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‘LAST OF THE BEDROOM PROGRAMMERS’ ANNOUNCE MULTIWINIA ON PC

February 22, 2007: London - The self-proclaimed ‘last of the bedroom programmers’, Introversion Software, confirmed rumours today that they are working on a multiplayer version of their hit title Darwinia for the PC. Multiwinia will combine elements of the award-winning Darwinia, with the addition of multiplayer support which will enable both co-operative and competitive battles between massive Darwinian armies. As well as the traditional single player mode, Multiwinia will offer a series of separate game modes, each with a number of unique levels offering a variety of new challenges.

“We’ve always known that Darwinia would naturally evolve into an incredible multiplayer game and right from day one I’d had visions of massive Darwinian armies converging for the ultimate Darwinian death-fest”, Chris Delay, creative director of Introversion Software said enthusiastically about the new project. “Multiwinia will be a great game, not only for those who knew and loved Darwinia, but also for complete newcomers.”

John Knottenbelt, takes on the role of lead designer of Multiwinia, in a tactical manoeuvre that will allow Chris Delay, technical director at Introversion to begin work on other new projects. John revealed some of the exciting new changes to the multiplayer experience: “We’ve created a new formation mode which will let you organise your Darwinians into ranks to create massive armies. In formation they’ll have greater firepower in the direction they’re facing, but virtually none from either sides or behind. It’s going to get pretty messy, requiring a whole new set of tactical skills from the gamer.”

Whilst fans of Darwinia will be pleased to note that the beautiful, fractal vista remains, the development team will also work on graphical upgrades that will ensure an even more visually incredible multiplayer experience. Multiwinia looks set to uphold, once again, Introversion’s mantra that great gameplay is not dependent on photorealistic graphics or a one-hundred strong team of artists, but a passionate commitment to original concepts and innovative design.

About Introversion Software:
Heralded as 'the last of the bedroom programmers', Introversion Software is a UK based independent games developer and publisher founded in 2001 by three university students. Starting out with a just £600, no advertising budget, and relying solely on the power of word-of-mouth, Introversion Software went on to produce the highly acclaimed, genre-defining, cult hacking sim, Uplink. Three years later, Introversion released Darwinia – a highly innovative retro action game combining an innovative mix of RTS Gameplay and Arcade Action with spectacular graphics and iconic references to the halcyon days of gaming. Like Uplink it proved a massive hit with the press, and in March 2006 Darwinia was awarded three awards at the Independent Games Festival. DEFCON was launched in September 2006, scoring an impressive review average of 85%+. For more information on all of Introversion's projects please visit www.introversion.co.uk

About Darwinia:
Darwinia is the second successful PC title from Introversion, combining fast-paced action with strategic battle planning, Darwinia features a novel and intuitive control mechanism and a graphical style ripped from 80's retro classics. The world of Darwinia is a virtual themepark, running entirely inside a computer network and populated by a sentient evolving life form called the Darwinians. Unfortunately Darwinia has been overrun by a computer virus which has multiplied out of control. Your task is to destroy the Viral Infection and save the Darwinians from extinction.

After its successful launch on Steam in November 2005, Darwinia was awarded three prizes during the 2006 Independent Games Festival for Innovation in Visual Art, Technical Excellence and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize.