Global Star Software, a publishing label part of the Take-Two empire, and Firefly Studios have confirmed that a sequel to the game Stronghold and Stronghold: Crusader will be released in the early part of 2005.

"The first Stronghold game pioneered a genre by combining the elements of simulation games and combat strategy into a single unique experience," said Christoph Hartmann, Senior Vice President of Publishing at Global Star. "Now we are thrilled to bring Stronghold 2 to the market, which will undoubtedly set the standard as Firefly Studios has taken its already highly regarded gameplay and pushed it beyond anyone's expectations with new and innovative features. We are confident that Stronghold 2 will captivate gamers in 2005."

"We decided to steer away from the typical RTS mold when we developed the original Stronghold," said Simon Bradbury, Director at Firefly Studios. "Now, with a 3D engine that can render tens of thousands of animated characters on-screen simultaneously, we can explore the intricacies of castle-life and the machinations of siege-warfare like never before in Stronghold 2. Once again we will take the Stronghold franchise into new and exciting territory."

With the release of the title still several months away at the moment, specific details have not yet been unveiled, but already Stronghold 2 sounds like a very interesting prospect with an all-new Single-Player Campaign and the intriguing “Castle Life” mode.

TVG will bring you the latest news as its released soon…