2K brings Jade Empire to PC
Release set for January 2007.
Finally BioWare’s martial arts RPG masterpiece (try saying that fast) Jade Empire is coming to PC courtesy of 2K Games, with souped-up graphics and stacks of bonus features.
The game was a critical and commercial smash when it launched on Xbox back in April 2005 and BioWare announced it would be coming to PC at E3 in May, curiously not mentioning whether Microsoft would be handling publishing duties. Since then the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic developer has gone independent, setting up a partnership with fellow developer Pandemic (Full Spectrum Warrior, Mercenaries) and venture capital firm Elevation Partners, which counts U2 rocker Bono among its board members.
Now the game has found a publisher and is currently slated for a January 2007 release. "We are thrilled to be partnering with 2K to deliver the immersive story and exciting world of Jade Empire to PC gamers," said Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare.
Although the original was no slouch in the looks department, Jade Empire: Special Edition will use cutting edge bloom and dynamic-lighting effects to take advantage of the graphics power of high-end PCs. New fighting styles, monsters and enhanced enemy AI will also feature, along with “customisable, intuitive controls” and an all-new art book.