After a successful release of our critically acclaimed App Store debut Symbol6, it’s time to bark upon a new adventure. This one is a bit bigger and revolves around cuddly ill-tempered critters and their fiesta gone wrong.

Soft Freak Fiesta is a multiplayer game for the iPhone and iPod Touch where players can play head-to-head via Bluetooth or WiFi and immerse themselves in bumpy cartoony action for hours on end.

You won’t have to wait long for sneak peeks and more about the game, but all we can tell you at this point is that the game features a unique gameplay for the device, multiple races, multiple game modes, sleek graphics and fast-asleep zombies for extra fun.

Soft Freak Fiesta to be out this fall.

We just published a small Avatar Customization client for Vikings of Thule - our upcoming online MMOG. This is a preview of what’s to come and allows people to experience how this particular part of Vikings of Thule might eventually look and feel.

The client does not represent final graphics and there are a lot of neat little touches, movements and “stuff” that we’ll want to add – but we want to publish little tests and milestones, like this one, to show people where we are currently at and what we are thinking.

We originally submitted the Avatar Customization Test to our Beta Testers group on Facebook, which instantly responded with positive and constructive feedback. That is exactly what we’re looking for! So please join our Beta Testers group to post your comments and share your thoughts - or submit them through the “Vikings of Thule” site.

The Avatar Customization Test can be found here : http://www.vikingsofthule.com/avatartest/

Our friends at On the Rocks Productions (another Icelandic game developer) just announced a publishing deal with Freeverse that will see two promising titles hit the app store with full force later this year. The titles are side-scrolling action packed Thor and the highly anticipated action-adventure RPG Legion of Amon.

This is a good milestone for On the Rocks Productions and we want to congratulate them. This is also another indicator that the Icelandic gaming industry is indeed thriving and growing fast.

We’ve just launched the promotional site for Vikings of Thule. Check out the Teaser Video, head over to the promo site for screen shots and sign up as a Beta tester. The Beta will be available late summer / early fall and we’re counting on you to help us develop the coolest casual online mmog to date!

Cheers!

Yesterday (Saturday, May 10th 2009), Gogogic participated in the first formal event hosted by the Icelandic Gaming Industry – a newly established organization that is supposed to act as a formal network for gaming professionals in Iceland and the companies they work for.

The event took place at the premises of The Ministry of Ideas – a very interesting grassroots organization that focuses on moving ideas from head to mouth to action. Companies that participated included industry leaders CCP and Betware, Cadia Lab, Sauma Technologies, On The Rocks, Mindgames, Ymir Mobile and, of course, Gogogic.

The companies both introduced themselves and included information on the state of the gaming industry in Iceland. Most speakers mentioned the opportunities that Iceland has when it comes to game development.

Additionally, four of the eight companies present, were amongst those ranked as the best places to work at in Iceland (Gogogic was one  of them), according to yearly survey results, published on Friday. One of Iceland’s largest worker unions is responsible for this particular survey and in recent years it has become a leading way to evaluate how workers feel about their companies.

Gogogic is very proud to be amongst those who founded the Icelandic Gaming Industry. We see this as a huge step in formalizing communication, industry networking, education efforts, contacts with other organizations and see to the overall conditions for both people and companies in Iceland. Here are a few facts:

• 575 people employed by Icelandic game companies
• 311 are positioned in Iceland
• 120 – 150 additional people needed in the next 12-18 months (estimates)
• At least 7 companies are up and running already (approximately 1 company started each year)
• 1/3 the size of the Finnish game industry (games are Finland’s leading cultural export product)

Visit the Icelandic Gaming Industry and check out the slides presented yesterday. Our slides are here (hint – they include the first ever public screen shots from our upcoming title – Vikings of Thule!)

Earlier today Gogogic and The New Business Venture Fund closed a deal that will see us through to the next level. This means that we’ll be able to put more effort into development, marketing and distribution of our games. Achievement unlocked

During the next couple of weeks we will start to reveal our latest BIG project – Vikings of Thule. Stay tuned!

Okay. Short, sweet and to the point. If you’re a regular reader then you know that posts like these are pretty rare. Usually they just go on and on and on. But this doesn’t. Promise!

