Tell us a little about what you do at Hi-Rez Studios.

I’m a Senior Game Designer at Hi-Rez Studios. I make levels for PvE and PvP, and contribute to designs for new features, but mostly I work with the character art pipeline designing and implementing thebots and bosses that you fight in PvE missions. A typical day for me involves meeting with artists and other designers to discuss and flesh out new concepts, writing documents outlining gameplay or technical elements that artists and animators need to create the art and animations, and combining those art assets with the weapons and minds of the bots, which I create by configuring devices and creating AI scripts in the game’s vast database. I also know all the cheat codes in the game. Did you know if you’re on the title screen and press Up, Down, Left, Right, Up… well, I should probably let you figure it out yourself.

How did you get into the gaming industry? How did you get to Hi-Rez Studios?

My first game development job was during college, interning for minimum wage at a company in California that makes educational games for young kids. I spent the summer designing and building prototypes for music-themed minigames to teach young kids how to read music and understand concepts like rhythm and note length values. I’m not sure if the prototypes I made were ever used in the final game, but they were much more fun and educational than most of the existing stuff at the time. I spent the next summer interning at a company that makes lottery games, designing online instant win games for the UK and Denmark lotteries and learning the complex math behind lottery odds and returns. During that time, I also started working part-time at Hi-Rez as a level designer, after learning of the company and the awesome sounding project they were working on at the time, and submitting a design test for an unpaid intern position. I kept working part-time a couple days a week at Hi-Rez throughout my final year of school, and started as a full-time Level Designer when I graduated.

Describe your video game experience. When did you start playing / making games?

My most vivid early memory of a video game was one Christmas break when I was very young and my older cousin brought over his Commodore 64 to set up in the basement at my Grandma’s house. We played all kinds of games, from Donkey Kong to flying space shooters. A year later when the same cousin brought over his new Nintendo, I knew for sure these video games were going somewhere, and once I got a Nintendo of my own, I was hooked! I’ve spent the majority of my life since then fascinated by videogames and the idea of telling stories by creating my own interactive worlds. I was drawing layouts for new Mario 3 levels in Elementary school when I should have been paying attention in class, or drawing monsters, weapons, or writing up character descriptions, abilities, and design docs for RPGs I would have loved to make. In high school, I taught myself some basic programming and started to focus more on school (saving most of the game design for my spare time outside of class) and went to Georgia Tech to study Computer Science where I could learn to program like an all-star, so I could understand the technical back-end and write code for games - knowledge which has been extremely valuable to me as a game designer.

What is your favorite class / build to play in Global Agenda?

That’s a tough call. As a designer, I play all classes and try to keep them under my fingertips, but I tend to cycle through favorites. Medic was my first love, and I enjoy the versatility of Robotics and sheer destruction power of Assault, but lately I’ve been pissing off coworkers with my uber Sniper Recon. It’s teh win in PvP if you have good team support and know what you’re doing, and I’m always top damage in Defense missions.

What are you most excited for in Global Agenda?

The high level PvE content I’m currently working on, hands down. I can’t say much about it yet, but there should be some awesome stuff in the next expansion that is going to really raise the bar for what players expect (and receive) from PvE.

What experiences do you draw from when creating content for the game?

I often draw from my experiences playing other games or interacting with other media, depending on what’s the most relevant at the time. I tend to recall my own favorite experiences in other games when thinking of things that would be cool in games I’m working on, or the way plot unfolds or characters and environments are presented in film when I’m looking for mood reference. It’s not uncommon to describe new ideas in terms of commonly understood content from other media, so referencing the creepy look and feel of Alien or describing an environment or character idea from Bladerunner or referring to an awesome boss experience in Shadow of the Colossus or World of Warcraft can be a great way to find common ground to share ideas with others. I am also always considering the “how” not just the”why” and pull a lot from my computer science background when considering how feasible an idea is in practice.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to break into the gaming industry?

