MPL launches India’s first indigenous shooter game Rogue Heist

India’s largest mobile gaming platform Mobile Premier League (MPL) has partnered with Mumbai-based game developer Lifelike Studios to launch Rogue Heist, India’s first indigenous multi-player online shooter game exclusively on the MPL app, ahead of other platforms. Rogue Heist is developed by Lifelike Studios and backed by Bollywood Actor and Producer Arbaaz Khan and Time2play Gaming Studios.

Rogue Heist

 

Rogue Heist is one of the first multi-player Esports on the MPL platform and will see users face off against each other, with cash prizes for grabs for each battle and tournament. MPL currently has over 40 games on its platform.

 

Commenting on the launch, Shubh Malhotra, Co-Founder, Mobile Premier League, said, “Rogue Heist is a very exciting and engaging game and we are glad that it is launching exclusively on MPL, even before the Google Play Store. The graphics, gameplay, and the overall experience is top notch and our users are going to have the time of their lives, participating in a virtual cash heist. Lifelike Studios has done a great job optimising the game for our platform and we look forward to working with them to take Esports to all corners of the country.”

 

The idea behind Rogue Heist is to create a unique experience of a heist, which is intense, engaging, and fun in a truly competitive real-time multi-player environment.

 

The game mode on MPL is Rogue Heist- BRAWL - a super fast, action-packed Esport mode. Each game lasts only seven minutes in which 10 players are pitted against each other to steal the maximum amount of money. Here, the players get the real feel of a heist, yet come out top gainers based on their individual performance. Based on the leaderboard, top players will win cash prizes on MPL, making it a virtual cash heist with real money for takes.

“MPL has been our first choice for collaboration from the beginning. With the opportunity of exclusively launching on MPL (for real money awards), I am happy that we overcame many challenges by deep collaboration between both our teams. The biggest challenge was to reduce the size of the game from 1.5 GB to 450 MB for MPL users while still being able to provide the true Rogue Heist experience. As this is a live game, we plan on providing constant updates to keep MPL users engaged,” said Ashish Beuria, CEO, Lifelike Studios.

 

“Rogue Heist will be a game changer, which is made in India. Our team is really excited and happy to launch the Esports version of Rogue Heist on MPL, as it gives us the opportunity to engage with their massive playerbase and geographical reach all over India and Indonesia, while at the same time providing an exciting, edge-of-the-seat shooting game experience to MPL players,” said Bollywood Actor and Producer Arbaaz Khan.

Founded in 2018, MPL is India’s largest Mobile Gaming and Esports platform. It has grown to over 40 million registered users and currently has over 40 games, including titles like FreeFire and World Cricket Championship. MPL also has multiple gaming studios and developers as partners to publish their games on its platform. MPL’s app is available on both Android and iOS. 

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vivo Announces Partnership with PUBG MOBILE Club Open 2019

vivo recentlry announced a partnership with the top grossing mobile game - PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDSMobile (PUBG MOBILE) by Tencent Games and PUBG Corporation as the title sponsor of the upcoming PUBG MOBILE Club Open 2019, one of the biggest mobile gaming tournaments in the world.  vivo will provide the official smartphones for the PUBG MOBILE Club Open 2019, which players from ten regions across the globe will be leveraging to battle their way through the Spring & Fall Split, for the total prize pool of $2.5M USD. This global partnership reinforces vivo’s commitment to bringing an ultra-smooth gaming experience to connect with consumers through meaningful partnerships. 

vivo Title sponsor of PUBG Mobile Club Open 2019

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Sharing his thoughts on the partnership, Mr. Nipun Marya, Director-Brand Strategy, vivo India said, “vivo thrives to be at the forefront of the eSports industry to best serve its consumers. The partnership with PUBG MOBILE is a key milestone especially given that it is a leading mobile game developed by Tencent Games and PUBG Corporation that has millions of fans globally. PUBG MOBILE Club Open 2019 is a strong opportunity to showcase vivo’s vision of ‘enjoying the extraordinary’ by bringing global players a true gaming experience like no other. This global partnership will unfold and strengthen vivo’s position in being an innovative and stylish brand that always puts our consumer experience first”.

