Last year in an interview with Neocrisis about Maverick PR, MavPR Partner Matt Frary was asked about some of the ideals on which the company was founded, and specifically which of those ideals had not yet been fully explored to satisfaction.  He said this:

“…we have always personally and professionally identified and bonded with game developers. So, finding a way to work effectively with independent dev teams – to help them be successful and play with the big boys – remains an objective for the Company.

This couldn’t be more true.  The team at Maverick has always fostered and enjoyed incredibly close relationships with the development studio teams on all of our projects, whether it was during our time at large publishers or as external PR representatives.  Understanding, interacting and valuing the creative minds behind the game as always been a key strength in our work and an ongoing goal of ours.

With that in mind, we are really excited to announce that we have the opportunity to work with another great independent team, Dark Vale Games, on their upcoming project.  This game is really going to surprise people with its design focus and other AAA-level tricks up its sleeves.  We can’t talk about it in detail now… but we will very soon.

As a group, we love working with indie devs because of the pure commitment to the work, the deep passion for the product, and their ability to work outside the traditional system.

Working outside the confines of that system allows frees the game design document from heavy influences from sales charts, marketing points or focus groups.  Instead game design can be dominated by true gameplay vision, by a commitment to creating what is fun, and by the direct interaction between the developer with the kinds of games and the kinds of players for whom the title is intended.

All of that high-minded idealism is absolutely TRUE about Dark Vale and their new project.  And we couldn’t be more pleased that the team has chosen us to partner with to launch the game.  And the game looks awesome… as this unreleased concept art proves.  Unreleased concept art? Here? I know, I know!!

So for that goal of working with independents… we’re getting there now with our previously announced work on HAWKEN and now our upcoming partnership the great team at Dark Vale Games!

More details to come — stay tuned!

The Pending Move of MavPR East Unearths Archaeological Treasure Trove of Giveaway Tees

The principals of Maverick PR have been around for a long time.  A REALLY long time.  If you haven’t checked out our BIG HUGE LIST of the games we have worked on — go look at it now (always being updated)– we’ll wait…  OK, so now you’ve seen we’re older than dirt and have worked on just about every platform and genre there is in video games.

This is probably an unnecessary look for a drug kingpin...

With the pending move of MavPR East to a new location, everything is being turned upside down, sorted through, tossed out and/or repacked.  And within that process, we’ve unearthed a satisying cache of gaming tee shirts from years past.  For some reason, it’s difficult to part with certain shirts — the Quakecon tee shirts are a great example.  I haven’t worn them in years, but they’ve been sitting here in my office with me for MORE THAN A DECADE!

While dozens of other shirts have been given away already to various folks, including a pretty happy nephew… these shirts have survived the test of time, dodging the major culls of the past and taking up my storage space… indefinitely.

I mean Quakecon 1999?  1999!?!?!?

So here is a look at some of the shirts (and a hat) that roam about the office.  If any strike your fancy, let us know… maybe we’ll send it to you.  Except the UT04 jerseys, those are going to make their long-promised and super… uh… epic pilgrimage back to… well… Epic!

I would like to thank my life-size Tony Montana, from Scarface: The World Is Yours, for agreeing to be the model in this photo shoot.  Cue the techno music!

[View with PicLens]

Maverick PR Gears Up To Take Los Angeles with HAWKEN — One Of 2012′s Most Exciting New Products — at E3 2012!

Without exaggeration or hyperbole, we can honestly say that this is an incredibly exciting announcement for the crew here at Maverick PR.  We’re happy to share that we will be partnering with Meteor Entertainment and Adhesive Games during E3 2012 on HAWKEN, the shockingly gorgeous mech game that has lit up the Internet with early gameplay videos and screenshots.

For more on HAWKEN directly, please visit the game’s official site [http://www.playhawken.com/] or the game’s Facebook page at: [https://www.facebook.com/playhawken]

HAWKEN looks amazing, and to gamers' delight, will be available later this year!

If you follow video games, you’ve probably already heard of HAWKEN or have at least seen the stir the game caused when the first gameplay video trickled out a while back.  The reaction at the time was — if I remember correctly — stunned disbelief (and pure excitement).

Not only was somebody finally bringing back the beloved and much-neglected Mech genre, but the graphics and gameplay looked almost too good to be true.  A new Mech game??  Done RIGHT???  Yes!

The HAWKEN team followed up the first video with even more spectacular in-game footage and artwork. Adhesive and Meteor seemed out to prove that a small independent team of dedicated developers could produce a downloadable title that would make the larger publishers drool.  And drool they have.

