BELLEVUE, Wash., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hidden Path Entertainment today announced it is teaming up with the more than 750,000 Defense Grid fans to fund creation of Defense Grid 2, the sequel to the acclaimed PC-based tower defense strategy game, through the company's first-ever Kickstarter campaign. The new game is expected to feature a completely new 20-mission storyline with all new aliens and towers, multiple new game play modes and level types, new conflicts, and enhanced graphics.

The five-week Kickstarter (http://kickstarter.hiddenpath.com) launches at 5:00 p.m. EDT today, with the goal of raising $1 million to fund development of the sequel. AMD's Gaming Evolved group and Razer are partners in the game's development, and are contributing rewards for different pledge levels as well. Hidden Path's new Defense Grid 2 engine will take full advantage of AMD Radeon™ graphics technology and Razer's performance gaming hardware.

"The fans – from games players to developers – have been very vocal in their desire for a brand new Defense Grid experience. A great sequel is our passion, too. It's a major undertaking, but the beauty of it is that every contributor will be part of its creation," explains Jeff Pobst, CEO of Hidden Path Entertainment. "With Kickstarter, AMD and Razer, we are bypassing the traditional publisher route and turning directly to our fans for their financial and creative input to bring Defense Grid 2 to life."

Hidden Path has created a multi-tiered Kickstarter campaign to engage and excite Defense Grid and strategy game fans alike during the campaign, which closes at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Aug. 14. They'll deliver new content as each of the following funding levels is reached:

• At $250,000, Hidden Path will release Defense Grid: Containment, an eight-level expansion for the original game (PC, Steam) featuring an all-new storyline.
• At $500,000, they will complete the new engine for Defense Grid 2, and release the first-ever co-op multiplayer mode for Defense Grid online play (DRM-free, PC, Steam).
• At $750,000, they'll release a level editor for players to create their own Defense Grid challenges that anyone can play, as well as add more multiplayer content, cheat protection to the leader boards, and everything will be released on Mac and Linux.
• At $1 million, Hidden Path will complete Defense Grid 2 for PC, Mac, and Linux (on Steam, where supported and DRM free).

There are 18 different Kickstarter pledge levels for fans to support, starting at $15. Backers at every level will receive a Steam code for a free copy of the original Defense Grid PC game immediately, even before funding closes. AMD is providing a limited number of AMD Radeon™ HD 6770 and AMD Radeon™ HD 6870 graphics cards as pledge rewards. Razer is providing a limited number of Wraith Red and green Naga Hex laser gaming mice with six optimized mechanical thumb buttons. Both AMD and Razer will be supporting Hidden Path throughout the Kickstarter event, and during game development, as funding levels are met.

Backers contributing $15 or more will receive a digital copy of Defense Grid: Containment (tentatively scheduled for December 2012), and any new Defense Grid content funded by this Kickstarter campaign once development is complete.

Additional rewards at various pledge levels include: concept art, t-shirts, a unique USB gun tower model, personalized cheat codes, personal messages from the in-game character -  Fletcher, an in-studio visit to Hidden Path Entertainment to confer with the design team, and much more.

During this event, new content and weekly contests will be added to the original Defense Grid game on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/18500). Players also will have a chance to win AMD Radeon™ graphics cards and Razer mice.

About Hidden Path Entertainment:
Based in Bellevue, Wash., Hidden Path Entertainment (HPE) is an independent game developer with 32 passionate employees and tons of experience making hit games. HPE currently is developing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for Valve, the first major update to Counter-Strike in 8 years. Prior to that, Hidden Path created Defense Grid: The Awakening and released it on PC & Xbox 360. The team has developed games and projects for Valve, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Find more information about the company and Defense Grid at http://www.hiddenpath.com.

About Razer:
Razer is the world leader in high performance gaming hardware. Founded in 1998, with its headquarters in Carlsbad, California, the company has offices in nine cities around the globe. Used by the most demanding professional gamers who compete in global tournaments, Razer provides gamers with the most unfair advantage of cutting-edge technology and award-winning design.

SOURCE Hidden Path Entertainment