German Publisher Signs Bitmap Bros. Back Catalogue

Representatives from German publisher Frogster Interactive have announced that the company has signed a deal with cult British development team The Bitmap Brothers to create remakes of two of their most popular 16-bit titles. Updates of classic future sports title Speedball 2 and overhead scrolling shoot ‘em-up Chaos Engine will be released by the company worldwide in 2007. Although both titles have been ported to a number of formats, including recently the Game Boy Advance and mobile phones, they are most fondly remembered by fans for the original Commodore Amiga versions. Famous for courting a more sophisticated public image, compared to most contemporary Western developers, The Bitmap Brothers enjoyed considerable success in the mid-‘90s with series such as Xenon, Speedball, Cadaver, Gods and Magic Pockets. The studio was less successful in the console arena and later PC titles such as Z and World War II: Frontline Command saw an end to the company’s successful run of products. The Bitmap Brothers themselves have twice tried to resurrect the Speedball brand, initially with PSone title Speedball 2100 and then with the cancelled Speedball Arena for the PC. The wording of Frogster’s press release implies that the Bitmaps will not be directly involved in the new titles, but further details are expected following the launch of the game’s official website.