The game grabbed MavPR’s attention immediately and we’ve been following from day one.  Now that HAWKEN is kicking into high gear, the team here is genuinely thrilled to become part of the PR campaign. The game’s action fits our tastes to a tee and the independent team behind the project are just the kind of disruptive developer and publisher we love to put our weight behind.  So, game journalists of the world, keep an eye out for future updates and especially for some major activity surrounding E3 2012.

Don’t believe that this game is as great looking as a biased PR guy might say?  Fair enough.  Feast for yourself on some of the excellent gameplay videos the team has already produced and released!

HAWKEN struts it stuff in an exclusive PAX East gamer play session…

If you missed the plugs up top, here they are again — be sure to visit our friends at Meteor Entertainment and Adhesive Games, and find out more about the game itself at the official HAWKEN Web Site and Facebook page.  Click Like.  It’s the right thing to do!

“He’s a demon and he’s gonna be chasin’ after someone…”

What does the “S” stand for in your shiny new iPhone 4S?  Speed, that’s what.

And to help you enjoy all of that marvelous iOS speed, Maverick PR client Social Games International, Inc. (SGI), a digital entertainment company and leading publisher of branded games for mobile and social platforms, has just released Speed Racer: The Beginning for iPhone onto the App Store.  The game will be also be available for iPad next month, for you big-screen junkies.

Speed Racer: Putting the Pedal to the Metal in Nightmarish Hellscapes Since 1958!

Yes, now you can play with the Mach 5 while you wait for the iPhone 5… oh zing!  I’ve got a million of … err… ugh.. I stop.

So, you may be asking yourself, what is this game?  Well, Speed Racer fans, Speed Racer: The Beginning delivers what you want — it allows you to play as Speed, drive the Mach 5 and become the greatest race car driver in the world. You can also customize your team and Mach 5 with performance boosting tires, power boosts, increased durability, extra lives and additional Trixie helicopter rides.

So, yes… if you’re a fan of Speed Racer, it’s for you.  If you like racing games… it’s for you.

If you have that iPhone in your pocket and you’re not playing games on what is probably the best mobile game machine available right now — um… go right now, head over to the App Store and add Speed Racer to your iPhone for a measly $0.99.  That’s less change than you have sitting in that gross place in your car that you’ve spilled coffee into a million times.  Clean that, BTW – it’s nasty!

[App Store Link] [Speed Racer: The Beginning Site]

See the video!

PAX East 2012 was the biggest PAXe yet, and there were more fans, more games, more cosplay and more work than you can shake a stick at.

The Maverick crew worked with Square Enix for PAX East once again this year, booking up quite literally hundreds of media appointments in a private VIP-showing of Sleeping Dogs, Quantum Conundrum, Theatrhythym Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts 3d Dream Drop Distance and Heroes of Ruin. And, just because SE is cool like this, we also got to throw out a special surprise VIP showing of Hitman: Absolution, one of the most anticipated games of the year!

Square Enix had one of the best lineups at the show, and this is a trend that continues into the next year as well.

We had a great time visiting with a ton of media that we rarely get face time with — from old friends to new friends alike.  If you came and wrote, share your links with us either via email or on our [Facebook page].

If you didn’t get a chance to join us for the demos, or you’re just a fan of the games who stumbled across this page, make sure to search around the web for each of the games.  There are hundreds of articles coming out right now and in the next couple of days that can tell you exactly what these titles are like to play!

Square Enix has announced that renowned actor John de Lancie will lend his voice to the amazing upcoming game Quantum Conundrum.  Check out the video above for the info straight from the horse’s mouth!

• ED: if you missed the previous interview with Matt which ran on GamerFitNation, check it out here.

Unsung Heroes is a cool series wherein writers talk to some of the lesser known folks working behind-the-scenes to put video games on players’ proverbial tables.  You know… NOT the Cliff Bleszinskis or the David Jaffes… we’re talking the guys behind the guys behind the guy.  Between producers and marketers and PR folks and testers and art designers and level builders… there are a lot of people that help deliver the games we love to play.

Never missing a chance to talk about himself, Matt agreed to participate and sat down for an email chat with TheGameEffect to talk about PR, working in the industry, disturbing trends and more.  It also included wonderful insight from Matt, including this gem:

So if you think McDonald’s is a fine steakhouse, chow down – they’re happy to keep feeding your hungry maw with burger after mass-produced burger. Even if it’s not made with what could be considered actual “beef.”

