Arkane studios announces Source-engine powered game: Dark Messiah of Might & Magic

[SFLUFAN]

From IGN:

Gamers already looking forward to Heroes of Might & Magic 5 now have two reasons to thank Ubisoft: on Thursday the company announced Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, a first-person action title from Arx Fatalis developer Arkane Studios.



While Ubisoft is being coy with Dark Messiah details so far, the company describes the game as the first fantasy-action game to use a first-person combat system. Equally interesting, Arkane is developing Dark Messiah using Valve's Source engine -- meaning the developer has the hot tech that powered Half-Life 2 at its disposal.

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic is the second title Ubisoft has announced for the famed franchise, which the company acquired in 2003. The brand spawned a hoard of RPG and strategy titles, many of which quickly became classics. It isn't clear yet, however, whether Arkane is creating a new RPG in the series, though given the studio's previous projects, it's a reasonable guess.

Ubisoft expects to release Dark Messiah in summer 2006. Expect to hear much more when the title is unveiled at the German Games Convention later this month.

 

[Ennui]

awesome. my dad loves might and magic...

anyone here ever play Might and Magic, not the Heroes games? MM6, MM7... etc.

 

[Ames]

How did I miss this?

/me waits patiently to see what happens

 

[Lucid]

-chants silently to self-
Don't use steam...don't use steam...

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Very cool, can't wait for screenshots/videos on August 17

Official Press Release:

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES DARK MESSIAH™ OF MIGHT & MAGIC
New Might & Magic game to be powered by Source™ Engine from Valve
SAN FRANCISCO – AUGUST 4, 2005 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announces the development of Dark Messiah™ of Might & Magic, a new first-person action game for the PC, powered by an enhanced version of the Source™ Engine, the award-winning game technology Valve created to power Half-Life 2.

Developed by Arkane Studios, the team behind the critically acclaimed Arx Fatalis game, Dark Messiah of Might & Magic puts players in a first-person perspective, allowing them to immerse themselves in the legendary Might and Magic universe as never before. It is also the world’s first fantasy action game to feature a complete first-person combat system. It takes full advantage of the Source™ Engine’s exceptional technological enhancements in areas such as character animation, advanced AI, real-world physics and shader-based rendering.

Ubisoft acquired the Might and Magic brand in 2003, and Dark Messiah of Might & Magic is the second title Ubisoft will be launching as it restores this famed franchise to glory. Dark Messiah of Might & Magic is scheduled for a summer 2006 release and will be shown for the first time at the Games Convention in Germany on August 17, 2005.