Malfador Machinations hits Strategy First!

[Renegade 13]

Quote can be found here (Strategy First Link) Follow the top news item, I couldn't link directly.

Star Fury Targets Retail Stores
Montreal, Canada. May 10, 2005 -- Strategy First and Malfador Machinations are happy to announce that they will be bringing the popular online title Star Fury to retail stores nationwide.

“The release of Star Fury into retail channels is a great move for gamers everywhere. Finally, people will be able to find and buy this classic and conquer the universe in one of the first 3D 4X games ever created,” said Jay Podilchuk, the Producer at Strategy First.

“We are very excited about this opportunity to present Star Fury to the mainstream gaming community. A “space strategy action rpg” is not an easy game to classify, but Strategy First saw its potential and broad appeal. We are looking forward to seeing it on store shelves and continuing with this title in the future,” says Aaron Hall, president of Malfador Machinations.

About Star Fury

“Master of your Own Destiny” has a whole new meaning in Star Fury! As a starship captain you’ll be exploring the furthest reaches of space in search of fame, fortune, and adventure. You might think upgrading your starship with high performance tech will be the advantage that keeps you alive — but that really isn’t enough. In a galaxy filled with warp points, unfriendly aliens, asteroid belts, and cosmic storms, teaming up with large fleet operations might be your only chance for survival. Will you be a respectable trader or a bloodthirsty pirate? Your actions decide your fate in a hostile universe!

Star Fury is a science-fiction action RPG where you assume the role of a starship captain. The risks you’re willing to take as commander secure your legacy of eternal wealth and power or ultimately are responsible for your demise in the cold emptiness of space.

Star Fury is anticipated to be released in June, 2005 and will be available for purchase at all major retailers at a suggested retail price of $19.99. Rated Everyone by ESRB. For more information please visit www.malfador.com.

About Malfador Machinations
Malfador Machinations, founded in 1995, is a noted developer of PC strategy games. Its previous titles include Space Empires II, Space Empires III, Space Empires IV, Space Empires IV Gold, Dungeon Odyssey, and Space Empires: Starfury. Malfador Machinations is based in Santa Rosa, California. For more information on Malfador Machinations visit www.malfador.com.

About Silverstar Holdings
Silverstar Holdings Ltd. is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: SSTR), focusing on acquiring controlling positions in high growth retail driven and fee-based electronic game businesses that stand to benefit from the economies of scale generated by the Internet and other technology related platforms. It currently owns Fantasy Sports, Inc., a dominant provider of fee-based NASCAR related and other fantasy sports games, Strategy First Inc., a leading developer and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC, as well as a stake in Magnolia Broadband, a fab-less semiconductor company and innovator of radio frequency (RF) solutions for the cellular industry. www.silverstarholdings.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. and Disciples II. After winning numerous awards for games such as Disciples: Sacred Lands, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns, Steel Beasts, Galactic Civilizations, and Jagged Alliance, 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.

[Fyron]

Only took 3 days. Interesting.

Too bad Strategy First and the Wargamer don't seem to have their authors look at the games they write about these days... 4X game, feh! At least this one doesn't mention a massive online component of the game like the Wargamer one does...

[douglas]

So Starfury's going retail too, eh? Makes me wonder if SEIV will also soon be seen on retail store shelves.

They need to update their game search section. They've added Malfador Machinations to the developers list, but I don't get any search results for current or upcoming games by MM.

Edit: "sizeable online component for extended play" is probably a reference to the game's moddability and the number of mods available for download. It's a misleading way to say it, but not strictly false. At least the review they linked to is pretty accurate.

I hope the version they put on the shelves includes the latest patch and applies it automatically. There are too many gamers out there that don't automatically go looking for patches for the games they buy, and some of the bugs in the initial release version could really put people off.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Personally...I just don't think it'll do well in the retail market. Not enough flash. Sad to say...

[Renegade 13]

I agree with you Narf. But their suggested retail price may make it more attractive.

[Q]

I wonder what ShrapnelGames thinks about this.

[Ragnarok]

Q said:
I wonder what ShrapnelGames thinks about this.

As some of you who follow us pretty closely may have already surmised, Malfador Machinations has chosen not to publish Space Empires V with Shrapnel Games, opting instead to publish through Strategy First and go after the retail market. Although we regret Aaron Hall’s decision, we respect his motivation and wish him the best of luck at retail with a niche product. We only hope he makes enough changes in his game to allow for a broader audience. All of us here at Shrapnel Games wish him a great deal of success.

We will continue to sell Space Empires IV Gold and Space Empires: Starfury until current inventories are exhausted. We want to thank everyone who has supported Shrapnel Games and Malfador Machinations with their purchases of these excellent games.

We have grown to love the Space Empires IV forum community and want to extend an invitation to these rowdy, crazy, and somewhat warped individuals. We would like you to stay with us, and to that end, we will install a Space Empires V forum for you to populate and enjoy! You are always welcome at Shrapnel Games.

Thanks to all who made Space Empires IV a roaring success.

That is what they think of it. It was posted on their blog back in March.

[Will]

... available for purchase at all major retailers at a suggested retail price of $19.99.

If it's that low of a price, it doesn't matter if the game has lots of flash. If StratFirst gets a decent designer to make the box, there will be some curious people who will buy it. Now, if it's enough people to cover the costs of duplication, distribution, and support... we'll see.

Releasing StarFury is probably more of a strategic marketing move, anyway. MM has likely already recieved a nice chunk of change from SE:SF sales here with Shrapnel, and so there probably will be little (none?) royalties from sales at retail. But it will get the Space Empires name out on shelves for a month or so at least, and probably in the bargain bin up until Christmas... which is the current expected release of SEV. THAT release will probably be closer to the standard $45-$55, and where both MM and StratFirst expect to get the money out of this deal.

Anyway, that's just what I think. If StratFirst is announcing sales of SE:SF, I guess that means Shrapnel is through with their stock now? Glad I grabbed mine in time...

[Atrocities]

The game begins.

[Jim_Zabek]

Imperator Fyron said:
Too bad Strategy First and the Wargamer don't seem to have their authors look at the games they write about these days... 4X game, feh! At least this one doesn't mention a massive online component of the game like the Wargamer one does...

Thanks for pointing that out. Our news editor was unfamiliar with Star Fury specifically and misread Strategy Firsts' press release. The error has been corrected: http://www.wargamer.com/news/news.asp?nid=2007

N.B. that the review itself acurately describes the game as a space sim with RPG elements: http://www.wargamer.com/reviews/spac...ry/default.asp

Next time we make a mistake, please write us directly at editor@wargamer.com. We'll hustle to correct the error