Stockholm-based Avalanche Studios has become known for “explosive open worlds” with the Just Cause franchise and the upcoming Mad Max. Now the company is trying its hand at something completely different: a strategic battle board mobile game called Rumble City.
The move is Avalanche’s first foray into mobile games, which is expected to become a $30 billion market in 2015, according to market researcher Newzoo.
Similar to other mobile games like Crime City, Rumble City is a cartoon-style brawler, where bikers and street thugs are the main actors. Avalanche promises chaotic gameplay and blockbuster production values when it releases on iOS on July 9. It is already available on Android and Amazon devices.
Avalanche Studios said Rumble City is a passion project for a “small strike team with a deep affection for tactical gameplay and 1960s American biker culture.” The company said, “We lovingly refer to their invention as ‘biker chess.'” That’s funny, considering the company is based in Sweden.
Above: Rumble City
Rumble City is the first game Avalanche has released under new chief executive Pim Holfve, who became the top boss on June 11.
“When the team presented the characters of Rumble City, I instantly knew that I wanted to share them with the world” said Holfve, in a statement. “While the game may be far removed from our trademark open world madness, it captures some of the same oddball humor our fans have come to expect and demand from us. That’s why Rumble City, despite being so different, feels right at home in the Avalanche Studios catalogue of games.”
Avalanche Studios is the original creator of the award-winning Just Cause franchise, and it’s working on Mad Max for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Mad Max and Just Cause 3 (which Square Enix is publishing), are both slated for release in 2015.
Avalanche Studios was founded in 2003 by Christofer Sundberg and Linus Blomberg. It has offices in Stockholm and New York.
Above: Rumble City could be nicknamed Biker Chess.