''Desperados'' is a

real-time tactics Real-time tactics (RTT)(Article at IGN discussing their perception of RTS and related genres as of 2006. RTT is discussed as a new and not yet established genre from the publisher's perspective, so currently all RTT possible titles are still con ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

series originally developed by

Spellbound Entertainment Spellbound Entertainment AG was a German video game developer based in Offenburg. The company is best known for the '' Desperados'' series. They also developed '' Arcania: Gothic 4'' (part of the ''Gothic'' series) and later its expansion, '' A ...

, the series was then acquired by

THQ Nordic THQ Nordic GmbH (formerly Nordic Games GmbH) is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna. Formed in 2011, it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group. Originally named Nordic Games, as was the parent company, both companies were r ...

on 24 June 2013. The series is set in the 1880s Midwest, its main protagonist John Cooper deals with living the life of a cowboy, often coming to blows with other criminals and bandits as he struggles to make a living as an outlaw. The series gameplay revolves around stealth with players having the option to take out enemies one by one or going in guns blazing, either by controlling John or numerous other player characters that help John along the way.

Games

''Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive'' (2001)

Released in 2001, ''Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive'' was developed by

and published by

Infogrames Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA ()), also known as Atari Group, is a French holding company headquartered in Paris that owns mainly video gaming-related interactive entertainment properties. Atari SA's core subsidiaries include ...

for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

. In the game, the player controls up to six characters in an Old West setting, led by knife-fighter and gunslinger John Cooper. A modernized version of the game was released in July 2018 adding dubs in multiple languages, improving compatibility with newer versions of Windows, and porting the game to

MacOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

and

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

''Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge'' (2006)

The sequel ''Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge'' was released in 2006, again developed by Spellbound Entertainment and published by

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...

for Microsoft Windows. John Cooper returns as the protagonist, setting out to avenge the death of his brother, US Marshal Ross Cooper.

''Helldorado'' (2007)

''Helldorado'' was first announced as an expansion to ''Desperados 2'', using elements that had been scrapped during development. It was instead released as a stand-alone game continuing the story of ''Desperados 2''. The game was released in 2007 in Europe and 2009 in North America with

Viva Media Encore Software, LLC ("Encore") is a Delaware limited liability company focused on software sales, distribution and software development. In November 2008, Encore announced an expanded license with Riverdeep. Under the terms of the agreement, En ...

as the publisher.

''Desperados III'' (2020)

The series was revived in 2020 with ''Desperados III'', developed by

Mimimi Games Mimimi Games GmbH (formerly Mimimi Productions) was a German video game developer based in Munich that specialised in creating strategy and tactical games. It was founded in January 2011 by Dominik Abé and Johannes Roth, who had previously dev ...

and published by

for

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

, Linux, and MacOS. The story is a prequel to the first ''Desperados'' game, exploring the origins of protagonist John Cooper in the 1870s.

Cancelled title

Spellbound was developing a follow-up with more multiplayer and

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...

-oriented elements, ''Desperados Gangs''. However, they canceled it because they were unable to find a publisher to fund the project.

References

External links

* Desperados (video game series) Embracer Group franchises Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2001 {{Videogame-stub