With the convention over, the organizers of GC 2007 sent out an announcement stating that they have attracted a total of 185,000 visitors to Leipzig this year, a slight increase over the past year. This figure includes 12,300 registered trade visitors, compared against 8700 of the past year. Exhibitors were happy too, with 85 percent saying that their participation in the event had had a great significance in the scope of their overall marketing activities, while 91 percent said that they plan on joining again next year.

“The GC 2007 has exceeded all of our targets. A high degree of satisfaction can be seen, not only amongst exhibitors and trade visitors, but also amongst the general public. This result underscores once again why the GC, as Europe’s leading fair in the industry, has an ideal home in Leipzig”, said Josef Rahmen, Managing Director of the Leipziger Messe.

The winners for this year’s “Best of GC” awards have been announced. A total of nine products were awarded from the 85 hardware and software titles that were submitted by exhibitors at the Leipzig Games Convention. Here is the winners list:

PC: Crysis
Xbox: BioShock
PSP: God of War: Chains of Olympus
PS2: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
PS3: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Wii: Mario & Sonic at the Olympics
Nintendo DS: Eye Training
Online: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
Best Hardware Accessory: Wii Balance Board
Mobile: none

With the Games Convention going on in full swing, the organizers of the event sent out a press release announcing the nominees for the “Best of GC” awards. An eleven-member jury of experts has nominated the following games in a total of ten categories. The award ceremony will take place in the Leipziger Messe press conference room on August 24 at 11am.

In the category PC:
- Sam&Max Season One (JoWood Productions Software AG)
- StarCraft 2 (Vivendi Games Deutschland GmbH)
- Hellgate: London (Electronic Arts GmbH)
- Die Siedler Aufstieg eines Königsreichs (Ubisoft GmbH)
- Crysis (Electronic Arts GmbH)
- Enemy Territory Quake Wars (ACTIVISION Deutschland GmbH)

In the category Xbox:
- BioShock (Take 2 Interactive GmbH)
- PES 2008 (Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH)
- Sacred 2: Fallen Angel 360 (Ascaron Entertainment GmbH)
- Eternal Sonata (ATARI Deutschland GmbH)
- Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (EIDOS GmbH)

In the category PSP:
- God of War: Chains of Olympus (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)
- PES 2008 (Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH)
- Silent Hill Origins (Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH)

In the category PS2:
- PES 2008 (Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH)
- Crash of the Titans (Vivendi Games Deutschland GmbH)
- Singstar - Die Toten Hosen (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)
- BUZZ! - Das Film-Quiz (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)

In the category PS3:
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH)
- SingStar (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)
- Uncharted: Drakes Schicksal (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)
- The Eye of Judgment (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)
- PES 2008 (Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH)

In the category Wii:
- Wii Fitness (NINTENDO of Europe GmbH)
- Super Mario Galaxy (NINTENDO of Europe GmbH)
- Mario & Sonic bei den Olympischen Spielen (SEGA Germany GmbH)

In the category NDS:
- Eye Training (NINTENDO of Europe GmbH)
- Undercover: Doppeltes Spiel (dtp Entertainment AG)
- The Simpsons Games (Electronic Arts GmbH)

In the category Mobile:
- Skate (Electronic Arts GmbH)
- Medal of Honor Airborne (Electronic Arts GmbH)

In the category Online:
- Hellgate: London (Electronic Arts GmbH)
- Enemy Territory Quake Wars (ACTIVISION Deutschland GmbH)
- Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (EIDOS GmbH)

In the category Best Hardware Product:
- Wii Balance Board (NINTENDO of Europe GmbH)
- Rockband (Electronic Arts GmbH)
- PlayStation®Eye (Sony Computer Entertainment)

10tacle Studios and developer Reakktor Media have revealed details behind Black Prophecy, their upcoming action-MMO. The game will take place in space and will emphasize on space exploration and deep space combat. It will contain both single-player missions and multiplayer battles, having players experience a story penned by award-winning German sci-fi author Michael Marrak.

By the mid 26th century humanity has conquered the universe and colonized countless planets. Yet life in space requires a great deal of adaptation. Bred for just these conditions, the cybernetically adapted Tyi and the biogenetically optimized Geniden have outgrown their creators to become the new ruling races. Their uncompromising battle for total mastery of space leads humanity into the sphere of influence of an ancient alien life form - a life form which tolerates no other cosmic civilizations but its own. In this battle against an overpowering enemy, players must first choose which of the two rival factions they wish to join as they try to save humanity.

