A team of developers from Essex University have been chosen to take on the challenge of developing a new game from scratch in just 100 days. Virgin Media’s ‘100 Day Game Project’, in partnership with Eurogamer and the University of Abertay Dundee, has set a challenge for new developers to create the next big game for mobile and tablet devices. This is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial spirit in Britain.
Surface Tension Studios (STS) were picked from six finalists who all went through a gruelling process to submit their fresh concepts for the next big mobile game. The final teams battled it out to bring their concepts to life in front of some of the UK’s leading developers in the hope to make their mobile game concept a reality.
The panel of judges included Douglas Hare (CEO Outplay Entertainment), David Hamilton (Managing Director Digital Goldfish), Tom Champion (Community Manager Eurogamer), and Andrew Eades (CEO Relentless).
The team wowed the judges with their enthusiasm and energetic delivery and today begin development of their winning game concept, Superfluid. Superfluid is a puzzle-based platform game, in which the player takes control of a single character called Superfluid. Superfluid is able to change between three states: solid, liquid and gas. Each state has its own abilities which can be used to solve puzzles and defeat enemies in order to progress through the game.
STS will receive £10,000 for winning the competition, and has just 100 days, based in the Abertay University Prototyping Studio, to develop the concept into a full working game before unveiling the game at Eurogamer Expo 2012 later this year. With over 50,000 gaming fans expected to visit the exhibition over four days, STS will have the opportunity to showcase Superfluid in front of an audience of gaming lovers from all over the world.
For the next 100 days team STS will have the support of the judges plus games industry mentors including Craig Lawson from Ubisoft and Michael Nimmo from Codemasters. Members of the public will be invited to follow the game’s progress whilst in development via the team’s dedicated blog and even put forward their own thoughts and comments about the direction of the game through Facebook and Twitter.
Surface Tension Studios’ team leader David Pearson said: “We’re all just completing our third year at university and we came together as a team because of our passion for video games. We’ve got a wide range of skills within the team and we can’t wait to put these into practice to develop this game.
“We’re thrilled to be taking part in this project and beyond this we’re all planning on working in the games industry in the future, so this is a fantastic opportunity for us all.”
Luke Southern, head of sponsorship at Virgin Media, said: “What we really liked about STS was their take on a puzzle game. They have designed an interesting use of controls and physics to create an innovative game with broad appeal. To top it off, their strong visual style, and solid team dynamic means that they are well placed to tackle the intense 100 day project.
“Britain is a leading light in games development, and we are proud and excited to be supporting emerging talent through this competition.”
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