Oh, we’ve also got the first in a series of contests coming up and our merchandise shop is re-opening in January too! The first contest will involve the names of the 18 characters which will be prominently featured in Duels of the Runemasters when it is released in 2011. You’ve seen the artwork for many of them (the rest will be released in early 2011 as new desktop wallpapers).

2011 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Realms Apart, stick around and see what we’ve got in store for you!

We’ll be making a big announcement with all the details after the new year.

And just one more thing, congrats to our lead developer, Tony Kirk and his wife Mary on the birth of their daughter Paige on December 22, 2010. Mother and daughter are doing great and looking forward to a very special new year. Don’t worry though, Tony will be back at work, creating magic on the iPhone with DotR soon.

We’d like to wish you all a very Happy and SAFE New Year. See you in 2011, the year of the long-awaited DotR launch!

We wanted to take a moment to stop and wish you all a very Happy Holiday season this year. No matter what holiday you happen to celebrate, may this time of year fill you with joy and wonder and remind you that the world can be a better place if we all focus on peace and understanding instead of conflict and hatred.

We’ll be taking some time off over the holidays to celebrate these times with family and close friends and hope you all have an opportunity to do the same. Please send your best wishes to DotR lead programmer Tony Kirk and his wife Mary for the upcoming birth of their newest daughter, Paige (due in early January but may come sooner!). This also marks the first Christmas our family will celebrate without my wife’s father and his presence is sorely missed.

So, in this time of holiday cheer, please remember to be careful out there and to embrace and enjoy the peace and love of this time of year. We’ll be back in force in the new year with some major new DotR announcements, some amazing new artwork, updates on the game development progress, a weekly developer blog from Tony himself, and LOTS more.

Again, sorry for the spare news over the past couple of month, we’re looking forward to seeing you all in the new year. Until then, keep on dueling.

Sincerely,
Mark (aka Quorlan)

Realms Apart Studios is pleased to announce more changes to the Duels of the Runemasters Development Team.

Ken Carpenter and Mind Juice Media have concluded their relationship with Realms Apart Studios regarding development of Duels of the Runemasters. In the wake of the departure, programmer James Anthony Kirk of Annapolis, MD has stepped into the lead developer role assuming responsibilities for developing the iPhone, Android, PC, Mac and Web versions of the Duels of the Runemasters game.

When asked to comment on the departure of Mind Juice Media from the project, Mark Sanges, president of Realms Apart had nothing but praise for the departing partner. “After working with Ken and Mind Juice for the past ten months it was time for them to take a new direction and focus on several other exciting projects. We wish nothing but the best for Ken and Mind Juice Media and we’re really looking forward to their next couple of game releases. Having worked so closely with them, we’re privy to the next two titles they will be releasing and I have to say, they both look and sound amazing! I can’t wait!”

Filling the vacancy in the lead programming role is James Anthony Kirk, or Tony as he prefers. “We brought Tony on board to help speed up the development process and get things on a faster development track. Under Tony’s leadership we’ll be making a change to a Unity-based game engine which should help us rapidly complete the first few prototypes as well as simplifying the process of creating versions of the game for multiple platforms.” Mr. Sanges said of the newest member of the DotR team.

When asked what drew him to the project and the daunting role of lead developer, Mr. Kirk said, “Joining the team was really a no-brainer. I have a passion for RPG/CCG/board games and a passion for development. What better way to have the best of both worlds than to join such an ambitious project that combines all of these and adds so much more. I was following the project from the beginning and am excited to now have an active role in bringing it to market. I see great things ahead for DotR and am really excited to be part of this team. “.

In January 2010, Realms Apart announced the development of the groundbreaking new game, Duels of the Runemasters. DotR combines elements of fantasy role playing games (RPGs) such as Dungeons and Dragons, Customizable Card Games (CCGs) like Magic: the Gathering, and unique board games like Settlers of Catan and Carcassone. DotR is currently in development for the iDevice platform, the Web, PC and Mac with plans to expand to Android, Windows Phone, gaming consoles and other mobile devices following the initial launch.

For more information, visit:

Realms Apart Studios – http://www.realmsapart.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Realms-Apart/167584208421
Twitter – http://twitter.com/RealmsApart

Media contact: media@realmsapart.com
More information: info@realmsapart.com
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About Realms Apart Studios

Realms Apart Studios is a game design studio based in Atlanta, Georgia whose goal is the design and development of unique, exciting, strategic, customizable games set in fantastic, rich, new worlds.

Realms Apart plans to release Duels of the Runemasters in 2011 as their premiere title. The game is currently in development for release on the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, the Web, PC and Macintosh computers with plans for expansion into other platforms to follow.

