The new owner of 40% of the shares is now  internetQ, they have the option to buy more shares if the business with launching  DF2.0 is profecient they can take over majoririty of shares.

LINK

http://www.internetq.com/company-news/investment-aventurine

"

Aventurine is active in the highly profitable online games business for eight years now and has been focusing on the online massive multiplayer niche, among the most challenging segments of the gaming market. Most importantly, the Company has developed a technologically innovative, reusable software platform, with asynchronous and real-time distribution capabilities and the capacity to interconnect millions of users in highly engaging interactive environments. Its proof of concept product, called Darkfall Online, is an award-winning online massive multiplayer game of fantasy, where thousands of players from around the globe can interact, cooperate or compete with each other. With the Darkfall's sequel launch later this year, Aventurine will have the opportunity to become a successful franchise.

The Company also develops casual games for online and mobile use and is in the process of designing a cross-platform (online, console, mobile) social game code-named AV-1.0. Furthermore, Aventurine is poised to break into Asia through a co-development agreement with one of Korea's major publishing companies, ensuring that the Company's products have a steady foothold in the rapidly growing Asian markets.

Aventurine's strategy is to develop large communities of players that share common characteristics and interests and spend significant time engaging in gaming activities. Through its extended network of billing gateways with mobile network operators, InternetQ can deliver these games to millions of mobile subscribers around the world; thus benefit from the significant m-commerce opportunities as well as the steady subscription revenue generated by this activity.

The Directors consider this investment to be in line with InternetQ's strategy, as also stated in the most recent annual report and in which the company signalled its intention to invest in developing both content and development capabilities. Furthermore, the Directors believe that the particular investment has both compelling business and financial rationale as Aventurine's engaging technology will also extend the value of InternetQ's existing core products, by providing the Group with an attractive opportunity to enhance the AKAZOO mobile platform, accelerate subscription revenue growth, as well as further expand the interactive software development capabilities for mobile marketing.

More specifically, the investment in Aventurine will:

• Broaden InternetQ's capabilities to offer its AKAZOO subscribers more complete entertainment services and therefore improve engagement, further accelerating revenue growth;
• Dramatically improve InternetQ's software development capabilities, a key function for the continuous development of the Group's mobile engagement platforms;
• Allow for the immediate distribution of games (mostly casual) to mobile subscribers, the demand of which is increasing rapidly around the world;
• Allow for significant cross-sell opportunities and delivery of mobile marketing campaigns to the gaming community; and
• Exploit the significant m-commerce potential of games that are increasingly being delivered on mobile devices.

The investment in Aventurine amounts to € 2.6 million and will be effected by subscription to a convertible bond issue (the "Issue"). The Issue is linked to Aventurine's performance and will mature in March of 2015, while InternetQ will have the option to convert the bonds into equity at any time. Assuming the conversion takes place within seven months from the launch of Darkfall's sequel (code-named Darkfall 2.0), InternetQ will own c.40% of the Company's share capital. Following such conversion, InternetQ will also have the option to buy additional Company shares in order to control the majority of its share capital.

The investment will be funded by InternetQ's cash reserves, in line with management's commitment to invest the proceeds from the most recent secondary offering to expand the business in what the Directors believe it will be an accretive fashion. More specifically, the investment is expected to be earnings enhancing for 2012 through the receipt of a 6% bond coupon and has the potential to be earnings accretive in the years to follow assuming the successful launch of Darkfall 2.0.

The Issue proceeds will be used for:

• The launch of Darkfall 2.0 in the US and Europe;
• The co-development of the Asian Darkfall 2.0, which is to be a free-to-play version of the original game;
• The development of premium gaming entertainment content for InternetQ's AKAZOO platform.

Konstantinos Korletis, Chief Executive of InternetQ plc, commented:

"This investment is at the heart of our previously announced plans to develop leading edge content for the converging space of mobile marketing with social media and entertainment services, which are all directed to enhance subscription loyalty. Expanding our product portfolio and being able to both cross and up-sell services to our subscribers will be critical for our future success. Moreover, with the successful launch of Darkfall 2.0 and the development of Aventurine's other titles, we will be able to drive more focused mobile marketing campaigns to an even more affluent pool of subscribers."

Panagiotis Dimitropoulos, Founder & President of InternetQ plc also commented:

"The investment in Aventurine is a very exciting moment for us. Combining InternetQ's leading role in mobile value added services with the innovating social entertainment experience of Aventurine, will enable us to enrich the experiences of our loyal subscriber base, further strengthen our well-established R&D capabilities, and give us a strong platform for continued expansion in the global marketplace. "

About InternetQ plc:

InternetQ is a trusted global leader in mobile marketing and digital entertainment solutions. Through its proprietary technology platforms, InternetQ enables mobile network operators, brands, and media companies to conduct targeted, interactive and measurable mobile communications and pushes the frontiers in digital mobile entertainment.

InternetQ is a publicly traded company listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM, under the symbol INTQ."

So darkfall is a proof of concept game?  That's interesting the way it's worded made me stop and think lol.

In any event, I wonder if darkfall 2.0 will be successful.  I mean, are they making it really easy to "stat up" and "skil up" this time around?  That was my main concern when playing in the past.

Darkfall had some really cool things about it but also things that sucked. I'm really hoping DF2 gets it right, we'll see.

YEEEEHAAAAWWW

good news.

Interesting news indeed, so this idea of DF2 might really come to fruition, should make for some interesting forum discussions going forward.

Ah DF, how we've missed you.

I can't see it mattering TBH.

I forsee a repeat performance. The game will be the best thing ever until someone loses all their loot or a guild loses their keep.

Then all the also rans will come to the forums complaining how broken the game is.

