Vivendi Universal Games announced development of Tribes: Vengeance, the next installment in the world-renowned and award-winning Tribes videogame series. Due in late 2004 only for PCs, the game is being developed by Irrational Games, known for some of the game industry's most respected and revered titles, including System Shock 2 and Freedom Force.
One of the goals for Tribes: Vengeance is to take single-player story telling to the next level, said Philip O'Neil, VU Games' SVP of Sales & Marketing. We want to immerse the gamer in the story similar to the way a blockbuster film pulls you in. Our challenge to Irrational Games was to create a game that grabs hold of the player and never lets go, and they have risen to the task.
In Tribes: Vengeance's single-player campaign, gamers become immersed in a roiling galactic thriller. Throughout the game, the player catches glimpses of other, interrelated stories that are unfolding behind-the-scenes. In addition, gamers are given the opportunity to experience the full scope of the single-player story through multiple viewpoints and characters. Powered by an enhanced version of the Unreal Engine, the world is brought to life with characters that have facial expressions and fully-realized personalities, vehicles that kick up dust as they pass by, and weapons that display spectacular effects.
Our plan is to not only enhance the multiplayer component of Tribes, but to also blow people away with a single-player story unlike anyone has ever seen in a videogame, said Ken Levine, general manager of Irrational Games.
Tribes: Vengeance will also build upon the series' legendary online multiplayer action. Irrational Games has hired one of the Tribes community's leading developers, Michael KineticPoet Johnston, to head up the design and creation of the game's multiplayer component. Johnston previously created Team Rabbit 2, a major Sierra-commissioned game modification for Tribes 2 that was included in the game's commercial re-release in late 2002. Being involved in the design and execution of Tribes: Vengeance is a dream come true, said Johnston. In the coming months we will be actively working with the Tribes online community to make sure they get the multiplayer game they've always wanted.
The Hobbit
Vivendi also announced that The Hobbit, its upcoming action-adventure videogame based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel of the same name, will be released this Fall on all major platforms, including PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, and the PC.
The Hobbit is a third-person action-adventure game set in the world of Middle-earth. In the game, players take the persona of Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming Hobbit who has been unwittingly thrust into an epic adventure. In the game, players explore the magical world of Middle-earth where they'll need to jump gaping chasms, climb treacherous mountains, solve mind-bending puzzles and battle hordes of enemies just to survive. They'll also meet enchanting Elves, battle-ready Dwarves, a powerful Wizard, massive Trolls, bloodthirsty Goblins, and more as they traverse from the peaceful lands of the Shire to the harrowing forests of Mirkwood.
Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's works and newcomers to his epic adventures alike will love The Hobbit, said Philip O'Neil, VU Games' SVP of Sales & Marketing. We are aiming to give as many gamers as possible the chance to immerse themselves in the world of Middle-earth, where they will be able to walk for the first time ever in the hairy feet of Bilbo Baggins.
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have set the standard for fantasy writers and creators of epic worlds. The novels are worldwide best sellers, having sold close to 100 million copies and been translated into 26 different languages.