First we’d like to announce that we’ve made some changes to our plans for the Duels of the Runemasters release. There is both good news and bad news for fans of the game. We’ll take care of the bad news first to get it out of the way.

Duels of the Runemasters will not be released before the end of 2010. We know you’ve all been eagerly awaiting the release or even a beta or gameplay video, but unfortunately, we’re just not there yet. And we refuse to bring a product to market that isn’t ready to meet all of your expectations. So we sadly must push the release date to the first half of 2011. We’re hoping for first quarter, but can’t say with certainty yet, so for now we’ll just say DotR should be released in the first half of next year.

Yes, we know that’s a long way off, but the delays mean some really great news as well. First and foremost, DotR is will no longer be released ONLY for iDevices initially. Our new target is to release on all of the following platforms simultaneously: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android devices, PC, Mac and the Web! All at the same time, all with cross-platform playability. This is fantastic news as it means the potential player base upon initial release is roughly 10 times what it would have been if we had stuck to an iDevice only initial release. That means more potential opponents, more variety of play styles and strategies, a larger community of deck builders and game strategists and a ton more fun!

Beyond the initial release we still plan to expand outward to XBox 360, Nintendo DS, Windows Phone 7 and more as well!

In other good news, we’re planning to open up the DevBlog for DotR in the next couple of weeks. The DevBlog will feature weekly updates on the progress we’re making in development from our Dev team. They discuss what they’re working on, how it going, what their future plans are and much more on a weekly basis to keep you in the loop with how development is coming along.

Finally, we’re very close to ready to restart our article series, DotR Primers as well as bringing you new artwork from the game.

We know it’s been a long and bumpy road for those of you who have been intrigued by DotR and have been eagerly following our progress. There’ve been many moment of frustration for us as well, but at the end of the day, DotR is a labor of love for us and we just can’t sell the game short by rushing things or cutting corners. So bear with us and we promise to bring you the most strategic, immersive, exciting customizable strategy game even seen on a mobile platform.

As always, if you have questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comments on this post, post in our forums, send us a tweet, email us or even give us a call! We’re here for you, the gamers who love rich, deep, immersive games. So go ahead, get in touch!

But don’t fret. We’re still here and still working. We’re working on some announcements about the development of the game as well as getting the store opened back up. We should have a full size update for you in the days ahead. We’ll also be resuming our schedule of Duels of the Runemasters: Primers articles and new wallpapers featuring more of the characters from DotR.

We’ve also got a few contests in the works. You’ll be able to win some interesting prizes AND make your own contribution to the game too!

Stay tuned. We’re still chugging along and will have lots of updates and new stuff coming in the days ahead! As always, thanks for being a fan!

In the meantime, keep your eyes open for the next in our Duels of the Runemasters: Primers series later this week! As always, thanks for your continued excitement and support as we march inexorably toward the launch of Duels of the Runemasters later this year!

In celebration of this latest release, we’re also pleased to announce the opening of the Realms Apart Store! The store features T-shirts, mousepads, journals, keepsake boxes, posters and more all featuring the absolutely stunning, gorgeous artwork from the Duels of the Runemasters game. To get to the store, from the homepage hit the Store! link. The store has just opened and we’re still in the process of adding a TON of products. Eventually you’ll be able to get just about any product we carry with just about any game art you like, so if you don’t see what you want right now email us a request or just wait and see what we add next!

This weeks artwork is a special treat, because it’s our first peek at the Elves. The Elves of Moridia are generally considered to be the greatest force for Evil in the world. The Elves are an arrogant, long-lived, stunningly attractive race. They believe that only through absolute control can the world be at peace, that free-will and independent thought lead to chaos and conflict. Because of their beliefs, the Elves seek to rule and dominate all other sentient life. Elves are the mortal enemies of the Dwarves and only tolerate Humans who who are willing to submit entirely to Elven rule.

During the War of the Races a century ago, the Elves rose up and enslaved massive numbers of both Humans and Dwarves as well as some of the other races and rules over them with an iron fist for many decades. Since their eventual defeat the Elves have continuously sought to regain their stranglehold on the world.

Sinister, secret, hidden and dark,
The vile Elves live bleak and stark.
Embodiment of Evil, nefarious as well,
Unnatural malevolence born of hell.

Long and lean, move with grace,
Fight tooth and nail with magic or mace.
Conquest, enslavement, torment, pain,
Obey the Elves or be slain.

Head on over to the Extras -> Wallpaper section and download it in your resolution today! And stay tuned next week for the next installment in our Duels of the Runemasters: Primers series!