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JoWooD - All News

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Tuesday - August 16, 2011
Monday - June 06, 2011
Thursday - April 21, 2011
Wednesday - April 06, 2011
Friday - January 07, 2011
Thursday - January 06, 2011
Thursday - September 23, 2010
Wednesday - August 18, 2010
Wednesday - May 12, 2010
Tuesday - December 02, 2008
Monday - November 03, 2008
Monday - July 21, 2008
Wednesday - May 07, 2008
Tuesday - April 29, 2008
Tuesday - March 11, 2008
Monday - November 12, 2007
Thursday - April 26, 2007
Wednesday - January 17, 2007
Wednesday - December 20, 2006
Friday - November 03, 2006
Sunday - September 17, 2006
Thursday - August 03, 2006
Box Art

Tuesday - August 16, 2011

JoWooD - Nordic Games Buys Jowood's Labels

by Aries100, 17:05

Gamebanshee has this news, so I'll quote  a bit from the press release.  Head over to Gamebanshee for the full press release.

Nordic Games Holding AB Group acquires JoWooD & The Adventure Company Labels to be re-launched under the Nordic Games GmbH brand

Tuesday August 16th, 2011 – Vienna, Austria:

Nordic Games GmbH, part of the Nordic Games Holding AB group announces the acquisition of the JoWooD and The Adventure Company brands, products and selected subsidiaries. JoWooD and The Adventure Company will become publishing labels within Nordic Games GmbH, with the plan to re-launch the huge back catalogue of games and invest in developing the wholly owned IP’s and franchises, including SpellForce, Painkiller, ArcaniA, The Guild, Panzer Elite, Legend of Kay, The Nations, Safecracker, and Neighbours From Hell, amongst others.

Head over to Gamebanshee for the full press release.

 

Source: GameBanshee

Monday - June 06, 2011

JoWooD - Now Swedish ... sort of!

by Gorath, 22:36

The whole German internet, for example WoG, DiePresse.com and derStandard.at, reports that JoWood's ashes have been purchased by Wingefors Invest from Sweden. The transaction is being run through Wingefors daughter Game Outlet.

Here's a summary / translation of the few known details:

  • Game Outlet takes over the "preponderate part" or "significant parts" of JoWooD Austria's assets.
  • Game Outlet takes over 95% of Romanian QA company Quantic Labs.
  • Wingefors plans to continue operation at JoWooD in a scaled down way ...
  • but there will be no employment guarantee for the remaining employees.
  • The old share holders get nothing.
  • The rate for the creditors is still unclear due to an ongoing legal issue.

Game Outlet is a distributor specialized in budget games and overstock. The business numbers available are ca. 25M EUR revenue and 6M+ games sold (source: DiePresse) in 2010, and 311M SEK (ca. 34.5M EUR) and 4M games according to the Wingefors homepage.

 

Comment:
This doesn't look good at all for the remaining JoWooD employees outside of Romania. Game Outlet's business is moving boxes, not publishing games. Plus they're buying assets, not the company. It smells like JoWooD or the potentially new company will be closed down when the dust has settled. Good luck to the people at JoWooD.
From Game Outlet's perspective the deal makes a lot of sense. JoWooD certainly had a lot of returns and finished goods, and selling this is Game Outlet's core business. The back catalog, and especially ArcaniA, means cheap supplies for their sales channel. So far it hasn't been confirmed if ArcaniA is part of the deal, though.
It's still unclear if or when Arcania: Fall of Setarrif will be released. A lot of parties are involved: at least JoWooD, BVT, Spellbound and Piranha Bytes. Nobody knows who has - or has not - which rights, who is entitled to what amount of royalties from whom. It can take years to sort this out.

Thursday - April 21, 2011

JoWooD - Game Over

by Gorath, 20:29

Several sources report that JoWooD's insolvency process is moving forward, unfortunately not in the desired direction.

  • Negotiations with possible investors, and with them the intended restructuring plan, have failed.
  • JoWooD pulls back the application to pursue a restructuring plan.
  • Thereby the insolvency with a planned restructuring becomes an insolvency without a positive continuation prognosis.
  • This means the liquidation proceedings will start shortly.
  • The daughter company JoWooD Distribution Services GmbH files for insolvency on April 21st 2011.
  • Trading of the JoWooD shares at the Vienna Stock Exchange has been suspended.

