the next level and give the passengers in all types of vehicles the opportunity to follow their passion while driving. Take part in this rapidly growing business field and shape the future of in-car gaming," reads the website description.
The best five teams from the two categories of contestants are to be invited to Stuggart, Germany ("the cradle of the automotive industry"), where they will present their ideas to a panel of management personnel from the Electronic Sports League and Daimler, the latter being the umbrella corporation that owns Mercedes-Benz.
Students winners (of which there will be three) will receive ESL tournament tickets and funding money from Daimler in order to continue pursuing their ideas within the realms of multi-player gaming, AR/VR, immersive gaming, streaming, and more. Business victors, on the other hand, could receive possible partnerships with Daimler.
The final event is set to take place on June 26 in the Arena2036 at the University of Stuggart.
If you thought Five Nights at Freddy’s was terrifying to play in a conventional format, then you're in for a rude awakening with an upcoming virtual reality version of the game.
This week, Lionsgate announced its partnership with Scottgames, Steel Wool Games, and Striker Entertainment to adapt the popular indie horror game for VR consoles.
Check out the teaser, shown at Sony's State of Play Livestream, below:
“We are huge fans of Five Nights at Freddy’s and also recognize the original games’ design is perfectly suited for virtual reality. The title is an impeccable piece of video game mastery,” said the creative director and co-founder of Steel Wool Games in an official release obtained by SYFY WIRE. “We’re thrilled Scottgames and Lionsgate chose us to lead the development of this project as it’s a game we’ve idolized.”
The Five Nights at Freddy's VR will drop on Steam, PSVR, Oculus, and HTC Vive in April.
It's morphin' time!
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is now available for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. Developed by nWay (Power Rangers: Legacy Wars) with Hasbro and Lionsgate, the tag-team fighting game features both heroes and villains who have appeared across the brand over the last 25 years.
“We wanted to make this the best Power Rangers game yet so we focused on each character's detail and history and worked closely with Hasbro and Lionsgate to respect the Power Rangers IP,” said Taehoon Kim, co-founder and CEO of nWay, in an official release. “At the same time, we wanted to make this a true fighting game that everyone from novices to pros could enjoy, so we consulted with senior members of the fighting game community like Justin Wong and employed MvC legend Daniel 'Clockw0rk' Maniago to lead combat design. The end result is that Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a full-fledged MvC style 3v3 tag fighting game.”
If you've already purchased the game ($19.99 retail), you'll come into possession of nine playable characters (Jason Lee Scott, Tommy Oliver, Gia Moran, Ranger Slayer, Magna Defender, Kat Manx, Mastodon Sentry, Goldar, Lord Drakkon); three Ultras (Dino Megazord, Dragonzord, Mega Goldar); five arenas (Zordon’s Training Room, Harwood County Warzone, Mystic Forest, Lord Drakkon’s Throne Room, Command Center); and 120 collectible banners.
If you pre-ordered the Collector's Edition, you get: a game download code, a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Green Ranger v2 skin, a Season One Pass (including three new characters and a new warrior skin), Lord Drakkon Evo II skin, and a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Pink Ranger skin.
“Power Rangers has been a great addition to Hasbro’s portfolio of brands, and we're excited to introduce fans to a new fighting game experience on console,” said Mark Blecher, senior vice president of corporate strategy and business affairs at Hasbro. “Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid makes the brand’s core elements of fun and teamwork available to fans on new platforms.”
The title will become available for the PlayStation 4 next week.
“We are excited to build upon the success of our mobile game, Power Rangers: Legacy Wars, to bring Power Rangers fans a world-class fighting game experience built from the ground up for console and PC,” said Daniel Engelhardt, senior vice president of interactive ventures and games at Lionsgate. “We’re tapping into all 25 years of this iconic, perennial Top 10 NPD Action Brand to give Power Rangers fans something they haven’t seen before.”
