Conduit Publisher Revealed? Major Marketing Push Imminent

By Shane Jury 30.10.2008 29

The Publisher for High Voltage Software's The Conduit may have been unwittingly revealed to be none other than the one-time rival to the house that Mario built; Sega.

On a list of future games to come from Sega, including MadWorld, Sonic and the Black Knight and Infinite Space, there is a folder for The Conduit, currently empty whilst all of the others have been updated with recent trailer and Screenshot releases.

It was previously speculated from developer comments that Nintendo themselves would publish the anticipated First Person Shooter, but now it looks to be Sega who will continue their excellent Wii support. Sega have yet to confirm if they are indeed the publisher.

Thanks to the folks at Neogaf.

Update: In related news, it looks like the game will feature a huge marketing campaign to ensure it receives decent public attention:

You know, our publishing partner is really driving the PR and Marketing. Together with Eric and I - we’re going to help from High Voltage’s side, really make an effective campaign; to make sure that from hardcore, to even steering in some of the casual gamers; showing that we have a product that appeals to the masses. That’s something that’s really important, because I think that this product is something that Nintendo Wii fans have been looking for, and we’re happy to provide that.

Update 2

Sega have now confirmed that they are indeed the publisher for The Conduit, with a press release issued today.

SEGA GETS ZAPPED BY HIGH VOLTAGE WITH THE CONDUIT
SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (October 29, 2008) – SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® of Europe Ltd. today announced a worldwide partnership with High Voltage Software to publish and distribute the Wii™ home video game system-exclusive title, The Conduit. The first-person shooter garnered multiple awards at E3 2008, including Best Wii Game by GameTrailers and three awards from IGN: Best Shooting Game (Wii), Best Graphics Technology (Wii) and Best Overall Wii Game. The Conduit is a stunning, futuristic title powered by a new game engine technology that delivers remarkable visuals and effects, as well as a rich interactive experience that is unlike any other title on the Wii.

“The Conduit is one of the most talked-about Wii games this year and High Voltage Software has only scratched the surface of the game in terms of what they have shown so far,” says Simon Jeffery, President of SEGA of America, Inc. “They have proven that graphical and technological innovation can be exciting to the Wii market, and SEGA is thrilled to partner with a team that truly shares our belief in the Wii’s gaming potential beyond the casual market.”

“High Voltage Software's partnership with SEGA to publish The Conduit represents an important milestone for this studio,” said Kerry Ganofsky, CEO and founder of High Voltage Software, Inc. “SEGA shares our vision for the title and its tremendous potential, which is why we chose them from a long list of potential partners. With their support, we are confident that The Conduit will deliver the definitive shooter experience that Wii fans have been waiting for.”

The Conduit takes players into a dark story in Washington D.C. after a vicious alien invasion has rocked the country. An organization called the Trust has sent in Secret Service agent, Mr. Ford, to go up against the insect-like alien race known as “The Drudge.” Armed with an array of futuristic weaponry and an intelligence-gathering device simply called the “All-Seeing Eye,” players follow an intricate storyline filled with conspiracy, shady government activity and terrifying aliens.

The Conduit’s detailed control system allows players to customize and configure look sensitivity, turning speed, the dead zone and much more. As players delve further into the mystery behind the extraterrestrial invasion, shocking details reveal that the invasion may have been brought on with help from the government itself.

Powered by High Voltage Software’s groundbreaking Quantum 3 engine, The Conduit ensures that players will experience single and multiplayer gameplay with graphical fidelity never seen before on the Wii. The Conduit will also support the recently announced Wii Speak peripheral, allowing online multiplayer gamers the ability to chat as they destroy aliens in each terrifying level. Additionally, the game will take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus for optimal control.

The Conduit, exclusively for the Wii, is slated to ship in spring 2009. For more information on the game, please visit www.conduitgame.com
www.conduitgame.com. For screenshots and art, please visit the SEGA FTP site at http://segapr.segaamerica.com.

About SEGA of America Inc.:
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com.

About SEGA Europe Ltd.:
SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe’s web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.

About High Voltage Software, Inc.
High Voltage Software, Inc. is an award-winning studio that has been developing games and simulations for over 15 years. Located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, it now employs over 140 staff members. The independent company has successfully produced a wide variety of license-based video game titles that include competitive racing, professional sports, horror, motion picture adaptations, and military simulations, and is now making its foray into original and innovative intellectual properties. More information about High Voltage Software and its products can be found at www.high-voltage.com.

Thanks to C3 reader jsdvs9172 for the tip.

Box art for The Conduit
Developer

High Voltage

Publisher

SEGA

Genre

First Person Shooter

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  7/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10 (30 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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Comments

Wow. Sega was the last publisher I would have expected.

Edit: I don\'t see a Conduit folder there. Am I missing something or was it removed?

( Edited 28.10.2008 21:05 by Jacob4000 )

They should give a fair amount of advertising to the game, although I doubt they could use their own servers for the online mode...Smilie

Still, chuffed that it ain\'t Ubisoft. Smilie


Edit; Inbetween Stormrise and the Incredible Hulk. Smilie

( Edited 28.10.2008 21:07 by Phoenixus )

Hopefully SEGA will be publishing this and it looks like they will now. I'm glad it's got a publisher, it looks really good.

