2K Games: Sid Meier’s Evolution [PC]

From/De: 2K Games

2K Games Announces Sid Meier’s Evolution™

Industry’s top Windows PC critics herald the arrival of the next franchise from Firaxis

New York, NY – April 1, 2010 – 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today that Sid Meier’s Evolution™, the next offering from the legendary game designer of Games for Windows®, is now in development and will be available internationally sometime in 2012. Created by 2K’s world-renowned Firaxis Games development studio, Evolution will revolutionize the way people think about video games.

“The decade-long groundswell of fan enthusiasm around previous Firaxis titles was the driving force behind our decision to make an entirely new franchise for today’s gamers,” said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games. “The terrific community support, coupled with the opportunity to design a a whole new gaming paradigm, made it the right time to create this title for loyal fans and everyone else who loves great games.”

Evolution is a standalone game that creates an entirely new experience, and challenges the whole notion of how games are played. The ultimate “god game,” players will, for the first time, tip the first fundamental dominoes that create entire realities complete with physical laws, dimensions and the possibilities of life – even intelligent life.

According to Sid Meier, “When designing a game, particularly one based on real-world or scientific topics, it might seem that hard facts, physical principles, painstaking research, and mathematical formulas would provide the foundation for a successful game. Wrong. These and many other seemingly useful tools will have to take a back seat to the real driving force in game design: the psychology of the player. Gameplay is a psychological experience: it’s all in your head.”

“The vagaries of human psychology define your game more than the laws of physics or algebra. Egomania, Paranoia, Delusion – these are tools to be wielded with precision and care. For the player, perception is reality and the center of the universe is right here. As we follow this reasoning to its logical conclusion we discover a number of amazing things, among them: everyone is above average, 2/1 is not equal to 20/10, and the player is his/her own worst enemy.”

Sid Meier’s Evolution for Games for Windows will be available in North America and internationally 2010. The title has not been rated by the ESRB.

Biography:
Sid Meier, Firaxis Director of Creative Development, is heralded as “The Father of Computer Gaming.” In his extraordinary career of over twenty five years, Sid has created games that have captured the imagination of tens of millions of gamers spanning the globe. Throughout his career, Sid has constantly endeavored to “push the envelope” in computer gaming. In 1982, Sid co-founded MicroProse Software. At MicroProse he created a number of popular and innovative games, including: F-15 Strike Eagle, one of the first successful combat flight simulators (selling well over a million units worldwide), and Silent Service, a ground-breaking submarine simulation. Sid’s breakthrough game, Pirates!, was a unique blend of historical simulation, arcade action, strategy, and role-playing. Sid brought the definitive strategy game to the PC in 1991 with the launch of Sid Meier’s Civilization. Once again, Sid challenged his players on many levels: city-planning, economics, education, military strategy and global diplomacy. For 18 years, Civilization, now in its fourth version having sold over 9 million units worldwide, has been widely recognized as one of the greatest gaming series ever created. Throughout his career Sid and his games have been recognized with virtually every major award in gaming, landing him in the 2008 Guinness World Records for the most videogame awards received in the history of the industry. In 1999, Sid was the second person ever to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Science’s Hall of Fame and recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Game Developers Conference presented at the Game Developers Choice Awards show. As Director of Creative Development at Firaxis, Sid continues to deliver the most addictive gameplay on the planet – most recently, Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution and Civilization Network for FaceBook (currently under development).

About Firaxis Games
Firaxis Games™ is one of the world’s premier game development studios, and home of legendary designer Sid Meier. Firaxis has developed some of the most successful and award-winning computer and video games on the market today including: 2005 PC Game of the Year – Sid Meier’s Civilization IV®, the expansions Civilization IV: Warlords®, and Civilization IV: Beyond The Sword™, the blockbuster Sid Meier’s Civilization® III series, Sid Meier’s Pirates!® (PC, Xbox® and PSP®), Sid Meier’s SimGolf™ and Sid Meier’s Railroads!™. Firaxis legacy titles include the Sid Meier’s Civil War Series!™ (Gettysburg!, Antietam!, and South Mountain), and the Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri® series. In 2005, Firaxis Games was acquired by Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., joining its 2K publishing label. The company recently released Sid Meier’s Civilization® Revolution™ for console and handheld platforms to critical acclaim.

About Take-Two Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games for the PC, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox 360® and Xbox® video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Nintendo GameCube™ and Game Boy® Advance. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games, 2K Games, 2K Sports and 2K Play, and distributes software, hardware and accessories in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. Take-Two’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.

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