‘STELLAR PHENOMENA’ DLC now available for SINS OF A SOLAR EMPIRE: REBELLION

Award-winning strategy game expands with deep space anomalies and random events

PLYMOUTH, MI. – Nov. 6, 2013 – Explore the mysteries of deep space in the second downloadable content (DLC) pack released for Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion. The Stellar Phenomena DLC is available now from Stardock, Steam and other third-party digital distributors for $4.99.

The ever-expanding conflicts within and between the TEC, Vasari, and Advent have pushed the battlegrounds into uncharted space. The sectors now being drawn into the war feature the most dangerous and powerful natural phenomena in the galaxy.

Nine new deep space anomalies populate the void. Skirt the boundary of a deadly black hole, mine the riches in the wreckage of a devastating fleet battle or recharge at an inexplicable fountain of antimatter tearing apart the fabric of space-time. Each anomaly’s all-new gameplay effect adds variety and strategic opportunities to every map.

In addition, Stellar Phenomena lets players seize the moment with 11 optional random events that can alter the fate of not just your empire but the galaxy at large. Stars launch volatile gases that shut down orbital operations, mobile storms wreak havoc across the solar system, and conquered factions sense your weakness and seek to reclaim their worlds.

Exploit what resources remain in these dangerous sectors while you can. The uncharted depths of space hold threats beyond any natural phenomenon, and not all of them wait to be explored.

For more information, visit www.sinsofasolarempire.com.

Blackguards: Early Access opens with a new teaser

Hamburg, November 6th, 2013. Today marks the start of Daedalic Entertainments Blackguards in Steam’s Early Access programme, giving gamers the opportunity to try out the game three months before the official release. A new teaser, published today, gives a little taste of the captivating battles, the game has to offer:

http://youtu.be/0CBGhGymP8Y

http://store.steampowered.com/app/249650

Blackguards will be published chapter by chapter while in Early Access: Today Daedalic Entertainment releases the first part of the game, all other chapters of a total of five will follow after three weeks’ time each.

Early Access is designed to allow players to play a game before its official release, and to influence the development process by mailing in their feedback based on pre-release builds.

Daedalic Entertainment offers several packages for interested Early Access participants – in any case, players will secure access to the final version of Blackguards, by paying a lower price as when purchasing the game after its official release. Additionally, they have the opportunity to purchase exclusive extras that will only be available before the official release: For $24.99/£18.99/€24.99, players receive the Standard Early Access Edition of Blackguards, including all chapters for PC at their earliest availability, and the full PC & Mac version of the game after the official release. For $34.99/£26.99/€34.99, players receive the Blackguards Early Access Deluxe Edition, additionally including an approx. 150 page artbook, as well as developer interview videos and six exclusive wallpapers. Priced $49.99/£29.99/€49.99, the Blackguards Early Access Contributor Edition additionally includes an appearance of a buyer’s name within the game’s credits, as well as the first Blackguards DLC and a copy of the The Dark Eye point & click adventure Chains of Satinav for free.

All additional contents will be accessible after each item’s completion.

The official release of Blackguards is scheduled for late January 2014. The game will be available for PC & Mac, priced €39.99, further local prices to be announced.
About Blackguards

Blackguards is probably one of the bleakest stories ever told in the universe of ‘The Dark Eye’:

What if the only remaining hope of a world is not a company of virtuous heroes, but instead a bunch of outcasts and criminals? Blackguards will answer this very question. The player takes on the role of a convicted murderer, accompanied by a group of no less dubious characters.

They may spare the world its grim fate, but their good deeds are neither acts of kindness nor heroism, but according to their roguish nature rather a result of their attempts to save their own hides.
Staying alive is a feat of its own, since not only the long arm of the law wants their heads, but there are also other, mysterious powers with much more sinister intentions on their trail. As if all this wasn’t enough, Aventuria’s south is crawling with dangerous beasts and monsters…

Blackguards is a turn-based RPG with strategic combat and combines the studio’s high standards of storytelling and unique characters with thrilling action and an elaborate 3D environment.

