Konami Announces Castlevania: Lords of Shadow


June 4, 2009

KONAMI ANNOUNCES CASTLEVANIA:
LORDS OF SHADOW

Kojima Productions and Mercury
Steam take the Castlevania series in a bold, new direction delivering an epic
fantasy adventure!

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.,
has used the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event in Los Angeles to premiere
the first footage of a brand new Castlevania title: Castlevania: Lords of
Shadow. Developed by Madrid-based Mercury Steam, the game also marks a ‘dream’
development collaboration with Konami’s lauded Kojima Productions studio, led by
Hideo Kojima.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will be
released in 2010 for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360®
video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and will open a new era for
the Castlevania mythology. Konami has worked to take the long-running series in
brave new directions with a fresh and radical re-imagining, and the result is an
epic tale of love and loss that befits the series.

Shown previously as Lords of Shadow
in summer 2008 with a short teaser, Konami has kept under wraps its intention to
radically take the Castlevania myth in a bold new direction until now. Konami
has used E3 to showcase what it considers one of its most ambitious and
innovative titles to date and reveal how it will present Castlevania to a wider
audience of players hungry for genre-defining entertainment.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow takes
place at the end of days. The Earth’s alliance with the Heavens has been
threatened by a dark and malevolent force – the mysterious Lords of Shadow –
darkness reins the world. Across this shattered land, the souls of the dead
wander unable to find peace, whilst creatures of evil roam free wreaking chaos
and death upon the living.

Gabriel is a member of the
Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who protect and defend the
innocent against the supernatural. His beloved wife was brutally murdered by the
evil forces of darkness and her soul trapped for eternity. Neither living nor
dead she realizes the horrific truth of what is at stake and guides Gabriel to
his destiny – and hopefully salvation for the world… but at what cost?

Thus, Gabriel must travel the
destroyed world, defeating the evil tyrants in order to use their powers to
bring balance back to the world. Armed with the versatile Combat Cross™ – the
world’s last hope must encounter the three factions of the Lords of Shadow and
end their unholy rule.

Mercury Steam has created a rich,
open game world that traverses snowy mountain ranges, Gothic castles, and
undead-strewn wastelands in a devastated Southern Europe during the Middle Ages.
The production is being overseen by the European Product Planning office with
advice and support from Kojima Productions. This multi-cultural dream
collaboration will move the Castlevania brand to a whole new level, with rich
storytelling, innovative gameplay and state-of-the-art technical elements
brought together to form a revolutionary new direction for a modern 3D fantasy
action epic.

Konami is premiering Castlevania:
Lords of Shadow with a stunning trailer detailing the expansive nature of the
game and its unique combat elements. It will also introduce the game’s stunning
voice acting cast, with Gabriel voiced by Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later,
Trainspotting, The Full Monty), and Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek: Next
Generation) as the mysterious Zobek. Natasha McElhone (The Other Boleyn Girl,
Californication, The Truman Show) and Jason Isaacs (Black Hawk Down, The
Patriot, Harry Potter series) round off the talent.

"Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will
take the Castlevania series into brave, uncharted territories, and is a
breath-taking adventure that boasts stunning aesthetics, deep and challenging
game play, and a truly inspirational voice cast to deliver the games dramatic
depth", commented Dave Cox, Producer on the title and Head of Product Planning
for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. "We are also delighted to be working with
Kojima Productions who have supported the development of the game and our
intended goals with their keen vision and expertise," he added. "This is a
world’s first! A dream team up between a western development studio and one of
Japan’s most revered and innovative creators".

"We at Mercury Steam are pushing the
envelope of today’s technology. Our goal is to create an incredible piece that
will answer many people’s hopes and desires of what a next generation
Castlevania game should be," said Enric Alvarez, Studio Head at Mercury Steam.

"Kojima Productions had learned the
differences of western development teams and Japanese studios" added Ken
Imaizumi, Senior Producer of Kojima Productions. "Mercury Steam is definitely
one of the most talented studios in the world. We quickly agreed that we should
work together and exchange ideas and knowhow across the board. We have full
trust that the next generation Castlevania experience will deliver a high
quality intense experience worthy of the Kojima Productions name and we are
proud that this title will mark a new global direction for Konami as a company
dedicated to breaking new ground in digital entertainment."

Click here to download the

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow E3 2009 Trailer

 


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