Riftforge Entertainment Ltd. today announced the development of Riftforge, an ambitious fantasy online role-playing game. It challenges MMO genre conventions with deep, tactical combat, adding a significant element of player skill. Hundreds of thousands of players will be able to cooperate and compete on an unprecedented scale, thanks to a new web technology platform.

"As hardcore gamers ourselves, we have been sidelined for a long time by greedy game companies that are going after the lowest common denominator," said Krasimir Koichev, Riftforge’s Producer. "The unrivaled depth of the Riftforge’s tactical combat system rewards competitive gamers for their skills, not just the time spent button mashing."

The game world’s central location is the Riftforge, a hub structure that seemingly exists out of space and time. When the first Rift opens, players will be able to explore the immense landmass of Manirak. It is home to dozens of warring tribes, feuding city-states, and two empires fighting for supremacy.

The player creates a House (e.g. House Stark), which can send multiple commanders and their troops to combat missions. Completing missions and campaigns results in a constant progression of new skills, better equipment, and elite units.

Commanders and their troops come from the three branches of the Riftforge military: the Guardians, the Rangers, and the Raiders. Each archetype comes with its own unique commanders and units, with customizable skills, specializations, and equipment.

Features:

• Three powerful RPG archetypes to choose from: Guardian, Ranger, and Raider.
• Rare, elite, and epic units for each of the six troop types
• Dynamic front lines across 81 areas in nine war zones
• Seven enemy factions fielding dozens of generals leading massive armies
• Deep and engaging tactical combat, within a familiar turn-based system
• A graphics engine that combines isometric pixel artwork with Flash animations
• Playable on almost any device with a browser (including smart phones like the iPhone)
• Social features that enable players to interact and trade, cooperate and compete
• Includes a free-to-play MMO mode to encourage players to try the game

GDN will certainly look into this further and keep you apprised. It sounds like it has some potential to be a contender in the already crowded MMO market. But so have a lot of others in the past.