Ares Games announces a partnership with newly formed Dutch publisher and board game developer Colossus Games to publish and distribute worldwide Mega Empires, a new line of civ-building games. The line will debut with the revised edition of Western Empires and Eastern Empires, two “colossal” board games covering the development of ancient civilizations over 8000 years of history. The first two titles, planned for release in late 2024, will be Mega Empires: The West and Mega Empires: The East, with revised rules improved thanks to the feedback of thousands of dedicated players. Following these releases, Colossus and Ares Games will publish new products in the Mega Empires game line.
In Mega Empires, players lead their civilizations by trade, conflict, and cultural advancement, as they expand from the Stone Age, through the Bronze Age to the end of the Iron Age.
Mega Empires: The West (formerly known as Western Empires) is a board game for 5 to 9 players and focuses on sea travel, expansion, and trade across the Mediterranean Sea. Mega Empires: The East (formerly known as Eastern Empires) can be played with 3 to 9 players, creating empires along the Silk Road to India and trading through the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. A complete game, combining East and West together can be a full-day experience suitable for a gathering of friends – taking up to 12 hours to complete and accommodating up to 18 people. Despite its massive size, Mega Empires is very playable, as it is based on simple mechanisms that are easy to learn, including shorter scenarios from 120 minutes up.
Mega Empires: new line of civ-building games coming in late 2024
The first edition of these two games was released by Dutch publisher 999 Games in 2015 as Mega Civilization. It was a huge tribute to the legendary Civilization game by Francis Tresham. Divided into two comparatively smaller stand-alone games, it was reprinted by 999 Games as Western Empires in 2019 and Eastern Empires in 2021. With all these editions currently sold out, the game designers Flo de Haan and Gerart de Haan founded a new company, Colossus Games, with a renewed focus on this line and bringing them back to an even wider international market under the new “Mega Empires” brand name.
“We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Ares Games, a valued name in the industry and the creative force behind the game War of the Ring – one of our personal favorites. Together, we are set to commence a venture of global distribution, bringing Mega Empires to even more enthusiasts around the world!” said Flo de Haan and Gerart de Haan, game designers of Mega Empires and founders of Colossus Games.
“Civilization was the game which, as a teenager, got me in love with the idea of building empires on a game board, sweeping through thousands of years of history,” said Roberto Di Meglio, Director of R&D of Ares Games. “I am excited and honored that Ares now becomes part of this legacy, working with Colossus Games to bring the new incarnation of that idea to the market, and work with them to further expand the Mega Empires line to new directions.”
For updates about the development, organized play, queries and testing of Mega Empires, subscribe to the newsletter at https://colossus-games.com/. More information about the games will be also available soon here, on Ares Games website.
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