Sierra and Impressions Games Announce Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom(tm)

Sierra and Impressions Games Announce Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom(tm) First City-Building Game to Offer Multiplayer Competition

"Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom represents a huge leap for anyone who has ever played a city-building game," said Alex Rodberg, brand manager for Impressions' City-Building line of games. "In online play, gamers control neighboring cities and can form alliances, trade needed goods, send in spies and emissaries, invade each other, or work together on a massive project like the Grand Canal. There has never been a game like this."

Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom brings city builders inside the Great Wall of China. Leaving the Mediterranean behind, the city-building series makes its first foray into Asia and immerses the player in brand new surroundings. China has existed for over 4,000 years, but its 4,000 year history has been marked with new technologies and ideas replacing - or enhancing - the old. This is the world in which the player will take the reigns of leadership and take their cities through the twists and turns of Chinese history.

Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom offers gamers their first opportunity to play a city building game with their friends, online via the Internet. A great variety of both collaborative and competitive multiplayer games will be offered. Players may need to collaborate in building one of China's engineering marvels, or they may share a common goal to attain a certain level of affluence. In competitive multiplay, players take sides - or may be a side unto themselves - and fight for sole power over China. "We're really excited to see what gamers will come up with in multiplayer mode, so we're leaving options open for them to invent their own types of gameplay," added Jon Payne, producer for the game at Impressions Games.