Mattel Interactive announced today that Silent Hunter II is on track to release in Q4 of 2000, after changing the game's developer at the end of May. Previously being developed by Silent Hunter's creators at Aeon Electronic Entertainment, the WWII sub sim is now being completed by Ultimation, which is also working on Harpoon 4 and Destroyer Command.
An open letter on Ultimation's site states that "Our previous work on Destroyer Command has resulted in a game engine that deals remarkably well with submarine simulation, and the two games already shared many common art elements. This prior experience with Destroyer Command, combined with Aeon's latest work, gives us a great 'head start' on the development of Silent Hunter II."
Silent Hunter II puts players in charge of German submarine wolfpacks hunting British convoys in the North Atlantic. Weather and environmental effects will have an important effect on operating conditions, and the game realistically models the systems of a real U-Boat, the U-505.