Seven new games on show at TIGA event

UK trade body TIGA today hosted its inaugural Discovery Afternoon, where a number of studios revealed new games or detailed in-development titles.

Centring around giving smaller studios exposure, and following on from TIGA’s Raising Finance networking event earlier in the day, the Discovery Afternoon offered a surprisingly high ratio of HTML5-based titles, with three of seven being built with the web platform.

Bournemouth studio 4T2 revealed iOS title Lego Brain Attack, part of the toy outfit’s Hero Factory Franchise, and a follow on from Hero Factory Breakout. 4T2’s own money has been invested in the project in conjunction with Lego’s financial input.

Broadcaster Channel 4 chose to show more of a commissioned iOS and android game based on the still-under-wraps sequel to the iconic book and animated film The Snowman. Developed by studio Crash Lab, an outfit formed by veterans of the GoldenEye and Timesplitters teams, The Snowman And The Snowdog offers 3D flying gameplay, and includes an exclusive soundtrack scored by the composer behind the movie’s audio. The game is out December 9th, and built around a free-to-play model that allows players to purchase a number of power-ups.

Boss Level opted to showcase HTML5 turn-based strategy title Scavengers, due for release on PC and tablet, and still in development. As the studio’s first game, Scavengers is to adopt a freemium model. The title will allow cross platform play across PC, tablet and smart TV.

Indie microstudio Plant Pot demonstrated synesthesia mobile title Finger Hoola, which was initially conceived for a two-week development window so as to meet the start of the 2012 London Olympics. Made with the Corona SDK, the game eventually became ambitious enough to warrant the current three month dev cycle.

Denki used the event to show more of its browser title Save The Day, built using Turbulenz’s HTML5 JavaScript game engine. Presented as a ‘save ’em up, the game reworks conventional shmup gameplay to demand players save civilians and secure the title’s level environments.

nDreams, meanwhile, took to the stage to reveal a currently embargoed and notably ambitious PlayStation Home title. Check back with Develop for more on the title soon.

Legendary Games opted to show more of Year 0, a post-apocalyptic strategy military game coded in HTML5. A year into its development, Year 0 is now being taken to Kickstarter with a view to secure £25,000 to finish making the game. If £125,000 is reached, the developers will enable player real world locations to dictate the gameplay.

Finally, Nellyvision showcased it’s first full 3D title, historical quiz board game adaptation About Time, heading to mobile and tablet, and submitted for release on the Barnes and Noble table Nook.

TIGA’s Discoverability Afternoons are set to become a bi-monthly regular in the UK, offering small and medium-sized studios and developers a chance to collectively address the industry and press, with a view to promoting their games.