Hello all. As for Through the Ages, I want to apologize for these disappointing news, too. Unfortunately, the fact the game is being betatested does not mean it is finished. Sometimes, betatesting may show there is still much work to be done.
I also like the stuff Codito does and I am buying all their games. But these great games were also one of the reasons to not prolong this contract - the work on the game dragged and it prevented Codito from updating their older games. Because of that, they would be unable to commit enough extra time to TtA, to make it really good. They would need to make compromises, and it would still take few more months. When the game would get published eventually, it would be far from perfect, with no significant updates soon, as there are many older games waiting for their updates for many months, new projects etc.
I do not know Chris personally, but from our communication, I see he is a great guy with real passion for what he does. However, despite this passion, his team is just too small to maintain so much great games. When talking about it, we agreed that taking this one from them would be best both for the game and for their other titles. It was not easy, both for Chris and for me, with so much work done. But sometimes, you need to sacrifice something to be able to move forward. And while it would be easier for us to "shut up and take your money", we both just love the games too much to do that.
Also, I would not do it if not having another way how to get the game implementation to you, to players.
Sorry I am not allowed to disclose more yet, but you have my word the game will be implemented with the utmost care. I will participate in the design process, and supervise the progress from the very start. Please note I am videogame designer and programmer by my original profession, and I know what does it take to implement such a complex game like Through the Ages (actually, I have done that seven years ago, for playtesting purposes). When cooperating with a team who knows how to create a great iOS game, I am sure we will be able to deliver top quality game to you.
Also, the development will be done in cooperation with Czech Games Editions. I hope CGE gave you enough reasons to believe we really care for details in the past years. It will be not different in case of the digital version.
Well, I can't give you more than promises now, but I hope in the end, you will see it was worth the extra waiting. Thanks for the patience, and please stay tuned for an official announcement.
