Central Europe
“I, the Inquisitor” new fantasy title from The Dust polish game developer
It’s been a year of silence since the September 2019 press conference, now the gaming studio based in Wrocław, Poland, is releasing a bit more information on its flagship game “I, the Inquisitor.” Among other things, the Dust is sharing details on the game’s main protagonist.
“I, the Inquisitor” has been talked about within the gaming industry for over two years, since The Dust bought the rights to the popular Inquisitor Cycle book series by the famous Polish fantasy author Jacek Piekara. Up until now, little has been known about the project aside from the bits and pieces presented at a 2019 press conference.
At that time the gaming Studio announced that the game would be story-driven with an emphasis on an outstanding emotions-based dialogue system. Another important aspect of the production will be an elaborate closed world. Up to now, the studio has kept most of the details under lock and key because the game was still in early production and there are plans for a long-term marketing blitz. The main character, the city, and supporting characters were all kept secret.
The main character of the game will be Mordimer Madderdin.
The Studio has confirmed that the main character will be Mordimer Madderdin, who will be well-known to readers of the series as the Inquisitor of His Excellency Bishop Hez-Hezron. Mordimer works for the holy official who is responsible for the new world order after Jesus Christ came down from the Cross and punished the unfaithful. However, Mordimer’s appearance remains a secret.
“One of our key tasks is to ensure that the character of Mordimer is received well by both readers of the Inquisitor Cycle series and those who don’t know him at all. We need to properly balance the external and internal characteristics of the presentation so that he is recognizable for readers of Piekara’s series and enticing for newcomers. We want to thoroughly examine this element to meet players’ expectations.” – President of The Dust, Jakub Wolff
Story.
The Studio also confirmed that it is still working on supporting the dialogues through a unique emotions system. The Dust still hasn’t published detailed information about the plot, only saying that the main storyline was completed a few months ago. At this stage, the story design is mainly working on developing dialogue.
The Dust is satisfied with the current state of the game’s graphics.
The game’s designers have also published the first screenshots from the game’s current build. In these four screenshots, the Wrocław Studio shows off the diversity of the game’s world they are creating. It is gloomy, but sometimes strangely familiar. In these few images we can see the high level of detail and the way they are playing with light. The Dust points out that these graphics are not yet finished, and they’ll continue to work on them.
“From the very beginning, the graphics were an extremely important element of the game’s development. We looked for inspiration in the Flemish masters of the Renaissance. As a result of many trials and experiments we found that we have amazing graphic possibilities and started to get closer to realism. I think that we are at a stage where we can share the first images with the public.” – Art Director for “I, the Inquisitor,” Kacper Szwajka
A small team with big ambitions
The project is being coordinated by game producer Jakub Karólewski, who was formerly with Wrocław’s Techland.
We currently have around 25 people involved in the game’s development, as needed we can add more specialists to the team. This will allow us to efficiently coordinate tasks and focus on the most important elements of particular benchmarks. In this work system, we can make decisions relatively quickly and move towards their implementation without delay, which can be an issue with larger teams.
Jakub Karólewski, Producer
Recently, the studio has undergone fundamental personnel changes in two positions as Kacper Szwajka took over as Art Director and Damian Pawlak – formerly of CD Projekt RED (Cyberpunk 2077) and Techland – became the Lead Game Designer.
What’s next?
The Studio did not provide information about when it wants to start a wider communication campaign with players, what their collaboration with Juice looks like, when we’ll meet Mordimer, or when they’ll finally show us some gameplay.
“We are working hard and we’re very happy with how things are turning out after a year of development. That’s all I can say at the moment. All the rest will come out with time. We certainly won’t just be keeping it to ourselves on our own computers.” – said CEO of The Dust, Jakub Wolff.
