Auroch Digital have an opening for immediate start for a qualified, experienced book-keeper, initially for 2 days per week. Please send CV and a covering letter to nina at aurochdigital dot com. Note - this vacancy has now been filled. Thanks.
Update: The application process is now closed. Thanks to those who applied. If you wish to send your CV for possible future positions (code/art/design) please do. Thanks and have a great holiday! Auroch Digital have an opening for an experienced designer/producer for a 3 month contract initially, starting in January. Be part of a growing indie studio working on a wide variety of games projects. This role will be based at Bristol Games Hub. Please send CVs and a covering letter to debbie at aurochdigital dot com by 5pm on Wednesday 18th December, with interviews taking place on Thursday 19th, although do please get in touch if that's an issue. Feel free to share far and wide. Thanks
No recruitment agencies, thank you!
9th November, 2013: On the 125th anniversary of the murder of Mary Jane Kelly, Bristol based indie GameTheNews announces a new title based on the infamous ‘Jack the Ripper’ murders. Today, Friday 8 November 2013, Bristol-based indie GameTheNews.net announces its latest development, a new title based on the infamous 'Jack the Ripper' murders called JtR125, one of six new collaborations between filmmakers, academic researchers and creative companies as part of the REACT Future Documentary Sandbox, a nationwide programme to explore the theme of Future Documentary funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
125 years ago Mary Jane Kelly was murdered, her badly mutilated body found by a rent collector seeking her arrears on the morning of November 9, 1888. The terrible nature of the murders by Jack The Ripper, who himself was never brought to justice, has ensured the ‘Ripper’ killings remain a mystery that still repulses, contests, fascinates and resonates today.
GameTheNews.net, known for taking a bold approach to difficult subjects using games to address tough news stories, is applying game and documentary mechanics to their latest subject, Jack the Ripper, to find out what lessons are still to be learned. The lead developer on JtR125, Tomas Rawlings of Auroch Digital who produces GamesTheNews, says, “we're not going to make a first-person Ripper game about the killer - we're much more interested in the society that created the conditions that allowed this to happen and the plight of his victims. The fact that 125 years later we're still talking about this suggests to me that there are lessons still to be learned. The events themselves were a catalyst for social change. It was also a key time in the birth of a number of areas of our society, notably the tabloid newspapers and forensic science. We're keen to create an interactive documentary using the medium of games and allow the player to explore the issues and events themselves.”
As part of the Future Documentary Sandbox Rawlings has been paired with Patrick Crogan, games and digital media expert, University of the West of England, and Professor of Media and Journalism at Middlesex, Janet Jones.
Dr Crogan commented, “JtR125 is certainly pushing the envelope of both documentary and game formats. There are some risks with treating historical material the wrong way, and we don’t want to simply repeat the way many commercial games bolster their realism with bits of archival footage of war or other major historical events. With the development of apps other interactive forms there’s real potential to make a powerful and thoughtful experience that opens up new perspectives for people about something like the Ripper mystery.”
Professor Jones remarked, "The idea with JtR125 is to test the break-down of generic boundaries between games and serious documentary so that the world can be reported in a potentially more dynamic and investigative way that might better engage younger audiences accustomed to finding things out through digital play. Maybe in five or ten years time, every BBC newsroom will have a gaming desk alongside Radio, TV and online. We're focusing on how we might create acceptable templates for merging archive, talking head (all the traditional factual production conventions) within a game framework without destroying the experience or breaking the creative paradigm. There are undoubtedly lines to be drawn here and as we develop the Jack the Ripper game we hope to be able to draw those lines more clearly."
Related Links/Tweets:
https://twitter.com/G4C/status/398965685420048385
An article on Develop Online about the project.
Projected noted in podcast and text interview.
Speaking about the project at Subotron
7th October 2013, Bristol, UK: Games Workshop's classic boardgame 'Chainsaw Warrior' launches today on PC via Steam with other PC stores to follow soon. The game was originally released in its physical form back in 1987 and has been recreated as a PC title by Bristol based indie developer, Auroch Digital.
