November 3, 2009, Moscow. Zakta and Astrum Online Entertainment announce the launch of the official site of their joint project “Northern Blade”. The game is a client-based large-scale MMORPG using BigWorld Technology.

 The official site, available at http://www.northernblade.ru, invites players to register for closed beta-testing. The release of the game is planned for late 2009 – early 2010.
Northern Blade is a fast-paced action-oriented MMORPG, created by a team of professionals with more than 10 years of game development experience. Its innovative battle system, PvP-centric gameplay, and bright and realistic fantasy setting immerse the player in the atmosphere of an all-encompassing war, where everyone’s future is decided at the edge of a sharp blade.

Zakta, is one of the most experienced game development companies in Russia. Northern Blade’s producer, Dmitry Zakharov, started his career in 1988, and played a leading role in the creation of cult hits such as, Silent Storm, Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul, and Robocalypse.  Dmitry’s team started working with Astrum Online Entertainment 1.5 years ago, immediately beginning development of a full-scale client-based MMO.

Northern Blade is powered by BigWorld Technology, recognized worldwide as the leading and most mature middleware platform for developing MMO games and virtual worlds. BigWorld has been licensed in over 40 commercially licensed projects and released titles include Twinity (Europe), TianXia 2 (China), Futeball (South America) and Hokuto No Ken (Japan). 

About the game:
Driven from their native lands by a global cataclysm, the people of the Aenor Empire are fighting for their lives in the alien and mysterious South Continent, trying to carve out a new home among its inhabitants. The gloomy dark-skinned natives of the continent greet the unwanted guests with rains of arrows and diabolic sorcery. Huge machines of death crush and destroy the battle formations of the Aenor. The price of their new home is very high for the survivors from the north, but even more Aenor people die at the hands of their own neighbors as the young Empire is torn by bloody battles for the throne, and crime is rampant. Is it possible for Aenor to return its former glory? It depends on you!
Record your hero’s story in the chronicle of the Empire and its battle for a new home. Carve your way through busy seaports, into the wild lands of an alien continent, full of dangers, and straight into the heat of war. A war that will determine who rules this world!


Key features:

Worldwide PvP! Outside of the towns, every encounter could be your last. Wild creatures, hostile natives and even criminals within your own faction mean danger with every step. Here – your only friend is your sword.

Heated Battles: Aim and fire! Your survival will depend on speed and decisiveness as you overcome multiple enemies in dynamic and exciting conflicts.

Use the landscape to your advantage! Thanks to its innovative battle mechanics and realistic landscapes, Northern Blade’s battle system lets you use your surroundings to your advantage - hide behind obstacles, attack stealthily from the enemy’s rear or set up an ambush in tall grass!

Slash them All! Northern Blade is a dynamic role-playing game in the best “hack-n-slash tradition”. Diabloesque gameplay ensures a constant stream of destruction allowing you to fight multiple targets simultaneously.

Create the Legend. The future of the Empire is in your hands. Your skill and steel will decide the fate of the Empire as you take on thrilling quests and battle other players to gain fame and glory in the epic story of Aenor.

For additional information please contact:
Ekaterina Cherkasova
Press Office of Astrum Online Entertainment
E-mail: press@astrumonline.ru
Phone +7 (495) 952-4482, 952-0765
Mobile phone +7 (903) 598-4889