Both companies made the announcement via a trailer that is available on THQ Nordic’s YouTube page. The trailer is accompanied by the description “Faranga needs a hero – will you heed the call?” Risen is an action role-playing game with pirate and fantasy themes that originally launched in October 2009. The events of the game take place on the fictional island of Faranga which is modeled after Sicily. Like the Italian city, Faranga has an active volcano, Mediterranean plants, and multiple climates. The game follows a nameless character who finds himself on the island after his ship is destroyed at sea. Following his acquaintance with the island, its inhabitants, and the events, the player must join one of three factions namely the Bandits, Warriors of the Order, or the Mages. Then, the player will participate in High Inquisitor Mendoza’s war against the Titans who are terrorizing mankind. Risen’s trailer is 41 seconds long and begins with a shipwreck that deposits the lead character on Faranga. It then shows the character going on adventures on the island, battling monsters and men, and using magic. Some of the weapons seen in the announcement trailer include axes, bows, and swords. The trailer was well received by fans with some lauding the initiative and others promising to buy the title when it is eventually released. Some fans even went as far as asking for a port of all three games in the series. While there is no indication this will be the case, it is a possibility especially if the forthcoming port gets a great reception from fans and critics. While Piranha Bytes developed the PC version of the original game, the studio outsourced the game’s Xbox port to a French external console team named Wizarbox. The game, and its subsequent sequels, were published by the Austrian video game publisher Deep Silver. Risen was generally well-received by critics and fans and, as a result, spawned two sequels titled Risen 2: Dark Waters and Risen 3: Titan Lords. It is important to reiterate that the forthcoming title is a port and not a remaster. While it is too early what the game will look like on recent consoles, fans hope for an experience that, at the very least, equals what they get on older consoles. Speaking of THQ Nordic, the publisher recently revealed the delayed release date for Dead Island 2.