Sources:
Boerse-Express (1)
Boerse-Express (2)
ORF
derStandard

Wednesday - April 06, 2011

JoWooD - Insolvency Update

by Gorath, 19:56

As posted a couple of months ago Austrian publisher JoWooD had to file for bankruptcy in January. The next important meeting is scheduled for April 7th: the reorganisation plan will be presented to the creditors. Strangely enough, according to Boerse-Express, it looks as though more time will be needed to prepare the plan.

The same site writes, refering to the news magazine profil, that the Austrian Financial Market Authority started an official investigation regarding insider trading in the environment of the board of directors. Of course an investigation only means that the AFMA believes to have received enough reports for an initial suspicion. Time will tell if there actually was insider trading or not.

Friday - January 07, 2011

JoWooD - Materially Insolvent!

by Gorath, 16:49

JoWooD is on the brink. Their adhoc:

[adhoc]: JoWooD applied for a procedure of capital reorganization          
Vienna, Austria, 7 January 2011; The management board of JoWooD Entertainment AG announces that all efforts towards restructuring of capitalization concerning outside capital as well as equity capital had to be considered as failed on 06/01/2011. On the basis of this fact, material insolvency occurred with this date.

Therefore today, JoWooD Entertainment AG applied for a procedure of capita lreorganization at the Commercial Court Vienna in accordance with Art. 167 IO/ Insolvency Statute.

Bond creditors of the 10% bond 2007-2011 (ISIN:  AT0000A05TV0) are asked to report directly to the company (see queries reference) to be able to coordinate their rights.

The management board assumes that negotiations with creditors and possible investors can be positively conducted and finalized within 90 days and thus continuation of the company can be assured.

Thursday - January 06, 2011

JoWooD - Files Lawsuit Against Koch Media

by Gorath, 19:27

Here it is straight from the horse's mouth:

[adhoc]: JoWooD filed lawsuit today          
Vienna, Austria, 5 January 2011; Vienna Stock Exchange listed JoWooD Entertainment AG today filed a law suit against KOCH Media GmbH demanding payment of an amount of EUR 2.36 million plus interest.

JoWooD asserts that the accounts receivables, which were contributed by KOCH Media GmbH as an in kind capital contribution in the course of JoWooD's capital increase in January 2006, were overvalued: In that capital increase JoWooD had issued a total of 6.4 million new shares to KOCH Media GmbH for an aggregate issue price of EUR 6.4 million. However, the accounts receivables contributed by KOCH Media GmbH in exchange for those newly issued shares had, according to calculations made by JoWooD and confirmed by an accounting firm, a value of only EUR 4.04 million. In its law suit filed with the Commercial Court Vienna, JoWooD therefore claims an amount of EUR 2.36 million (plus interest) representing the difference between the aggregate issue price of the newly issued shares and the value of the contributed accounts receivables. JoWooD's claim is based on the Austrian corporate law principle according to which any person that contributes assets to a corporation by way of a contribution in kind and receives newly issued shares in exchange therefor shall be liable for any shortfall in the value of the contributed assets irrespective of fault (Differenzhaftung des Sacheinlegers). With a view to JoWooD's strained financial situation and based on corporate law considerations, the company's management board today decided to file the law suit in the company's and its shareholders' interest.

Despite the uncertainties that are always involved when filing a claim in court, JoWooD believes that its claim is justified. JoWooD expects that a final court decision will be rendered only after tedious proceedings that could last for several years. The outcome of the proceedings will not affect the effectiveness of JoWooD's January 2006 capital increase against contribution in kind.

This lawsuit comes as a surprise because JoWooD and Koch Media (owner of the Deep Silver label) settled all their legal disputes back in late 2008, according an old PR from December 5th 2008.

An intersting detail can be found in the last sentence of the next to last paragraph:

With a view to JoWooD's strained financial situation [...]

Thanks, Omega!

Thursday - September 23, 2010

JoWooD - Heavy Losses

by Gorath, 19:50

Same procedure as every year: A new Gothic is coming out and JoWooD is on the ropes.

Here it is, straight from the horse's mouth:

[adhoc]: JoWooD announces shareholders' meeting due to expected losses           
Vienna, Austria, 22 September 2010; The managing board of publicly-listed JoWooD Entertainment AG yesterday notified the supervisory board that the losses set forth in the Q2 financial statements will probably equal or exceed half the share capital of JoWooD Entertainment AG.

