Nival (company)
Encyclopedia
Nival is a global video game developer
and publisher of social strategy games with extensive experience in strategy game development and massively multiplayer online game publishing. Nival is headquartered in Moscow
and was founded in 1996 by Russian games industry veteran Sergey Orlovskiy, who currently serves as company president.
With offices in Los Angeles
, Minsk
and St. Petersburg, Nival currently has more than 200 employees and three development studios.
Nival also operates the popular Russian gaming network, ZZima.com, which features many free-to-play online games, including Cabal Online
, Dragonica
, Seven Souls and Shaiya.
Since 1996, Nival has developed several popular games, including Heroes of Might and Magic V
, Blitzkrieg
, Silent Storm
, and Etherlords
. Nival’s internal development studios are focused on multiplayer online projects, including the cross-platform, social strategy game, Prime World.
Nival also works with external developers, and makes mobile games at its unique development studio, Nival Games Lab, which is an incubator for game developers.
s, the Silent Storm Engine
and the Enigma Engine
, that were reused in several third-party titles.
In early 2005, the part of Nival operating under the name "Nival Interactive" was bought by Ener1 Group, a Florida
-based holdings company, for around US$10 million. Ener1
has stated that it will "integrate Nival's artists, designers, and programmers with its US-based video gaming interests". On November 30, 2007, Sergey Orlovskiy regained full control of Nival Interactive.
In early 2010 another part of Nival named "Astrum Nival" was bought by the largest Russian portal Mail.Ru for more than US $100 million.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and publisher of social strategy games with extensive experience in strategy game development and massively multiplayer online game publishing. Nival is headquartered in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and was founded in 1996 by Russian games industry veteran Sergey Orlovskiy, who currently serves as company president.
With offices in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
and St. Petersburg, Nival currently has more than 200 employees and three development studios.
Nival also operates the popular Russian gaming network, ZZima.com, which features many free-to-play online games, including Cabal Online
Cabal Online
Cabal Online is a free-to-play, 3D massively-multiplayer online role-playing game , developed by South Korean company ESTsoft. Different versions of the game are available for specific countries or regions...
, Dragonica
Dragonica
Dragonica known in North America as Dragon Saga, is a free-to-play 3D side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Barunson Interactive. Development has been ongoing since March 2006. Operation of Dragonica is relegated to different publishers for their respective...
, Seven Souls and Shaiya.
Since 1996, Nival has developed several popular games, including Heroes of Might and Magic V
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Heroes of Might and Magic V is the fifth installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic turn-based strategy video game series. It was developed by Nival Interactive, under the guidance of franchise-owner Ubisoft...
, Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg (computer game)
Blitzkrieg is a real-time tactics computer game based on the events of World War II. The game allows players to assume the role of commanding officer during the battles of World War II that occurred in Europe and North Africa. Each country has its respective historically correct military units...
, Silent Storm
Silent Storm
Silent Storm is a tactical role-playing game for Microsoft Windows, developed by Russian developer Nival Interactive and published by JoWood in 2003. The game is set in World War II Europe. The player commands a team of up to six elite soldiers on the Axis or Allied side, undertaking a variety of...
, and Etherlords
Etherlords
Etherlords is a fantasy turn-based strategy and card-dueling series for the PC, by Russian developer Nival Interactive. The first game was published November 12, 2001 by Fishtank Interactive. Prior to worldwide release it was released in Russia as Demiurges...
. Nival’s internal development studios are focused on multiplayer online projects, including the cross-platform, social strategy game, Prime World.
Nival also works with external developers, and makes mobile games at its unique development studio, Nival Games Lab, which is an incubator for game developers.
Background
Nival is the developer of two popular game engineGame engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
s, the Silent Storm Engine
Silent Storm engine
The Silent Storm engine is a turn-based tactics game engine developed by Nival Interactive for their video game Silent Storm. The engine was reused for Silent Storm: Sentinels, Night Watch, Hammer & Sickle and Day Watch...
and the Enigma Engine
Enigma Engine
The Enigma engine is a game engine developed by Nival Interactive that is used in several real-time tactics video games, including their own games, Blitzkrieg and Blitzkrieg 2...
