Games Distillery launch

Bratislava, Slovakia / Weinheim, Germany, 08/13/2008 Industry veteran Juergen Reusswig and his long time associate Slavo Hazucha found Games Distillery - a new independent development studio based in Bratislava, Slovakia. Directed by the two partners, the most talented developers from the former 10TACLE studio Slovakia work on innovative concepts for the online market. The company aims to conquer a strong position within this segment and take the presentation and the content of downloadable games to a true next-generation level.

The Games Distillery founders have realized the potential of the online market and have thus adapted their business model to the rapidly growing economic importance of this segment. The studio develops cutting-edge PC and Xbox 360 games, tailor-made for digital distribution through Xbox LIVE Marketplace and similarly designed distribution models for other platforms.

CEO and Development Director Juergen Reusswig:

"Our philosophy is clear-cut: we will produce every single one of our titles, regardless of its size, in excellent quality and with a distinguishing mark within its segment. With our fresh ideas and unlimited creative potential, we will set new impulses to the market. The development and distribution possibilities for downloadable content are far from exhausted - and we are going to change this."

Online distribution provides crucial advantages for both developers and customers: Production costs, e.g. for packaging or manuals, do not exist and distribution costs are minimized. Consumers benefit from significantly lower prices. On Xbox LIVE Marketplace, more than 30 million downloads are processed every month. The service is available in 26 countries and has a current base of twelve million registered users. Since the launch of this platform, online transactions have generated over one billion USD.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers study "Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2008 to 2012" backs up the business model of Games Distillery. According to this worldwide study, the amount of online gamers has grown by 76% during the last years. Regarding next-generation consoles, an annual growth of the number of online players by 43% is predicted until 2011. Within the games industry, online games are the most dynamic sector with a growth rate of 16.9%.

"Games Distillery teams up the best and most creative minds of the former 10TACLE studio Slovakia with new talents from the surrounding developer scene and an extensive network of freelancers and external experts: An ideal basis to create unique games that will - with the help of innovative product approaches and imaginative game design - fully use the potential of the new market segment," says CEO and Creative Director Slavo Hazucha.

Juergen Reusswig and Slavo Hazucha have held joint leadership positions in the past.

Juergen Reusswig has been working in the games industry for 14 years and was significantly involved in more than 20 successfully published productions during his career, including the international million-sellers ANNO 1602 and ANNO 1503. Slavo Hazucha has been active in the games industry for almost ten years as Manager and Creative Director.

The lean and efficient development team of Games Distillery has previously worked together for four years on next-generation console projects and has more than eight years of experience with PC games.

Currently, Games Distillery is working on two multi-platform titles with development cycles of six and twelve months. The projects are realized in a coordinated development scenario - shared resources and technologies generate synergies and optimize the cost structure.