Jolt Online Gaming, a part of the GameStop network, today announced the launch of the latest instalment of the Championship Manager TM series, Championship Manager: Rivals TM on the Facebook platform. Taking advantage of the framework provided by Facebook, this brand new game is a free-to-play version and, for the first time, lets players interact with friends, help their teams develop and progress throughout the leagues.
Rivals continues the Championship Manager tradition of combining deep managerial control while introducing new social and casual gaming mechanics, all with the tension and drama of matchday. Gamers can take control of players’ training regimes and organize their tactics before taking to the field to challenge the biggest names in football, making it as open and accessible to someone who’s never tried football management as it is to any Championship Manager veteran.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing Championship Manager to Facebook, and in partnering with Square Enix on Rivals we’ve giving passionate football fans the social football game they’ve been looking for.” said Richard Barnwell, CEO of Jolt Online Gaming.
“Facebook is a fantastic platform for gamers, and one that continues to get better and better. It’s great to be able to bring one of our most established names to the platform in a way that really makes use of Facebook’s strengths,” said Ian Livingstone, Life President Eidos. “Rivals will provide a great social experience for casual and hardcore football fans, built around their Facebook friends.”
Launching today, Championship Manager: Rivals will continue to grow and evolve over the coming weeks and months, constantly striving to deliver gamers an authentic and social fun football management experience. With updates planned throughout the summer, gamers will start Rivals with teams from the 2010/11 season. “We’ve always been looking to bring the Championship Manager series to gamers in new ways, and partnering with Jolt was the obvious choice when it came to bringing Championship Manager to the huge numbers of gamers and football fans on Facebook,” Said Roy Meredith, General Manager Championship Manager. “Rivals really offers something new for Championship Manager and football management fans, whilst also being incredibly accessible for those that haven’t played a football management game before. It gives you, the player, a chance to show all your friends that you really are better than they are.”
Championship Manager: Rivals is the third Facebook game to be released by social gaming veterans Jolt Online. Championship Manager: Rivals is now available on Facebook. For more details or to play for free, visit apps.facebook.com/cmrivals.
About Championship Manager: Rivals
The Championship Manager franchise is now available in a social-gaming format with Championship Manager: Rivals. Progress as quickly or as slowly as you like, with a league system that’s open to casual gamers and hard-core fans alike. Fans can choose between nine of the biggest leagues in Europe including England, France, Spain and more…
Use scouts to hunt down the best talent and engage in Europe-wide transfers to build a team that can take on the best soccer has to offer. Set up training regimes for the team, and with the new Boost System earn special bonuses for attacking, defending, goalkeepers and other vital areas, depending on what training options you choose.
Watch matches unfold with detailed commentary and a graphical overview of the pitch as your team plays the beautiful game. Share your virtual winnings with your friends and send them gifts as you help each other progress through the most exciting football leagues the world has to offer.
Championship Manager: Rivals is now available on Facebook. For more details or to play for free, visit apps.facebook.com/cmrivals.
Contact Details:
Jolt Online: Sheenagh Rogers – Press@joltonline.com
Square Enix: Tim Hodges – timho@bgstudios.co.uk
Gamestop: Beth Sharum – BethSharum@gamestop.com
About Beautiful Game Studios
Beautiful Game Studios is the developer behind the renowned Championship Manager series publishing across multiple platforms including PSP®, iPhone, PC and more. Focused on bringing the most popular sport in the world to consumers across various platforms utilising new and innovative technology. More information on Beautiful Game Studios can be found at: www.championshipmanager.com or to get a behind the scenes look follow us on twitter @ www.twitter.com/champman or become a fan at http://www.facebook.com/championshipmanager
About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd., a part of the Square Enix Europe business unit, develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOSTM and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix Group. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive™, Crystal Dynamics TM and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix Group boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 97 million units worldwide, DRAGON QUEST® which has sold over 57 million units worldwide and TOMB RAIDERTM which has sold over 35 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found at http://www.square-enix.com/eu/en/.
CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: RIVALS, CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER, DRAGON QUEST, EIDOS, FINAL FANTASY, SPACE INVADERS, SQUARE ENIX, the SQUARE ENIX logo, IO INTERACTIVE, CRYSTAL DYNAMICS, TAITO and TOMB RAIDER are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Please have a look around and learn more about Jolt and what we do. We are going to continue to evolve it and provide even more information, especially around our job opportunities.