DJs Place Their Bets Online

22-12-2004

Building on early sightings at E3 2004 and Gamestars Live, Digital Jesters have announced the launch of a brand new website to accompany its forthcoming FPS Bet on Soldier. Gamers should visit www.betonsoldier.com for screenshots, movie footage and a dedicated forum on which to chat about the game when they are fed up of listening to Uncle Brian's boring anecdotes over the Christmas holidays.

With a corporation-takes-over-the-world-style plot, Bet On Soldier allows players to do exactly what it promises with its title - that is, bet on the outcome of encounters with specific enemies. Before entering battle, players can wager on which particular enemy soldiers they are going to kill. When they encounter this enemy in the game, a duel will take place. Depending on the outcome, the player will either lose his stake or win a prize calculated according to his opponent's rank, his initial stake, and the length of time it took to win. Accrued credits can be used to upgrade the player's character, in order to challenge progressively tougher opponents.

The engrossing single-player game provides the player with an array of Elite Champion AIs, whom you encounter throughout the many levels, each with its own distinctive personality, ensuring variety in betting tactics.

This original angle on combat also forms the basis for the multi-player mode, which has a variety of classes available to the 32 players in each game. Each class will utilise the wide selection of weapons in its own specific way.

Visually, Bet on Soldier's proprietary Kt engine is a technical marvel, taking full advantage of pixel and vertex shaders alongside advanced specular effects. The engine also gives the game world real physical properties, and is based upon stunning technology developed over the previous six years.

Bet on Soldier is due for release in June 2005 for the PC with an SRP of £34.99

Ends

Note to editors: Founded in 2003, Digital Jesters is a British-based publisher of computer and video games. Set up by the duo responsible for launching and establishing the Sudden Strike and Cossacks series of games in the UK, the firm's remit is simple: to source and publish the best games available. The company's commitment to originality resulting in it snapping up the original TrackMania game from French developer Nadeo and DJ's ethos of community development strategy resulted in the game becoming one of the sleeper hits of the year. A tie-in with record-breaking yachtswoman Ellen Macarthur for the firm's second release Virtual Skipper 3 ensured the game received widespread attention among the elusive non-gamer, and firmly placed the publisher on the map. The firm has enjoyed three top 10 PC hits and is expanding its operation to cover additional territories. It has also published its own comic book to widespread critical acclaim.

Specialist Press Contact Details:

DIGITAL JESTERS

Neena Patel / neena.patel@digitaljesters.com

Rob Donald / rob.donald@digitaljesters.com

Tel: 01707 871516

Mainstream Press Contact Details:

BARRINGTON HARVEY PR

Leo Tan / Helen Page

Leo.tan@bhpr.co.uk / helen.page@bhpr.co.uk

Tel: 01462 456780