iPhone 6: Apple showcases new game Vainglory from Super Evil Megacorp

"Think of it like capture the flag, but with crystals."

With talk of Super Evil Megacorp and Vainglory, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Apple’s iPhone 6 and Apple Watch launch event last night heralded the end of the world as we know it.

Instead, Super Evil Megacorp is a US-based gaming start-up whose aim is not to take over the world, but simply to destroy the productivity of mankind with endlessly entertaining games. The taking over of the world is left to Apple, who used Super Evil Megacorp’s game Vainglory to demonstrate the capabilities of their new iPhone 6 and its operating system: iOS 8.

Developed for iOS, the studio’s first game is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) designed specifically for mobile devices. Like other MOBA games, it’s free to play although players can pay to unlock more content and personalise their characters. Matches in the game pit three different mobile devices against each other in 20 minute battles, but Vainglory’s strongest asset is likely to be the graphics.

iOS 8 operates a new Application Programming Interface (API) that enables far improved performance, something which excites the developers, “Vainglory can now deliver a level of graphics performance and resolution beyond that of a Blu Ray player on a new HD TV,” Chief Operating Officer Kristian Segerstrale explained on the company blog, “That’s higher quality than most current game consoles can deliver – in your bare hands!”

Stephan (CaptainNeato) Sherman, CCO, Super Evil Megacorp describes it as: "Two teams battle to destroy a giant crystal in their opponent’s base. Think of it like capture the flag, but with crystals."

The game – out this Winter - is only available for iOS. The E.V.I.L. engine is, however, designed to be playable across all platforms which makes a later release of an Android version, and perhaps then world domination, probable.