It’s a very competitive industry and most of the people in it are very passionate about their work, so you’ve got to have a strong drive and be devoted to what you do if you want to stand out. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for my willingness to work hard and passion for what I was doing, while at the same time being willing to work for peanuts or even free in some cases to get the experience needed to eventually get the job I wanted. If you want in, be prepared to have to work for it, and probably swallow your pride (but not your ambition) in the process. It’s especially not going to be easy to break in right out of school, so I would recommend applying for internships to get professional experience, or working on mods and personal projects to hone your skills and get experience on real, tangible projects early on. Shipped titles and playable demos are a big plus. I know when I’m interviewing new applicants, in addition to the obvious skills with the tools, I’m looking to see if they have the fire to devote themselves to what they’re doing, and the work ethic and patience to get it done, and seeing that a recent graduate has done serious work on projects not related to class is always a big plus. If you can show that you’re the kind of person who’s willing to applying yourself even when there was no real compensation (aside from personal pride) to be had, that can help you get a foot in the door. Dabbling here and there or being a casual weekend hobbyist isn’t going to get you nearly as far as diving in and getting your hands dirty, and with the amount of competition for jobs (especially in today’s market), you really need to find ways to set yourself above the rest.

Favorite game(s)?

This is probably the most difficult question. I like a lot of games and genres, but at core, I’m kind of an old-schooler in many ways. I think the games focused more on fun simple gameplay, innovation, and story telling without being able to hide behind crazy visuals, fast-cut trailers and cinematics, and (usually) awful VO. That said, my list looks something like:
Final Fantasy 3 (US), Chrono Trigger, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night,  Diablo 1 and 2, FF7, Final Fantasy Tactics, The Simpsons Arcade Game, Doom 1 and 2, Super Mario World, Super Smash BrosMelee (Brawl just didn’t live up), Sonic 2, D&D: Shadow Over Mystara (an awesome classic arcade game), and the Megaman series.

What do you do in your free time?

When I’m not playing or creating videogames, I enjoy playing piano, drawing, cooking, going on bike rides, playing or running table top RPGs, smoking hookah, playing UNO, and spending time with my lovely lady and our ridiculous cats.

What is on your iPod/MP3player?

I listen to a wide variety of music. Lately it’s been a combination of Bonobo, Mux Mool, Ratatat, and Megadeath, but you can almost always find me with Aphex Twin and the three ‘B’s (Bach, Beethoven, andthe Beatles) on hand.

What is your favorite quote / meme from the office or game?

When a new feature, bot, or game type works for the first time without a hitch - “Ship it!”

Personal Work

MMO Editorial blog MOGAZINE calls Global Agenda: The TF2 MMO and declares that there’s “no doubt that the balance between classes is by far one of the best in the genre.”

Check out Mogazine’s Anthony Spezzano’s review of Global Agenda including his thoughts on class balance, Sandstorm and the open-world PvE  (“a massive open-world PvE area called the Sonoran Desert, frequently characterized by the statement; “it takes about 15 minutes to jetpack across the area””).

One of the best things about Global Agenda is its class balance. Some class/spec combinations may be more annoying then others but there is no doubt that the balance between classes is by far one of the best in the genre. Even the comparison of the “Common” (white) loot and the “Epic” (purple) loot is very minimal. Bottom line, if you’re sick of unbalanced classes and games where gear conquers skill, Global Agenda is an excellent choice.

Read the whole article here.

All Global Agenda players that have purchased the game now have a set of coupon codes that they can give to friends to encourage them to buy the game. These codes give a 15% discount in the Global Agenda Store. Give these codes to your friends and once 5 of your coupons are used, you will get the boonie hat head flair! (Flair will be awarded starting Monday, August 23).

Note: Coupons are only valid in the Global Agenda Store.

Where can I find my coupons?

Log into your Account and click on the Coupon Codes tab. Give the coupon code to your friend to use during the purchase process.

How can I tell if a coupon has been used?

Look at the Used column in the Coupon Code tab. It shows whether the code has been used or not.

I’ve given away all my coupons. Can I get more?

Yes! Your coupons will be replenished once a day. You should always have 5 unused coupons in your account.

