GAMING LEGEND DAVID JAFFE JOINS INDIE DEV PIXELBIONIC TO DELIVER AUTODUEL -
THE ULTIMATE CAR COMBAT EXPERIENCE
Industry Veterans Maxx Kaufman and Mike Arkin Build Dream Team Comprised of Key Creators of
Interstate ‘76,
Twisted Metal,
God of War,
Battlezone
and Return to
Castle Wolfenstein to Launch Community-funded Online PC Game
Santa Ana, CA – May 16, 2013 –
Pixelbionic, an independent game developer committed to creating
immersive action games, today announced that David Jaffe, legendary
creator of gaming milestones
Twisted Metal and God of War, has joined the company’s advisory board as a Creative Advisor for its inaugural project, vehicular combat game
Autoduel™. Jaffe is the latest addition to Pixelbionic’s
development ‘Dream Team’, assembled for the game by co-founders Maxx
Kaufman - a founding member of InXile Entertainment and Art Director of
Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Kingpin: Life of Crime and The Bard’s Tale, and Mike Arkin - a Studio Head and Producer with over 150 published titles, including Die Hard Trilogy,
Battlezone and the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series.
Other key members of the Autoduel team include designer Scot Kramarich - Lead Designer of
Interstate ‘82 and Designer on Interstate ’76 - and coder Rafael Paiz - Senior Programmer on
The Matrix: Path of Neo and Programmer on Redneck Rampage and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Joining David Jaffe on Pixelbionic’s advisory board are Zack Norman - creator of
Interstate ’76, and Chanel Summers - a recognized leader in the
field of interactive audio who while at Microsoft was instrumental in
the design of the Xbox hardware’s audio capabilities.
Autoduel
is a PC online multiplayer game which pays homage to epic car combat games of the past such as
Interstate ’76 and Twisted Metal—while offering gamers the
chance to see what can be accomplished when a talented team of
experienced developers is unleashed on modern hardware with cutting-edge
graphics and online multiplayer capabilities. The
game combines the high-octane thrills and spills of team-based car
combat with RPG-influenced persistence and progression gameplay.
In a post-apocalyptic future, warriors drive to
survive in their tricked-out, heavily armed vehicles scavenged from the
blistered landscape, armed with a deadly array of lethal weaponry.
Autoduel features team-based combat in a variety of open arenas
from abandoned cities to dried-up riverbeds. Players choose from over
twenty unique cars which are divided into three warring factions - the
Ratters, the Scavengers and the Techies. The
cars can all receive a wide variety of upgrades, from mechanical
modifications to the drivetrain and suspension, to a broad array of
powerful weapons and protective armor which can be bolted onto the
vehicles. Additionally, players can extensively customize
the paintwork and add decals in order to show their allegiance and
express their unique style.
“I was super excited when I heard Pixelbionic’s vision for
Autoduel,” said Pixelbionic creative advisor David Jaffe. “As a huge
fan of the genre, I’m really looking forward to contributing to the
game’s vision and design goals.”
Pixelbionic was founded to create spirited games such as
Autoduel that are ignored by publishers, leaving the door open to independent developers supported by fans of the genre.
Autoduel development funding will be crowdsourced, with a Kickstarter campaign launching soon.
“Our mission is to assemble a team of car combat
visionaries to deliver the game fans want to not only play but also help
create,” said Pixelbionic co-founder and President Mike Arkin. “Autoduel
pairs the vision of the best talent
in the industry with the enthusiasm and support of gamers, a
combination we are confident will set the bar for what can be achieved
in a new PC vehicular combat game.”
More details on the Autoduel Kickstarter
campaign will be released shortly, with additional core members of the
development team expected to be revealed over the coming weeks.
To download supporting assets for Pixelbionic and Autoduel, please visit:
https://www.box.com/s/ lxvzbipmarfky65j06s4
For further information about Pixelbionic or to share thoughts and ideas about the game visit our community forums at www.pixelbionic.com
About Pixelbionic
Located in the heart of pre-apocalyptic Southern
California, Pixelbionic is an independent developer focused on games
which are built around the ideals of no-holds-barred hardcore fast-paced
action and a vibrant online community, as embodied
by its inaugural project, the PC online multiplayer car combat game Autoduel. The game will be developed by a ‘dream team’ that includes primary creators of great car games of the past including
Interstate ‘76 and Twisted Metal. Pixelbionic was
co-founded in 2012 by Mike Arkin and Maxx Kaufman, two industry veterans
with numerous top-selling games to their credit.
A founding member of Grey Matter Studios and InXile
Entertainment, Pixelbionic CEO Kaufman moved from creating special
effects for the film industry into gaming 18 years ago. He has been Art
Director and Director on top-selling games including
Kingpin: Life of Crime, the Redneck Rampage series, The Bard’s Tale, and
Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Prior to becoming Pixelbionic’s
President, Arkin spent over 25 years creating video games as a Producer
and Studio Head in both publishing and development roles. While working
at Acclaim, Fox, Activision, and Crave, he shipped
over 150 titles including Die Hard Trilogy, the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series,
Battlezone, UFC, Global Operations and WWF Wrestlemania. In 2006, his studio, Zono Inc., was acquired by leading games publisher Mumbo Jumbo.
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Media Contact:
Jeane Wong| Kjell Vistad
ONE PR Studio [for Pixelbionic]
510-893-3271