Taking as its basis the gameplay of the original Stronghold Crusader, Crusader 2 will take the world of fast paced skirmish play to new heights, with new troops, new traps, new castle buildings and a host of fiendish new AI opponents.

Featuring stunning new visuals, a tightly reworked interface for better battle control, environmental effects and threats, real-time physics and a range of gameplay enhancements, Crusader 2 promises to offer the same addictive, intense gameplay that has made the original a classic.

Fans of castle building and medieval warfare can now join Firefly Studios’ crusade to create the ultimate castle sim, with the next entry in their Stronghold series now live at www.Gambitious.com. For 30 days fans will be able to pledge and help fund Crusader 2 in exchange for a variety of tier rewards. These include receiving Crusader 2 at a discounted price, gaining access to the game’s closed multiplayer beta and other rewards such as Stronghold HD.

Originally planned for release Spring 2014, Firefly Studios issued the following statement:

Releasing in the summer is a little later than we had initially hoped, but once again our intention is to release a game that lives up to the Crusader name. Whenever we meet someone who played and enjoyed the original they always have a story to tell about the time they finally beat that hard as nails Crusader Trail mission or when they took on seven AI opponents at once! When people have such fond memories you can’t rush a sequel out the door, which is why we have chosen to take our time when it comes to feature implementation and play testing. We’re at a point now where we can dip into skirmish mode or a multiplayer game during lunch and have fun, which is a fantastic feeling for the team.

With the game in its current state we can spend extra time tuning and tweaking the various new units and siege equipment that will soon be storming other players online. It will also mean we have enough time to reduce the number of bugs and crashes right down before launch and refine the core gameplay loops that make it fun. We know players are eager to get their hands on the game, but Crusader 2 must be fun, stable and complete at launch.