“We are excited to partner with vivo, as they have a strong reputation in being innovative and putting the consumer’s needs first. As an innovative brand ourselves, this partnership highlights our dedication to bring the best experience possible to our players and fans around the world. This partnership is just the beginning, we want to continue building a strong portfolio of partnerships with industry-leading companies, such as vivo, to provide the best mobile gaming experience possible,” said Vincent Wang, General Manager of Global Publishing Department, Tencent Games.

The PUBG MOBILE STAR CHALLENGE 2018 was watched by over 230 million viewers and drew in over 5,000 live attendees at the global finals in Dubai. The qualifying round of PUBG MOBILE Club Open 2019 will begin on March 22, 2019. The Spring Split Global Finals will be hosted in July this year, with the Fall Split Global Finals following in December.

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PUBG mobile reaches 10 million daily active users milestone

Tencent and PUBG Corp. announced that wildly popular game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds MOBILE (PUBG MOBILE) has surpassed 10 million daily active users (DAUs) around the world (excluding China).

Tencent and PUBG Corp. have announced the impressive DAU milestone for PUBG MOBILE, the mobile version of the massively popular game that was released on the App Store and Google Play Store internationally on March 19th. In addition, PUBG MOBILE has claimed the most downloaded spot in more than 100 countries and areas. It took PUBG MOBILE less than a week to become one of the fastest games to achieve this performance.

PUBG MOBILE has been met with a positive response from players and critics alike. It has been nominated for “Best Breakthrough Hit” and “Best Community Building Game” at the 2018 Google Play Awards, and was the only game to be nominated for two awards.

The PUBG MOBILE development team is focused on delivering the original PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds PC version’s core excitement to mobile, optimizing the user interface so that mobile players can play as intended. The team paid special attention to the controls and optimization to give players a smooth, intuitive and immersive experience. The team consistently updates the game with new content every month.

For Tencent Games, smartphone games achieved approximately RMB21.7 billion revenues (including smart phone games revenues attributable to social networks business), up 68% year-on-year, driven by in-house mobile titles such as Arena of Valor and QQ Speed Mobile. Revenues increased 28% sequentially due to seasonal promotional activities and new games. Arena of Valor remained the highest grossing smartphone game in China’s iOS Top Grossing Chart. Its metrics were healthy with double-digit growth in DAUs and strong growth in revenues on year-on-year basis. The multi-player online battle arena subgenre has boomed in popularity due to the industry’s growing esports scene. Since launching in China in 2015, Arena of Valor has experienced immense growth and now boasts of more than 200 million monthly active players, making it one of the most popular mobile games in the world.

PUBG MOBILE is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play.

Arena of Valor is available on the Google Play Store & App Store

Not edited by our staff

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PlayFusion and Games Workshop Join Forces to Create New Warhammer AR, Physical and Digital Trading Card Game

PlayFusion, a leader in enhanced reality entertainment and makers of the ground-breaking TCG Lightseekers, today announced an exciting IP partnership with Games Workshop to develop an all-new way for tabletop war gaming and for TCG fans to experience the Warhammer Age of Sigmar universe. The new game will feature physical trading cards, a fully digital trading card game for mobile and PC, and a completely immersive augmented reality experience using PlayFusion's proprietary computer vision and augmented reality technology, the Enhanced Reality Engine.

"Partnering with Games Workshop fulfills a lifelong dream of contributing to the Warhammer universe. The majority of our team and I grew up part of the Warhammer community, so it's a huge honour for all of us to not only partner with such an iconic British company but also to contribute to one of the original and best fantasy IPs in the world," said Mark Gerhard, CEO and Co-Founder of PlayFusion. 

PlayFusion will launch the new Warhammer Age of Sigmar Champions experience in July 2018. The physical trading card game will feature hundreds of collectible cards that players can use to build their own decks to fit their strategy and tactics. The physical cards will also come to life when viewed through PlayFusion's Enhanced Reality Engine™, allowing fans to unlock various enhanced gameplay options while also giving them an exciting new way to explore the Warhammer Age of Sigmar world. PlayFusion will continue to partner with Games Workshop for many years to come to offer new game expansions and additional card reveals.

Available for iOS, Android and PC, the game will give the Warhammer community a new way to experience the universe either physically or on their favorite devices with online play. Warhammer Age of Sigmar Champions will also feature unique physical-to-digital experiences that allows players to import their physical cards into the digital game and play them online.

