Codemasters Joins Forces with Spark Unlimited for Fall of Liberty
From the Studio Responsible for Call of Duty: Finest Hour Comes a Terrifyingly Realistic Alternate History FPS Set in a 1950s Nazi Invaded America
New York (August 31, 2006) – Codemasters today announced an agreement to publish Fall of Liberty (working title) for developer Spark Unlimited, the U.S. studio responsible for Call of Duty: Finest Hour. Fall of Liberty is an intense, cinematic, next-generation first-person shooter epic set in an unnerving World War II alternate history. The title is scheduled to be released for the PlayStationŽ3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC in Q4 2007.
Fall of Liberty takes players to never-before seen World War II battlegrounds – ones born from a changed moment in history that led to a Nazi invasion of 1950s America. Presenting this scenario as a powerful and realistically crafted alternate history, Fall of Liberty will deliver an explosive action experience in a world where famous real-world locations and national icons appear frighteningly different under Nazi occupation.
“Spark is very excited to be working with Codemasters to bring to life a original gaming experience that will dramatize what might have happened if history had taken a different course,” said Craig Allen, CEO of Spark Unlimited. “We share a desire to immerse players in an incredible and intensely realistic vision of an alternative world history that will uniquely define Fall of Liberty in the FPS genre. Codemasters is providing Spark the opportunity to present something radically different than typical WWII scenarios, as the player is not cast as a liberator of Europe but as a defender of freedom in enemy-occupied America.”
Fall of Liberty changes reality by twisting one historical fact: In 1931, Winston Churchill was hit by a taxi on 5th Avenue in New York. In reality, he survived the accident but walked with a cane for the rest of his life. But what might have followed if Winston Churchill had been killed in the accident? Without his voice to lead a country to war, the events of WWII change dramatically; the Normandy invasion never happens, and the UK and all of Europe come under Nazi rule by 1945.
Building on the successful conquest of Europe, Nazi intelligence develops superior weapons and vehicles so that on December 7, 1951 they are able to launch an all out surprise attack on America – beginning with a mass invasion of New York.
Unprepared, the invasion stuns America and plunges much of the country into fearsome Nazi occupation. In Washington, the swastika flies from The White House, and in a show of force to end rebellion, a nuclear attack on Manhattan is being planned. The odds are overwhelming, the reality of the situation shocking, but for players, it’s time to join the resistance and fight a guerrilla war in the newly occupied territories.
“The team at Spark has a tremendous track record for successfully adapting history into authentic and compelling gaming experiences,“ commented James Sheahan, Codemasters’ director of brand. “Fall of Liberty will allow them to extend that knowledge and create a terrifyingly real world that thankfully never existed. This key concept brings originality to a genre where real-world WWII events have been covered and played through to exhaustion in other titles.”
Fall of Liberty is in development at Spark Unlimited’s studios based in Sherman Oaks, California.For more information and to sign up for future briefings, visit www.codemasters.com/fallofliberty.
Note:
Fall of Liberty is a working title.
ABOUT CODEMASTERS
Codemasters is a leading developer and publisher of best-selling interactive entertainment products for a global audience on current and future gaming platforms and channels. Established in 1986, the company’s dominant brands include Colin McRae Rally, TOCA Race Driver, LMA Manager, Brian Lara Cricket and Operation Flashpoint. The company is headquartered in Southam, Warwickshire UK and maintains operations in the US, Germany, France, Spain, and Benelux. More information about the company and its products is available online at http://www.codemasters.com.
ABOUT SPARK UNLIMITED
Spark Unlimited is a developer of high-quality video games for consumer game systems and originators of creative franchises for cross-media development. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Sherman Oaks, California, Spark Unlimited is an employee-owned company that uses artistry through technology to create entertainment for a global audience. For more information about Spark Unlimited, please visit our website at www.sparkunlimited.com.
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Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox Live online gaming service, and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. The system was first launched in North America, Europe and Japan in 2005 and then in Australia, Colombia, Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan in 2006. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.