MacPlay Breaks The Silence, Major Releases This Summer

Friday, May 11, 2001
news@insidemacgames.com

MacPlay Breaks The Silence, Major Releases This Summer

After months and months of almost no new information, and countless inquires of "What's up with MacPlay?" in our forums, this new Mac publisher with an old name has finally torn back the veil and revealed the status of the numerous A-list titles they have promised to bring to the Mac OS. The detailed update reveals fantastic news for Mac gamers -- Baldur's Gate 2 is in late beta, and may be out by MWNY. Giants: Citizen Kabuto is also expected this summer, and will include optimizations to fully utilize the advanced features of NVIDIA's GeForce3 card. And Fighter Squadron: Screamin' Demons over Europe has reached a major Beta milestone and is also on track for a summer release. The gorgeous 3D RTS Sacrifice is also expected to make its debut on the Mac OS sometime this summer.

Releasing four highly-praised, A-list titles for the Mac OS in the next six months will be an amazing accomplishment, and a major morale boost for the Mac platform, so we certainly wish MacPlay the best in their ambitious efforts. Here are excerpts from their update:

MacPlay 2001 Summer Line-Up

BaldurÕs Gate II: Shadows of Amn
This critically acclaimed RPG of the year is progressing at a rapid rate thanks to Chris Jacobson of MumboJumbo Games. BaldurÕs Gate II: Shadows of Amn will ÒofficiallyÓ enter the beta testing phase pending the inclusion of GameRanger support. We fully anticipate receiving a GM candidate in time for our scheduled release date just prior to MacWorld New York in July!!

Sacrifice
MacPlayÕs upcoming groundbreaking RTS, Sacrifice is a fantastic, visually stunning union of art and technology that pushes the creative boundaries of the RTS genre. WeÕre excited to report that this game recently hit the Òfirst playableÓ milestone at the hands of MumboJumbo engineer Duane Johnson and is well on its way to into the hands of Mac gamers by late summer.

Giants: Citizen Kabuto
Experience the most brutal and spectacular gameplay ever as you crush, burn, drown, eat, kidnap and bury your enemies on twenty-five beautifully rendered 3D islands. Truly one of this yearÕs most stunningly beautiful and funny, award winning 3D games which boasts a groundbreaking combination of action and strategy.

Giants: Citizen Kabuto is actively in development at this time and will be one of the first games available for the Macintosh to highlight some of the advanced features exclusive to NVIDIAÕs Geforce3. Of course, Giants will rock on GeForce 2 and ATi Radeon, too!

WeÕve got some GIANT secrets about this one, so stay tuned!

Fighter Squadron: ScreaminÕ Demons over Europe
Scream through aerial dogfights in the skies of Europe and North Africa in this one of a kind combat flight simulator set during World War II. We have ÒofficiallyÓ reached our Beta milestone, and look forward to a summer release for flight sim fanatics and those new to the genre that are just looking for a wild ride!

MacPlay 2001 Fall Line-Up

Icewind Dale
One of the largest computer dungeon adventures ever created for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and developed using the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons second edition rules by the Black Isle team, Icewind Dale offers over 70 types of new monsters and the most formidable combat MacGamers will ever encounter!

Work on Icewind Dale will commence upon the conclusion of BaldurÕs Gate II: Shadows of Amn. The good news is that since both games are based on the same core set of technologies, we anticipate that Icewind Dale will take only a fraction of the time to port to the Mac.

MacPlay gamers can expect Icewind Dale just in before the holidays.

Starfleet Command Volume II: Empires at War
Mac game enthusiasts can embark on a career as a starship officer and take the helm in the ultimate real-time tactical space combat experience set in the Star Trek universe. This highly anticipated Trek is currently in the early stages of development. Macophile Trekkies can expect to log a little time in the CaptainÕs chair this holiday season!

Please be sure to look for the June issue of MacPlayÕs development update for the most recent news and information on our stellar 2001 line-up!!!
You can be certain we will meet with any MacPlay staff members available at E3 next week, and bring you updated information on all of these titles. For information on several of the games mentioned, be sure to read IMG's previews and check out the amazing screen shots.