Hi everyone!

In case you missed it, the IGF entries were announced earlier this week, and DrinkBox has entered two games this year: Mutant Blobs Attack and Guacamelee! There were a record breaking number of entries this year (570!).

Some titles we are particularly excited about from friends of DrinkBox:

Chasing Aurora by Broken Rules is an awesome new game which we got a chance to play at PAX earlier this year. Super fun competitive multiplayer.

Go Home Dinosaurs by Fire Hose Games, a very cool tower defense style game from the makers of Slam Bolt Scrappers which we were also fortunate enough to try at PAX this year.

The already released I Have 1 Day, Villainous, and the upcoming Bullet Audyssey from Cellar Door Games are all fantastic games. Teddy Lee, one of the designers at DrinkBox, worked on these.

Retro/Grade by 24 Caret Games, our neighbours at PAX, are trying to get players to dust off their old Guitar Controllers for this new rhythm / shooter game.

The playable  Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure by Untold Entertainment, made in a weekend at a Toronto game jam, has captured our hearts.

Super T.I.M.E. Force by Capy is a mysterious new title from our Toronto neighbours that has a very cool art style, and allows players go back in time and mess with history to “make the world a better place for you and me”.

They Bleed Pixels by Spooky Squid Games and music from DJ Finish Him (aka Shaun Hatton) is a bloody action platformer with an awesome pixel art style.

And last but not least, Yeti (downloadable and playable from that link) by Metanet Software (of N and N+ fame) is an adventure game where you indirectly manipulate a Yeti, taking it out of it’s natural habitat and putting it into the bizarre world of humans.

Good luck to everyone!

Hey folks, my name’s David, and I’m a programmer here at Drinkbox. As my first blog post here, I thought I’d take the opportunity to answer some of the questions people always ask about the videogame industry, like: “How do you come up with a concept for a game”, “How do games get made?”, “What is a game?” and “Will my girlfriend and I stay together after we go to different provinces for college?”

To give you a little idea of how it all comes together, I’d thought I’d give you a peek behind the scenes of designing Mutant Blobs Attacks. I managed to sit in on a design meeting early in production, and I’ve uploaded a transcript for you here:

Ryan: Okay guys, now that we’ve got access to the Sony Vita platform, let’s brainstorm a few ideas for the About a Blob sequel: Mutant Blobs Attack. Who wants to go first? Teddy?
Teddy: What if we focus in on the platforming this time around? New levels, new challenges, and it’s all playable right in the palm of your hand
Chris: Sounds great! And we can use the touchscreen to manipulate the world as you explore, using all new Vita-specific powers.
Stephane: Plus, that Vita screen will really make the art pop
David: Especially the gleam of metal when the blob spits out razor blades!
Ryan: I’m sorry, did you say it should spit out razor blades?
David: I was thinking it would be totally sweet if you could roll up to townsfolk and be all “byoahh!” and they’re all “Aiiieee!”
Ryan: I feel like if we have the blob trying to murder people with razor blades, it’s going to be a lot darker than we’d like…

David: Pffft. Okay, well what if one of the new powers was you hold down a button to rev up his engine and fire salvos of rockets from his jetpack?
Chris: You know the main character is a blob, right? Not a robot?
David: Well obviously we’d explain how he became a robot in the backstory.
Teddy: That’s ridiculous! It doesn’t follow the story from Tales from Space: About a Blob. At all!
Ryan: Do you even work here? I have to be honest, I don’t recognize you.
David: Look, let’s not get all caught up on who works here, and who broke in through a window, using a resume tied around a brick, okay? What’s important is all these dynamite ideas! Speaking of which, the blob should also be able to shoot out old-timey sticks of dynamite.
Ryan: I see. Security!

There you have it – A fascinating early look into the world-building process here at Drinkbox Studios! Whoops, Ryan’s coming back to his desk. Gotta go!

Quick MBA update: We’ve hit alpha! We have plenty left to do, but all in all I’d say things are moving along pretty well. Also, some major DrinkBox news: Yesterday we announced a new game called Guacamelee, in which you play a Mexican luchador named Juan Aguacate who can swap between parallel worlds (and turn into a chicken!?!). Check out the official Blog, or the Trailer.

Ok, this is a bit misleading. We had neither a fire, nor are we selling cows. BUT, you do get to EAT cows in Tales from Space: About a Blob, our original title for PSN. Most importantly it’s on sale for $5.99 and some ridiculously cheaper price for PSN Plus users. Now you have no excuse not to buy it.