July 14, 2009
SUMMER VACATION TURNS INTO A
HIGH-SEAS ADVENTURE AS HER INTERACTIVE REACHES MILESTONE WITH ‘NANCY DREW:
RANSOM OF THE SEVEN SHIPS’
Company Ships 20th Installment of
Award Winning PC Adventure Game Series
In an industry where licensed and
original IPs flame out after a few years, one video game publisher has bucked
that trend with an icon established almost 80 years ago. Today, nearly 15 years
after they launched their first Nancy Drew® PC game, Her Interactive, Inc., the
designer, developer and publisher of the award-winning adventure game series, is
still going strong and announces that the 20th installment, Nancy Drew®: Ransom
of the Seven Ships, is now available at retailers nationwide.
Lauded for its message of
empowerment for girls, the Nancy Drew PC game series has surprised pundits by
appealing to non-traditional audiences consisting of grandmothers, college
students and working moms in addition to the primary girl audience. That
mainstream appeal has lead to yearly sales growth for the series and ultimately
a 40% market share within its category.
Adds Her Interactive CEO and
president, Megan Gaiser: “I think the true power behind our games and the reason
for their success lies in the ability to convey the positive traits of Nancy
Drew – intelligence, determination, independence and resourcefulness – to the
person playing the games. That is a very empowering feeling for our audience and
when combined with thought-provoking gameplay, results in a series of games that
are as unique as they are fun.”
The new game, Nancy Drew: Ransom of
the Seven Ships, hits at a time when Nancy Drew has never been more relevant as
the character was recently cited as being an inspirational influence to several
Supreme Court justices including Ruth Bader Ginsburg and recent nominee, Sonia
Sotomayer, as well as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
In the game, Nancy, is joined by her
best friend Bess and George, and the player gets to see them as animated
characters for the first time in the series. When they all travel to the Bahamas
for a fun-filled vacation Bess is suddenly kidnapped and held for ransom.
Depending on the scene, players assume the role of either Nancy or George as
they unlock treasure chests, decrypt a riddle book and explore dangerous
underwater shipwrecks with the hope of finding the missing artifact needed to
rescue Bess. During the quest for the lost treasure, players find themselves
immersed in a variety of classic Bahamian activities such as diving, sailing and
interacting with native wildlife.
Rated “E” for Everyone, Nancy Drew:
Ransom of the Seven Ships is available now for purchase at retailers nationwide,
and from the Her Interactive website for a suggested retail price at $19.99.
