Empire To Bring Speedball II To Live Arcade

As it gears up to release its arcade conversion of beat em up Double Dragon to Xbox Live Arcade, Empire Interactive has announced that it will also be converting the Bitmap Brothers' Amiga classic Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe. First released on the Amiga in 1990, Speedball II is described by Bitmap Brothers as a "unique blend of extreme violence and stunning gameplay" as players train their team, work through leagues and literally beat other players to win championships. Says the developers, it's an ideal game "for lovers of serious ultra-violence." Empire promises the Xbox Live Arcade version will be a "perfect conversion" the original, with new high definition graphics, more teams, new downloadable content, and, of course, multiplayer over Xbox Live. Said Clive Kabatznik, CEO of Empire owners Silverstar Holdings, "This is another example of Empire updating a classic IP and bringing it to a brand new audience. Double Dragon will launch next Wednesday, and will be our first foray onto Xbox Live Arcade. Our announcement of Speedball II demonstrates our continued intention to bring high quality classic titles to a broader market."