SEGA partners with Gas Powered Games, unveils strong line-up

SEGA unveiled a raft of new titles today including a collaboration with Supreme Commander developer Gas Powered Games, an Xbox Live Arcade title, and a second instalment in Monolith's psychological thriller series Condemned.

The publisher will be working with Gas Powered Games on an original role-playing game for the PC. "New IP is king," GPG's Chris Taylor told gi.biz in a recent interview, and the new title will undoubtedly reflect his belief that consumers are demanding familiarity "with a really strong twist".

The other titles unveiled overnight were Condemned 2: Bloodshot, with which Monolith aims to build on the original first-person action title's moody blend of hand-to-hand combat and crime scene investigation, a Wii version of arcade shooter Ghost Squad, and an Xbox Live Arcade and PC collaboration with Mondo Media based on the Happy Tree Friends TV and Internet cartoon series.

SEGA also said that previously announced strategy title Universe At War: Earth Assault will be released on Xbox 360 in addition to PC. The Petroglyph-developed game will also play host to an ambitious multiplayer elements that draws inspiration from massively multiplayer games as well as existing competitive strategy titles, the publisher said, calling to mind cult Xbox 360 title Chromehounds with its reference to persistent online elements and a widely contested global battlefield.

While it's currently unknown when Gas Powered Games' RPG will launch, the publisher said that Condemned 2 has been scheduled for "early 2008" on PS3 and Xbox 360, while Universe at War's Xbox 360 version will arrive a few months after the PC version's autumn 07 launch in Q1 2008. Ghost Squad is down for early 2008 and Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm will arrive in the autumn.

SEGA of America president and COO Simon Jeffery said: "Partnering with well established and visionary game creators such as Chris Taylor and his talented group at Gas Powered Games aligns perfectly with our strategy." Indeed, the publisher has considerably bolstered its PC profile in particular in recent months with the acquisitions of The Creative Assembly (Total War series) and Sports Interactive (Football Manager) and creative partnerships with the likes of Obsidian Entertainment (currently working on a title based on the Alien franchise).

Meanwhile SEGA's console game portfolio is as broad as ever, with a wealth of next-generation titles in development including Bizarre Creations' hotly anticipated action game The Club and the first project from SEGA Racing Studio, an update to arcade classic SEGA Rally, due out sometime this year.