Etherlords II Making its Retail Debut!

Game mixes role-playing elements, tactical turn-based combat

Montreal, Canada. October 1, 2003 – Strategy First and Nival Interactive are pleased to announce that their highly anticipated title, Etherlords II is on its way to North American retailers.

“Players wanted a more accessible game with this sequel and that’s what Nival has done,” says Steve Milburn, Director of Marketing at Strategy First. “Nival has kept all of its strategic possibilities that made the first game great, but added a new layer of RPG to open it to whole new audience.”

“Etherlords II is the only sequel we have released that has actually changed genres”, quipped Serge Orlovsky, President of Nival Interactive. “ This kind of radical change wouldn’t have been possible without the great amounts of feedback we received from the fans of the original, which helped immensely in creating a spectacular combination of role-play and card-based tactical combat”. 

About Etherlords II

The saga continues!  Etherlords II takes you back to the world of Ether and into a whole new realm of fantastic possibilities.  Lead your hero on an unforgettable journey through lands filled with unsurpassed beauty and danger to unlock the ultimate mystery. 

Etherlords II is an exciting mix of role-playing elements and tactical turn-based combat in the best traditions of fantasy trading card games.

Game Features:

• Five campaigns covering a magnificent 3D fantasy world

• Hundreds of spells and creatures combine to create nearly unlimited tactical possibilities

• New monsters and magic that can be used by any of the four races

• Enhance your Hero’s skills throughout each campaign with new spells, creatures and abilities.   

• Non-linear missions with multiple paths to completion

• New multiplayer modes, automated tournament server

• Boats, tunnels and transporters let you explore every corner of the Etherworld

• Versatile Map Editor lets you create new missions and even campaigns

Etherlords II has a SRP of $39.99 and an ESRB rating of TEEN. Developed by Russian-based Nival Interactive, Strategy First will publish it for the North American market and Hip Interactive will distribute it (www.hipinteractive.com).

About Nival Interactive

Nival Interactive is Russia’s leading game developer, and also the largest, with four development teams and a staff of over 100 experienced and dedicated professionals.  Since the company's inception in 1996, Nival has firmly established its presence in the international gaming industry through constant innovation. Past titles include original role-playing/strategy games like the "Rage of Mages" series and "Evil Islands", as well as the 3D turn-based strategy "Etherlords".  In 2003 we released Blitzkrieg, a chart-topping WWII RTS game, and Silent Storm – a turn-based tactical combat game set in WWII, is set for worldwide release in the fall.  Nival Interactive continues to challenge the world of software entertainment with ground breaking new titles that set the standard for their genres.  You can learn more about us at our site, www.nival.com.

About Strategy First

Strategy First Inc. is a leading developer and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC.  Founded in 1990, the company has grown rapidly, publishing major games in the industry and simultaneously developing its own in-house titles such as O.R.B., Disciples II, and Nexagon: Deathmatch.  After winning numerous awards for games such as Disciples: Sacred Lands, Europa Universalis, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns and Steel Beasts, Strategy First continues to push the gaming envelope with its own groundbreaking titles, while maintaining its reputation as a unique alternative for independent developers seeking to market their games to a worldwide audience.