April 6th, 2010 - Moscow. Mail.Ru, the leading provider of online games in Russia and Eastern Europe, is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement with Oak Pacific Interactive to localize, publish and operate Empire Craft globally in the Russian language.

 

Empire Craft is an MMO strategy game that has attained significant popularity worldwide. Having achieved commercial success domestically and with momentum building abroad, Oak Pacific Interactive is now preparing to release localized versions of their flagship product in Japan, South Korea, southeast Asia and - in collaboration with Mail.Ru – in Russia.

 

“The Russian audience is highly receptive to browser-based games, and the strategy genre is traditionally very popular in our country,” said Vsevolod Leonov, Vice President of International Business Development at Mail.Ru. “Since Empire Craft is both, and even more important, a proven success in the world's most competitive market, we are exceptionally optimistic about the prospects for our localized version.”

 

Empire Craft takes place in a world where humans, orcs, elves, harpies and other races have always fought for power. But now, a powerful ancient evil, a formidable demon threatens them all. The future of the Empire is in the hands of the former enemies. Will they be able to unite against the forces of darkness? 

 

The game makes each user the leader of a remote outpost of the allied army. The objectives are to develop a small patch of land into a prosperous town, to organize resource gathering, to build an army for protection against enemy attacks, and finally, by working together with other players, to free the Empire from the insidious clutches of the fearsome demon.

 

A town's commander can be human, orc or elf. Each choice has strengths and drawbacks; e.g. humans recover their troops faster, but orcs have more vitality. Empire Craft's large-scale building element includes numerous options for each race - factories, shops, defensive installations, taverns to recruit new heroes, etc. It's even possible to establish additional outposts, which can later provide valuable resources. The game also offers over a thousand quests and in-game events - encounters with varied enemies, exploration of multi-level castles inhabited by terrifying creatures, monster hunting and more. As well, players can freely ally, attack neighbors and carry out large-scale multiplayer wars.

 

Empire Craft’s rewarding mix of game elements, encompassing strategy, RPG adventures and multi-player competition, consistently elicits the praise of its rapidly expanding worldwide fan base. Soon, Russian players will know first-hand why Empire Craft is deserving of such high praise, and why it is currently setting the global standard for MMO strategy games.

 

About Mail.Ru

Mail.Ru is the foremost Russian Internet portal, serving the entertainment and communication needs of the global Russian-speaking community with a comprehensive array of more than 40 services including the largest Russian free e-mail service, instant messenger Mail.Ru Agent, national social network My Mir@Mail.Ru, and search engine Poisk@Mail.Ru. With over 50 percent market share and more than 40 titles to satisfy a full range of individual preferences, Mail.Ru is also the leading Russian online gaming publisher. Its portfolio includes internally developed hits like Allods Online and Legend: Legacy of the Dragons as well as successful international licenses such as Perfect World II, Lord of the Rings Online, Silkroad Online, ZX Online, Cross Fire and ZT Online. Additional information is available at www.mail.ru.

 

About Oak Pacific Interactive

Oak Pacific Interactive is a leading Internet group in China, providing Web 2.0 services including online entertainment, communication and gaming. As an advocate of the Web 2.0 revolution, Oak Pacific Interactive is dedicated to bringing revolutionary changes to online communication and entertainment in the Chinese internet industry. Also the largest developer and operator of browser-based games in China, Oak Pacific Interactive is the owner of one of the most viewed Web sites in China, MOP.com, information technology portal Donews and social networking site renren.com. Its portfolio includes eight browser games, most of which have launched internationally. More information is available at http://www.imop.com/english/.