Montreal, Quebec. April 25th, 2002 -- Strategy First, in association with French publisher Wanadoo and Sofia-based developer Haemimont Games, announced today that their new real-time strategy game (previously given the working title Druid King) has been given a new name - Celtic Kings. It will be the game’s official title for a worldwide release later this year.
Celtic Kings is a real-time strategy game with online multiplayer features that mixes strategy and role-playing elements. The adventure takes place in ancient Gaul where four mighty forces battle for power: the brave Gauls, the mighty Romans, the vicious Teutons and the mysterious Druids who "weave the patterns" that make nations prosper and decay.
There are two modes of play – adventure mode and strategic mode.
In strategic mode, players play against computer or human opponents on the Internet, exercising their strategic and tactical skills to achieve victory. They must train and command numerous military units, hire and develop heroes, acquire powerful artifacts, conquer strongholds and villages, and launch large-scale campaigns against their enemies in order to bring them to their knees. The gameplay in this mode is similar to traditional RTS gameplay.
In adventure mode, players control a party of heroes and explore the lands of Gaul as the struggle between Caesar and the Gaul chieftain Vercingetorix evolves. At the beginning of the game the players take control of the Gaul warrior Larax who has sworn to avenge the death of his bride by killing the bloodthirsty Teutons. As the game develops Larax meets Ceaser, fights alongside him, and finally must oppose the full might of Rome at the historic battle at Gergorvia. Players will get to command armies, defend villages, attack outposts, capture strongholds, and add a number of unforgettable characters to their party. Among the characters are the powerful druid Lleldoryn, the battle hungry Viking lord Thoric, the Gaul hero Vercingetorix, the mighty Ceaser himself, and many more.
Scheduled for release in July 2002, Celtic Kings will be released in Western Europe (except Spain) and Japan by Wanadoo, and in North America jointly by Wanadoo and Strategy First.
For more information, log onto the Celtic Kings website:
www.haemimont.com/celtickings
About Haemimont Games
Haemimont Games is dedicated to video and computer game design and development, creating products of the highest quality in the RTS and RPG genres. Its key strategy is to employ tallented young people and allow them to use their creative skills in the game creation process. Haemimont Games is a division of Haemimont-Smartcom AD - a leading privately-held Bulgarian technology group.
About Strategy First
Strategy First, Inc. is a leading developer and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC. Founded in 1990, the Company has grown rapidly, publishing major games in the industry such as “Supreme Ruler 2010” and “Disney’s Aladdin Chess Adventures” and simultaneously developing its own in-house titles such as “O.R.B.” and “Disciples II”. After winning numerous awards for games such as “Disciples: Sacred Lands”, “Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns”, “Steel Beasts”, “Galactic Civilizations”, and “Jagged Alliance”, Strategy First continues to push the gaming envelope with its own groundbreaking titles, while maintaining its reputation as a unique alternative for independent developers seeking to market their games to a worldwide audience.
www.strategyfirst.com
About Wanadoo
Wanadoo is one of Europe’s top Internet companies. The group is successfully driving robust development in its different businesses as an ISP, a designer of portals and specialized websites, an e-merchant, a publisher of online and print directories, and a provider of Internet solutions for businesses. Its subsidiary WANADOO EDITION produces, publishes and distributes video games on consoles, CD-Roms and Internet. Wanadoo Edition’s development strategy centers around three key points: to develop alternative video games for all software platforms, to publish large audience games of all major genres (action, adventure, sport, race, strategy and MMG) and to distribute worldwide.