"Working with such a talented and accomplished group like PlayFusion is an absolute privilege. Their passion, technological expertise and just sheer 'can do' attitude has been seriously impressive," said Jon Gillard Head of Licensing for Games Workshop. "Taking the richness of Warhammer Age of Sigmar and merging it with their innovative hybrid physical/digital trading card game makes for a winning combination anyway, but add in the cool AR functionality and this game is really something special." 

Fans can pre-register for Warhammer Age of Sigmar Champions by visiting www.warhammerchampions.com. Additional details will be revealed at the Games Developers Conference in San Francisco.

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Lenovo and LXG Presents Indian LAN Gaming (ILG) Cup with Prize Pool of worth 20 Lakhs INR

LXG and Lenovo presents Indian LAN Gaming (ILG) Cup , Season 1, Powered by HyperX. ILG Cup is a celebration of competitive LAN Gaming in India. As part of the series there will be multiple tournaments spread across Gaming Cafes across seven cities in India. ILG Cups aims to rejuvenate the LAN gaming culture in the country. The Cities with Participating Gaming Cafes are Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. 

ILG Cup Schedule(Click to Enlarge)

Games to be played as part of the tournament are:

• DOTA2
• CS:GO
• Overwatch

There will be a total of 27 Tournaments broadly divided into two categories. Out of 27, 21 Tournaments will be Minors comprising of 7 Tournaments each of DOTA2, CS:GO and Overwatch. Similarly remaining 6 Tournaments will be Major comprising of 2 Tournaments each of DOTA2, CS:GO and Overwatch.

As far as the prize is concerned the total pool prize is INR 20,00,000. Which is to be distributed as below:

1.       Minors – 21 Tournaments X 28,500 INR

a.       First Place       : 18,500 INR

b.      Second Place : 10,000 INR

The Winners and Runners-up of the minors get a slot in both the Majors.

1.       Majors – 6 Tournaments X 1,50,000 INR

a.       First Place       : 75,000 INR

b.      Second Place : 50,000 INR

c.       Third Place     : 25,000 INR

2.       Contests and Giveaways : 5,00,000 INR

Venues/Partnered Gaming Cafes

1.       League of Extraordinary Gamers(LXG), Bangalore

2.       League of Extraordinary Gamers (LXG), Chennai

3.       Playmax Interactive, Hyderabad

4.       Havok Nation, Pune

5.       Gearup Gaming, Mumbai

6.       INFI Lounge, Kolkata

7.       Xtreme Gaming, Delhi

Schedule

1.       Minors – January to July 2017

2.       Majors – September & October 2017

Registration Fee

There is No registration fee for any of the ILG cup tournaments. However all the participants will have to recharge Café time for their respective tournament games.

Website

Ilg.lxgindia.com

Facebook Page

facebook.com/Indian-LAN-Gaming-ILG-Cup-187180695089762

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Daily App Downloads in India Rise 16% in H1, 2016: 9Apps Data Report

Press Release

Daily app downloads in India increased 16% in the first half of 2016 (January-June), according to latest data released by 9Apps, India’s most popular third-party app store and part of Alibaba Mobile Business Group. As of 2016, 9Apps has reached over 250 million monthly active users around the world. According to 9Apps, the peak hour for an app download in India is 9:00 PM.

Ebrahim Popat, Country Manager, 9Apps says “According to our statistics, tool, social, media and entertainment, apart from gaming, remain the most popular categories for app downloads. Tools make up about 23% of all app downloads; Social about 9%; Entertainment at 7% and music is over 4% of all non-gaming app downloads. The data has been compiled by 9Apps Trends, a public web facility of 9Apps that offers best-in-class data analytics products & services and the most insightful mobile industry analysis.”

Apps Consumption Trends in India - 9Apps Report

Consumption of gaming apps has increased more than that of non-gaming app. The proportion of games in total app downloads has increased to nearly 20% this year versus 17% in 2015. The gaming consumption patterns have become more diversified. Racing and action games, although still the most popular, now make up 43% of all game downloads (versus 53% in 2015). Simulation games are a new trending category, and account for 13% of all game downloads.

“Interestingly, we also find that instead of Rating, Screenshot is the most important factor to attract potential app users. 46% respondents pick Screenshot when asked what affect their willingness to download a mobile game/app from an app store, while only 36% selected Rating. Apps that are better in localised promotion perform better in India” adds Ebrahim. 