------------------------

•    Losses amounting to half the share capital likely in Q2 financial statements
•    Managing board to call extraordinary shareholders' meeting
•    Drawing up of Q2 financials taking longer than expected

The managing board of publicly-listed JoWooD Entertainment AG yesterday notified the supervisory board that the losses set forth in the Q2 financial statements will probably equal or exceed half the share capital of JoWooD Entertainment AG. The main reasons are credits granted in connection with price reductions, returned goods and requirements for value adjustments related to games launched in the market last year.

Accordingly, the managing board will call an extraordinary shareholders' meeting, in the course of which it will present the financial situation of the company as well as strategies and concrete measures for the successful continuation of the business.

The completion of the interim financial statements for the second quarter of 2010, most recently announced for the end of September, will be postponed because material accounting and valuation issues could not be resolved in the course of drawing up the Q2 financials.

The extraordinary shareholders' meeting will proably be held during the first half of November 2010. Until then, the creation of the financial statements should be at a stage sufficient to enable the shareholders' meeting to take appropriate measures on the basis of the Q2 financial statements.

The launch of the game ArcaniA planned for 12 Oktober 2010 is not affected by the above. The game will score with numerous new features and JoWooD expects the new release to contribute significantly to the revenues in the second half of 2010.

Wednesday - August 18, 2010

JoWooD - In Trouble

by Gorath, 14:09

The JoWooD shares crashed down nearly 18% at the Vienna Stock Exchange after the following ad-hoc was issued:

JoWooD Postpones Publication of Results for H1 2010           
Vienna, Austria, 18 August 2010; JoWooD Entertainment AG Postpones Publication of Results for Q2 2010 due to Extended Revision of the Financial Information

• Current accounting results indicate substantial losses for the first half-year of FY 2010
• Group financial statements 2009 to be included in revision based on current assessment
• Publication of Q2 results delayed until September 30, 2010 at the latest
 

Due to significant reasons, publicly-listed JoWooD Entertainment AG will not, as planned, publish second quarter results on August 31. The current state of the consolidation indicates that the group incurred a substantial loss during the first half of 2010. Since the data available so far require additional comprehensive analysis, management is currently unable to provide reliable information regarding the extent of such losses.

Due to market developments in recent months, JoWooD seeks to provide as realistic as possible a description of the net asset position, the financial status and the results. In this connection, a fundamental revision, including an impairment test, of all assets accounted for is required.

The market for computer games has shrunk during the first half of 2010; the U.S.market itself has decreased by approximately 15 percent. Additionally, the gameYoga for Wii(TM) that was released in late fall 2009 and was initially expected to become a longseller, has in recent months performed weak in sell-through.

Additionally, the interim financial report for Q2 2010 will be subjected to a comprehensive analysis by an auditor in order to ensure that all relevant facts are reflected. To this end, the auditor will also review the group financial statements 2009 with a view to newly surfaced inconsistencies, in particular with respect to correct period-end accruals.

Accordingly, the publication of the results for Q2 2010 has been postponed until September 30, 2010, at the latest.

On the basis of such audited data, Franz Rossler, who was appointed CEO ofJoWooD [sic!] in mid-may 2010, will adjust the company strategy with a view to long-term profitability. Initial restructurings, intended to improve internal processes, have already been implemented in areas particularly important to the company's results. Additionally, distribution efforts have been increased significantly.

Wednesday - May 12, 2010

JoWooD - E3 Lineup

by Dhruin, 21:47

Omega writes in with the E3 lineup for JoWood. ArcaniaA and Spellforce: Faith in Destiny are the only games we are watching, according to the list at Blast Magazine.

Tuesday - December 02, 2008

Realms of Arkania Trilogy to be Rereleased Through JoWooD

by Gorath, 08:10

JoWooD included a release list in a PR about their about their quarterly results a couple of days ago. On it was a particularly interesting detail: DSA Nordlandtrilogie, among the games listed for worldwide release.

The Nordlandtrilogie, is the series of three classic RPG in the The Dark Eye p&p universe sold under the name Realms of Arkania in the English gaming world. Back in the day these games were published by Sir-Tech. Part of the trilogy are Blade of Destiny, Star Trail and Shadows over Riva.

Not many details are know yet. Only that the product will be sold for a budget price,  the DVD will contain the CD versions and all games are working under both XP and Vista. At least one of the original games came with a sound track on a separate CD. I wouldn't necessarily see this post by JoWooDs' community manager as a confirmation it will be included. The exact release date is still unclear. The release list says Q4.

