- The daunting task of reviving classic management sims - 26 March 2021
Over the next few days, both Spacebase Startopia and Evil Genius 2: World Domination arrive. The first is a spiritual successor to Startopia, the 2001 management sim about looking after space stations for alien travellers. The second is a sequel to 2004's Evil Genius, another management sim where you get to play a Bond-esque villain taking over the world. It's a brilliant coincidence these games have bagged themselves release dates within a week of each other, and speaks to the resurgence of management games over the last couple of years. To find out a little more about this trend, I wrangled the developers from both Rebellion and Realmforge Studios into a big voice call to ask them, and find out what it's like to revive a popular sim from the noughties. Read more
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination plots a March 30th release date - 28 January 2021
As evil plans go, waiting 17 years between making a game and releasing the sequel is a pretty good one. Rebellion are finally releasing Evil Genius 2: World Domination this year, aiming their launch nukes squarely at March 30th. I’ve started my countdown timer to prepare us all. Just 5,215,571 seconds seconds to go before we're all doomed. Read more
- DEVELOPMENT BLOG - Traps - 21 January 2021
Trapping and Capturing Hello there! Evil Genius 2 Lead Designer Rich Edwards here, once again blogging for your pleasure. This week, we’ll be looking into Trapping and Capturing enemy Agents – both essential for budding supervillains! It’s A Trap! In Evil Genius 2, Traps feed into Lair defense. We’ve previously chatted about how you can defend your base with the help of Guards or other Muscle minions…but what sets traps apart from their fleshy counterparts? For starters, they don’t talk back and they seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs. Not like some yellow-jumpsuited minions I could care to mention... If your Lair has power, your Traps are usually watching for intruders and when their inbuilt sensors detect someone suspicious then they’ll spring into action. Now, it’s worth nothing that Traps aren’t a 100% - Agents can disable them, and they do have a cooldown period. Evil never rests,…
- DEVELOPMENT BLOG - JAMES HANNIGAN (Part 2) - 7 January 2021
Composer James Hannigan Answers Your Questions! (Part 2) We’re back with more answers from James Hannigan! If you missed Part 1, you can find it through this link. Thanks once again to James for his time! Will there be different music for each of the geniuses? There will indeed. Each of the four Evil Geniuses have their own theme… kind of related to their personalities, I would say. What’s different between making music for EG1 and EG2, beyond having the former as an inspiration when making music for a sequel? Are there new challenges, how has your process changed over the years, or are you tackling this in the same way you tackled the music for EG1? Since the beginning of this project, there’s been a feeling that EG2’s music should be a kind of progression or evolution of EG1’s music, rather than something wildly different for its own sake. It’s a cliché, but if isn’t broken why try to…
- DEVELOPMENT BLOG - JAMES HANNIGAN - 3 December 2020
Composer James Hannigan Answers Your Questions! (Part 1) It wouldn’t be an Evil Genius game without the sinister sounds of James Hannigan pumping through the airwaves. Once word got out that the sonic mastermind himself had returned, our community had plenty of questions for him. We gathered up the most relevant ones and put them to the man himself! Many thanks to James for his time, and to Nick Brewer for facilitating this conversation. When you were composing the original Evil Genius, what were your inspirations? You’ve composed several works with Russian influences over the years, what has inspired you in general when shaping your style? I’ve been quite fortunate as the projects I’ve worked on over the years have been very varied in terms of genre and what they require musically, so I’ve become a bit of a musical chameleon! Despite this, I always hope there is something of ‘me’ runni…
- “Gordon’s alive!?” BRAND NEW RED IVAN GAMEPLAY FEATURING BRIAN BLESSED! - 25 November 2020
Rebellion, one of Europe’s leading independent studios, is delighted to reveal a brand new gameplay trailer for Evil Genius 2: World Domination, featuring none other than the legendary Brian Blessed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=444qJSmyVzE The new trailer features world-first gameplay footage of playable genius Red Ivan, as voiced by Blessed. Not only can you see Red Ivan’s literally iron fist and destructive rocket launcher in action, but also never-before-seen traps, minions, henchmen, rooms, contraptions and more! Blessed is known for his incredible performances across film, TV and stage, including in Flash Gordon, Henry V, Tarzan and Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace - so who better to play a mastermind with a predilection for loudly blowing things up?
