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We recently reported that Linux game porting house Tribsoft would be sharing the source code from their port of Europa Universalis with Hyperion Entertainment, allowing for Mac OS and Amiga ports of this game of conquest. GameSpy has posted a joint interview with Mathieu Pinard of Tribsoft and Ben Hermans of Hyperion Entertainment detailing the relationship between the two companies. While conducted from a pro-Linux point of view, the article and interview reveal some significant facts -- namely that US and European publisher Titan Interactive will be distributing Europa Universalis and other titles. There is also some speculation that cross-continental relationships such as these might open the door for many Europe- and Asia-only game releases to be brought to the US.

Here is Hermans' take on the advantages of the Tribsoft/Hyperion partnership:

Ben Hermans--Hyperion Entertainment: Our partnership produces a lot of synergy for both Hyperion Entertainment and Tribsoft. As we are great believers in choice for consumers, we have adopted a multi-platform strategy which means we are not only active in the Linux market, but also in the Mac and Amiga markets. Working with Tribsoft, we not only have access to more industry contacts, but we can also cut down significantly on "time to market" for our Mac and Amiga ports by using Tribsoft's Linux code. Likewise, Tribsoft can use our Amiga and Mac code to dramatically cut down on the development time of certain Linux projects. This will produce clear benefits for the users of all these platforms because it means more titles, sooner. We are confident the results will become fully apparent in the course of 2001.

Europa Universalis Coming to Mac

GameSpy Interviews Tribsoft, Hyperion

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