Ares Games has announced plans for new projects in 2026, including two new titles in the expandable Mega Empires line as well as an updated version of City of Chaos.
Mega Empires is a revised modular version of the classic empire-building game Civilization, based on the Mega Civilization version published by Colossus Games in 2015 (see “Ares Games Reveals New Edition of ‘Mega Civilization’ for Preorder”). In the game, players earn victory points as they guide their civilization through historical epochs using trade, expansion, and cultural development. In 2024, Ares released the first two titles in the series, Mega Empires: The West and Mega Empires: The East. Now the company is extending the line across Asia with Mega Empires: The Far East – North and Mega Empires: The Far East – South.
Mega Empires: The Far East – North covers the coastal regions of east Asia, including China, the Korean peninsula, and the islands of Japan. Mega Empires: The Far East – South is focused on south-east Asia, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and the Philippines. A Silk Road expansion is also planned.
In addition to new maps and cultural developments appropriate to their regions, the new titles introduce some new mechanics, including pirate ships that can block movement or act as mercenaries, the construction of The Great Wall, and events that trigger based on the advancement of the players.
All four games can be played on their own with three to five players, or combined together to create a larger map suitable for larger groups.
Originally released in 1996, City of Chaos: A Fantasy Adventure Game is a narrative, storytelling style board game that invites players to explore the city of Byronitar. The new edition maintains the original weirdness of the setting and its mysteries while offering refreshed and updated game mechanics. It features multi-session campaign and cooperative play, an updated combat system, and new asymmetric characters, all developed in partnership with the game’s original designers Martyn Oliver and Colin Thornton. Alongside the modernized gameplay, the game will sport new artwork by Francesco Corli and graphics by Peter Gifford.
Click Gallery below for sample images from City of Chaos.
Release dates and MSRP for the new games have not been announced. Production will be supported through crowd-funding campaigns later this year.
Last year, Ares launched Walter Obert’s World War II game Wunderwaffen (see “Ares Games Will Release ‘Wunderwaffen’”). In December, Ares announced a partnership with XP Network for a new player rewards program (see “Ares Games Partners with XP Network”).
Source: ICV2
