Nintendo World Report

Handheld titles coming from Xider in May and August.

bhv Software Launches New Games Label And Ankh: Heart Of Osiris

XIDER TO BRING SPORT, ACTION AND ADVENTURE TITLESFOR PC AND NINTENDO DS TO UK GAMING MARKET

bhv Software GmbH & Co.KG in Germany, a leading publisher of entertainment software, has launched a new games label in the UK. Under its new label XIDER, bhv Software will be launching at least a dozen new role play, adventure, racing and sporting gaming titles for PC and Nintendo DS in the coming months via its UK distribution partner Pinnacle Software.

As part of the launch of XIDER, bhv Software has released its exciting new sequel to its 2005 hit PC game Ankh. In ‘Ankh: Heart of Osiris’ the player is once more transported back into ancient Egypt to explore the sensual bazaars, subterranean temple and dark alleys of Cairo as the young adventurer and reluctant daredevil Assil (UK street date 27th April).

XIDER has responded to the feedback of loyal players and ensured that many of the favourite features from the first version have been included and developed further to enhance the gaming experience. Ankh: Heart of Osiris is an exciting and zany story that will amuse and engage at every turn, enabling players to get more involved with the main characters and immerse themselves in the mysterious Egyptian world with the addition of several new locations and characters.

The environments are richer and more detailed, allowing for more in-depth exploration and a vivid in-game experience. Superior voice acting, cinematic full motion sequences plus sophisticated graphics with dynamic light, shadow and glow effects provide additional dimensions to the game. A ‘hands-on’ codewheel has also been incorporated into the game that will solve a cocktail puzzle inside the game and is included in the box.

Helmut Schmitz, Managing Director at bhv Software says, “We are very excited about the launch of XIDER and the prospect of bringing many new titles for PC and Nintendo DS under this label to gamers in the UK. We have been successfully publishing games across Europe under this label for several years and look forward to recreating this success in the UK. The launch of Ankh: Heart of Osiris is a great new title to start with and we hope gamers will agree."

XIDER will also be launching a number of new titles in the coming months for PC and Nintendo DS. New titles include:

Bone: Out from Boneville (PC) – Due date March 2007 (£19.99)
Bone: The Great Cow Race (PC) – Due date March 2007 (£19.99)
German Street Racing (PC) – Due date April 2007 (£9.99)
Luminator DS – Due date May 2007 (£29.99)
World of Chaos – Due date May 2007 (£19.99)
European Street Racing – Due date May 2007 (£19.99)
Ankh 1 (DS) – Due date August 2007 (£29.99)
Basketball Manager 2008 (PC) – Due date August 2007 (£19.99)

Peter Sleeman, Managing Director of Pinnacle Software, added “We really look forward to working with bhv Software and maximising the awareness of XIDER in the UK channel. In view of the number and quality of titles to be launched by the new label in the coming months, we anticipate a very positive response from our retail accounts."

Daniel Bloodworth, INACTIVE