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The share of PC and console games purchased as downloads in Germany climbed to 60% for the first time in 2023, meaning that download purchases have remained at the same high level they reached during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Back then, the share of downloads jumped from 45 to 58%. These figures were published by game – The German Games Industry Association, in cooperation with market research company CPS GfK. A closer look at the individual gaming platforms, though, shows there are huge differences between them. Download purchases are most popular among PC players; these days, they buy nearly all of their games – 98% – as downloads. Last year, that figure was already 97%. Consoles are a different story, though. Most console players prefer to buy games on physical media. The majority of console games – 60% – are still purchased as physical media, even though that figure has dropped by 3% points compared to last year.
The way in which video game players purchase games is also a question of age. The younger generation of players in Germany overwhelmingly opt for downloads. And this trend is particularly strong among players between the ages of 20 and 29: they buy more than 7 out of 10 PC or console games (71%) in this format. But these days, growing numbers of older players are starting to prefer downloads, as well. Among 50- to 59-year-olds, approximately 6 out of 10 games (59%) are purchased as downloads; last year, this group bought about 53% of their games on physical media. Physical copies are most popular among the over-60s. In 2023, they bought more than half their games (53%) on physical media. However, this figure also represented a decline of 12% points in sales of physical media among this group.
“We’re seeing a clear trend: downloads are becoming an established way of buying games, and their share of the games market is continually increasing, even though that growth has slowed a bit since the pandemic. For many people, downloads are a quick and convenient way to buy games. Last year, a number of big blockbuster games, like ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ and ‘Alan Wake II’, were initially released as digital exclusives. Plenty of successful indie games have been download-only for ages, as well. All these factors have given the popularity of downloads a massive boost. But how games are purchased still varies according to the age of the player and the type of platform. Video game players primarily buy their console games on physical media, to get the limited editions and fan merchandise that come with them, or to ensure that they always have a copy of the game in their collection,” Felix Falk, Managing Director of game, said.
The post Buying Games as Downloads is More Popular Than Ever in Germany appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Slower workforce growth and fewer new companies: the upward trend in the German games industry is weakening
The post Slower workforce growth and fewer new companies: the upward trend in the German games industry is weakening appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
OKTO announced the launch of its advanced cash-to-digital payment solution, OKTO.CASH with bet-at-home, a renowned and established operator in the German iGaming market. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for OKTO, expanding its footprint in Germany and further solidifying its reputation as an innovator in cash-to-digital solutions for iGaming enthusiasts.
OKTO.CASH offers bet-at-home users a hassle-free way to consume iGaming services with cash in real-time. Leveraging OKTO‘s always growing network of over 14,000 points of sale across Germany, including well-known brands such as Aral, Deutsche Post, Esso, Kiosk, Lotto, Shell, and many others, users can effortlessly convert physical cash into digital currency. This streamlined process provides a secure, fast, and easy-to-use top-up method that caters to the preferences of the market.
Richard Greslehner, Head of Product at bet-at-home Internet Ltd commented: “This partnership underscores our dedication to delivering cutting-edge and convenient payment solutions for our customers. With OKTO.CASH, users can now seamlessly deposit their physical cash into their online bet-at-home accounts at their favourite everyday stores.”
“We are thrilled to partner with bet-at-Home for the launch of OKTO.CASH in Germany,” said Mikhail Ovsepyan, Head of Germany at OKTO. “This collaboration underlines our dedication to expanding our presence in the German market and delivering cutting-edge payment solutions that meet the needs of iGaming enthusiasts. We look forward to revolutionizing the gaming payment experience and providing unparalleled convenience and security to users.”
OKTO‘s expansion in the German region follows the approval of both OKTO.WALLET and OKTO.CASH by the German Gaming License Authority (GGL) last year. Embedded into the merchant’s app or website, OKTO.CASH provides users with the fastest and most direct method to upload cash online, eliminating the need for third-party apps. Users can select OKTO.CASH as their payment method, choose the deposit amount, and select the nearest location from over 14,000 points to top up their accounts safely and in real-time.
The post OKTO.CASH expands in Germany with bet-at-home go-live appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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