The PC version was announced back in July and it caused excitement and nostalgia with fans who fondly remembered playing it and interest in those new to the game. In 'Chainsaw Warrior' the player takes on the role of the eponymous cybernetic soldier as he attempts against all odds, to save New York from dire peril. The city is under threat from the twisted forces spewing forth from a strange spatial rift which has opened up in the heart of New York. This extreme warping power is attempting to rip the city from this reality into its parallel nightmare realm.
The original was noted for its challenging solo gameplay – an aspect that has been preserved in the version as Auroch Digital's Design & Production Director, Tomas Rawlings notes: "When I first played this game in the '80s, I knew of its reputation as a seriously challenging game and that's why I wanted to take it on, to win where others had failed. We've kept that level of challenge and added to it in this version that both references the original styling and refreshes it for PC.”
The Steam version of the game comes with Steam achievements, a new leaderboard system and exclusive Steam trading cards.
‘It’s wonderful to see this great game re-worked for today’s platforms’ said Jon Gillard, GW Head of Licensing ‘I can’t wait to get my pistol grip chainsaw revved up and stuck into some zombies’.
The game launched on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch,Google Play and Amazon Appstore for Android to an enthusiastic fan reception and is expected to follow suit on PC. The game is out on Steam for $4.99/€4.99/£3.99 To keep in the loop with the project you can like Auroch Digital on Facebook or follow them onTwitter. The game's information page can be found at chainsawwarrior.net
Time go get moving as you only have 60 minutes to save New York! #ChainsawWarrior
Coverage so far:
23rd September 2013, Bristol, UK: The classic boardgame 'Chainsaw Warrior' first published by Games Workshop in 1987 and converted into a digital title by Auroch Digital launches today on iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch and follows on Samsung Samsung Devices via Chillingo's 100% Indie later this week. (Update: Also now on Google Play & Amazon Apps)
Announced in July, it caused excitement with those new to the game interested in discovering a classic, and nostalgia with fans who fondly remembered playing it. The game sees players trying to save New York from dire peril as twisted forces spewing from a spatial rift attempt to rip the city from this reality into theirs. The fate of the city rests solely in the hands of a lone cybernetic solider known as the 'Chainsaw Warrior'. As the eponymous hero, the player must battle through a zombie infested Manhattan tenement in order to locate the controlling intelligence behind the dark army swarming from the spatial rift. The game was renowned as a tough challenge and this new version remains so.
The digital version of the game has been created by Bristol based indie developer Auroch Digital. Auroch Digital's Design & Production Director, Tomas Rawlings announced the release: "We're really pleased with what we’ve created. The team has done an amazing job in creating a brilliant mix of the best of the boardgame with the possibilities of digital. I feel it’s both a fresh and nostalgic take on a classic game. We hope our fellow gamers enjoy facing the thrilling challenge of trying to save New York. Not all will succeed!”
“It’s wonderful to see this great game re-worked for today’s platforms,” said Jon Gillard, GW Head of Licensing ‘I can’t wait to get my pistol grip chainsaw revved up and stuck into some zombies.”
"It’s always great when a game comes to Samsung Apps as an exclusive,” says 100% Indie co-founder Chris Byatte, “but when it’s got such a dynamic legacy as Chainsaw Warrior, it’s especially exciting. We’re all classic gamers here, and to see important titles like this reborn through the smartphone platforms for a new generation of players is one of the reasons we love working in this dynamic industry."
The game is out on iPad, iPhone for $4.99/€3.99/£2.99 and follows on Samsung Samsung Devices via Chillingo's 100% Indie later this week at the same price point. A wider Android, PC and Mac release is set to follow soon after. To keep in the loop with the project you can like Auroch Digital on Facebook or follow them onTwitter. The game's information page can be found at chainsawwarrior.net
Time go get moving as you only have #60mins to save New York!
If you're a games journalist or blogger, please contact jake at aurochdigital.com for a review pack.