The NLT hasn't been available at retail for years. This could be the last chance to get your hands on these classic RPGs.

Thanks Alrik!

Monday - November 03, 2008

JoWooD - RPG Collection Announced

by Dhruin, 22:37

JoWood sent out this PR announcing a pack with Gothic 3, Spellforce 2 and Dungeon Lords:

Liezen, Austria, November 3rd 2008; JoWooD Productions presents its most famous RPG games in the new RPG collection which will hit stores end of November 2008. The successful and award-winning Gothic 3, Spellforce 2 and Dungeon Lords will be released in a all-in-one collection, retailing at EUR 29,99. It will take you on a journey through mystic worlds enriched with quests of epic dimensions.

About Gothic 3:
You have saved the island Khorinis from the forces of evil in Gothic I and Gothic II. Now it is time to travel to the realms of the mainland. Invading Orcs have enslaved the human kingdom. There are but a few free humans in the icy north and the southern desert and a handful of rebels hiding in the forests and mountains of Midland.

You may either join the rebellion or serve the orcish usurpers, but you will ultimately tip the scales and affect the outcome of the last war to save mankind.

There is no linear storyline in Gothic III – each new game will convey a different and unique experience, depending on your choices – but all roads lead to Rome, and you will ultimately decide Myrtana’s destiny.

About SpellForce 2:
In SpellForce 2 - Shadow Wars, the player takes over the role of the Avatar, preventing the world of Eo and its many races from being overrun by a sinister new enemy. You will be able to solve quests and overcome obstacles as in classical RPGs, but also experiences strategic challenges while leading armies as in an RTS - thus offering a complete synthesis of both genres in a perfect blend.

You as the Avatar will try to resist the invasion of the Pact, forcing you to forge new alliances to oppose them... but you soon realize that even more sinister forces are at work right within your own body. You will in turn lead each one of three factions, The Rea lm, The Clan and The Pact and build bases to gather resources and rally troops - to prepare for the epic battles that are the hallmark of SpellForce! You will also be supported by a band of heroes who are customizable with a multitude of unique skills, spells and a great variety of items, weapons and armor.

About Dungeon Lords:
Dungeon Lords is a new breed of epic Fantasy RPG, a unique combination of RPG and Fighter game action in full 3D, featuring a deep storyline shrouded in mystery, surprise, and betrayal. Especially the character development ranks among the most innovative approaches in the genre and allows high degree specialisation, as well as individually created hybrids. Fast-paced, action-packed combats along with their tactical elements round off the successful RPG classic.

Monday - July 21, 2008

JoWooD - GC 2008 Lineup

by Dhruin, 21:45

JoWood sent out a press release last week unveiling the titles they will be showing at the upcoming Games Convention in Leipzig.  Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods, Gothic 4: Arcania and Dungeon Lords: The Orb and the Oracle will all be on show in some form or another:

Liezen, Austria, July 15th 2008; Gothic 3 – Forsaken Gods, The Guild 2 – Venice, Agatha Christie - Evil Under The Sun Wii TM… - JoWooD Productions presents their upcoming products at Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig.

Gothic 3 – Forsaken Gods: Two Years after the phenomenal success of Gothic 3, this new episode offers a fresh glimpse into the amazing world of Gothic. Forsaken Gods includes new quests, new monsters and many of the old friends whom gamers around the world got to know in previous episodes. Gothic 3 - Forsaken Gods will answer all the questions which have risen in the past and will slowly introduce the fans to a new chapter...

The Guild 2 – Venice: “The Guild 2 – Venice“ will show the fascinating ambience of Venice. Small Sidestreets, Gondoliers and the mystical carnival promise many hours of game fun. Live your life in The Guild 2 – Venezia like the medieval population did – build up your family, earn money and enjoy the romance of Venice. You may even meet the famous Casanova.

Agatha Christie - Evil Under The Sun:Based on the novel Evil Under the Sun by the world’s best-known mystery author, this is the second title from The Adventure Company’s successful Agatha Christie video game series to release on Wii.

Behind closed doors you will see an exclusive presentation of Gothic 4 - Arcania – the new game out of the famous Gothic series as well as The Orb and The Oracle!

