Bungie has officially lifted the veil on Crimson: Steam Pirates, the first iPad title to be published under the studio's newly formed 'Aerospace' indie label. All but announced during Bungie's steampunk party back in June, the 2D real-time strategy is being developed by the motley crew at Harebrained Schemes and is schedule to sail the open iOS waters for free on September 1st.
The top-down steampunk adventure will take place within the Crimson Skies universe co-created by Harebrained Scheme's founder Jordan Weisman, who's previous claims to fame include founding the pen-and-paper RPG publisher FASA in 1980, and creating the Shadowrun and MechWarrior properties, amongst others. The game will task players with controlling a fleet of pirates ships and their crews as they solve mysteries within the Caribbean and reign bloody, fiery death on all those who stand in their way.
The title will initially launch for free with eight campaign missions, two 'pass-and-play' multiplayer scenarios, and full integration with Bungie.net and Facebook. Those who crave more will have the option to purchase eight extra missions for US$1.99.
The Bungie Aerospace program was created to give smaller studios a leg up in the mobile and social gaming space. Judging by the pedigree behind this debut title, and its zero-cost strategy, they aren't playing around.
Check out Crimson: Steam Pirate's launch site for more screens and story details.
Aug 24, 2011