Five people have used my coupons! How do I get my flair?

We’ll start awarding flair on Monday, August 23 to anyone who has 5 coupons used. Starting Monday, the system will update your account to give you the flare promotion. After Monday, your account will be automatically updated once you reach 5 coupons.

I already used some of my coupons. Do they count?

Yes! Any coupons used from your account count towards the flair.

LONDON, UK - (August 12, 2010). Hi-Rez Studios and publisher Iceberg Interactive today announced the UK retail release of the award-winning shooter massively multiplayer online game Global Agenda. After a highly successful digital-only release in February 2010, the boxed product of Global Agenda launches September 10, 2010 at GAME retail outlets throughout England and Ireland as well as Play.com, Zavvi, TheHut.com, Shopto.net and Amazon.co.uk. Global Agenda is available for pre-order at those destinations starting today.

Future localized versions of Global Agenda for Europe are planned, including a German retail version, which is slated for release on October 29, 2010.

Global Agenda allows players to create and customize multiple agent characters, complementing FPS skills with accessible RPG-style progression. Players can co-op with friends online, compete in fast-paced competitive multiplayer matches, and conquer persistent territory with player-formed groups called agencies.

The release also includes Global Agenda’s Sandstorm expansion. Sandstorm introduces new and varied player weapons, craftable consumables, a Mission Giver system, a story-driven mission experience within the Sonoran Open Zone, and high-level Raid content.

Players can enjoy all current content, including Player-vs-Player combat, Player-vs-Environment solo and co-op content, and Agency-vs- Agency seasons, without any required monthly payment. Future content updates will be delivered via optional paid expansions.

“We have a very passionate Global Agenda community in Europe”, said Global Agenda Executive Producer Todd Harris. “And with the Sandstorm expansion, the upcoming UK retail release, and European servers we’re excited to grow that community further”.

Global Agenda operates London-based servers today to support its European customers. The game’s unique single-shard server design allows all customers worldwide to compete inside the same game universe, with the ability to play with or against anyone, while at the same time allowing European players the freedom to choose a European Data Center from which to load mission instances.

Erik Schreuder CEO of Iceberg Interactive said, “We’re very excited about the approaching street-date for Global Agenda as this promises to be a massive release for us. Hi-Rez has created a huge buzz for this as a digital download product and they have added a huge amount of new free content which will also be included in the boxed game.”

For more information, visit www.globalagendagame.com

About Hi-Rez Studios

Hi-Rez Studios, Inc. was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment and is located just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit www.hirezstudios.com

About Iceberg Interactive

Iceberg Interactive is a premier videogame publisher set to make a splash in the interactive entertainment industry. The company is staffed with a mix of industry veterans and upcoming talent, has offices in key locations across Europe and, having established partnerships all over the globe, both for direct downloads and retail releases, Iceberg is a great alternative for developers looking to bring their products to a worldwide audience. Iceberg focuses foremost on PC gaming and is among the market leaders for the following niche genres for PC: simulators, adventure and MMO/action games.

Global Agenda: Sandstorm Version 1.36 arrives tomorrow, Thurs. August 12. The patch introduces significant modifications to the Agency-vs-Agency system, as well as a variety of cleanups and improvements to the game. Full patch notes are found here.

This patch is part of the free Sandstorm expansion. Players are reminded that Global Agenda has no monthly fees.

The Global Agenda Servers are expected to be down on THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2010 from ~11:00 AM- 3:00 PM US Eastern (15:00 to 19:00 GMT) while the patch is deployed. Watch GAServerStatus on Twitter for the latest server availability information.

If you have not tried Global Agenda, a free trial is available for download by visiting http://www.globalagendagame.com/freetrial.

The game is also available for 25% off for a limited time at the Global Agenda Store.

For a limited time only, Global Agenda is 25% off when you buy direct from Hi-Rez Studios at the Global Agenda Store.

The same discount is also available on Direct2Drive, which launched Global Agenda: Sandstorm today. Those who buy on Direct2Drive get exclusive in-game flair (Cowboy Hat and Sunglasses).