- DEVELOPMENT BLOG - World Domination - 19 November 2020
The Dos and Dodos of Domination Hello, minions! Rich Edwards here, Lead Designer on Evil Genius 2, here to lift the lid on another Development Blog. Does a blog have a lid? No matter. Let’s talk about World Domination. In the last blog, we talked a little bit about the differences between each Evil Genius’ campaigns, but that was just a tease. The full World Domination mode is so much more. World Domination In the last blog we talked about your place as a Genius in the world. We were talking metaphorically. It’s time to talk literally. Pick your Genius, pick a tropical Lair location, and get ready to build the ultimate in evil organizations. Over the course of the campaign you’ll be spreading your influence through Global Operations – establishing Criminal Networks in all the regions of the world, then utilizing your minions to earn gold, advancing the progress of Global Objectives, and…
- DEVELOPMENT BLOG - Evil Geniuses - 5 November 2020
Hello everyone! It’s Rich Edwards, Lead Designer on Evil Genius 2, and I’m running out of ways to say “I’m back again.” I’m back once more with another Development Blog for you. Today I’m going to be changing up the format slightly and telling you about all of our Evil Geniuses. You may already know some of them, but there are a definitely a couple you don’t… so let’s get on with introducing our four nefarious supervillains. First of all, let’s talk about how they play, and their place in the grander world… Breaking the Lore We’ve got four distinct Evil Geniuses and, while each of them is tailored to a different play style, they do have some things in common. For example, they’re need to be protected. Yes, that includes Red Ivan, who might be hardier than the others, but he’s still at risk of being overwhelmed by some well-trained Agents. Keep them protected by minions at all times, and…
- Evil Genius 2 Hands-Off Previews Reveal New Details! - 22 October 2020
Hello, minions! Recently, we invited a select group of individuals to a series of exclusive, hands-off preview sessions for Evil Genius 2: World Domination. The evil thing to do would be to ask you to do the necessary legwork…but we figured a good misinformation campaign needs some propaganda. So, we’ve compiled a selection of our personal favourites here for your enjoyment. Happy reading, muahahaha. PC Gamer “This sequel is more lavishly made, with a more '60s retro flair than the first, but it retains and updates the best parts.” Game Informer "With so many ways to try and destroy and/or take over the world, Evil Genius 2: World Domination looks like a much more enjoyable road to doomsday than we're accustomed to." VG247 “Evil Genius 2 might be arriving 16 years late, but it looks like the sequel I always wanted” GAMINGbible "Looks gorgeous and thoroughly modern" US Gamer "This almost…
- DEVELOPMENT BLOG - Lair Defense - 8 October 2020
Hey there! It’s me, Lead Designer Rich Edwards. Back again with another Developer Blog post on Evil Genius 2: World Domination. This time, we’re going to be talking about the first lines of defence in your base. We nefarious types call it the Cover Operation, but the public know it as a Casino. A successful cover operation is the Evil Genius’ front, a means of shifting prying eyes away from their Lair, and in our game this takes the form of a Casino. This is your first line of defence against the Forces of Justice. This doesn’t mean you have to invest heavily in it – Muscle and Traps are totally fine if you want to go that way – but it will be where most Agents show up for the first time. With a strong Cover Operation, you’ll be able to turn away some Agents before they even enter the Lair by investing in the Deception Tree, which I talked about in my previous blog. I should note that y…
- DEVELOPMENT BLOG – Minion Traits - 24 September 2020
Hello! Rich Edwards back again, Lead Designer on Evil Genius 2: World Domination. We’re here with another Development Blog, this time covering minion Traits. It’s a broad topic, but every character in Evil Genius 2 can have Traits – these inform the personality and the behavior of that character. Traits come out in all sorts of different ways, so let’s dive in and see what they’re all about. Trait-ing Places I’m going to address the unspoken first. You and I are two different people. I enjoy puzzles, I’m soft spoken, and I wear comfortable hoodies. You’re a fan of Evil Genius 2: World Domination, so I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say you’re some sort of incredible super being, blessed with amazing charisma, a keen mind, and excellent taste. Aren’t you amazing? In Evil Genius 2, we call these differences Traits. Whenever a new character is called into existence they are assigne…
- DEVELOPMENT BLOG - Base Building - 10 September 2020
