Making a video game in 48 hours is tough. In fact, it's one of the most gruelling mental challenges you can face. But every 4 months, thousands of die hard game developers enter Ludum Dare, a game jam of epic proportions. And they're not doing it for the prizes (there aren't any) or even the glory. They're doing it to give the gift of a game. And when it's a game you have created yourself, it's a very personal and powerful gift.
Last week, I did a talk at the London Game Space about game development trends and how it is influencing what we are doing at PlayCanvas.
Last Summer, PlayCanvas participated in the world's premier startup accelerator Techstars. Unlike most other accelerators, Techstars continues to host participating companies several months after the programme finishes. So when we left for our recent US tour, we also moved out of Warner Yard, Techstars' base of operations in London.
And now that we're back from our travels, we've found a new home: IDEALondon.
If you're building HTML5 games, chances are that you want as many people to play your game as possible and, in an ideal world, you'll make some money in the process. Monetization on the web is harder than it is on mobile app stores, where payment processing is standardized and credit card details are stored. But there are still a number of options. One great platform you should consider for your game is the Chrome Web Store.
SWOOOP - mobile browser game built using the PlayCanvas Engine
Today, PlayCanvas is excited to reveal SWOOOP. Our latest example of true cross-platform gaming.
CEO Will Eastcott at SXSW Accelerator
This past week the PlayCanvas founders have been deep in the heart of Texas at the celebrated mega-festival SXSW. We were chosen from over 500 companies to pitch to a enormous room full of business leads, journalists and tech enthusiasts. Will was on stage and we wowed them successfully enough to get through the final 3. Sadly another talented start-up crew beat us to the No. 1 slot, but a close 2nd is still pretty damn good.
We've moved on from Austin now, and we're in San Francisco preparing plenty of exciting news and demos for the Game Developer Conference. We look forward to sharing lots more stuff with you this week!
Yesterday, we announced an imminent update to the PlayCanvas Math API. It's a rare event that we introduce breaking changes and we only do it because we're certain it's going to help you be much more productive. So what have we changed?
Our new math API will make your life so much easier, but it will require updating your game.
One of our most requested features has landed today, and with it, it brings new power (and no new responsibility). Our most requested feature? Applying textures and materials to primitive shapes in the Designer.
To kick off 2014 with a bang, we're welcoming a brand new member to the PlayCanvas family.