New Gameplay Trailer Released for PAX

I've just released a new gameplay trailer which highlights some of the game’s puzzle elements as well as the interaction between the player and “Aelita,” the mysterious female character encountered by the game’s astronaut protagonist. Aelita helps guide the player across the vast alien planet via the strange green tracks she leaves behind, and later in the game through direct interaction with the player.

The new trailer is online now—view it at the top of this page.

PAX Prime

I'm just about set for PAX this weekend. Tons of work prepping and getting things ready for the big show. For those of you who might not know, PAX Prime is a major gaming festival held annually in Seattle and sees attendance of over 70,000.

As mentioned before, we will be exhibiting Lifeless Planet in the Kickstarter Arcade room at PAX.


Exhibiting at PAX will mean huge exposure for Lifeless Planet. I’m delighted that Kickstarter chose to include us in their official exhibit space. PAX exhibit booths sold out almost overnight, and I wouldn’t have been able to exhibit without their generosity.

The Kickstarter people put together a video promoting their space and there's a couple quick Lifeless Planet scenes in the video too:

http://www.kickstarter.com/blog/kickstarter-heads-to-pax-prime-2012 

Oh, and I've posted some new screens to the screenshot gallery. Check 'em out on the left side of this page!

-Dave

August is Event Month for Lifeless Planet

Hello, fellow space travelers! Just wanted to give you a quick update about some upcoming appearances for Lifeless Planet. August is shaping up to be "Event Month" for Lifeless Planet. Early previews of the game will be shown in Australia, Germany and Seattle, Washington.

Lunarcade / Sydney, Australia / August 3-9
First up is Lunarcade, an indie game festival of sorts. It will be held at the Serial Space "gallery" (which I put in quotes because they actually call themselves a "collective...dedicated to providing a platform and space for time-based art forms"). I won't be at this event, but a revised version of the first Kickstarter test level will be on display.

gamescom / Cologne, Germany / August 16-19
Now this one is big, and while I won't be there in person either, my publisher will be (Lace Mamba Global) and they tell me Lifeless Planet will be their big feature hit. I'm working hard to get an early demo (the first few levels of the game) ready for press showings. I've made a lot of headway and really like how it's shaping up. Hopefully a few of my European backers can attend this event!

PAX Prime / Seattle, Washington, USA / August 31 - September 2
Another huge show, and I will be there in person! And so will Lifeless Planet. I hope to have nearly half the game in Alpha stage by then, with lots of new gameplay footage, screens, etc. Will also have some Lifeless Planet swag, so if you're one of the lucky ones to have tickets, come by the Kickstarter room and say "hi!"

In other news, I've been a little slow to post updates lately, but that's because I'm still putting in crazy-long hours on game production. However, it's finally starting to pay off with real-live-progress...which I plan to reveal in the weeks ahead. Thanks, as always, for your support!

Take care,
Dave

Composer Selected for Lifeless Planet Soundtrack

I'm happy to announce that independent composer and audio technician Rich Douglas will compose an original score for Lifeless Planet. Rich is an extremely talented musician and I couldn't be more excited to have him on board. I believe music needs to be a very powerful and integrated part of the Lifeless Planet experience, and Rich has already shown he's the guy to make it happen.

I hope we can release a teaser track soon, but in the meantime you can check out Rich's work at http://www.richdouglas.net/

Stage 2 Studios Signs Worldwide Publishing Deal with Lace Mamba Global for New Indie Video Game "Lifeless Planet"

PALMER, ALASKA — Stage 2 Studios, LLC today announced an agreement with UK-based adventure game publisher Lace Mamba Global for worldwide retail and digital distribution of “Lifeless Planet,” an upcoming action-adventure by David Board.

Lifeless Planet recently captured the attention of the gaming community through a successful crowd-funding campaign at Kickstarter.com which surpassed 200% of its funding goal. In addition, the game project garnered 625 pre-orders, making it the most popular action-adventure game of all time on Kickstarter.

“We’ve been overwhelmed and humbled by the support this project has received.” Said Mr. Board. “Now with our publishing deal with Lace Mamba we’re pleased that so many more people will have access to this exciting and unique gaming experience.”

According to Board, “The goal of the game is to put the ‘adventure’ back into ‘action-adventure.’ When I began working on this project, I set out to produce a game that would capture a sense of excitement and discovery that I believe has been largely missing from gaming recently.”

Lifeless Planet is a third-person cinematic sci-fi action-adventure. The game is slated for release on PC and Mac by the end of 2012.

20 Light-Years From Earth...Russia is Winning the Space Race

Inspired by the recent discovery of possible Earth-like planets outside our solar system, Lifeless Planet will give players the chance to undertake a mission to one of these distant worlds. However, they will soon find the planet is not a “new Earth” but instead is a barren wasteland. Exploring the inhospitable world and searching for answers leads to an even more puzzling discovery: an abandoned Cold-War era Soviet laboratory. Is this really an extra-solar planet, or was this mission just a hoax?

Before the astronaut protagonist can uncover the truth, he finds himself struggling to survive in the face of a dark and deadly presence. When a mysterious young woman appears and saves his life, he must put aside his skepticism and follow her...or die!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifelessPlanet

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LifelessPlanet

About Stage 2 Studios:

David Board is a partner at Stage 2 Studios which specializes in creating innovative media that inspires audiences and ignites growth. David is an experienced interactive designer and is passionate about finding unique ways to combine truly entertaining media with content that educates and inspires. Stage 2 is based near Anchorage, Alaska and has recently expanded to Denver, Colorado. The firm has earned a reputation for producing exciting and powerful video and interactive media for nonprofit and educational clients. Lifeless Planet is the first full video game title by the independent studio.  www.stage2studios.com

About Lace Mamba Global:

Lace Mamba Global Ltd. (LMG), one of the UK's leading independent computer and video game publishers, is a partnership between Mamba Games and the UK's leading DVD distribution company, Lace Group. With a solid distribution network throughout the world and specializing in releases in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Iceland, Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and various countries in the Gulf region, Lace Mamba Global is publishing games of all genres. Recent releases include the FPS Red Orchestra 2 – Heroes of Stalingrad, RTS games of the critically acclaimed Men of War series, Men of War: Assault Squad and Men of War: Vietnam, and the independently developed platforming smash hit Super Meat Boy. Lace Mamba Global is one of the leading publishers of adventure games with already released or upcoming genre highlights such as Tales of Monkey Island™, Gray Matter, The Book of Unwritten Tales, Black Mirror 2 and 3 and A New Beginning. Lace Mamba Global furthermore specializes in publishing unique, extensive special and collector’s editions to support retail releases. Lace Mamba Global is the ideal partner for independent developers that want their product delivered to a worldwide audience both in retail and digital form. www.lace-mamba.co.uk