Coverage so far (iOS version):
Android version Converge:
22nd July, 2013, Bristol, UK: The seminal hit board game Chainsaw Warrior, made by Games Workshop back in 1987 is set to return this year in a digital form. The original 80s game was a notable rarity in that it was a solo board game that pitted the player not against others but against the clock. The game saw New York balancing on the precipice of darkness as twisted forces from another reality attempted to rip the city from this world into theirs. Standing between them and the destruction of the city was a lone figure, the brutal and mysterious Chainsaw Warrior. As the eponymous hero, the player had to delve into a zombie infested New York tenement to locate the source of the evil spewing through the spatial rift and destroy it before he was destroyed. The game is being created by Bristol based indie developer Auroch Digital for mobile and desktop platforms.
Auroch Digital's Design & Production Director, Tomas Rawlings explained why they are resurrecting this mutant and zombie infested classic; "It's a game I played as a kid and loved. I see it as the pre-cursor of First Person Shooters when video games technology could not really do the first person or the shooting. For me this is not only a great game, but a classic of board game design - a solo shooter that really challenges the player. When we spoke to Games Workshop about developing a game this was the top of my list. I loved the 80s style of the game and we've kept much of that in our design as well as faithfully translating the gameplay. Don't expect to win the game easily. This was the Dark Souls or Super Meat Boy of its day. Players didn't want to buy the game and run out of challenge at first play. The game has many ways to kill you and is unafraid to use them - which makes it all the sweeter when you finally win."
As well as its challenge, it also flies in the face of current trends in social aspects in games. Chainsaw Warrior is firmly an individual experience, Rawlings explains, "This is about you against the tide of darkness. Chainsaw Warrior is the last hope for the city and time is running out. Ultimately I wanted to make this game because it is one that needs to be brought to digital with all guns blazing and chainsaw-blades revving, and that is what we're going to do!”
“Chainsaw Warrior is a classic fantasy solo board game experience that established itself as one of Games Workshop’s best sellers from that era of our history” said Jon Gillard, Games Workshop’s Head of Licensing. “It was actually the first game I bought when I joined the company, and like many other enthusiastic gamers, I enjoyed playing it for years. We can’t wait to see it being brought to a whole new generation of digital gamers who can enjoy the dramatic struggle against seemingly unwinnable odds, as well as the remorseless ticking of the clock.”
The game is due to release on iPad, iPhone and Android at the end of summer at a price point and date to be announced soon. The PC and Mac versions will follow soon after. To keep in the loop with the project you can like Auroch Digital on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. The game's information page can be found at chainsawwarrior.net
News coverage of this includes:
Our favourite tweet about the game so far!
1987's Chainsaw Warrior is coming to tablets! I remember my mum forbidding me from buying it aged 12! pic.twitter.com/NjFOU6vQtJ
— Seth Barton (@SethBarton1) July 23, 2013
Auroch Digital has just completed 3 games for Shakespeare's Globe. Here is the press release about them:
GameTheNews, the developer of topical newsgames such as Endgame:Syria and NarcoGuerra has turned its development skills into a different area; kids games. The GameTheNews's hosting company, Auroch Digital has developed three titles for the launch of a new digital games site at Shakespeare’s Globe, which has commissioned a number of fun activities for children in their new online 'Playground' area.What people may find a little surprising about one of the contributions to new site is that one of the games, Hemmings Play Company, is based on the gameplay engine of their controversial release Endgame:Syria. This latter title focused on the ongoing civil war in Syria. The game was banned from the Apple Store, ultimately only finding it's way onto the market place re-branded as Endgame:Eurasia. In Hemmings Play Company the player is tasked with helping Hemmings, a bear in charge of a theatre troupe of other animals, with earning enough money to rebuild the theatre after it's inevitable destruction. The tanks and assassins of End Game have been replaced with the Globe's own colourful cartoon characters striving to give a good performance for their audience and deal with the daily challenges of running a theatre.