Sorry to go off-topic, but thanks for that link. There's some really nice Shenmue art in the archives.

Could well have been deleted by now as the gaff is realised. Still...

SEEEGAAA. Great move by them if true, SEGA really can't be beaten as a third party on Wii at the moment in my eyes.

Defo good news if true, Sega are doing well on the Wii atm as everyone has said. Looking forward to the game in any case, hopefully will have tighter controls than Red Steel.

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

Inbetween Stormrise and the Incredible Hulk.

Yeah, its not there anymore...

The GAF\'s direct link to the conduit page itself still seems to work though:

ftp://segapr.segaamerica.com/SEGA_GAMES/The%20Conduit/

( Edited 28.10.2008 21:12 by Jacob4000 )

Strange, it still appears for me. Smilie

ftp://segapr.segaamerica.com/SEGA_GAMES/The%20Conduit/

Edit: Yep, still there. Maybe they just cut it off for certain Web Browsers?

( Edited 28.10.2008 21:21 by Phoenixus )

That direct link's dead for me. Guess SEGA's spotted it's mistake Smilie It's like that Hudson horror game all over again - next we'll be told to pull the story like last time Smilie

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses

For some reason I was already under the impression that SEGA were doing it. I guess it just sounds like something they'd publish to me. Smilie

Yup SEGA are bein' pretty cool with the good ol' Wii.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

Maybe if we continue to praise Sega they won't ask us to take it down Smilie

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

Bah, the title "Dino King" grabbed my attention. Here I was hoping for a cool and realistic dinosaur game. Smilie

So The Conduit... I haven't been too fond of Sega in the last 10 years or so. They tend to mess up most games. They miss the final/magic touch that Nintendo (usually) has.

Of course this time they're only publishing, so it should turn out ok.

Quick snapshot I took.

It\'s there all right. Smilie

( Edited 28.10.2008 21:38 by Phoenixus )

Bah, the title "Dino King" grabbed my attention. Here I was hoping for a cool and realistic dinosaur game.

RPG aimed at children on DS. We'll have a review of it at some point soon...

Thanks for the snapshot. Sega can't hide anymore. The cat's out of the bag. Smilie

Hopefully SEGA will do right by them, and give them what they need without too much interference. Stay AWAY Sonic Team.

Wow this + madworld = The only 2 third party Wii games I'm interested in atm....and both by SEGA? Smilie!

Avoid Games Like the Plague, productivity++

Well, lucky Sega I guess, i'm pretty sure many other publishers wanted to take this but they chose Sega.

Phoenixus said:
Quick snapshot I took.

It's there all right. Smilie

Forget The Conduit for a sec... You're Darkspine S! Smilie

I thought sega would publish this, I don't know why though, maybe because of their line up for next year, and that they seemingly have better quality contol than other devs/publishers.

Follow Me on twitter :: @Stulaw90 || My Youtube || Backloggery
NNID: Stulaw

Hopefully its good news, because Sega has let me down recently. All I have to say is this:

The enemy AI and playability will make or break this game. It is in my highest hopes that HVS has put in the extra care and effort to make sure this game is as polished as it can be.

I don't post much, but I will appreciate any feedback on the posts I do make. Feel free to PM

TruLink said:

The enemy AI and playability will make or break this game. It is in my highest hopes that HVS has put in the extra care and effort to make sure this game is as polished as it can be.

Well, i think they will since all the demoes and fotage so far have been the easy mode.

Follow Me on twitter :: @Stulaw90 || My Youtube || Backloggery
NNID: Stulaw

Wow. I wasn't expecting Sega.

Now with MadWorld, The Conduit, and Sonic and the Black Knight SEGA is looking really good as a Wii publisher/developer.

D_prOdigy said:
Forget The Conduit for a sec... You're Darkspine S! Smilie

Hey, its not as if I didn't give enough clues. Smilie

Well, I think too, that SEGA doesn't make very good games mostly, but I also think, that SEGA backs up Wii the most and - furthermore - one of the best at the moment. So I like that. I don't want SEGA to be mediocre, it hurts my heart!

If SEGA publishes The Conduit and if they do a big marketing...thingy, then they do to Conduit what it deserves. You can't publish an unusual game on a console without marketing, regardless the quality. It was the same for Halo and it is the same for Little Big Planet. It must get attention to be recognised. Hope it will.
I will buy it. Period.

I find your lack of faith disturbing!

They\'d do well to wait until next year before having a major push. More than enough people are interested in the game at this stage, and they wouldn\'t want to waste money on marketing that will get drowned out by the mad Xmas rush.

HVS should leave it till 09 before blitzkreiging us once again, then they\'ll be sitting very pretty come the US March release.

( Edited 29.10.2008 12:03 by D_prOdigy )

All of you hit the nail right on the head! The folder may be back now, the cat\'s loose from the bag, and Sega has now officially confirmed the facts in an official news release.

Open the following link for the goods:
http://www.sega.com/news/?n=2436

( Edited 29.10.2008 18:52 by jsdvs9172 )

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