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30 July 2014
Frontier Developments plc
Releases first phase of Elite: Dangerous Beta development process
Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV, "Frontier,"), the leading independent game developer with studios in Cambridge UK and Halifax, Nova Scotia, has released the first phase of the Beta development process of its forthcoming Elite: Dangerous game on schedule.
The Beta 1 release increases the playable star systems in the game by an order of magnitude to 55, covering 38,000 cubic lightyears of accurately modelled Milky Way galaxy. The increased variety of celestial bodies, trading economies and star ports play host to a large number of additional features and enhancements, which together provide a richer gameplay experience over the whole expanded volume of space.
The start of the Beta phase has added around 20,000 more players, who had already purchased access to this phase of development. Elite: Dangerous Beta access is available for purchase and immediate access by new players for £50 from Frontier's online store.
David Braben, CEO of Frontier, said:
"The first phase of the Beta process is yet another significant milestone for Frontier and for the development of the Elite: Dangerous game. Successful Alpha and Premium Beta phases have allowed us to build out the game in a sensible way, whilst increasing the number of players significantly.
"Beta 1 adds more components that significantly enhance core gameplay. This, together with the increased scale and the increased number of players, is another major step forward. The full Beta marks the beginning of the final phase of development."
Enquiries:
Frontier Developments | +44 (0)1223 394 300 |
David Braben, CEO | |
David Walsh, COO Neil Armstrong, CFO | |
Canaccord Genuity | +44 (0) 207 523 8000 |
Simon Bridges/Cameron Duncan | |
finnCap Ltd | +44 (0) 20 7220 0500 |
Malar Velaigam | |
Instinctif Partners | +44 (0) 20 7457 2020 |
Kay Larsen/Adrian Duffield |
About Frontier Developments plc
Frontier Developments plc, listed on the AIM stock market (ticker: FDEV), is a leading independent game developer founded in 1994 by David Braben, co-author of the seminal 'Elite' game. Based in Cambridge, UK and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Frontier uses its proprietary 'Cobra' game development technology to create innovative games across videogame consoles, computers, smartphones and tablets.
Frontier raised initial funding via Kickstarter, the crowd-funding website, and its own site to develop Elite: Dangerous. The studio released Zoo Tycoon as a launch title for Microsoft's Xbox One console in 2013 and is currently working on a number of as yet unannounced titles in addition to Elite: Dangerous.