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ZOWIE Brand to become the Title Sponsor of eXTREMESLAND ZOWIE Asia CS:GO 2016

ZOWIE today announced its association with eXTREMESLAND, the annual eSports event for CS:GO Players of the Asia Pacific region. The prestigious global tournament will have 2 months qualifiers from each region and the winners from the regional events will be sent to Shanghai for the finals, where prizes worth USD 100,000 awaits for the winner.

BenQ has recently strengthened its dedication to eSports segment by adopting ZOWIE as the new brand for its gaming-related line after investing in the company. BenQ will continue to show its commitment to gamers by providing eSports athletes with premium professional gaming products via the ZOWIE identity. 

Prizes for the event

The eXTREMESLAND ZOWIE Asia CS:GO 2016 will feature, ZOWIE, the brand that represents BenQ’s eSports product line-up, as the title sponsor and the official monitor provider in the coming eXTREMESLAND ZOWIE Asia CS:GO championship, the competition will cover over 20 countries across Asia-Pacific. Nearly a thousand CS:GO teams are set to take part in the qualifiers from July till August. The qualifiers include both online and offline competitions and 16 teams will emerge from these qualifiers and battle it out during the Asian Grand Final held at China in September to contend for the prize pool of $ 100,000. The eXTREMESLAND ZOWIE Asia CS:GO 2016 India Championship local qualifiers will follow the below mentioned schedule

•             Registrations open from 21st of June, 2016 to 8th of July, 2016.

•             Online Qualifiers Phase 1: 11th July, 2016 to 28th of July, 2016.

•             Online Semifinals - Phase 2: 9th and 10th of August, 2016

•             Offline Finals: 20th and 21st of August, 2016 @ LXG, Bangalore

The qualifiers will be open for Pro Teams from India and the winner of the Indian league will be sent to Shanghai, China on company expenses. The offline finals will be held at LXG, Bangalore and will give the top 4 teams of India a chance to battle it out for the coveted prize participation in the eXTREMESLAND Asia Pacific finals in China.  BenQ Zowie will also set up a boot camp for the final winners to help them prepare better for the Asia Pacific Finals. The teams can go to the following link to register http://goo.gl/v0Zkov

As a title sponsor, all eXTREMESLAND ZOWIE Asia CS:GO 2016 matches will be played with eSports monitors provided by BenQ ZOWIE to ensure that all competitors will play without any compromise in their performance.

ZOWIE focuses all of its efforts in providing the best performance for pro- gamers while considering each player’s preference and comfort, as ZOWIE understands the importance of personal preference in professional e-Sports product matters.

ZOWIE product experience will be available throughout the local qualifier event. More details will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to http://www.extremesland.com/en/ . Get ready for a whole lot of intense gaming and excitement!

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Rovio brings 'Angry Birds Action!" ahead of the The Angry Bird Movie Launch, comes with augmented reality mini-games and much more

Today Rovio announced its all new pinball-inspired 3D game "Android Birds Action!" (yes the exclamation is included in the name). The game will also add digital-physical integration in form of Augmented reality content, "The Angy Bird" movie watchers will also get extra incentive.

Harmonized with the latest symphony of destruction, the leader of the flock Red smashes and crashes through obstacles and bounces from wall to wall like a wrecking ball – all in the name, of course, of saving precious and fragile eggs. Along the way, players unlock exclusive additional content by going to see The Angry Birds Movie on opening weekend, and also play augmented-reality mini-games and earn new rewards by scanning special BirdCodes located out in the real world.

Go on a real-world scavenger hunt by visiting retailers such as Walmart or Toys ‘R’ Us, and looking for the BirdCodes on display. Scanning them unlocks additional power-ups and a different character (Red, Chuck, Bomb or a Pig) that provides a key to a mystery box in the game

Users who watch The Angry Birds Movie in cinema during the opening weekend and stick around for the credits, the audience members with the game open will get more Movie Magic with a whole new area of the game to explore and an exclusive movie clip that will not be available anywhere else but inside Angry Birds Action! Movie Magic works in the game by detecting an inaudible digital watermark that plays only behind the end credits.

“With The Angry Birds Movie coming soon, Angry Birds Action! brings the brand back full circle to its mobile origins, while also creating with our partners a new type of entertainment experience altogether,” says Kati Levoranta, Rovio CEO.