Those who want to try before they buy can download the trial either on the Global Agenda website or Fileplanet.

It’s hard to believe the way I discovered Global Agenda.  As I was stomping through PAX 2009 (that’d be PAX “Prime”) I heard a man shooting something about “No elves.”  Mildly interested, I turned to see a booth lined with computers.  Computers with people huddled over playing a game I had never seen.  Turns out, I knew exactly what the game was.  This was the game responsible for shooting an elven mage in the head while he was casting.

I sat down, played a few rounds, and found myself very interested…

To celebrate the six-month accomplishment of Global Agenda I decided to harass Hi-Rez with some questions.  Executive Producer Todd Harris was kind enough to indulge me. The answers are only a click away.

LoreHound.com: First and foremost, congratulations on making it to a healthy six months.  Not many games manage to get this far with the community and hype still behind them.

Todd Harris: Thanks!  Our dev team is thrilled to see Global Agenda thriving and growing, and we definitely see the community as a big reason for this.

Hi-Rez Studios had some pretty clear cut ideas for the Global Agenda when it launched.  The title was positioned to be its own beast, not an iteration from staple MMOG features.  Yet, the community begged for some of these, of which the open world was one of them.  Was its introduction a difficult design decision to recapitulate on?  Were many meetings and discussions held surrounding its decision?  Any fistfights?

Read more at LoreHound.com

Todd Harris, Global Agenda’s executive producer, talks about the Open Zone in the this week’s dev blog.

Hi-Rez Studios congratulates the winners of Season 2 of Global Agenda’s Agency-vs-Agency (AvA) battle for persistent territory control.

The Protocol, Intrepid, and TGCI agencies each took home victories in the North American, European and Pacific Rim Zones, respectively.

AvA is a war simulation game inside Global Agenda, the world’s #1 sci-fi shooter/MMO. Within AvA, player-created groups, called agencies, battle one another in an on-going struggle to control territory and produce rare resources. The winner is the agency that produces the most inside its factories during the length of a season. Goods are produced by holding territories, and placing Factories, Mines and Labs, of escalating levels, on them.

The next season of AvA kicks off later in August, with significant changes to the overall gameplay to make it easier for agencies to get involved.

Players are reminded that Global Agenda requires NO MONTHLY FEES for any of its content, including AvA.

North American Zone  – Antarctica G22

European Zone  – Antarctica U22

Pacific Rim Zone  – Antarctica P12

MMORPG.com’s Bill Murphy recently provided his impressions of Global Agenda’s latest free content expansion, Sandstorm Phase 2, calling Global Agenda “one of the most intriguing games to watch in the genre.”

A key excerpt is below. Click here to read the full article.

The studio seems intent on making their first and only child as compelling and fleshed out as possible, and at incredible value to their customers. The subscription method initially planned at launch has been scrapped, and yet the game keeps growing at breakneck speed. It’s gone from a very fun, but somewhat shallow shooter at launch just a few months ago, to one of the most intriguing games to watch in the genre. Down the road Hi-Rez plans on retooling the Conquest portion of the game as well, in which competing alliances vie for control of territory. If the way in which they’ve been listening and responding to their customers remains the same, the future is looking bright for Global Agenda. If you’ve yet to try out this young studio’s freshman offering, now might be just the right time to check it out.

A Sandstorm has arrived, and all Global Agenda Agents should prepare to escape Dome City and explore the vast terrain of the Sonoran Desert.

Tomorrow, July 22, 2010, Hi-Rez Studios launches phase II of the Global Agenda:Sandstorm expansion, introducing the Sonoran Desert Open Zone, 10-Player Defense Raids, new Special Ops missions and much more. This release builds on the previous phase of Sandstorm, which brought a new loot system, over 30 new Epic Weapons, new PvE gamemodes, new PvP maps and gamemodes, and much more.

The Sandstorm expansion is free to all players of the game. Players are reminded that all content in Global Agenda is available to everyone that purchases the game, with NO MONTHLY FEES.

