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Matrix
Games.
They came out of nowhere at a time when the
wargaming industry was dying. Companies like SSI and Sierra were disappearing and
the landscape of wargaming was barren. They began with free games - something no
one could argue with. Purchasing the rights to some famous wargames - Gary Grigsby
and Keith Brors' Steel Panthers: World at War as well as the classic DOS SSI titles
by Gary Grigsby War in the Pacific and War in Russia.
They followed these releases up with a quick succession of
titles that took the industry by storm. Acquiring rights to popular titles from
SSI, SSG, and Talonsoft they revamped old classics and partnered with new developers
to write new games.
From SSG they brought Korsun Pocket, a sequel to the
well-loved but commercially unsuccessful The Ardennes Offensive. This was then expanded
with Across the Dnepr, an add-on. Building on this success SSG and Matrix Games
partnered to release Battles in Normandy and Battles in Italy - both built on the
same successful game engine as Korsun Pocket (and its predecessor The Ardennes Offensive).
Matrix also helped SSG revive their classic Reach for the Stars (a science fiction
wargame) and most recently the release of Battlefront - battalion level combat in
a number of World War II scenarios. SSG and Matrix are currently working to release
Carriers of War, simulating naval operations during World War II - an area that
has seldom been done well.
Matrix Games also saw the comeback of three of the greats from
SSI's days - Gary Grigsby, Joel Billings, and Keith Brors in the new company 2by3
Games. The best-known product of this new partnership is Gary Grigsby's World at
War, a strategical level simulation of World War II. It also has a sequel entitled
Gary Grigsby's World at War: A World Divided which includes new features and campaigns.
Beyond this 2by3 Games and Matrix have released a series of
games including Uncommon Valor (Pacific combat during World War II) and its successor,
War in the Pacific. As well as a hypothetical Japan versus U.S. scenario after World
War I and prior to World War II in War Plan Orange: Dreadnoughts in the Pacific
1922-1930.
Matrix Games also partnered with Frank Hunter, owner and sole
operator of Adanac Command Studies and best known for his strategical level Civil
War game ACW: 1861-1865 which he released after its commercial release on the internet
for free. Frank began development on Campaigns on the Danube, a simulation of one
campaign during the Napoleonic Wars. This game has since been released by Matrix
Games. He is currently working on a World War I simulation entitled Guns of August
in conjunction with Matrix as well.
Advanced Gaming Systems served as another major coup for Matrix
Games. AGS is the developer of the classic Harpoon series and Matrix has released
there Harpoon 3 - Advanced Naval Warfare in June of 2006.
Another significant coup was signing Playnet and Cornered Rat's
Battleground Europe - World War II Online - a MMORPG of the Second World War that
has thousands of players in a massive simulation of the war including army, navy,
and air.
A final significant win was getting the rights to Talonsoft's
famous and respected Battlegrounds Series, soon to be released. Also in this deal
was Gary Grigsby's Eagle Day to Bombing the Reach (upcoming) and Norm Koger's The
Operational Art of War III (released in '06).
Matrix Games has also partnered with several newer developers
including AGEOD (Birth of America, a Revolutionary War game), ApeZone (Starships
Unlimited v3 and Starships Unlimited - Divided Galaxies), Black Hammer Games (the
sci-fi Supremacy: Four Paths to Power), Destroyer Studios (Starshatter - The Gathering
Storm), Enemy Technology (I of the Enemy), Hussar Games (For Liberty!), Koios Works
(Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great, Tin Soldiers: Julius Caesar, and Panzer
Command: Operation Winter Storm), Panther Games (Highway to the Reich, Conquest
of the Aegean), PlayTek (Blitzkrieg: War in Europe 1939-1945), Simulations Canada
(Flashpoint Germany), Vicious Byte (Titans of Steel: Warring Suns), Wargaming.Net
(Massive Assault), Western Civilization Software (Crown of Glory: Europe in the
Age of Napoleon, Forge of Freedom: The American Civil War 1861-1865), Worlds Apart
Productions (Star Chamber: The Harbinger Saga), and X1 Software (The Last Days:
For IL-2 Forgotten Battles, Case Blue: For IL-2 or Forgotten Battles, and Banzai!:
Pacific Fighters).
They recently released CSO Simtek's Close Combat - Cross of
Iron, a continuance in the classic Atomic Games Close Combat series.
They are currently working with Australian Design Group to
make Empire in Arms, a Napoleonic simulation as well as World in Flames, based on
the classic ADG board game. As well as Black Hand Studios (Combined Arms: World
War II), and Double Shot Design (Black Powder Wars: Wars of Napoleon).
They also distribute two of Slitherine Strategies weaker wargames
- Gates of Troy and Spartan.
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