Novarama
Encyclopedia
Novarama Technology is a video game developer based in Barcelona
, Catalunya, Spain
. It is a Sony first party exclusive studio.
Novarama's most well known project is the augmented reality
based Invizimals
, produced by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, where players need to hunt for invisible monsters around the house with the aid of a PSP
and a camera, which makes them visible. The game was announced at E3 2009
, showing the first game trailer and a playable demo.
Invizimals was released November 2009 across PAL territories, receiving generally positive reviews that highlighted the innovative gameplay and technology, and becoming one of the Best-Selling PSP games of the Christmas 2009 season across Europe.
Invizimals has spawned a sequel, Invizimals: Shadow Zone
, released 2010, as well as several product lines including toys and collectible stickers.
A second sequel to Invizimals, entitled Invizimals: The Lost Tribes
was announced in June 2011 for a Fall release. This announcement coincided on the same day as Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced their exclusivity agreement to all of Novarama's games in the future.
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Catalunya, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is a Sony first party exclusive studio.
History
The studio was founded in July 2003 with the mission statement of creating innovative games with mass appeal. The studio began developing PC games, releasing Fallen Lords: Condemnation on Christmas 2005 through a local publisher. Moving into the console space, Novarama began developing Wild Summer for the PC and Xbox360. The game was cancelled due to a publisher restructuring. Surviving the crisis with just a small core team, Novarama released Music Monstars for the Nintendo DS(known as Monster Band in the USA) in Christmas 2008, a music title for young gamers.Novarama's most well known project is the augmented reality
Augmented reality
Augmented reality is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is...
based Invizimals
Invizimals
Invizimals is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game developed by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is a collectible creature game, and is bundled with the PSP's camera attachment on launch....
, produced by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, where players need to hunt for invisible monsters around the house with the aid of a PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and a camera, which makes them visible. The game was announced at E3 2009
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, commonly known as the E3 2009, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 2, 3, and 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment...
, showing the first game trailer and a playable demo.
Invizimals was released November 2009 across PAL territories, receiving generally positive reviews that highlighted the innovative gameplay and technology, and becoming one of the Best-Selling PSP games of the Christmas 2009 season across Europe.
Invizimals has spawned a sequel, Invizimals: Shadow Zone
Invizimals: Shadow Zone
Invizimals: Shadow Zone is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game developed by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is the sequel to 2009's Invizimals. As such, it is a collectible creature game, and requires the PSP's camera attachment for play...
, released 2010, as well as several product lines including toys and collectible stickers.
A second sequel to Invizimals, entitled Invizimals: The Lost Tribes
Invizimals: The Lost Tribes
Invizimals: The Lost Tribes is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game currently in development by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is the sequel to 2010's Invizimals, and 2011's Invizimals: Shadow Zone. As such, it is a collectible creature game, and...
was announced in June 2011 for a Fall release. This announcement coincided on the same day as Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced their exclusivity agreement to all of Novarama's games in the future.
Games
| Game Title | Release Date | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Fallen Lords: Condemnation | 2005 | PC |
| Music Monstars / Monster Band | 2008 | Nintendo DS Nintendo DS The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... |
| Invizimals Invizimals Invizimals is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game developed by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is a collectible creature game, and is bundled with the PSP's camera attachment on launch.... |
2009 | PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
| Invizimals: Shadow Zone Invizimals: Shadow Zone Invizimals: Shadow Zone is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game developed by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is the sequel to 2009's Invizimals. As such, it is a collectible creature game, and requires the PSP's camera attachment for play... |
2010 | PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
| Invizimals: The Lost Tribes Invizimals: The Lost Tribes Invizimals: The Lost Tribes is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game currently in development by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is the sequel to 2010's Invizimals, and 2011's Invizimals: Shadow Zone. As such, it is a collectible creature game, and... |
2011 | PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
| Reality Fighters | 2012 | PlayStation Vita |
Awards
- Invizimals. Special Achievement for Innovation, IGN.com Best of E3 2009, winner.
- Invizimals. Special Achievement for Technological Excellence, IGN.com Best of E3 2009, winner.
- Invizimals. Game of the Show, IGN.com Best of E3 2009, runner-up, lost to Little Big Planet.
- Premi Ciutat de Barcelona 2009, Technological Innovation, for Invizimals.
- Invizimals. Best Overall Game. Gamelab Spanish National Video Game Awards 2010, winner.
- Invizimals. Best Technology. Gamelab Spanish National Video Game Awards 2010, winner.
- Invizimals: Shadow Zone. Best Handheld Game. Gamelab Spanish National Video Game Awards 2011, winner.