X² - THE RETURN
An Ever Expanding Universe…
BASINGSTOKE, England (January 28th 2005) - International software publisher DEEP SILVER and EGOSOFT steal a closer look at the highly anticipated official X² expansion pack, X²- THE RETURN. Enhancing and extending the game play of the award winning X²- THE THREAT; the expansion pack adds a whole host of exciting new features.
Set for launch APRIL 2005, X²- THE RETURN will be priced at £19.99 and will require X²: The Threat to play.
PLOT
Already at war with a mysterious species - the Khaak, the player is dropped into an X-universe facing a new threat from highly organised pirates - The Yaki. With sightings of an unknown spaceship; political pressures from home and brand new weapons trying to blast the player into spacedust it sure isn't safe in space anymore.
With a sweeping action packed movie storyline, alongside the X universe's famous massive 'free roaming' universe, X²- THE RETURN will take the player on dynamic missions to test their skills to the limit. However, brand new ships, shiny new weapons, and a new plot aren't enough. X²- THE RETURN also introduces mini-missions. These give the player access to advanced technologies; puts them into a seat of your pants chase through a futuristic cityscape; allows the chance to remote pilot a drone through an asteroid in a race against the clock; and if that isn't enough, there are still those slave girls that need rescuing from a pleasure complex before it explodes. Answering many of the questions about the X universe, X²- THE RETURN offers the chance to Trade, Fight, Build and Think your way through to a thrilling conclusion. Pull on the spacesuit, warm the engines, X2's back in town.
FACTORY COMPLEX
You might be at war, but you'll have to do more than fight to win. To add to X²'s well established trading credentials, X²- THE RETURN now gives a new building element that lets budding entrepreneurs interconnect factories to create huge spaceborne complexes to truly mass produce the commodities a universal economy demands.
DOES SIZE MATTER?
Of course it does and The X universe is growing again. There are new hidden sectors for players to discover. Existing sectors now include a variety of 'unique' items, which will encourage fresh exploration and discovery throughout the universe. Many of the 70+ existing starship types get 'variant' models for specialist purposes. But you'll have to think when you tinker, for those gleaming new storage compartment on your TS Transporter might carry more cargo, but it could mean you can't dock at stations.
EXPANSION MODULES
Registered players of X²- THE THREAT (and it's free to register), have had the bonus service of being able to download and add modules to their game. This has always been a major factor of the play experience. For instance, the recent 'Gunnery Crew' module allowed players to hire A. I. crew members to man gunports on ships with multiple turrets giving improved efficiency. These existing modules have been built into X²- THE RETURN, and will be used to expand the game even further. Artificial Life modules increase the depth of the universe immensely, while modules for the player HQ will add advanced strategic features. There'll be the possibility to invade sectors with whole fleets of ships from one central strategic location, or to create sector 'taxation' laws for passing ships and many more expansions which will add new, unexplored scope for advanced players.
PLAYER HQ
Based around a central hub, the player HQ can be increased with numerous modules. The initial modules are relatively cheap, allowing the player to swiftly begin operations at their new strategic base. Later modules add more and more advanced features, from strategic command, to dry dock facilities for the repairing of damaged ships and even weapon and equipment R&D capabilities.
Developed by EGOSOFT and published by DEEP SILVER, X²- THE RETURN is exclusively distributed world wide (excluding North America) by KOCH MEDIA. X²- THE RETURN will require X²- THE THREAT to play. For additional information visit the official X² website at: www.x2thethreat.com .
-ENDS-
For all press enquires relating to X²- THE RETURN, please contact:
MEDIA CONTACTS:
DAVID BLUNDELL,
PR MANAGER
+44 (0) 870 027 0982
David.Blundell@kochmedia.co.uk
NEIL PULLMAN,
PR EXECUTIVE
+44 (0) 870 027 0982
ABOUT DEEP SILVER:
Deep Silver is the recently established games publishing division of KOCH Media. Headed up in the UK by Geoff Glendenning (ex-head of marketing for SCEE UK), the label launched in 2003 with a policy of recruiting passionate gamers to work closely with International developers and publishers to bring groundbreaking and creative projects to market. Recent launches include the award winning X2: The Threat along with the innovatively quirky; Singles: Flirt up your Life. For further information on DEEP SILVER and their upcoming products, visit www.deepsilver.net
About EGOSOFT:
EGOSOFT, founded in 1990, is one of the oldest game development companies from Germany. Its team of industry veterans and dedicated game enthusiasts entered the international stage with the widely acclaimed X-Beyond the Frontier space simulation game in 1999. EGOSOFT is now exclusively dedicated to setting new standards in the space game genre and constantly improves the level of freedom in the X Universe. For more information on EGOSOFT and its products visit http://www.egosoft.com