Creators of ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' to Bring Popular ''Dungeons & Dragons'' World to PlayStation(R)2
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Mar 18, 2004--Atari and Stormfront Studios, under license from Hasbro, Inc., have announced plans to develop ''Forgotten Realms(R): Demon Stone(TM),'' an action adventure game set in the popular ''Dungeons & Dragons(R)'' world created by Wizards of the Coast. ''Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' will place players in the middle of a heated battle between two demonic armies set to overrun the world of Faerun. The intense story setting in ''Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' will highlight the game`s use of an enhanced version of Stormfront`s powerful game engine, allowing for greatly improved graphics, faster gameplay and even more intelligent enemies. Scheduled for release in the fall of 2004, ''Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' will push action adventure on the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system to an entirely new level.
''Stormfront Studios has proven itself to be one of the preeminent console developers with its work on `The Lord of the Rings(TM): The Two Towers(TM)`. In our search for a development partner that could bring an intense, action-oriented and cinematic ''D&D;(R)'' experience to the PlayStation 2 there was no equal,'' said John Hight, executive producer, Atari`s Los Angeles studio. ''`Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone` will raise the bar several notches with new engine technologies allowing for greatly enhanced gameplay. The next-gen engine will also allow gamers to play multiple characters with varying abilities throughout each encounter, as well as the ability to switch characters on the fly -- a first for an action game of this nature.''
In ''Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone,'' the player directs a party of three characters -- Fighter, Sorcerer and Rogue. The player controls one party member at a time -- switching between them on the fly -- while the other party members are controlled by the engine`s sophisticated artificial intelligence. For example, when the player controls the Fighter, the Sorcerer and Rogue will continue to engage in combat, cast spells and assist the player in defeating all challengers. In many situations, the characters will be able to divide and conquer difficult objectives -- while the Fighter holds back a horde of Yuan-Ti snakemen with brute force, the Sorcerer supports him with devastating ranged magic while the rogue sneaks above and behind them for a coup de grace. The player participates seamlessly in each critical moment as they are cinematically switched from one perspective to another.
This real-time, on-the-fly character switching design allows ''Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' to challenge players with innovative and compelling encounters. In true ''D&D;'' fashion, each of the characters excels at a certain type of gameplay. The Fighter thrives in melee combat, the Sorcerer is excellent at ranged and magical combat and the Rogue excels at jumping, sneaking and disarming traps. Players will be continually tasked with choosing the best character for each challenge as well as using each character`s gameplay specialty to maximum effect.
''Console action game fans will be blown away by the depth and beauty of `Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone`,'' said Don Daglow, president of Stormfront Studios. ''The technology improvements, the fantastic gaming universe of ''D&D;''`s ''Forgotten Realms,'' and the wide variety of exciting cinematic gameplay all add up to one thing -- a fun and compelling action-adventure.''
''Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' will utilize an extensive fighting system which is both easy to learn and visually stunning. Characters will perform amazing attacks and feats at the simple touch of a button, but the system has sophisticated features for advanced players who want to tailor their attacks to maximize their damage in specific ituations. Unique special attacks, combinations, linked combos, super attacks and even group super attacks allow advanced players to excel against their most fearsome foes.
In addition, ''Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' will allow players to upgrade their characters with a branching path of new feats and combos as they gain experience and levels. Each character will feature a number of unique abilities, such as the Fighter`s combat skills and strength, the Rogue`s stealth and lock-picking abilities and the Sorcerer`s plethora of new spells. For example, when upgrading the Fighter, the player might have the choice of upgrading his Strength, his Melee Skill or his Hand-to-Hand skill. Within those choices, there will be other dependencies, such as the requirement to earn Power Attack before Cleave can be acquired.
''Demon Stone''`s intense, cinematic action is set entirely within the visually stunning ''Forgotten Realms'' fantasy world. Familiar characters, such as the famous drow Drizzt Do`Urden(TM) and the legendary mage Khelban ''Blackstaff'' Arunsun; terrifying monsters, including Dragons, Orcs, Slaadi, Yuan-Ti and Trolls; as well as geographical locations straight from the popular ''D&D;'' campaign setting, will make appearances and serve as backdrops throughout the game. The story of ''Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' revolves around the adventuring party`s unwitting intrusion into an age-old conflict between two warring demonic armies; one led by a Githyanki Princess and, the other, a Slaad Lord. After inadvertently releasing both demons back upon the world after eons of imprisonment, it becomes the adventurer`s quest to right their wrong and restore order to the world of Faerun.
''Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' is scheduled for release in the fall of 2004.
About Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios develops top quality, award-winning entertainment products for PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC and interactive TV, producing both AAA-quality originals and high-profile licensed titles for clients, including Atari, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony and AOL. The company`s most recent hit is ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (PlayStation 2 & Xbox, developed for EA, based on the Peter Jackson Film from New Line Cinema), which has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. Founded in 1988, Stormfront has been named to the
Inc. 500 list of entrepreneurial companies three times, and the company owns all of the engines and technology in its games. The company is based in San Rafael, Calif., and is privately held. For more information, visit www.stormfront.com.
About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is a worldwide leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories, and a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products. The company holds an exclusive patent on trading card games and their method of play (TCGs) and produces one of the world`s best-selling TCGs, ''Magic: The Gathering(R)'', as well as the celebrated ''Dungeons & Dragons(R)'' roleplaying game. Publisher of adventure games, family card and board games, and electronic media products, Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world`s premier book publishers of fantasy series fiction whose novels have made numerous appearances on The New York Times best-seller list and have sold millions of copies worldwide. For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast website at wizards.com.
About Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children`s and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.
About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company`s 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining games such as ''Driver(TM),'' ''Enter the Matrix(TM),'' ''Neverwinter Nights(TM),'' ''Stuntman(TM),'' ''Test Drive(R),'' ''Unreal(R) Tournament 2003'' and ''Unreal(R) Championship''; and mass-market and children`s games such as ''Backyard Sports(TM),'' ''Nickelodeon`s Blue`s Clues(TM)'' and ''Dora the Explorer(TM),'' ''Civilization(R),'' ''Dragon Ball Z(R)'' and ''RollerCoaster Tycoon(R).'' Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext 5257), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com.
Forgotten Realms, Demon Stone, Dungeons & Dragons, Drizzt Do`Urden and Magic the Gathering are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the U.S. and other countries.
MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:
https://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=4596948
|
