Two Worlds II Sells 1M In Europe As TopWare Plans UK Office

Publisher TopWare Interactive said Wednesday the Reality Pump-developed fantasy RPG Two Worlds II sold 1 million units in its opening three weeks in Europe. The game launched in November in the region. The RPG is the sequel to the 2007 multiplatform original Two Worlds, which several critics viewed as a flawed game that fell short of its potential. Early reviews out of Europe indicate the follow-up is much improved over its predecessor. Representatives for TopWare's European headquarters were unavailable to clarify whether the 1 million units figure represents units shipped to retailers or sold-through to consumers. Two Worlds II, developed for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, is shipping in North America, Ireland and the UK on January 25, 2011. TopWare said publishing partner SouthPeak "relinquished" distribution rights in the UK and Ireland, and will instead focus solely on the game's North American release. "Both TopWare and South Peak want our game to get the attention it deserves," said TopWare Interactive managing director James Seaman. "South Peak wants to give the North American market 100 percent of their attention, and we're happy we were able to take some of the weight off their shoulders." Two Worlds II was previously slated to release in North America in October 2010. In September, TopWare and SouthPeak differed on the reasoning for the delay to January 2011: SouthPeak said the game would undergo further polish, but TopWare said the game was finished, and the delay was meant to strategically dodge a crowded holiday industry release schedule. TopWare is headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany and has offices in Las Vegas, Nevada and Petaluma, California. The publisher also said it plans to open a UK office within the next six months in an effort to "support press... and retail."