Major Highlights

• SONORAN DESERT ZONE: Players may step outside Dome City into the Sonoran Desert Open PvE zone. Designed primarily for those between Levels 5 and 15, players within the Zone may accept missions from NPC’s in order to progress a story-arc, learn more about the neighboring Desert Dweller and Recursive Colony factions, and earn loot and experience. Note that players must visit Dalton Bancroft inside Dome City (and run the Bancroft missions) before they can enter the Sonoran Desert Zone.

• 10-PLAYER DEFENSE RAIDS: Facilities around Dome City are key targets of the Recursive Colony faction. When the Recursive Colony attacks, alarms sound within Dome City and the RAIDS mission type will become activated on your MISSION screen. Join the Raid queue solo, or as a pre-made team of up to 10 players, to be matched into a ten-person defense team and transported to an area that needs to be defended. Note that these missions are designed to be difficult and are available only to players Level 30+.

• NEW SONORAN DESERT SPECIAL-OPS MISSIONS: New co-op PvE instances have been introduced for characters between Levels 5 and 19.  These missions are accessed thru the MISSION screen (Hotkey = “M”) under Team/Medium Difficulty.

• CONSUMABLES: Players may now craft Consumable items that can be used once while in a combat mission to give a short-term boost. Once used, that item is consumed. In order to equip a consumable, you must have a Consumable in your inventory, and fill the Consumable slot on your Equip screen. Only one consumable may be equipped at a time.

• SALVAGE: Weapons and Armor that you do not desire to keep may be salvaged by clicking the Salvage button while the item is selected on your Inventory menu. When a weapon or armor piece is salvaged, you will receive a component loot drop put into your inventory (many of the components gained through salvage are useful when crafting consumables).

• TOKENS: Major changes to the token system have been implemented. See TOKENS section below for more information.

• CREDITS: Credits are now at the player level instead of the character level. Existing credits have been rolled up to the player level based on the total credits owned by all of our characters.

All players are encouraged to read the FULL PATCH NOTES prior to play, as there are many other important changes.

Server and Feature Availability

• The Global Agenda Servers are expected to be down on THURSDAY, JULY 22 2010 from approximately 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM US Eastern (14:30 to 21:00 GMT) while the patch is deployed. Follow GAServerStatus on Twitter for up-to-date server availability information.
• The European and North American Agency-vs-Agency Zones will be closed on THURSDAY, JULY 22. The Zones will open as normal on FRIDAY, JULY 23.

Five Ways to Survive the Future

The recently released trailer  “Five Ways to Survive the Future” features footage from the Sandstorm expansion.

Hi-Rez Studios today released a new Developer Video Blog discussing 10-person Defense Raids in Global Agenda. Defense Raids  are part of the Sandstorm Phase 2 expansion, to be released later this month. Sandstorm is free to all players that have purchased the game, with no monthly fees.

Also arriving in the Sandstorm Phase 2 patch: The Sonoran Desert Open Zone, Consumable weapons, new Special Ops PvE missions, and much more. Stay tuned for more information in the coming days.

Take a look at our new video showing 5 Ways to Survive the Future. This includes gameplay footage from the Sonoran Desert Open Zone and our new 10-person Defense Missions – both coming in the Sandstorm Phase 2 update, due later this month.

Remember that Global Agenda now has no monthly fees, and that the Sandstorm expansion is free to all players that buy or have bought the game.

Global Agenda Version 1.35, dubbed “Sandstorm Phase Two”, has been released to the Public Test Server for initial testing over the weekend of July 2 through July 5.  Among many other great new features, this release introduces the Sonoran Desert Open PvE Zone, 10-Person Defense Raids, and Consumables.

Version 1.35 represents the second phase of major new features and content being added to Global Agenda as part of the free Sandstorm expansion. The first phase was released in early June.

Public Testing for Version 1.35 will unfold over multiple test weekends, with each weekend having specific test goals. The final date for live deployment of Version 1.35 will be determined based on Public Test Server results and feedback. For the full Version 1.35 Week One Public Test Server Guide, see the article on the Answer Center.