“We have put the Angry Birds characters and story at the center of a truly 360-degree experience this summer, bringing the storyworld to life in a new way both for our heavily engaged fanbase and newcomers alike,” adds Miika Tams, VP Games. “Angry Birds Action! is the cornerstone of our comprehensive Digital Movie Program, which bridges digital and physical entertainment like never before, and with more than 1 billion BirdCodes to be found out in the wild, at a scale never seen before either.”

Commenting on the announcement, Anurag Sachdeva, Country Director (India & South Asia) Rovio Entertainment said “ Angry Birds is one of the most loved and adored brands in the country and has enjoyed a very strong brand recall among consumers in India. These are very exciting times for us at Rovio as we bridge the worlds of physical and digital entertainment, delighting fans at every step. With over 100 million BirdCodes generated for the market, we see a harmonious transition of offline elements into our new mobile game Angry Birds Action! and our upcoming Angry Birds Movie.”

Angry Birds Action! is published by Rovio Entertainment and developed by Tag Games. The game is completely free to download, play and succeed in, but optional in-app purchases are available. Players are reminded to have the permission of the bill payer before making any in-app purchases. BirdCodes at retail partners require no purchase to function – just walk in, find the BirdCode, scan and enjoy. However, take-home consumer products bearing BirdCodes really should be purchased before, you know, taking them home.

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Get easy access to Gamaya Legends with its launch on Amazon.in

 Launched in India in the month of December, Gamaya Legends - a video game based on one of the greatest Indian epics the Ramayana, is now available for purchase on Amazon.in . Gamaya Inc., a California based video game and connected toys startup, through its exclusive tie-up with Amazon.in offers a basic starter kit at a price that can’t be matched. Customers on Amazon.in can purchase the kit at Rs. 4999 and save up to 28% on the actual price. Additionally, gaming enthusiasts also have the option of availing the product on easy EMIs of Rs. 401.84 per month.

Gamaya Legend Characters

The starter kit comprises a beautifully crafted toy, which is the physical manifestation of its virtual avatar, based on the character of Rama from the great epic Ramayana, along with a gaming console. This toy when placed on its gaming console activates the character in the video game. Through 3D animated cartoons and toys that come alive in a video game, kids are sure to enjoy the world of folklore like never before. Disrupting the video gaming industry, Gamaya introduces a distinctive combination of the real and virtual worlds, revisiting folktales and stories of the past and bringing legendary characters to life.

“We are therefore extremely happy to be the partner of choice for Gamaya and offer our customers across the country an easy & convenient access to Gamaya Legends. We are very confident that this unique and interesting video game   will catch the fancy of all gaming enthusiasts especially since it is based on Ramayana, an epic that continues to fascinate Indians even today,” said Samir Kumar, VP Category Management, Amazon India.

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International Cricket Council ropes in smartphone maker OPPO for 4 years of global partnership

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has signed up Chinese smartphone maker OPPO as its global partner for 4 years spanning from start of 2016 to end of 2019. Earlier news has surfaced that OPPO will pay $34 million over the next 4 years.

Notably known as “a gentleman’s game”, cricket has always been a strong symbol of sportsmanship and fairplay, with its players upholding high standards of respect for both opponents and officials. The ICC, the global governing body of cricket with 10 full members, 37 associate members and 60 affiliate members, is determined to safeguard cricket’s unique spirit and to promote the sport in its 100-plus member countries and regions, which naturally leads to the very selective choice of its partners.

OPPO partners with ICC

Commenting on the new partnership, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “The ICC is delighted to welcome OPPO on board as a Global Partner and we are excited about the opportunity to team up for the next four years. OPPO is one of the market leaders in its field with an impressive worldwide presence, especially in territories where the game of cricket continues to grow and, in a lot of cases, flourish.

“OPPO has strong brand values on innovation and integrity, which are closely aligned with the ICC’s, and we believe that by partnering with OPPO, we can extend cricket’s reach even further. We look forward to working closely with them for the foreseeable future.”

OPPO CEO Mr. Tony Chen said, “By hosting the world’s pre-eminent cricket competitions, the ICC dedicates itself to giving fans around the world an extraordinary and unforgettable cricketing experience. This commitment to excellence accords perfectly with OPPO’s pursuit of perfection in its own exceptional products.”

