Sacred 2 Developer Enters Administration, Plans May 2009 Console Releases

Ascaron Entertainment, the German developer of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, has entered administration in its region's court in order to continue operating. Ascaron has been making its first multiplatform move with Sacred 2, planning to release Xbox 360 and PS3 versions following November 2008's release of the point-and-click action RPG on PC. According to a statement on the developer's website, it says timing issues on these console versions have challenged finances. "After four years developing Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, an extended development delay made it necessary for Ascaron to go into administration," says the company. Development of Sacred 2 for consoles is "now complete," and the editions will release in May 2009, the company adds. As for Sacred 2's multiplayer services and activation, Ascaron says they are "unaffected and will continue as usual." "The development team is currently working on a Sacred 2 PC expansion and on the development of the sequel, Sacred 3," Ascaron explains. "Due to the protection offered by German administration rights, Ascaron intends to use this as an opportunity to secure the future of the company." Last year, Gamasutra spoke to Ascaron's managing director Heiko tom Felde, assistant producer Sebastian Fleer, and Xbox 360 Q&A programmer Sebastian Walter to discuss the challenges of moving to multiplatform development alongside Germany's historically PC-centric games market.