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Versus Evil Maps Out 2019 with Four New Indie Signings and Brand New Indie Development Fund

Independent video game publisher Versus Evil is keeping the indie vibe alive in 2019 with a slew of new titles launching throughout the course of the year. Fresh off the back of award winning titles Banner Saga 3 and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Versus Evil has already kicked off 2019 with its BAFTA winning multiplayer shooter, At Sundown: Shots in the Dark, now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam for PC and Nintendo Switch.

Following on from its PC launch in 2018, the critically acclaimed and award winning RPG, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire heads to console for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this year, complete with a brand new turn based mode. PlayStation and Xbox One players will at long last be able to explore the exotic Deadfire archipelago and experience the classic RPG gameplay and handcrafted adventure which won the hearts of many fantasy RPG players in 2018. Nintendo Switch players will also get a special treat when the original Pillars of Eternity launches on the platform later this year, courtesy of Versus Evil.

On top of its new game announcements, Versus Evil is announcing a new indie game development fund as it looks towards 2020 in its publishing ventures. “2019 is a momentous year for Versus Evil. It’s a year of unprecedented growth for the company.  We have added new team members, new developers and a full slate of fun, unique, independently developed video games from creators located around the world,” said Steve Escalante, GM and Founder of Versus Evil.  “We’re also excited about our new independent video game fund which will allow us to continue to invest in more games for 2020, 2021 and beyond. If you are a developer that has an amazing game in the role-playing, strategy or action genres, we want to speak with you.  Let’s catch up at GDC and PAX East! I am so proud of what the Versus Evil team has built and look forward to the next award-winning game!

Versus Evil will soon reveal more on the beautifully animated RPG, Yaga, winner of the Nordic Game Discovery Contest, which tells the tale of Ivan, a one-handed blacksmith cursed with bad luck who must take on a series of impossible tasks from the tsar in this visually stunning Action-RPG inspired by Slavic folktales.

Also launching this year, a new game from Gambrinous, the team that brought Guild of DugeoneeringCardpocalypse follows 10-year old Jess as she starts at a new school where all the kids are collecting and playing the Mega Mutant Power Pets card game. Set in the 1990’s, Cardpocalypse is a single-player card game where you change the cards and the rules as you play, delivered within a charming school-based narrative.

Hitchhiker from Berlin-based indie developer Mad About Pandas is another beautifully realized title launching this winter. Described as thought-provoking, spooky, and compulsively entertaining, Hitchhiker propels the player through five different philosophical road trips in which they must piece together clues to solve a mystery. Winner of the Intel Buzz Workshop Developer Award and Game Connection Best Story Award in 2018, Hitchhiker combines beautiful atmospherics, narrative-driven storytelling and Film Noir sensibilities to produce a unique interactive experience.

Versus Evil has also taken over the publishing duties on the strategy card game Faeria, providing assistance to developer Abrakam in releasing and promoting the game to a more diverse set of online gaming stores, as well as bringing the console version to fruition. Versus Evil will be presenting both Faeria and Faeria’s new DLC pack at GDC.

Last but not least, zombie survival game Into The Dead® 2 will be coming to Nintendo Switch. The Into the Dead franchise is finally making its long-awaited debut on console after amassing more than 100 million downloads on mobile. Nintendo Switch players will enjoy PikPok’s thrilling gameplay and high-quality audio and graphics as they arm themselves with an arsenal of powerful weapons and do whatever it takes to save their family in the zombie apocalypse.

A selection of Versus Evil’s slate of 2019 titles will be on show at GDC in San Francisco this March with further opportunities to see more of these titles as they evolve throughout 2019 at events like PAX and Gamescom.

About Versus Evil

Founded in 2013, Versus Evil, LLC is the US based video game publisher behind critically acclaimed video games such as Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, The Banner Saga trilogy, Antihero, Guild of Dungeoneering, and most recently, the BAFTA Games award winner At Sundown: Shots in the Dark. In 2018, Versus Evil became the official publisher for true strategy card game, Faeria. Publishing games on all major mobile, PC and console platforms, Versus Evil works with independent development studios from around the world. The corporate philosophy is to champion independent game developers. For more information visit http://versusevil.com.

