Black Isle Studios Showcases 3Rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons® Title.
Black Isle Studios, a division of Interplay Entertainment Corp. and BioWare Corp. present Neverwinter Nights.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, MAY 11, 2000 – Black Isle Studios, the role-playing game (RPG) division of Interplay Entertainment Corp. and BioWare Corp. are proud to present their latest development/publishing venture Neverwinter Nights‘ (NWN) at this years Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Neverwinter Nights will utilize the 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons® (D&D®) rules set. This marks the first time the Dungeons & Dragons rules have been revised in over ten years, and is a huge milestone for Wizards of the Coast, fans of D&D and all of its licensees.
Neverwinter Nights is due to ship in 2001 for Windows® 95/98 PCs and will utilize the BioWare Aurora‘ 3D engine. NWN is set in the D&D Forgotten Realms® campaign setting and has an epic storyline in a gameworld that challenges both the single player gamer or the multi-player gaming party. Game play is taken to a higher level by the inclusion of the Editor Tool Set, allowing players to create their own game worlds. This creates an environment more akin to the pen and paper model that D&D enthusiasts are accustomed to. Players can craft castles and place monsters, landscape and treasure with a few simple mouse clicks. They are then able to host their own adventures and multi-player servers on the Internet. The player will also be able to play the role of "dungeon master" or "DM," allowing him/her to interact in real time with the other players in the game. The dungeon master mode offers the "DM" an opportunity to assume the roles of non-player characters and alter the course of the other players’ experiences. More comprehensive information can be found on the official Neverwinter Nights web site, located at http://www.neverwinternights.com.
Best known for the development of the award-winning title, Baldur’s Gate‘, also based on the D&D rules set, BioWare Corp. is aiming to expand on the multi-player role-playing game concept, by providing gamers with the ultimate D&D experience. BioWare has already begun development on a version of Neverwinter Nights for Apple Macintosh® computers, but a distribution deal has not yet been negotiated.
"We are really thrilled to be working with the same team of people who created Baldur’s Gate. Once again, Black Isle Studios, BioWare and TSR/Wizards of the Coast have come together to advance the ultimate role-playing game experience to the next level," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, BioWare’s joint CEO and Co-Executive Producer.
Also in production at Black Isle Studios is Icewind Dale‘, A Baldur’s Gate‘ engine adventure. In the spirit of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons® adventure Tomb of Horrors, Icewind Dale will be a classic dungeon crawl and will launch in the spring of 2000. Debuting in fall of 2000 is Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn. BG II will be a mythic saga continuing the much-loved Baldur’s Gate storyline and will utilize the enhanced version of the BioWare Infinity‰ Engine.
Wizards of the Coast Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is the worldwide market share leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories. Wizards of the Coast is a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products as well as the owner and operator of one of the nation’s largest specialty game retail chains. The company holds an exclusive patent on the play mechanics of trading card games (TCGs) and produces the world’s best-selling Pokémon and Magic:The Gathering® TCGs. Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world’s leading fantasy and science fiction book publishers and is a publisher of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons & Dragons® games, family card and board games and electronic media products. The company’s retail locations, many of which provide game-play areas, include a growing number of Wizards of the Coast specialty game retail stores as well as 53 The Game Keeper® stores. Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London and Beijing. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company’s website and electronic retail store at www.wizards.com.
Neverwinter Nights is due to ship in 2001 for Windows® 95/98 PCs and will utilize the BioWare Aurora‘ 3D engine. NWN is set in the D&D Forgotten Realms® campaign setting and has an epic storyline in a gameworld that challenges both the single player gamer or the multi-player gaming party. Game play is taken to a higher level by the inclusion of the Editor Tool Set, allowing players to create their own game worlds. This creates an environment more akin to the pen and paper model that D&D enthusiasts are accustomed to. Players can craft castles and place monsters, landscape and treasure with a few simple mouse clicks. They are then able to host their own adventures and multi-player servers on the Internet. The player will also be able to play the role of "dungeon master" or "DM," allowing him/her to interact in real time with the other players in the game. The dungeon master mode offers the "DM" an opportunity to assume the roles of non-player characters and alter the course of the other players’ experiences. More comprehensive information can be found on the official Neverwinter Nights web site, located at http://www.neverwinternights.com.
Best known for the development of the award-winning title, Baldur’s Gate‘, also based on the D&D rules set, BioWare Corp. is aiming to expand on the multi-player role-playing game concept, by providing gamers with the ultimate D&D experience. BioWare has already begun development on a version of Neverwinter Nights for Apple Macintosh® computers, but a distribution deal has not yet been negotiated.
"We are really thrilled to be working with the same team of people who created Baldur’s Gate. Once again, Black Isle Studios, BioWare and TSR/Wizards of the Coast have come together to advance the ultimate role-playing game experience to the next level," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, BioWare’s joint CEO and Co-Executive Producer.
Also in production at Black Isle Studios is Icewind Dale‘, A Baldur’s Gate‘ engine adventure. In the spirit of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons® adventure Tomb of Horrors, Icewind Dale will be a classic dungeon crawl and will launch in the spring of 2000. Debuting in fall of 2000 is Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn. BG II will be a mythic saga continuing the much-loved Baldur’s Gate storyline and will utilize the enhanced version of the BioWare Infinity‰ Engine.
Wizards of the Coast Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is the worldwide market share leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories. Wizards of the Coast is a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products as well as the owner and operator of one of the nation’s largest specialty game retail chains. The company holds an exclusive patent on the play mechanics of trading card games (TCGs) and produces the world’s best-selling Pokémon and Magic:The Gathering® TCGs. Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world’s leading fantasy and science fiction book publishers and is a publisher of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons & Dragons® games, family card and board games and electronic media products. The company’s retail locations, many of which provide game-play areas, include a growing number of Wizards of the Coast specialty game retail stores as well as 53 The Game Keeper® stores. Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London and Beijing. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company’s website and electronic retail store at www.wizards.com.