Once released, Version 1.35 will be free to all players that have purchased Global Agenda. Players should be reminded that Global Agenda no longer requires a subscription to access any game content. For those still considering a purchase of Global Agenda, the game is on sale through July 5 on Steam for 33% off.

Major Highlights

• SONORAN DESERT ZONE: Players may step outside Dome City into the Sonoran Desert open PvE zone. Designed primarily for those between Levels 5 and 15, players within the Zone may accept missions from NPC’s in order to progress a story-arc, learn more about the neighboring Desert Dweller and Recursive Colony factions, and earn loot and experience.

• 10-PERSON DEFENSE RAIDS: Facilities around Dome city are key targets of the Recursive Colony faction. When the Recursive Colony attacks, alarms sound within Dome City and the RAIDS mission type will become activated on your MISSION screen. Join the Raid queue solo, or as a pre-made team of up to 10 players, to be matched into a ten-person defense team and transported to an area that needs to be defended. Note that these missions are designed to be difficult and are available only to players Level 30+.

• CONSUMABLES: Players may now craft Consumable items that can be used once while in a combat mission to give a short-term boost. Once used, that item is consumed. In order to equip a consumable, you must have a Consumable in your inventory, and fill the Consumable slot on your Equip screen. Only one consumable may be equipped at a time.

• SALVAGE: Weapons and Armor that you do not desire to keep may be salvaged by clicking the Salvage button while the item is selected on your Inventory menu. When a weapon or armor piece is salvaged, you will receive a component loot drop put into your inventory (many of the components gained through salvage are useful when crafting consumables).

Additional Sandstorm features, such as PvP Tournaments and significant improvements to the token system, among others, will be in upcoming updates to the Public Test Server.

ATLANTA – June 25, 2010 – Hi-Rez Studios announced today that Global Agenda is now 100% subscription free.

Purchasers of Global Agenda can enjoy the game’s full current content, including all current Player-vs-Player combat, Player-vs-Environment solo and co-op content, and Agency-vs- Agency seasons, without a monthly subscription payment now or in the future.

Future content updates will be delivered via optional paid expansions. The first major expansion, Sandstorm, will be included for free to the entire Global Agenda community.

To celebrate this change, the game is being offered for 33% off on Steam from now through July 5, as part of Steam’s Summer Sale. To purchase, visit the Global Agenda Steam Page.

“Hi-Rez Studios is committed to delivering the best value in PC gaming”, said Todd Harris, Global Agenda Executive Producer. “In addition to including all of the game’s initial launch content for free inside the single-purchase price, we are bundling nearly 6 months worth of post-release content and features and including that within the single-purchase game. One purchase of Global Agenda lets you experience all of this content forever with no subscription.”

• Try For Free – Players can download Global Agenda and play until level 15 with no payment or credit card required.
• Buy Once - A single purchase enables you to play forever. Progress thru 50 character levels, access hundreds of weapons, and experience all current content and gametypes on our worldwide, hosted servers with no subscription required.
  
• Play What Suits You - Global Agenda offers a wide range of content including solo and co-op PvE, Mercenary PvP, Agency-vs-Agency, Arena PvP and more.

For more information, a FAQ has been prepared to answer the commonly asked questions regarding this change.

Developer gives first look at new Quest-Driven Open Zone gameplay

LOS ANGELES - June 13, 2010 - Hi-Rez Studios, independent developer of the award-winning Action-MMO Global Agenda unveils the game’s first expansion, called Sandstorm, at the 2010 Elecronic Entertainment Expo this week.  Sandstorm introduces new player weapons and armor, additional character customization, larger PvE Raids, ability to play PvE solo, new PvP and PvE content, updated User Interface, and enhanced Agency vs. Agency campaigns.
One of the more anticipated items being demonstrated is the Quest-Driven Open Zone gameplay.
“Sandstorm introduces players to two new NPC factions, new Bosses, new instanced missions, and story-driven quest lines within the Sonoran Desert outside Dome City”, says Executive Producer Todd Harris, “This expansion preserves our intense, shooter combat but adds story and immersion elements that we think players will really appreciate”

Hi-Rez Studios offers a unique pricing model for Global Agenda allowing players to experience much of the game’s content after a one-time purchase, without a recurring monthly fee. Players who choose to subscribe will receive the benefits of ongoing free expansions, additional game modes, the power to form agencies, and access to Agency vs. Agency gameplay on a persistent single-world map.

