Officials from Paradox Interactive announced that the Swedish-headquartered publisher has acquired the intellectual property rights to Cyberlore Studios' real-time strategy franchise
Majesty.
While no real details have been announced concerning the publisher's expectations for the franchise, in a statement announcing the acquisition Paradox CEO Theodore Bergqvist stated that the company plans to “build upon the strengths” of the now 7 year old series, as well as capitalize on the its popularity and core features.
Cyberlore first released
Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim in 2000, with Paradox noting that the game has gone on to sell through more than 500,000 copies worldwide. The developer followed up the initial release with 2001's
Majesty: The Northern Expansion, before revisiting the franchise yet again in 2002 with with a “Gold Edition” box set.
The Gold Edition, which includes both the original game as well as the expansion, has also been added to Paradox's online digital distribution internet portal,
Gamer's Gate, which specializes in European-originated strategy titles. The title joins other notable games available over the service, including
Etherlords, Sacred Plus, and
Mount & Blade.
"We strongly feel that
Majesty deserves to be revitalized and there are few gaming companies out there capable of taking this franchise to the next level", said Cyberlore founder Lester Humphreys. "There is no question in our minds that Paradox Interactive is the right company to do just that."
