Lewis Burnell

PR Account Manager for Vicarious PR, delivering award winning video game coverage. Previous bylines at VG247, Kotaku, Rock, Paper, Shtogun, MMORPG.com, Tap-Repeatedly and Ten Ton Hammer.

Portfolio

Below is a brief array of my work over the last 7 years in the video game industry, made up of pieces I've particularly enjoyed working on.

Interplay (IPLY) Rereleases Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance On Consoles

California, USA - MAY 2021 - Experience a classic Dungeons & Dragons action role-playing game, as Interplay Entertainment (IPLY) and Wizards of the Coast rerelease the iconic action-RPG Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance on Xbox X|S, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation consoles with enhanced graphics; up to 4k on Xbox, PS4 Pro and above. This revival of the original Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance puts the ‘action’ back into the action-RPG genre, plunging players into the heart of Faerûn. As well as looting

Goblins are almost extinct. In Goblin Stone they’re fighting back!

March 18, 2021 - Goblins have been stepped on by adventurers for far too long. Not any more. It’s time to gather your ragtag group of greenskins to take on your enemies and fight back. Designed and developed by Vince McDonnell, the former founder of The Playforge and creator of the renowned iOS game Zombie Farm, Goblin Stone sees players taking on humans, elves and dwarves in a charming turn-based RPG wrapped in stunning, procedurally generated hand-drawn 2D levels. From finding and creating y

Retro Classic ‘AVGN’ I & II Deluxe Edition Set For October Launch

Philadelphia, PA - September 30, 2020 - and developer have today announced that a Deluxe edition of the fan-favorite pixel shooter, The Angry Video Game Nerd, is coming to and Nintendo Switch on October 30, 2020. Mark it in your diaries, because AVGN Deluxe is gonna take you back to the past... again! The remastered collection brings you every stage from both of the famously tough action platform games, plus an all-new never-before-seen final chapter to bring the experience together for the ult

90’s Inspired Motion Comics Shape Mad Devils

Canada, January 25 2021 - Inspired by the cutscenes from 90's classics such as Thief: The Dark Project and Twisted Metal 2, lead concept artist, David Murdoch, brings his rugged art style, showcasing a brand new trailer for the first motion comic players will experience. "David's an exceptional talent." says studio founder, Kyle Kulyk. "He was originally hired to provide artwork for the motion comics that make up the Mad Devils’ cut-scenes, but his role exploded.” says studio founder, Kyle Kuly

Paragon: What Went Wrong?

Cary based developer, Epic, announced earlier this month that all wasn’t going to plan with Paragon. Their statement, announced on the official forums detailed how the studio is evaluating continued development of their MOBA franchise. While the statement was thin on concrete detail, it did cast some blame towards the unexpected and immediate success of Fornite Battle Royale, alongside a lack of player retention in Paragon. Both issues combined have seen the game fail to grow as Epic had hoped,

Guild Wars 2: #GemGate

It all seemed quiet for Guild Wars 2 in recent weeks (especially after the GuildMag interview) and yet sure enough, another scandal has erupted over night on the launch of the Halloween holiday event. Update: ArenaNet has responded to the changes by stating they will reinstate the previous ability to micro exchange Gems. Please see Footnote. One of the things that has always made Guild Wars 2 stand out is its buy to play model and the fact that the in game store is purely cosmetic. Unlike other

Battlerite: Stunlock Lost

As has become customary when a game I play hits the skids, I’m keen to break down what I think went wrong. Having invested thousands of hours into Battlerite, it genuinely pains me to see its decline and - most likely - inevitable closure. Despite all the good that Stunlock Studios have done in the game and for the genre, it clearly missed its mark somewhere along the way. There are valuable lessons for the studio to learn, and I think it’s often helpful as an outsider to deep-dive and clear thr

Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet's Daniel Dociu - Tap-Repeatedly

In late March of 2011, Tap-Repeatedly’s Lewis B sat down for an exclusive interview with Daniel Dociu, the formidable creative force behind Guild Wars 2 and its stunning art direction. Daniel is the creative director for the highly anticipated MMO, and one of the most talented and respected concept artists in the business. As insightful as it was fascinating, the interview makes us love his work all more… This is Part 1 of our three-part feature. Be sure to check out Part 2 and Part 3! Tap: To
VG247 •

Why are new Overwatch heroes so slow to arrive?