He mentioned that throughout the last century, the ICC elevated the sport of cricket to new heights, just as OPPO has brought on new standards of excellence in mobile technology throughout its own history. OPPO’s drive to innovate has been particularly striking in the smartphone industry, where it has continued to break records. From the Finder, which set the record for the world’s thinnest smartphone in 2012, to the N3, with the first automated rotating camera in 2014, OPPO hasn’t let up in producing industry firsts. OPPO has also pioneered the patented VOOC Flash Charge quick-charging technology, introducing the world to the first-ever high-speed, low-voltage charging mechanism. Allowing users to talk for two hours on just a five-minute charge, VOOC Flash Charge is the industry’s fastest and safest charging technology.

To date, OPPO sells its phones offline in over 20 markets around the world, and offers online sales to another fifty-plus countries. In many of the countries OPPO currently operates in, including Australia, India, the UAE and many others in South Asia and Africa, cricket enjoys huge popularity.

Mr. Sky Li, Vice President of OPPO and Managing Director of International Mobile Business, said, “OPPO is very enthusiastic about supporting international cricket, and cooperating with the ICC in bringing cricket fans more of the world-class competitions that the organization is known for. The partnership will allow us to continue to strengthen our links with consumers, as we join them in celebrating the great sport of cricket.”

The ICC runs a number of high-profile cricket competitions, including the ICC Cricket World Cup, the ICC World Twenty20, the ICC Champions Trophy, the ICC Women’s World Cup, the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup and others. Through the ICC partnership, OPPO will leverage many high profile cricket tournaments hosted by the ICC to present itself through branding and fan engaging opportunities at the matches. This is OPPO’s second big play in the world of sports this year. In May 2015, it announced a 3-year partnership with FC Barcelona.

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Gaming company Gamaya Inc. announces the launch of Gamaya Legends

Gamaya Inc., a California based video game and connected toys startup, forays into the Indian Territory, with the launch of Gamaya Legends - a video game based on the world’s greatest epics. Disrupting the video gaming industry, Gamaya introduces a distinctive combination of the real and virtual worlds, bringing folktales and stories of the past to life. It has beautifully crafted toys, which are the physical manifestations of their virtual avatars, all based on characters from the great epics. These toys when placed on its gaming console, activates the characters in the video game. Through 3D animated cartoons and toys that come alive in a video game, kids are sure to enjoy the world of folklore like never before.

Gamaya

Elaborating on the launch, Mr. Narayanan Vaidyanathan,Founder, Gamaya Legends commented, “The evolution of the gaming and toys segment was a natural occurrence, considering the discerning demands of kids today. With the tradition of storytelling slowly phasing out, and innumerable gaming gizmos taking over, this is an effort to connect today’s kids with their cultural ethos through a medium most preferred by them and one they can instantly relate to.  Through a series of story videos to be broadcast on television, to a range of interactive video games using the characters from the great epics, Gamaya seeks to rekindle an interest in these stories.”

The physical toys based on the characters from the epics will allow children from all over the world to indulge their imagination while playing out their fantasies with these toys. Made of premium material and aesthetically crafted, these toys are touted to soon become collector’s items, much in the way of some of the Star Wars memorabilia.

The launch is in correspondence to the ever growing toy market. Gaming and Toys today are becoming a serious business, with the global annual toy sales approaching $90 billion. With connectivity becoming an industry fad, vendors are hopeful that this combination of tech and toys could expand their market even further. 

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16 characters in Google's Chrome address bar and it's gone

An interesting bug is said to be present in one of the most used browsers , Google Chrome. The bug is found by security researcher Andris Atteka from Latvia. The blog post says 

"Recently I reported a crash bug in Google Chrome (issue #533361). This issue reminded me of the recent Skype vulnerability - both occur with simple URL strings. So how can you crash Google Chrome? By adding a NULL char in the URL string:

http://biome3d.com/%%30%30"

 Once you hit this URL in your chrome browser you , the browser will crash  immediately, even hovering your mouse over the link will cause the crash or atleast this particular tab will crash if not the whole browser.

Turns out to be that the crash can be reproduced by replacing "biome3d.com" with a single character like 'a' and the bug lies in parsing null present in the URL.

The vulnerability was reported as a security bug but the bounty was turned down as it is deemed as a DOS attack rather than a security issue, said Andris in his blog. Earlier the bug was thought to be only affecting desktop versions of Chrome Browser but some users have reported that this is reproducible on Android version of the browser as well.

Interesting aspect of the bug is that a user szhu created a maze game (pic below) wherein the maze comprises of trees and bears, you have to hover your mouse over bears to reach from one end to another but the moment you touch trees your tab will crash and now you know why. 

