Codemasters announces three new Overlord Games planned for release next year; Overlord II, a full sequel to the fantasy action/adventure planned for PCs and consoles, Overlord: Dark Legend for Wii, and Overlord Minions for DS. Here's the general announcement and specifics on the sequel:

Thursday 14th August/... Marking the return of the bad ass game brand that champions a despotic tyrant and sets loose the most vicious, yet lovably insane critters in gaming, Codemasters® today announced that the Overlord and the Minions will headline a series of three new Overlord™ titles for multiple platforms in 2009.

Overlord™II is the sequel to the original twisted fantasy action adventure and is now in development at Triumph Studios for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Games For Windows®. True to form, the Overlord and the Minion horde have their sights set on supremacy and 2009 will also see the series debuting on new formats. Exclusive extensions include the action title Overlord™Dark Legend for Wii™, featuring minion control through Wii Remote movement, and Overlord™Minions, a dedicated puzzle action title, for Nintendo DS™.

“As a million-plus seller Overlord is now a significant brand in the ever-growing Codemasters portfolio,” says Barry Jafrato, Senior Vice President of Brand, Codemasters. “With specific titles published across major formats and download content available, Overlord has established a huge cult following and won widespread critical acclaim. We’re delighted to have the despot back for this three-game, five-format product line. With Triumph’s hugely impressive vision for Overlord II and bespoke titles for Wii and Nintendo DS, Overlord is set to dominate in 2009.”

“Epic battles, all new Minion play mechanics, a stunningly detailed new visuals and a fresh theme – Overlord II’s really packing a punch,” says Lennart Sas, director and Overlord lead at Triumph Studios. “We’re really excited about shifting the world to a new era where a Roman-inspired Empire rises as the arch-enemy of the Overlord, which leads to an epic clash between the regimented forces of a sprawling state and the faster, harder, more manic minion horde. It’s also great to see the series reaching new formats. The creativity being packed into the design for Overlord Dark Legend on Wii and Overlord Minions on Nintendo DS make great use of the platforms’ unique features and are perfect extensions to the Overlord series.”

OVERLORD TITLES FOR 2009:

OVERLORD™II
• PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360, Games For Windows.

Overlord™II is the sequel to the hit warped fantasy action adventure that had players being delightfully despotic. In Overlord II, a new Overlord and a more powerful army of Minions take on an entire empire in a truly epic adventure, inspired by the rise of the Roman Empire. As the Glorious Empire conquers kingdoms and destroys any sign of magic it finds, it’s time to go Minion Maximus and send in the horde.

The Minions return smarter, deadlier (and funnier) and are ready to fight in large scale battles that will see their wild pack mentality squaring up to the organised legions of the Glorious Empire. As ever, they’ll do anything and everything the Overlord commands of them, especially now that they can run ravage and wreck buildings and scenery. They’ve also learn to ride: In Overlord II Minions will be able to mount up and ride wolves and other magical creatures around the landscape and take them into battle, making our band of merry fighters faster and fiercer than ever before. Coming in 2009, Overlord II is now in development at Triumph Studios in Delft, the Netherlands, for the PLAYSTATION®3 system, Xbox 360 and Games For Windows.