The fifth annual GameHorizon Conference will take under a new regime.

GameHorizon network founder Carri Cunliffe, who has been conference director since the start of GameHorizon Conference, has stepped down.

Carri has founded her own consultancy business, Secret Sauce, and will continue her support to the North East games industry by being involved in GameHorizon as a member of the advisory board.

Nina Cliff, who was previously a business development manager at GameHorizon, has returned to take up the position of producer of the event alongside Elspeth Lawson.

Nina takes on the position with excitement.

“It’s amazing how the event has grown and the loyal community it has created over the years”, Nina said.

“We’re working closely with the advisory board to ensure 2012 will continue the great work achieved to date.”

GameHorizon has also announced a conference partnership with Game Republic, the games network for Yorkshire and the UK.

The two networks have historically had a close working relationship and joint objectives in supporting game development communities.

GamesHorizon Conference tickets will be on sale soon and speakers and sessions will be announced over the coming weeks.

First, the company failed to impress the guests, expecting a nice fancy sit-down meal, with their less classy décor of branded condoms scattered around the tables, midgets in hot-pants, girls in bikinis and a giant orange Humvee.

And it didn’t end there. The awards were given out with drunken braying and bad jokes from the Grainger Games table playing out in the background.

The party also felt like taking over the stage for a self-prompted drunken dance and booing Patrick Garrett’s speech when he presented Colin Campbell with the Games Media Legend Award.

The gadget news website Gizmodo wrote a full report of the evening’s events.

“What they had left behind was an absolute shambles. They’d sabotaged months of planning by the event organisers, they’d pissed off the entire games media community, and they’d wasted their own sponsorship money in painting themselves as a gang of selfish arseholes. Well done, Grainger Games. We didn’t know who you were before, but we do now”, Bulent Yusuf wrote on Gizmodo.

Intent Media, the organiser of the event, was left dumb-founded by the behaviour of their main sponsors.

The company was quick to publish their sincerest apology.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise wholeheartedly for this – and to make it very clear that Grainger will not be welcome back in any capacity to the GMAs, or any Intent Media events”, Stuart Dinsey, founder and managing director of Intent Media, wrote on the MCV website.

“Grainger Games’ behaviour and attitude was the antithesis of what the GMAs are about. Next year we will give the event back to the media and work only with partners we know understand what the event is about.”

As for the apology by Grainger Games, they could’ve perhaps done a slightly better job:

The Games Media Awards are hosted every year by Intent Media, the publisher of leading trade publications MCV and Develop.

This year, IGN UK editor Keza MacDonald won the best specialist online writer award, Freelancer Christian Donlan took home the best specialist print writer award, Dave Cook was awarded as the best regional newspaper writer and VideoGamer’s Martin Gaston won the the Rising Star award.

We are looking for a creative individual to join a very successful team to create ‘in game’ interfaces and Flash animations for console and online video games.

You will have the following qualities:

• Be highly motivated, with a passion for video games
• A strong Graphic/Web Designer
• A creative portfolio of Web or Game Interfaces
• Diploma or Degree in Multi-media or related subjects
• A thorough knowledge of Flash, Photoshop and Illustrator
• Good interpersonal, communication and organisational skills

Competitive remuneration package will be offered to the right candidate.

If you are interested in the advertised position please apply by contacting Sharpe Recruitment.

Sharpe Recruitment is a North East based consultancy, dedicated to placing professionals in rewarding jobs throughout the North of England across a variety of disciplines including Digital Media, Creative Advertising, Sales & Marketing, PR, IT and Business Operations

We are looking for a Senior Game Play Programmer to work on an Unreal engine 3 title. Applicants should have practical knowledge and experience with 3D math, as well as solid knowledge of 3D programming techniques, strong C++ and software engineering skills. Experience within the games industry is essential, preferably with 1 published title. Unreal experience on a published title is desirable.

We are looking for a Server Programmer to design, implement and maintain back end systems for web and game products. The successful candidate will be responsible for backend development on a high performance website with game components. Tasks will include architecture of backend systems, testing and maintenance. Python experience is essential as are excellent debugging and problem solving skills. Experience with the following is desirable – Cherrypy, Mako, MongoDB, SQL, Linux, Redis, HTML, JAS, C++.

