Omerta Game Ltd, a leading independent online games developer and publisher, is thrilled to announce the 10th year anniversary celebrations of its perennially popular free-to-play browser-based Mafia MMORPG, Omerta.
Created in 2003 by a solo indie developer coding in his bedroom in Groningen, The Netherlands, Omerta’s remarkable growth, consistency and pioneering stance on the free-to-play business model mean it can rightfully claim to be the ‘Godfather of all Mafia games’.
Today, ten years after its humble inception, Omerta has established itself as one of the most iconic faces of browser-based gaming and the go-to destination for budding Mafiosi, boasting more than 4.8 million unique registrations and tens of thousands of active daily users.
As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster
Omerta players have been role-playing their way to Don status for over a decade, storming their way through the fast-clicking streets of the games graphical user interface while negotiating the political cauldron of the games busy underground IRC community.
Omerta’s use of text-based chat is defiantly old-school, and it is here where players become their online persona. Treaty’s are forged, heists are organised, key assassinations are ordered, and lowly Empty-Suits (the lowest rank of Omerta) use their sharp tongues to climb the family ranks to become the Godfathers of powerful Mafia organisations.
“There really is nothing quite like Omerta’s IRC community – it’s another world!”, says Steve Biddick, Omerta Game Ltd Founder and CEO, “That’s why we’ve so easily defied all expectations and why the Omerta family is still going strong after a decade. We’re incredibly proud to hit the 10-year milestone. Browser-based games are supposed to have a shelf-life of 2-4 years but Omerta is firmly on course to quadruple that!”
From the introduction of a micro-transactions model that was rarely seen in the early noughties, which promoted player convenience for supporting the game instead of paying for player power; to the recent additions of an innovative anti-scripting Lackey’s system and a player empowering Reset-o-Meter (an automated system that lets the community ‘push the button’ on when the game round is over) – Omerta continues to evolve its old-school game design with the ages and shows no sign of slowing its growth.
“Some of the legacy code that Moritz put together in his bedroom all those years is still in there”, Steve candidly adds, “But we’ve also introduced countless new features and optimized everything we can. I like that some of the original code remains, it’s very Omerta – old school at heart yet always pushing forward”
Making you an offer you can’t refuse
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Omerta, developer and publisher Omerta Game Ltd is launching a special competition giving one lucky player the chance to become the Godfather of leisure – by building their own ultimate gangster DVD collection. Starting October 20th, all players have to do is use the referral option in their profiles to grow their families. The gangster who brings in the most new players wins.
Omerta Game Ltd will provide the winner with a list of the best gangster movies ever created and a cool £100 budget to pick-and-choose their favourites. Watching Marlon Brando as the menacing Godfather of the Corleone family for free while casually levelling your own gangster on the side – it’s an offer you can’t refuse!
“Omerta has always been about its players – the players design the game, translate it, police it and totally own it – we are not the ‘management’ – we just make the coffee for everyone else. All organisations should reflect this grassroots respect.”, says Steve.
With a new affiliate system currently in the works and exciting new developments being prepared to expand the gameplay experience, Omerta’s legacy and its future as the Godfather of Mafia games is secured.
Omerta is 100% free-to-play, only requires a modest PC with an internet connection, and is currently available in 29 different languages.
Interested players can register for the International version or choose to play a regional version of Omerta here: http://www.barafranca.com/
Players can also register and login using their Facebook details: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=209330669094906
A popular quick-ranking Deathmatch version of Omerta is also available for those who like their Mafia gaming fast-paced and action packed: http://deathmatch.barafranca.com
About Omerta
Omerta has been online since 2003 and can rightfully claim to be the ‘Godfather of all Mafia games’ – and the longest-established and biggest free-to-play, massively multi-player gangster game on the web, having already achieved a number of impressive milestones including over 4.8 million individual registrations.
Omerta began in 2003 as an amateur project, in a bedroom in Groningen,The Netherlands. Omerta Game Ltd was founded in 2004 to manage and further develop Omerta. A leading pioneer of the free-to-play business model in the early noughties, the company now boasts full-time staff situated in numerous offices across the world – from Eastern Asia to Western Europe – as well as global network of over 200 volunteers.
Omerta is available in 29 languages. Regional (single-language) versions are available in Dutch, French, German, Portuguese/Brazilian, Turkish and the ‘Nordic’ languages (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish).
