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Sarbakan Game Studio is in bed with the big boys now

by: Nathan -
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Sarbakan Game Studio has announced a First-Party development deal with Microsoft, graduating from the world of license games and handhelds to the PC and XBLA platforms. The first two intellectual properties they will be unleashing upon the world will be Little Noir Story: The Case of The Missing Girl and Star Fever Agency for the PC. Little Noir Story will be a downloadable point-n-click adventure game and Star Fever Agency will be a browser based MMO where players are in charge of managing A-list celebrities in a "fully customizable world". I'm not sure if Star Fever Agency will allow players to send their clients to hades but with a "fully customizable world" I would expect no less. The Xbox Live Arcade titles are yet to be announced, and will probably be as far from the adventure and MMO genres as possible. Sarbakan has earned its credit as a developer with various license games, and it is nice to see an independent studio get an opportunity to release its own intellectual properties, but this does seem like a strange move for Microsoft. Are these as yet unannounced titles worth signing a deal to publish them on XBLA exclusively? Only time will tell.

Sarbakan Game Studio to Develop Original Titles for the

 PC and Xbox 360 Game Console

Sarbakan Announces First-Party Development Deal With Microsoft,

Unveils Upcoming Titles for PC



Quebec, Canada, TBA – Sarbakan, one of Canada’s largest independent
game studios, today announced a first-party developer agreement with
Microsoft to create an original downloadable title for Xbox LIVE®
Arcade, the premier destination for digitally distributed,
downloadable games. With over ten years of experience in white label
game creation, Sarbakan plans to expand its attention towards original
IP development for the PC and Console Market.

”At Sarbakan, we are committed to providing players with the best
gaming experience possible,” said Guy Boucher, President and Creative
Director of Sarbakan. “We look forward to working with Microsoft, a
company who shares our passion for creating highly immersive quality
games.”

Sarbakan’s developer agreement with Microsoft is one of several moves
on its aggressive roadmap for 2009-2010 which includes the release of
an exclusive, soon to be announced Xbox LIVE Arcade title, in addition
to several new releases for the PC, including Little Noir Stories: The
Case of The Missing Girl, an original hidden object mystery story
which will be available as a downloadable title through Big Fish
Games. Sarbakan is also set to release the highly anticipated Star
Fever Agency, a browser-based MMO that puts players charge of managing
A-list celebrities in a fully customizable virtual world. Whether it’s
custom games, original titles, virtual worlds, or interactive
destinations, Sarbakan seeks to develop engaging, cutting-edge games
for all of their customers and publishing partners.

“As an independent game studio, Sarbakan is very excited to be working
directly with Microsoft to design original high quality titles for
Xbox LIVE Arcade,” said Guy Boucher, President and Creative Director
of Sarbakan. “At Sarbakan, our focus has always been towards creating
quality games and engaging experiences. Through our relationship with
Microsoft, we hope to build upon our reputation as an established
cross-platform developer, and deliver another industry hit.”

In addition to creating first party titles, Sarbakan continues to
build on its excellent foundation as a white label game developer.
The company has developed successful games for top game publishers,
including, Playfirst, Mindscape, Real Arcade, Nick Arcade, Hasbro, and
Disney Consumer Products.  In its early years, Sarbakan received
industry wide attention for their development work on Good Night, Mr.
Snoozleberg, Arcane, FireChild. and Steppenwolf: The X-Creature
Project, which was acquired by Warner Bros. Through the addition of
original titles, Sarbakan continues to heighten its brand recognition,
and quality of game development world wide.

About Sarbakan:

Sarbakan is a world-renowned game studio specializing in
cross-platform development services and original game creation. Based
in Quebec, Canada, Sarbakan has over ten years of proven experience,
and is currently one of the largest and fastest growing independent
game developers. Whether it’s custom games, virtual worlds,
interactive destinations or original titles, Sarbakan prides itself in
creating great experiences for its customers and publishing partners.
Sarbakan is a first party game developer for Microsoft, and has
created over 600 titles through partnerships with Playfirst,
Mindscape, Big Fish Games, Real Arcade, Nick Arcade, Hasbro, and
Disney Consumer Products.

For more information on Sarbakan please visit www.sarbakan.com
 
.

For more information on Little Noir Stories, the Case of the Missing
Girl and Star Fever Agency please visit:

www.littlenoirstories.com/
 


www.starfeveragency.com/