Press Release

7th August 2009 – Wales-based developer Arberth Studios has announced a ‘Publisher Pack’ of materials related to its forthcoming point & click PC adventure ‘Coven’. The pack consists of screenshots, a detailed description of the features and intended market for the game (“sell-sheet”), and an audio/video trailer.

Arberth’s first title, ‘Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches’, was released in Autumn 2008 to international player and critical acclaim, from both the adventure and mainstream gaming press. It frequently showed up at the number one spot in Amazon’s bestselling adventures in the UK and Canada and the top 50 in the US. It was even more impressive that such an accomplished title should come from a mere three part-time game makers. Arberth’s Noel Bruton comments, “A lot of people enjoyed ‘Rhiannon’ for its locations, plot and story, innovative puzzles, atmosphere and gameplay. For ‘Coven’ we’re making use of those successful attributes again and adding several new features to broaden the appeal still further.”

‘Coven’ is set in a modern-day fictional Welsh harbour town, beset by a supernatural jeopardy linked to a grave injustice 350 years ago. The player must learn the skills of the Coven and unravel the local history to save the town and the soul of an innocent. Conflict, corruption and conspiracy feature strongly. Some of the townspeople have much to reveal – others have their own agendas. You have to ask the right questions. You be working with the tools of a witch – but you’ll also find yourself piloting a mini-submarine.

The new features include 3D video movement, lip-synchronised non-player characters (NPC), an automated to-do list, increased player feedback, interactive game arena map, scene teleportation, increased use of background animation, additional assistance for deaf players and much more. Arberth has also developed a methodology for anticipating localisation. “With Rhiannon, we did the English version first and thought about other territories only after launch as the publishers suggested them,” Bruton explains. “But ‘Coven ’ is designed from the ground up for localisation, so we should be able to offer it in several languages simultaneously and more rapidly.”

So when will ‘Coven’ be ready? “Some time in 2010,” Bruton offers. “The speed of the development and so the actual release date are to a certain extent dependent on the level of publisher involvement in the project."

Publishers and distributors may obtain the downloadable Coven Publisher Pack by contacting Arberth Studios through its Website www.arberthstudios.com.

About Arberth Studios
Arberth Studios is a developer of point-and-click adventure games for the PC. Based in Wales, the three-person family team released its first game ‘Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches’ in Europe, the USA and Canada in Autumn 2008. It has since announced that production has begun on its second title ‘Coven’, a story encompassing witchcraft in the seventeenth century and the present day.