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About Breadcrumbs Interactive

Breadcrumbs Interactive is a games studio focused on creating worlds that you can get lost in. We aim to make engaging single-player experiences centered around exploration and storytelling.

We are a team of game developers from Romania who worked together for several years and decided we want to create richer gaming experiences driven by discovery and curiosity. Our process involves throwing ideas around, banging heads on walls, chewing pencil heads, and wearing down books until we put together an imaginary world. We then create a trail of breadcrumbs to lead players in and let them discover it.

About Gambrinous

Gambrinous is an award-winning independent game studio founded in Dublin, Ireland in 2014. Gambrinous makes digital games inspired by the wonder of tabletop and board games.

Gambrinous released its first game, Guild of Dungeoneering, in 2015 to worldwide commercial and critical success. Fans and press particularly loved the way it combined ideas from tabletop games with a humorous satirical narrative, creating a unique digital experience.

Colm Larkin and Fred Mangan, the studio directors, intend to keep creating games that surprise and delight their fans. Gambrinous is now working on its second game, Cardpocalypse, with a team of 8 talented staff.

Colm Larkin – Colm is a programmer, game designer and board game enthusiast. Alongside a successful career in software engineering in the Dublin high tech startup scene, he started making small games in his free time. In early 2014, he struck out on his own to develop one of these ideas into a full commercial release: Guild of Dungeoneering. He is on the board of Imirt, the association for Irish game makers, and also runs 1GAM Dublin, a game dev meetup which encourages developers to showcase their work and meet others in the community.

Fred Mangan – Fred is a painter, an illustrator, an animator, a filmmaker, and a writer. It was only a matter of time before Fred made his way round to game artist. With 17 years of creative advertising, design industry experience, and a huge love of tabletop gaming, he worked with Gambrinous on their award-winning title Guild of Dungeoneering. Fred prides himself on his background in varied creative fields, allowing him to draw from a wide range of non-gaming inspiration to create unique visual signatures to his work.

About Mad About Pandas

Located in Berlin, Germany, Mad About Pandas is an award-winning production studio for games and creative media. Over the past decade, Mad About Pandas has partnered with some of the biggest players in the international game market, including Ubisoft and Disney, and has taken home some of the industry’s biggest prizes, such as the German Developer Award, the German Computer Games Award, the Red Dot Design Award, and many more.

About Abrakam

Abrakam is an independent video game developer based in Belgium. They’re a small and passionate team focused on creating high quality strategy game experiences across all platforms. Their strategy card game, Faeria, launched in 2017 with 85% positive Steam reviews and praise from critics and major influencers. For more information, visit www.abrakam.com.

About PIKPOK

PikPok is a leading publisher of great games across mobile, tablet and desktop. With a portfolio of original, licensed, and third party developed properties, PikPok delivers games that appeal to all consumers with pick-up-and-play gameplay, high-quality art, and immersive audio design which provide rich game experiences. PikPok has released multiple critically and commercially successful games including the popular Flick Kick® series, BAFTA nominated Super Monsters Ate My Condo™, Into the Dead®, Shatter®, and more. Steal a moment, and play a game from PikPok.

For more information on PikPok, please visit www.pikpok.com and www.facebook.com/pikpokgames.

© Versus Evil LLC 2019. All rights reserved.

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Cardpocalypse ® is a registered trademark of Gambrinous Limited LTD. Copyright © Gambrinous Limited LTD 2019 All Rights Reserved.

FAËRIA™ is a trademark of Abrakam SA. Copyright © Abrakam SA 2019 All Rights Reserved.

Hitchhiker™ is a trademark of Mad About Pandas UG. Copyright © Mad About Pandas UG 2019 All Rights Reserved.

Into the Dead ® is a registered trademark of Prodigy Design Limited. Copyright © Prodigy Design Limited Corporation 2019 All Rights Reserved.

Pillars of Eternity ® is a registered trademark of Dark Rock Industries Limited. Copyright © Dark Rock Industries Limited 2018 All Rights Reserved.

Yaga™ is a trademark of Technology Enterprises Limited. Copyright © Technology Enterprises Limited 2019 All Rights Reserved.