Challenging quests lead the player through a dark story of doubt, treachery and loss.

http://www.blackguards.de
About Daedalic Entertainment

Daedalic Entertainment is a Hamburg-based indie-studio that develops and publishes high-quality games worldwide, focusing on the projects with strong narratives. Over the last few years, Daedalic has collected 17 German Game Developer Awards (incl. “Studio of the Year 2009”), five German Computer Game Awards (incl. “Best Game 2011”), and more.

http://www.daedalic.de/en
http://www.facebook.com/daedalic
http://www.twitter.com/daedalic
About The Dark Eye

The Dark Eye has been Europe’s most best known fantasy RPG universe since 1984. In addition to the popular pen&paper adventures the Dark Eye is the basis for a successful series of videogame adaptions. The Dark Eye is licensed under Chromatrix GmbH.

The Dark Eye is a trademark of Significant Fantasy Media Rights GbR.

YOU DON’T KNOW JACK^® CELEBRATES 18^th BIRTHDAY WITH MASSIVE RETROSPECTIVE STEAM^® SALE

Groundbreaking interactive game show reissues nine individual titles plus new Classic YDKJ Pack

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – November 6, 2013 – Independent developer Jackbox Games today announced that YOU DON’T KNOW JACK^®, SPIKE TV’s reigning ‘Social Game of the Year,’ is celebrating the franchise’s 18^th birthday with a massive sale on Steam^® including the reissue of nine individual titles for PC.

“In September 1995, we launched YOU DON’T KNOW JACK Volume 1 and, somehow, our studio has become even less mature,” said Mike Bilder, GM, Jackbox Games. “But we continue to be humbled by the love millions of gamers still have for our franchise and we wanted to find a way to recognize and celebrate our fans at this meaningless milestone in our history.”

YOU DON’T KNOW JACK has been credited with breaking new ground in video game development at a time of major evolution in the industry, through an experience that allowed players to feel that they were interacting directly with the game’s host.

The franchise also became a game that was very much a part of the era’s pop culture and helped bring gaming into the mainstream. “I can’t tell you how many passionate gamers I’ve met over the years who have told me ‘YOU DON’T KNOW JACK was my very first video game,’” added Bilder.

From inception, the franchise has been met with both critical and commercial success. On PC and console, YDKJ sold more than five million units, and the social and mobile apps have been downloaded more than 4.5 million times. YOU DON’T KNOW JACK has won numerous awards in its many incarnations including the aforementioned SPIKE TV award and last year’s Best App Ever award on iOS in the trivia category.

The reissue and Steam sale will comprise nine individual titles, including the expanded original version, from 1995 – 2003:

Steam Link: http://store.steampowered.com/sub/33692/

Title | Year | Price
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK Vol. 1 XL | 1995 | $2.99
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK Vol. 2 | 1996 | $2.99
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK Vol. 3 | 1997 | $2.99
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK Vol. 4 The Ride | 1998 | $2.99
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK MOVIES | 1997 | $2.99
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK SPORTS | 1996 | $2.99
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK TELEVISION | 1997 | $2.99
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK HEADRUSH | 1998 | $2.99
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK Vol. 6 The Lost Gold | 2003 | $1.99
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK Classic Pack | 2013 | $19.99

About Jackbox Games
Jackbox Games, formerly Jellyvision Games, is a developer and publisher of games on leading consumer gaming platforms. The company is located in Chicago, Illinois.

ELSWORD LAUNCHES “A NEW ERA OF SKILLS” 

Irvine, Calif., November 06, 2013—The hit free-to-play action MMORPG Elsword, will be boldly entering “A New Era of Skills” as the recently announced program completely reimagines Elsword’s skill customization system.  Players will find some skills dramatically improved and other skills entirely new as the skill system becomes easier to use and the action-based gameplay becomes even deeper.

As part of the new skill system, every character will gain brand new skills, as well as chance to reallocate their skill tree points to take advantage of the new array of abilities.  Six of Elsword’s classes will see a variety of upgrades to existing skills to make them even more dynamic and versatile than ever before.  The new skill tree interface will become easier to use and players will see skills reach new levels of destruction as their maximum power level is increased.

