Risen to be Released on October 2nd

Deep Silver sent us over a press release a short while ago announcing plans to release Piranha Bytes' Risen on October 2nd, 2009.
Risen Scheduled to Launch Worldwide on October 2nd

Epic Role Playing Game from Piranha Bytes Hits Beta

Hermosa Beach, Calif. - July 2, 2009 - Deep Silver Inc., a publisher of interactive entertainment software and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Media, announced today that Risen will make its international debut on October 2, 2009. The new RPG from Piranha Bytes, the developers of Gothic, has already entered Beta phase. Risen will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Windows PC.

"We're excited to be able to announce the release date for Risen this far in advance," said Cathy Tische, VP Sales and Marketing for Deep Silver. "We've been in beta for a few weeks now and are focusing on stamping out the remaining bugs and optimizing gameplay."

The contents of Risen are already "code complete," and all voiceovers have been recorded. A total of three quality assurance teams are working on the game - one directly at Piranha Bytes, one at Deep Silver, plus an additional external studio.

About Risen:

This epic role playing game is set in a medieval world on a volcanic Mediterranean island, The "Risen" story unfolds over four chapters and will offer multiple ways to develop the story by his own actions and decisions. An innovative and intuitive user control interface will support both casual and hardcore gamers. With full world streaming support, the player will have a seamless experience while playing in a fully simulated game world with authentic characters.

For more information about Risen, please visit http://risen.deepsilver.com

About Piranha Bytes
The Piranha Bytes development team, residing in the Ruhr Area, was established in 1997. Approximately 20 people have been a part of this team in its current form since 2002. Piranha Bytes has so far acquired fame even beyond German borders with its RPG successes "Gothic" (2001), "Gothic II" (2002), "Gothic - Night of the Raven" (2003) and "Gothic 3" (2006). www.piranha-bytes.com

About Deep Silver
Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires. Deep Silver products are designed to equally appeal to pros and beginners, children and adults.

Deep Silver has published more than 80 games since 2003, including Anno 1701 (co-published with Sunflowers), Gothic 3 (co-published with JoWooD), the successful Secret Files adventure series, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, the Chernobyl shooter, the action role-playing game Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (co-published with Ascaron), and the Horse Life series of horse simulations. The company's own brands Risen (Xbox 360 and PC), the new role-playing game from the Piranha Bytes team, the urban MMO 7Million, the survival/horror game Cursed Mountain (exclusive on Wii), and the multi-platform action game Ride to Hell are currently being developed. Deep Silver's own production company in Vienna opened in 2007. For more information please visit www.deepsilver.com

Koch Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (software, games and movies on DVD). The company's own publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe and the USA. It has also formed strategic alliances with numerous software and games manufacturers: Kaspersky Labs, Nero, Cyberlink, PC Tools, Net Nanny, Cakewalk, Gotham New Media, AVG Technologies, Eleco, Mr Site, Braingame, Mindscape, Slitherine, RTL, Blade Interactive etc. Headquartered in Planegg near Munich/Germany, Koch Media owns branches in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic regions, and the USA. www.kochmedia.com
Let's hope that three QA teams ensures relatively bug-free release in three months.