Wednesday - May 07, 2008

JoWooD - Successful Year 2007

by Gorath, 15:06

JoWooD published their financial report for the business year 2007. The merged JoWooD / Dreamcatcher group increased its revenue to 22.832 TEUR (+50.2%) and earned 2.406  TEUR (+19%). A good result considering the dramatic restructuring both companies had to undergo in the last few years. 

The report reveals that JoWooD is in a legal dispute with their former co-publisher Koch Media / Deep Silver.

Tuesday - April 29, 2008

JoWooD - Looking for Partners for Action RPG

by Magerette, 18:08

JoWood Productions  has posted an announcement on their website solicting partners to assist in developing a new action rpg based on an existing un-named JoWood IP, for the PC, Xbox and PS3:

April 28, 2008 (Vienna, AUSTRIA):
Vienna, AUSTRIA, April 28th 2008: JoWooD Productions, a leading worldwide publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software, today announced it is soliciting proposals from independent developers who wish to create a new Action RPG game based on one of JoWooD’s established brands.

The publisher is focused on innovation in game design for this project, destined for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Windows PC. The Intellectual Property which will support this new game is renowned for an epic background story as well as exceptional graphics and polish.

Source: Blues News

Tuesday - March 11, 2008

JoWooD & Piranha Bytes are Friends Again

by Gorath, 12:11

 That´s just in:

JoWooD and Piranha Bytes accommodate all differences
Liezen, Austria / Essen, Germany, March 12th 2008; Austrian publisher JoWooD Productions Software AG (ATXPrime: JWD) and German development studio Piranha Bytes (Pluto 13 Ltd.) are pleased to announce the accommodation of all differences and disagreements of the past months. Both companies continue to work on their respective projects without excluding further cooperation in potential future projects.

Currently, JoWooD Productions is working together with Spellbound Entertainment Inc. on the fourth part of the Gothic-series; Piranha Bytes puts its efforts into a new Role-Playing Game with the working title “RPB”. The JoWooD-branded Gothic products available in stores will remain within the worldwide distribution network of JoWooD Productions Software AG in the future.

“We are happy that we put aside our differences with the company Pluto 13. After a long and successful period of cooperation, it was of great concern to find the best possible solution for both parties! We are proud to continue with the marketing of products of the Gothic-series and will fulfil the high-quality expectations of its loyal fans”, explains Dr. Albert Seidl, CEO JoWooD Productions.

“Our differences in the past are history. By putting them aside, Piranha Bytes as well as JoWooD get back to accomplish constructive-minded work full of vim and vigor. For the development studio Piranha Bytes that implies: the development of entertaining and high-class Role-Playing Games”, as Mr. Michael Rüve, managing director Pluto 13, points out.

Source: JoWooD

Monday - November 12, 2007

JoWooD - Universe Editions for Gothic, Spellforce & The Guild

by Dhruin, 21:14

JoWood sent out a press release last Friday announcing bundled "Universe" editions of Gothic, Spellforce and The Guild:

JoWooD Productions to Release Universe Editions of their Most Successful Brands - „SpellForce", „Gothic" and „The Guild" - Soon to be Available as Brand-Bundles

Liezen, Austria, November xx 2007; JoWooD Productions is ready to start this year’s Christmas season with the release of a great new gaming series Top Brands such as “SpellForce”, “Gothic” and “The Guild” will soon be available as Universe Editions.

“Our Universe Editions will combine all parts of the most successful JoWooD brands in separate packages. This means that JoWooD will release “SpellForce Universe Edition”, “Gothic Universe Edition” and last but not least “The Guild Universe Edition” in their own brand bundles, explains Johannes Natterer, Senior Marketing Manager JoWooD Productions.

About “SpellForce”:
SpellForce is one of the most famous genre-mixed series in gaming history. The game combines real time strategy with role play gaming and guarantees an exciting mix full of magic, mystic and power.

Universe Edition contains:
• SpellForce – The Order of Dawn
• SpellForce – The Breath of Winter
• SpellForce – Shadow of the Phoenix
• SpellForce 2 – Shadow Wars
• SpellForce 2 – Dragon Storm

About Gothic:
Nameless but also a hero – For many years the nameless hero of the Gothic series has fascinated a worldwide community. Cold and bleak with a mystic charm, the Gothic brand has become one of the most successful brands in the role playing genre.

Universe Edition contains:
• Gothic 1
• Gothic 2
• Gothic 2 – Night of the raven
• Gothic 3

About The Guild (Europe 1400):
The 14th century makes its great appearance in the entire The Guild series. Players experience the hard and fascinating life of the medieval time. To be good or evil – it all depends on player’s decision.