Sandstorm covers a large set of new features, content, and devices that will be added to Global Agenda throughout the summer of 2010 - all available at no extra cost to Global Agenda subscribers.

Hi-Rez Studios will be exhibiting Global Agenda: Sandstorm at the E3 Expo from June 15 - 17, 2010 at the Los Angeles Convention Center’s south hall in booth 747.

To make an appointment with the Hi-Rez team at the E3 Expo contact press@hirezstudios.com. For more information, please visit www.globalagendagame.com

Media Kit: www.globalagendagame.com/mediakit

Media Contact:  Michal Adam  |  Hi-Rez Studios Inc.  |  madam@hirezstudios.com

The wait is over! Version 1.3 of Global Agenda (Sandstorm Phase I) launches tomorrow, Thurs., June 3.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

Version 1.3 contains:

• Over 30 New Weapons, including a Combat Jetpack (shoot while flying), new melee devices for each class and many more…
• A whole new loot, token, weapon and armor system adding thousands of unique device/stat combinations and improving the rewards for play.
• New Dome City Stores, including Weapon shops for each class, Cybercuts for hair customization and Genolab for facial reconstruction.
• Fully revamped Agency-vs-Agency gameplay, now with a single world map.
• More ways to experience Special Ops PvE, including a new Solo PvE mode, the ability to join matches with a teams from 2 to 4 players, and a new Ultra-Max Security level.
• New PvP maps
• New 10v10 Arena PvP, which allows pre-made teams of up to 10 players to compete.
• and much more.

All players are encouraged to read the FULL PATCH NOTES prior to play, as there are many important changes and conversion notes.

SERVER DOWNTIME

Please note that the the Global Agenda Servers are expected to be down on THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2010 from ~6:00 AM- 6:00 PM US Eastern (10:00 to 22:00 GMT) while the patch is deployed. Click here for launch details.

SPECIAL PRE-SUBSCRIBER BONUS

• For Sandstorm Phase I, players will be able to experience the full content of the game without a subscription. However, players that pre-enter their subscription information on the Global Agenda website will receive a special PRE-SUBSCRIBER bonus of 20 Mercenary Tokens and 4 Conquest Tokens daily, whether or not they login that day. 
• Subscriptions will NOT be charged until Sandstorm Phase II is introduced. Subscriptions may be canceled at any time.
• Please note that PAYPAL is expected to be added as a subscription payment option by the end of day on Friday, June 4.  A couple account management issues impacting the ability for some European customers to pre-subscribe are being investigated and should also be fixed by end of day on Friday, June 4. To pre-subscribe visit http://www.globalagendagame.com/subscribe

NEW EPIC WEAPONS

Eight new weapons have been added to the game for each class, including a Combat Jetpack, which allows you to use your weapons while flying, and new melee devices for each class.

In addition, weapons now carry a quality level and are acquired in different ways, by purchasing from a vendor in Dome city using Mercenary or Conquest tokens, or as loot from PvE or PvP missions.

Learn more in our latest Developer Video blog.

REVAMPED AvA: NOW WITH A SINGLE WORLD MAP

There is now a single AvA zone for the entire game world, open 23 hours a day. AvA seasons will now be a fixed number of days and at the end of the season, the Zone will be reset.

These are just a few of many huge changes in the AvA system. New seasons, new maps and no more taxes! Read the full patch notes for all the details.

MORE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE SPECIAL OPS PvE

Players may now join Special Ops PvE missions solo or in teams of less than 4 players.

In addition, an ULTRA MAX Security level has been added to the game, giving anincreased challenge and great loot for experienced teams.

The bot behavior within the Special Ops missions has also improved considerably, as well as a number of other general improvements to PvE.

