Skip to main content
If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Herod's Lost Tomb

Alawar to publish Russian version.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHAPEL HILL, NC - February 10, 2009 - Merscom and Alawar Entertainment, a leading publisher and distributor of casual games in Eastern Europe, announced today that Alawar will publish a Russian version of Merscom's top casual game, National Geographic Games Herod's Lost Tomb. The agreement marks the first time a Russian version of Merscom's casual games will be available for download sales.

National Geographic Games' Herod's Lost Tomb has been a great success in North America, reaching the top-5 on Big Fish Games, Real Arcade, iWin, Reflexive Arcade, Shockwave, Spintop and Yahoo Games.

National Geographic Games' Herod's Lost Tomb is an exciting hidden-object game that takes the player on an archaeological journey of Kind Herod the Great. It gives players an opportunity to experience an exciting, real-life archaeological adventure! Herod's Lost Tomb features stunning, world-famous photography from National Geographic combined with an engaging story where the player follows the life and death of one of the most famous rulers of the ancient Middle East, King Herod of Judea! The game's authentic content is vetted by NatGeo researchers and historians and consists of 16 environments and 5 mini-games.

'For the first time, Russian casual gamers can download and buy a game based on the awe-inspiring National Geographic content,' said Lloyd Melnick, Chief Customer Officer of Merscom. 'They are no longer limited to playing the English version of our games. This is a huge step in making our games available to consumer worldwide where, when and how they want to consume them.'

'We are really excited about partnering with Alawar to bring Herod to Russia,' said Dimitri Kirin, Producer at Merscom. 'They understand the Russian market better than any other company and will help get our game into the hands of the most consumers.'

"The Russian casual games market is still young. If we want to broaden our horizons and appeal to audiences that normally don't play games, we need to make use of popular brands," says Roman Polyak, business development director of Alawar Entertainment. "The outstanding content of the National Geographic Channel will be of great interest to Internet users in Russia and beyond."

About Merscom

Merscom is a global publisher of mass market computer and video games that distributes games through multiple channels, multiple platforms and multiple revenue models. Merscom's channels include retail distribution in the US and Europe, online sale through major portals worldwide and games on Microsoft' Xbox Live' Arcade. Merscom publishes games from leading casual game developers, including GO! Games, Reflexive Entertainment, Absolutist and Overplay. Merscom produces entertaining products for gamers of all ages and guarantees all customers a great experience. For more information visit www.merscom.com.

About Alawar Entertainment

Alawar Entertainment, a leading international publisher and distributor of casual games, was founded in 1999. The company's catalog currently includes around 250 globally popular casual games. Alawar's partners include more than 30 developers, to which the company offers the full spectrum of services, from producing, to distribution, to marketing. In addition, Alawar has its own network of online game platforms and cooperates with all of the major online and CD distributors. In 2004, the company was one of the first companies to enter the Russian market for casual games; today, Alawar is its leading participant. Casual games from the company's portfolio are offered through more than 200 leading Russian resources, including Rambler-Games, Games@Mail.ru and the Web sites of the RBC company. For more information visit www.alawar.com

About National Geographic Ventures

National Geographic Ventures (NGV) is a wholly owned, taxable subsidiary of National Geographic Society, one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888 to 'increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,' the National Geographic Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. NGV, part of the editorial group National Geographic Global Media, includes National Geographic Television (NGT) production and distribution, National Geographic Television International, Digital Media (including Nationalgeographic.com) and National Geographic Extended Platforms Group, comprising the Mobile, Gaming and Maps business groups. NGV creates and distributes content across multi-platforms and media providing outlets for the hundreds of scientific and expedition-based grants awarded each year. For more information, go to www.nationalgeographic.com.

###

PRESS CONTACT:

Lloyd Melnick

LSM@merscom.com

office +1 919 918 7741 x 237

Tatyana Chernova

Director of Marketing Communications and PR

Alawar Entertainment

pr@alawargroup.com

Read this next

GamesIndustry International avatar
GamesIndustry International: GamesIndustry International is the world's leading games industry website, incorporating GamesIndustry.biz and IndustryGamers.com.