Quote from Chimeray"Stop trading". What a bad way to word that
I thought they meant they bought their studio free from the stock market, or something. But they closed down?
Yep, closed.
They're starting a new company and keeping 50 people to keep a couple of games going that they're working on but the other 125 are going.
BLITZ GAMES STUDIOS OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Leamington Spa, UK, Thursday 12th September 2013, 11am
For immediate release
Award-winning and highly respected UK independent developer Blitz Games Studios announces that it has ceased trading this morning after 23 years.
Existing management have made every effort to seek avenues for new contracts and external investment but have been unable to secure enough funds to sustain the business in its current form.
However, two of the developer's current projects are self-sustaining financially so Blitz senior management will be forming a new company to service these clients and safeguard approximately 50 of the 175 jobs being lost today. More details on this new company will be released shortly.
In addition, Oxford-based developer Rebellion are also in close talks with Blitz management to potentially hire some of the remaining staff. Any other prospective employers are invited to contact Blitz at [email protected] for details of any staff now seeking work.
Blitz Games Studios Co-Founder and CEO Philip Oliver issued the following comment:
“We have managed to weather numerous storms over the last two decades that have sadly seen the demise of many of our friends and colleagues across the industry, but the run of problems we've had to face over the last year is unlike any we've seen before. Frustrations with clients, the global economic crisis, and more than our fair share of simple bad luck have all conspired against us and we are no longer able to continue trading.
It has been an absolute honour to lead such an extraordinary group of highly talented people who have consistently pushed boundaries and created amazing games that we've been hugely proud of. We've been humbled by the loyalty and commitment that they've all shown over the last 23 years and we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all of our staff, past and present, for their years of loyalty, their creative drive and their commitment to Blitz and to us.
We have done all that we can to make Blitz a success, and we have come frustratingly close in recent months. Major clients have felt unable to commit to investment in significant projects, others have changed strategy whilst appearing committed, and others have been slow to commit at all – all of these things have continued to hurt our finances. We have also sustained the business for some time with our personal savings but even those reserves have now been exhausted.
We'd like to publicly thank Chris and Jason Kingsley from Rebellion for their support and friendship during this time – they are acting incredibly honourably and helping us to find new roles for as many of our staff as possible. They began their careers in games at around the same time we did and epitomise the positive and supportive culture of long-standing game developers in the UK.
We wish the very best of luck to all the staff who are sadly leaving us today and thank them again for their drive, creativity and enthusiasm. They, like us, are passionate about games, and we call on the rest of the industry to capture their passion and continue the careers of some of the most talented young creatives in the country.”
Steam has just announced that users will be able to share their games between authorized computers.
Once a device is authorized, the lender's library of Steam games becomes available for others on the machine to access, download, and play. Though simultaneous usage of an account’s library is not allowed, the lender may always access and play his games at any time. If he decides to start playing when a friend is borrowing one of his games, the friend will be given a few minutes to either purchase the game or quit playing.
http://store.steampowered.com/news/11436/
Basically this is how Steam works now but you'll be able to have separate users on the account who can all have their own achievements and save games.
I really enjoyed the driving mechanics in GTA IV too. I know a lot of people didn't though.
List of GTA Online features etc:
(Not really spoilers but put them in spoiler tags to keep the post small)
· Character progression has a "flow" but there isn't an "overarching narrative that culminates in a definitive conclusion"
· The aim of GTA Online is to do whatever it takes to get more money in the bank and accrue assets such as cars and real estate
· Characters appear in cutscenes when interacting with other characters in the world as they would in the single-player but doesn't speak
· Female characters can be used in GTA Online
· Almost all activities from the campaign are available in GTA online: "heists, missions, robberies, assaulting gang hideouts, hijacking armored vehicles, races" as well as "tennis, golf and base jumping"
· According to Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies threre's over 500 missions. Some can be completed solo, but others are complicated and require a team.
· GTA Online takes place after the main story, familiar faces will make appearances
· By currying favour of characters you can be introduced to more people and delve deeper into the criminal world
· Franklin's friend Lamar may introduce you to a car dealer named Simeon Yetarian, who wants you to steal cars for him
· Biker gangs my support you during missions if you're friendly with them
· A tech-savvy character you've befriended may hide you on the radar during multiplayer
· Security firms that have taken a liking to you may be used to deliver airstrikes
· Rockstar uses a "dynamic" system to populate GTA Online, starting with your friends and crew members, then similarly skilled players in the same part of the world.
· GTA Online has been created to be "as customisable as possible" in terms of who you play with: "there are options to let the game decide who to play with... or you can hand pick every player in the game".
· The game analyses your playing style as you play and surfaces missions that appeal more to your style.
· There's a crew ranking system and a personal rank
· The fourth GTA Online player is fresh off a plane in Los Santos, character creation involves choosing your mum, dad and grandparents and you're given a character. Then players then choose a lifestyle, make choices about the things the character does (partying, couch potato, criminal, athletics nut).
· Starting skills are based on the chosen lifestyles, but can be upgraded, as can the look of the character
· Players riding shotgun in cars can also control radio station, set waypoints, use a cinematic camera, or attack others
· Holding the select button (on a PS3) pulls up a menu where outfits and gestures can be changed
· Phone camera's can be used to take a selfie
· During a liquor store robbery the player can shout at the cashier to hurry up through a mic and the character will respond
· Escaping cops involves keeping yourself out of the police's vision cone
· After each GTA Online mission cash rewards and Reputation Points are awarded. The crew leader decides who keeps the loot.
