We've just received word that Strategy First has confirmed "its commitment" to complete the RTS - third-person shooter title "Urban Empires," probably meaning that development on the game, over at Radioactive Software is coming along nicely. The company has dated Urban Empires for an early 2008 release, rolling out a bunch of new screenshots from the game as well.

For those looking forward to getting this title next year, Urban Empires is an RTS game which also features a bunch of third-person action elements. For example, at any point in time, you can jump down and take control of your individual gang members, as Strategy First has confirmed. The game then changes from strategy to action where you're free to do anything from stealing vehicles to mugging citizens.

Some of the basic gameplay features confirmed by the publisher include:

- 18 Players online per game server
- Persistent online global lobby, stat tracking and gang creation features.
- 9 different gang types such as Irish, Russian, Japanese, Latino and Italian.
- 12 different orders/commands you can give your gangsters
- 30 unique and detailed weapons
- Agiea PhysX library for realistic in-game physics
- 20 highly detailed vehicles featuring unique physics characteristics and damage modeling.
- Internet music player with 20 different channels
- Full featured City Editor included, so you can make your own cities.

"Urban Empires is a gang simulation which strives to fill a void in the world of strategy games. It features two gameplay modes: Command and Action. These two modes allow you to choose the degree of management involvement you wish to engage in," says Danny Green, President of Radioactive-Software. He continued: "I'm very excited to have Radioactive-Software's first title published by Strategy First. It has been a great relationship so far, and I look forward to working with them on Urban Empires and future titles."

Visit the game's official website for more information on Urban Empires and remember that this great blend of RTS and action elements launches at the beginning of 2008 for the PC, being published by Strategy First and developed by Radioactive Software. Check out the new screens below. Game looks pretty good...!