Feb 4, 2011 09:26 GMT  ·  By

Kalypso Media, as the publisher, and bitComposer Games, as the developer, have announced that they are working together in order to create and launch a new video game based on the classic Jagged Alliance series.

BitComposer has been working on the revival for some time under the name Jagged Alliance 2: Reloaded, but the new partnership has also lead to a name change, with the game now known as Jagged Alliance: Back in Action.

Kalypso will handle publishing for the new Jagged Alliance in North America and other English speaking territories while bitComposer will be in charge of launch and support in Europe.

Initially, Reloaded was not aiming to change the structure of the second Jagged Alliance and would only work on upgrading the graphics and the gameplay mechanics.

It's not clear whether Back in Action will also deliver new story based content for Jagged Alliance fans.

Wolfgang Duhr, the managing director of bitComposer Games, stated, “With Kalypso we have an outstanding publishing partner with extensive experience and direct marketing opportunities, particularly in the digital space and in English-speaking territories. We are very confident, that with such a capable partner, we can fulfill the high expectations associated with the revival of the Jagged Alliance brand.”

Simon Hellwig, the global managing director for Kalypso, added, “We are very pleased to revive and further expand the Jagged Alliance brand - which is still very popular today - with our partner, bitComposer Games.”

The original Jagged Alliance video games were well received by the tactically minded gaming community because it allowed a player to command teams of mercenaries, each with their own abilities and personalities, while freeing an island nation from tyranny through turn based battles.

The games combined a strong focus on action with a lot of thinking and some role-playing elements.

In the last ten years, there have been certain attempts to revive the franchise, but the simple yet deep mechanics have so far failed to be replicated.