2003 April Fools - Mock Press Release

article by Ben Lincoln, posing as several Crystal Dynamics staff members

This article was an April Fools joke in 2003. It is preserved here for historical reasons.

Flagship series to receive three new multiplatform titles in 2003

San Francisco, CA (1 April 2003) - Eidos Interactive, a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment, today announced that 2003 would see the release of three new entries in the smash hit Legacy of Kain series.

"We've been quietly leaking information about a third Soul Reaver game for some time," revealed Sean Amann, Marketing Director for Eidos Interactive. "However, what we managed to keep under wraps was the existence of two others developed in absolute secrecy."

All three games are planned for release on the Playstation 2, GameCube, XBox, and PC. Their release dates will be spread over the period from summer to winter 2003.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - Special Edition

"Fans of the original Soul Reaver have been asking us for four years to make a version of that game that included the original ending," explained Amy Hennig, the director of the series at Eidos subsidiary Crystal Dynamics. "We actually started work on the project at the same time as Soul Reaver 2, but due to the scope of the game we felt it best to avoid making any premature announcements. I think everyone who plays the game will agree it's been worth the wait."

Soul Reaver - Special Edition is based on an enhanced version of the Soul Reaver 2 engine, and supports high quality visual effects like volumetric shadows, cinematic motion blur, and bump-mapping. More important for fans, however, is the inclusion of 15 hours of additional game play that was cut from the original Playstation title due to time constraints. "It's all here," continued Hennig, "Turel, the Reaver enhancements, and the final showdown with Kain."

The Special Edition also includes a variety of DVD-style extras, such as optional director's commentary during game play, and playable versions of the "deleted scenes" from the original Playstation release, prior to their graphic redesign for next-generation consoles.

Soul Reaver - Special Edition is currently slated for a June 2003 release.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 3

Perhaps the most eagerly-awaited title of 2003, Soul Reaver 3 will conclude the story arc developed in the second game. Executive Producer Rosaura Sandoval described it as "the most epic conclusion imaginable" for the series. "While the Special Edition of Soul Reaver is going to give players a look at our original design," she continued, "Soul Reaver 3 will truly showcase why we moved in a different direction with Soul Reaver 2."

While much of the storyline of Soul Reaver 3 is still a tightly-guarded secret, Sandoval revealed that it will give players the chance to see the world of Nosgoth through the eyes of both series protagonist Raziel, and his creator " Kain. "The two Blood Omen games have been about Kain while he was still relatively inexperienced as a vampire," said Sandoval. "This will be the first time that his true power is revealed."

Sandoval also hinted that the game will encompass an even wider range of Nosgoth's history than Soul Reaver 2: "The last game gave glimpses into historical events that players will now be able to experience firsthand. However, we also haven't forgotten about the loose ends that Raziel left behind in his own time " or even further ahead."

Soul Reaver 3 is targeted for release in October of 2003.

Legacy of Kain: Vehiculum Furtus Maximo

Closing out the year will be a new take on the character of Kain in Vehiculum Furtus Maximo, a title directed by Glen A. Schofield of Blood Omen 2 fame.

"Blood Omen 2 set the stage for Kain's takeover of Nosgoth," Schofield explained. "What we really wanted to do is be able to show the fans of the series some of the landmark events that have been hinted at in previous episodes " Kain raising his six lieutenants, the subjugation of the human population, and the decay of Nosgoth. On the other hand, it would be easy for such weighty history to bog down game play and distance casual players from the series."

The result is a game which - in Schofield's words - "blends the best of Blood Omen 2 with the action of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Jet Set Radio Future. While everyone who's played Soul Reaver knows about Kain's thousand-year rise to power, we're pretty sure they didn't know that he accomplished it through the use of graffiti, stolen carriages, and generally thuggish behavior."

Vehiculum Furtus Maximo will be the first Crystal Dynamics title to utilize cel-shaded graphics for anime-style visuals. In keeping with its light-hearted nature, the design team was given a variety of "super deformed" material on which to base the character designs. "There's nothing quite like seeing a tiny Kain shuffle up to a passing carriage, then yank the driver out with a cute little cackle," exclaimed artist Trevor "the Terrible Mr." Grimshaw. "Well, except maybe when the carriage catches on fire, then Kain crashes it into a wall, and spray paints his clan symbol on the blackened remains."

Vehiculum Furtus Maximo's release is planned for December of 2003.

About Eidos Interactive

Eidos Interactive, Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment products for the PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo GameCube® and the XBox® video game system from Microsoft. Eidos Interactive is part of London-based Eidos plc with additional offices in San Francisco, Paris, Hamburg, Tokyo and Singapore. For more information on Eidos Interactive's product line visit http://www.eidos.com.