February 22, 2009
Heatwave
Interactive Acquires Gods & Heroes IP and Core Online Game Technology
Transaction by NextGen
Entertainment Company Secures Award-winning Roman Mythology Title, Game Engines
and World-class Online Platform
Heatwave Interactive announced today
the acquisition of the intellectual property rights and all assets for Gods &
Heroes: Rome Rising, the highly anticipated Roman mythology themed Massively
Multiplayer Online (MMO) game. As part of the transaction with PlayGrid,
Heatwave also obtained a source code license to the PlayGrid Platform, their
online game publishing technology as well as acquiring two game development
engines.
“Heatwave’s philosophy is to
identify and develop world class IP, and we believe the project is just that,”
said Anthony Castoro, co-founder and CEO, Heatwave Interactive. “With this
acquisition Heatwave greatly expands its core development capabilities as well
as adding a well-known, award-winning title to its expanding intellectual
property portfolio. This game hits the Heatwave ‘HIP’ mark in terms of its
social gaming features and the intrinsic entertainment value found in its
mythological storyline, high action adventure and beautiful art style. ”
The newly acquired game engines,
previously developed by Perpetual Entertainment for in-development titles Gods &
Heroes: Rome Rising and Star Trek Online, will serve as the technology
foundation for Heatwave’s planned roster of MMOs.
“The Perpetual team built high
quality engines and a very robust and easy-to-use platform. Through this
transaction with PlayGrid we secure all the necessary components needed to not
only complete this game but also to operate our entire portfolio of online games
on one platform,” said Donn Clendenon, co-founder and chief strategy officer,
Heatwave Interactive. “This world-class online platform technology will allow us
to reduce both development costs and time to market.”
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is a full
scale action adventure MMO that immerses the audience in Roman mythology.
Players step into a hero’s sandals to battle monsters and command minions while
seeking favor from the gods. Heralded at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)
in 2006 as “Best in Show” by leading MMO sites Allakhazam and TenTonHammer, and
dubbed “Game of Show” and “Best Graphics” by MMORPG, God & Heroes was in closed
beta when production was halted in 2007.
“We at PlayGrid are thrilled to see
Rome rise again with the Heatwave team,” said Chris McKibbin, co-founder,
PlayGrid, and former president, Perpetual Entertainment. “Gods and Heroes was
designed for both core and casual MMO players alike and Heatwave is one of the
few studios with the talent and experience to fulfill this vision while
delivering a final version that will fit with what today’s gamers are looking
for. We are also thrilled that Heatwave has chosen to license the PlayGrid
Platform to solve their game operating needs
With a strong roadmap of titles and
a talented development team, Heatwave Interactive is focused on incubating its
diverse and marketable roster of intellectual properties that have cross-media
entertainment potential. The company has previously announced two IPs: Platinum
Life: Web Edition and iSamJackson. A precursor to the in-development massively
multiplayer online game, Platinum Life will launch March 2010 on social networks
and the web, offering players the opportunity to become a music icon, taking
them from the mean streets to the penthouse suites. Heatwave’s first launched
title is the top-rated entertainment app, iSamJackson for Apple’s App Store, an
innovative soundboard app that features a extensive collection of original and
authentic recorded quotes, humorous adages and sage insight all provided by
mega-celebrity Samuel L. Jackson.
For information about Heatwave
Interactive and their entertainment offerings, please visit
www.heatwave.com and
www.godsandheroes.com