Universe Edition contains:
• Europe 1400 – The Guild
• Europe 1400 – The Guild AddOn
• The Guild 2
• The Guild 2 – Pirates of the European Seas

Release: November 2007

Thursday - April 26, 2007

JoWooD - Gothic for Consoles?

by Dhruin, 22:31

JoWood has announced their intentions to develop for next-gen consoles, with titles such as Gothic, Spellforce and Dungeon Lords suggested as possible avenues to explore:

Liezen, Austria, April 26th 2007; JoWooD Productions Software AG decided to take the next step and advance to the current generation of consoles. JoWooD intends to publish the group’s most successful brands on new platforms. Due to the Dreamcatcher buyout, the Austrian Publisher has many brands at hand for expansion on to the “new” current generation of consoles (Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3). After the great worldwide success of our products Gothic, SpellForce, Painkiller and Dungeon Lords it’s a pleasure for JoWooD to release further content on current-gen systems. JoWooD is convinced of its ability to successfully position the new games in the console market. The Console-market is one of the fastest growing segments of the entertainment industry with approximately 11 million units of Xbox 360 and 3,5 millions of the PS3 sold so far.

JoWooD already started to negotiate with development studios and scheduled the first releases at the end of 2008, beginning of 2009.

About JoWooD Productions Software AG
JoWooD Productions Software AG (ATXPrime: JWD) is listed in the Prime Market segment of the Vienna stock exchange. JoWooD is a leading publisher of computer- and videogames, releasing international acclaimed, high-qualitiy titles for all existing and future gaming systems. The JoWooD games are distributed worldwide by an efficient net of distribution partners. For more information, visit
http://corporate.jowood.com

Wednesday - January 17, 2007

JoWooD - JoWood Signs Agreement with Koch Media

by Dhruin, 21:37

Continuing their current partnership, JoWood has signed a further co-publishing agreement with Koch Media:

JoWooD Productions Signs New Co-Publishing Agreement With Koch Media

Liezen, Austria / Planegg, Germany, January 15th 2007: JoWooD Productions announces the conclusion of a further Co-Publishing agreement with Koch Media. Due to the successful cooperation during the production of titles like „Gothic 3“, „The Guild 2“ and „SpellForce 2“, the stage for an ongoing partnership has been set.

„The renewed partnership with Koch Media enables both enterprises to produce high-end titles at shared costs. Such a doubled financing power is a great chance to produce triple-A products of stunning quality in order to secure worldwide success“, comments Albert Seidl, CEO JoWooD Productions.

„We are happy to continue our trustful cooperation with JoWooD based upon this new Co-Publishing Agreement. A huge experience in producing and selling first-class games has been gained during the last years in both enterprises. The sales figures of Gothic 3 have shown how efficient both compan ies complete each other“, states Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, CEO Koch Media.

The first title to be published under the conditions of the new agreement is ”SpellForce 2 – Dragon Storm“ and will be released in the 1st quarter of 2007.

Wednesday - December 20, 2006

German Developer Awards 2006

by Gorath, 16:35

The winners of the annual German Developer Awards have been announced. While the international success for computer games made in Germany is traditionally mixed a closer examination of the list of honoured games makes it clear that 2006 was a great year for German, Austrian and Swiss developers - maybe even their best year ever.

As expected the GOTY is Sunflowers´ / Related Design´s big budget city builder Anno 1701 (a.k.a. 1701 AD), followed by Phenomic´s (sorry, EA Phenomic´s) brilliant RPG/RTS hybrid SpellForce 2 - Shadow Wars and Piranha Bytes controversial RPG Gothic 3.
Gothic 3 won in the categories Best Soundtrack and Best Story / Game World.

All winners and runner-ups as well as the results of the audience votes can be found on the official page .