With heroes arriving near quarterly, why is Overwatch slow to deliver when its competitors aren’t? Overwatch is a unique team based shooter. Unlike others in the genre it’s largely pure, in the sense that it doesn’t rely on itemisation, customised loadouts or active items to add depth to the gameplay. Nor does it provide in-game progression that improves the strength of your particular character or hero as you play a match. The vintage Team Fortress 2 uses both a class system and itemisation

Stunning Visual Novel ‘Far Away’ Set To Redefine The Genre

China, October 27, 2020 - Far Away is the new stunning visual novel from acclaimed Chinese development studio, HongCha Games. As their first title set for a world-wide launch across Steam and mobile platforms, Far Away tells the story of Krosa Nonet, a bay worker in the fictional town of Bedjan who becomes wrapped up in the city's underworld. This unique adventure sees Krosa drawn into a whirlpool of events where she’ll encounter gangs, corrupt detectives and spies. With multiple branching stor

Play “Bleach: Brave Souls” on PlayStation®4 in 2021 and Official Discord Server Launches Today!

Tokyo, Japan – April 16, 2021 – KLab Inc., a leader in online mobile games, announced that its hit 3D action game Bleach: Brave Souls, currently available on smartphones and PC, will be released on the PlayStation 4 and available on the PlayStation Store in 2021. Bleach: Brave Souls is a long-selling title with over 55 million downloads that has been released in more than 148 countries and regions around the world*, and will celebrate its 6th anniversary on Friday, July 23, 2021. *Total includ
Rock Paper Shotgun •

Camelot Unchained and Crowfall: MMOs' best hope?

Massively multiplayer games are in a poor state. While there’s still plenty of money to be made, the current crop are having a rough time. WildStar [official site] is barely scraping an income, Black Desert Online [official site] saw a strong start but petered out not long after launch and Guild Wars 2 continues to see a decline in revenues. Even the resilient World of Warcraft [official site], despite buoyant Legion sales, still isn’t willing to divulge subscription numbers; a sign that things

Award-Winning Moncage Releases Stunning New Trailer

New York, October 21, 2020 - developer, OPTILLUSION, are thrilled to announce not only a brand new trailer, but also that their award-winning vignette puzzle adventure is set to be published by X.D. Network. Moncage combines unique gameplay through optical illusions and vignette puzzles, and invites players to not only reveal the cube’s secrets, but also the story within. With over 60 puzzles and 50 worlds to explore, players will need to find new perspectives, leverage the illusions and discov

Award Nominated Video Game Documentary, ‘Not For Resale’, Available Now

September 29, 2020 - When there are no more physical games to sell, what gets left behind? Feature length video game documentary, Not For Resale, explores this fundamental question that the industry finds itself faced with. Kevin J. James’ multiple award nominated documentary features interviews with industry leaders such as Andrea Rene (TV host, producer, writer) and James Rolfe (Angry Video Game Nerd; Cinemassacre), as well as key store owners, game developers, and preservationists about wh

The League of Legends Pro League Opens Its Doors To The West

May 28, 2020 - League of Legends’ Pro League's Spring Split and the . As the LPL celebrates its ninth year of enormous growth across all streaming platforms (it grew 200% in 2020 with audience viewing figures on Twitch alone), now’s your opportunity to interview and profile its teams and players. The LPL juggernaut continues to gather pace, and is only set to expand in 2020. As one of the most competitive leagues in the world, that is both diverse and unpredictable, it’s not surprising to see i
MMORPG.com •

How Can MMOs Be Monetized Fairly?

Over the last two weeks I’ve discussed Black Desert Online and its “new” payment model at length. For a game that’s buy to play to then introduce further options to monetize its playerbase doesn’t leave me entirely comfortable. The massively multiplayer genre, despite having millions of players, has a reputation issue. Whether it’s buy to play, free to play, subscription or a blend of them all, the myriad of options when it comes to spending your money feels as though players are being squeezed,
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Lewis Burnell