Multiwinia announced for PC

By Robert Purchese Published 28 February, 2007

Multiplayer Darwinia in 2008.

Introversion has confirmed it is creating a multiplayer version of Darwinia, which will be released as a standalone game on PC sometime in 2008.

Multiwinia will let you take control of massive Tron-inspired armies, and then direct them co-operatively or competitively against your friends. Or people you hate, we don't mind.

The traditional single-player game is also included, in addition to new separate game modes and unique levels.

"We've always known that Darwinia would naturally evolve into an incredible multiplayer game. Right from day one I had visions of massive Darwinian armies converging for the ultimate Darwinian death-fest", said Chris Delay, creative director of Introversion Software.

Rather than be a rehash of the old experience, the game will also undergo some visual surgery, nip-tucking it for use with space-ace DirectX 10 and Windows Vista. The insides will also be fiddled with, and lead designer John Knottenbelt has some exciting ideas about how to spruce-up the experience.

"We've created a new formation mode which will let you organise your Darwinians into ranks to create massive armies," said Knottenbelt. "In formation they'll have greater firepower in the direction they're facing, but virtually none from either sides or behind. It's going to get pretty messy, requiring a whole new set of tactical skills from the gamer."

Introversion is the self-proclaimed "last of the bedroom coders" whose games include Darwinia, Uplink and Defcon. The developer has found wide exposure thanks to digital distribution systems like Steam.

Speculation continues about whether we'll see any of its portfolio on console services like Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, and Introversion was keen to add fuel to the fire this morning, telling Eurogamer that its something it wants to do.

"We would definitely like to put it out on console, and it's something we're hoping to arrange at some point," spokesperson Vicky Arundel told us.

Darwinia was released in 2005 to massive critical applause. Head over to our review to see why.

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About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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