Tropico 3 publisher gets right to Airline Tycoon II

by: Chad - posted: 10/26/2009 11:06:00 AM

Hot on the tail of Tropico 3 being released, Kalypso acquired rights to publish Airline Tycoon II.  There have been a lot of "Tycoon" games and I might have played one or two of them.  The first in this series must have done well enough to garner a sequel.

The Global Managing Director of Kalypso states: "Our goal is to create a game that delivers new challenges without losing the original Airline Tycoon charm. We don’t want to disappoint the community!”   That sounds to me like more, bigger and better.

Airline Tycoon II will have the player take the reins of an airline that they need to make profitable.  Managing staff, buying airplanes, and sabotaging your competitors will only be some of the things you can do.  Look for the game in the first quarter of 2011.

KALYPSO MEDIA ACQUIRES AIRLINE TYCOON II BRAND
BALTIMORE, MD, October 26, 2009 - Today, Kalypso Media announced the acquisition of the worldwide name and publishing rights for Airline Tycoon II from Spellbound Entertainment. Kalypso plans to release the long awaited sequel in the first quarter of 2011. The development of the PC title will be managed by Kalypso’s in-house studio, Realmforge.

“Following the success of Tropico 3 and the development of future titles including MudTV and Patrician, we are thrilled to be bringing another hugely popular and respected brand to market. Airline Tycoon II will further strengthen our line up for the first quarter of 2011,” says Simon Hellwig, Global Managing Director Kalypso Media Group.

Stefan Marcinek, Global Managing Director Kalypso Media Group adds: “Fans of the original title have been waiting for the next installment for a long time, and we’re excited to reveal that our own studio Realmforge is currently developing the sequel. Our goal is to create a game that delivers new challenges without losing the original Airline Tycoon charm. We don’t want to disappoint the community!”

“It’s a dream come true for all the Airline Tycoon fans who signed the online petition for a sequel,” commented Armin Gessert, CEO of Spellbound Entertainment AG. “We are certain that with Kalypso Media we have found the perfect partner to continue the great series with Airline Tycoon II.”

Airline Tycoon II is currently in development by Realmforge based in Munich, and will be a brand new PC project from the team that is working on the upcoming release of MudTV. The highly anticipated sequel to the acclaimed management simulation game lets the player take the reins of an airline which they must bring to financial success. Players will manage a staff, buy new airplanes and open up new air routes. They will also deal with crabby passengers and engage in espionage and sabotage against their competitors.

Airline Tycoon II will be available on PC in Q1 2011.

About Kalypso Media
Specializing in the publishing of interactive media, primarily computer games, Kalypso Media was founded in summer 2006 by industry veterans Simon Hellwig and Stefan Marcinek. The following year, a sister company, Kalypso Media UK Ltd., was established in England and is currently led by Andrew Johnson and Charlie Barrett, two experienced members of the Kalypso Media Group management team. In 2009, Kalypso Media USA Inc. was established under the leadership of veteran video game executive, Deborah Tillett. Kalypso Media owns two development studios, Realmforge Studios GmbH and Gaming Minds Studios GmbH, both of which are located in Germany. For further information see www.kalypsomedia.com.

About Spellbound

Spellbound Entertainment AG is one of the leading German game developers. The company is based in Kehl and has created more than 20 games within the last 15 years. Spellbound obtained international attention with its Desperados and Airline Tycoon series that sold worldwide with great success. Spellbound is a registered developer on all established console platforms. In April 2009 they released their latest title Giana Sisters DS for Nintendo DS.

For more information, please visit: www.spellbound.de