The game is set for release during Fall 2008. Below are the first four screenshots.

2K Games and 2K Sports have announced their lineups for the Leipzig Games Convention starting today. The publisher will be showing off Borderlands, Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution, NBA 2K8, NHL 2K8 and Top Spin 3.

More details on their lineup can be found just after the jump.
(more…)

Frogster Interactive sends word that they will be present at the Leipzig Games Convention this week, showing off Speedball 2 and holding daily competitions at their booth. The Speedball 2 Arena at booth A02 in consumer hall 4 will be open to 1on1 matches with two champions daily winning one of the strictly limited Speedball 2 jerseys.

Also, Mike Montgomery of The Bitmap Brothers will be present for regular autographing sessions at the stand, which will also be host to presentations by the developers. Attendees will also be able to register for the open beta test of Speedball 2 starting this September at all gaming terminals at the booth.

Premier peripherals manufacturer Nyko Technologies has announced that it will be present at the Leipzig Games Convention, presenting a lineup of current and upcoming products.

The Zero is Nyko’s premium line of controllers, featuring LED backlit buttons, heat dissipating aluminum panels, full six direction support and a unique ergonomic design perfect for all hand types. The FrontMan Wireless Guitar Controller for Xbox 360 brings much sought after wireless technology to the console allowing players to shred to their favorite songs from up to 30 feet away.

Visitors to Nyko in Hall 3, Booth A11 will also have the chance to see Nyko’s best selling Wii accessories such as the Charge Station for Wii, which recharges two Wii remotes simultaneously, and the Wireless Sensor Bar for Wii, which increases the range and accuracy of Wii remotes while removing inconvenient cables.

In addition, Nyko will be showing several PlayStation 3 peripherals, including the Charge Base, which charges up to four SIXAXIS controllers at once. Nyko will also exhibit the exceedingly popular Xbox 360 Intercooler, and Charge Station, as well as the DS Ultimate Kit, the Nintendo DS carrying case with a suite of essential features.

With the Leipzig Games Convention just two days away, Blizzard has announced that it will be showing off World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II at the show in playable form.

Wrath of the Lich King will let players adventure in the Howling Fjord region of Northend and check out Utgarde Keep, a five-person dungeon located there. For StarCraft II, attendees will be able to experience the newly revealed units of the Terran race and play as either the Terrans or the Protoss in single-player skirmishes and in multiplayer battles on six different maps.

Funcom sends word that this year’s Games Convention in Leipzig will be invaded by Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ siege warfare system. The new system will be shown to select press behind closed doors, while gamers will be able to take part in PvP battles on the show floor.

“It is time for the gloves to come off,” says Game Director Gaute Godager. “This is the first time we will let consumers get their hands on the game at a trade show and we are kicking off by letting them experience the intensity of player-versus-player battles. This is the true Conan experience - bloody and barbaric!”

The siege warfare gameplay allows guilds to construct entire battle-keeps for themselves and even capture and destroy other guild’s battle-keeps by going into battle against them. It will be shown off in the Eidos area in Hall 3, booth B20. The game will also be demoed at the Microsoft area.

SouthPeak Games has announced its lineup for this year’s Leipzig Games Convention, marking the publisher’s first entries into the PS3 and Wii markets. They will be showing off these following titles:

Brave - Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable:
Due for release in Q2 2008, Brave is an authentic action adventure drawing on the culture, history and mythology of Native America. Players take control of a young boy embarking on an epic journey to save his beleaguered tribe from disaster in SouthPeak’s first title for the Nintendo Wii.

Monster Madness Ex - PlayStation 3:
As an enhanced version of the PC and Xbox 360 cult multiplayer hit, Monster Madness Ex be filled with improvements and gameplay tweaks for its PS3 debut. The horror-themed third person shooter will also include a host of new features, including four player online co-op and stacks of downloadable content when released in Q1 2008.

Ninjatown - Nintendo DS:
A quirky but intensely addictive strategy title using ninja characters licensed from Shawnimals, the purveyor of wildly popular and devastatingly cool plush toys. Due for release in Q1 2008, Ninjatown will bring an entire family of remarkably cute ninjas to Nintendo’s phenomenally successful handheld.

