Situated on scenic banks of the Dnipro River, Kiev is the capital of the Ukraine. With a history that extends back at least a thousand years, it rose to prominence during the 11th and 12th centuries as a center for trade between the Baltic and Mediterranean regions before being sacked by Mongol invaders in 1240. Fast forwarding, it is now a modern city of about three million inhabitants, a number that includes the staff of GSC Game World, a development studio that has attained the top tier in the Eastern European region, made inroads into major nearby markets such as Germany, and looks poised to become much better known on this side of Atlantic as well, perhaps in the not too distant future. As a result, we were quick to pay attention last month when its latest project was revealed.
Targeted to ship in the last quarter of 2005, Heroes of Annihilated Empires is described as a real-time strategy game incorporating role-playing aspects. Slated to be the first segment of a trilogy, it takes place in an original fantasy world where six races stand on the brink of a conflict of unprecedented proportions. The story element will charge you to rise from humble beginnings to that of a hero at the head of an army, one made up of many thousands of soldiers you have attracted to your service. Of course, as you lead them toward a position of primacy, you’ll have to avoid being sacked by the powerful enemies you’re sure to make along the way in pursuit of your destiny. Luckily, our fate turned out to be learning more from Aleksey Savchenko of the GSC World Publishing division.
