Plarium launches new version of smash-hit Stormfall on mobile

Plarium is taking its smash hit Facebook game Stormfall: Age of War mobile devices for the first time.

Stormfall: Rise of Balur debuts today on iOS and Android as an expansion of the massively multiplayer online medieval fantasy game.

The original Stormfall debuted in 2012 on Facebook, and it was downloaded more than 30 million times. It was a rare success as a hardcore game on the social network, which was home to casual works like FarmVille. And it helped the Tel Aviv, Israel-based Plarium build a real business in the free-to-play gaming market.

That gave Plarium time to do its mobile release right, and now the company says it is ready.

In this expansion, Plarium says players must rebuild the throne of a fallen empire by forming strategic alliances with other gamers and waging war against their rivals. The developers aimed high with the quality of its 3D graphics, audio, and narrative depth. Players acquire resources by battling with other castles and engaging in raids and trades.

The existing game has a big audience across the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, and more countries.

Plarium created Rise of Balur with a mobile-focused user interface, streamlined action menus, new game mechanisms, and buildings. The 3D graphics have been designed to take advantage of the newest mobile-device capabilities such as bigger and brighter displays.

“As mobile continues to be a thriving platform for gaming, Stormfall: Rise of Balur allows our hardcore community to immerse themselves in an MMO experience, all at their own convenience,” said Plarium CEO Avi Shalel in a statement. “In addition to enhancing the features that made the social version so popular, we redesigned many visual aspects of the game to increase clarity and depth and adapt to a smaller screen.”

Plarium has localized it for English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Russian audiences. An endless number of rival offerings are out there, but Machine Zone’s Game of War: Fire Age is a big target. It has been in the top-five ranks for more than a year on the top-grossing-mobile-game lists.

Plarium isn’t a small threat. It was founded in 2009. Its games have more than 130 million registered users, and the company has more than 700 employees.