Additionally, players can participate in a new fall friend referral program also launching on November 6th.  By inviting their friends to play Elsword, all players can receive amazing prizes.  Elsword players on Steam are also eligible to purchase exclusive item packs recently launched on Steam.

To play Elsword for free please visit ElswordOnline.com and keep watching the official Facebook page here.  For more Elsword information and assets please visit our press kit here.

In Elsword, gamers can choose from six specialized and customizable characters as they explore an immersive world and battle rivals to complete dynamic quests. As players progress through the game, they can evolve their fighting styles by upgrading to new job classes, learning deadly new abilities and mastering combo attacks. With intuitive and straightforward controls, Elsword offers players of all skill levels the ability to experience the thrill of victory in combat either on solo missions or cooperatively in a party of up to four players. For those who welcome a challenge, Elsword also delivers action-packed PvP combat.

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About Kill3rCombo

Based in Orange County, California, Kill3rCombo is a division of KOG with a mission to deliver multiplayer online action games. KOG is a leading game developer located in Daegu, South Korea, and the creator of popular titles including Grand Chase and Fighters Club. Kill3rCombo, which was founded in 2010, combines the team’s extensive game publishing experience with the development expertise of KOG to introduce gamers to Elsword, a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game.

ALBION ONLINE ADDS NEW TWIST TO EQUIPMENT CUSTOMIZATION
Create A Unique Character Quickly With Crafting

Berlin, November 6, 2013— Sandbox Interactive has shed some light on the unique equipment and crafting customization system in their upcoming cross-platform Sandbox MMO, Albion Online.  With a player-driven economy and territorial-based PVP, crafting and equipment are a centerpiece of the Albion Online experience.  Players can find out more and sign up for the upcoming closed beta test at www.albiononline.com

In Albion Online, players craft items and onto these items spells, which are then available to them once an item is equipped. Because any item can be combined with any spell, and vice versa, there are nearly endless possibilities for combination!  Needless to say, this system offers a huge depth in terms of combination and how each individual player opts to set up their individual characters.

“Let’s say you want to craft a tier-two broadsword: currently, there are 30 different meaningful spell setups for this sword with room for expansion,” says David Salz, Technical Director for Albion Online. “What was important for us in designing this is that a weapon, although it has a lot of possibilities, still has a certain characteristic. So our broadsword is a bit more of a defense-oriented weapon.”

This Rock-Paper-Scissor style equipment division is seen throughout the game.  In comparison, a one-handed battle axe is focused more on close combat, direct damage spells; to complete the triangle we have a Paladin Hammer onto which players can craft a variety of healing spells and buffs.  This system makes it easier to read players during fights just by looking at a character: when someone with an axe is charging, you can anticipate some heavy damage, while if an opponent is wielding a one-handed hammer they’re more likely to be a healer.

These comparisons also extend to gear load-out, so that cloth armor leans more towards mana regeneration, stealth, energy shields, or cleanse, while plate armor is more about armor, instant self-heals, and survival mechanics.  Whether players will play up the natural enhancements of a piece of equipment or choose a spell or attribute that will give them a more balanced approach will be up to individual choice – and there’s no single “cookie cutter build” that will be the one correct answer.

Albion Online is the first true cross-platform MMO, running on different devices including Windows, iOS and Android at the same time and in the same world!

Albion Online will go into beta in early 2014 and players can get all the latest updates by following the game on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/albiononline and Twitter: @albiononline, or on Google+  https://plus.google.com/u/0/102755040714140552319/posts and on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9gij-VpDFWaaqn1zLM4TEQ

For more information, please visit www.albiononline.com  

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About Sandbox Interactive
We are Sandbox Interactive, an independent company founded in January 2012 and based in Berlin, Germany. We believe that the creation of your own world and interaction with other players are paramount to entertainment — and both creating and interacting are best experienced in sandbox games. That’s why we are extremely passionate about sandbox MMORPGs. Currently, we are a team of 12 full time employees and 9 freelancers, all working hard on our project Albion Online. Most of us are coders and artists. We believe that delivering a great product is most important. That’s why we focus on our game rather than on marketing or a huge B2B network. And even more importantly, everyone on our team is still a gamer and loves games. We hope to be able to convey this love in our game.