Part tech demonstration for the new iPhone 4S, part game announcement, Epic Games President Mike Capps’ reveal of Infinity Blade 2 at Apple’s press event earlier in the week gave us a lot of information to wade through. Acting as the unspoken “hardcore” launch title for the new mobile, Blade will offer a suite of iOS 5 features, including the cross-platform data transferring iCloud. The sequel – once again developed by Epic subsidiary ChAIR Entertainment – will also offer new online features, like Clash Mob, which tasks players with “massively social” challenges for rare weapon and item unlocks.
“Infinity Blade allowed us to demonstrate the true potential of triple-A handheld gaming by delivering mind-blowing graphics and awesome gameplay to millions of mobile users,” detailed Donald Mustard, Creative Director of ChAIR Entertainment. “With Infinity Blade 2, we’re pushing the boundaries of everything achieved to date and adding a ton of new content and unique new features to create the must-have gaming experience on iOS.”
Introduced in tandem with the upcoming game was “Infinity Blade: Awakening”, a tie-in novella by #1 New York Times bestseller and “Wheel of Time” author Brandon Sanderson. “Awakening” is now available on the iBookstore for $2.99.
“An exciting aspect about media in this age is the chance to blend different types of storytelling, blurring the lines between game, novel, and film,” said author Brandon Sanderson. “Infinity Blade is a great game with real narrative depth hiding beneath its shiny graphics, and I was grateful for the opportunity to express this in prose form and illuminate what had been previously hinted at in the game. I’ve really enjoyed working with ChAIR to produce something fresh and new that really adds to the experience of Infinity Blade and hopefully changes the view of gaming fiction as a whole.”
Infinity Blade 2 is confirmed for a December 1st launch on the iOS, although no pricing details have been revealed yet.