Kalistani Major History

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LKG smashes Gaming Records in Kalistan
Two Historical Titles break sales records in both mobile and PC markets
Sulari, Suldanor
November 8, 4906


In "Overland Trail" players can experience the pioneer life

The joint Kalistan-Hutori gaming venture, Lexington-Kalistan Group have finally scored big in a market sector dominated by imported titles. Two separate titles from LKG, "Overland Trail" and "Privateers!" have broken sales records in Kalistan for the first time. Largely buttressed by mobile ports of both games, both titles saw their units sold and earnings finally, and dramatically increase, finally allowing both LKG titles to break into the top ten for the first time since the company was founded 19 years ago.

"We are thrilled at the success of both of these titles," said head of marketing at LKG Nadia Wilson-Rios. "With record sales, both titles represent a major step forward in video gaming in the Republic, and will allow the company to invest in better design and creative staff."

Wilson attributed the success of both these titles, which have been on the market for several years, to mobile ports. "Once we made them available for mobile devices, we saw interest generated in both mobile and PC sales," said Wilson. "It was a very risky decision on our part to put the time, effort and resources into the ports. We had no idea how things would go, but as the company has been barely breaking even for about a decade, we decided to find our best titles and try to port them to expand the market, and it was a stunning success." Selecting these two was not a sure thing, in any stretch of the imagination. When the PC titles of both of these games were released, they were both panned by critics for not featuring cutting edge 3d models and famous voice acting. "Yeah, we didn't have the money for all that. Plus, in the visually stunning games, you tend to find both replayability and actual depth for characters is limited. And the critics hated it, going so far as to actually recommending other titles which they thought gamers would enjoy more. Luckily, a lot of those happened to be from Lexington anyway, so we weren't crushed THAT bad."

But these games seemed perfect for mobile ports. "The ease of control, the lightness of the engine on CPUs, and the ability to play it for a few minutes, put it down and get right back into it later really suggests this would do well on mobile," explained Wilson. "We are not a mobile app company: We actually had to bring in some KMD consultants to really explain to us how to port this stuff to a touch screen environment, but with their help, we made a game that is easy to control, doesn't chew up your battery, and that you could easily spend hours on, or just a few minutes. And as a result, then, people also started checking out the PC releases too."

In the biggest seller this year, "Overland Trail," players get to create a wagon team to participate in a fictional land rush during the pioneer era. "We have a lot of fascination for that era in Kalistan. So people are interested in it. Though these events didn't happen anywhere in Kalistan, it is still fun to travel to an imaginary place, which is roughly based on Northern Odufaray to farm." Along the way, players will have to solve problems like fixing broken wagons, trading for gear, hunting wild animals, and dealing with dreaded diseases which plagued Kalistan before the founding of ODEN. "In this game you can die from dysentery, which is basically diarrhea... You can get a broken arm, you can get bit by a snake, you can get lost in the snow and have to engage in cannibalism to survive... All sorts of dangers, and the best thing is, the events in the game are all random, so you never really know what kind of trip you will have." said Wilson. The ultimate goal is to claim a farmstead in "Oregonia", and then players get points based on how well they traveled the trail and the decisions they make.

In "Privateers!" which sold almost as many units this year but made a bit more in profit due to heavier PC sales, players take on the role of ship captains who attack other ships at sea. "Well," said Wilson, "The game is sort of a fun take on the historical privateer tradition we have in Kalistan. Boarding ships, fighting duels, capturing ships and adding them to your fleet, drinking and wooing governors' daughters, and attacking port cities for plunder or for capture are all things players can do. While the actual privateers were bloodthirsty murderers in real life, in the game, they are represented romantically, as heroes of sorts, and the life on the sea is presented as an adventure more than a matter of national security." The game allows people to name their ship captain and Ship, to customize their own pirate flag, to recruit crew members and sail around the northern Anantonese Ocean, visiting all bordering ports, in search of adventure, buried treasure, and National Supremacy on the High Seas.

We really had a lot of fun making these games back when we did, and we are glad finally they are getting their due attention in the Kalistani Market," said Wilson. "Some of the titles we envision for the future include a grand strategy and kingdom management game that takes place over hundreds of years and requires players to build an empire to last the test of time, and a historically based city builder that will allow players to manage their cities from just a few houses and basic services through the metropolis level. We are very excited for the future."