Maze Game

You can also try this game by heading on to Github page , though hovering over will only crash your current tab, but we recommend to close all your important tabs and then try the game in case you accidentally click on any of the trees it will lead in crashing of the browser itself.

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Android game launched on 'Arranged Marriage' the most famous adventure sport of India

Being Indians, we all grew up debating arrange marriage vs Love marriage. The topic of the debate is still alive as it was 15 years ago or may be 150 years ago in India but the technology and modernisation has led to increase in number of Love marriages in India. Taking it to a whole new level Junglee Games  launched a game on Google Playstore named "Junglee Arranged Marriage" the game is one of few games based on Indian themes and fourth from the gaming company.

"Arranged marriages are wonderful only when they are consensual and not forced." Satya Mahapatra, CMO of Junglee Games

Android game on Arrange Marriages in India

The game is principally an endless running game a league made famous by likes of Temple Run and Subway surfers. The objective of the game is to avoid any hurdles coming in between to avoid the big fat Indian Arranged marriage with the usual gestures to run, jump and slide. Once the player is stopped by any hurdle in between, the opposite gender computerised character will swoop down to garland user's character.

Commenting on the launch of the app, Satya Mahapatra, CMO of Junglee Games said, "The Junglee Arranged Marriage game is a fresh and innovative way to celebrate love and freedom of choice in marriage. It is an attempt to highlight the odds stacked against those who undergo arranged marriages. We wish to take a light-hearted dig at all the practices that are sanctioned in the name of an arranged marriage and how this sacred union should actually stand for a ‘happy ending’. The best part about the game is that it has been designed for entertainment as well as enlightenment where it highlights the evils of the society like Dowry as an obstacle or social evil that a player has to dodge. Arranged marriages are wonderful only when they are consensual and not forced.”

In the game, one gets to hop onto the white horse and outrun one's would-be spouse. Players can sprint faster with power ups, take protection with ultra-shields and collect coins with powerful magnets. The Game has some interesting boosters, which can keep players engrossed during the grand escape:

·         Power Ups – Run Faster with Super Power Ups!

·         Bonus Power Ups – Collect and Get 2x Gold Coins

·         Shield – Run through anything on the Way

·         Magnet Power - Attract gold coins on the run

·         Hen Power – Make your horse run faster

·         3 Themes – Run through different Cities

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Enjoy console gaming experience on your smartphone with Amkette Evo Gamepad pro

If you are an Android smartphone user and miss the convenience of console gaming on your smartphone then this news is guaranteed to bring smile on your face. Amkette, the New Delhi based electronics manufacturer unveils Evo Gamepad Pro for Android smartphones at a price of Rs 2799/-. Any Android smartphone can be attached to the Gamepad and user can enjoy the experience of a gaming console.

Amkette Evo Gamepad pro

The Evo Gamepad Pro is exclusively available on the leading e-commerce website Flipkart. The gamepad is ergonomically designed and sports rubber grip and a superior clamp that allows user to play longer without hurting their fingers for longer time. The device also comes with a bluetooth support which works in range of upto 5 meters to connect wirelessly with the devices.

Company also provides users with an app which lists 350+ games from all genres supported by the device. The Gamepad app is made for easy pairing and exploring mobile experience on the go. The device looks pretty cool and for the price of INR 2799/- it deserves a definite try. We will update this space with the reviews once we have it on our hands. Feel free to comment if you have any questions, opinions or generic comment about the device. 

Watch below video to explore the Evo Gamepad PRO

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Tata communications calls to create F1 prediction tools with a prize money of USD $50000

As part of its F1 connectivity innovation prize, Tata communications calls tech enthusiasts to come up with a F1 Grand Prix prediction tool for fans. First part of challenge included creation of app which would help F1 drivers make smart decision on the go with data collected from different sensors on board. The first challenge was one by Ravi Sawhney and Svetlana Sawhney with their winning application Databricks.

The F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize

As mentioned above the first part was dedicated to drivers but the second part is focused on F1 fans who make the sport what it is. The challenge requires the participants to come with an application which enables fans to engage with F1 management forecasting how each Grand Prix will unfold and submit their predictions for each team member and team for evaluation. The tool should also enable F1 Management to rank these predictions based upon accuracy so that most accurate prediction can be awarded when the results are out.

