Kingdom Under Fire II igniting 360 in 2010

Blueside's Kingdom Under Fire franchise has built its reputation on its action real-time strategy gameplay mechanics, but the Korean developer has of late been keen on branching out. In January 2008, Blueside released Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom and has had less-than-stellar results. That same month, the game maker announced that Kingdom Under Fire II for the PC would return to its action RTS roots, but with a massively multiplayer online twist.

Today, Blueside signaled a return to the action RTS genre proper, saying the Xbox 360 edition of Kingdom Under Fire II will resemble 2004's and 2005's well-regarded Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders and Heroes. Like the PC game, Kingdom Under Fire II for the Xbox 360 is being codeveloped with Phantagram and is expected to launch during the back half of 2010.

Blueside was light on specifics, not even mentioning a publisher for the game. (Microsoft published previous installments appearing on its console.) However, the developer noted that the game will once again feature large-scale battles, with "thousands of soldiers engaging in intense combat and all being vividly displayed [on] one screen." The game will also feature more than 100 unit types, as well as a host of new heroes and enemies.

Kingdom Under Fire II will feature a "conventional Action RTS Multiplayer mode" in lieu of the PC game's MMOG element. Blueside also stated that the game will see premium downloadable content postrelease that will introduce new customization options and other enhancements.

Blueside gave no update on when its PC MMOARTS counterpart would see release, though the game was initially slated for 2009. For more on the PC game, check out GameSpot's interview with producer Sang Youn Lee from earlier this year.