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Matrix Games Acquires Vassal Board-Game Engine

Representatives from historical war game developer Matrix Games have announced that the company has acquired the rights to the PC online board and card game-specific Vass...

David Jenkins, Blogger

July 27, 2005

1 Min Read
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Representatives from historical war game developer Matrix Games have announced that the company has acquired the rights to the PC online board and card game-specific Vassal Engine from Vassal Engineering, with the intention of improving and supporting the technology as a new platform for game publishing. The Vassal engine enables designers to create individually branded, commercial standalone applications that moderate any turn-based game for human vs. human play. The engine was originally designed to provide a quick and easy way to play board games online against similar players around the world. Most games currently playable via Vassal are based either directly or indirectly on existing table top war or CCG games, with titles currently being played including War of the Ring and HeroQuest, though it seems that the partly open-source engine is currently used for many 'unofficial', unlicensed versions of games. David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said, "We believe Vassal offers a great way to bring board gamers together over the internet, while also offering designers a new avenue to reach the gaming public. In many cases, the investment required to turn each design into a printed and distributed game is beyond the reach of many designers and publishers. Vassal offers a way to reach gamers with new and exciting designs that would not otherwise see print as well as allowing existing board gamers to find a community for their favorite game online."

About the Author

David Jenkins

Blogger

David Jenkins ([email protected]) is a freelance writer and journalist working in the UK. As well as being a regular news contributor to Gamasutra.com, he also writes for newsstand magazines Cube, Games TM and Edge, in addition to working for companies including BBC Worldwide, Disney, Amazon and Telewest.

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