Sleep Is Death Creator's DS Game Finds New Home At Zoo

Jason Rohrer's Diamond Trust of London has found a new home at Zoo Entertainment following creative differences between Rohrer and its original publisher, Majesco. The game will be published under Zoo's independent games label, IndiePub, according to the company, and will be released digitally in a "unique way." "As a strong supporter of independent game development, we recognize the importance of unique ideas and working with exceptional talent," said Zoo Entertainment CEO Mark Seremet. "Jason Rohrer is an exceptional guy and a standout in the indie community. We are collaborating to sell Diamond Trust of London to Jason’s avid fan base in an exclusively digital, unique way." While the exact distribution method is unknown, this seems to have been the cause of the split between Rohrer and Diamond Trust's original publisher, Majesco. In a recent interview, Rohrer said that he and the company "had a disagreement about how the game was going to be released," causing him to halt development. "As soon as I talked to Mark Seremet, his genuine enthusiasm won me over," said Rohrer in a statement Monday. "Zoo has rescued Diamond Trust of London from a year-long holding pattern, and I still feel like I'm dreaming." This isn't Rohrer's first brush with the DS: an anthology of his experimental games called Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology and a port of his puzzle game Primrose were previously released for the system. Diamond Trust of London is a turn-based strategy game with an educational backbone, revolving around the diamond trade in Angola. For more on the game -- and how its original concept involved a divorcing couple, rather than blood diamonds -- refer to this Gamasutra report from the 2010 Serious Games Summit.