Ship Simulator 2008 to launch in July
Haarlem, The Netherlands, May 15th 2007 After the worldwide success of the first Ship Simulator title in 2006, which sold more than 130.000 copies to date, Dutch developer VSTEP and publisher Lighthouse Interactive are proud to announce its sequel, Ship Simulator 2008. Slated for release in the UK and Scandinavia July 13th 2007, the new version contains many often requested features from the hugely active user community:
1. Three brand new exciting sailing areas: San Francisco, Southampton/Solent area incl. Cowes, and Marseille.
2. Nine brand new vessels, from pilot boat to supertanker, including even a massive offshore oil rig
3. User-controlled harbour container cranes
4. Ocean waves, with realistic ship motions
5. Long-distance trips between harbours (open sea missions)
6. Walkthrough option on all ships
7. Interactive bridge controls on all ships
8. Advanced weather system
9. New navigation instruments, including a depth meter
10. Mid-mission save function
11. Visible damage on ships after a collision
12. Advanced towing, anchoring and mooring rope operations
13. Complex and challenging missions, like chasing other ships, container loading, rescue operations
14. Free-roam option: select a ship, a sailing environment, set the weather and wave conditions, and start sailing!
Previously announced as Ship Simulator 2007 earlier this year, the decision to hold back the release the middle part of the year has prompted the decision to change the title to Ship Simulator 2008. This also reiterates the companies commitment to support the product with add-ons and new features throughout 2008. Localized versions of the game such as French, Spanish, and Italian versions, will be released by Lighthouse Interactive in September 2007.
Says Pjotr van Schothorst, the game's producer and director at VSTEP: "It was great to see so many people having fun with the first edition of our game. Not just youngsters liked it, but a large group of older people, many of them professional sailors, became almost addicted to the game. I am happy that our development team was able to address most of the often requested features, promising an even larger active user community for the new version."
Links to the first screenshots and video clips of work-in-progress:
Video clips: http://www.youtube.com/ShipSimAtVSTEP
Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21878131@N00/sets/72157600172983777/
About VSTEP ( www.vstep.nl)
VSTEP develops professional simulators for fire-fighters and nautical training. Since its initiation in 2002, VSTEP has completed 30 training simulators for customers like the Royal Dutch Navy, the Port of Rotterdam, Falck/Nutec, the Dutch Railways, and DriveZone. VSTEP's experience and core technology from these projects has been adapted to deliver a "true to their roots" simulator for the home PC user.
Background Ship Simulator ( www.shipsim.com)
Ship Simulator is a revolutionary ship simulation game, whereby you get the ability to steer various ships in different environments. Both the graphical quality of the ships and their dynamic behavior are completely realistic, so the game is not only fun, but you learn something about ships and ship handling as well. The initial version was released in 2006 in 20 countries and 7 languages and sold beyond expectation. Its success led to the development of an add-on pack with 6 additional ships, and a Professional edition aimed at Nautical Schools.
About Lighthouse Interactive
Lighthouse Interactive is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment with offices in The Netherlands, Canada and England. Founded in 2005 by industry veterans, the company has quickly grown into a worldwide publisher with publishing operations on both the European and North American continents. With a drive for gaming that equals that of their target audience, Lighthouse has proven to have an eye for quality games in all sorts of genres, from adventure to shooters and from simulation to strategy. In 2007/2008 Lighthouse anticipates a further increase in activities, doubling up its number of releases for PC Windows to well over 10 in each market, as well as moving into console gaming. By backing its franchises all the way, Lighthouse has shown it is the right alternative for developers looking to bring their products to a worldwide audience. Find out more on www.lighthouse-interactive.com
Media Contact
Raymond Snippe
Public Relations Manager
Tel: +31 23 540 9449
Email: pr@lighthouse-interactive.com