AI Programmer required to work on racing and action console games. Candidates should have practical knowledge and experience with 3D math, working knowledge of current AI techniques (including A*, hierarchical Finite State Machines, Nav-mesh, data driven behaviour) and strong C++ and software engineering skills, including debugging and problem solving. A strong interest in delivering great game play through AI is a must. Unreal experience, knowledge of vehicle dynamics and Python experience is desirable.

Mid to Senior Software Engineer required to work on an exciting new game / web crossover project. You will design, implement and maintain back end systems for web and game products.

We are seeking an enthusiastic individual to join our passionate racing game team. Candidates must have a strong grasp of C++ and object oriented methods as well as excellent debugging and problem solving skills. Python experience is desirable. Graduates must provide relevant demos.

The successful candidate will be responsible for network racing physics engine and integration with console game service API’s. Candidates must be able to demonstrate a high standard in C/C++, as well as excellent debugging and problem solving skills, a broad understanding of networking systems, including NAT and experience of game-side network code such as addressing latency and prediction / correction issues. Python experience is desirable.

Talented and creative front end developer required to work with our custom websites and MMO applications. Experience with HTML, CSS, JS, AJAX is essential, along with cross browser support. Candidates must have excellent attention to detail. Python experience is desirable.

We require a Physics Programmer to further develop our game engine, simulating physical behaviour and real-world vehicle dynamics by creating, improving and maintaining our physics code base.

Sharpe Recruitment is a North East based consultancy, dedicated to placing professionals in rewarding jobs throughout the North of England across a variety of disciplines including Digital Media, Creative Advertising, Sales & Marketing, PR, IT and Business Operations.

Georgij Cernysiov, a top student on a training course for aspiring games developers, has managed to publish his own original title during a placement.

While working for Sunderland-based educational software company Caspian Learning, Georgij created and published a humorous mobile app ‘Euro Destruction’ for iPad and iPhone.

The game places the fate of Europe in the hands of the players as they make their way through current financial and political scenarios that culminate in the end of Europe as we know it.

Players need to decide whether to throw money at ‘bankers or citizens’ while the financial meltdown clock is ticking.

According to George, the idea was to create a game that “touched on some of the current issues within Europe without bogging people down with too much economics or politics.”

Euro Destruction, which is already getting downloads from the App Store, was created with the free game development software Thinking Worlds.

Train2Game is a subsidised placement scheme that gives employers access to the top 3% of Train2Game students in animation, programming and QA. To find out more about the scheme contact Carri Cunliffe or Elspeth Lawson at Codeworks.

NMM had a chance to play the game with Senior Producer Mary-Jo Leroux, who told us she has enjoyed living in Newcastle during the production.

“It’s definitely a car city”, she said.

Driver: San Francisco is a fast paced action driving game which harks back to classic Hollywood car chases.

The game encourages you to drive with style at high speed drifting around corners and pulling hand brake turns in the lovingly recreated playground of San Francisco.

It has over 100 fully licensed cars which you get to sample as you attempt to track down Jericho. It also has a variety of online game modes which seek to reinvent the online driving game experience.

The game is great fun to play as it doesn’t take itself too seriously and becomes more rewarding as you get used to the style of driving and game-play mechanics which include ‘Shift’ (where the player can be transported to a nearby vehicle).

Visually it is very impressive with the frame rate never dropping below 60 fps (frames per second) even when seamlessly transitioning from one vehicle to another.

By Matthew Waddingham

Feature article

Huge release shows North East’s credentials as games hub

On the eve of a worldwide release of the eagerly anticipated Driver: San Francisco, NMM met with the brothers who are putting the North East in the spotlight for games production. Read more…

On an overcast morning on the Newcastle quayside the last thing I was expecting was to be greeted by a gathering of American muscle car enthusiasts and the deep rumbling of v-12 engines turning over.

This was the scene outside Reflections studio as we were invited to sample their latest game release, Driver: San Francisco.

During its five years in the making, Driver: San Francisco has created a huge buzz across the globe. It’s set to be released on 2 September on PS3, Xbox 360, PC and MAC.

The game follows the exploits of hardened detective John Tanner as he sets about tracking down crime lord Charles Jericho who has been set loose on the streets of San Francisco.

A Centre for Innovation

The company Reflections was established by Martin Edmondson in 1984 and Martin was later joined by his brother Gareth. The studio has always prided itself on being innovative in the computer games world.

Creative director Martin Edmondson explained that even his first title, Castle Ravenskull, was “a very simple game, but very graphical, pushing machine hard at the time which we’ve always done as a studio.”

