Fury is the ultimate competitive online RPG. It takes the best elements of an MMO - combat, advancement and teamwork - and blends them with the best elements of an FPS - instant action, fast pacing and diverse game types.“We see the skills, know-how and technology built up by Auran as truly world-class,” said John Lee, president of CDC Games, a newly appointed Auran Board Member. “Of the dozens of titles we have evaluated throughout the world, FURY is one of the most competitive games not only for the West, but for the Asian markets as well,” said Lee.
“This investment and partnership is just what we were looking for,” said Tony Hilliam, CEO of Auran. “We have an amazing game, an exceptional team, and now we have both the funding and the partners to help us make Fury a Top 10 title in both the East and the West.”
CDC Games recently announced an increase in their funding to US$100 million as they look for partners that will secure their position as one of the market leaders of online gaming in China and the rest of the world. They have also recently announced investments in a number of games companies from China, Korea and Taiwan. With Australia representing less than 5% of global online PC games sales, the market is currently split into three roughly equal segments. US and Europe has just reached $1Bn in online revenues for 2006; Korea, with just 40 million game mad inhabitants, has been at that $1Bn level for several years; and China is likely to reach the $1Bn landmark this year.
The investment in Auran sees both parties benefit. “From a financial investment perspective, CDC has invested in a world class development studio and world class product. For both companies, such a synergy will clearly benefit in knowledge and network sharing, distribution synergies, not to mention a large potential financial upside for CDC in the future”, said Lee.
FURY, which has been in development by a team of 50 people for more than 2 years, is scheduled for Beta in the coming months. “Until we hit Beta,” said Mr Hilliam, “we don’t really know if we’re going to get 100,000 players, a million players, or who knows, maybe even 10 million players. We know that the parochial Aussies will get behind us, and perhaps that will be the driving force that will help us topple the overseas giants.”
The equity funds will help position Auran as a real contender for a major slice of the $3Bn global online PC games market.
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