Iridium Runners - PlayStation 2:
Set in the year 2050, Iridium Runners allows players to compete in the ultimate marathon - one in which winning isn’t necessarily a question of being the fastest runner. Special powers and weapons are on hand to make each race in the Iridium Championship an adrenaline-pumping battle for survival in this startlingly fresh take on the futuristic racing genre, which is due for release in Q4 2007.

They will be present at stand J50, which can be found in Hall 1 of the business center.

The weekly Steam update reveals that a Team Fortress 2 movie will be released next week. It will make its debut at the Leipzig Games Convention and will be uploaded to the service thereafter. The movie will showcase the Soldier class from the upcoming class-driven multiplayer shooter.

In other news, the update carries a movie of their resident artist showing off TF2’s unique art style at the SIGGRAPH convention. It also asks users to get ready for BioShock, which will be released on the service this Tuesday alongside its retail release.

10tacle Studios sends word that it will be present at this year’s Leipzig Games Convention, offering a total of six world premieres. Their lineup includes Codename Panzers: Cold War, action-oriented sci-fi MMO Black Prophecy (screenshot to the right) and a next-gen project from its Belgian studio.

They will also be showing off Ready2Rumble - Revolution for the Wii, offering attendees the chance to play the game themselves. Boulder Dash - Rocks will be shown off for the DS and PSP; the company will also show off Happy Hippos World Tour for PC and DS. In addition to these six premieres, 10tacle will also be presenting Panzer Tactics DS (DS) and Jack Keane (PC).

This year’s Leipzig Games Convention will be host to the world premiere of THEY, an upcoming first-person shooter for PC and next-gen consoles. The game will be presented to media at the business center in Hall 1 at booth K36.

The press release itself didn’t reveal much on the game except that the engine which powers it is a “3D engine with next-generation effects, brand new gameplay elements and a revolutionary weapon system.” Apparently, the game will make heavy use of physics and destructible environments; it will also feature versatile multiplayer modes and an unique weapon system that will make you “love your weapons.”

THEY is set for release sometime in 2008/2009. A lone screenshot has been released ahead of its debut:

This year will also see the return of the GC Art exhibition, showcasing various computer and console art again. The exhibitions this year are titled public_play, Telespiele 1972-2007, Machinima and Digital Beauty - 3D Character Design. They will be on view in Hall 5 August 23-26, providing visitors a look into different aspects of digital games; there will also be workshops for interested visitors, giving them the opportunity to create some minor artwork themselves.

Detailed information on these exhibitions right after the jump.
(more…)

Deep Silver today announced that it will be present at the Leipzig Games Convention next month, showing off the following games at its booth:

ANNO 1701 - The sunken dragon: The add-on to the third instalment of the successful ANNO series (strategy; PC). Publisher: Deep Silver/Ubisoft

Ferrari Challenge: Realistic racing game from the famous Italian sports car manufacturer, with the official licence of the motor sports series of the same name (racing; PS3, DS, Wii). Publisher: Systemo3

Final Fantasy Tactics: Tactical Final Fantasy title featuring strategic, turn-based combat on battlefields in 3D (tactics; PlayStationPortable). Publisher: Square Enix

Flatout Ultimate Carnage: A brand new instalment of the successful, award-winning FlatOut series is launched just in time for the Games Convention. (racing; Xbox 360)- Publisher: Empire Interactive/Deep Silver

Secret Files 2: The sequel to Secret Files: Tunguska, the best German adventure game of 2006, which received several game of the year awards (adventure; PC). Publisher: Deep Silver

Heroes of Mana: Exciting real-time strategy featuring heroes and monsters from the MANA series (strategy; Nintendo DS). Publisher: Square Enix

Perry Rhodan: He is the world’s most popular astronaut, more famous than Neil Armstrong, Yuri Gagarin or John Glenn. Now, for the first time, the fictional hero will appear in his own adventure (adventure; PC). Publisher: Brain Game/Deep Silver.

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria: State-of-the-art visuals and RPG combat systems from SQUARE ENIX, tell the story of a beautiful possessed princess caught in an epic struggle of the Norse gods. (RPG; PS2). Publisher: Square Enix.

The company also mentioned that it will announced further titles when part of the two trade fair highlights is presented at the beginning of next month.