Press Release

This is a press release for the NESmaker software. This shows how I iterated the materail for varied submission considerations - in this case, a 500 word version and a 250 word version. This particular press release successfully helped land articles in Variety, IGN, Kotaku, and many other gaming publications.

(500 words)

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NESmaker software allows users to create new cartridge-based games for the original Nintendo Entertainment System, playable on original hardware, without ever writing a line of code.

In the past, the only way to create NES games was to learn the archaic 6502 Assembly programming language. Over the years, a small group of homebrewers have made amazing after-market games for the system by doing just that, but for most aspiring NES developers, the learning curve was too steep. NESmaker changes that. It provides a graphic user interface akin to modern development tools like GameMaker or Unity, opening the doors of NES development to non-coders and retro game lovers of all levels of experience. Using inexpensive hardware manufactured by Infinite NES Lives, games can be flashed to a cartridge with a single button press, and can then be played on any hardware-based system capable of playing NES games.

Of course, advanced users can also access the code, and could go so far as to write entire game engines from scratch. But for those that want to jump in right away, the software comes with a growing number of basic genre modules including platform, adventure, scrolling shooter.

“Our goal is to give aspiring NES developers a new access point,” says Creative Director Joe Granato. “Video games are no longer just an outlet for programmers. Today, they are a widespread creative language for artists of all types. But for non-programmers, systems like the NES have an almost impossible barrier for entry. NESmaker opens up development for this system for artists and creatives of all types.”

The New 8-bit Heroes will be showcasing NESmaker and the first bunch of user-created content at PAX South, SXSW, and GDC. All around the world, thousands of active users spanning five decades in age are currently creating new NES games using NESmaker. Over sixty free demos and works in progress are currently featured on the website, and can be played in browser or downloaded for play in emulators.

"To add to the legacy of the NES by not just creating a game that looks like an NES game but actually is a hardware-playable game is a dream that I didn’t know I even had,” says NESmaker user Matt Robinson, creator of puzzle game Pizza Party. “Having a cartridge with MY game on it on the shelf next to Super Mario and Legend of Zelda was almost as fulfilling as watching my 5 year old son playing it."

With a resurgence of the retro aesthetic and with collector culture growing, NESmaker not only taps in to gaming nostalgia, but paves the way for a whole new generation of games for the 30-year-old console.

NESmaker can be found at www.TheNew8bitHeroes.com.

Press Contact: Joe Granato

Email: Info@TheNew8bitHeroes.com

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(250 Words)

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NESmaker, the new software from The New 8-bit Heroes, allows users to create new cartridge-based games for the original Nintendo Entertainment System, playable on real hardware, without ever writing a line of code.

In the past, the only way to create NES games was to learn the archaic 6502 Assembly programming language. Over the years, a small group of homebrewers have made amazing after-market games for the system by doing just that, but for most aspiring NES developers, the learning curve was too steep. NESmaker changes that. It provides a graphic user interface akin to modern development tools like GameMaker or Unity, opening the doors of NES development to non-coders and retro game lovers of all levels of experience. Using inexpensive hardware by Infinite NES Lives, games can be flashed to a cartridge with a single button press, and can then be played on any hardware-based system capable of playing NES games.

Of course, advanced users can also access the code, and could go so far as to write entire game engines from scratch. But for those that want to jump in right away, the software comes with a growing number of basic genre modules including platform, adventure, scrolling shooter.

The New 8-bit Heroes will be showcasing NESmaker and the first bunch of user-created content at PAX South, SXSW, and GDC.

With a resurgence of the retro aesthetic and with collector culture growing, NESmaker not only taps in to gaming nostalgia, but paves the way for a whole new generation of games for the 30-year-old console.

NESmaker is available now at www.TheNew8bitHeroes.com.

Press Contact: Joe Granato

Email: Info@TheNew8bitHeroes.com