Flying Lab's New Partner

SEATTLE, Washington. – April 18, 2003 – Flying Lab Software, maker of the award-winning Rails Across America™, and Akella Corporation, developer of the acclaimed Sea Dogs™ and Age of Sail™ series, are proud to announce that Akella will create  original 3-D models of vintage sailing ships for Flying Lab’s upcoming historical MMORPG Pirates of the Burning Sea™.

Akella is bringing their substantial creative experience with the age of fighting sail to bear on this new project. From swift sloops to mighty ships of the line bristling with cannon, the models will set a new bar for detail and authenticity.

“Akella’s outsourcing group has been very enthusiastic and responsive, and we’re thrilled to be working with them. We’re fans of their games, so working with their artists is a real treat,” said Russell Williams, Executive Producer at Flying Lab Software. “Because we’re a small studio, outsourcing this core artwork means we can stay focused on gameplay and software engineering. It’s a great way to leverage our specialties and theirs.”

 “We’ve been creating adventures at sea for years now, and we’ve built up the staff and expertise to do great work with this material,” said Igor A. Goussarov, Producer at Akella Corporation. “And we’re really looking forward to showing what we can do when we target high-end machines.”

Pirates of the Burning Sea will be released for the PC in the fall of this year, using the latest DirectX 9 class video cards and fastest machines to present naval action as it’s never been seen before.  The game will use the online distribution power of Valve’s Steam™ technology, and new iterations will regularly add major new features in the months after release. 

More information about Pirates of the Burning Sea™ is available at: http://www.burningsea.com. 

About Flying Lab Software

Flying Lab Software is the maker of the critically acclaimed Rails Across America™, Editor’s Choice from Computer Gaming World and Editor’s Choice and Best Multiplayer Game of the Year from Computer Games magazine. More information can be found at www.flyinglab.com.

About Akella Corporation

Akella is one of the leading game developers and publishers in the new Russia. The company has developed fifteen and published more than fifty multimedia, game and educational projects since its inception in 1993. Several Akella titles have been bestsellers -- not only in Russia, but worldwide. More information can be found at www.akella.com.