The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey Announced

Straight from my inbox:

The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkeyâ„¢ Comes To The N-Gage Platform May 3, 2004

Classic RPG Embraces Handheld Mobility

Espoo, Finland May 3, 2004. Nokia today announced that it will bring, together with Vir2L® Studios, a ZeniMax Media company, The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey™ for the N-Gage platform. Based on the highly successful Elder Scrolls® series by Bethesda Softworks®, Shadowkey continues the epic story series that has thrilled RPG fans for more than 10 years.

In Shadowkey, you’ll explore a vast fantasy 3D world with rugged terrain, ancient temples, bandit lairs, and murderous caverns. You’ll fight more than 50 different kinds of foes in your search for the power of the Shadowkeys. Customize your gameplay experience by choosing from the classic Elder Scrolls character classes including Assassin, Barbarian, Battlemage, Knight, Nightblade, Rogue, Spellsword, Sorcerer, and Thief.

(Fans of the Elder Scrolls series are going to be thrilled with the quality and level of detail that has gone into producing Shadowkey for the N-Gage,) said Pasi Pölönen, Director of Game Publishing, Games Business Unit, Nokia.
(It’s great to work with such a dedicated team to bring an exclusive Elder Scrolls storyline that really takes advantage of the power of the N-Gage platform.)

“The mobile gaming market is coming of age, and Shadowkey represents the next level of mobile role-playing,” said Todd Howard, executive producer of The Elder Scrolls series. “I didn’t think we’d be able to offer a full 3D, first-person RPG with great action and environments so soon, but the N-Gage platform is clearly delivering the best 3D experience we’ve ever seen on a mobile device.”

Shadowkey was designed with input from members of the original award-winning Elder Scrolls team to create an engaging and challenging single-player campaign. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Shadowkey also features four-player multiplayer via Bluetooth wireless technology and a number of additional single-player features, such as downloads, rankings, and communities through N-Gage Arena.

(Shadowkey is a rich and varied game that remains true to the Elder Scrolls style of game,) said Douglas Frederick, president of Vir2L Studios. “Artists from the Morrowind® team created the game art and ensured not only the look-and-feel, but also the quality of the award-winning series like The Elder Scrolls.”

The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey is only available on the N-Gage platform and is being developed by Vir2L Studios and TKO Software Inc. The game is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2004.

About Vir2L® Studios
Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, Vir2L Studios LLC (www.Vir2L.com) is an award-winning developer of interactive content for wireless devices and online. Vir2L develops compelling, cross-platform interactive entertainment for mass-market connected devices for the USA, Europe and Japan. Winner of two Clio Awards and the Gold Cannes Cyber Lion, Vir2L is the developer of the acclaimed IHRA Drag Racing Mobile and The Elder Scrolls Travelsâ„¢ series including the Stormholdâ„¢ and Dawnstarâ„¢ games. Vir2L Studios is a wholly owned subsidiary of ZeniMax Media Inc.

About Bethesda Softworks®
Also headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, Bethesda Softworks LLC (www.bethsoft.com) is a developer and publisher of entertainment software for PC and console platforms and has produced numerous award-winning titles.
Among Bethesda’s more popular franchises are The Elder Scrolls® series, the IHRA Drag Racing series, and The Terminator series. Its product line spans the sports, racing, RPG, strategy and action genres. Bethesda Softworks is a wholly owned subsidiary of ZeniMax Media Inc.

About N-Gage
The N-Gage game deck is an innovative mobile device that is creating an entirely new market for the games industry. Built for active gamers, the N-Gage platform is the first mobile and connected game deck to feature online high-quality 3D multiplayer gameplay over Bluetooth wireless technology and GPRS. The N-Gage device also offers unique online games services as well as a comprehensive and growing games catalogue from the leading game publishers. Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Nokia and N-Gage are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nokia Corporation.