Civilization and Pirates! coming to Gree
2K looks for a social bend to their classic franchises
Gree and 2K will work together to bring Sid Meier's Civilization and Pirates! franchises to social platforms. New games developed at 2K's studio in China will be designed specifically to take full advantage of the smartphone platform.
"Gree's social games have generated tremendous interest in Japan and are a driving force in making Japan one of the most fascinating social gaming ecosystems in the world," said Fabien Siouffi, Vice President Online and Social at Take-Two Asia. "Creating social mobile games based on the Sid Meier's Pirates! and Sid Meier's Civilization franchises are our way to connect with Japanese fans in a fun and innovative way."
Pirates! Legends is described as an interactive battle and questing game, where players try to form the ultimate fleet team. For Civilization, gamers are required to build their own empire by waging war and establishing diplomacy, presumably with other players.
"Sid Meier's Civilization and Sid Meier's Pirates! have been beloved franchises for decades, and Civilization has been recognized as one of the greatest strategy franchises of all time with nearly 11 million units sold-in worldwide," added Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. "Recreating these timeless classics on Gree's fast-growing platform is a fantastic opportunity for us to bring deep, rich gaming experiences to a new audience."
"We are excited to work with a renowned publisher like 2K, as it expands into the social mobile space and takes its award-winning franchises to the next level of gaming," concluded Yoshikazu Tanaka, CEO of Gree. "Our goal is to build the best global social mobile gaming ecosystem for players, developers, and publishers around the world. This partnership is a big step toward evolving the traditional gaming world by creating a worldwide network for all types of gamers."
Additionally, 2K will team with Cyberagent to bring the NBA 2K franchise to the GREE platform in Japan. The game will be designed for a mobile social gaming environment in a player-stats battle format.