Posts Tagged ‘ascaron’
Ascaron: We are still around and working on Sacred 2 expansion
What with most of Ascaron’s assets being sold off to Kalypso and its employees forming a new studio, it is surprising that Ascaron is still around – the studio confirmed that it is still working on the PC expansion of Sacred 2.
“In a nutshell, the Addon is not affected by anything and will come as planned,” wrote Ascaron’s Anca Adelina Finta. In fact, she wrote this after the license deal was revealed earlier this month; the news was overlooked by many due to E3.
"Studio 2 (subsidiary company of Ascaron) has the licence for Sacred 2 and the devs will continue working at the Addon as they did before," she added. "Kalypso and the other devs will do something different with the old licences they bought."
However, the company is yet to offer any word on the fate of Sacred 3.
New studio formed from Ascaron’s ashes
Following up on word that the Sacred developer Ascaron was going down, German publisher Kalypso Media has acquired a “majority of licenses and assets” from the now-bankrupt studio and formed its own studio with 15 members of its former staff.
Dubbed Gaming Minds, the new studio is expected to provide the publisher with “greater independence in our games development,” whatever that means. No details were given on the projects underway at the new studio.
As for the fate of Ascaron’s cash cow franchise – Sacred – Kalypso noted that “a few existing license agreements held by Ascaron UK will stay with the Ascaron until expiration.”
Sacred 2 Encourages Sharing the Game
Hoping to appeal to more gamers, Ascaron and CDV announced that owners of the PC version of Sacred 2, which is due out on November 11, will be able to share the full game with friends and family for one calendar day.
Recipients will be allowed access to the full game in both LAN and single-player modes, though multiplayer modes won’t be available. If impressed enough, players will be able to unlock the game through an online purchase.
"This innovative digital rights management solution raises the bar on how consumers can sample games before they buy them," said CDV marketing director Mario Kroll. "Rather than showcasing only a limited character or content selection, as most traditional demos do, gamers can share and enjoy the full game experience, trying out the features that most appeal to them, and getting a true sense of the full game."