MUCH MORE….

Read the full patch notes for the complete list of changes in Sandstorm Phase I.

LATER SANDSTORM PHASES

Sandstorm is the codename for a major set of new functionality to be added to Global Agenda over the Summer of 2010. More information on later phases of Sandstorm will be released soon.

• A new system for acquiring weapons and armor through loot and tokens. 
• Over 30 new weapons (most for Levels 30+).
• New shops in Dome City, including CyberCuts, Facial Customization, and Weapon shops for each class.
• Ultra-Max Security PvE missions. 
• Ability to play Special Ops PvE solo or in groups of less than 4.
• Revamped Agency-vs-Agency format, now with a single world map.
• New PvP and AvA maps.
• Improved social features, including player inspection, new chat channels and more.
• DirectX 10 Support.
• And a lot more…

The Video Dev Blog below gives an overview of some of the new Epic weapons in Sandstorm Phase I, including the Combat Jetpack (shoot while flying!), and new melee devices for each class.

Like what you see? Buy the game on Steam before May 31st to receive 25% off, or download the free trial today.

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Plus, don’t miss GamesRadar’s overview of the upcoming Sandstorm patch:

Haarlem, The Netherlands – 22 April 2010 – A boxed version of Global Agenda, the award-winning Shooter/MMO from Atlanta-based Hi-Rez Studios, is coming to retail outlets in Europe later this year, courtesy of premier videogame publisher Iceberg Interactive.

After a highly successful digital-only  release on Steam in February 2010, Iceberg and Hi-Rez have decided to make the game available in stores throughout Europe.

The English-language European Retail release is planned for early September 2010, with a German release following shortly thereafter. The release will include Global Agenda’s upcoming Sandstorm expansion pack, as well as other previously unreleased content, introducing a wide array of new devices, weapons and content into the game, including Open PvE zones and a large-scale PvP Warzone featuring 64-player battles.

“We’ve been incredibly pleased with the amount of European interest in Global Agenda despite our digital-download-only distribution ,” says Todd Harris, Global Agenda’s Executive Producer. “Adding a boxed version available in retail stores, as well as expanding our available languages, is a key step to continuing our growth in Europe and worldwide, especially as we continue to increase the game’s marketing and visibility, and add more and more content to the game. Iceberg Interactive was the perfect partner to help us make this leap.”

“We‘re hugely excited to be publishing such a high profile title in Europe”, says Erik Schreuder, CEO of Iceberg Interactive. “Global Agenda has created a huge buzz as a digital download product and we are looking forward to repeating that success at retail. We’ve played it, we love it and we just know gamers will too. We’re also very impressed with Hi-Rez’s desire to keep adding extra content to the game, as this is this what gamers deserve, communities really appreciate and that we definitely want to be associated with.”

Global Agenda operates London-based servers today to support its European customers. The game’s unique single-shard server design allows all customers worldwide to compete inside the same game universe, with the ability to play with or against anyone, while at the same time having the freedom to choose a Region/Data Center (North America, Europe or Pacific Rim) from which to load mission instances. Players interested in buying the game through digital distribution may still do so through Steam.

About Hi Rez Studios

Hi-Rez Studios, Inc. was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment. It is located just outside of Atlanta, GA. For more information, visit www.hirezstudios.com.

About Iceberg Interactive

Iceberg Interactive is a premier videogame publisher set to make a splash in the interactive entertainment industry.  The company is staffed with a mix of industry veterans and upcoming young talent, has offices in key locations across Europe and has established partnerships all over the globe for both online and offline sales. Hence why Iceberg is a great alternative for developers looking to bring their products to a worldwide audience. The company has the licenses for several console platforms yet currently focuses foremost on PC gaming. Iceberg is among the market leaders for the following niche genres for PC: simulators, adventure and action games.

Don’t just play… play it cool.

For more information visit www.iceberg-interactive.com to keep up with the latest breaking news.

Iceberg Interactive
Angelique Houtveen
pr@iceberg-interactive.com

Tel: (+31)23-5430960