· A leader can choose to hog the spoils but, obviously, other players might not take that very well
· Invites are received through the character's phone and accepting seamlessly transports the player to the activity
· Players can customise the way a vehicle handles at shops found around the city
· In missions involving bigger teams a lobby window opens up. From this the roles such as sniper, look-out and transporter can be assigned. The crew leader can tweak settings such as time of day, weather, difficulty and how many lives they have to complete the mission.
· Everyone is given priorities suited to their role when missions begin
· When you have enough cash to purchase a "high end residency" you gain the ability to set up heists like the ones in the solo campaign.
· These missions involve multiple phases, including a set-up phase. In the mission shown prep involved buying guns from Ammu-Nation and procuring a helicopter. The tasks can be split between players.
· Passive mode can be activated if you want to enjoy Online without being troubled by other players, this is automatically deactivated when you fire your gun however.
· Players can kill you and take your cash, so you are encouraged to put money in the bank and use ATMs.
· Purchases can still be made using the money even if it's in the bank
· If you are robbed, you can put a bounty on a players head for revenge
· Each house you pruchase has space for storing cars. Modest appartments have space for two, but high-end homes can store ten.
· Garage areas can be treated like showrooms. You can walk around and admire your cars and hire a mechanic to keep them in good condition. You can also insure them to avoid big payouts should you damage them badly.
· You can invite friends to your home and drink, call strippers, watch Rockstar's custom created TV shows (or your friends in high-speed chases).
· Missions are controlled through Rockstar's Social Club, which means the developer tweak them regularly.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/428953/gta-onl…ities-and-more/
The GTA IV city was still a very decent size though. I never really got bored driving around it. So if it is around that size with a few small towns, a wilderness and under water areas to explore I'll be happy enough.
I want this for the story, gameplay and online more than anything.
Quote from blackdogImpressive scale. And I wonder if they will challenge players to finish it 100% again in a week. Or if they will give more time.
On the problem of wasting the car, I suppose they'll have more traffic for starters... but you can skip to another character and let the AI work for you
they didn't talked/showed the use of cellphones, but it was one of the best usability bits of GTA4, if we still can use it, we can call for a taxi when stranded
Very true! I keep forgetting about the player swapping and the cell phone. Also I read somewhere there will be plenty of quadbikes/bikes/other vehicles parked up in the countryside left by campers or whatever.
Quote from ThrikI like the idea of some hairy taxi driver turning up in the ass of nowhere because I accidentally crashed my car into a family of cyclists brutally killing them all. 'Where to m8?', 'Somewhere we can bury some bodies lad'.
Haha TaxiLAD
Bit more of an idea scale wise:
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/qCyo8o1h.jpg]
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/TC7uBUF.jpg]
Yeah the amount of green on the map does kind of worry me. I hated it in GTA: SA when I accidentally flipped my car out in the countryside only to have to walk for ages to find a vehicle.
I'm sure they've learnt from their lessons this time (hopefully!) and I just hope there is plenty to see and do out in the wilderness!
Image of the map from what appears to be the official guide? Spoilers obviously.
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/MDRCIle.jpg]
I only had a quick look as I don't want to spoil anything. But to help give the city/map a sense of scale I compared it to this screenshot:
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/uOn6Epj.jpg]
Looks pretty huge!
Oh. My. God. Dat ending!
This episode was so tense.
...And I'm still no closer to knowing how this show will end!
def going to buy the pc version for sure! I mean, the mods alone will be sick!!
Indeed.
I'm getting the PS3 copy at launch but if it comes to PC it'll be another day one purchase for me. If it is anywhere near as optimised as Max Payne 3 was it'll run like warm butter too.
[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/nFa6Nio.gif]
Quote from ThrikGonna be honest, I don't want to be doing all that moving about shit in my living room lol. The virtual reality stuff I'm totally behind though, especially if it allows me to finally experience immersive 3D (glasses tend to be iffy for me as my left eye is a bit weak, I think the isolation of the Oculus Rift will solve that problem).
My dad is near enough blind out of his left eye and he said he could see through the Rift just like it was real life. Since you're getting a beam of light to each eye it's no different to just looking with your eyes 
The rest of the radio stations are on that page too.
The TV shows look really well made this time around. How have they done so much awesome stuff?!
What the hell man So that's why the kittens had to go back
Good luck finding something else though I'm sure you'll be fine!
Quote from marksIt's out on next tuesday in the UK ...
Where?
This currently has 100% at Rotten Tomatoes http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gravity_2013/
and 96% over at Metacritic http://www.metacritic.com/movie/gravity
Looking forward to it!
Haha I guess he's not planning on playing anything else ever again? 
Just watching that documentary up above, so much nostalgia!
All of the GTA V trailers in one video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=…d&v=YXlEM3KR9f0
So hyped!
They really know how to get people to pledge!
You play as Beck
Shame I'm not really a big fan of this genre.
Does look cool though!
Quote from D3adsI watched the first three episodes of Season 1.. wow, that's some intense shit.. I'm hooked!
Is it wrong that I couldn't stop laughing during the
scene...?
Every season has got better and better so far. If you loved the first three episodes you're in for a treat
