Most people forget their godfather. He gets lost in the mists of time – unless of course excellent birthday and Christmas presents arrive to remind us of who he is. With Christmas heaving into view, a couple of the Godfathers of the Indie development scene have come back to remind us of their excellence.
In the 90s Sensible Software and The Bitmap Brothers were two of the leading lights of the independent development scene, releasing a batch of games that have become classics and inspired many of today’s leading Indies to get into game development. Sensible World of Soccer, The Chaos Engine, Magic Pockets and Cannon Fodder are some of the amazing games Jon Hare and Mike Montgomery helped bring to the world of gaming.
“Over the years so many of today’s Indie developers have been telling us how much our games meant to them, some asking us to bring them back on digital formats and some even begging us to be able to get involved with the development themselves. Speedball 2 HD proves that the synergy between old classic titles and modern digital formats, along with wise old heads working with fresh new talent has never been stronger” said Jon Hare.
“Speedball 2 HD is a faithful remake of the original futuristic cybersports game. It is as arresting and enjoyable as ever and we’ve added some cool updates to allow today’s gamers to connect with it on their favourite platforms.” commented Mike Montgomery.
Speedball 2 HD has been developed by ‘Indie Developer of the Year’ Vivid Games and designed, directed and produced by Jon Hare and Mike Montgomery and will release on Steam and Get Games on 5th December for $9.99 / €7.99 / £6.99. Featuring over 330 unique players, new formations and six new arenas of frenetic future sports action, Speedball 2 HD is as hard as nails and as lovely as an unexpected gift from a godfather you had somehow forgotten.
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About Tower Studios Tower Studios is owned and operated by Jon Hare, founding member of the legendary Sensible Software, one of the most successful European game development companies of the 20th Century. Hare’s strong games design pedigree has produced 10 titles that have reached #1 across Europe. Recently, the company has been working quietly behind the scenes with the Bitmap Brothers and some of today’s most successful digital developers, such as “Indie Developer of the Year” Vivid games to bring back old school development values into both classic remakes and new titles for the digital age
About Vivid Games Vivid Games is one of Europe’s premier emerging independent development studios, with a passion for accessible and engaging gaming at the heart of its philosophy. Founded in 2006, Vivid Games is making a valuable contribution to the worldwide games development community. Vivid Games has become renowned for its specialization in cross-platform development, working both with licensed brands and exciting new IPs of its own. www.vividgames.com
About the Mastertronic Group Limited Mastertronic Group is a multi-platform, world-class developer, publisher, manufacturer, distributor and online retailer of digital interactive entertainment. Using the extensive experience in our quality-focused teams, we deliver digital entertainment to consumers and significant added-value income to our development, retail and publishing partners. The Group has a number of publishing labels, each focused on specific audience demographics. Established PC titles are republished through our Sold Out range, specialist PC simulations are published under the Just Flight and Just Trains labels and console formats (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, iOS and Android) via Mastertronic. The Mastertronic Group also publishes Indie games on the Great Indie Games label. Just Flight, and its sister company Just Trains, are the leading worldwide simulation specialists. Just Flight was established in 1995, and within three years became the world’s largest publisher of flight simulation software with the exception of Microsoft, with a reputation for high quality products, published by genuine enthusiasts. Via The Producers, the Group offers a ‘cradle to grave’ turnkey service for physical product, from marketing, packaging and warehousing and an experienced sales service right through to retail, while its specialist PC download site, GetGames is a key player in the digital distribution market. The Mastertronic Group has just celebrated its 25th anniversary.