John Morrison, Chief Technical Officer of Formula One Management, says, “Each Grand Prix weekend, fans are glued to their TVs to see how drivers and teams respond to changing circumstances such as adverse weather conditions or an unexpected safety car deployment. With this challenge, we are asking entrants  to create a platform where F1^® followers can use practice data and their knowledge of the sport to predict how the story of each race will play out and who will emerge as the winner.”

Julie Woods-Moss, Chief Marketing Officer and CEO of NextGen Business at Tata Communications, says, “The way we watch sports has changed for good – people want to be more engaged, sharing their own commentary via social media and using different devices to follow multiple video feeds and build their own picture of the action. The second challenge of the F1^® Connectivity Innovation Prize is about finding new techniques for fans to experience and engage with the sport. We had a remarkable response to the first challenge, and I encourage technical visionaries and creative minds around the world to take part in the final challenge to shape innovation in F1^®.” Martin Brundle, former Formula 1^® race driver and F1^® commentator for Sky Sports F1^®, says, “In addition to bringing existing die-hard F1^® fans closer to the sport, a predictive analysis tool would also open up new possibilities on how the sport could evolve and attract new followers in the future. This challenge has incredible potential and I’m looking forward to being a part of the judging panel.”

The first challenge of the F1^® Connectivity Innovation prize, set by the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team, was to design a new approach for displaying critical race car telemetry and sensor data to enable engineers at the race track and at the factory in the UK to make more accurate decisions through real-time data visualisation. The winning entries came from the UK, Spain and Australia. 

Each entry will be evaluated by a panel of judges which will include F1 drivers and technologists including John Morrison himself, Chief Technical Officer of F1. Lewis Hamilton, MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team race driver; Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical) of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team; David Coulthard, former Formula 1^® race driver and F1^® commentator; and Martin Brundle, former Formula 1^® race driver and F1^® commentator. They are joined by Mehul Kapadia, Managing Director of F1^® Business at Tata Communications.

The deadline for entries for the second challenge is Tuesday September 8^th 2015 at 5:00pm BST (GMT +1). A full brief can be downloaded from the F1^® Connectivity Innovation Prize website. To hear more about the challenge, see this video featuring Martin Brundle.

The Grand Prize of the F1^® Connectivity Innovation Prize is a cheque for $50,000 and a bespoke trophy, to be presented to the winner (or winning team) at the end of the season in November. Additional prizes will include VIP trips to the final of the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship™, the 2015 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX. [2]

Tata Communications is the Official Connectivity Provider of Formula 1^®, enabling the sport to seamlessly reach out to its tens of millions of fans across the globe. 

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Must have apps on your smart phone to catch IPL fever live

Cricket world cup has just ended and Indians had to ultimately #giveitback to the mighty Aussies, but Indians have another 'Mauka' to cheer for their favorite team in festive season of Cricket i.e. IPL T20 Championship. While its fun to cheer for your favorite team (even multiple teams in same day), its hard to catch up the live fever for many fans as many of the scheduled matches are on weekdays. We have come up with a list of apps that will keep the spark alive in you by providing live feed.

UC Cricket

Fresh user interface along with most comprehensive cricket content. You can catch live scores, previews, commentaries, interviews, stats, photos, videos and more. The real-time notification feature that runs in background to keep you updated with the latest score and results so that you will never miss any critical moment. Fans from around the world can interact with each other via its Comment Section with a wide range of cricket-themed emoticons. Through its exclusive “Cricket Guessing Game”, users can pick the winner of each match and collect points to get a chance to win exciting prizes.

UC Cricket

StarSports

This comes from one of the largest broadcaster in India.You can get scores, player statistics, in-game analytics & a video scorecard along with an interaction video timeline.  You can also join in conversations with friends and sports fans.

ESPN CricInfo

One of the oldest websites dedicated to cricket coverage. Likewise, its mobile app is perhaps one of the best one for keeping track of all the updates, be it scores, raw statistics or team news. The app is also home to a host of content authored by some of the most well-known cricket writers from around the world.

CricBuzz

Like ESPN, it also is home to a lot of exclusive commentary from cricket pundits around the world. It is also one of the few apps available for Windows Phone users, in addition to iOS and Android.

CriBol

The app gives you ball by ball info on the IPL matches with a wide array of details. There is a voice feature that will let you hear the updates instead of reading through it.

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