MMO players are in geneal big carebears who want to believe themselves to be "hardcore". Which in my opinion is why  DF 2.0 will probably be a fun ride, it will also be a short one.

They managed to sucker someone to invest in Darkfall?

BWAAAAHHAHHAHAHHAHA...

Oh man. It's like buying a freezer factory located on the Antarctica.

It is interesting that they plan to make the old ( current ) version P2W in asia.  

Originally posted by tom_gore

They managed to sucker someone to invest in Darkfall?

 

BWAAAAHHAHHAHAHHAHA...

 

Oh man. It's like buying a freezer factory located on the Antarctica.

 

Because we don't have the technology to transport those freezers and sell them in other parts of the world?

Oh, wait...

Been waiting for darkfall 2.0 (aka darkfall 2010, darkfall arena) for years. but now its shaping up to be a game I do not want to play. did you read the lastest blog post about respawning near your tomb? they are going to totally destroy the game... and a great game it was, R.I.P 

While there are other mmo's Im looking forward to; It will probably be 10 years until we see another game like darkfall, thats the despressing thing. What darkfall did in terms of massive competitive twitch combat, in an open world, is still seen as impossible by every other developer. 

I gueninely am upset. Q_Q

Originally posted by DarthRaiden

InternetQ is pleased to announce its investment in Aventurine, an award-winning independent digital game development company

Aventurine is active in the highly profitable online games business for eight years now

I'm rather curious to know which award Aventurine has got. Also very doubtful of DarkFall being  "highly profitable". Tasos probably lied through his teeths again like when they edited and doubled the amount of registered users on the forum for a powerpoint during a conference he did in Greece.

I never cared for DF, but always like to see an independent get some funding and the little guy make some $$$. Too bad there is a strong perception this was done through lies and falsehoods.

Originally posted by DarthRaiden

 

More specifically, the investment in Aventurine will:

• Broaden InternetQ's capabilities to offer its AKAZOO subscribers more complete entertainment services and therefore improve engagement, further accelerating revenue growth;
• Dramatically improve InternetQ's software development capabilities, a key function for the continuous development of the Group's mobile engagement platforms;
• Allow for the immediate distribution of games (mostly casual) to mobile subscribers, the demand of which is increasing rapidly around the world;
• Allow for significant cross-sell opportunities and delivery of mobile marketing campaigns to the gaming community; and
• Exploit the significant m-commerce potential of games that are increasingly being delivered on mobile devices.

 

This bullet list has me puzzled.  It doesn't sound like they are interested in Darkfall itself, but rather the underlying tech that runs it.  Tech that they can use to advance their mobile games.

If they grab Darkfall's "A team" (lead developers) and move them to working on other games, what becomes of Darkfall?  I'm not sure I see much here that's positive for Darkfall itself.

Darkfall needs to have options on different views. I think just having it in first person or whatever its called turns away alot of players. I was goin to play it when it came out but i didnt like the first person (shooter view) on it. I like to see my character hehe.

Asian version of Darkfall 2.0 is going to be free to play!??

Intresting...

Originally posted by -Zeno-

Asian version of Darkfall 2.0 is going to be free to play!??

Intresting...

i think its also gonna be DF1.0 if i read it correct.

Originally posted by Atlan99

 

MMO players are in geneal big carebears who want to believe themselves to be "hardcore". Which in my opinion is why  DF 2.0 will probably be a fun ride, it will also be a short one.

Carebears are the one who leave DF. Those who want to believe themselves to be hardcore are not the one leaving for the fact that full loot and stuff like that are in game. In fact, we need these wannabe's.

I know cuz i'm from wow, my 1st mmorpg. Thing is, once i tried the DF beta, i left the game at 1st because of the horrible grind. I consider myself hardcore, but not hardcore at the point where i will want to cheat and macro all day for a year in order to catch up to a veteran. In DF, you cant catch up a vet in 2 months with your player skills only and you knowledge of the game.

Ive been playing DF for a year+ and i'm still far from a vet level. I'm still playing, but i dont grind anymore. I easily get beat by the vets 1on1 wise. They almost flawless victory on me everytime. When they use one of their alts against me that are atleast at my level, i'm the one who end up beating them easily or its just almost a tie everytime.

So the aspect of what makes a sandbox mmo hardcore is not the reason why a wannabe harcore leaves the game. They leave because they never asked for a korean grind that requires cheating(Macroing) in order to catch up.

Originally posted by Excalaber2

So darkfall is a proof of concept game?  That's interesting the way it's worded made me stop and think lol.

 

In any event, I wonder if darkfall 2.0 will be successful.  I mean, are they making it really easy to "stat up" and "skil up" this time around?  That was my main concern when playing in the past.

We don't know if the skill up speeds will be faster ( I hope  not, they're already really fast now) but they will have armor specialization. Meaning, unlike now where you have to master a shit load of skills, you can choose a role, like choose to be an archer, and wear archer armor, and just focus on the skills you need for archery. So, it'll take you a lot less time to get the necessary skills to be effective.

They just need to revamp the skill system entirely and create a soft skill point cap.  Extremely slow gains past cap to a certain point for veterans, but allowing all newer/casual players to get their essential skills mapped out and leveled up in a reasonable time frame.  Then, they need to add multiple characters per account.  This creates replayability.  They also need to revamp the graphics systems, the animations, and the UI to match or come close to modern AAA MMO's.  Once they do those things that I mentioned, this game will start to see some press.

They can do a lot of the other things they are doing in DF 2 as well, that's fine.  I don't agree with spawning on your tomb though.  That takes the massive world out of the game.  I hate when developers ruin the hard work done by world designers by implementing a type of fast/instant travel.