Developer and publisher Nordcurrent have announced the acquisition of Cinemaware’s catalog of games from Starbreeze Entertainment. This means that classic games from the 1980s such as Defender of the Crown, Wings, The King of Chicago, and S.D.I become part of Nordcurrent’s portfolio, representing a major step forward as part of the company’s ongoing vision to establish itself in the PC and console games sector.
Starbreeze had previously acquired the rights to the classic games from Cinemaware in 2016 and the portfolio provides a rich seam of content to mine for new development.
CEO Victoria Trofimova says, “Since the inception of our PC games publishing division less than three years ago, we’ve been on a mission to build a robust business unit for PC and console games. Acquiring Cinemaware’s catalog is a crucial step in this journey, providing us with opportunities to enrich our portfolio with well-known titles.
“We are proud to add such titles to our portfolio. We are looking into opportunities to remaster those games for PCs and consoles, bringing them to modern audiences and evoking nostalgia among those who played them in the 80s. We believe Cinemaware titles are a significant level up for our portfolio.”
Defender of the Crown comes first
While specifics about remastering plans are still in development, Trofimova revealed that Defender of the Crown would be the first to undergo the process. “Our game design team is working on the concept and styles, but it is too early to share more about plans and dates.
“As gamers ourselves, we are huge fans of and hold deep respect for the original Cinemaware games. We will ensure that remastered versions look and feel as authentic as possible. We want the future players of our Defender of The Crown to say – yes, that’s the one!”
Nordcurrent also envisions cross-collaboration and synergy between the newly acquired titles and current projects and while no specific partnerships or collaborations involving the Cinemaware catalog have been announced yet, they state that they remain open to future initiatives that contribute to the growth of its PC and console publishing division.