GameTheNews's other contributions include Lute Hero; a music based rhythm game where you assist Sly the fox in playing popular old English songs such as Greensleeves and the Grand Old Duke of York. And Kit's Wardrobe Challenge a fast paced arcade game where the player attempts to rapidly clean and repair the various costumes used during a period performance. This game is an adaptation of GameTheNews's other popular comment on the house-meat scandal, Cow Crusher. GameTheNews's Tomas Rawlings said, “These bold adaptations of our existing titles show how the dynamics of a game should not be confused with its subject matter. If the core functionally is robust and game play intuitive, they can become the canvass for a variety of great projects. That is just what we were able to show while working on the Globe Playground.”
Some of the links to this story:
We're pleased to say that we're part of the collaborative project exploring the interactive documentary form as part of REACT, called JtR125:
November 8th 2013 will be the 125th anniversary of the murder of Mary Jane Kelly by an unknown assailant known as 'Jack the Ripper'. This project uses original photography and 3D game elements to experiment with making a 'playable documentary'. Exploring notions of crime, news reporting and ethics, players will interact with characters, discover clues and piece together the story, drawing parallels between contemporary society and this infamous crime.
Auroch Digital has been working with The Wellcome Trust to produce two fantastic session are this years Develop Conference in Brighton. The first is:
Live Pitch in partnership with The Wellcome Trust10 Jul 201312:00 - 12:45Room 3
Four indie developer studios pitch their latest game ideas LIVE to a panel of publishers, investors and funders! Earlier this year four indies each received development funding of up to £10,000 from The Wellcome Trust for their novel game concepts. Now they'll be pitching those developed concepts to a panel of industry experts on the hunt for the next big thing. These experienced individuals have seen hundreds of pitches and will be offering their take on each idea – and of course looking out for any they may want to invest in themselves.
And the second session is:
Plague Inc. – 10 Million Downloads and Counting: The Power of Realistic Game Design
10 Jul 201314:00 - 14:45Room 5
Plague Inc. from Ndemic Creations was one of the top mobile games of 2012 with millions of players working to infect and kill the world’s population with a deadly disease. Created as a hobby, it has become so successful that it even attracted the attention of America's CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In this interview organised by the Wellcome Trust, we'll ask James Vaughan to explain how Plague Inc. was created and the advantages that come from basing a game on a real world topic. We will also investigate the balance of realism vs. gameplay, discuss how to make science appealing and identify his top lessons for other developers seeking to make successful, realistic games.
Online gamers and visitors to the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition are today being invited to vote for their favourite science inspired game. Gamers will be able to play and then vote for one of four games developed at a 12 hour Game Jam hosted by the Royal Society in May. The Game Jam saw scientists taking part in this year’s Summer Science Exhibition team up with experienced games development studios to bring the science behind their exhibits to life.The games can be played online on the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition website or found as free PC downloads via the IndieCity website. They will also be available to play at special games stations throughout the Summer Science Exhibition at the Royal Society.
Players will be encouraged to vote for the game that they think is the most fun, playable and explains the science best. The game with the most votes will receive funding to be developed further - perhaps by adding another level or extra characters or making it available on more devices. Voting closes on Sunday 7th July. The games competing for further funding are:
Professor Peter Sadler FRS, chair of the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition selecting committee, said: “We’re delighted that our first ever Summer Science Exhibition Game Jam was such a success. It was great to see the enthusiasm with which scientists and developers alike approached the gruelling 12 hour Game Jam. The games that they were able to develop in such a short time are absolutely fantastic. The Summer Science Exhibition is all about communicating the wonders of science to the public in new and exciting ways. I’ve certainly had a wonderful time trying out all of the games and I look forward to seeing which game triumphs in the public vote!”
Unity Technologies, a games development software company, has supported the Royal Society in designing and running the Game Jam, through Unity, the flexible and high-performance development platform used to make creative and intelligent interactive 3D and 2D experiences. The Royal Society is partnering with indie game distribution portal, IndieCity, to share the games produced at the jam. The vote’s Twitter hashtag is #RSgamejam
Auroch Digital produced the event and also developed a game for one of the exhibitions, Zombeetle & The Fossil Colour Quest.
Some links to this:
Auroch Digital is a Bristol-based independent video games development studio and consultancy, known for our high-quality, faithful board game IP adaptations including Ogre, Dark Future and Chainsaw Warrior.
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