Buccaneer

5 December 2008 Stickman Studios announces the release of their latest game, Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy.

The game is available for download from Steam for $19.99 from 16:00 PCT today.

Buccaneer is an epic fully-integrated 3D arcade game with a single player campaign and multiplayer options. Players take control of a single pirate ship using a simple and intuitive control method, allowing them to drop straight into the game and tackle missions with little or no practice.

Originally inspired by a naval-themed battle game set in the Napoleonic Wars, Stickman Studios wanted to make a faster-paced arcade-style game based on the same period in history.

“We wanted to give the player control over a single ship rather than a squadron.†explains Simon Nevill of Stickman. “The idea was for the ship to become the character, and what would have more character than a pirate ship?â€

And so Buccaneer was born. During the single player campaign, players are only given a basic ship to start with. They have limited gold and no knowledge of the surrounding seas. As missions are completed, more areas are opened up and new ships unlocked.

There are 56 non-linear missions within the campaign, which allows players to attempt their goals in any order they prefer.

Multiplayer pits the Golden Buccaneers against the forces of The Crown in what is essentially a deathmatch with a difference. Battles are fought across ten different multiplayer maps with all ships rated by overall effectiveness.

"The multiplayer is a major aspect of the game and tremendous fun to play." says Chris Swan, Business Development Director for Blitz Arcade "And you really have to focus on the team-play in order to tackle the larger ships. The experience itself is full of contrast: one moment you're sailing around an island that is full of tranquility, while the next you find two great Condor Galleons coming out of the bay and you're being bombarded by cannon fire!"

Stickman Studios was set up in 2005 and is a two-man indie developer, comprising co-founders Simon Nevill and Harvey Greensall. Both the guys are artists with limited programming experience. Their years in the industry gave them the contacts and coder help to complete Buccaneer by hook or by crook.

And while doing some freelance for Blitz Games Studios, based in Leamington Spa, Stickman found the last piece of the puzzle to help them get their game to market.

"We showed Buccaneer to Blitz way back when it was very much a work in progress," says Simon. "They saw a lot of potential in our game and offered us the chance to sign up to the Blitz 1>UP programme, which has benefitted us in a number of areas - especially QA support. Having been so close to the game for so long, it's been invaluable to have unbiased feedback. This has helped us make something more polished and more enjoyable.

"Another massive area of support from Blitz has been with industry networking. While our own 'cheeky charm' might land us a free ice cream, Blitz's connections and influence within the industry are considerable. Already this partnership has secured Buccaneer a release on Steam, one of the world's leading digital distributors, as well as interest from a number of more traditional distributors for a boxed version of the game for 2009."

For more information on Blitz Games Studios or the Blitz 1>UP programme:

Please contact:

Alison Beasley, Lincoln Beasley PR.  T:  + 44 (0) 1608 645756  E:  alison@lincolnbeasley.co.uk

To watch the game in action - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy8XwAZdsFg

For more information on Buccaneer or Stickman Studios:

Please contact:

Simon Nevill simon@stickmanstudios.co.uk  or

Harvey Greensall harvey@stickmanstudios.co.uk

www.PursuitOfInfamy.com/

About Blitz Games Studios:

Blitz Games Studios is based in Leamington Spa and was founded in 1990 by industry veterans Andrew and Philip Oliver and now has more than 230 staff. Its five divisions encompass mature titles (Volatile Games), Serious Games (TruSim), family titles (Blitz Games), in-house technology (BlitzTech) and downloadable games (Blitz Arcade).

About Stickman Studios:

Stickman Studios was founded in 2005 by Simon Nevill and Harvey Greensall and is currently based in Leamington Spa. Stickman Studios are committed to their motto to create "Games for gamers, by gamers".