New 3000AD title to be published by Dreamcatcher

In a somewhat surprising move, DreamCatcherannounced that it will be publishing Universal Combat: A World Apart, the follow-up to the space simulation title Universal Combat. The PC game will be available as both an expansion to the original and as a stand-alone sequel. It is being developed by 3000AD and is scheduled to ship in March 2005.

The announcement may get a double take from many in the industry familiar with the turbulent relationship between the title’s publisher and developer. DreamCatcher and 3000AD were locked in a very public, ugly legal battle over the release of Universal Combat in 2004. The publisher pushed for a 2003 holiday release to spike sales, but 3000AD’s perfectionist ways couldn’t meet the deadline, forcing several retailers to back out on holiday orders.

Originally dubbed as the Battlecruiser franchise, the Universal Combat series launches gamers into space in highly technical simulations that feature interplanetary exploration and vehicular combat in space, on land, and at sea. A World Apart adds two main single-player campaigns, two multiplayer cooperative scenarios, improved graphics, and new vehicles and weapons.

We’ll have more information on Universal Combat: A World Apart soon.