Gaming News - February 2002

Las Vegas, NV (February 27, 2002) - Microsoft today announced the development of Rise of Nations, a new real-time strategy (RTS) game that will combine the fast-action of real-time gaming with the broad scope of epic turn-based strategy games like Civilization. Gaming luminary Brian Reynolds, well known for his work on Civilization II and Alpha Centauri, is heading the game’s development with his Maryland-based development company, Big Huge Games.

From Microsoft:

In “Rise of Nations,” players have the option to win through military might, using everything from sling-shots to cannons to stealth bombers; through cornering the market on key commodities; or by wheeling and dealing with a wide variety of civilizations. Unlike other historical real-time strategy games, “Rise of Nations” allows gamers to quickly play through from the Stone age to the modern age.

“This is the game I’ve always wanted to do,” said Reynolds. “I’m excited to be creating an RTS experience that covers the breadth of history without getting bogged down in the minutia. ‘Rise of Nations’ makes it easy for players to jump from the strategic to the tactical view while growing their empire. We expect this to be the start of a memorable new franchise.”

Slated to hit stores in spring 2003, “Rise of Nations” starts players in the Stone Age with a single village. Players can then quickly advance to modern times by expanding their economy, taking over as much land as possible, building a giant military machine, and working their way up to more advanced technologies. In addition, multiplayer options give players the ability to negotiate with each other, build alliances or play a game of global domination.

“Rise of Nations” will incorporate units ranging from elephants to heavy tanks, from zeppelins to stealth bombers and from ballistas to howitzers. Civilizations include such diverse cultures as Bantu, French, and Korean. Additional information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/riseofnations.asp .

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