Epsom, UK, December 5, 2012 – The Slitherine Group, world leaders in development and publishing of strategy games, and Ageod, Developer and Publisher of many strategy blockbusters are joining forces. This means that Slitherine, Matrix and Ageod, the three major players in the digital strategy and wargaming market, are now merged. The Group’s aim is to continue to expand this increasingly vibrant niche sector, not only through the variety and number of releases, but also by taking its titles to the new platforms on offer.

Throughout 2012 the Slitherine Group released 30 titles on a range of platforms including PC, MAC, PS3, X360 and the new tablet platforms. The Group has achieved double digit growth in turnover and has hit the strategy games headlines with a number of very important launches, such as Battle Academy on iPad, Commander- The Great War and Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog for PC. This move is the next milestone for the group, which since its merger with Matrix Games in 2010 has undoubtedly become the world leaders in the strategy games market. The merger with Ageod will further consolidate this position.

"We always keep an eye on opportunities to improve and increase our reach to real gamers", said JD McNeil, Chairman of the Slitherine Group. "Ageod’s core values have always been close to our own and this merger just seemed such a natural step for us all. Together the three companies in the Group are much stronger, we are now able to share resources, ideas and plans for the new generation of titles that our audience is crying out for.  I am sure our fans will be just as excited by this news as we are".

The new Ageod will have the primary task of developing the AGE engine and expanding its capabilities to embrace new opportunities, not only in terms of the number and quality of releases, but also in respect of the platforms we will be working on.

"Ageod has a large community of loyal fans and we have continued to expand this over the years by making our players a part of the development process", said Philippe Thibaut, co-founder of Ageod. "With the Slitherine Group we now have access to secure funding and an even bigger community of strategy gamers, so we will be able to create bigger and better games, on a variety of platforms".

AEGOD will continue to operate its current forums and sell its catalogue of games from its existing website. In future it will also utilize the Group’s standard copy protection methods and e-commerce systems operated by Plimus. This will also enable customers to purchase a full boxed version of their favorite titles direct from the site.

THE SLITHERINE GROUP

The Slitherine Group is the world’s leading producer and publisher of digital wargames and strategy games. Under the Slitherine ( www.slitherine.com) and Matrix Games ( www.matrixgames.com) Brands it has published literally hundreds of games, with many award-winning titles in its portfolio and spanning all digital platforms, from home consoles to modern Smartphone’s and Tablets. Slitherine is also involved with book publishing, board gaming and works with a wide array of key licensing partners, such as HISTORY®, MILITARY HISTORY®, Horrible Histories™, Showtime, BBC, Osprey, Scholastic, and many others to deliver the best blend of historical accuracy in an exciting and entertaining way. Together the Group companies form the world’s largest organization specializing in this important and vibrant niche. The Slitherine Group’s mission over the coming years is to lead the way in innovation and growth in an ever expanding segment of the entertainment industry.

For further information and details about the deal, please contact marco@slitherine.co.uk

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