dreamcatcher posts

The Austria-based game publisher JoWood is in a bit of a financial pickle. Today the company announced that it has filed for material insolvency after "all efforts towards restructuring of capitalization concerning outside capital as well as equity capital had to be considered as failed."

The press release is optimistic, saying that it hopes JoWood can continue with business and hopes that "negotiations with creditors and possible investors can be positively conducted and finalized within 90 days." JoWood and its North American subsidiary Dreamcatcher Interactive, released the fantasy RPG sequel Arcadia Gothic 4 last fall with plans to release an expansion pack for that game later in 2011. Another game, the RTS-RPG expansion pack Spellforce 2: Faith In Destiny, is due out later in January.

Fans of Arcania Gothic 4 will be happy to know that the recent fantasy RPG is getting some new . Publisher JoWood and its US subsidiary Dreamcatcher have announced plans to release Arcania - Fall of Setarrif. The add-on promises to tie up some of the original game's loose ends while also taking the game's storyline in a new direction.

The unnamed hero of Gothic 4 must venture into the land of Setariff where a certain possessive demon is causing some trouble. Players can create a new character or import their previous Gothic 4 character into the new add-on. JoWood promises that Fall of Setariff will not only have new locations, quests and enemies but will let the player check out the storyline from another character's point of view. Pricing and a specific release date for the add-on were not announced.

[Via email press release]

How long has it been since the original Spellforce 2 was released? Try 2006. Even the game's first expansion pack, Dragon Storm, was released in 2007. So after all this time publisher JoWood is finally ready to release this second stand alone expansion pack to the fantasy RTS-RPG game.

Spellforce 2: Faith In Destiny is currently scheduled for release on November 30 and the game's newly launched web site has the details and screenshots on the expansion. It will include a new single player campaign, five factions, 10 different races and other new additions and features. If you can remember that far back to the last Spellforce 2 title, you might like this as well.

This is the playable demo for ArcaniA: Gothic 4, an action fantasy role-playing game based in the Gothic universe.

"War covers the southern islands until it finally reaches the idyllic isle of Feshyr. You take on the role as the new nameless hero after your village has been pillaged and destroyed by paladins of the king. Seeking revenge, you soon realize that this cowardly attack did not just happen on a reckless mercenary`s whim. A mysterious evil power lies in waiting and fortunately you're not alone to unravel the ancient secrets: your fate is linked to a beautiful lady wearing a powerful artifact from the long-forgotten past..."

Download ArcaniA: Gothic 4 Demo (1.7 GB)
Check out all ArcaniA: Gothic 4 downloads

The subject of DRM set ups for PC games has become more and more important for consumers, as evident by the massive backlash against Ubisoft's "Always On" set up for most of its recent PC games. Today publisher JoWood decided to be pro-active by admitting its upcoming fantasy RPG Arcania: Gothic 4 will be using the SecuROM DRM set-up for the PC version.

Admitting that DRM set-ups for PC games have in the past " had to find a balance "between user friendliness and security of the product" Arcania Gothic 4 will allow gamers to install it on an unlimited number of PCs. The game will only need to be activated once via an internet connection in order to be played on a PC with no constant net connection needed to continue playing. Each license will also allow the game to be played on up to three PCs at any one time. It will also have an auto-update feature and a pre-load feature to let players download the game before its officially launched in October.

Gallery: Arcania: Gothic 4 Screenshots

It's taken a while but today publisher JoWood and its US subsidiary Dreamcatcher Games have announced that the fantasy RPG sequel Arcania: Gothic 4 from developer Spellbound will finally be released for the PC on October 12. An Xbox 360 version will be released on the same date but the PS3 version has been pushed back to the first quarter of 2011.

The game was announced well over two years ago by JoWood after the previous game in the series, Gothic 3, got a cool reception from critics, due in part to show stopping bugs that took months to fix via patches. JoWood dumped Gothic 3's developer Piranha Bytes in favor of Spellbound. Piranha Bytes went on to make the original RPG game Risen that was released in the fall of 2009.

Last fall's release of the first person shooter Painkiller Resurrection was ... well, "disappointing" doesn't really cover it. The game itself was short and not very engadging and the promise of a co-op mode was just that; a promise (at least until a patch was released a few months later).

Now after several months, the title from developer Homegrown Games and publisher JoWood has gotten a new update via Steam and it's actually all about content. The patch adds a new map, the Tower of Power, to the title. It's described in the patch notes as "the ULTIMATE challenge for all Painkiller enthusiasts." We think the real challenge is to find people who care about this game anymore.

The third stand alone game in the Painkiller first person shooter series is supposedly ready for your enjoyment. JoWood's subsidiary publisher Dreamcatcher has announced that Painkiller: Resurrection has now gone gold and will ship to stores and via download on October 27.

As we mentioned earlier this month, Steam is offering all of the previous Painkiller games for free when you pre-order the Homegrown Games' developed Painkiller Resurrection title. Dreamcatcher has also mentioned that a demo of the game should be released "shortly". The full game will feature a co-op mode through the game's all new single player campaign (a first for the series) along with improvements to the Painkiller graphics engine, new items and monstes and more.

[Via email press release]

Publishers JoWood Productions and The Adventure Company have announced a partnership with Simon & Shuster Children's Publishing that will beget The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft, a PC adventure game to be released this October. Developed by DreamCatcher Interactive, The Hidden Theft will star the titular Hardy Boys as they sleuth their way along the path of, presumably, a hidden theft.

"Fans have been waiting and we are set to deliver an adventure series that is certain to become a family classic," said Albert Seidl, President and CEO for the JoWooD Group. "The Hardy Boys have been with us for decades and generations of fans will not only be thrilled that they can finally play the part of their favorite teenage detective brothers, but can share the adventure with their children and grandchildren."

The Gothic series of fantasy RPGs has a big following in Europe but has never quite gotten as munch attention here in the US. The game's publisher Jowood has apparently decided to do something about that. Gamespot reports that working with their US subsidiary Dreamcatcher, Jowood has decided to rename the next game in the series. Previously known as Gothic 4, the game is now known as Arcania: A Gothic Tale.

The name change isn't the only thing the publisher is doing to attract US gamers. The article reports that the game will have a colorful and bright art style for the US version versus a dark and gritty look for the European release. The game is still a ways away from release (its due out in late 2009) but the article has some brief impressions based on checking an early build. The game will take place 10 years after the events of Gothic 3 and there will be improvements made to the combat in Arcania as well as more of an emphasis on magic.