Deck13 Interactive
Encyclopedia
Deck13 Interactive is a German
video game company based in Frankfurt
, Germany
. They are best known for adventure
games like Ankh, Ankh: Heart of Osiris
and Jack Keane
.
which focused on the development of games for RISC OS
. After Deck13 Interactive was founded in 2001, the tactical action shooter Stealth Combat was released for Microsoft Windows
. The label Artex Software is still being used for the publishing of low budget and special interest games.
In 2005, the humorous adventure game
Ankh
was released, which was a remake of the 1997 game Ankh: The Tales of Mystery by Artex Software. As the product sold very well and won several awards (especially in Germany), the sequel Ankh: The Heart of Osiris
was produced and released almost exactly one year later, reusing elements of the previous title. In August 2007, the adventure game Jack Keane
was released which was similar to the Ankh series in terms of graphics and gameplay but which was set in England and colonial India
. The third part of the Ankh series, The Battle of the Gods, was released in Germany on November 19 2007. One of their latest games, the role-playing game
called Venetica
was released in September 2009 and was the first RPG to be published by the company. Currently, Deck13 Interactive is working on a comic hack and slash
for Microsoft Windows
and Xbox 360
as well as on a yet not announced multiplatform title.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
video game company based in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. They are best known for adventure
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
games like Ankh, Ankh: Heart of Osiris
Ankh: Heart of Osiris
Ankh: Heart of Osiris is the third game in the Ankh series of computer games. It was released in Germany on October 30, 2006, and was released in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2007. The game contains three playable characters: Assil, Thara and the Pharaoh.-External links:**...
and Jack Keane
Jack Keane (video game)
Jack Keane is a 2007 adventure game developed by Deck13 Interactive, published by 10tacle Studios, and digitally distributed by Legacy Interactive. Jack Keane is an adventure game in the spirit of Monkey Island, with references to well-known computer games and classic movies...
.
History
Prior to the founding of Deck13, the company's founders had been active in the games market for four years with the company Artex SoftwareArtex Software
Artex Software is a Germany-based computer games company. Artex Software produce high quality software titles for the PC and RISC OS machines. The development team consists of several programmers, designers, and test players.-Track Record:...
which focused on the development of games for RISC OS
RISC OS
RISC OS is a computer operating system originally developed by Acorn Computers Ltd in Cambridge, England for their range of desktop computers, based on their own ARM architecture. First released in 1987, under the name Arthur, the subsequent iteration was renamed as in 1988...
. After Deck13 Interactive was founded in 2001, the tactical action shooter Stealth Combat was released for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. The label Artex Software is still being used for the publishing of low budget and special interest games.
In 2005, the humorous adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
Ankh
Ankh (computer game)
Ankh: The Tales of Mystery is the first game in a series by Germany-based computer game developer, Artex Software. It was released in 1998 on the Acorn Archimedes, and is a graphical adventure set in ancient Egypt....
was released, which was a remake of the 1997 game Ankh: The Tales of Mystery by Artex Software. As the product sold very well and won several awards (especially in Germany), the sequel Ankh: The Heart of Osiris
Ankh: Heart of Osiris
Ankh: Heart of Osiris is the third game in the Ankh series of computer games. It was released in Germany on October 30, 2006, and was released in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2007. The game contains three playable characters: Assil, Thara and the Pharaoh.-External links:**...
was produced and released almost exactly one year later, reusing elements of the previous title. In August 2007, the adventure game Jack Keane
Jack Keane (video game)
Jack Keane is a 2007 adventure game developed by Deck13 Interactive, published by 10tacle Studios, and digitally distributed by Legacy Interactive. Jack Keane is an adventure game in the spirit of Monkey Island, with references to well-known computer games and classic movies...
was released which was similar to the Ankh series in terms of graphics and gameplay but which was set in England and colonial India
Colonial India
Colonial India refers to areas of the Indian Subcontinent under the control of European colonial powers, through trade and conquest. The first European power to arrive in India was the army of Alexander the Great in 327–326 BC. The satraps he established in the north west of the subcontinent...
. The third part of the Ankh series, The Battle of the Gods, was released in Germany on November 19 2007. One of their latest games, the role-playing game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
called Venetica
Venetica
Venetica is a fantasy-themed role-playing video game. The game was developed by Deck13 and published by DTP Entertainment.-Plot:The story of Venetica takes place in a 16th century styled world where Death is a physical being. Death follows the instructions of a group known as Corpus. Every...
was released in September 2009 and was the first RPG to be published by the company. Currently, Deck13 Interactive is working on a comic hack and slash
Hack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
as well as on a yet not announced multiplatform title.
Under the label Deck13
- Ankh
- Ankh: Heart of OsirisAnkh: Heart of OsirisAnkh: Heart of Osiris is the third game in the Ankh series of computer games. It was released in Germany on October 30, 2006, and was released in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2007. The game contains three playable characters: Assil, Thara and the Pharaoh.-External links:**...
- Ankh: Battle of the GodsAnkh: Battle of the Gods-External links:***...
- Ankh: The Lost Treasures
- Black Sails: The Ghost Ship
- Haunted
- Jack KeaneJack Keane (video game)Jack Keane is a 2007 adventure game developed by Deck13 Interactive, published by 10tacle Studios, and digitally distributed by Legacy Interactive. Jack Keane is an adventure game in the spirit of Monkey Island, with references to well-known computer games and classic movies...
- Jade Rousseau: The Fall Of Sant Antonio
- Luka And The Mysterious Silver Horse
- Luka And The Lost Treasure
- Reading The Dead
- Seven Symbols
- Stealth Combat
- VeneticaVeneticaVenetica is a fantasy-themed role-playing video game. The game was developed by Deck13 and published by DTP Entertainment.-Plot:The story of Venetica takes place in a 16th century styled world where Death is a physical being. Death follows the instructions of a group known as Corpus. Every...
Under the label Artex software
- Ankh: The Tales of Mystery
- Botkiller 2
- Carnival Cruise Line Tycoon 2005: Island Hopping
- Exodus
- Ski Resort Tycoon: Deep Powder
- TEK 1608