, that were reused in several third-party titles.
In early 2005, the part of Nival operating under the name "Nival Interactive" was bought by Ener1 Group, a Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
-based holdings company, for around US$10 million. Ener1
Ener1
Entrepreneur Mike Zoi and Scientist Peter Novak founded Ener1 in 2001 to develop energy storage technology company that develops compact, lithium-ion-powered battery solutions for the transportation, utility grid and industrial electronics markets. Headquartered in New York City, the company has...
has stated that it will "integrate Nival's artists, designers, and programmers with its US-based video gaming interests". On November 30, 2007, Sergey Orlovskiy regained full control of Nival Interactive.
In early 2010 another part of Nival named "Astrum Nival" was bought by the largest Russian portal Mail.Ru for more than US $100 million.
Games
- Rage of MagesRage of MagesRage of Mages is a PC game that combines role-playing and real-time strategy. Produced by Nival Interactive it was first released in Russia under the name of Allods: Sealed Mystery...
(1998) (known as Allods in Russia and CIS)- Rage of Mages II: Necromancer (1999) (known as Allods II in Russia and CIS)
- Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost SoulEvil Islands: Curse of the Lost SoulEvil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul, or simply Evil Islands , is a PC game by Nival Interactive that combines role-playing, stealth, and real-time strategy. It is the third game of the Allods franchise, after Rage of Mages and Rage of Mages 2: Necromancer...
(CIS 2000, EU & USA 2001) (known as a third game in the Allods series) - EtherlordsEtherlordsEtherlords is a fantasy turn-based strategy and card-dueling series for the PC, by Russian developer Nival Interactive. The first game was published November 12, 2001 by Fishtank Interactive. Prior to worldwide release it was released in Russia as Demiurges...
(2001)- Etherlords II (2003)
- BlitzkriegBlitzkrieg (computer game)Blitzkrieg is a real-time tactics computer game based on the events of World War II. The game allows players to assume the role of commanding officer during the battles of World War II that occurred in Europe and North Africa. Each country has its respective historically correct military units...
(2003)- Blitzkrieg 2 (2005)
- Silent StormSilent StormSilent Storm is a tactical role-playing game for Microsoft Windows, developed by Russian developer Nival Interactive and published by JoWood in 2003. The game is set in World War II Europe. The player commands a team of up to six elite soldiers on the Axis or Allied side, undertaking a variety of...
(2003)- Silent Storm: Sentinels (2004)
- Hammer & SickleHammer & SickleHammer & Sickle is a tactical role-playing game for the PC, co-developed by the Russia-based companies Novik&Co and Nival Interactive and published by CDV in 2005...
(Russia 2005, USA 2005) - Night Watch (Russia 2005, USA 2006)
- Heroes of Might and Magic VHeroes of Might and Magic VHeroes of Might and Magic V is the fifth installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic turn-based strategy video game series. It was developed by Nival Interactive, under the guidance of franchise-owner Ubisoft...
(May 18, 2006)- Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of FateHeroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of FateHeroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate is the first expansion pack to the turn-based strategy game Heroes of Might and Magic V. Like the original game, it was developed by Nival Interactive, under the guidance of Ubisoft. It was released on November 7, 2006.-Features:The expansion pack...
(November 2006) - Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the EastHeroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the EastHeroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East is the second expansion pack to the turn-based strategy game Heroes of Might and Magic V and the first stand-alone expansion pack released for the fifth series...
(October 2007)
- Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate
- King's Bounty: LegionsKing's Bounty: LegionsKing’s Bounty: Legions is the next Turn-based strategy developed jointly by Nival and KranX Productions. It is a new project based on the strategy game King's Bounty: The Legend, which is itself based on concepts from the much older King's Bounty developed years earlier by New World Computing. It...
(Summer 2011) - Prime World (TBA 2011)