• An updated version of Symbol6is now available : Online leader boards with daily and overall leaders are now accessible (also viewable on the web). Play the game, write your name and submit your score to see how good you really are!
• Symbol6 is currently available for just 99 cents! Check out the App Store reviews and grab your own copy (we’re confident you will, after reading those reviews).
• Symbol6 has been nominated for the Nordic Game Awards 2009 in the “Best New Nordic Talent” category! The winner will be announced 5/19/09 at The Nordic Game conference in Malmö, Sweden.

Over and out

Grab it while you can in the App Store! For the first time we’re lowering the price of our critically acclaimed iPhone game, Symbol6. If you need further encouragement, please feel free to check out what the reviewer have to say:

• Symbol6 weaves together its own language…
  PocketGamer
• It’s fun, addicting and looks damn hot on-screen…
  RazorianFly
• Definitely check it out today….
  AppVee

Last December we announced that Gogogic had been formally awarded a grant for 400.000 DKK (about $ 72.000) from the Nordic Game Program to develop Vikings of Thule, a casual MMOG specifically designed to integrate with Facebook and Facebook Connect.

Since then we’ve immersed ourselves in Viking lore and tried to reconcile our ancestral heritage with our inner geekdom. We’re stormed around the office wearing fourteen layers of sheepskin and horned helms*. Virtually.

Basically, we’ve put in a lot of hours and the project is well underway. Soon we’ll be putting up a special Vikings of Thule site, where we’ll post concept art, detailed background information, back-story stuff, item lists, assets, news and other stuff that is directly related to the game and our overall progress.

Until then, here are a few “sneak peak” points:

• Casual Massively Multiplayer Game – Free to play, with in-game options, extensions and items that can be purchased.
• Viking theme (obviously) – The game is loosely built on old Nordic and Icelandic sagas, heroes and myths. The intent is to depict the vikings in an exaggerated version of reality that is cool, harsh and adventurous.
• Setting – Iceland, circa 930 AD.
• As a player you’ll be able to build and customize your character, fight  and conquer your enemies, upgrade your house, weapons and equipment, buy land and gain followers, exchange gifts and interact with friends, create alliances and increase your overall abilities.
• Strategy, cunning, guile and courage will help you rise through the ranks.
• The main battle system is transactional and somewhat based on collectible card game concepts, where different moves, spells and actions can be used and played out on a “chess-like” board.

Stay tuned

P.S. And yes. We are already thinking about iPhoneextensions and applications for VOT, although they would be released later.

*Actually, vikings never wore horned helms. Apparently, they were added to the stories, at some point during the romantic period, because they seemed heroic or something…

It occurred to us, here at the office, that most people  (probably almost everyone in the world, in fact) do not know very much about our company. We understand that figuring this out might not generally be considered a major accomplishment, but we’re still pretty proud of ourselves.

Of course we interpret our realization as a task that needs to be analyzed and solved. We’re just AnaLitycal, that way. So here is a list of ten things you probably did not know about Gogogic:

1. 15 people work at Gogogic – 13 guys, 2 gals
2. We’ve been around for 3 years : 2006-2008 –> building a foundation. 2009 –> building a brand
3. We focus on casual games for the web and the iPhone/iPod Touch devices
4. Symbol6 is our first iPhone game
5. Casual game-play doesn’t necessarily mean small games – we’re working on a couple of casual MMOGs as well
6. We have worked on a lot of on-line marketing projects for other companies (Flash, Social Interaction Sites). These projects have enabled us to grow and pay for development of our initial games
7. The rumors are true. We’ve both made and played sock puppets for money – www.myicelandsocks.com
8. We were the first Icelandic company to receive a grant from The Nordic Game Program
9. If you google “flash coverflow” we’re  in the top 1-5 results – our coverflow blog post has been read 15.000 times or about 30 times every day, on average (46 hits yesterday actually)
10. We have a group on Facebook, our CEO twitters constantly and we pretty much have a need to check out everything that’s new and shiny

BONUS : The name Gogogic means absolutely nothing. It is basically gibberish. No matter where we look it up, we know that everything we find is directly related to us. Makes “ego surfing” That Much Easier!