You can have a full read by hopping over HERE.  You can jump straight into the raw Q&A by skipping ahead to page 5.

Thanks to TheGameEffect for allowing yet another opportunity for MavPR folks to opine about the industry.

Scarygirl for XBL, PSN, PC (www.scarygirlgame.com), Square Enix

….

When something straight-up awesome-looking comes floating across a game PR person’s desk, that’s when our jobs become even more fun than they already are.  And for anyone who has seen even a teensy bit of Nathan Jurevicius’ award-winning graphic novel Scarygirl, they already know that awesome-looking doesn’t begin to describe the eye-patched, tentacled, stitch-mouthed cute girl with a  hook…

So what happens when the good folks at TikGames get their hands on this franchise and turn it into a 3D action-platformer for Xbox Live, Playstation Network and PC?  You get Scarygirl from Square Enix, a stunningly unique looking game with tons of creepy-cuteness, fun co-operative play and a mess of running, jumping, fighting, swinging and more.  See for yourself:

Scarygirl launched last week for XBL and hits today for Playstation Network.  Critics are enjoying their time with the title, with GamerHeadquarters calling it “the best I’ve seen from the Xbox Live arcade so far this year” and IGN adding, “If you like a challenge, love finding collectables, and want a constantly evolving journey through 21 platforming levels, give ScaryGirl a chance.”

Even our in-house MavPR Junior Gaming Expert, Cameron, raves: “I love Scarygirl.  Can we play Scarygirl?  Where’s my light saber?”

If you love side-scrolling platformers, beautiful art and fun gameplay, head over to XBL or PSN right now and grab Scarygirl!

Square Enix and the Final Fantasy XIV team recently pulled back the curtains on some pretty major development plans for the future, including huge changes, updates and upgrades that will take Final Fantasy XIV into the future. If you missed the announcement, you can check it out via the Lodestone at  http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/teaser/

This is an exciting time for the game and its fans, as the Company shows off its commitment to quality and the franchise by sharing the rather impressive roadmap for future improvements and content changes while, at the same time, highlighting all of the hard work and quality upgrades that have gone into the game to date.

Maverick PR is excited to be a part of it, helping tell the game’s story because it’s rare to see not only the commitment to excellence, but also the incredible transparency between development team and fans.  The Final Fantasy XIV team has shared their plans and as always, encouraged fans to assist in the process by providing additional feedback along the way.  That’s something special, for sure.

Some of the top MMO and RPG sites out there had a rare opportunity to jump behind the curtain this week, sitting for one-on-one interviews with Final Fantasy XIV Producer/Director Naoki Yoshida.  The interviews explored what has already been done to improve upon the original release, what is planned for the future, and what fans can expect from Final Fantasy XIV in 2012 and beyond.

Want to know more?  Check out the interviews at the following links:

MMORPG – RPGAMER – MASSIVELY - GAMEGEEX – RPGSITE – CURSE (coming soon)

As MMORPG says, “Naoki Yoshida and his Final Fantasy XIV team have set a new standard for transparency between developers and a game’s community. Not only are fans well informed but they are also well equipped to help the team implement some of the new features.”

Still want to find out more about Final Fantasy XIV?  Hit the Official Site or the Lodestone!

If you’re not familiar with DX:HR — The Missing Link, how about a quick primer?  This is the first downloadable content pack created by Eidos-Montreal for their award-winning hit game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a game which successfully continued the awesome legacy of the Deus Ex franchise with amazing review scores and hours of sneaking, punching, shooting, augmented fun.  The DLC fills in a critical missing portion of the main game, allowing fans to explore further into the conspiracy and find out what happened to Adam at his darkest hour.

Enough with the overview, on to some of the initial feedback!

JOYSTIQ says that the DLC feels “substantial and clearly representative of the main game’s strengths” while GAMEBANSHEE explains a bit more, saying that DX:HR — The Missing Link “provides more of the same great gameplay Human Revolution did, and improves on it by offering up some interesting new environments to explore, better-designed levels and gameplay scenarios, and a story which is, frankly, fairly crucial to those who want to better understand the big picture of Deus Ex’s universe.”

More reviews are still coming in and even more will blow out once DX:HR — The Missing Link releases.

So keep an eye out for the release of this awesome add-on to one of 2011′s best games.

Stay tuned via the official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DeusEx or via the official site at www.DeusEx.com.