Friday - November 03, 2006

JoWooD acquires Dreamcatcher

by Gorath, 15:23

The ad hoc minus the company infos:

Liezen, Austria/Toronto, Kanada: JoWooD Productions Software AG (ATXPrime: JWD) announces that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Canadian based video games publisher, DreamCatcher Inc.
This acquisition will provide JoWooD with direct access to every major retailer of PC and video games in North America. In addition, JoWooD will own America's #1 publisher of Adventure games further underlining JoWooD’s commitment to strengthen and broaden its distribution capacity through a proven and established network and to deliver compelling PC and video games to consumers worldwide.
"Acquiring DreamCatcher perfectly aligns with JoWooD’s strategy to deliver high-quality computer and videogames globally. We are looking at DreamCatcher as our North American counterpart and there are numerous and important synergies waiting to be exploited by all of us" says Albert Seidl, CEO of JoWooD Productions Software AG.
"DreamCatcher is very excited about joining forces with JoWooD. There are some incredible synergies that are now in place that will enable us to build a very strong global company. JoWooD possesses a great line-up of titles, supported by some dynamic brands and we are thrilled about helping to further grow those brands in North America," comments Richard Wah Kan, President and CEO of DreamCatcher.
"We offer very strong North American assets, including a leading position in Adventure game publishing, as well as an extensive retail distribution network that we have been building since our inception over 10 years ago," he adds.
Under the terms of the agreement, DreamCatcher will become a wholly owned subsidiary of JoWooD and the company’s management team and employees will continue to operate from their office based in Toronto, Canada. The acquisition will be contemplated through a share deal whereby JoWooD will increase its sharecapital by utilizing the existing authorized capital. The newly issued shares will be formally subscribed for by the shareholders of DreamCatcher. The shareholders of Dreamcatcher will hold a 23% stake in the share capital of JoWooD after closing of the transaction. The capital increase is subject to an audit report by an expert to be appointed in accordance with Austrian applicable provisions.

DreamCatcher’s track record, its leading position in the market of Adventure games, and the experienced staff constitute the basis for the soon-to-be combined company. Following extensive business, finance, legal and tax due diligence, both companies expect a positive impact on DreamCatcher’s balance sheet once the transaction has been closed.

"DreamCatcher’s strong brands and licenses such as Painkiller, Agatha Christie, and others, significantly contributed to last year’s turnover of CAD 25 million (~ EUR 17,5 million) respectively," said Albert Seidl. With upcoming sequels from these brands as well as some additional new brands, JoWooD’s capacity and existing network throughout Europe allows JoWooD to immediately start marketing DreamCatcher’s titles.

JoWooD will now benefit from a much larger product portfolio and the ability to simultaneously release products world wide through JoWooD’s and DreamCatcher’s mature distribution networks. DreamCatcher’s line-up of console titles also complements JoWooD’s current product strategy.

In particular, JoWooD will benefit from DreamCatcher’s long-term and direct relationship to the most important retailers in the North American market, elevating JoWooD’s margins.

Given the significant increase of the combined product-portfolio, JoWooD furthermore anticipates a substantial increase in the overall business volume.

The closing of the transaction is in particular subject to anti-trust approvals in Austria and Canada.

Sunday - September 17, 2006

Koch Media, JoWooD & Namco Bandai: Zero Tolerance Policy against Piracy

by Gorath, 06:56
The three publishers announced their intention to fight against piracy in file sharing networks. They want to identify early seeders through their IP address and prosecute them with support by the GVU.

Furthermore they will try to identify leechers and seeders. Those will receive a cease & desist letter together with a demand to pay for the damage.
The following games are covered by the agreement so far:
The Guild 2, Gothic 3, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos, Mage Knight: Apocalypse, Spellforce 2: Dragon Storm and Panzer Elite Action: Dunes of War.

Last year German publisher Zuxxez sued several thousand file sharers who downloaded their game Earth 2160. Their IPs had been tracked down by a Swiss company monitoring file sharing networks.

Source: Eurogamer.de

Thursday - August 03, 2006

JoWooD announces GC line-up

by Sem, 19:13
Highlights of this year's Games Convention on the JoWooD and Koch Media booth will be of course Gothic 3 and The Guild 2. Behind closed doors several new games will be shown<BR><blockquote><em>Liezen, Austria, 2nd of August 2006; The Games Convention is nearly upon us, preparing to welcome thousands of gaming fans, all eagerly anticipating the wealth of new products a  top of the list on many agendas' will be a SGothic 3a ? and a SThe Guild 2.a ? Publisher JoWooD Productions and Co-Publisher Deep Silver will proudly present two of the highlights of the Convention, accompanied live on stage by a fantastic medieval swordfight display. These activities are all desinged to highlight the fast approaching sequels of these products a  Fans will have the chance to play the game by themselves for the first time!<br></em></blockquote>

Source: JoWooD press server

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