Mac game publisher GraphSim announced at Macworld Expo San Francisco today that they have signed a publishing deal with THQ Inc. for two titles currently under development by Volition. Both Volition’s third person fantasy RPG, Summoner, and their first-person shooter Red Faction, will be published by GraphSim in 2001. Although game developer Volition let it be known last year that both titles were Mac bound, this is the first official word on the Mac OS publisher of these games.
Summoner was released for the PS2 last fall, with the last word on Volition’s web site indicating that both PC and Mac versions of the game are slated for “sometime in early 2001.” Following the story of Joseph, a young Summoner at odds with the powerful legacy left to him, players must guide Joseph on his quest to find the ancient rings that will help him control his gift. Players will be able to control up to 4 characters, in addition to the creatures Joseph learns to summon.
Red Faction is Volition’s highly anticipated first-person action game, targeted for release on Mac, PS, and PS2 platforms in 2001. Boasting real-time skeletal deformation and interpolation, stealth and action driven objectives, and advanced AI behavior, Red Faction is receiving the most attention for the promise of what Volition is calling the “Geo-Mod Engine.” Simply put, gamers will be able to directly affect physical structures and level layout in the course of gameplay by using weaponry to modify the environment to their advantage.
At press-time GraphSim had not commented on release dates for the MacOS versions of Summoner or Red Faction. MacCentral will meet with GraphSim president Jeff Morgan later this week and bring you further details as they become available.