Warchest

A RAD Soldiers hotfix is now available on the App Store, fixing an issue where a match ended prematurely with the wrong outcome. We've also thrown in a new single player mission pack, allowing you to tackle more Rio goodness with your squad.

Here's the full changelog for good measure:

WarChest co-founder and CEO Paul Wedgwood will be speaking at the Free to Play Summit here in London later this month. Kicking off on 18 April at 12:30, Paul's talk is titled 'AAApex Predators: Evil Free-to-Play is Easy Prey'and will show how AAA studios can successfully approach the free-to-play genre and gain an advantage over existing games in the space.

Here's the official synopsis of Paul's talk:

Last year we promised that we'd start our second decade with the same degree of enthusiasm as our first. We did just that! We self-published with WarChest, we launched RAD Soldiers for mobile, we created Fireteam.net's online services suite, announced our entirely self-funded PC-shooter Dirty Bomb, and we expanded Splash Damage's talented development team.

After already having received a lot of great feedback from our players in their App Store reviews, we're delighted to see that the first wave of press reviews is really positive too.

Here's a slice from PocketGamer's review, where RAD Soldiers not only received 9/10 but also their prestigious Gold Award:

Community, RAD Soldiers has now been out and about for a bit, and we hope you've had a chance to check it out (if not, go oooon). Let's talk soldiers. They're the essence of your squad and influence your tactics through their unique abilities and weapon load-outs. With so many choices available, we want you to use our latest Community Question to play favourites:

Who's your favourite soldier in RAD Soldiers and why?

Pick your man/woman of choice in our latest Community Question poll and let us know in your reply why you like your chosen soldier above all others. We look forward to your replies!

WarChest CEO Paul Wedgwood has been elected to the Board of UK games industry trade body Ukie. Ukie is dedicated to turning the UK into the best place to develop and publish games, and as a Board member, Paul will help shape what Ukie does for the UK's games industry. The Board also includes SCE MD Fergal Gara, Eidos's Life President Ian Livingstone OBE, and Sports Interactive's Miles Jacobson OBE. Here's what Paul had to say about his appointment:

This weekend, a combined force of Splash Damage and WarChest team members took to the British 10K London event to raise money for Special Effect, a charity dedicated to making games accessible to young people with disabilities.

This Sunday, we'll be sending a kilometre-hungry contingent of amateur runners to the British 10K London event in order to raise money for Special Effect, the splendid geniuses working tirelessly to make games accessible to people with physical disabilities. The important of their work cannot be overstated, and the difference they make in people's lives is fantastic.

So, we’ll do the Running, with our legs, but it would be utterly awesome if you could do some giving with your fantastic pointing, clicking cursors. To do that, head on over to our Just Giving page, pick your favorite/most attractive person from the list, and leave a donation. Any amount, no matter how small, is a huge help to Special Effect and will ensure that they can keep helping disabled people experience the fun of playing video games.

Splash Damage, Fireteam, WarChest - how does it all fit together? As part of their recent visit, GamaSutra has published an information-packed feature, looking at each of the three companies, what they add to the overall family, and what you can expect from them in the future. Here's a slice:

"...about a year ago, we started to realize that there was this potential to achieve vertical integration as a company - to be the funder, creator, developer, operator, perhaps even the publisher of content that we created."

This is what led to both Fireteam and WarChest coming into existence, and Splash Damage's call-to-arms for free-to-play games that are both high-quality and non-exploitative.

"We're talking about games as a service," Wedgwood notes. "Rather than developing games purely for their first week, we think about long-term player engagement, not just for a couple of months, but for 2-5 years, and we can continue to serve that community post-release."

If you're interested in the business behind the businesses, this is a fantastic piece for you to sink your teeth into. Read the rest over at GamaSutra.