After releasing two versions of Pro Rugby Manager (2004 and 2005), Cyanide rekindles its passion for the oval ball. The studio is now seeking finances for a brand new version of its sports management game via the crowd-sourced, fund-raising model.

Pro Rugby Manager puts the players in the shoes of a manager of a rugby union team. They must guarantee sporting success on the field and financial success off it, so as to secure the job for another season or to be recruited by a bigger club.

As in previous editions of the game, the player will manage a professional rugby team. An extensive career mode offers numerous tasks such as facilities management, contract negotiations, training and squad selection. Tactical choices in matches will then decide whether the manager leads his team to the top of the table!

Cyanide has chosen to seek backing for this new project via the Kickstarter platform, looking for a total of £100,000.

The game is part self-funded by the studio and the aim is that the community contribute the remainder of the finances. Fans will also be asked to provide input during development and testing, and to promote the game up to and beyond its release.

Cyanide has already thought of a lot of possible game’s enhancements if they reach more than the initial goal : An in-game editor, a more Extended Database, 3D match enhancement, Hi-level graphic rendering. Powered by in-house “CyaTech” rendering engine, new 3D models and animations...

Key Features:

• CAREER: A player can choose to take on the management of a national team, or a professional club side.  Whatever the level, the basics of the job are the same. Take care of finances and facilities; send out scouts to look at potential new players; negotiate contracts; set training programs; keep an eye on injuries and select the team for match day.
• YOUR PLAYERS: There are 3 categories of players: Seniors, Under-19s and Under-17s. Apart from their personal data (age, height, weight and nationality) all are characterized by 13 attributes (passing, tackling, speed, positioning, awareness, etc.) and 9 traits (discipline, altruism, leadership, etc.).
• MATCH VIEW: Matches can be viewed in 2D or in a bird's eye 3D view of the action. It is also possible to simulate a game, which produces a result and match report in about 5 seconds. Matches are played over two periods of 10 minutes, but this can be speeded up x2, x3 or x4.
• MATCH GAMEPLAY: Our last official release of "Pro Rugby Manager" in 2005 was based on the sport as it stood in 2003. That's 10 years ago and things have changed immeasurably over that period. Not just in the basic rules, but also in its look and feel. Even though physical contact is still at the heart of the sport, the new set up is aimed to favour speed, movement and intelligence. Our aim is to reproduce this new ethos, giving the player collective rather than individual control over attacking/defensive phases. It will be possible to attack via the pack, through a rolling maul for example, or to specify movement out wide via the centres or wings. When attack turns to defence it will be possible to defend deep, out wide or to centre players against an opposing scrum/maul. Full gameplay details will be released soon, but training programs as well as physical and mental attributes will impact on all tactics and strategies.
• DATABASE: The database consists of the main competitions, teams and players. We are yet to finalise this and are keen to discuss it with our community throughout this Kickstarter campaign.
• SQUAD SELECTION: A simple drag-and-drop system is used for team selection with colour codes used to identify positions. Standard laws apply to suitably trained and experienced players as well as to the number of substitutes.