U4iA rips the wrap off free-to-play FPS Offensive Combat

Browser-based FPS Offensive Combat is the new game from U4iA, a studio formed last year by Activision expats. It's an FPS with a mobile/tablet sidearm, described as working together "unlike any game before," though no further details beyond that were provided. The only other aspect U4iA revealed is customization, which we figure is the awesome lizard hat seen in the screenshot above.

U4iA was founded by Chris Archer and Dusty Welch, former Activision and Call of Duty vets. With Offensive Combat, the two hope to deliver "the most competitive multiplayer action ever seen within a browser." A beta for Offensive Combat kicks off this summer.
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U4iA™ GAMES PULLS THE TRIGGER ON ITS FIRST GENRE-DEFINING, ONLINE, FREE-TO-PLAY TITLE OFFENSIVE COMBAT™
FPS Universes Collide in the World's First Console-Quality Multiplayer Experience in a Web Browser

Bellevue, WA, May 16, 2012 – U4iA™ Games, the new independent games startup built by award-winning game developers, today revealed its first title, Offensive Combat™. Available free-to-play in web browsers around the world, Offensive Combat will empower multiplayer fans everywhere to experience a console-quality, high energy, frenetic competition anytime, anywhere that not only challenges their skills, but also gives them freedom to express their own unique attitudes and personality. The innovative gameplay, guided by industry veterans from Activision, Sony, and the Call of Duty and Guitar Hero franchises, will feature an irreverent mash-up of first-person-shooter archetypes, weapons and themes, including surreal fantasy, futuristic sci-fi, and modern military settings, among others. Offensive Combat launches later this year, but select fans will have an opportunity to be one of the first to explore the game during a limited beta this summer.

"Free-to-play is the next disruptive, permanent shift in gaming," explains U4iA Games CEO and Co-Founder Dusty Welch. "Consumers are moving away from the traditional console retail model and demanding AAA-quality games accessible on all their devices with no upfront costs. U4iA plans to satisfy those gamers with unmatched, competitive, core games like Offensive Combat, playable through your browser at a level of quality previously not thought possible, all running on our breakthrough E-Sport level server architecture. Since the game is launched right in their browser, players will be able to fire it up, connect with their friends, and play for free - with no need for additional hardware or software purchases."

U4iA Games (pronounced "euphoria") was founded in 2011 by Welch, a 13-year Activision veteran and the key executive credited with the creation and growth of Call of Duty, and CCO Chris Archer, a 20-year veteran of the games industry who has designed and produced more than 40 video games across nearly every PC, console, handheld, and mobile platform. Together they established U4iA with the primary goal of bringing core, console-quality, free-to-play games, like Offensive Combat, to web browsers and mobile devices. The company recently closed a Series B round, raising more than $7 million in strategic private funding to date, and the company is now looking to expand its roster to complement the skilled development team they have recruited. More information is available at www.U4iAgames.com

"We believe the current crop of FPS games is just more of the same. With Offensive Combat, we are making the blockbuster game you'll have to have, but it's already in your browser, it's free, and your friends are already playing. Just log on and click play," says U4iA Games CCO and Co-Founder Chris Archer. "We're building Offensive Combat for passionate core shooter fans, delivering the features they want and empowering them to play the way they want. Gamers are clamoring for new ideas and experiences versus the same rehashed gameplay. With our unique, focused approach and broad industry experience, we're able to deliver an innovative, free-to-play game that would take other development teams multiple years, hundreds of developers and cost them, in some cases, over $100 million, a cost which they would ultimately pass on to the consumer."

Offensive Combat will feature the most competitive multiplayer action ever seen within a browser, enabling players to harness their skills and use their creativity and ingenuity to win the ultimate mash-up of first-person shooters. The browser version and the mobile/tablet versions of the game are interconnected, and work together unlike any game before, in addition to a level of customization that allows the game to evolve right alongside gamers' tastes. The full Offensive Combat experience will be detailed in the coming weeks, while select players will soon begin receiving invitations to test their skills in the limited, closed beta.

More at: www.U4iAgames.com

About U4iA Games
Based in Bellevue, Washington, U4iA Games (pronounced "euphoria") is a new independent games startup founded by Dusty Welch (CEO) and Chris Archer (CCO), industry veterans with former executive and franchise-building roles at Activision, Call of Duty, Treyarch and Sony, among others. Archer and Welch established the company with the primary goal of bringing console-quality core gaming experiences to web browsers and mobile devices. For more information, visit www.U4iAgames.com

U4iA and Offensive Combat are trademarks of U4iA Games, Inc. All other names are the trademarks of their respective owners.