14 DAY TRIAL // Namco Bandai is getting ready to launch a new game label, called Surge, specifically designed to attract more Western gamers to the videogames the company produces. The launch of the brand also means that a new development studio will be established, in charge of all products labeled Surge.
The already announced Afro Samurai, a game based upon the animated series bearing the same name, will be the first to be launched under Surge. The company has not said what other intellectual properties would be sold under the new brand.
Andrew Lelchuk, the executive in charge of the label, stated that Surge “personifies our commitment to deliver compelling content for the discriminating player who is looking for games that are not only groundbreaking but also push the envelope. […] Surge will complement our portfolio of established franchises and intellectual property while positioning the company as a creative force”.
The publisher has already released a few titles aimed at Western gamers. Warhammer Mark of Chaos and its expansion, Battle March, are real time strategy titles that put you in charge of armies in tactical battles as part of a linear campaign. The combat is solid and the lore of Warhammer is attractive in the real time strategy setting, but the game feels cumbersome and slow. Still, there's certainly room for expanding the fantasy Warhammer real time strategy series.
Namco Bandai also had the misfortune of co-publishing Hellgate: London, the MMO from Flagship Studio which didn't really manage to take off and is now set to close down.
Namco Bandai is well know for publishing games like Tales of Vesperia, part of the long running and much loved Tales series, and the Soul Calibur series, which is one of the best developed fighting game franchises.