This certainly came as a slightly surprising news to me. A little more than a year back, Funcom was apparently in all sorts of financial troubles. The developer and publisher’s fortunes took a sharp U-turn when they started to reveal more about The Secret World, and more recently, the launch of Age of Conan in Korea and the game’s expansion, Rise of the Godslayer in the West. Bloodline Champions is a DoTA inspired MMO, very much in the same vein as Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends. Below is the official announcement.
Funcom has signed a publishing agreement with Stunlock Studios AB, a start-up company based in Skövde, Sweden. Funcom will publish, operate and provide customer support for the multi-player arena game ‘Bloodline Champions,’ which is currently in the later stages of beta testing. ‘Bloodline Champions’ is an arena-based player vs. player game featuring unique and action-packed gameplay for up to ten people.
“‘Bloodline Champions’ is a game that we are very excited about. We have been play testing the game extensively at Funcom and we enjoy its fast-paced, player vs. player action-focused gameplay,” says Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas. “We believe that the way ‘Bloodline Champions’ executes this gameplay will appeal to a significant gamer segment. The game represents a complement to our large-scale MMO games and it will expand the product offering to our ever-growing online gaming community. The game fits well with the current trend of quick access online multi-player experiences.”
“Everyone at Stunlock Studios is very happy and excited to start this co-operation with Funcom”, says Tau Petersson, CEO of Stunlock Studios. “We met with several potential partners for our game, Bloodline Champions, but when we met Funcom we felt that they really understood our game and its needs. We believe that Funcom and Stunlock together can make Bloodline Champions the best game it can be”
Funcom will also purchase a minority stake in Stunlock Studios AB. The company has exclusive ownership of ‘Bloodline Champions’. The remaining shares of the company are owned by the founders and employees of Stunlock Studios AB, and by Gothia Science Park Invest AB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gothia Innovation AB (please see www.gsp.se).
Bloodline Champions’ is expected to launch in late 2010. Gamers interested in participating in the ongoing beta can register at www.bloodlinechampions.com.
