A New Massively Multiplayer Game Set in Ancient Rome, by the Makers of Star Trek Online and the Designer of Diablo II
March 11, 2005
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Perpetual Entertainment | For Immediate Release
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - March 10th, 2005 - Perpetual Entertainment, Inc., the developer of the upcoming Star Trek Online, announced today Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, a new massively multi-player game (MMG) designed by Stieg Hedlund, the lead designer of Diablo II. Gods and Heroes is being unveiled for selected industry journalists in private showings at Perpetual's offices during the week of the Game Developers Conference (GDC), March 9-11, and will launch in the fall of this year.
In Gods and Heroes, players become classic heroes of the ancient world, born of immortal blood. As a scion of the gods, each player will have the opportunity to pursue his destiny through a series of Epic Quests that will span all levels of gameplay, over time commanding amazing God Powers and acquiring famous weapons and treasure of myth.
"Gods and Heroes offers what every player craves in an MMG: content," said Chris McKibbin, Co-Founder and President of Perpetual Entertainment, and Executive Producer of Gods and Heroes. "There will be over 1,250 quests at the time of launch, all tied in to the characters and the themes of the unique areas in the game. In addition, players will enjoy private zones for individually tailored gameplay, rich skill-based character development, fully integrated social systems, player-to-player interaction tools, and ongoing contested areas such as forts, territories, towns, castles and mines."
The game will be set in Rome around 300 BC, a time when the Republic is powerful, but Roman enemies including the Carthaginians, Gauls, and Samnites threaten the fledgling imperial holdings. Worse, the land is beset by terrible creatures, such as Gorgons, Cyclopes, and Furies. As heroes of Rome, players will take on missions to expand and protect the Republic, her interests, and her citizens, and will serve one of the twelve great Roman gods. Future expansions are planned to open up new lands and new pantheons of gods
Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising will implement the most interactive, dynamic, strategic and engaging combat system of any MMG - challenging players before battle as well as during battle. Players will strategically select and train their NPC Soldiers in a variety of skills and abilities to form individual squads that meet specific challenges, and devise strategies and create formations for these squads to execute on command - maximizing the unique skills and abilities of each individual squad.
"We are thrilled to be able to announce this title during the Game Developer's Conference 2005. We can't wait to share our genre-defining 3D graphics, animation, effects and sound," said Joe Keene, Co-Founder and CEO of Perpetual. "This is an exciting time for Perpetual Entertainment, with both Gods and Heroes and Star Trek Online under development."
For more information about Gods and Heroes visit the web site at www.godsandheroes.com.
About Perpetual Entertainment, Inc.
Perpetual Entertainment is a San Francisco based producer, publisher, and operator of networked multi-player and massively multi-player games for the PC and next-generation videogame consoles. Perpetual Entertainment was founded and is staffed by industry veterans dedicated to the vision that playing games together is simply more fun, more challenging, and more rewarding than playing alone. For more information visit the web site at www.perpetual.com.
About Joe Keene
Prior to co-founding Perpetual Entertainment, Joe Keene held a variety of executive positions at Electronic Arts, the industry's largest independent games publisher, including Associate General Counsel, Chief Operating Officer of the Maxis Studio, Vice President of Worldwide Publishing, Vice President of Corporate Development and Chief Operating Officer of EA.com. In these positions he participated in or led many of EA's major business initiatives during the period of its greatest growth, including the acquisition of several critical studios and publishing companies, the negotiation of major property and publishing deals, and the formation of EA.com.
About Chris McKibbin
Prior to co-founding Perpetual Entertainment, Chris McKibbin held various executive positions at Electronic Arts, the industry's largest independent games publisher, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the EA Canada Studio, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of the Origin Systems Studio, and General Manager of Programming and Production for EA.com. In these positions he managed game development and operations for PC, Console, and Online games including Ultima Online, Majestic, Motor City Online, Earth & Beyond, The Sims Online, FIFA Soccer, NBA Live Basketball, Need for Speed, NHL Hockey, Triple Play Baseball, and PGA Tour Golf. Prior to joining Electronic Arts, Mr. McKibbin was a founder and CFO of Digital Domain, a leading Hollywood special effects studio responsible for movies including Titanic, Apollo 13, and True Lies. Mr. McKibbin received his B.A. from Princeton University his M.B.A. from Columbia University.
About Stieg Hedlund
With a lifelong interest in games and visual storytelling, Stieg Hedlund became a professional designer of pen-and-paper role-playing games in his teens before beginning a career in electronic entertainment in 1987. Since then he has designed games of nearly every genre for a wide variety of computers, consoles, and arcade machines. He has successfully adapted to many diverse game development and production styles in environments ranging from small and entrepreneurial studios to some of the biggest publishers in the business, including working extensively in Japan. The list of companies he has worked for include such well-respected names as Blizzard, Konami, SEGA, and Electronic Arts. In addition to being the sole designer of Diablo II, the all-time best-selling PC role-playing game and receiving many of the industry's most prestigious awards, he also worked on Blizzard's other huge hits Diablo, StarCraft, and the Diablo II Expansion Pack, the acclaimed arcade action game, Die Hard Arcade, a Lord of the Rings-based action-adventure game, and a 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game, among many others. All told, he has shipped well over thirty titles.
Contact: Kara Japhet Media Relations Manager
TAP Interactive
919-806-4477
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