JoWooD Productions today announced that it will solicit proposals from independent game developers to create a new action RPG title based on one of the company's established brands.

Though the publisher did not specify which of its properties, it did suggest that the franchise is "renowned for an epic background story as well as exceptional graphics and polish."

Properties held by JoWooD include the Gothic, Painkiller and Spellforce series, with a new Gothic title already on the way. The unknown project is aimed for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, reflecting the studio's newfound commitment to consoles.

Interested parties must contact JoWooD and fax a non-disclosure agreement to the company via information detailed on its web site.

An expansion pack for Piranha Bytes' 2006 action-RPG Gothic 3 (PC) is due out later this year, publisher and property owner JoWood has announced.

Titled Gothic 3 - Forsaken Gods, the add-on is said to answer "many open questions," and is currently slated for a Q4 2008 release. "On your journey you will meet old friends--but be careful, some old alliances may not have lasted the test of time," the company teased.

"Feedback from fans is extremely important to the developer of Gothic 3 - Forsaken Gods," JoWood noted. "The game designer and developer are studying the Gothic message boards each day and will incorporate as many of the fan-wishes as possible while working on the extension.

It is not known if series developer Piranha Bytes will be handling the expansion. However, it seems unlikely as Spellbound Entertainment has been tasked with Gothic 4 and the add-on is said to "guarantee a seamless step to Gothic 4."

Independent developer Telltale Games has announced that, as previously suggested, the first season of its episodic point-and-click adventure series Sam & Max will arrive on Wii in North America and Europe this fall.

Following the wacky exploits of dog detective Sam and the bunny-thing Max, both of whom are freelance police officers, Telltale's series is based on the work of Steve Purcell, which also inspired LucasArts' adventure Sam & Max Hit the Road (PC) and an animated series in the early 90's.

Consisting of six installments, the episodes of Sam & Max Season One... Read more