Mad Minute Games announced today that they have reached a preliminary agreement with an as yet unnamed publisher. This allows the company to see a retail release of their new game, Take Command: Second Manassas. Here are the details, straight from MMG:
Major Announcement for TC2M & Preorders
December 21, 2005
MadMinute Games, Inc. would like to share some really exciting news with you. For some weeks now we have been in intensive negotiations with a major Publisher to release Take Command – 2nd Manassas to a worldwide market through retail outlets. For obvious reasons these discussions have been confidential, but negotiations are now at an advanced stage and this week we have reached a preliminary agreement, which allows us to release this information to you.
This is a big step for us that will hopefully ensure the further success of the series. We hope that you will be as excited as we are. The only problem is that in order to tie in with their release schedule we have to delay shipping the game. We are really sorry about this and don’t like to let anyone down but this is necessary to allow them to get the marketing right and to support the game properly. The box released by the publisher will include a nicer box than we could create. There is also a good chance that it will contain a printed manual and may contain other goodies. We felt that if we did ship our release then those receiving it would have felt let down when the publisher’s product came out.
We just hope that you, our most loyal supporters will support us in this decision, and we would like to enlist your help one more time, by checking out the final beta. We are only releasing this to those people that have preordered the game. It will contain some modes of open play and some scenarios, but will not include the high-resolution sprites and will not be moddable. It should keep you busy for a while.
The release date is effected by a number of things but looks like it will be early Q2 2006.
Chris at NWS has very graciously agreed to email every single person that preordered the instructions for obtaining this beta. You should be receiving an email within the next two weeks. Since all pre orders are through NWS and not through MadMinute Games, you will have to work out the details with them. They have agreed to handle your preorder money however you want; we hope that you will carry it over until the publisher’s game is released. They have also assured me that any difference in cost will be applied to store credit, shipping charges, etc.
No more preorders will be accepted for this pre beta program. This is only available to those that already preordered the game. We have told the publisher the importance we place on these preorders and will do all that we can to make sure that you receive your games as soon as they are available.
This was not an easy decision to make, but we have been speaking to some great people in the industry and they have convinced us of the importance of reaching a worldwide market through retail chains. If Take Command is going to be able to continue up through Gettysburg, and over the ocean to Waterloo, then we must make the decisions that will reach the most people in the shortest amount of time.
Thank you all for your support, by preordering the game and on our forums.
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