Anuman's 2010 plans
Microïds owner looks to iPhone, iPod and iPad, though PC not to be forgotten.
Montreuil, April 08th 2010. Following the takeover of the Microïds brand, today, Anuman Interactive is announcing its management strategy for the brand for the years ahead.
As a historic PC games publisher for many years, at the end of last year, Anuman Interactive announced the takeover of the Microïds brand, a specialist in adventure video games in several countries. In the space of more than 15 years, Microïds has built powerful international licenses for PC and Consoles including Syberia, Amerzone, Still Life and Dracula.
Today, Anuman Interactive is presenting its strategy for managing this catalog, with a view to becoming, over time, one of the world's leading players in multiplatform adventure video games.
Stéphane Longeard, Chief Executive Officer of Anuman Interactive, explains: "We have big international plans for the Microïds brand. These projects have already started with the successful adaptation of the Dracula license (distributed by Chillingo Ltd.) for iPhone and iPod Touch. Our aim is to take up the Microïds torch again and to quickly become a key world player in adventure games on all platforms. The idea is to reach a very wide audience (from the general public to gamers) by offering new game experiences, which are different but complementary".
Anuman Interactive has already announced the adaption of several Microïds licenses for nine platforms:
On iPhone and iPod Touch, the "Egypt" license will follow in the footsteps of "Dracula" from April 2010 and will be adapted into episodes for the two Apple formats. The game system and story will be simplified to match perfectly the operating method and size of the iPhone and iPod Touch screens in order to reach a more general audience. More than a dozen licenses, including "Return to Mysterious Island" and "Post Mortem" will follow and, naturally, will be iPad compatible and in EFIGS (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish).
In an effort to appeal more to gamers, there are also plans to transfer PC versions to the new Apple format: the iPad. These versions will be an identical copy of the game systems used in the original versions, but will take advantage of the size and interactivity of the iPad. Note that "Return to Mysterious Island 1" will be available from May 1st 2010.
The PC format will not be forgotten with the update of the Microïds catalog (re]mastering, addition of Windows Vista® and 7® compatibility, etc.) and also the adaptation of a number of games intoo chapters. A dozen licenses are planned between now and the end of the year, such as "Dracula", "Egypt" and "Syberia".
Alain Milly, Anuman's editorial director, adds that "In view of the growth of online gaming and the redefinition of online buying habits, we have chosen to offer players the opportunity to buy game chapters rather than full stories. This makes it easier for players to discover a universe and a game style, and to progress through the story at their own pace".