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Alderac
Entertainment Group Acquires the City of Heroes Collectible Card Game License
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Raymond Lau
Alderac Entertainment Group
909 390-5444
rlau@alderac.com
David Swofford
NCsoft
512 498-4002
dswofford@ncsoft.com
Alderac
Entertainment Group Acquires the City of Heroes Collectible Card Game License
Hobby gaming giant
teams up with NCsoft and Cryptic Studios to create the CCG for comic
book inspired online computer game
ONTARIO, Calif., March 15, 2005
– Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc. announced today the acquisition of
the collectible card game (CCG) license for the highly successful
City of Heroes®
online computer game (http://www.cityofheroes.com).
City of Heroes is the creation of design house Cryptic Studios™
and publisher NCsoft®
Corporation. Award-winning game designer, David Williams (Legend of
the Five Rings, Doomtown, Warlord, Initial D,
Spycraft, Football Champions) takes the lead role to
develop a game that brings together hobby and computer gamers for a new
gaming experience. Top Cow Productions (Witchblade, Tomb
Raider, Hunter-Killer), which is also producing the City
of Heroes comic book, will illustrate the artwork for this new game.
City of Heroes
has received mass market and critical acclaim in the gaming industry
since its launch in April of 2004. The game was awarded PC or Console
Game of the Year and Multiplayer Game of the Year by Billboard Magazine.
It also received MMORPG of the year honors from Spike TV and Computer
Gaming World.
The new card game will release its
first set, City of Heroes CCG: Arena, this November. “With such a
popular license, I see this as an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap
between card gamers, computer gamers, and comic book fans,” says City
of Heroes CCG Brand Manager, Raymond Lau. “There’s no doubt that the
joint efforts of high caliber companies like Cryptic Studios, Top Cow
Productions, and Alderac Entertainment Group will result in a world
class product.”
“We are thrilled to be working with
Alderac Entertainment Group,” says City of Heroes Lead Designer
Jack Emmert. “Alderac has a long history of producing quality products
and providing the kind of complete support that we feel is core to the
City of Heroes property.”
About Alderac Entertainment Group
Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc., is based in Ontario, California.
Formed in 1993, Alderac’s first product was the hobby gaming magazine,
Shadis. It jumped into the collectible card game business in August 1995
with the release of Legend of the Five Rings which remains one of the
most popular CCG’s to date. Alderac continued on to produce other
collectible card and role-playing games such as Warlord CCG, Spycraft,
Doomtown, and 7th Sea, and now has become an industry leader
in hobby gaming.
About Cryptic Studios
Cryptic Studios, Inc., located in Los Gatos, California, was established
in July of 2000 and is an independent developer of massively multiplayer
online games for the PC and next generation consoles. Its first game,
City of Heroes, launched in April 2004. The game takes place in a
virtual world where thousands of people play simultaneously, take on the
role of super-powered heroes, fight villains and help create a dynamic
story in a visually-stunning, 3-D graphical world.
About NCsoft North America
NCsoft - North America (NC-NA) is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is
part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NC-NA, with development and
administrative offices in Texas and California, launched two
ground-breaking titles in the first half of 2004, Lineage®
II and City of Heroes. The company also works with NCsoft
subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to
develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products.
More information about NCsoft – North America can be found at
http://www.PlayNC.com.
About Top Cow
Top Cow was founded in December of 1992 and currently publishes its line
of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The
company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and 2 licensed) in the
industry's Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other
publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise Witchblade was
TNT's #1 original film of 2000. Virtually all of Top Cow's other
properties are in development as feature films, live action television,
animation or video games. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and
merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs,
puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall
scrolls, mouse pads, die cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments,
Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games and role playing
games.
NCsoft, the interlocking NC
logo, Lineage and all associated NCsoft logos and designs are
trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of
Heroes is a registered trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NCsoft
Corporation. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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