Konami confirms Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow

Publisher Konami has confirmed that developers Kojima Productions and Mercury Steam are working on new title Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Lords of Shadow, from Spanish team Mercury Steam, was previously announced in August 2008. However, information mistakenly released earlier in the week suggested that the title had been rebranded as part of the Castlevania franchise.

These reports have now been confirmed by Konami, which has also revealed that Kojima Productions - best known for the Metal Gear franchise - will be overseeing the new title. Previously, more recent Castlevania titles have been overseen by Konami producer Koji "IGA" Igarashi.

Although entries in the series utilising 2D gameplay continue to receive critical praise, the franchise's attempts to expand into 3D have proved far less successful.

Unveiled at E3, for a 2010 release, the new game will feature an open game world and the voice talents of Robert Carlyle, Patrick Stewart, Natasha McElhone and Jason Isaacs. Mercury Steam's previous games include the critically-unsuccessful American McGee presents: Scrapland and Clive Barker's Jericho.

"Kojima Productions had learned the differences of Western development teams and Japanese studios" said Ken Imaizumi, senior producer of Kojima Productions. "Mercury Steam is definitely one of the most talented studios in the world."

"We quickly agreed that we should work together and exchange ideas and knowhow across the board," he added. "We have full trust that the next generation Castlevania experience will deliver a high quality intense experience worthy of the Kojima Productions name and we are proud that this title will mark a new global direction for Konami as a company dedicated to breaking new ground in digital entertainment."