Reflections was thrust into the spotlight by the title Shadow of the Beast for the Amiga, a game praised for its revolutionary graphics with a wide array of colours and many levels of scrolling backdrops.

This trend was continued with PlayStation One release Driver, which was the first open world driving game, and also in PlayStation 2 release, Stuntman, where the gamer’s own footage was used at the end of each level to create trailers.

Innovative ‘Shift’

In 2006 Reflections was bought by games giant Ubisoft which has breathed new life into the Driver franchise.

The studio now has a staff of 170, many of whom are from the region and the rest of the UK, but it has also attracted talent from around the world.

The latest title continues their focus on innovation.

“We are pushing very hard for innovation using the ‘Shift’ mechanic in a genre that is lacking innovation and where it’s extremely hard to find new ways to play driving games”, studio MD Gareth Edmondson said.

The Shift mechanic is central to Driver: San Francisco and it is its standout feature which defines it from the milieu of other driving games.

With Shift at any moment the player is able to take a bird’s eye view of the area and be transported into any surrounding car.

In game this can be used to block an opponent, get away from chasing police officers, change direction rapidly or just simply change your beat up car for a better one that’s just driven past you.

By Matthew Waddingham

More about the game

Test driving the Driver: San Francisco

Attend and network with the experts, the influencers, the people driving the games industry forward.

The conference is backed by the GameHorizon Advisory Board as well as a conference advisory committee featuring some of the games industry’s leading names.

Speakers include:

* Ian Livingstone, Life President of Eidos and one of the UK’s founding fathers of interactive games and fiction.

* Hilmar Petursson, CEO of CCP

* Louis Castle, the co-founder of Westwood Studios, former VP of Creative Development for Electronic Arts and CEO of Instant Action Inc

* Mark Rein, the VP and co-founder of Epic Games

* Tom Chatfield, an author, editor and essayist; his book on the culture of video games, ‘Fun Inc.’, was published worldwide in 2010.

* And more…

To book, visit the event website.

The ongoing expansion of GameHorizon has been boosted by the sponsorship of a leading games developer from the US.

GameHorizon, the North East business network for gaming companies, announced that Epic Games Inc. has committed to help it to expand its initiatives.

Epic Games Inc. are best known as the developers of the blockbuster “Gears of War” series and the award-winning Unreal Engine 3.

Epic will also sponsor the GameHorizon Conference 2011 Speaker Dinner.

‘Strong belief’ in the UK games industry

As a demonstration of the benefits of the new partnership, Vice President of Epic Games Mark Rein recently flew over from the US to keynote GameHorizon’s Go Go Games’ mobile industry event.

Rein spoke of his ‘strong belief’ in the UK development community.

“Participating in events such as Go Go Games and GameHorizon is a good way for us to show it (the belief),” he said.

Access to a wealth of knowledge

Last year, the GameHorizon network evolved from a regional body to a national network with membership increasing by 40 percent.

The organisation is now completely privately funded – sustained by membership, private contracts and sponsorship from the games and technology sectors.

Darren Jobling, GameHorizon Chairman, believes having Epic games on board “brings kudos to the network”.

“This major industry player exposes members to a wealth of knowledge, new technology and contacts,” he said.

Epic Games will present at the industry’s leading executive-level GameHorizon Conference, which will take place in Newcastle on June 28-29.

More information and registration details are available on the official conference website.

Go Go Games is a free half day conference and networking event for mobile games developers. It’s a chance to learn from experts in this field whilst also networking with a national audience of games developers, publishers and aggregators.

The event forms part of Gateshead Digital Summer, a summer-long international celebration of digital technology.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Mark Rein, Vice President and Co-Founder of Epic Games
• Stuart Varrall, Director of Newcastle based Fluid Pixel
• Renate Nyborg, Head of Business Development at A&M Media
• Chris Petty, Communications Director of Newcastle based Smashing Ideas
• Phil Scott, the Technical Evangelism Lead at Nvidia
• Chris Wright, CEO of Games Analytics
• Ryan Lewis Davies, Creative Director of Gateshead based app developer Gospelware
• Mills from ustwo™ who is the self proclaimed King of Failure!

The event takes place from 2pm to 5:30pm followed by networking drinks until 7pm. Registration will open at 1pm.

To register for the event please visit:
http://www.gamehorizon.net/go-go-games/