Hello. This is Rich Edwards here, Lead Designer on Evil Genius 2: World Domination. In today’s Development Blog we’ll be covering Lair Building. The best criminal masterminds put a lot of thought into their Lair and we know this is something you’ve been asking us to divulge more on, so let’s get right to it. Enter The Lair Builder Let’s tackle the elephant-sized-device in the room first. You might have noticed in our trailers that your minions have a fancy new tool they’ve been putting to use. The Lair Builder 5000 is its name, and it is the answer to ‘how do your minions do X?’ The Lair Builder is a state of the art multi-tool, allowing minions to do all manner of things throughout the Lair – from destroying solid rock to putting up new walls, all the way through to constructing equipment and sucking up body bags. It’s a brilliant tool that all minions have access to, and it’s definite…
- DEVELOPMENT BLOG - Introducing Henchmen - 13 August 2020
Hello! My name is Rich Edwards and I’m the Lead Designer on Evil Genius 2: World Domination. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here talking to you guys about our game. But let me give it a go. I joined Rebellion to work specifically on Evil Genius 2 as a massive – and I mean massive – fan of the original. This is my dream project and I’m so thrilled to be finally able to talk more about it. Two weeks ago our Spin Doctor Sadie launched the Evil Genius 2 Development Blog and she promised you guys some brand new info in future posts. Well, here we are! In today’s Development Blog post I’ll talk about one of the key aspects we’re reprising in Evil Genius 2 and how we’re putting our own spin on it. Let’s dive into the world of Henchmen. The Best Bet for Odd Jobs In Evil Genius 2, you’re going to embrace your Inner Mastermind - the one we all know you have – and make a bid for World Dom…
- BEHIND THE SCENES : Sneak Peek - 17 June 2020
EVIL STREAMIUS TODAY Today’s the day, minions! Join us at 18:00 UK Time for a small behind-the-scenes sneak peek! Let’s see how much information we can extract from those pesky devs. #Twitch: http://twitch.tv/rebellion_official #Mixer: http://mixer.com/rebellion_official
- BAFTA-AWARD WINNING COMPOSER JAMES HANNIGAN RETURNS FOR EVIL GENIUS 2 - 14 June 2020
https://youtu.be/KnsIFMqxQeY Location Redacted, June 14, 2020 – Hot on the heels of the first gameplay footage, here’s another deadly piece of news for EVIL GENIUS 2: WORLD DOMINATION – the return of James Hannigan! As revealed during today’s Guerrilla Collective stream, the BAFTA-award winning composer of the original Evil Genius is back to create a suitably wicked soundtrack for the spy-fi, lair-building sequel. James is renowned for composing music for illustrious games franchises that include Dead Space, Harry Potter, Transformers, Theme Park and Command and Conquer. We can’t wait for his Evil Genius 2 soundtrack to mesmerize players with its irresistible brilliance, making them all the more pliable for our hidden brainwashing… BRACE YOURSELF – THE EVIL IS JUST BEGINNING… Today’s development update flooded the airwaves with even more Evil Genius 2 propaganda! That includes a special…
- Evil Genius 2 deploys devilish traps and goons in new trailer - 13 June 2020
You just can’t keep a good villain down, huh? While somewhat unfortunate for us in the real world, it’s fantastic news for devilish scheme ’em up Evil Genius 2 . Spoiling their schemes with a new “gameplay” trailer aired during tonight’s PC Gaming show, developers Rebellion revealed a few of the fiendish new traps henchmen heading to their sunny bad guy management sim later this year. (more…)
- EVIL GENIUS 2 UNVEILS WORLD FIRST GAMEPLAY TRAILER - 13 June 2020
https://youtu.be/7fZ7EutB6CE Location Redacted, June 13, 2020 - Bask in the inexorable glory of the first ever gameplay trailer for EVIL GENIUS 2: WORLD DOMINATION! MUAHAHAHA! It’s high time we showed off some footage from our next sinister scheme. At The PC Gaming Show, the criminal masterminds at Rebellion premiered the first gameplay trailer for Evil Genius 2: World Domination. Gaze upon our work below, and despair, Forces of Justice! In Evil Genius 2 you can live out your supervillain dreams. Create your own island lair, amass a force of loyal miscreants, take on secret agents and, finally, execute your nefarious plot to TAKE OVER THE WORLD! Debuted during the PC Gaming Show, today’s world first gameplay footage brims with never-before-seen tyranny and treachery. From menacing new henchmen and minions to sinister traps and powerful contraptions… and is that a fleeting tease of Max’s…
- We've been hatching a sinister scheme over on the Rebellion Discord. - 12 June 2020
Selected imagery of our next great plot has been masterfully obscured, and we'll be revealing the two most voted for screenshots soon! Join the Discord and vote on your choice! PS - Dont forget to read the rules when joining to see all the channels!
- Didn’t see that giveaway coming, did you? Mwahaha - Livestream Tonight! - 6 May 2020
Join us in 20 minutes as @JoeR247 takes you through the devious world of EvilGenius ! Twitch: http://twitch.tv/rebellion_official Mixer: http://mixer.com/rebellion_official 6pm UK / 1PM ET / 10AM PT
- Evil Genius can be yours for free right now - 6 May 2020
Evil Genius , the 2004 minion-gathering, Bond-defying base-builder is free right now, if you link your Rebellion account to Steam. This is of course to whet appetites for the upcoming Evil Genius 2 , which is expected out this year. (more…)
